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Apple iPad release dates finally revealed…Kind of

Matt Thomas — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:36:57 +0000

Apple sure do know how to create a heavenly aura around their products don’t they? More than a month after revealing the iPad none of us have been able to get our hands on one yet nor have we had the comfort of knowing exactly when this may happen.

Worry not Apple fanatics, as the release dates have finally been released for Apple’s latest slice of brilliance. Well, I say worry not, but that only really counts if you are a customer in the US as the British release information seems to be a bit sketchy.

Apple have announced that British consumers will be able to purchase both the Wi-Fi/3G and Wi-Fi only models of the iPad by the end of April. This is as long as the warnings going around the internet are untrue and there are indeed no unspecified manufacturing problems that could lead to further delays.

Ok, so we know when the iPad will be hitting these shores but Apple have decided not to tell us how much they will cost, they just continue with the claim of an “unbelievable price.” Does this mean unbelievably expensive like most of their products? I suppose we won’t know until closer to the time.

It is possible to hazard a guess however as they have revealed that the entry level (Wi-Fi only 16gb) product in the US will cost $499, so if we use a bit of currency converting maths we can derive that the same model should cost around £389 here.

Customers in the US will be able to get one of the entry level iPad’s from April 3rd meaning that over here we will be treated to endless “un-boxing the iPad” videos on Youtube whilst we sit clutching the screen willing the end of April to come which is when the US (and the UK) will get the more advanced 3g and Wi-Fi model.

So, another 7 weeks or so to see if all the hype is justified while we stare in wonderment at the TV ad Apple decided to release nice and early (during the Oscars), thanks guys.

iTunes store hits magic 10 billion downloads mark

Jenny Sanderson — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:37:16 +0000

It doesn’t seem so long ago that I was sat at my computer desk debating when exactly to click the ‘buy now’ button in the hope of being the lucky individual to have purchased Apple’s 5 billionth song. A year and a half in fact, and once again this week I was sat in that same spot hoping to snag the 10 billionth song, once again it wasn’t to be, but what an amazing achievement for Apple.

On Wednesday (24th Feb) that mercurial 10 billionth mp3 was downloaded on iTunes cementing Apples dominance in the online music world. The song was “Guess things happen that way” by Johnny Cash and it was downloaded by a Louie Sulcer of Woodstock, GA, almost inevitably in the US. Lucky Louie is set to receive an iTunes voucher worth $10,000 enabling him to buy another 10,000 songs.

Eddy Cue, Apple Vice President said in a statement. “We’re proud that iTunes has become the number one music retailer in the world, and selling 10 billion songs is truly staggering.”

Knowing that the question was sure to be asked Apple ranked the top 5 most popular songs downloaded from the iTunes store, they are as follows:

1.Black Eyed Peas – I got a feeling
2.Lady Gaga – Pokerface
3.Black Eyed Peas – Boom Boom Pow
4.Jason Mraz – I’m yours
5.Coldplay – Viva la Vida

This news further validates the fact that iTunes is by far at the top of the digital music realm, streaks ahead of their nearest competitor Amazon. It is surprising to hear that the iTunes store has only been in operation for 7 years but I am sure that this achievement is no shock to Apple as iTunes sold 1 million songs in its debut week.

Off the back of this Apple are looking to roll out an online digital television service that will be based on a paid monthly subscription and after such a successful 7 years I am sure there will be much more to come from the iTunes store.

Apple Hoarding 10-inch ‘Tablet Screens’… Apparently

Jenny Sanderson — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 09:03:17 +0000

Okay, deep breath everyone, here comes another Apple rumour. Usual provisos apply, your own discretion is required – this thing is full of anonymous sources and a very healthy dose of conjecture and may very well be the work of an Apple PR engaging in the dark art of leaking, or just plain made up. I don’t know, but it seems plausible enough to be worth talking about nevertheless.

