T-Mobile to launch first Google-powered mobile
August 18, 2008
T-Mobile said Monday it plans to launch a mobile phone powered by Google’s Android software, making it the first operator to do so and posing a direct threat to Apple’s popular iPhone.
A spokesman for Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile’s German parent, declined to comment on the launch date for the device which is made by mobile phone maker HTC.
According to a report in the New York Times, the phone will hit the stores in the United States before Christmas, perhaps as early as October.
The new device will have a touch screen like the iPhone and other smartphones that use software from firms like Palm, Microsoft and Nokia to allow users to access the Internet.
iPhone 3G Connection Issues Related to Software or Hardware?
August 14, 2008
According to a new article from BusinessWeek.com, additional sources have corroborated an analyst’s claim that recent iPhone 3G connection issues are the result of issues with the Infineon chipset used to provide 3G connectivity in the iPhone. The sources indicate that Apple plans to address the issue through a software update rather than a hardware recall.
Two sources say Apple will likely issue a software update by the end of September—if not by the end of this month—to resolve the issues. Apple and Infineon are currently testing the fix, which will be included in a broader update of the iPhone’s software.
- from Macrumors
Best Buy to sell Apple iPhones
August 12, 2008
Best Buy Co. will start selling the iPhone on Sept. 7, becoming first U.S. chain to do so outside of Apple Inc.’s and AT&T Inc.’s own stores.
The announcement by Best Buy expands the availability of Apple’s vaunted phone to 970 full-size stores and 16 smaller Best Buy Mobile stores. It’s also a coup for the Minneapolis-based chain, which has been upgrading its cell-phone departments.
“We had a lot of work to do, obviously, to get in a position where Apple and AT&T would feel good about Best Buy Mobile carrying it, and that’s what we’ve done in the last 18 months,” said Shawn Score, president of Best Buy Mobile.
- from Yahoo
‘Entourage’ now available through Apple’s iTunes
August 12, 2008
HBO announced that all seasons of the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning comedy series “Entourage” is available for purchase and download on the iTunes Store. Starting today, “Entourage” seasons one and two are available for download for $1.99 per episode, season three arrives on August 18, and season four will be available on August 26. The highly anticipated premiere of season five airs September 7 on HBO.
“We’re excited to release all four seasons of ‘Entourage’ on iTunes, allowing new and existing fans to prepare themselves for the premiere of season five,” said Henry McGee, president of HBO Video.
- from Variety
September Event to Introduce iPod Updates and More?
August 12, 2008
Last week an analyst report speculated that Apple would hold some sort of media event this September to refresh the iPod line as well as introduce updates to both the MacBook and MacBook Pro lines.
While the report appeared to be mostly speculative, Apple has been predictably updating their iPods in September for the past couple of years. Combined with circulating rumors of iPod revisions and the end of the Back to School promo, it seems probable that late September will bring us new Apple products.
While rumors have focused on new iPod nanos, we’ve heard whispers that an iPod Touch update is also likely in the same timeframe.
- from Macrumors
iPhone Software Sales Take Off
August 11, 2008
Apple Inc.’s bet on cellphone software appears to be paying off.
In the month since Apple opened an online software clearinghouse called the App Store, users have downloaded more than 60 million programs for the iPhone, Chief Executive Steve Jobs said in an interview at Apple’s headquarters. While most of those applications were free, Apple sold an average of $1 million a day in applications for a total of about $30 million in sales over the month, Mr. Jobs said.
If sales stay at the current pace, Apple stands to reap at least $360 million a year in new revenue from the App Store, Mr. Jobs said. “This thing’s going to crest a half a billion, soon,” he added. “Who knows, maybe it will be a $1 billion marketplace at some point in time.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my career for software,” he said.
- from WSJ
Apple removes $1,000 featureless iPhone application
August 8, 2008
Eight iPhone owners have joined an elite clan: Their Apple gadget is running a program that cost nearly $1,000.
When the iPhone first hit the market in June 2007, those who paid the $499 entry price — and signed the two-year AT&T contract — owned a status symbol. A year later, we have the iPhone 3G, Apple’s speedier, sleeker and, most important, less expensive smart phone, which introduced a section for downloading third-party applications. Now that the phone is affordable enough for a wider audience, a new status symbol has emerged: a seemingly useless application called I Am Rich.
