Continued...
The comScore report also aligns with a recent IBM study on how smartphones are now competing successfully with PCs for the position of consumers' chief Internet devices.
comScore said the increasing customer base among lower-income users is due to the iPhone price drop, when went into effect with the launch of the 3G model.
The iPhone 3G sells for $199 plus a two-year contract of monthly fees. At the time of its debut in 2007, the iPhone sold at a much higher price point -- $499 for a 4GB handset and $599 for an 8GB handset, both of which included a partial discount from AT&T for signing a contract.
comScore also uncovered some differences in how iPhone owners use their devices, compared to users of other smartphones. According to comScore, iPhone users earning between $25,000 and $50,000 are accessing using the Web more than ever -- an increase of 5 percent since June. During the same time, Internet activity for the entire smartphone market only grew about 3 percent, according to the firm.
Additionally, comScore found that 82 percent of iPhone users use e-mail, compared to 15 percent for the overall smartphone industry. Likewise, 85 percent of iPhone users go online for news, travel and shopping information, versus 15.9 percent of all smartphone owners.
"This data indicates that lower-income mobile subscribers are increasingly turning to their mobile devices to access the Internet, e-mail and music collections," Mark Donovan, an analyst at comScore, said in a statement.
"Smartphones, and the iPhone in particular, are appealing to a new demographic and satisfying demand for a single device for communication and entertainment, even as consumers weather the economy by cutting back on gadgets."End.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
iPhone: The Common Man's Internet Device?
Continued...
The news comes as economic conditions put pressure on players in the mobile device market. Third quarter saw the industry's growth in phone shipments dropping to single digits, compared to last year's double-digit increase from 2006.
Yet Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone 3G appears bulletproof to the market-related issues plaguing other handset sales. Both Apple and AT&T, the iPhone's exclusive U.S. wireless carrier, reported strong earnings on the burgeoning success of the device.
In the two months following launch in July, the iPhone 3G more than doubled the total number of first-generation iPhones that Apple had sold since first introducing the device in 2007. It also outsold Research in Motion's BlackBerry during third quarter -- a feat that Apple CEO Steve Jobs called "stunning" in sharing the news with investors last week. RIM sold 6.1 million BlackBerries while Apple recorded 6.9 million iPhone sales during the quarter.
More than 10 million iPhones are expected to be sold this year, according to figures cited by both Apple and several industry researchers.Continued...
The news comes as economic conditions put pressure on players in the mobile device market. Third quarter saw the industry's growth in phone shipments dropping to single digits, compared to last year's double-digit increase from 2006.
Yet Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone 3G appears bulletproof to the market-related issues plaguing other handset sales. Both Apple and AT&T, the iPhone's exclusive U.S. wireless carrier, reported strong earnings on the burgeoning success of the device.
In the two months following launch in July, the iPhone 3G more than doubled the total number of first-generation iPhones that Apple had sold since first introducing the device in 2007. It also outsold Research in Motion's BlackBerry during third quarter -- a feat that Apple CEO Steve Jobs called "stunning" in sharing the news with investors last week. RIM sold 6.1 million BlackBerries while Apple recorded 6.9 million iPhone sales during the quarter.
More than 10 million iPhones are expected to be sold this year, according to figures cited by both Apple and several industry researchers.Continued...
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
iPhone: The Common Man's Internet Device?
Apple's iPhone is seeing a boom in traction among low- to middle-income users.
By Judy Mottl
Apple's iPhone isn't just for the deep-pocketed crowd. A new study reports that the popular smartphone's buyers are increasingly skewing toward lower incomes -- and helping Apple grow its user base despite the current dismal economic conditions.
While 43 percent of iPhone 3G users earn over $100,000, iPhone adoption increased 48 percent this summer among those earning annual salaries of between $25,000 and $50,000, while it grew 46 percent among those earning between $25,000 and $75,000.
The iPhone demographic study, conducted by comScore (NASDAQ: SCOR) and released this week, also found that Overall iPhone use increased 21 percent between June and August.
"As an additional budget item, a $200 device plus at least $70 per month for phone service seems a bit extravagant for those with lower disposable income," Jen Wu, senior analyst at comScore, said in a statement. "One actually realizes cost savings when the device is used in lieu of multiple digital devices and services, transforming the iPhone from a luxury item to a practical communication and entertainment tool."Continued...
By Judy Mottl
Apple's iPhone isn't just for the deep-pocketed crowd. A new study reports that the popular smartphone's buyers are increasingly skewing toward lower incomes -- and helping Apple grow its user base despite the current dismal economic conditions.
While 43 percent of iPhone 3G users earn over $100,000, iPhone adoption increased 48 percent this summer among those earning annual salaries of between $25,000 and $50,000, while it grew 46 percent among those earning between $25,000 and $75,000.
The iPhone demographic study, conducted by comScore (NASDAQ: SCOR) and released this week, also found that Overall iPhone use increased 21 percent between June and August.
"As an additional budget item, a $200 device plus at least $70 per month for phone service seems a bit extravagant for those with lower disposable income," Jen Wu, senior analyst at comScore, said in a statement. "One actually realizes cost savings when the device is used in lieu of multiple digital devices and services, transforming the iPhone from a luxury item to a practical communication and entertainment tool."Continued...
Monday, November 24, 2008
Apple: Can iPhone Sales Grow In The December Quarter?
Opera Software has revealed that they have developed a version of Opera Web Browser for the Apple iPhone mobile phone.
But they are not allowed to offer it on the Apple App Store as it competes with Apple Safari which comes preloaded on the iPhone.
Apple has already declined several applications from appearing on the iPhone for similar reasons.
This is something that baffles the iPhone users. A competing application should be allowed on the iPhone as it gives Apple the reasons to improve upon their own products.
Users are not very impressed with the Safari that comes bundled on the iPhone. Opera would have given them an alternative.
Opera is also working on a version of the browser for Google Android. Offering it to Google G1 users is not going to be a problem as anyone is free to make their products available for download for the Android.
"Free market involves competition. I believe inhibiting other applications from appearing on the iPhone will lower down sales of the phone. Consumers nowadays are after for flexibility which may be provided by different companies."
But they are not allowed to offer it on the Apple App Store as it competes with Apple Safari which comes preloaded on the iPhone.
Apple has already declined several applications from appearing on the iPhone for similar reasons.
This is something that baffles the iPhone users. A competing application should be allowed on the iPhone as it gives Apple the reasons to improve upon their own products.
Users are not very impressed with the Safari that comes bundled on the iPhone. Opera would have given them an alternative.
Opera is also working on a version of the browser for Google Android. Offering it to Google G1 users is not going to be a problem as anyone is free to make their products available for download for the Android.
"Free market involves competition. I believe inhibiting other applications from appearing on the iPhone will lower down sales of the phone. Consumers nowadays are after for flexibility which may be provided by different companies."
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Apple: Can iPhone Sales Grow In The December Quarter?
Continued...
The piece, written by JRPG’s Lisa Thompson and Rethink’s Peter White, notes that there are two schools of thought on iPhone sales from here. The bears assert that the combination of large numbers of phones in the channel, consumer conservatism and the unfolding recession will mean the company “cannot produce another quarter like the last.”
The bulls, they note, point out that the strong Q3 sales did not have the advantage of the holiday selling season, and that the phone will be more broadly available around the globe in Q4; the optimists think the company will “knock the leather off the ball once again.”
The analysts who wrote the report are in the bullish camp. In particular, they are bullish on sales outside the U.S., where they contend the real consumer crunch will not hit until after the holidays. “It’s not that we don’t believe that the recession will bite hard across Europe and Asia, but it won’t bite the man in the Street until after Christmas,” they write.
