Archive for March, 2007

Most of us remember the seemingly original and innovative 2007 Academy Award Show commercial for the iPhone. It featured a montage of clips of actors answering a phone with the famous Apple slogan, "hello." Apparently, Apple stole the idea from the 1995 film "Telephones," by Christian Marclay.

So, according to Marclay, Apple "approached us [about using Telephones] and I said no, and then they just went ahead. The way they dealt with the whole thing is pretty sleazy."

After watching the scene from Marclay's movie, "sleazy" sounds quite appropriate in describing Apple's actions. Check out the two video clips for yourself!

Apple's iPhone commercial from the 2007 Academy Awards Show

Scene from Marclay's 1995 movie, "Telephones"

We all know that iPhone is coming in June, but when exactly in June was something that many people have been pondering about. Now, we seem to know the exact date - June 11!

Apparently, Cingular's customer service manager gave that information to the News.com reporter. Somehow, the date doesn't surprise us, as on that same day Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference starts.

Let's hope that the developers will get all the specs of the upcoming device and prepare some neat apps for it.

Trash the iPhone?! Who would dare think such a thing? Well, apparently, John Dvorak thinks Apple should do away with their iPhone. He cites overconfidence, on Apple's part, based on past success with the iPod - clearly Apple best selling product.

Dvorak says that when you compare the MP3 market to the mobile phone market, there is a clear disconnect in the the condition of the respective markets. When Apple essentially took over the MP3 market, they were dealing with a confused and segmented market, easy prey for the advertising genius that is Steve Jobs and Apple.

Contrast that to the current state of the mobile phone industry, and, according to Dvorak, Apple is walking into a "buzzsaw waiting to chop up newbies." In a market where competition is fierce and margins are minuscule, Apple would do well to write-off the iPhone as a reference design and pass it on to "suckers."

Now, the rest of us know better than that. Dvorak clearly underestimates what great marketing and hype can do for a product, regardless of the market's saturation. There are a lot of players in the mobile phone industry, just like there was when the iPod hit the scene. As such, consolidation will likely lead to a few key players. But, that doesn't mean that Apple will get cut out or lost in the fodder. On the contrary, Apple is poised to re-shape the industry - especially with regard to the operator-manufacturer relationship that has arguably stifled innovation.

Look out Dvorak, when you make bold claims like this, you will get attention. Just don't forget that the attention may turn against you when you prove to be wrong.

During his keynote at CTIA today, Randall Stephenson, top exec. for AT&T Inc., gave a boost to his otherwise drab presentation. When he pulled out the legendary Apple iPhone in the middle of his speech, the whole room came alive with camera flashes and buzz, reports Yahoo News.

The iPhone's brief glimpse was cut short when it was escorted backstage to be taken under guard back to safety. But just before it could be ushered away, FCC chairman Kevin Martin got a chance to play with the thing. And apparently, Mr. Martin was quite enamored with the device. So much so that Stephenson thought "he wouldn't give it back." It seems that even the FCC chairman is part of the 1 million Americans who wants an Apple iPhone. Can you blame him? At least he's in a position to get the iPhone before anyone else. Lucky guy.

When a new, up and coming product is as hyped as the venerable Apple iPhone, there will undoubtedly be myriad market analysts running surveys and polls right up to the actual launch. But here's the thing, as (over)hyped and promoted as the iPhone is, these polls and surveys seem to suggest that there are more people who do NOT want an iPhone than there are people willing to drop $600 on a first-run device from a newcomer (even if that newcomer is Apple).

One recent poll, which we actually covered earlier, by Let's Talk, suggests that 52% of those using a music-oriented mobile phone would forego the opportunity to get an iPhone (read: don't want one). That is a majority in most people's books. Now that's a pretty interesting little statistic in itself, since the iPhone is a music phone and should most strongly attract the music phone crowd. And, when you take into account all these other statistics, Steve's bright-eyed sales goal seems to have a dim future.

But who cares if most music phone users aren't feeling the draw of the iPhone like you are? Bully to them, you say. Well, bully to you because selling that vital organ to buy that iPhone just left you without a liver (you should have sold a kidney)! At least that is what Compete Inc. is saying. Apparently USD $500 (let alone a freakin' kidney) is a tad bit pricey for a cellphone. Compete reports that only 26% of people would buy an iPhone, of which only 1% would pay $500. One the flip side, 42% put in a personal buy rating for a price of 200-299 clams.

