Why is AT&T Still Apple’s Only U.S. Carrier?
What’s going on with AT&T? First there’s the security breach relating to iPad customers, then there’s the crashed pre-order site for the iPhone 4. Not to mention, the decision to retract the all-you-can-eat data plan for the iPad 3G, going to an option that’ll cost power users even more money — apparently because almost no one was using their 5GB/month caps.
Wait, there’s more. Today there’s word of a breach with the iPhone 4 pre-order site showing the wrong addresses and credit card info to some people, right near the end of the pre-order process. Some people managed to catch the problem but who knows how many people didn’t? If you get a free iPhone 4 in the mail between now and July 14th, you’ll know why. (Just to be clear: it’s probably illegal if you keep the phone.) Not enough for you? AT&T has been canceling some completed iPhone 4 pre-orders, but they told Electronista it was because some customers ordered twice, having not received confirmation of the first completed order.
Wow, Apple. And you still want to have just one carrier in the USA? I mean sure there were 10 times the preorders of iPhone 4 than for 3GS last year, but what about all the security breaches in the matter of just a few weeks? The iPad breach goes beyond the release of contact info for 114,000 customers (including highly-placed politicians), and some experts say it might be worse than first thought, possibly allowing hackers to track the physical location of the devices.
If Apple has all the muscle it does, I’m surprised that CEO Steve Jobs has not met with AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson – the man who claims that his company will be number one in mobile broadband by 2015. Does that mean they’re not number one now? If not, they why have Apple partnered with them?
More Proof of Video Chat for Next-Gen iPhones
Recently during a big Apple event, Steve Jobs announced details of the new iPhone OS 4.0 but left out what some bloggers feel is a big detail: the next-gen iPhone devices will have video chat. At least, more hidden details have been uncovered that suggest this will be the case.
For example, MacRumors shows a snippet of code that quite clearly includes the words “video chat” in a variety of application status messages for iPhone OS 4. Why have that in a brand new OS if it’s not going to be used. Not too long ago, TUAW found a process named iChatAgent in the OS 4 SDK that was installed onto an iPhone for testing.
Of course, to achieve video chat on an iPhone, it’ll need to have a front-facing camera. But given that there are also countless apps that rely on the existing back-facing camera, my guess is that the next-gen iPhone –which rumors suggest will be announced in June — will have two cameras. For the best video chat experience, its also going to need a higher resolution screen, which is more than possible for Apple given that several of their competitors already offer phones with more screen real estate than the iPhone’s 320×480. Now whether or not the iPad will eventually have video chat remains to be seen, though there’s already speculation that future generations of the device will have a front-facing camera.
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South Korea iPad Ban Lifted
It’s not just Israel that had a ban on Apple iPads but also South Korea, which has also now been lifted. This was the result of the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sports being unaware of the ban and using an iPad at a news conference in early April. According to the Wall Street Journal, the minister’s news conference was to announce a $50M fund for electronic book publishing, so it’s not surprising he used the iPad “as a prop.” Apparently the news of the Korean Communications Commission’s ban had not reached minister.
The issue as with Israel was to whether the iPad met local wireless standards. The ban on iPads in South Korea has been lifted for personal use and for “companies that are using it for research and development of products.” Not sure what that leaves or why any other use would be a violation, but that’s way things stand there right now.
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Consumers Would Pay More For Apps on iPad Than iPhone
Alex Ahlund, CEO of AppVee, writes an analysis over at TechCrunch of how he sees the Apple iPad changing the iPhone gaming industry. The gist is that, due to a combination of market-determined pricing and consumer psychology, iPhone game apps cost much less than their counterpart editions for other devices and platforms. On the other hand, because the iPad has a larger screen, there is a larger perceived value by consumers, and they’re likely more willing to pay for a higher priced app, especially for games
I can confirm that feeling, at least for myself. I’m not a gamer per se, but only because I get very addicted and intentionally tend to stay away. But lately, I’ve been playing 3-4 games (7 Cities, IQ Bloxing, Flood It 2 and especially Avatar, pictured above) made for the iPhone but on my iPad, and I am addicted. I’m embarrassed to admit they take up more of my time than they should. On top of that, I find myself wishing there were iPad-specific versions, for which I would pay extra for.
I already have put $9.99 each into several music apps made for the iPhone. However, they are worth it. For example, Korg’s iElectribe costs $9.99. Back in 2000, I bought 3 versions of the Electribe in hardware form, and the synths were barely bigger than the iPad in width and depth, but about 1-2 inches thick, if I recall. They also cost $300 each, and I bought three. That’s $1,000 after taxes. Here I have the functionality (almost exactly) of the hardware version but for $9.99. Sure, it’s missing all the MIDI sync, etc., and the tactility of a physical synth, but I get what I’m perceiving has the same audio quality or better. I can even pipe out the audio to a mixer or to recording software and know there’ll be digital quality in the end product
In a similar manner, iPad-specific games could deliver an amazing experience and warrant a higher price point that will help the development community thrive. But if iPad apps go the $0.99-1.99 route, once again, most developers will be making squat while a few make it big enough that media will write about it and developers that don’t know any better will think they can make a living.