Rethink contends that, given better availability this time in Europe and Asia, even if AT&T sells only half the 2.5 million phones it sold in the September quarter, the company should sell more phones in the December quarter than it did last time; and they think 8 million is possible. If that happens, they add, given the huge profit Apple makes on the phone, “then it will have ready another upside surprise when they report the quarter, even if iPods go into an anticipated decline.”
Wolf, by the way, thinks the number could eventually head into the stratosphere: his report asserted that if the company were to to cut its price and trade some margin for market share, “the iPhone could effectively take over the smartphone market.”
Apple today fell $3.45, or 3.1%, to $107.59.
"Making the iphone obsolete will enable the lower income groups to afford it. Sales will surely increase in the coming days."
The piece, written by JRPG’s Lisa Thompson and Rethink’s Peter White, notes that there are two schools of thought on iPhone sales from here. The bears assert that the combination of large numbers of phones in the channel, consumer conservatism and the unfolding recession will mean the company “cannot produce another quarter like the last.”
The bulls, they note, point out that the strong Q3 sales did not have the advantage of the holiday selling season, and that the phone will be more broadly available around the globe in Q4; the optimists think the company will “knock the leather off the ball once again.”
The analysts who wrote the report are in the bullish camp. In particular, they are bullish on sales outside the U.S., where they contend the real consumer crunch will not hit until after the holidays. “It’s not that we don’t believe that the recession will bite hard across Europe and Asia, but it won’t bite the man in the Street until after Christmas,” they write.
Rethink contends that, given better availability this time in Europe and Asia, even if AT&T sells only half the 2.5 million phones it sold in the September quarter, the company should sell more phones in the December quarter than it did last time; and they think 8 million is possible. If that happens, they add, given the huge profit Apple makes on the phone, “then it will have ready another upside surprise when they report the quarter, even if iPods go into an anticipated decline.”
Wolf, by the way, thinks the number could eventually head into the stratosphere: his report asserted that if the company were to to cut its price and trade some margin for market share, “the iPhone could effectively take over the smartphone market.”
Apple today fell $3.45, or 3.1%, to $107.59.
"Making the iphone obsolete will enable the lower income groups to afford it. Sales will surely increase in the coming days."
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Apple: Can iPhone Sales Grow In The December Quarter?
Posted by Eric Savitz
One the features of Apple’s (AAPL) recent earnings report for the fiscal fourth quarter ended September was that the company sold 6.9 million iPhones, many more than some analysts expected, and enough to push the company into the ranks of the world’s largest cell phone vendors, ahead of even mighty Research In Motion (RIMM)
But the strong performance - and the rapidly eroding economic landscape - raises an interesting question: Can the company sell more phones in the December quarter than it did in the last quarter? On the one hand, we’re headed into the holiday selling season. But this is shaping up to be a Christmas season that only the Grinch could love, with sales expected to be the worst in years. Needham analyst Charlie Wolf, a roaring bull on Apple’s shares, noted in a report this week that of the nearly 7 million phones sold in the latest quarter, 2 million are in carrier inventories. He says that fact “suggests that iPhone sales might decline in the December quarter,” although he notes that the company is in the process of expanding distribution to 15 smaller countries, which could provide some offset.
Investment research firm JRPG took a look at this issue today, with the help of Rethink Research, which tracks the wireless industry, and concluded that Apple could sell as many as 8 million iPhone in the quarter.Continued...
One the features of Apple’s (AAPL) recent earnings report for the fiscal fourth quarter ended September was that the company sold 6.9 million iPhones, many more than some analysts expected, and enough to push the company into the ranks of the world’s largest cell phone vendors, ahead of even mighty Research In Motion (RIMM)
But the strong performance - and the rapidly eroding economic landscape - raises an interesting question: Can the company sell more phones in the December quarter than it did in the last quarter? On the one hand, we’re headed into the holiday selling season. But this is shaping up to be a Christmas season that only the Grinch could love, with sales expected to be the worst in years. Needham analyst Charlie Wolf, a roaring bull on Apple’s shares, noted in a report this week that of the nearly 7 million phones sold in the latest quarter, 2 million are in carrier inventories. He says that fact “suggests that iPhone sales might decline in the December quarter,” although he notes that the company is in the process of expanding distribution to 15 smaller countries, which could provide some offset.
Investment research firm JRPG took a look at this issue today, with the help of Rethink Research, which tracks the wireless industry, and concluded that Apple could sell as many as 8 million iPhone in the quarter.Continued...
Friday, November 21, 2008
iBobble-3D - Politically Incorrect Laughter for the Apple iPhone and iPod on iTunes
1CloseBy.com has announced the release of iBobble-3D, a new App for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch, designed to bring a few smiles to people everywhere. Incorporating the truism that "laughter is the shortest distance between people," iBobble-3D is a social icebreaker. With iBobble-3D, any iPhone or iPod touch owner can create custom 'bobblehead dolls' from photos of their friends or political figures, which can then be shaken and shoulder tapped into nodding, spinning wobblers or bobbing 'Yes' heads. iBobble-3D lets people choose the best body for each virtual doll, from clowns to convicts or sexy mamas. In addition, iBobble-3D lets people change the background image and put their bobblehead where he or she belongs: from the frozen tundra to vacation wonderlands.
iBobble-3D also lets iPhone and iPod touch users convert anyone's digital photo into a virtual 'bobblehead doll,' turning friends or political figures into smiling and nodding 'Yes' Heads or goofy lipstick wearing bulldogs. iBobble-3D then uses the accelerometer which is built into the iPhone and iPod touch to transfer finger taps, pinches and shakes to spin the virtual bobblehead. The more someone shakes their iPhone or iPod touch, the more iBobble-3D will nod and bobble.
Features:
-- Simple enough that even hockey moms and undecided voters can figure out
how to use it.
-- Post-bail out pricing on the Apple iTunes store.
-- Comes with scary and fun heads.
-- Comes with scantily clad and well dressed bodies.
-- Politically incorrect sound effects can be turned off.
-- Responds to shoulder taps and discreet body pinches right off of the
iPhone and iPod touch screens.
-- Uses the built-in iPhone camera to take photos to be turned into
bobbleheads, or use images downloaded from the web.
-- Can meld head-shot-type photo to turn friends and co-workers into
bobbleheads.
iBobble-3D is the newest member of the http://www.iCloseBy.com family of iPhone and iPod touch products, which includes iBobble-3D, iDialUDrive, iMarkMySpot, and iCloseBy-iFob.
About iCloseBy.com -- Located in Missoula, Montana, iCloseBy.com makes software to bring people together, including the iCloseBy-iFob "Real Space, Real networking software package which now has hundreds of thousands of users world-wide: "Do you iFob?"
Visit http://www.iCloseBy.com for more information, or purchase iBobble-3D from the App Store on Apple iTunes.
Source
iBobble-3D also lets iPhone and iPod touch users convert anyone's digital photo into a virtual 'bobblehead doll,' turning friends or political figures into smiling and nodding 'Yes' Heads or goofy lipstick wearing bulldogs. iBobble-3D then uses the accelerometer which is built into the iPhone and iPod touch to transfer finger taps, pinches and shakes to spin the virtual bobblehead. The more someone shakes their iPhone or iPod touch, the more iBobble-3D will nod and bobble.
Features:
-- Simple enough that even hockey moms and undecided voters can figure out
how to use it.
-- Post-bail out pricing on the Apple iTunes store.
-- Comes with scary and fun heads.
-- Comes with scantily clad and well dressed bodies.
-- Politically incorrect sound effects can be turned off.
-- Responds to shoulder taps and discreet body pinches right off of the
iPhone and iPod touch screens.
-- Uses the built-in iPhone camera to take photos to be turned into
bobbleheads, or use images downloaded from the web.