ChangeWave Research also checks in with their own version of the same story. According to ChangeWave, there is only 9% of the population that is somewhat to very interested in getting the iPhone when it drops. That's less than 1 in 10 people! What could be turning all these people off? Well, 28% are turned off by the high price (surprise!), while 55% said that their current phone is enough for their needs, 7% cited their dislike for Cingular, and sincerely surprising was the 2% that said they didn't like the features or touchscreen. Put it this way, I bet more than 1 in 10 of your friends wanted an iPod. Apple's iPhone may not fill iPod's shoes.

The Guardian reports that Apple may be looking for a Europe-wide carrier for its upcoming iPhone. Apple has been flirting with carriers in the European Union in hopes of catching the "right one" for its iPhone rollout towards the end of 2007. And industry insiders seem to think that Vodafone may be the leading candidate for the honor of carrying the iPhone.

These days an interesting device appeared on the eBay listings. Yes, I'm talking about iPhone and it's yet another scam.

The price of $1125 seemed fair for the yet-to-come device, as well as seller's history, who had 100% positive feedback. The only problem was that seller's account was hijacked.

Paying all those premium listings seems kind a strange, when you have a device no one else has… (via: Mad4MobilePhones)

There's an article on BBC that includes comments made by Gilles Oriol, product marketing manager for Western Europe at SonyEricsson, on touchscreens. Of course, the article deal with an iPhone, and how it will be difficult for Apple to take market share from the established handset manufacturers like Nokia and Sony Ericsson.

As expected, Gilles hasn't commented on rival products, but pointed out his doubts about the all-touchscreen devices. "Consumers are more willing to dial a number with the keyboard than they are to do it with a touchscreen," he said. Furthermore he argued that touchscreens affect battery time, as they require that the screen remains on all the time. Interesting read. (via: Mad4MobilePhones)

Before I begin, I would like to emphasize that I personally have nothing against any carrier. The ideas posted here are taken from USAToday's article titled "Cellphone users set their sights on Apple's iPhone". Let's begin:

Swap your plan with other person
It is possible to trade the remainder of your contract with someone else. Several new websites offer matchmaking services for folks to dump and receive contracts. The sites include CellSwapper.com, Resellular.com and CelltradeUSA.com.

Cite specific problems
Spotty coverage in a key place in your life? Put it in writing, then contact the carrier and say how unsatisfied with the service you are. A carrier's representative will most certainly be persuasive and will argue with you, but you should argue back and win your way out.

Watch for changes in your contract
Just recently, Verizon raised prices for text messaging. Such changes are usually followed by the legal notice which you could use to justify your exit. Again, they will argue with you, but they have to let you go.

It is suggested that interested users visit Consumerist website, where they can get more information about it.

Despite the fact that there ware no single Meizu device on display at CeBIT in Hanover - Germany, Engadget guys pulled some information from the Meizu's CEO about their upcoming (i)phone. To recap their words:

• At least initially, the Meizu miniOne will enter the western world as a portable audio/video player, NOT as a phone! I guess the company could rely on customers using Skype or some other VoIP client for calling.
• The Meizu's entrance model will NOT have a camera and will cost $195 for the 4GB model and $305 for the 8GB version.
• Users will be able to enjoy the full 30fps at miniOne's 720×480 display.
• The release date for China is set for the end of 2007.

It's kind a strange. I don't know how to classify Meizu - as pure copycats, or the company that just responded well to the "iPhone challenge"…

Good ol' Chinese never cease to impress. Their latest "invention" is… the iPhone! Of course we're kidding, as this is a blatant infringement of Apple's trademark. The interface of this device somehow resembles the one of Nokir E828 (aka N73 clone), and we can assume that it's the same company that makes both of these devices. Apple lawyers get - set - go! (via: Engadget)

Online cell phone store, LetsTalk, has conducted a survey to determine current music phone users' interest for the iPhone.

