Headlines: 23 Apr 10
Filed under: 3GS, AT&T, App Store, OS 3.x, OS 4.x, Smartphone Market, Steve Jobs, iPad, iPod Touch, iTunes
Bloomberg: Apple Captured 72% of Japan Smartphone Market in 2009
“Apple Inc. shipped 1.69 million iPhones in Japan in the fiscal year ended March 31, capturing the top share of the country’s smartphone market, MM Research Institute Ltd. said.
The iPhone, offered by Japan’s third-largest wireless carrier Softbank Corp., accounted for 72 percent of smartphones shipped in the country in the period, the Tokyo-based researcher said in a report yesterday. Taiwan’s HTC Corp. was second with 11 percent, followed by Toshiba Corp. with 6.8 percent, it said.”
Headlines: 21 Apr 10
Filed under: 3GS, 4G Network, 4th Generation iPhone, AT&T, App Store, Apple Corporate, OS 3.x, OS 4.x, Smartphone Market, Steve Jobs, iPad, iPod Touch
Daily Finance: “Why Apple Should Sue Gawker Over ‘Lost’ iPhone Story
“How hard must the finder of lost property try to return it to its owner before deciding it’s his to keep or sell? The answer to that question could determine whether Monday’s iPhone scoop results in millions of dollars in legal damages, or even criminal charges, for its purveyors.
Gawker Media has admitted — boasted, really — that it paid $5,000 to get its hands on a prototype of a fourth-generation iPhone for its gadget blog, Gizmodo. The seller of the device told the editors of Gizmodo and other technology blogs that he found it unattended in a bar called Gourmet Haus Staudt in Redwood City, California.
But shortly after Gizmodo published its blockbuster story about the phone, critics began accusing the site of breaking the law by, in effect, purchasing stolen goods.”
ZDNet: AT&T Earnings Propelled By iPhone Activations
“AT&T said Wednesday that it added 1.9 million wireless subscribers in the first quarter as the company continued to benefit from smartphone adoption and a bevy of connected devices such as e-readers, alarms and global positioning systems. In addition, AT&T activated 2.7 million iPhones.”
MacRumors: Apple to Make an Offer to Acquire ARM?
“The London Evening Standard reports that there have been rumors in London’s financial district that Apple may be interested in acquiring ARM Holdings. ARM’s shares shot up today based on the strong financial results from Apple yesterday. ARM provides the CPU designs for Apple’s iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. ARM, however, also provides the chips for a broad range of mobile phones including Android and Palm devices.”
Headlines: 11 Mar 10
Filed under: 3GS, 4th Generation iPhone, OS 3.x, OS 4.x, iPad
Apple Insider: Apple’s iPhone 4.0 Software to Deliver Multitasking Support
“Apple this summer will go a long way towards silencing critics and catering to one of the most prevalent demands of its iPhone user base, when it introduces a multitasking solution through the handset’s 4.0 software update that will finally allow several third party apps to run concurrently and in the background.
People with a proven track record in predicting Apple’s technological advances tell AppleInsider that the Cupertino-based company has developed a “full-on solution” to multitasking on the iPhone OS but offered no specifics on how the technology would optimize resource conservation and battery life — two of the most critical issues surrounding the matter, alongside security.”
Barnes & Noble: B&N eReader for iPad Coming Soon
“We’ve been getting lots of questions from customers, so we wanted to confirm that we will soon be adding a new B&N eReader for iPad – continuing to fulfill our promise of providing consumers any book, any time, any where.
Designed specifically for the iPad, our new B&N eReader will give our customers access to more than one million eBooks, magazines and newspapers in the Barnes & Noble eBookstore, as well as the existing content in their Barnes & Noble digital library. (That includes eBooks and content customers have downloaded to their nook™ eBook reader.)”
TAUW: How Soon is Now? Pre-Order Timing for iPad Confirmed, 5:30 am PT
“We’ve had more than a few inbound requests today, via email and Twitter, asking a slightly obsessive but completely understandable question: When can I pre-order my freakin’ iPad?
True to form, the simple answer of ‘March 12th’ is not adequate for the real early adopters …
We understand. We know where you’re coming from. We asked Apple PR to help you plan your day tomorrow, and they responded: ’Customers can pre-order online at apple.com at 5:30am Pacific time on Friday, March 12.’”