-- Can meld head-shot-type photo to turn friends and co-workers into
bobbleheads.
iBobble-3D is the newest member of the http://www.iCloseBy.com family of iPhone and iPod touch products, which includes iBobble-3D, iDialUDrive, iMarkMySpot, and iCloseBy-iFob.
About iCloseBy.com -- Located in Missoula, Montana, iCloseBy.com makes software to bring people together, including the iCloseBy-iFob "Real Space, Real networking software package which now has hundreds of thousands of users world-wide: "Do you iFob?"
Visit http://www.iCloseBy.com for more information, or purchase iBobble-3D from the App Store on Apple iTunes.
Source
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Apple: No Opera Mini For The iPhone
by Eric Zeman
Opera Mini and Opera Mobile are highly capable browsers for mobile phones. Opera, which also makes a full desktop browser for both Windows and Apple machines, created a version of Opera Mini that will run on the iPhone. Too bad Apple won't allow Opera to offer it through the iPhone App Store.
I use Opera Mini or Opera Mobile on every phone I test other than the iPhone. Both browsers offer a better mobile browsing experience than mobile Internet Explorer, most WAP browsers, and even the S60 browser to a degree.
The Apple iPhone's Safari browser has its strengths and weaknesses. Lack of support for Flash or not, however, it does a very good job of delivering a rich mobile Internet experience. Opera, ever developing for new platforms, created a version of Opera Mini to run on the iPhone.
According to The New York Times, Apple put the kibosh on it. The paper interviewed Opera CEO Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner. It reports, "Mr. von Tetzchner said that Opera's engineers have developed a version of Opera Mini that can run on an Apple iPhone, but Apple won't let the company release it because it competes with Apple's own Safari browser."
Apple has implied all along that it won't approve of applications that compete with the core functionalities of the iPhone. Opera Mini would do just that. I understand that Apple wants to protect its turf, but I also believe in user choice. Opera Mini and Opera Mobile offer a better mobile browsing experience than is found on most devices out of the box.
It's a shame iPhone users will never find out how well they work.
Source
Opera Mini and Opera Mobile are highly capable browsers for mobile phones. Opera, which also makes a full desktop browser for both Windows and Apple machines, created a version of Opera Mini that will run on the iPhone. Too bad Apple won't allow Opera to offer it through the iPhone App Store.
I use Opera Mini or Opera Mobile on every phone I test other than the iPhone. Both browsers offer a better mobile browsing experience than mobile Internet Explorer, most WAP browsers, and even the S60 browser to a degree.
The Apple iPhone's Safari browser has its strengths and weaknesses. Lack of support for Flash or not, however, it does a very good job of delivering a rich mobile Internet experience. Opera, ever developing for new platforms, created a version of Opera Mini to run on the iPhone.
According to The New York Times, Apple put the kibosh on it. The paper interviewed Opera CEO Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner. It reports, "Mr. von Tetzchner said that Opera's engineers have developed a version of Opera Mini that can run on an Apple iPhone, but Apple won't let the company release it because it competes with Apple's own Safari browser."
Apple has implied all along that it won't approve of applications that compete with the core functionalities of the iPhone. Opera Mini would do just that. I understand that Apple wants to protect its turf, but I also believe in user choice. Opera Mini and Opera Mobile offer a better mobile browsing experience than is found on most devices out of the box.
It's a shame iPhone users will never find out how well they work.
Source
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
iPhone Applications: What’s The Buzz And Why???
By: kelly Burby
First, let’s not compare iPhone with any other phones. The reasons are simply it’s additional features and functionalities that places it way above the others. And it’s getting proved every single day, with its growing popularity worldwide.
Along with iPhone come the iPhone applications or iPhone web apps. The functionalities and features make it a wonderful browsing experience for the users and therefore, applications on iPhone are also getting popular every day. One major plus point that iPhone has got in comparison to other platforms is its single UI. Any development on other mobile platforms would require huge investments for device porting only.
Taking the competition to the leading enterprise smartphone champion of the market, RIM’s BlackBerry, Apple cherry-picked 4,000 odd software engineers for its iPhone SDK (software development kit) beta program to come up with applications for their iPhone web apps store to sell and iPhone users to enjoy. And as it is turning out to be, a great number of these promised programs are apparently geared towards the enterprise user.
Source
A lot of these enterprise level applications are being designed to support time-sensitive data, for example: inventory tracking, price checking, contract reviewing, and delivery scheduling with suppliers and shippers etc. etc.
Apple introduced iPhone SDK almost six months back and since then iPhone application development is growing day by day. And browsing through the Apple web store can give a fair idea about the popularity and on growing craze in the market. A simple iPhone game or application can cost as little as $10K but the potential remains immense for sure. And that’s what driving people to get in touch with iPhone application development companies who has got wonderful expertise for all major mobile platforms and have been developing iPhone applications or web apps for their clients since the release of iPhone SDK.
First, let’s not compare iPhone with any other phones. The reasons are simply it’s additional features and functionalities that places it way above the others. And it’s getting proved every single day, with its growing popularity worldwide.
Along with iPhone come the iPhone applications or iPhone web apps. The functionalities and features make it a wonderful browsing experience for the users and therefore, applications on iPhone are also getting popular every day. One major plus point that iPhone has got in comparison to other platforms is its single UI. Any development on other mobile platforms would require huge investments for device porting only.
Taking the competition to the leading enterprise smartphone champion of the market, RIM’s BlackBerry, Apple cherry-picked 4,000 odd software engineers for its iPhone SDK (software development kit) beta program to come up with applications for their iPhone web apps store to sell and iPhone users to enjoy. And as it is turning out to be, a great number of these promised programs are apparently geared towards the enterprise user.
Source
A lot of these enterprise level applications are being designed to support time-sensitive data, for example: inventory tracking, price checking, contract reviewing, and delivery scheduling with suppliers and shippers etc. etc.
Apple introduced iPhone SDK almost six months back and since then iPhone application development is growing day by day. And browsing through the Apple web store can give a fair idea about the popularity and on growing craze in the market. A simple iPhone game or application can cost as little as $10K but the potential remains immense for sure. And that’s what driving people to get in touch with iPhone application development companies who has got wonderful expertise for all major mobile platforms and have been developing iPhone applications or web apps for their clients since the release of iPhone SDK.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Google's iPhone challenger
Continued...
Surprisingly, the big gap in the G1's features is support for music and other multimedia content where it is easily outclassed by the iPhone and the latest BlackBerrys. The G1 comes with an integrated music player and 3Mp (megapixel) camera, but does not allow users to take video clips.
More crucially, there is no way to sychronise your music with your PC; instead, you must load unprotected AAC, MP3, or WMA files on to a memory card or drag and drop music files on to the G1 while it is connected via a USB cable to a PC. However, users can download music directly from the Amazon music store using the G1's WiFi networking capabilities.
The lack of a standard headphone mini-jack is also annoying - users have to plug an adapter into the G1's proprietary USB port. On the plus side, the G1 has a removable rechargeable battery and, in my tests at least, was quite frugal - an overnight charge was enough to run it all the next day. Talk time is around five hours.
Overall, the G1 is an impressive first generation of a new type of smartphone, with many strengths offsetting a few weaknesses. It is well made and remarkably stable - my test unit has not crashed at all - even though it is actually a combination of a new mobile phone operating system (Android) developed by the Google-led Open Handset Alliance, new hardware built by HTC and, at least in the US, a new 3G mobile network being rolled out by T-Mobile USA.
It is also likely that many of the niggles I have identified will be addressed by software updates and by third-party applications offered through Goog-le's online store, the Android Market. Like Apple's App Store, the Android Market will offer free and low cost software packages - about 50 at launch - and is in my view the most exciting development.End.
Surprisingly, the big gap in the G1's features is support for music and other multimedia content where it is easily outclassed by the iPhone and the latest BlackBerrys. The G1 comes with an integrated music player and 3Mp (megapixel) camera, but does not allow users to take video clips.