Electronics suppliers in Asia are reportedly telling anyone who wants a bulk order of 10” screens that they cannot have one as Apple have pre-ordered them all. What would Apple want with all those 10” screens? Well, the popular theory, predictably, is that these screens are for the long-awaited and heavily rumoured Apple tablet computer, the standard practice with a bulk build of this nature being to bulk order ahead of time, to guarantee supplies at current prices.

An anonymous (told you) source states, “We were designing a product for a customer and we needed 10-inch screens, but we’ve been trying for months and can’t get one from any of the Asian suppliers… We were told that Apple preordered them all. All 10 inch LCDs, and all 10 inch OLEDs too.”

So, it’s official then? Well, no. The strange thing about this rumour is that Apple is supposed to also be buying up OLED panels with the screens and Industry experts are predicting that 10” OLEDs would make the device prohibitively expensive, even by apple’s standards.

There you go, make up your own mind. I’ll let you know about any developments.

Apple expects to sell 10 million tablet PCs this Year

James Oliver — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 11:56:17 +0000

One of Google China’s former executives has set the Apple Tablet PC rumour mill into overdrive by claiming on his blog that Apple expects to sell 10 million tablet PCs this year. Bloomberg.com is reporting that Lee Kai-fu, who is currently the head of the Foxconn Technology Group, which owns the company that supplies the iPhone to retailers, made the claims on his blog.

Lee’s claims have thrown the cat amongst the pigeons with Apple fans, who have long been speculating about the possibility of a new Apple tablet hitting the shelves around the start of January, despite the fact that the company itself is yet to confirm that it is even working on one. Lee’s post backed up the January rumour and also gave some insight into the supposed price and specs of the putative product. The device will apparently retail for below $1’000, boast a 10.1 inch screen, 3G graphics and will look pretty much like a big iPhone. Lee claims to have been told the remarkably specific information by a friend working closely on the project.

So, how seriously to take this? Well, it’s Apple, so that means rumours, rumours, rumours; on the other hand, it would seem strange for an executive so closely connected with Apple to make such a bold statement unless he was specifically directed to do so. Bottom line, there probably is something afoot – I wouldn’t get in line at the Apple store just yet though.

iTunes Shop bans Huge developer

James Oliver — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:58:49 +0000

The iTunes store has ejected one of the site’s major developers for posting thousands of reviews on their own products. Chinese Developer Molinker had more than a thousand applications listed on the iTunes store, their removal has reportedly reduced the size of the store by 1 percent.

Most of the apps Molinker were trying to sell were fairly simple, uninspiring things like photo logs and copies of existing apps. However, this was, to say the least, not the impression that the glowing reviews were giving.

The final nail in the coffin for Molinker was an email to Phil Schiller from the author of iPhonography, who pointed out to Mr. Schiller what was going on and received a reply a few days later stating the following…

“This developer’s apps have been removed from the App Store”

Molinker itself has reacted with bewilderment at their punishment, stating…

“We got email from Apple yesterday [Sunday 6th] which told us our contract is changed to pending status… we do not know what’s wrong so far.”

Nokia to Sue Apple

James Oliver — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:20:04 +0000

Mobile phone giant, Nokia is to sue apple in an attempt to extract royalty payments they claim they are owed by the computer manufacturer. Nokia’s story is that a number of their patents were infringed by Apple in the manufacture of the iPhone. Analysts have estimated that they think Nokia might be looking for as much as one or two percent of the price of an iPhone in royalties, backdated to the launch of the device, obviously. That shakes out to a maximum of $12 dollars per iPhone. Apple have so far sold more than 30 million units, meaning they could stand to pay as much as $400 million dollars.

Apple recently posted profits of $1.67 billion for the last quarter so $400 million is actually a relatively small amount when viewed in the context of the galactic the sums of money flying about in the computer industry.

Of course, it’s unlikely that this amount of money will ever actually change hands between the two companies. What’s more probable is that if it is proven that Apple have violated copyright, some sort of arrangement will be reached behind closed doors and we’ll ever find out the amount. Spoil-sports.