The results discover not-that-bright outlook for the Apple's flagship product, with 52% of the surveyed users answering that they will NOT buy an iPhone. Among the reasons, users quoted price and their happiness with the existing cell phones. (via: Gizmodo)

SlashGear got a chance to shortly preview the upcoming Samsung Ultra Smart F700, an ultra-cool device that resembles the iPhone, but also adds sliding QWERTY keyboard and a much better camera (5 megapixels).

The unit that they've got their hands-on is still buggy, and somehow locked!? Still, we can see just how promising this device actually is. Potential iPhone and LG Prada buyers, add this device to your watching list…

Nice video clip illustrating just how cool an iPhone is when compared to the Windows Mobile-powered device. But, it's not just about the coolness, it's more about small time-saving things that just work for an iPhone…

With all the hype surrounding the Apple's iPhone, I thought that everyone I know will buy one. But, after the dust has settled, I asked myself - would I really want an iPhone. Please don't misunderstand me - I still have a very positive opinion about it, just some things don't seem to click for me. So, I wrote down my list of reasons against buying the first iPhone. Or better said - why should one keep waiting for the second generation - iPhone 2.0. Let's start…

1. No 3G
EDGE!? Is that fast enough? Three words - "it is not!". Especially for Europe, where carriers offer HSDPA, providing users with speeds up to 3.6 Mbps. That's almost ten times faster than EDGE. And what's the point of a large screen if web pages are loading damn slow.

2. No Flash
The iPhone's great wide screen should provide users with real web experience. But, what kind of a web experience excludes Flash!? Adobe released Flash Lite (now in version 2.1) for mobile devices, and I really don't understand why Apple haven't supported it in Safari.

3. No Java
Why there is no Java support in iPhone? I do understand that iPhone's interface and multi-touch display would require some modification of the Java Virtual Machine, but was that a real problem? Apple would get tons of apps instantly, just to re-code parts of JVM.

4. Open for developers
Why, oh why Apple keeps closing their systems? I haven't understood this for an iPod and now I definitely don't understand for iPhone. I love Apple and their computers, but it's really hard to grasp why they don't allow third-party developers to further extend their own products' functionality. Truth to be told, there were additional software for iPod, but that's marginal compared to the overall mobile software market.

5. Multi-touch input
The first time I saw it - I loved it. Then later, I thought - will I be able to use it on an everyday basis. I find it hard to imagine using a keyboard which doesn't provide me with a feedback. I want to feel it under my fingers and to be sure that I've actually pressed a button. So far, I've had this "problem" with all touchscreen based devices I've used, and imagining a fast typing on a touchscreen seems so far away.

6. Buyers' remorse
Imagine yourself buying an iPhone in June and the new, better version is announced for European market, just few months later. And I'm not talking only about 3G here. I'm talking about a second camera for video calls and even more features. I remember reading Steve Jobs' interview where he talks that people should buy a new iPod every year. If that will be the case with an iPhone, I would be a sucker to jump right in among the first few buyers.

7. Bugs
Let's face it - Apple doesn't have experience in the mobile phone industry. This is their first such product. You could argue that they didn't have any experience in media players, yet their iPod is the bestselling MP3 player on the market. But, wait - mobile phones are 10 times more complicated than MP3 players. There's multitasking, phone stack, a bunch of network/operator's settings and features, and more. The phone stack is my favorite, as Microsoft finally solved it in Windows Mobile 5.

8. Outlook
I may love Apple with all my heart, and may be one of the potential buyers (from these lines you may think differently), but market can be cruel. Lately, an article in Forbes suggested that Apple may not sell the planned 10 million handsets. Who knows what tomorrow brings? Why not be patient and reap more benefits later.

9. Wider industry adoption
iPhone is a brand new product which still needs to hit the market. For some strange reason, Apple was not present at 3GSM in Barcelona. At some point, they will have to get more developers for the platform. The industry led by the carriers will require it. They will also require a customization of the iPhone. How will Apple play in this game? I actually don't care much about it - as an iPhone user I just want to see a bunch of services and apps available for my beloved device. And this requires cooperation with other industry leaders.

10. Price
I just couldn't miss this. It's already been said a number of time. iPhone is way too expensive. Hopefully, the competition along with declining prices of the iPhone's components will drive the price down.

That's basically it. Again, I'd like to underline that I really like the iPhone, but just want to wait for the second generation. And yes, I don't want it wrapped with Cingular's expensive plan. Any thoughts?