More crucially, there is no way to sychronise your music with your PC; instead, you must load unprotected AAC, MP3, or WMA files on to a memory card or drag and drop music files on to the G1 while it is connected via a USB cable to a PC. However, users can download music directly from the Amazon music store using the G1's WiFi networking capabilities.
The lack of a standard headphone mini-jack is also annoying - users have to plug an adapter into the G1's proprietary USB port. On the plus side, the G1 has a removable rechargeable battery and, in my tests at least, was quite frugal - an overnight charge was enough to run it all the next day. Talk time is around five hours.
Overall, the G1 is an impressive first generation of a new type of smartphone, with many strengths offsetting a few weaknesses. It is well made and remarkably stable - my test unit has not crashed at all - even though it is actually a combination of a new mobile phone operating system (Android) developed by the Google-led Open Handset Alliance, new hardware built by HTC and, at least in the US, a new 3G mobile network being rolled out by T-Mobile USA.
It is also likely that many of the niggles I have identified will be addressed by software updates and by third-party applications offered through Goog-le's online store, the Android Market. Like Apple's App Store, the Android Market will offer free and low cost software packages - about 50 at launch - and is in my view the most exciting development.End.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Google's iPhone challenger
Continued...
Navigating the G1 and its features is easy but not quite as intuitive as the iPhone.
In spite of its sophisticated technology credentials, the G1 is clearly aimed at the broad mass market rather than technology aficionados or corporate users. It is not designed to synchronise with corporate e-mail systems and does not permit users to save or edit Microsoft Office documents.
W hen new G1 owners power up the handset, they create or sign into a Google account and then the phone is automatically sychronised with Google's web-based Gmail, calendar and contact information. Users can also set the phone up to download and send e-mail from other non-Gmail personal e-mail accounts. Gmail users can read Microsoft Word and Excel attachments, but cannot edit or save them.
Appropriately for a device that Google believes will help bring the mobile internet to the mass market, the G1's web browser is both fast and excellent - it is in fact based on the same technology as the Safari browser built into the iPhone and Google's recently launched Chrome web browser.
In my tests, web pages loaded quickly and I could zoom easily by tapping a screen based icon.
The G1's home screen features four icons providing access to basic applications - a dialler, contacts list, the web browser and Google Maps. The latter takes full advantage of the G1's built-in GPS satellite navigation technology and supports one of my favourite features - Google Maps street view that changes as you turn around, like a compass needle.
From the home screen, users can open a full screen of application icons that provide access to all the included applications such as alarm clock, camera, e-mail, IM and music.Continued...
Navigating the G1 and its features is easy but not quite as intuitive as the iPhone.
In spite of its sophisticated technology credentials, the G1 is clearly aimed at the broad mass market rather than technology aficionados or corporate users. It is not designed to synchronise with corporate e-mail systems and does not permit users to save or edit Microsoft Office documents.
W hen new G1 owners power up the handset, they create or sign into a Google account and then the phone is automatically sychronised with Google's web-based Gmail, calendar and contact information. Users can also set the phone up to download and send e-mail from other non-Gmail personal e-mail accounts. Gmail users can read Microsoft Word and Excel attachments, but cannot edit or save them.
Appropriately for a device that Google believes will help bring the mobile internet to the mass market, the G1's web browser is both fast and excellent - it is in fact based on the same technology as the Safari browser built into the iPhone and Google's recently launched Chrome web browser.
In my tests, web pages loaded quickly and I could zoom easily by tapping a screen based icon.
The G1's home screen features four icons providing access to basic applications - a dialler, contacts list, the web browser and Google Maps. The latter takes full advantage of the G1's built-in GPS satellite navigation technology and supports one of my favourite features - Google Maps street view that changes as you turn around, like a compass needle.
From the home screen, users can open a full screen of application icons that provide access to all the included applications such as alarm clock, camera, e-mail, IM and music.Continued...
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Google's iPhone challenger
By Paul Taylor
The first smartphone powered by Google's open source Android operating system - the G1 - was in one sense a big success even before it went on sale this week through Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile USA mobile unit. According to some reports, 1.5m T-Mobile G1 handsets were preordered by buyers eager to get hold of a device and an operating system that promise to deliver another boost to the consumer smartphone market. It goes on sale in the UK shortly.
I have been testing the G1, made by Taiwan-based HTC, for several weeks. A number of shortcomings aside, it is a true rival to Apple's iPhone and other smartphone devices aimed at the consumer market.
The G1's most noticeable feature is its design. It may lack the immediate, simple aesthetic appeal of the iPhone, but it does pack both a big 3.2 inch touch screen and a full mini Qwerty keyboard that slides out of one side: and it all fits into a case that is only slightly thicker than Apple's device.
The G1's physicalkeyboard will particularly appeal to users who write and send a lot of mobile e-mail, text messages or instant messages and who, like me, find the virtual keyboard built into the iPhone difficult to use.
The other unusual design feature is that it is angled at one end to move the microphone a little closer to the users's mouth during voice calls. It also positions the BlackBerry-style trackerball conveniently under the right thumb when you rotate the handset to the "landscape" position to use the keyboard and browse the internet.
Aside from the trackerball, there are five buttons below the screen. The familiar green and red start/stop call buttons, along with its good sound quality, make the G1 an appealing handset for ordinary voice calls. There is a home screen button, a return button to take you back one step, and a menu button that brings up a set of context-sensitive "soft" keys at the bottom of the touch screen.Continued...
The first smartphone powered by Google's open source Android operating system - the G1 - was in one sense a big success even before it went on sale this week through Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile USA mobile unit. According to some reports, 1.5m T-Mobile G1 handsets were preordered by buyers eager to get hold of a device and an operating system that promise to deliver another boost to the consumer smartphone market. It goes on sale in the UK shortly.
I have been testing the G1, made by Taiwan-based HTC, for several weeks. A number of shortcomings aside, it is a true rival to Apple's iPhone and other smartphone devices aimed at the consumer market.
The G1's most noticeable feature is its design. It may lack the immediate, simple aesthetic appeal of the iPhone, but it does pack both a big 3.2 inch touch screen and a full mini Qwerty keyboard that slides out of one side: and it all fits into a case that is only slightly thicker than Apple's device.
The G1's physicalkeyboard will particularly appeal to users who write and send a lot of mobile e-mail, text messages or instant messages and who, like me, find the virtual keyboard built into the iPhone difficult to use.
The other unusual design feature is that it is angled at one end to move the microphone a little closer to the users's mouth during voice calls. It also positions the BlackBerry-style trackerball conveniently under the right thumb when you rotate the handset to the "landscape" position to use the keyboard and browse the internet.
Aside from the trackerball, there are five buttons below the screen. The familiar green and red start/stop call buttons, along with its good sound quality, make the G1 an appealing handset for ordinary voice calls. There is a home screen button, a return button to take you back one step, and a menu button that brings up a set of context-sensitive "soft" keys at the bottom of the touch screen.Continued...
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Inspiretech releases their new iPhone and iPhone 3G slim polycarbonate case
Inspiretech is now introducing their new slim Polycarbonate Protector Case for the iPhone 2G and 3G. Specifically designed for both the iPhone 2G and 3G, the slim polycarbonate case will enclose the entire back of the iPhone while allowing full access to all ports and the iPhone "touch screen." Made of highly durable polycarbonate for a long lifespan it provides
maximum protection from scrapes and scratches. The slim Polycarbonate Protector iPhone case from Inspiretech features a one year manufacture warranty and comes in three stylish colors, blue, red and matte black.