Live Football on the iPhone

James Oliver — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 11:21:22 +0000

Channel Five, or five as they like to be known now, has launched an ambitious plan to boost the viewers of its Europa League Coverage, an iPhone app. Football fans are now able to download an application that will allow them to enjoy live feeds of Thursday night games featuring the likes of Fulham FC, Aston Villa and Rangers. The app costs a one-off £3.99 for access to a season’s worth of live games and highlights packages.

The application would appear to be a marriage made in heaven for both Five and the Europa League itself as both have been struggling to attract viewers recently, Five due to historic reception issues, and the Europa League due to a perceived inferiority to other competitions like the Premiership and Champions League. This is what is thought to be behind the low price point.

Jonathon Lewis, Five’s head of Digital Media, had this to say…

‘The app is attractively priced and means never having to miss a minute of live action when you’re on the move… It also exemplifies Five’s ambition to extend the reach of our long-form, ad-supported video content to as many platforms as possible, with the aim of generating additional incremental advertising revenues.’

How will the Spotify App affect Apple

Matt Thomas — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:05:55 +0000

As predicted, Apple have approved the unlimited online music app that Spotify have designed. It had been thought that the application would only be available to devices such as the T-Mobile G1, that runs on the Android platform, though overwhelming pressure from iPod and iPhone users would appear to have won out in the end.

The decision to allow the app is probably a grudging one as the advent of an application that allows users to listen to practically any song whenever and almost wherever they like quite clearly has implications for one of the key selling points of iPods and iPhones, their ability to hold entire libraries of music.

However, those predicting an end to the domination of the iPhone/iPod over the SmartPhone and MP3 player markets may just be speaking to soon. Firstly, the Spotify platform is far from perfect, there’s a huge back catalogue of songs granted, though there’s lot of stuff that simply isn’t there, Beatles anyone? Also, it’s not capable of running in the background which means that you can’t do other things whilst listening to music.

So, not so much of a problem as it stands maybe. However, Spotify will improve and even if it doesn’t it could just be the start of a worrying trend for Apple.

App Store can’t make up its Mind

Jenny Sanderson — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:24:08 +0000

The turbulent life of whoever decides what does and doesn’t get onto the App Store is continuing apace, with news that their approvals policy has once again caused outrage amongst developers and the media, though not for the usual reasons…

In the past the App Store has come under fire for having too liberal a policy on App Store inclusions, those who follow this blog will remember the controversy over the ‘Card Counting App,’ that allowed you to cheat at blackjack, the ‘Hottest Girls App,’ that got in trouble for showing iPod users nude pics of women, and of course the hugely tasteless ‘Baby Shaker App.’ This time however the controversy is quite different.

‘Ninjawords,’ a dictionary application, was originally turned down for inclusion because it contained rude and objectionable content – well, technically definitions of rude and objectionable words. The developers duly removed the rude words but the App Store still classified their programme as only viewable by over 17s.

Apple were of course technically correct, dictionaries do contain bad language, though to ‘protect the public’ from something that’s freely available in every middle school library in the country seems a little strange. Chalk it up as another crazy App Store decision.

George Hotz: At it again

Jenny Sanderson — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:50:29 +0000

George Hotz, the teenage hacker who managed to unlock the original iPhone, claims to have done it again. According to reports, his new program, Purplera1N, allows users to install third party software onto iPhones, completely bypassing Apple’s quality control and security processes.

If these reports are true (and it looks like they are) it’s a bit of an embarrassment for Apple as it proves that the security of the device and their software is far from impregnable and chips further away at the credibility of Apple’s claim to offer better security than PCs. The particularly embarrassing thing about this latest jailbreaking is that it took so little time to pull off. The software has only been out since June the 19th that’s a little over two weeks, implying that not only can the software be broken, but it wasn’t actually that difficult.

Well, now the software is out in the open on both Windows and Mac and there’s nothing Apple can do except quietly fume.

A brief word of warning to anyone thinking of trying to jailbreak their phone though, you could be risking data loss, so be careful. Even Hotz himself advises people to do a backup before they try the software.

