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Ditching the iPhone? I’ll Bet WinMo Has What You Want

Aviv — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:15:42 +0000

As of late, we have three prominent names publicly ditching the iPhone. Om Malik, from GigaOm, Michael Arrington from TechCrunch, and one person who’s inspired me for ages, macintosh developer Steven Frank from Panic, inc. here in Portland, Oregon. While I have no qualms with their decisions to ditch the iPhone, I’m having a tough time understanding what the hell they’re talking about.

The iPhone is a big deal… Period. It radically changed the entire mobile industry. Since its launch in 2007, Apple has clobbered sales records and the iPhone revenue bomb continues to explode. This single piece of technology and the services around it, including the thriving developer community, close the gap even further between human nature and technology. The vision that good technology should be indistinguishable from magic has clearly shown through with the iPhone. In fact, it’s so intuitive, so easy to use, and so powerful, that when people consider leaving the device due to whatever reason(s), they second guess themselves so much, that they ultimately settle on announcing a personal ban against Apple and AT&T. And you know as they hit that “Publish” button, they regretted it.

Why not just jailbreak the device? Does the need for one app make you ignore the years of work that have gone into this thing? Without the iPhone, you wouldn’t even have a second, comparable device to switch over to! So perhaps you’re bored with it? Perhaps the arrangement of icons on the homescreen is driving you nuts? The dropped calls, poor reception, constant ludicrous prices… Perhaps you hate AT&T with a passion! I do too! And still, NONE of these reasons are good enough to even consider ditching the iPhone.

Some of you may swear this off as just another Apple freak gushing about his toy… So if that’s the way you take this, just stop reading. But for those that can actually sit down and relate with what Apple has done time and time again, and what they’ve publicly said (time and time again), you’ll see that these public denouncements of the iPhone, and these “I’ll pay $175 to leave AT&T” are just people with personal gripes, a large audience, and a little too much time on their hands.

When Apple released the iPhone they were all singing a different tune. They were willingly hopping on the Apple train, ditching Verizon, t-mobile and everything in between to snatch up iPhones. Even though everyone knew how incredibly shitty ~~Cingular’s~~ AT&T’s service was before the iPhone was even released. Through a little bit of common sense, anyone would know that the network would only degrade as millions of content heavy devices were sold to everyone you know. And now with the App Store, Apple has said time and time again that it’s their store and they’ll do what they want with it.

The problem with these public outcries, is that maybe the tiniest sliver of people who Apple actually gives a shit about reads these articles. You think the millions of people around the world buying iPhones know who Michael Arrington is? Or Om Malik? I don’t think so. Apple doesn’t care who does and doesn’t use an iPhone. All they care about is the masses seeing Alec Baldwin hold it up in 30Rock. You think Google Voice is such a big deal that you would leave the iPhone for it? I personally know people who use Google Voice, and it’s not a walk in the park. In a nutshell, if you love Linux and searching for the proper drivers for hours, then you’ll love Google Voice! And the explanation Michael Arrington has outlined for porting your phone number, is akin to calling up an outsourced ISP and setting up managed hosting… A fucking nightmare.

There have been no good reasons as of yet to ditch the iPhone… Perhaps if you were on a call with the president, talking about Iran’s nuclear initiatives and the call dropped, that would make sense. But none of these people’s calls are so important that they can’t communicate via SMS. They’re all on twitter, they’re used to it! One app? A few dropped calls? Poor reception? To leave the single greatest technological advancement in our time since the macintosh? What it is… Is sad.

Whether you love or hate Apple or AT&T, the iPhone is absolutely hands down the best mobile device in the world. Yes, it sucks that we have to deal with bullshit surrounding our service, reception and now the app store, but as long as ANY mobile carriers are involved, it will never change.

For fucks sake, if you have such monumental issues with the thing…. jailbreak it… It’s not that hard.

Leaked Video: ‘Mac Mini 2009 Edition’

Aviv — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 23:38:40 +0000

Following up yesterday’s leaked 2009 Mac mini image, the original source has now provided what looks like a fairly convincing video of the rumored unit.

The image below was the first spyshot to circulate the web, which was originally posted to the Macrumors Forums. Interestingly, some raw investigation work done by a 9to5mac reader, who confidently determined that this was all a hoax.

Now the original source of the image has made this video available, and although the entire situation seems a bit strange, one can’t help but wonder why anybody would go through the trouble of making this video, only to show a fake Mac mini with five USB ports.

Leaked Mac Mini Image Emerges, Shows Five USB Ports

Aviv — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:10:35 +0000

A leaked image first posted to the MacRumors forums depicts what may be the next Mac mini. The image shows what is allegedly the back side of the new Mac mini, with enough clarity to identify what specific ports have been included.

Image courtesy of MacRumors

In our coverage of what to expect from Apple over the next few months, we explained that the Mac mini was rumored to be making an appearance around March.

A move to SATA for both optical and hard drives has been rumored. As well as that the Mac mini will not only have a Mini DisplayPort, but also a Mini DVI connector which is strange given CEO Steve Jobs’ statements that Apple was making the Mini DisplayPort standard across all of Apple’s computers. In regards to a chipset, the NVIDIA 9400M is what’s currently being used in the unibody macbooks, and if Apple opts for it in the Mac mini, the device may get a few more high-end features than initially expected. However, we don’t see Apple loading up professional class features on the Mac mini, especially with the desktop class needing some attention. Things like dual-display support may entirely be left for high-end machines like the Mac Pro.