Founded in 2005, Inspiretech began by producing innovative products brought on by inspiration. Innovation by design is our motto and you will see that in our products. Now only two years later, we now offer, a large variety of products, blogs, web forums, Friendly customer support, and high resolution images.
Inspire now produces a vast array of electronic accessories. Inspire products cover everything from chargers and cables to screen protectors to even Home entertainment accessories. With amazing prices that cannot be matched. The digital age is here and inspire is here to help you get the most from your products.
Source
maximum protection from scrapes and scratches. The slim Polycarbonate Protector iPhone case from Inspiretech features a one year manufacture warranty and comes in three stylish colors, blue, red and matte black.
Founded in 2005, Inspiretech began by producing innovative products brought on by inspiration. Innovation by design is our motto and you will see that in our products. Now only two years later, we now offer, a large variety of products, blogs, web forums, Friendly customer support, and high resolution images.
Inspire now produces a vast array of electronic accessories. Inspire products cover everything from chargers and cables to screen protectors to even Home entertainment accessories. With amazing prices that cannot be matched. The digital age is here and inspire is here to help you get the most from your products.
Source
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
iPhone 3G shrinks profit margins of US carriers
Apple’s iPhone is currently squeezing profit margins for US wireless carriers, with analysts expecting a drop in third quarter financial results in the coming weeks. Reuters reports that AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint are all expected to unveil lower-than-expected results, thanks in part to a larger subsidy on the iPhone 3G, and users reducing the total cost of their services in today’s depressed economy.
The iPhone 3G’s new lower price forces AT&T’s competitors to offer other similarly featured handsets for comparable pricing, resulting in lower profit margins, market wide.
"The derivative effect is lower profitability in wireless for all the carriers," said UBS analyst John Hodulik. "Subsidies have been creeping up anyway but the new iPhone and the efforts to defend against it have likely brought it to a new level."
AT&T will allegedly be the hardest hit, with its profit margins dropping from 41.2-percent in the second quarter to 36.1.
"The new iphone 3G will surely spur competition among mobile companies."
The iPhone 3G’s new lower price forces AT&T’s competitors to offer other similarly featured handsets for comparable pricing, resulting in lower profit margins, market wide.
"The derivative effect is lower profitability in wireless for all the carriers," said UBS analyst John Hodulik. "Subsidies have been creeping up anyway but the new iPhone and the efforts to defend against it have likely brought it to a new level."
AT&T will allegedly be the hardest hit, with its profit margins dropping from 41.2-percent in the second quarter to 36.1.
"The new iphone 3G will surely spur competition among mobile companies."
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Apple iPhone No. 1, CEO says
Continued...Most analysts tend not to view Apple and RIM as direct competitors since the iPhone, with its emphasis on Web browsing and multimedia applications, is geared mainly toward consumers, while the BlackBerry has traditionally been considered a business tool.
But the distinctions have blurred in recent months after Apple unveiled efforts to support corporate customers and RIM took the wraps off its Storm touch-screen device, which appears to be aimed squarely at iPhone buyers.
Still, Levy argued there was ample room for both companies to grow market share as consumers increasingly ditch cellphones for all-in-one devices.
Apple reported a fourth-quarter profit of $1.14 billion (U.S.), or $1.26 a share, up from $904 million, or $1.01 a share, in the year-earlier period, beating analysts' average estimates.
Revenue, meanwhile, jumped 27 per cent to $7.9 billion.
Shipments of Mac computers increased 21 per cent from last year to 2.61 million, while iPod shipments rose 8 per cent, Apple said.
Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's chief financial officer, said that while Apple set records for Macintosh and iPod sales in a non-holiday quarter, iPhone results were the brightest spot.
"We blew it out on the iPhone," he said.
For the important holiday quarter ending in December, Apple forecast a profit of between $1.06 and $1.35 a share on revenue of between $9 billion to $10 billion, although the company has historically been cautious in its outlook. End.
Source
But the distinctions have blurred in recent months after Apple unveiled efforts to support corporate customers and RIM took the wraps off its Storm touch-screen device, which appears to be aimed squarely at iPhone buyers.
Still, Levy argued there was ample room for both companies to grow market share as consumers increasingly ditch cellphones for all-in-one devices.
Apple reported a fourth-quarter profit of $1.14 billion (U.S.), or $1.26 a share, up from $904 million, or $1.01 a share, in the year-earlier period, beating analysts' average estimates.
Revenue, meanwhile, jumped 27 per cent to $7.9 billion.
Shipments of Mac computers increased 21 per cent from last year to 2.61 million, while iPod shipments rose 8 per cent, Apple said.
Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's chief financial officer, said that while Apple set records for Macintosh and iPod sales in a non-holiday quarter, iPhone results were the brightest spot.
"We blew it out on the iPhone," he said.
For the important holiday quarter ending in December, Apple forecast a profit of between $1.06 and $1.35 a share on revenue of between $9 billion to $10 billion, although the company has historically been cautious in its outlook. End.
Source
Monday, November 10, 2008
Apple iPhone No. 1, CEO says
We sold more phones than RIM,' Jobs says as company's profit jumps 26% in fourth quarter
by Chris Sorensen
Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs fired a not-so-subtle shot across the bow of Research In Motion Ltd. yesterday, pointing out the computer-maker's popular iPhone outsold RIM's BlackBerry during the most-recent quarter.
"We sold more phones than RIM," Jobs said yesterday as the company reported a 26 per cent increase in fourth-quarter earnings.
Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple said it shipped 6.89 million iPhones during the quarter ended Sept. 27.
It was the first full quarter of iPhone sales since a cheaper, next-generation version of the all-in-one iPod, cellphone and Web browser was released earlier this year alongside new partnership agreements with wireless carriers in more than 50 countries, including Canada.
Apple has a stated goal of selling 10 million iPhones by the end of the year.
By contrast, Waterloo-based RIM, the leader in the market for so-called smartphones, said it shipped 6.1 million devices in its most recent quarter ended August 30.
Observers said Jobs's comment was more than just simple chest-thumping.
"Apple is a relative newcomer in this market and they want to be taken seriously," said Carmi Levy, senior vice-president of strategic consulting for AR Communications Inc.
"So, by comparing themselves to RIM, it gives them the potential to be taken more seriously not just as a seller of consumer devices, but as a long-term player in the mobile market."Continued...
by Chris Sorensen
Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs fired a not-so-subtle shot across the bow of Research In Motion Ltd. yesterday, pointing out the computer-maker's popular iPhone outsold RIM's BlackBerry during the most-recent quarter.
"We sold more phones than RIM," Jobs said yesterday as the company reported a 26 per cent increase in fourth-quarter earnings.
Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple said it shipped 6.89 million iPhones during the quarter ended Sept. 27.
It was the first full quarter of iPhone sales since a cheaper, next-generation version of the all-in-one iPod, cellphone and Web browser was released earlier this year alongside new partnership agreements with wireless carriers in more than 50 countries, including Canada.
Apple has a stated goal of selling 10 million iPhones by the end of the year.
By contrast, Waterloo-based RIM, the leader in the market for so-called smartphones, said it shipped 6.1 million devices in its most recent quarter ended August 30.
Observers said Jobs's comment was more than just simple chest-thumping.
"Apple is a relative newcomer in this market and they want to be taken seriously," said Carmi Levy, senior vice-president of strategic consulting for AR Communications Inc.
"So, by comparing themselves to RIM, it gives them the potential to be taken more seriously not just as a seller of consumer devices, but as a long-term player in the mobile market."Continued...
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Intel blasts iPhone; Apple honeymoon over
Continued...When it first broached this argument last year, Intel refused to publicly identify specific smartphones it used to produce a PowerPoint slide for an IDF keynote damning ARM-based smartphones as error-prone when browsing the Internet, saying it didn't want to embarrass anyone. At the time, it probably thought that it could one day win Apple over to its side when the Moorestown chip arrived, and it was still smitten with its hot new paramour that made old lovers Dell and HP look impossibly lame.