Its function is exactly what the name implies: to alert people that you have money in the bank. I Am Rich was available for purchase from the phone’s App Store for, get this, $999.99 — the highest amount a developer can charge through the digital retailer, said Armin Heinrich, the program’s developer. Once downloaded, it doesn’t do much — a red icon sits on the iPhone home screen like any other application, with the subtext “I Am Rich.” Once activated, it treats the user to a large, glowing gem (pictured above). That’s about it. For a thousand dollars.
Apple apparently had some problems with I Am Rich. After initially approving it for distribution, the company has since removed it from the store. Heinrich, a German software developer, has yet to hear back from Apple concerning the removal. “I have no idea why they did it and am not aware of any violation of the rules to sell software on the App Store,” Heinrich said in an e-mail with The Times today.
- from LATimes
Apple iTunes Still #1, but Amazon Gaining
August 6, 2008
NPD Group released the top leading music retailers for the first half of 2008. The list was based on purchases of CDs or digital music downloads.
1. iTunes
2. Wal-Mart (Walmart, Walmart.com, Walmart Music Downloads)
3. Best Buy (Best Buy, Bestbuy.com, Best Buy Digital Music Store)
4. Amazon (Amazon.com, AmazonMP3.com)
5. Target (Target and Target.com)
Apple’s iTunes remains number one amongst all retailers. Apple took the number one spot in April, overtaking Wal-Mart.
- from Macrumors
Steve Jobs: MobileMe “not up to Apple’s standards”
August 5, 2008
In an internal e-mail sent to Apple employees this evening, Steve Jobs admitted that MobileMe was launched too early and “not up to Apple’s standards.” The e-mail, seen by Ars Technica, acknowledges MobileMe’s flaws and what could have been done to better handle the launch. In addition to needing more time and testing, Jobs believes that Apple should have rolled MobileMe’s services out slowly instead of launching it “as a monolithic service.” For example, over-the-air iPhone syncing could have gone up initially, then web apps one by one (Mail, Calendar, etc.).
Jobs goes on. “It was a mistake to launch MobileMe at the same time as iPhone 3G, iPhone 2.0 software and the App Store,” he says. “We all had more than enough to do, and MobileMe could have been delayed without consequence.” We agree with that one.
- from Ars
iPhone Nano Rumor Revived
August 4, 2008
DailyMail.co.uk revived rumors of an “iPhone nano” this weekend with a report that claimed that a “nano” version of the iPhone would be shipping in time for Christmas.
The product will be launched in the UK at up to £150 for pay-as-you-go customers by O2, the mobile phone group owned by Spain’s Telefonica. ‘This will be a big one,’ said an industry source.
- from Macrumors
AT&T to Remain Sole US iPhone Carrier into 2010?
August 3, 2008
In exchange for its payout, AT&T got a year extension, into 2010, on its exclusive distribution deal with Apple, people familiar with the matter say. Sources asked to not be named because the terms are confidential.
Under the original iPhone contract, Apple had the right to offer the device to other carriers beginning in 2009. If Apple exercised that clause, AT&T would have lost one of its biggest points of leverage with customers — exclusive access to the iPhone. Nailing the extension “is a very big deal,” Entner says.
Stephenson declined to discuss the contract, saying only that he is “very happy” with the arrangement.
- from USAToday
Apple’s Culture of Secrecy
July 27, 2008
From NYTimes:
“No one wants to die,” said Apple’s chief executive, Steven P. Jobs. “And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it.”
It was a little over three years ago that Mr. Jobs spoke those existential words, in a commencement address at Stanford. His thoughts about death came during a portion of his speech in which he publicly discussed — for the one and only time, so far as I can tell — his brush with pancreatic cancer.
He talked about how he had learned in 2004 that he had a tumor on his pancreas. How his doctors told him that he shouldn’t expect to live more than six months. How, after “living with that diagnosis all day,” he had a biopsy that showed that his was a rare form of pancreatic cancer, curable with surgery. “I had the surgery and I’m fine now,” Mr. Jobs told the Stanford graduates. He added, “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.”
It was an uplifting tale, and an inspiring message. It was also less than the whole truth. In fact, Mr. Jobs first discovered he had an islet cell neuroendocrine tumor — which is both rarer and less deadly than other forms of pancreatic cancer — in October 2003. This was a full nine months before he had the surgery to remove it. Why did he wait so long? Because, according to a Fortune magazine article published in May, Mr. Jobs was hoping to beat the cancer with a special diet.