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Image via Avatar iPhone game, copyright Fox Mobile Entertainment/ Twentieth Century Fox.
Israel Ban on Apple iPad Imports Finally Lifted
Israel has finally lifted the ban on Apple iPad imports to the country. Up til now, not only were bulk imports not allowed but travelers carrying iPads were having the device confiscated at their own expense (just a daily storage fee). Authorities had claimed the devices violated local wireless communications laws, but all evidence suggests the contrary. They’ve since consulted with Apple and several labs and found the device does in fact operate within local wireless standards. Up to 20 devices that had been confiscated will be released, by I guess unless they seek out the owners (travelers), the latter will continue to pay the storage fee. Read CNN Money to get some more insight as to what might actually have been going on.
iPhone OS 4.0 Roundup
Apple recently announced their upcoming iPhone OS 4.0 (yeah, I know, this post is a bit late) and there are some big changes coming. The OS will be available this summer for iPhone and iPod Touch devices, and later in the fall for iPads. Note: not all older iPhone and iPod Touch devices will be able to upgrade to the new OS, and I’ve come across some rumors that iPads will only getting one free OS upgrade, to OS 4.0. (More on that later.)
The following is a quick summary of information about iPhone OS 4.0 from Gdgt, who live-blogged the Apple event. There are 7 “tent-poles,” as Apple put it, for the new OS:
- Multitasking, including allowing location apps in background & local notifications. Note that there’s always been multi-tasking on the iPhone OS, just not for 3rd party apps. Apple claims to have found a way to offer up the appropriate interface and abilities without draining battery life.
- Folders. So now you can finally organize your iPhone apps into logical groups, and as a result be able to add even more apps to your device. It’s just too bad us iPad owners have to wait for this feature. I’m far more likely to want extreme amounts of functionality on an iPad. By the way, if you can wait for folders to add ridiculous amounts of apps, there’s a way to exceed the 9 or 11 page limit on iPhone (depending on which iPhone OS you’re currently running) without jailbreaking the phone. It works for my iPhone 3GS running OS 3.1.3.
- Enhanced email, in the form of an unified universal inbox, which gives an aggregation of messages from multiple providers. Without trying this I’d say it’s no big deal, since there are many reasons to keep messages separated. I mean, that’s why you created multiple email accounts in the first place, right? However, I’m willing to be convinced. It is supposedly an oft-requested feature.
- iBooks. The way this works is a via free app that looks like a bookshelf, and to which you can download free and paid digital books. Some people say it’s Apple’s challenge to Amazon’s kindle. I’m not a big fan of reading long-form content on screens, but the fact is, it’s far easier to do so on an iPad than on a standard computer monitor or laptop screen.
- Enterprise features, including email and data encryption, SSL VPN support, multiple Exchange accounts. Yawn. This really is a concession towards enterprise and probably not of interest to most individuals outside of work.
- Game Center, which is a social network for mobile gamers. Wow, look out gaming device companies. I think.
- iAd mobile advertising, which allows free apps to earn ad revenues (60% take for developers) with interactive and video content (programmatic access, too). Steve Jobs said that 60% is “industry standard.” Actually, 70% is far more standard, and some networks even offer 80% to publishers. Apple, don’t forget all the mobile device sales that you’ll get thanks to all those great free apps. Well hopefully paid apps will not be allowed to take advantage of iAds.
Other points of note: 1500 new APIs. Wow, it’s just going to get harder to learn what you need to know to become an iPhone OS developer. I suggest focusing on a specialty or three, and learning everything you can about those. Write sample code, learn the ins and outs of specific APIs. If you’re planning to be an independent developer, team up with other devs with overlapping specialties.
What do you you think? If your existing iPhone or iPod Touch cannot upgrade to OS 4.0, are these features enough that you’d upgrade to the new devices rumored to be announced in June?
Have a mobile device, platform, application, service, accessory or related news or tips you want to share? Email info/ press releases to callstyleblog at gmail.com.
Contract-free iPhones Coming
Contract-free — but non-jailbroken — iPhones will soon be available. No AT&T 2-year contract is required, but you have to pay full prices ($499, $599 and $699 for 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models, respectively). Of course, you’re also not going to have 3G coverage unless you add it, and you can only do so through AT&T (officially) and T-Mobile (unofficially). Since AT&T subsidizes the phones, unless you’re planning to jailbreak a contract-free phone, this is a great way to waste $400. There’s apparently a limit on the purchase of these phones of one per person per day, to a max of 10 phones. (Seriously, who is going to buy 10 full-price iPhones, unless they run some sort of jailbroken apps lab?) You can read more at 9 to 5 Mac and Engadget. Techcrunch believes this is a sign of a new iPhone coming.