But Apple decided not to wait for Intel, doubling down with its bet on the ARM architecture by snapping up chip design firm P.A. Semi and putting them to work on future CPUs based on the ARM architecture for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It then took the further step of dumping Intel's integrated graphics chipsets from the MacBook, highlighting (once again) just how far Intel has to go to make a competitive graphics chipset.
And so, suddenly the iPhone is a prime example of a smartphone that just doesn't have what it takes, according to Intel's Shane Wall. "Any sort of application that requires any horsepower at all and the iPhone struggles," he said.
The thing is, developers, customers, and carriers don't seem too bothered. As The Inquirer's Paul Hales observes, "ARM has chips in over a billion mobile internet devices and Intel's are in, ooh, half a dozen or so."
Hell hath no fury like a chipmaker scorned. End.
Source
But Apple decided not to wait for Intel, doubling down with its bet on the ARM architecture by snapping up chip design firm P.A. Semi and putting them to work on future CPUs based on the ARM architecture for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It then took the further step of dumping Intel's integrated graphics chipsets from the MacBook, highlighting (once again) just how far Intel has to go to make a competitive graphics chipset.
And so, suddenly the iPhone is a prime example of a smartphone that just doesn't have what it takes, according to Intel's Shane Wall. "Any sort of application that requires any horsepower at all and the iPhone struggles," he said.
The thing is, developers, customers, and carriers don't seem too bothered. As The Inquirer's Paul Hales observes, "ARM has chips in over a billion mobile internet devices and Intel's are in, ooh, half a dozen or so."
Hell hath no fury like a chipmaker scorned. End.
Source
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Intel blasts iPhone; Apple honeymoon over
by Tom Krazit
Intel's romance with Apple appears to have gone sour.
Company executives have decided to start including the iPhone as one of their prime examples of smartphones that don't run "the full Internet" because they don't use an Intel chip, according to a report out of the Intel Developer Forum in Taipei from our friends down under at ZDNet Australia. This specious argument--that ARM-based chips aren't man enough to run the Internet--is nothing new from Intel, but the decision to highlight the iPhone as part of that argument is.
Intel has been trying to wedge its way into future mobile computers by taking on ARM, which designs cores that power more than 90 percent of all mobile phones in the world. Its argument is that since the PC-based Internet experience is run by Intel's x86 architecture, that's the only possible solution for future sophisticated mobile computers.
But as Engadget points out, say what you will about the iPhone, but few people complain about its inability to run "the full Internet." The most frequent criticism of the iPhone's Internet-running ability is probably that it can't play Flash content, but that has more to do with Apple CEO Steve Jobs' belief that Adobe's Flash Lite isn't good enough for the iPhone than any technical limitations on the part of the ARM processor. In fact, Adobe is believed to have a Flash player for the iPhone all ready to go if and when Apple decides to approve its inclusion on the iPhone.Continued...
Intel's romance with Apple appears to have gone sour.
Company executives have decided to start including the iPhone as one of their prime examples of smartphones that don't run "the full Internet" because they don't use an Intel chip, according to a report out of the Intel Developer Forum in Taipei from our friends down under at ZDNet Australia. This specious argument--that ARM-based chips aren't man enough to run the Internet--is nothing new from Intel, but the decision to highlight the iPhone as part of that argument is.
Intel has been trying to wedge its way into future mobile computers by taking on ARM, which designs cores that power more than 90 percent of all mobile phones in the world. Its argument is that since the PC-based Internet experience is run by Intel's x86 architecture, that's the only possible solution for future sophisticated mobile computers.
But as Engadget points out, say what you will about the iPhone, but few people complain about its inability to run "the full Internet." The most frequent criticism of the iPhone's Internet-running ability is probably that it can't play Flash content, but that has more to do with Apple CEO Steve Jobs' belief that Adobe's Flash Lite isn't good enough for the iPhone than any technical limitations on the part of the ARM processor. In fact, Adobe is believed to have a Flash player for the iPhone all ready to go if and when Apple decides to approve its inclusion on the iPhone.Continued...
Friday, November 7, 2008
iPhone favors small deployments
Continued...
Rules and regs
There is more, too, such as Apple's prohibition of the use of TCP ports under 1000, and the device's inability to operate as a USB storage device. Only iTunes can access iPhone files, and it only allows the transfer of media and applications. Data can be bundled with an application developed in-house, and through that application one could transfer arbitrary data to and from the device. But iPhone imposes strict rules on data such that only the app that created the data may access it. iPhone's browser can neither upload nor download data. In fact, the easiest way to get data in and out of iPhone is through the mail client. E-mail attachments cannot be archived or moved to another iPhone application. They can only be viewed from inside Mail.
With its functional limitations and unusually large management overhead, iPhone is less than a shoo-in for fleet deployment, a scenario for which BlackBerry is specifically designed, and to which Symbian, Palm, and Windows Mobile adapt fairly well with the proper tools.
I do see hope on the horizon. Apple's iPhone Configuration Utility has the makings of an enterprise iPhone pain reliever. It presently includes the ability to present the utility as a Web site from which users and admins can download XML configuration profiles that define common VPN and e-mail settings. This hints at future over-the-air centralized management. I hope that it is Apple's aim to eventually push iTunes out of the enterprise. As for the lack of background processes, Flash and Java, these aren't technical limitations; they are strategic choices. Apple will only revisit these restrictions if it feels they're a barrier to greater iPhone sales.
iPhone is, by design, a device for individuals. But if one of your people brings an iPhone in the door and can be trusted to manage it, it should be welcomed. Likewise, if all your enterprise will ever need from a mobile device is what iPhone delivers out of the box, then none of the issues I've described should dissuade you from distributing a stack of Apple handsets. As I said, nothing could make users happier. But for now, iPhone in the enterprise does not conform to the maxim "the more, the merrier."Continued...
Rules and regs
There is more, too, such as Apple's prohibition of the use of TCP ports under 1000, and the device's inability to operate as a USB storage device. Only iTunes can access iPhone files, and it only allows the transfer of media and applications. Data can be bundled with an application developed in-house, and through that application one could transfer arbitrary data to and from the device. But iPhone imposes strict rules on data such that only the app that created the data may access it. iPhone's browser can neither upload nor download data. In fact, the easiest way to get data in and out of iPhone is through the mail client. E-mail attachments cannot be archived or moved to another iPhone application. They can only be viewed from inside Mail.
With its functional limitations and unusually large management overhead, iPhone is less than a shoo-in for fleet deployment, a scenario for which BlackBerry is specifically designed, and to which Symbian, Palm, and Windows Mobile adapt fairly well with the proper tools.
I do see hope on the horizon. Apple's iPhone Configuration Utility has the makings of an enterprise iPhone pain reliever. It presently includes the ability to present the utility as a Web site from which users and admins can download XML configuration profiles that define common VPN and e-mail settings. This hints at future over-the-air centralized management. I hope that it is Apple's aim to eventually push iTunes out of the enterprise. As for the lack of background processes, Flash and Java, these aren't technical limitations; they are strategic choices. Apple will only revisit these restrictions if it feels they're a barrier to greater iPhone sales.
iPhone is, by design, a device for individuals. But if one of your people brings an iPhone in the door and can be trusted to manage it, it should be welcomed. Likewise, if all your enterprise will ever need from a mobile device is what iPhone delivers out of the box, then none of the issues I've described should dissuade you from distributing a stack of Apple handsets. As I said, nothing could make users happier. But for now, iPhone in the enterprise does not conform to the maxim "the more, the merrier."Continued...