Headlines: 8 Mar 10
Filed under: App Store, Apple Corporate, Developer, Google, Legal, OS 3.x, OS 4.x, iPad, iPod Touch, iTunes
Apple’s New Stance On ‘Cookie Cutter’ Apps: Add More Features Or Perish
“In the wake of Apple’s sudden decision to remove nearly all “sexy” applications from the App Store, we’ve been hearing that the company is also clamping down on so-called “cookie-cutter” applications – iPhone apps that are built from templates using one of the many app-building services available. This would be yet another major change for the App Store, as it already features thousands of such applications. And, perhaps more important, quite a few companies have sprung up to facilitate building iPhone applications. I’ve reached out to Apple to ask if they’d like to clarify their stance, but given their lack of transparency in the past, I’m not betting on getting anything definitive. To try to get to the bottom of the current situation, I spoke with multiple developers (some of whom wished to remain anonymous) to find out what Apple was telling them.”
WSJ: An Apple App Star Explains Why He Won’t Work With Android
“Smule’s Jeff Smith is one of the app revolution’s success stories. His start-up has generated some of the biggest hits at Apple’s iTunes app store, from novelty items like Sonic Lighter to more ambitious stuff like Leaf trombone.
… Smith is part of a small but vocal chorus of app developers who say they don’t want to move to Android, even though it is growing quickly. His complaints: He doesn’t like the way the store merchandises its wares, and he doesn’t want to have to create different apps for each handset Android supports.”
“The entire family of devices built on the iPhone OS (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) have been designed to run only software that is approved by Apple-a major shift from the norms of the personal computer market. Software developers who want Apple’s approval must first agree to the iPhone Developer Program License Agreement.
… If Apple’s mobile devices are the future of computing, you can expect that future to be one with more limits on innovation and competition (or ‘generativity,’ in the words of Prof. Jonathan Zittrain) than the PC era that came before. It’s frustrating to see Apple, the original pioneer in generative computing, putting shackles on the market it (for now) leads. If Apple wants to be a real leader, it should be fostering innovation and competition, rather than acting as a jealous and arbitrary feudal lord. Developers should demand better terms and customers who love their iPhones should back them.”
Headlines: 12 Feb 10
Filed under: 3G, 3GS, App Store, Apps, Education, OS 3.x, OS 4.x, iPad, iPod Touch
iPad Prompts Flurry of iPhone OS Applications?
“Developers integrating Flurry analytics into iPhone OS applications in January increased by nearly three times over December. This represents the single largest spike in Flurry history, with over 1,600 new iPhone OS application starts for January. Historically, Flurry has measured surges in new application starts within its system in anticipation of new device launches, including for the Motorola Droid and iPhone 3GS. As such, we hypothesize that excitement generated by Apple’s iPad event in January is driving this growth. For developers who get a jump on customizing their applications for the iPad, there may be an opportunity to stand out early on, and earn more downloads.”
IBM Lotus Collaboration Apps to Run on Apple iPad, iPhone
“IBM said at Macworld that IBM’s Lotus Connections social networking suite, Lotus Sametime instant messaging and Lotus Quickr team collaboration suite will be available for the iPhone, iPod Touch and computers running Apple’s Mac operating system. IBM also made a vague commitment to build Lotus apps for the iPad. That IBM, which enjoys most of its success selling software for Microsoft Windows computers and even Linux machines, would increasingly support Apple platforms should no longer be a surprise. Businesses are acknowledging that employees are more comfortable using Macs instead of PCs because that is the machine they grew up using at home or in school.”
Macworld Expo 2010: Best of Show Heavily Favor iPhone
- Frolicware Autopark provides iPhone software to help you find where you parked.
- Inrix Traffic Pro lets you use your iPhone to plan the best route to your destination before you leave by analyzing traffic and historical trends.
- Marketcircle Billings Touch is a gorgeous iPhone app that can work standalone or as a companion to the desktop version of the Billings invoicing application.
- Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite lets you connect to your documents in cloud storage and edit documents and spreadsheets on your iPhone.
- Sachmanya Yapper is a web-based service for quickly creating iPhone (and Android) apps from existing RSS feeds.
Headlines 2 Feb 10
Filed under: OS 3.x, Steve Jobs, iPad, iPod Touch
Jobs Calls Flash Buggy, Adobe Fires Back
“Adobe last week said no Flash support means Apple’s hot new tablet is incompatible with millions of Web sites.