Steve Jobs in good health following second secret surgery
July 23, 2008
From NYTimes:
Rumors of Steven P. Jobs’s ill health have been greatly exaggerated.
That is what Mr. Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, has been telling a number of his associates, even as concerns about his health have weighed on the company’s stock price.
The latest flurry of talk was set off on Monday when, in a conference call after the release of Apple’s earnings, a company executive responded to a question about Mr. Jobs’s condition by saying that it was “a private matter.”
But in recent weeks, Mr. Jobs has reassured several people that he is doing well and that four years after a successful operation to treat a rare form of pancreatic cancer, he is cancer free.
People who are close to Mr. Jobs say that he had a surgical procedure this year to address a problem that was contributing to a loss of weight. These people declined to be identified because Mr. Jobs had not authorized them to speak about his health.
On stage to unveil the iPhone 3G last month, Mr. Jobs’s gaunt appearance led to speculation that his cancer had returned. An Apple spokesman has said that in the weeks before the event Mr. Jobs picked up a “common bug” and was taking a course of antibiotics. An Apple spokeswoman declined further comment on Tuesday.
Mr. Jobs ran a high fever for the week preceding his presentation, according to an industry executive he spoke with. He considered canceling his appearance because he was still feeling ill, but did not want to skip a long-scheduled event, that person said.
During an interview after the presentation, Mr. Jobs responded to a reporter’s question about how he was feeling by saying, “I feel fine.”
Mr. Jobs has told several associates, as well as some members of Apple’s board, that he is dealing with nutritional problems in the wake of his cancer surgery. Medical descriptions of the surgery state that in some cases it leads to weight loss and low energy.
Apple’s secret product is ‘MacBook touch’
July 22, 2008
From MacDailyNews:
Think MacBook screen, possibly a bit smaller, in glass with iPhone-like, but fuller-featured Multi-Touch. Gesture library. Full Mac OS X. This is why they bought P.A. Semi. Possibly with Immersion’s haptic tech. Slot-loading SuperDrive. Accelerometer. GPS. Pretty expensive to produce initially, but sold at “low” price that will reduce margins. Apple wants to move these babies. And move they will. This is some sick shit. App Store-compatible, able to run Mac apps, too. By October at the latest.
New wordpress app for iphone
July 22, 2008
First post via the iphone !
‘Wall-E’ Gives Glimpse of Product Placement’s Future
July 18, 2008
From ADage:
In Disney Pixar’s new movie, “Wall-E,” the female heroine is a shiny all-white robot with no seams or overt buttons showing. Remind you of anything? Actually, it brings to mind most of the Apple product line.
But unlike many movies showing actors gulping from branded soda cans and making calls on cellphones with long logo shots, Apple’s “Wall-E” appearance isn’t what most would deem product placement. And it might well be the model of the future.
‘Almost indoctrinating’
Apple products only physically appear in “Wall-E” a few times — an iPod that re-projects a favorite movie, the sound of the Mac startup tone signaling that Wall-E, the titular robotic romantic lead, has fully recharged via solar panels, and one-button mice scurrying around a garbage dump. However, there is a less obvious, but still noticeable Apple influence that runs throughout the film.
“My first thought when I watched the movie with my kids and I heard that Mac boot tone and the whole audience laughed … was that it’s so subtle, it’s almost indoctrinating,” said Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey. “That 600 years from now there’s nothing of value on the Earth, but there’s the Mac boot tone.” Abram Sauer, a freelance writer who pens the annual product-placement awards for brandchannel.com, said the whole film could serve as a model for the future.
“People talk about how products and brands will sponsor movies … that’s what’s going to happen. But Apple has already done that here without being directly involved. This is what we would use as a great example of how to sponsor a movie,” he said. “I would call it product homage. And that is way more valuable than product placement. It doesn’t just reinforce a single Apple product, it reinforces Apple’s entire design approach from MacBook to iPod to iPhone.”
Why the hell is The Woz on the Price is Right?!