Apple latest Company to be linked to Twitter Purchase

Jenny Sanderson — Thu, 07 May 2009 09:13:02 +0000

That’s right, Apple have become the latest company in a (very) long line to be linked with a move to buy twitter.

Before I continue, let me just point out that this rumour originated on Valleywag, a blog known for being just a little bit rumour happy, but even so, the story has been picked up by some of the more reputable blogs, including CNET and UPI.com so I guess it merits further discussion.

The question is, why would Apple actually want Twitter? They’re primarily a hardware company and the software they do have tends to be used mainly to push that hardware, i.e., iTunes existing solely to plug the iPod… How would Twitter get people to buy Mac books, for example?

Of course, it’s possible that this is all part of some elaborate plan on Apple’s part and personally I hope it is, it would be fascinating to see a company like Apple turn the probably half a billion dollar expense of buying Twitter into a long term profit. However, unfortunately I think this may just be the Valleywag guys getting a bit over excited.

iPhone & Verizon in Talks

James Oliver — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:00:19 +0000

According to USA today, Verizon wireless could be about to break AT&T’s current monopoly over the iPhone. According to the paper, the two companies are in ‘high level talks’ about a deal to provide the SmartPhone market leader to its customers. Any such deal would be a serious boon for Verizon, as it would enable them to stem the flow of subscribers rushing over to AT&T to get an iPhone as soon as their contracts expire. It also makes sense from an Apple point of view, as it would allow them access to an untapped vein of customers.

It had been thought that AT&T had an exclusive five year agreement to sell the iphone, though sources are now indicating that the current agreement only lasts until 2010 which means we could see competing iPhone providers as soon as next year.

What that will mean for the market is yet to be established, though it would be pretty surprising if the repercussions didn’t include a whole lot of new clients for Apple.

Though no comment has yet emerged from AT&T, it is thought they will be none too pleased, especially since around half of their new subscribers last quarter were iPhone buyers. The loss of the exclusivity deal would have to hurt growth.

Baby Shaker app proving a thorn in Apple’s side

Matt Thomas — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 09:20:33 +0000

Most of the time it’s hard to tell which technology stories are going to cross over into the mainstream media and become higher profile news pieces. Sometimes however, it isn’t. The current outrage surrounding the Apple baby shaker app is certainly one that would fall into the latter category.

When news broke that an application where users shake a picture of a baby until it stops crying was available for download from the App Store, the Apple marketing department must have braced themselves – it was pretty obvious that this one had legs.

We’re now in day two of ‘babygate’ and things don’t seem to be letting up, in fact the story is snowballing. Established institutions across all forms of media (BBC news and the telegraph to name but two) are asking, not unreasonably, how one of the bright young things at Apple actually approved this App for sale. With the story set to drag on into the weekend Apple will be asking very similar questions.

The outrage has led to calls for improvements to the app approval process. Especially since this isn’t the first time it’s been found wanting. Remember the card counting app that angered casino bosses? Or the issues some people had with iFart and iBeer?

Apple sued over exploding iPod

Matt Thomas — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:00:30 +0000

The build quality of the iPod touch has been called into question once again. A disgruntled consumer has started legal proceedings against the company after his touch ‘blew up.’ The claimant is contending that he sustained serious burns after a flaw in a ‘negligently built’ Touch caused the device to catch fire.

Lynette Antrobus, who is suing the company after the 16 GB device failed in her son’s trouser pocket, setting his trousers on fire and burning through to his leg, would appear to have a case. Antrobus is also contending that her son has suffered distress that has extended the ramifications of the injury beyond the initial incident.

Antrobus and her son have obviously been through a horrible experience, though whether or not they get any actual money will depend on them proving their case that Apple failed to take the necessary precautions to test the iPod for a fault of this type and failed to warn customers of the risks.

This lawsuit is not particularly welcomed by Apple, particularly seeing as they are currently fighting another legal battle on behalf of iMac owners who are complaining of faulty Mac displays. The legal team at Apple is working overtime at the minute. Well, if you will be a Tech lawyer.