‘There’s something important missing from Apple’s approach to connecting consumers to content,’ wrote Flash marketing manager Adrian Ludwig, in a blog post. ‘It looks like Apple is continuing to impose restrictions on their devices that limit both content publishers and customers,’ said Ludwig.
‘If I want to connect to Disney, Hulu, Miniclip, Farmville, ESPN, Kongregate, or JibJab—not to mention millions of other sites on the Web, I’ll be out of luck,’ he added.”
iPad Camera Rumor Becoming a Reality? We Think So.
“Upon opening them up and getting our hands on some of these rare items, we immediately noticed what appears to be a ’spot’ for a camera within the iPad frame.”
iPhone Software Fixes Bugs, Adds Improvements
Apple today released iPhone OS 3.1.3 for all iPhone and iPod Touch models. This update for the iPhone and iPod touch contains bug fixes and improvements, including the following:
- Improves accuracy of reported battery level on iPhone 3GS
- Resolves issue where third-party apps would not launch in some instances
- Fixes bug that may cause an app to crash when using the Japanese Kana keyboard
Full details about the security updates included in iPhone OS 3.1.3 are available in the associated support document.
Headlines 19 Jan 10
Filed under: 3G, 3GS, Apple Tablet/Slate, OS 3.x, OS 4.x, Smartphone Market, iTunes
Publisher in Talks With Apple Over Tablet
“HarperCollins Publishers is negotiating with Apple Inc. to make electronic books available for the introduction of a new tablet device from Apple, according to people familiar with the situation, posing a challenge to Amazon.com Inc.”
Apple’s Secret Cloud Strategy And Why Lala Is Critical
“For years there’s been speculation that Apple would supplement their $1/song (now $1.29) iTunes business with a monthly subscription service, but their upcoming plans are quite different and once again are positioning them to lead the digital music industry into a new era. Leveraging their ubiquitous iTunes software Apple plans to upgrade their users almost over night to a cloud music service in an ambitious move to beat Amazon and others to a cloud music service. Record labels are wary to give Apple even greater dominance which is why Apple’s new strategy is designed to sidestep new licenses from the major labels.”
“Myself and another iPhone games writer received invites for this event today, as did contacts at a handful of iPhone game makers. Why would Apple want us collected at this event if there was not some game-related news on the horizon? Is this a clue about tablet gaming?”
Apple iPhone OS 4.0 features detailed! Also, Apple calling tablet the iTablet?
“Here are some iPhone OS 4.0 features, according to our guy:
- There will be multi-touch gestures OS-wide. (Would make sense for that as the rumored OS for the iTablet is close if not the same as the iPhone)
- “A few new ways” to run applications in the background — multitasking.
- Many graphical and UI changes to make navigating through the OS easier and more efficient. We haven’t had this broken down, but we can only hope for improved notifications, a refreshed homescreen, etc.
- The update will supposedly be available for only the iPhone 3G and 3GS, but will “put them ahead in the smartphone market because it will make them more like full-fledged computers” more than any other phone to date. Everyone is “really excited.”
- The last piece of information is the most vague, but apparently there will be some brand new syncing ability for the contacts and calendar applications.”
Will Apple’s Tablet Actually Be Called the iPad? New Trademarks Filed This Week
“A lot has been said about the rumored Apple tablet, and after evidence was discovered that Apple was interested in the name “iSlate”, many have adopted that as the most likely name for Apple’s new device. New evidence however has revealed that Apple may, in fact, be positioning “iPad” as the name for the imminent tablet device.”
After a Stellar FY09, Business and Education Have Much to Be Bullish About iPhone in FY10
Filed under: 3G, 3G Network, 3GS, AT&T, App Store, Apple Corporate, Apple Tablet/Slate, Apps, Augmented Reality, OS 3.x, Profiles, Smartphone Market
If you’re an Apple investor you may be just a little antsy ahead of Monday’s fourth quarter earnings report from the company.
It isn’t that Cupertino will have bad news about a stock that is close to a record high and that for two years has been crushing expectations. The concern is that its expected very good news won’t be quite as very good as some would like.
For the investor, the unanswered question seems to be: Did Apple solve its third quarter manufacturing problems to allow iPhone supply to meet iPhone demand?