July 17, 2008
From here:
I was getting in my daily dose of TPiR when I noticed somebody in the VIP section (directly behind contestants row) that looked familar…
It was The Woz! They made him put “Steve” on his nametag, though… lol
iPhone 3G Jailbroken
July 16, 2008
After unlocking and jailbreaking iPhone OS 2.0, the iPhone Dev Team has now liberated the new iPhone 3G, only five days after launch. This means a Pwnage tool that will allow you to install the unofficial applications that Apple doesn’t want you to have in your iPhone—like video recording apps or game emulators—alongside with the App Store ones. The upcoming Pwnage will support the classic iPhone, the iPod touch, and the iPhone 3G. - from Gizmodo
Apple success linked to more than just Steve Jobs
June 25, 2008
The thought of Apple Inc (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) without Chief Executive Steve Jobs spooks many investors, but his absence might not spell long-term disaster for the innovation machine behind the iPod and iPhone.
The issue came into focus early last week after Jobs’s gaunt appearance at a conference raised questions about the health of the man who revitalized Apple and is widely thought to be irreplaceable.
Blogs and industry watchers wondered if Jobs, 53, was suffering complications from, or a reappearance of, the pancreatic cancer cured by surgery nearly four years ago. Apple said last week that Jobs was fighting a “common bug” and was taking antibiotics.
Apple spokespersons were not immediately available on Friday to comment when asked for an update on Jobs’ health.
As valuable as Jobs is, respect for the executive team he has assembled runs high, and Apple could quickly bounce back if Jobs were to leave for whatever reason.
“Jobs has so effectively turned his charisma and personality traits into business processes of Apple that he could easily step away and the company would continue to function quite well without him,” said Leander Kahney, editor of Wired.com and author of “Inside Steve’s Brain”, a book about the Apple leader.
Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook, whose laconic Southern style distinguishes him from the intense Jobs, has won praise from analysts for his firm grasp of day-to-day operations, and is thought to be a likely successor.
- from Reuters
Google CEO ‘occasionally excused’ from Apple board meetings
June 12, 2008
Google chief executive and Apple board member Eric Schmidt disclosed during a speech on Wednesday that his unique situation atop the leaderships of both high tech firms has periodically required that he step away from portions of the iPhone maker’s board meetings. “It has not so far,” Schmidt says, although he notes that must ‘occasionally be excused’ from the room when certain aspects of the iPhone enter discussions. He also downplays the significance of the events by pointing out their rarity; there isn’t a regular clash between each other’s interests, according to the Google executive.
“I’ve only done this once or twice, so it’s not as common as it sounds,” Schmidt adds.
To that end, Schmidt also takes care to distance phones using Android from the iPhone. The offerings should be “quite different” in practice, he explains. While the differences weren’t fully illustrated at the event, Android devices aren’t required to use a touchscreen and in some cases can have either physical controls alone or even both, in the case of the rumored HTC Dream. The software is also more flexible than for Apple’s device and allows handset creators to modify nearly any aspect of the code, including core components like the dialer.
- from Appleinsider
The incredible shrinking Apple CEO
June 11, 2008
- From Valleywag
Apple’s official release on the iPhone 3G, Coming July 11th
June 9, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO, June 9 — Apple(R) today introduced the new iPhone(TM) 3G, combining all the revolutionary features of iPhone with 3G networking that is twice as fast* as the first generation iPhone, built-in GPS for expanded location based mobile services, and iPhone 2.0 software which includes support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and runs the hundreds of third party applications already built with the recently released iPhone SDK. In the US the new iPhone 3G is priced at a stunning $199 for the 8GB model, and just $299 for the 16GB model.** iPhone 3G will be available in more than 70 countries later this year, beginning with customer availability in 22 countries — Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the US — on July 11.
“Just one year after launching the iPhone, we’re launching the new iPhone 3G that is twice as fast at half the price,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iPhone 3G supports Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync right out of the box, runs the incredible third party apps created with the iPhone SDK, and will be available in more than 70 countries around the world this year.”
iPhone 3G gives users ever faster access to the Internet and email over their cellular network with quad-band GSM and tri-band HSDPA for voice and data connectivity around the world. iPhone 3G supports Wi-Fi, 3G and EDGE
networks and automatically switches between them to ensure the fastest possible download speeds. The new iPhone 3G also makes it easier to multi-task with simultaneous voice and data communications, so with iPhone 3G you can browse the web, get map directions, or check your email while you are on a call.
iPhone 3G includes the new iPhone 2.0 software with both the iPhone SDK and key enterprise features such as support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync to provide over-the-air push email, contact and calendar syncing as well as remote wipe and Cisco IPsec VPN for encrypted access to corporate networks. The iPhone SDK allows developers to create amazing applications that leverage the iPhone’s groundbreaking Multi-Touch(TM) user interface, animation technology, accelerometer and GPS technology on the world’s most advanced mobile platform.
iPhone 3G includes the new App Store, providing iPhone users with native applications in a variety of categories including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. The App Store on iPhone works over cellular networks and Wi-Fi, which means it is accessible from just about anywhere, so you can purchase and download applications wirelessly and start using them instantly. Some applications are even free and the App Store notifies you when application updates are available. The App Store will be available in 62 countries at launch.
