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Verizon announces iPhone – coming in February

January 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Today’s Verizon event in New York announces the Apple iPhone coming to their network – and they’re ready for it. Unlike AT&T apparently.

On February 3rd, Verizon customers can pre-order the iPhone 4, ahead of it’s general availability on February 1oth. The 16GB version will cost $199.99, the 32GB will cost $299.99. Both models include HotSync, which allows up to 5 WiFi devices to tether to the phone.

The main difference between the AT&T (GSM) and Verizon (CDMA) versions of the iPhone 4 is that GSM allows you to talk and use data at the same time. No such luck on the CDMA technology – so to look up something on the web, you’ll have to hang up your voice call. Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, all but dismisses this issue with the remark “I think people place emphasis on different things”.

The Verizon iPhone is also not 4G ready. This apparently would have needed design changes that Apple was unwilling to make.

Personally, I’d like to trade in my corporate BlackBerry and get the iPhone 4 instead. I think a lot of companies will be thinking about their phone strategy in the next couple of weeks, now that there are 2 major competitors to RIM available on Verizon.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: , , , ,

DigiTimes reports Foxconn to ship iPad 2 by February 2011

December 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Ghostbusters by benyupp

One thing to put on your right-after-christmas wishlist: the iPad 2. Foxconn is rumored to have been notified they will ship Apple’s iPad 2 within 100 days – i.e. by the end of February 2011. Initial shipments should be reaching 400,000-600,000 units.

The iPad 2 will probably sport a front-facing camera to allow FaceTime and other video applications, an improved display copying the Retina Display of the iPhone and iPod, and a lighter body offering better mobility. If Foxconn will indeed start shipping iPad 2′s by February, the official launch will most likely be by April 2011.

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Macintosh Tagged With: , , ,

The Beatles are on iTunes

November 17, 2010 By 1 Comment

Yesterday Apple announced that the Beatles are on iTunes. Finally.

And after complimenting Apple’s marketing campaign on their really convincing commercials, I think this one falls flat on its face:

“In 1964 the band that changed everything came to America. Now they’re on iTunes.”

What exactly is the message here? It took 46 years for the Beatles to be available on iTunes? Or the fact that you have 13 albums on line?

Amazon’s MP3 download section shows 790 results for the search “Beatles”. And if you really wanted to listen to the Beatles on your iPod but didn’t want to buy it from Amazon, just bring out your old Beatles CDs and import them into your iTunes library.

News? Maybe. Front page news? I don’t think so. Move along everyone, nothing to see.

Update: Apparently I’m not the only one who thinks this is NoNews: see this Joy Of Tech comic.

Filed Under: Music Tagged With: , , , ,

Rumors for Apple’s “Back to the Mac” – Results

October 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

So, how did I do for the event? Let’s revisit the predictions:

RumorResultRemarks
Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion” :-)And a nice upgrade. Several things from the mobile (iOS) platform rolled into OS X.
Updated versions of iWork and iLife :-)Yay. Love the photo and movie editing and publishing capabilities. GarageBand has now stooped to the level of “any idiot can make music”.
A smaller version of the MacBook Air :-)Smaller, but also the old 13″. And improved battery life!
Facetime on Mac :-)Can’t wait for integration with the PC!
iPhone on the Verizon network :-(They’ll have another event for that.
The iMac Touch is announced :-|Well, sort of: Apple explained why they don’t think a touchscreen desktop is a good idea, and showed us the alternative.
Apple buys Facebook :-(They may have another event for that…

All in all, 4 1/2 out of 7. Not a bad score I think, considering the craziness of some of the rumors.

Filed Under: Macintosh Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Rumors for Apple’s “Back to the Mac” event on 10/20/2010

October 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The rumor mill is buzzing for tomorrow’s “Back to the Mac” event. And we have a few lined up for you, from “very likely” to “highly unlikely”.

Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion”

The new version of OS X will be announced, and it will be called “Lion”. This is a safe bet – the invitation sports a lion peaking around an apple.

Likeliness: Very likely. Just look at the invitation fercrissake!

Updated versions of iWork and iLife

If a new version of OS X is announced, it normally is accompanied by a new version of iLife and iWorks. On top of that, the German version of Amazon.com announced iLife ’09 for sale with a release date of 10/20/2010. Coincidence? I think not.

Likeliness: Very likely, based on the fact that a new OS is very likely.

A smaller version of the MacBook Air

An 11.6″ MacBook Air version is expected, in addition to the current 13.3″ model. There is even a leaked photo to “prove” this.

Likeliness: Likely. There are too many rumors, and even though the picture may be doctored, it’s another hint.

Facetime on Mac

Assuming the new version of OS X and the new versions of iLife/iWorks are coming, wouldn’t it be nice to have Facetime included? It would be the logical extension of the phone paradigm, where the handset calls the “home base”. And since Facetime doesn’t use the cellphone network but requires a WiFi connection, it would be a small step.

Likeliness: Likely. And fun too!

iPhone on the Verizon network

More and more rumors of the iPhone going to other networks appear as AT&T’s exclusivity ends. Verizon is the most mentioned name. And although this may change one of the strengths of the iPhone (surfing the web or using the data connection, while talking on the phone – which seems to be impossible with CDMA), it makes more sense to put the iPhone on Verizon than on T-mobile or Sprint. Why? AT&T’s network can barely keep up with the iPhone traffic – put it on a network that’s as larger or even larger!

Likeliness: Likely to happen, but probably not the focus of an event named “Back to the Mac”.

The iMac Touch is announced

There have been a few rumors about a larger touchscreen version of the iMac. And although Apple has the technology, it would mean a second OS with touch screen capability, competing for roughly the same market segment as the iTouch and iPad. At a higher price point.

Likeliness: Unlikely. It would mean touchscreen capability in OS X, or replacing the OS with iOS. And I’d rather have a $500 iPad in the kitchen than a $1500 iMac.

Apple buys Facebook

I just heard this rumor this morning. And yes, Apple has had a fabulous quarter, and yes, I think the fact that Ping has no link with Facebook pissed off Steve Jobs. But Facebook was valued at over $11 billion early this year, and it’s unlikely to have devalued. So say we’re looking at $15-25B. That’s about 5-10% of Apple’s market cap – a significant chunk of change. And would Microsoft let that happen? Chairs would fly…

Likeliness: Very unlikely. And once again, nothing to do with “Back to the Mac”.

Filed Under: Macintosh Tagged With: , , , , ,
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