In the year-ago quarter, Apple sold 6.9 million iPhones, for a FY08 total of 11.6 million. So far in this fiscal year the company has sold 13.4 million units. With estimates ranging from six to eight million iPhone’s sold in the current fourth quarter, which ended September 26, FY09’s total looks likely to top 20 million units.
Whether or not that will be enough to satisfy investors remains to be seen. But even without seeing Apple’s fourth quarter figures, business and education iPhone users have much to be excited about.
Top of the list: FY09 not only saw the iPhone emerge as a serious contender in the enterprise arena, but according to recent research by J.D. Powers & Associates, it has stormed to the top of the class as the most popular smartphone with both businesses and consumers.
“The iPhone is a platform able to provide the best mobile user experience in the market,” Tiago Dias, Solutions Director at Slalom Consulting, told us when we interviewed him in August.
Dr. Steven M. Schwartz, associate dean of Medical Informatics and associate professor of Family Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., said he uses his iPhone with every patient and every student — and so do a third of his students.
And for Chris Tillett, CEO of KROMA Makeup, one of the key selling points of the iPhone for his business was the availability of enterprise-grade apps. “Anyone can pick up the iPhone and become productive; I use it more that I use a laptop,” Tillett told us.
iPhone users of course have their gripes. The App Store’s groaning wealth of almost 100,000 apps is a beast to explore, made worse by iTunes 9 which made listings of apps by categories almost impossible to find.
And then there’s AT&T. Apple’s exclusive US partner in bringing the innovative iPhone to users has disappointed much more than it should have, too often providing inadequate service and becoming an easy target for critics of the iPhone, Apple, AT&T or all of the above.
As we look forward to FY2010, we hope Apple finds a way to offer iPhone service via a competing wireless carrier — because competition will benefit customers — and we hope that AT&T really gets its act together.
We expect new and exciting things from apps and iPhone alike — augmented reality, in particular, holds much promise for both business and education.
FY10 will also see the arrival of Apple’s unannounced but highly-anticipated tablet. We expect this to be a massive hit with education and for businesses that need to educate employees, inform clients and impress customers. As a wireless device, iPhoneAtWork will follow the tablet’s arrival with as much anticipation as you will and it will receive equal billing on these pages along with the iPhone.
iPhone OS 3.1.2 Software Update Corrects Sleep and Other Issues
Apple on Thursday released an update to the iPhone operating system that contains bug fixes and improvements, including the following:
- Resolves sporadic issue that may cause iPhone to not wake from sleep
- Resolves intermittent issue that may interrupt cellular network services until restart
- Fixes bug that could cause occasional crash during video streaming
To update your iPhone OS, connect your iPhone to your PC, launch iTunes, select your phone under Devices and click the “Check for Update” button.
Why AT&T’s Unreadiness to Offer iPhone Tethering is Both Good and Bad News for Users
The Wall Street Journal reports that AT&T still isn’t ready to offer tethering to iPhone users even though the capability is listed on Apple’s website as a key feature of the phone.
Tethering allows you to connect an iPhone to a laptop (or other PC) and gain access to the Internet via the phone’s online connection.
“Whenever we offer new features, we want to offer the best possible customer experience,” an AT&T spokesman told the Journal. “For tethering, we need to do some additional fine tuning to our systems and networks so that we do deliver a great experience.”
Tethering has been a part of the iPhone OS 3.0 since it was released in June (and since it was announced in March) and AT&T was surely privy to Apple’s plans in this area some time before those dates. We are at a loss to know how a feature that has been known about for over six months is “new.”
What makes tethering “new,” of course, is that AT&T hasn’t enabled the feature — because its network is still unable to handle the data traffic iPhone users demand, which would only increase with tethering.
That AT&T is unprepared to fully support a device — the iPhone — it has had initimate knowledge about probably for three or more years is, appallingly, not new.
And while AT&T fiddles and fine-tunes, Apple has to suffer the embarrassment and annoyance of offering a feature for it’s white-hot phone that its exclusive US carrier can’t support (tethering is available on the iPhone, and most other cellphones, in almost all parts of the world).
The good news is that AT&T won’t enable tethering until they are sure it works, particulary in metro areas where AT&T service has been particularly subpar.
What iPhone users don’t need is something else to complain to AT&T about. All we’re trying to do is go about our business and have the product we purchased operate as advertised.