Thursday, November 6, 2008
iPhone favors small deployments
Continued...
iBall and iChain
The first barrier to iPhone fleet deployment is the inescapable necessity of iTunes. An online music store client that communicates opaquely with offsite servers is not likely to be part of your standard desktop and notebook build. It's not going to be IT's first choice as a central device configuration terminal. Yet either the user or IT must run iTunes to activate each phone, a tedious interactive process. Only iTunes can be used to back up, restore, or update the firmware or install custom applications on an iPhone. Apple issues iPhone firmware updates frequently. They are effectively mandatory, and each firmware update requires updates to iTunes and the iPhone SDK as well.
If you come from the BlackBerry or Windows Mobile world, activation is a foreign idea. These devices can deploy without ever touching a desktop. The closest they come to activation is enrollment with a mail or collaboration server. User applications can be shipped over the air and installed directly on the device. Firmware updates are few, and I have yet to see one classified as mandatory.
Another barrier to iPhone fleet deployment relates to custom applications that are common in enterprises. From a consumer or individual perspective, the iPhone SDK makes all things possible. From an enterprise perspective, iPhone just doesn't play well with others. It is not possible to port, without completely rewriting, any mobile application you're currently using, with the only exception being HTTP hosted apps with browser front ends.
iPhone has no J2ME or Flash implementation, nor does it support background processes that, for example, maintain connections with middleware for application-specific push, presence, or notification. Apple announced plans to host a notification service to address some of these issues, but it never materialized. Even with that, the most any developer could hope for is that an external notification would trigger an application into the foreground, which a user might find disruptive. Because applications have no access to the iPhone's status bar (which comes and goes in any case), there's no way to indicate a pending or missed communication.Continued...
iBall and iChain
The first barrier to iPhone fleet deployment is the inescapable necessity of iTunes. An online music store client that communicates opaquely with offsite servers is not likely to be part of your standard desktop and notebook build. It's not going to be IT's first choice as a central device configuration terminal. Yet either the user or IT must run iTunes to activate each phone, a tedious interactive process. Only iTunes can be used to back up, restore, or update the firmware or install custom applications on an iPhone. Apple issues iPhone firmware updates frequently. They are effectively mandatory, and each firmware update requires updates to iTunes and the iPhone SDK as well.
If you come from the BlackBerry or Windows Mobile world, activation is a foreign idea. These devices can deploy without ever touching a desktop. The closest they come to activation is enrollment with a mail or collaboration server. User applications can be shipped over the air and installed directly on the device. Firmware updates are few, and I have yet to see one classified as mandatory.
Another barrier to iPhone fleet deployment relates to custom applications that are common in enterprises. From a consumer or individual perspective, the iPhone SDK makes all things possible. From an enterprise perspective, iPhone just doesn't play well with others. It is not possible to port, without completely rewriting, any mobile application you're currently using, with the only exception being HTTP hosted apps with browser front ends.
iPhone has no J2ME or Flash implementation, nor does it support background processes that, for example, maintain connections with middleware for application-specific push, presence, or notification. Apple announced plans to host a notification service to address some of these issues, but it never materialized. Even with that, the most any developer could hope for is that an external notification would trigger an application into the foreground, which a user might find disruptive. Because applications have no access to the iPhone's status bar (which comes and goes in any case), there's no way to indicate a pending or missed communication.Continued...
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
iPhone favors small deployments
When you start rolling out iPhones in the dozens, the device's limitations will begin to bite
Apple's pitch on iPhone 3G is that it's as well suited to enterprise use as a BlackBerry. The core technology is certainly there, with an ActiveSync (Microsoft Exchange Server) mail client, AJAX-capable browser, Cisco-compatible VPN, and Office and PDF mail attachment viewers. iPhone's UI revolutionized the mobile industry with scalable text and graphics, a display surface capable of responding to multifinger gestures, and an on-screen keyboard that works without a stylus.
So iPhone has the essential enterprise ingredients. The question is, does Apple's recipe fit the enterprise better than alternatives? Having worked with iPhone since last June, the honest answer is yes and no. iPhone is an unqualified hit among users. No one will complain about being migrated from whatever they're carrying now to an iPhone 3G. Employees and contractors will trample each other for a shot at an iPhone, unwittingly exposing themselves to better reachability and collaboration. For Mac users, it's practically pointless to carry anything else.
iPhone is a smart way to keep workers in touch while they're traveling because it's an unparalleled lifestyle accessory. Anyone who owns one will always have it with them, talking, texting, surfing, listening to music, and watching videos. Enterprises shouldn't brush this aside as a consideration. A mobile device is of limited use if its user can't wait to be without it.
Apple invested the bulk of its initial effort in the design and implementation of iPhone to make the device irresistible to users. Mission accomplished. Phase two made the device an easy sell to developers. I'm still waiting for phase three, which makes iPhone enterprise-friendly for configuration, equipping, deployment, and management in substantial numbers. Right now, the best I can say is that an enterprise deployment of iPhone can be done, but not as easily, flexibly, or securely as for a BlackBerry or Windows Mobile device.Continued...
Apple's pitch on iPhone 3G is that it's as well suited to enterprise use as a BlackBerry. The core technology is certainly there, with an ActiveSync (Microsoft Exchange Server) mail client, AJAX-capable browser, Cisco-compatible VPN, and Office and PDF mail attachment viewers. iPhone's UI revolutionized the mobile industry with scalable text and graphics, a display surface capable of responding to multifinger gestures, and an on-screen keyboard that works without a stylus.
So iPhone has the essential enterprise ingredients. The question is, does Apple's recipe fit the enterprise better than alternatives? Having worked with iPhone since last June, the honest answer is yes and no. iPhone is an unqualified hit among users. No one will complain about being migrated from whatever they're carrying now to an iPhone 3G. Employees and contractors will trample each other for a shot at an iPhone, unwittingly exposing themselves to better reachability and collaboration. For Mac users, it's practically pointless to carry anything else.
iPhone is a smart way to keep workers in touch while they're traveling because it's an unparalleled lifestyle accessory. Anyone who owns one will always have it with them, talking, texting, surfing, listening to music, and watching videos. Enterprises shouldn't brush this aside as a consideration. A mobile device is of limited use if its user can't wait to be without it.
Apple invested the bulk of its initial effort in the design and implementation of iPhone to make the device irresistible to users. Mission accomplished. Phase two made the device an easy sell to developers. I'm still waiting for phase three, which makes iPhone enterprise-friendly for configuration, equipping, deployment, and management in substantial numbers. Right now, the best I can say is that an enterprise deployment of iPhone can be done, but not as easily, flexibly, or securely as for a BlackBerry or Windows Mobile device.Continued...
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Why Apple's iPhone sales aren't really that RIMarkable
Continued..,But even if you could, it's worth bearing in mind how circumstances surrounding the quarters have differed for each company. While Apple had the massive launch of the iPhone 3G to promote, RIM, on the other hand, effectively had no major launches in its quarter – the BlackBerry Bold has trickled out across a few markets, but is still not available in the US. Given its lack of new launches, a 6.1 million sales figure looks pretty credible.
That's not to say that Apple isn't outselling RIM, or that the iPhone isn't a big success. They probably are, and it is. But judging the relative strengths and weaknesses of the two companies and their products on the basis of a single quarter's results is impossible.
We'll get a far better picture of how Apple is doing in its rivalry with RIM over the next two quarters, as the BlackBerry Bold is launched into more markets, and the BlackBerry Storm makes its debut. Whether Apple overtaking RIM is a one-off or a sign of a real change in the market remains to be seen. End.
Source
That's not to say that Apple isn't outselling RIM, or that the iPhone isn't a big success. They probably are, and it is. But judging the relative strengths and weaknesses of the two companies and their products on the basis of a single quarter's results is impossible.