Have a mobile device, platform, application, service, accessory or related news you want to share? Email info/ press releases to callstyleblog at gmail.com.
As Apple Lifts Restrictions, VoIP through 3G Now Possible in the iPhone
Prior to this, VoIP through cellular networks was not possible for the iPhone. Or should say, Apple did not allow the feature. For whatever reason, you can only make VoIP calls whenever your iPhone is connected via Wi-Fi. Sudddenly, Apple realized that it’s now time to lift this restriction and allow VoIP feature through cellular networks.
As soon as Apple updated the iPhone SDK, we now have the first iPhone app to make this possible – iCall. In fact, this app will go down into history as being the first and currently the only VoIP application that uses 3G networks for the iPhone.
So, now you make unrestricted free local and long distance calling vover 3G networks using your iPhone.
iCall is already available at the Apps Store as a free download. And iCall CEO is more than happy about the release of this app and applauded Apple for lifting the restrictions.
“I applaud Apple’s decision to allow iCall to extend its functionality beyond Wi-Fi and onto the 3G networks. This heralds a new era for VoIP applications on mobile platforms, especially for iCall and our free calling model. I hope that now more developers will begin using our VoIP as a platform to integrate VoIP into their applications.”
Here’s the link to iCall iPhone App at the Apps Store.
It’s Not the iSlate but the Apple iPad, a Bigger iPod Touch
Apple’s Press Event for its “latest creation” has just ended. Finally the mystery has been unfolded. What we speculated as the Apple iSlate is now officially called – iPad. And what is it really?
Apple’s Steve Jobs describes the iPad as “our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price.” Magical and revolutionary may be too exaggerated. But the price is definitely unbelievable considering that it is an Apple product with a bigger screen than the iPod Touch but with almost the same specs and features.
Yes, that’s what the iPad is – an iPod Touch, a bigger version. An iPod Touch in steroids. Specs and features would give you a 9.7-inch IPS display, full capacitive multi-touch screen, 16GB to 64GB flash storage, Wi-Fi Bluetooth, and 3G connectivity features, accelerometer,0.5-inch thick, 1.5 lbs, 1GHz Apple A4 Chips, and 10 hours of battery life.
The iPad should run almost all of the current apps available at the iTunes Store. So, it means that it is using the same OS structure as the iPhone and iPod Touch.
As expected, it will also be an e-book reader. Apple also announced the iBooks app which is actually an e-reader application. It will be supported by major publishers and in fact, Apple has already snagged a deal with four of them including HarperColling, MacMillan, Simon and Schuster and Hatchett. E-book prices will range from $9.99 – up.
Pricing starts at $499 for the base model with 16GB storage and Wi-Fi.
So, are you happy about Apple’s latest creation? Do you plan on buying it?
Apple Tablet News Round-Up
Since Apple’s big event is just a few days away, the anticipation over what Apple will actually announced next week continues to sizzle. The whole week, tech news aggregator Techmeme’s front page has nothing for the main news but anything about the Applet Tablet. So here we go rounding-up the latest information available, be it official or unofficial about the Apple Tablet.
First issue has something to do with the fact that the rumored Apple Tablet will help wireless capability. This is pretty obvious since Apple definitely wants to compete against the Amazon Kindle. The question is which carrier will it be supporting. Words on the streets point to both, Verizon and AT&T.
Then people are also predicting how the Apple Tablet could possibly look like. Apple Insider pointed to the closest rendering of the Apple Tablet created by Flicr user Fotoboer.nl. From what we can see from the photos, the Apple Tablet looks like a bigger iPod Touch.
iLounge joined in the fun with their own predictions, this time regarding the Apple Tablet having double dock connectors and antennas. They mentioned that these information came from reliable sources. The double dock connectors are fine but I just hope that the antennas are not true.
Apple is said to be holding talks also with several possible content partners including McGraw-Hill and Hachete Book Group. This is a very important concern that Apple must iron out, possibly before the January 27 event. If Apple is posing the Apple Tablet primarily as an e-book reader, having a content partner in tow would be a plus for the device.
Finally, how about those who are eagerly anticipating this Apple Tablet, the consumers who are actually going to buy it, what are they expecting from Apple’s new device? Retrevo has some interesting findings from a quick poll it did among selected people. Interestingly, solar charging as the main feature is what most respondent want to have on the Apple Tablet.
Interesting bits and pieces, right? Now, we should all put this into a rest for the weekend and resume the waiting game on Monday.