May 31
NBC/Universal and Time-Warner just don’t get it. They’ve signed a suicide pact with Adobe and plan to stick with Flash to the end. Only problem is that the end is clearly in sight – Flash is on life-support and only NBC and Time-Warner are planning a full recovery.
Fact. Apple sold over two million iPads in less than 60 days. Those sleek, powerful iPads are mobile content delivery devices – that don’t use Flash – and never will. As everyone else rushes to stake an early claim to this lucrative market – NBC and Time-Warner are dozing to Baywatch re-runs.
Fact. NBC/Universal and Time-Warner have vaults of ready-made content perfect to push out to paying eyeballs. Maybe they think that playing hard-to-get will get them a sweeter deal with Apple. Ask Verizon about how that worked with iPhone. Maybe they don’t need the income. Wait until shareholders ask about that.
Fact. Flash is so 80’s. It was obsolete when Adobe acquired it from Macromedia. It’s buggy, power-hungry, riddled with security vulnerabilities, and did I mention, it’s damn near a monolopy. Daniel Eran Dilger, of Roughly Drafted, has posted reams of pixels on Flash. His observations are mind-opening.
Where does this leave NBC/Universal and Time-Warner? Nowhere.
Together, they drew a line in the sand. But those sands are shifting – soon they will stand alone, as iPad sales soar globally. Time-Warner and NBC/Universal are ready for a knife fight. Unfortunately, everyone else brought guns.
May 31
Apple today announced that it has sold over two million iPads sold in less than 60 days since the device’s initial launch in the U.S. on April 3rd.
“Customers around the world are experiencing the magic of iPad, and seem to be loving it as much as we do,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We appreciate their patience, and are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone.”
Apple began shipping iPad in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK this past weekend. iPad will become available in nine more countries in July, with additional countries later this year.
For comparison purposes, it took over two years for Apple to sell its first two million iPods, while the original iPhone took on the order of four months to reach the two million milestone.
Apple has continued to deal with iPad shortages as it seeks to keep up with demand in the United States while also ramping up distribution in additional countries.
May 30
Just about everyone agrees that AT&T’s voice network bites: dropped calls, garbled voice quality, failed dialing attempts are the norm for iPhone users on AT&T. So what do we do when we can’t get through by voice? We text.
Now AT&T can’t even get that right.
Starting this morning, old text messages, some days old started arriving – without time stamps. Then they started arriving again, and again, and again…. all day. Rebooting the phone, resetting etc didn’t help. Neither did calls to ‘Customer Service’ – they aren’t available on Sundays – and I bet they aren’t around Monday, a holiday, either.
Is AT&T an Epic Fail in your book? Leave a comment – but please don’t text.
May 30
Talk about whipping a dead horse. Speaking before a sympathetic crowd at ReMIX Europe, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer predicted that their new Windows 7 Phone due out late this year, would beat Apple by selling 30 million by the end of 2011.
The sad part – he’s serious. Never mind that Windows Phone OS sales are falling faster than a dead man’s blood-pressure. Microsoft can’t even bribe licensees to use their OS. Now, Ballmer fearlessly predicts they have a new OS that will whup up on the market-leading iPhone? Whatever.
As Microsoft follows ego-driven synchophant Dell down the toilet, let’s always remember to be humble… But for the grace of Steve Jobs, superior design, engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and customer service – go I.
Microsoft and Ballmer, like Dell – are no longer relevant.
[UPDATE] According to a statement from Microsoft: “At the ReMix conference in Paris, Microsoft presented a slide projecting the number of Windows Phone 7 [devices] to be sold in 2011. This slide was inaccurate, and intended to represent an analyst’s assessment of the market opportunity… we make no such projections.” HUH???
May 29
For the past month I’ve been using my iPad WiFi + 3G on the AT&T limited data plan – and I’ve got to admit – I’m hooked. Not hooked enough to go ‘unlimited’ for twice the tariff, but hooked enough to stay a customer.
My innate dislike for all things AT&T kept me from giving them $30.00 up front for a month’s unlimited data. Instead I opted for the 250MB plan for $ 14.99 a month. I’ll admit, I’ve been stingy with my cellular data – actually resorting to manually turning it OFF when I’m on wifi. Perhaps my vengeful frugality paid off, when all was tallied, I held my total usage down to 237MB for the month.
Best yet, I only made periodic checks of my usage in the Cellular Data tab in Settings on the iPad. Admittedly, I listened to NPR streams for a few minutes daily, and watched no streamed movies or television while I was on 3G. In South Austin that would have taken a miracle with our data speeds. But I did exercise 3G fully – and loved it!