We'll get a far better picture of how Apple is doing in its rivalry with RIM over the next two quarters, as the BlackBerry Bold is launched into more markets, and the BlackBerry Storm makes its debut. Whether Apple overtaking RIM is a one-off or a sign of a real change in the market remains to be seen. End.
Source
Monday, November 3, 2008
Why Apple's iPhone sales aren't really that RIMarkable
Continued...Secondly, in the markets that the iPhone was already covering, there was significant pent-up demand. The iPhone 3G was announced at the beginning of June, which almost certainly means that sales dried up to nothing for a month while consumers waited for the new model. Effectively, this means Apple has managed to squeeze four months of sales into a single quarter's results - a neat trick, but one which it can't do in every quarter.
This goes part of the way to explaining one of the points brought up by Steve Jobs on the conference call it held to announce its results. According to Jobs, iPhones outsold Blackberry by quite a significant number over the quarter. Here's what Steve Jobs said, in full:
In their most recent quarter, Research in Motion, or RIM, reported selling 6.1 million BlackBerry devices. Compared to our most recent quarter sales of 6.9 million iPhones, Apple outsold RIM last quarter and this is a milestone for us. RIM is a good company that makes good products and so it is surprising that after only 15 months in the market, we could outsell them in any quarter.
There are a couple of points which are worth making. As Joe Wilcox first pointed out, RIM's quarter and Apple's quarter don't cover the same period – Apple's ends 27th September, RIM's 30th August – which means that you can't really make a like-with-like comparison here. Continued...
This goes part of the way to explaining one of the points brought up by Steve Jobs on the conference call it held to announce its results. According to Jobs, iPhones outsold Blackberry by quite a significant number over the quarter. Here's what Steve Jobs said, in full:
In their most recent quarter, Research in Motion, or RIM, reported selling 6.1 million BlackBerry devices. Compared to our most recent quarter sales of 6.9 million iPhones, Apple outsold RIM last quarter and this is a milestone for us. RIM is a good company that makes good products and so it is surprising that after only 15 months in the market, we could outsell them in any quarter.
There are a couple of points which are worth making. As Joe Wilcox first pointed out, RIM's quarter and Apple's quarter don't cover the same period – Apple's ends 27th September, RIM's 30th August – which means that you can't really make a like-with-like comparison here. Continued...
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Why Apple's iPhone sales aren't really that RIMarkable
By Ian Betteridge
For anyone who's followed Apple's fortunes over the years, the transformation of the company has been remarkable. And that's not just a statement about its finances – it long ago shook off the "beleaguered" tag of the late 90's – but also describes the core of the company's business.
Ten years ago, it made computers. Now it's the iPod company, and with the incredible results it posted this week, it's probably fairer to call it "the iPhone company". In a year, phones have gone from almost nothing to providing 39% of its revenues. No one else has managed to make this transformation from computer company to consumer electronics business so successfully. But not quite so successful as some web sites would have you believe...
To get an idea of just how big the iPhone 3G launch was it's worth comparing this quarter with the previous one. In the quarter which ran from April to June, Apple sold only 717,000 iPhones, as demand dwindled in anticipation of the 3G model and as it ran its own stocks down. This quarter, the company came close to trebling its previous record for iPhone sales, when in the three months leading up to Christmas 2007 it sold an impressive-sounding 2.3 million phones.
By any standards, this is massive growth. But if you take a look at the circumstances which surround it, it's perhaps not as surprising as it appears at first.
The first thing to consider is coverage. Officially, the first-generation iPhone was available in only a handful of countries, primarily the US, UK, France and Germany. Apple launched the 3G model in 22 countries on the same day, and is expanding this to over 70. This means that the number of people who could potentially buy an iPhone has jumped from around 500 million to something in the region of 2.5 billion. With a jump in availability that high, you're always going to get a big increase in sales.Continued...
For anyone who's followed Apple's fortunes over the years, the transformation of the company has been remarkable. And that's not just a statement about its finances – it long ago shook off the "beleaguered" tag of the late 90's – but also describes the core of the company's business.
Ten years ago, it made computers. Now it's the iPod company, and with the incredible results it posted this week, it's probably fairer to call it "the iPhone company". In a year, phones have gone from almost nothing to providing 39% of its revenues. No one else has managed to make this transformation from computer company to consumer electronics business so successfully. But not quite so successful as some web sites would have you believe...
To get an idea of just how big the iPhone 3G launch was it's worth comparing this quarter with the previous one. In the quarter which ran from April to June, Apple sold only 717,000 iPhones, as demand dwindled in anticipation of the 3G model and as it ran its own stocks down. This quarter, the company came close to trebling its previous record for iPhone sales, when in the three months leading up to Christmas 2007 it sold an impressive-sounding 2.3 million phones.
By any standards, this is massive growth. But if you take a look at the circumstances which surround it, it's perhaps not as surprising as it appears at first.
The first thing to consider is coverage. Officially, the first-generation iPhone was available in only a handful of countries, primarily the US, UK, France and Germany. Apple launched the 3G model in 22 countries on the same day, and is expanding this to over 70. This means that the number of people who could potentially buy an iPhone has jumped from around 500 million to something in the region of 2.5 billion. With a jump in availability that high, you're always going to get a big increase in sales.Continued...
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Apple rivals try to equal success
By Chris Nuttall
Apple's rivals are making moves to match the runaway success of the iPhone platform with their own versions of its store for applications and games from outside developers.
Research in Motion announced at its first BlackBerry Developer Conference yesterday that it would launch an "application storefront" in March next year.
Developers creating software for smartphones are being invited to submit applications and content for inclusion from December.
Google is also revamping its Android Market and adding new applications this week to coincide with availability of the first phone built on the new operating system, the HTC G1. Both trail Apple's App Store, which launched on July 10 for the second-generation iPhone.
Steve Jobs, Apple chief executive, announced last month that more than 100m copies of applications and games had been downloaded in the first 60 days.
The increasing sophistication of smartphones and growth in size of the screen interfaces is turning them into PC-like platforms, where developers can boost revenues by producing mobile software applications.
Following the Apple example, handset makers are exploring how consumers can be drawn to phones by the number and variety of applications available.
Rim said yesterday that developers could set their own prices for applications but, at 20 per cent, it was taking a smaller cut than the 30 per cent Apple levied for approving and displaying App Store applications.
Rim added that it would provide carrier-customised on-device "application centres".
To calm the fears of business customers that employees might download undesirable applications, it said those who had deployed BlackBerry Enterprise Server software could retain control of which applications were downloaded.
"The new apple i phone had really set a new standard in the industry."
Apple's rivals are making moves to match the runaway success of the iPhone platform with their own versions of its store for applications and games from outside developers.
Research in Motion announced at its first BlackBerry Developer Conference yesterday that it would launch an "application storefront" in March next year.
Developers creating software for smartphones are being invited to submit applications and content for inclusion from December.
Google is also revamping its Android Market and adding new applications this week to coincide with availability of the first phone built on the new operating system, the HTC G1. Both trail Apple's App Store, which launched on July 10 for the second-generation iPhone.
Steve Jobs, Apple chief executive, announced last month that more than 100m copies of applications and games had been downloaded in the first 60 days.
The increasing sophistication of smartphones and growth in size of the screen interfaces is turning them into PC-like platforms, where developers can boost revenues by producing mobile software applications.
Following the Apple example, handset makers are exploring how consumers can be drawn to phones by the number and variety of applications available.
Rim said yesterday that developers could set their own prices for applications but, at 20 per cent, it was taking a smaller cut than the 30 per cent Apple levied for approving and displaying App Store applications.
Rim added that it would provide carrier-customised on-device "application centres".
To calm the fears of business customers that employees might download undesirable applications, it said those who had deployed BlackBerry Enterprise Server software could retain control of which applications were downloaded.
"The new apple i phone had really set a new standard in the industry."
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