Additional features available with the iPhone 2.0 software include the ability to do real-time mapping and track your progress with GPS technology, mass move and delete multiple email messages, search for contacts, access a new scientific calculator, turn on parental control restrictions for specified content, save images directly from a web page or email them to your iPhone and easily transfer them back to your photo library on your Mac(R) or PC. iPhone 3G delivers an amazing 10 hours of talk time on 2G networks and 5 hours using 3G, with up to 5 to 6 hours of web browsing, up to 7 hours for video playback and up to 24 hours for audio playback.
iPhone 3G takes advantage of MobileMe(TM), a new Internet service that pushes email, contacts, and calendars from an online “cloud” to native applications on iPhone, iPod(R) touch, Macs and PCs. With MobileMe email, messages are pushed instantly to iPhone, removing the need to manually check email and wait for downloads, and push keeps contacts and calendars continuously up-to-date so changes made on one device are automatically updated on other devices. With iPhone, you can even snap a photo and post it directly to a MobileMe Gallery to share with friends and family.
iPhone 3G will be available in the US on July 11 for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 8GB model and $299 (US) for the 16GB model in both Apple and AT&T’s retail stores and requires a new two year contract with AT&T for qualifying customers. iPhone 2.0 software will be available on July 11 as a free software update via iTunes(R) 7.7 or later for all iPhone customers. For further information about iPhone 3G pricing and availability in the US and internationally, visit http://www.apple.com/iphone.
* Based on 3G and EDGE testing. Actual speeds vary by site conditions.
** Based on iPhone 3G (8GB) and first generation iPhone (8GB) purchases. Requires new two year AT&T rate plan, sold separately.
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh.
Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its
award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.
NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple’s PR website (http://www.apple.com/pr/), or call Apple’s Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042.
(C) 2008 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, iPhone, Multi-Touch, MobileMe, iPod and iTunes are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
News of Steve Jobs and Apple’s new 3G iPhone
June 9, 2008
Wouldn’t it be cool if you could use your cellphone to monitor activities in your home, say, to zoom in for an audio/video check of the baby’s room while you were at work, or even adjust the heat?
Or how about going to a theme park and checking your phone to discover if other friends are there, and arrange a meeting place?
Such concepts are not pie in the sky, but actual programs that have been developed for Apple’s iPhone, the combination iPod/phone and Internet device first introduced to acclaim a year ago.
Consumers and reviewers alike gushed about its compact, futuristic design and sensitive touch-screen. But even its biggest fans have had one persistent chief complaint: The iPhone’s Internet network from partner AT&T was too slow.
So get ready for iPhone 2.0: On Monday Apple (AAPL) is widely expected to introduce a zippier version that will operate on both a faster AT&T network, and speedier networks internationally. The price also will rock: $199, according to people with knowledge of the matter, down from the current $399 and $499. Sources declined to be cited by name or affiliation because Apple and AT&T haven’t authorized anybody to speak publicly about pricing until after Monday’s announcement. The $199 price is being subsidized, though USA TODAY could not confirm details.
- From USATODAY
The Latest Apple iPhone Rumors
June 8, 2008
New Apple iPhone expected next week
June 2, 2008
June has arrived and for Apple fans and investors that means just one thing — a new iPhone.
The encore to the original iPhone, which launched nearly a year ago amid unprecedented industry buzz, is widely expected to be the main attraction when Chief Executive Steve Jobs takes the stage at Apple’s developers’ conference next Monday.
The new iPhone will be accompanied by support for corporate e-mail and a slate of new programs that could help boost sales of the devices, which sport a touch-sensitive screen, wireless Internet access and iPod-style media functions. “The thing for Apple is to be able to leverage the iPhone for further innovation, or they run the risk of being the next (Motorola) RAZR, which was iconic in its own way, but for which innovation did not come fast enough,” Shiv Bakhshi, director of mobility research for market research firm IDC.
- From MSNBC