Tonight, AT&T let me know that I had successfully renewed my limited data plan for another month. I’ll keep better tabs this month and see what guidance I can offer on usage and how to economize. Until then – go crazy and enjoy – I sure am.
May 29
If the rockstar lines and crowds are any indication – Apple’s first international launch for the iPad on Friday was a huge success. With lines and hysteria that usually accompany music idols – sales for Apple’s iPad were a sell-out.
With many analysts expecting Apple to sell over 700k iPads in the next few weeks, the impact for Apple will be huge. But already it is evident that interest is far outstripping supply. Reuters reports that Apple may still be dealing with supply issues that forced the company to delay its original international launch date to help satisfy domestic U.S. demand.
Stock at most stores sold out within hours – and waiting lists grew in anticipation of the next shipments due in stores ’soon’.
May 29
Austin may be the ‘Live Music Capital of the World’ – but to iPhone and iPad users it’s nirvana. According to Meetup.com rankings of user interest, CapMac’s iPhone and iPad special interest group ranks tenth in the US. That places us higher than Boston, Los Angeles, and Cupertino – way to go team!
If you aren’t yet part of our group, please join us – it’s fun, and free: www.meetup.com/iphonesig
May 28
If you are as reckless with your money as you are your iPhone – golly does AT&T have a deal for you. Masquerading as loss/theft/damage coverage, loosely termed ‘insurance’ – it supposedly covers you in case you do something stupid to your phone.
AT&T’s ‘MobileProtect’ coverage is due to roll out next week, and is designed for numerically impaired fools who enjoy giving AT&T even more hard-earned cash.
The MobileProtect insurance will cost $13.99 a month to insure your phone against loss or damage – with a deductible of between $99 for an 8GB 3G to $199 for the top-dog 32GB 3GS. AT&T is playing on our fears that if you do lose your iPhone and don’t have insurance, you won’t be able to buy another subsidized one if you’re under contract, so you’d have to shell out the full amount, which can be upwards of $600.
The $13.99 a month comes out to only $167.88 a year. The AT&T program will be in partnership with insurance company Asurion – who specializes in the kinds of extended warranty programs retailers love to cram down our throats because they are so hideously profitable.
But wait – there’s more: The charges won’t be included in your AT&T bill – but rather the ‘insurance’ will be billed automagically each month to your iTunes account. To enroll, a user must download the MobileProtect app from the app store within 30 days of purchasing an iPhone. Once activated the bills go on, and on, and on, and on…
AT&T is counting on the veracity of the old saw ‘a fool and his money are soon parted’. And they need to line those corporate coffers while they can, before their exclusive iPhone cash-cow leaves their barn.
Want real insurance for your iPhone? Check into getting an electronics rider on your Homeowners or Renter’s policy, and save a boat-load of moolah.
May 28
Every day we hold miracles of modern technology in our hands and think about how meaningful they are. Seventy-five years ago today – folks gathered to dedicate a grand technology of their time – Hoover Dam, designed to bring water and electricity to the arid West.
That federal project was finished two years ahead of schedule, and at a total cost of $75 million dollars – a whopping sum in Depression sized dollars. At its peak, thousands of workers toiled in blazing sun to hammer rock, build forms, and pour concrete. Over a hundred died in its building.
It’s a good measure today as we look back at their immense achievement, and the focus and planning it took to make a bold dream a reality. The story itself inspires awe.
So as you check your iPhone today for mail, or make a call, or browse the web, make reservations, or see how AAPL stock is doing – it’s humbling to imagine whether small or large – visions and hard work can make amazing things possible.
May 27
Who says it doesn’t pay to be a student or educator? Apple has announced details for this year’s promo, and it almost makes me want to repeat high school:
‘If you’re a college student or a faculty or staff member at any grade level and you buy a new Mac with Apple education pricing from May 25 through September 7, 2010, you can get a free 8GB iPod touch.* No wonder they call these the best years of your life.’
Here’s how to get your Mac and free 8GB iPod touch:
1. Shop for a Mac.
2. Buy an iPod touch. Purchase your Mac and iPod touch at the same time to qualify for your online rebate.*
3. Submit your rebate. After you receive your Mac and iPod, submit your claim online within 90 days from when your order ships. Once your claim has been submitted, check your rebate status at any time.
Or better yet, see the fine folks at Apple Barton Creek or Apple The Domain – they’re always there to help!