The most recent information claims the Mac mini will be launched in March around the time of Cebit. The information is strange however because it claims the Mac mini will be using Intel’s Atom processor, which up until now has been targeted at low-powered netbooks. While it may turn out accurate, as of now this remains slightly cloudy.

MacRumors has specified that the original person who leaked the image claims the following specs:

• Intel Core 2 Duo
• 2GHz
• 3MB L2 cache
• 2GB RAM DDR III, 1066MHz
• Super Drive is SATA

A few questions remain as to why the machine would need five USB ports, and why Firewire 800 would be included when Apple nixed it from the Macbooks. But, in typical leaked spyshot fashion, the image leaves us a tad skeptical. If only because it aligns so correctly with rumors that seemed a bit outlandish to begin with. Still, MacRumors has done an incredible job filtering through nonsense over the years, so it would be safe to assume the legitimacy of this image.

Slow January for Mac and iPod, Sales Dip up to 14%

Aviv — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 03:39:31 +0000

Not completely immune from the global financial crisis, new market data from research firm NPD group shows Apple’s slowing sales in the month of January, when compared to the same time last year.

NPD’s data explains that in when compared to last January, Mac unit sales were down 6%, while even less iPod units were sold dipping 14%. In comparison to what was expected by Wall Street, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster estimated that Mac sales would fall 4%, and iPod sales 11%.

In a report issued to clients on Tuesday, Munster estimates that Mac sales for the March quarter should be between 2 and 2.2 million units, and expects Apple to sell between 9 and 10 million iPods. As a report over at Fortune notes, Munster sees the overall situation as “a neutral or slightly positive,” especially considering the entire economy’s current financial crisis.

Munster also found something to cheer about in the iPod numbers, even though he now expects unit sales to fall 6% to 15% by the end of the quarter. “Given concerns regarding iPod weakness,” he writes, “we believe the segment’s in-line performance relative to Street expectations is a positive.” He was also pleased by the average price for iPods in January, which was up 4%. He had expected it to fall 3%.

While explaining that some of the information may be hard to digest from NPD’s market research, Munster believes that higher priced iPod touches in Apple’s lineup, may help to “exceed our expectations in the March quarter.”

Munster’s data holds true to the belief that Apple has remained resilient through this tough time. “In a tough economy where headlines have been dominated by layoffs, cuts and downsizing, Apple has remained focused on securing its bottom line and treading lightly with product announcements. In terms of marketing Apple has maintained a mystique around the company and its products. Even though swarms of people are demanding cheaper devices, smaller notebooks and tiny iPhones, Apple has steered clear of entering new product categories. Which in terms of volatility from a shareholder’s perspective is a good thing. There’s no reason to gamble on a new product, or revolutionizing a new product category, when consumers just are not spending money.

Munster has pinpointed a $180 target for Apple shares, which at this point seem like a distant memory. His near $200 target is one of the highest on Wall Street, and the stock has just recently bounced back from hitting 52 week lows in the high-seventies.

Apple Next Month Plans to Drop Certain G4 and Xserve Support

Aviv — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:22:36 +0000

MacMerc.com picked up some information from a support bulletin that Apple uses to communicate with Authorized Service Providers, that explains which of Apple’s products will be marked either “vintage” or “obsolete” next month.

Come March 17th, Apple will officially label the items listed below as either “vintage” or “obsolete” in Asia-Pacific, Canada, Europe, Japan, Latin America, the United States and all Apple retail locations. What this means is that Apple will no longer provide documentation for these products, and service parts will not be made available.

Obsolete Products:

• PowerBook G4
• Power Mac G4 (Digital Audio)
• Power Mac G4 (Quicksilver)
• Macintosh Server G4 (Digital Audio)
• Macintosh Server G4 (Quicksilver)

Vintage Products:

• Xserve RAID
• Xserve (Slot Load)
• Xserve (Cluster Node)

In addition, once the date hits, these products cannot be sent in for Mail-Repair to AppleCare Repair Centers. AppleInsider notes that owners of these products may continue to obtain service and parts from Apple Service Providers in the state of California, as required by the state. A complete list of “vintage and obsolete products” can be found on Apple’s website here.

Happy 25th Anniversary Macintosh! Here’s A Little Video Tribute

The MacBlogz Team — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 08:01:52 +0000

In being the 25th anniversary of the Macintosh, today marks an extra special day for the Apple community and the industry as a whole. We put together a little video tribute to commemorate the special occasion. Enjoy!

Back in December we pondered whether Apple would do anything to celebrate today’s occasion. But even if they don’t it still means a whole lot to us.

Thank you to the original Mac design team, George Crow, Joanna Hoffman, Burrell Smith, Andy Hertzfeld, Bill Atkinson and Jerry Mannock. Thank you to Apple and thank you to Steve (both of you).

Here’s to another 25 years!

Happy Birthday Mac.

iPhone Market Share on the Rise While PC Share Slips

Dave — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:46:49 +0000

A recent survey shows that Apple’s iPhone now holds a steady 23 percent of the smartphone market, narrowing the gap between rival handset maker RIM and is retaining consumer interest five months after the release of the 3G. Spirits seem high in the smartphone department but the same cannot be said for the PC sector, as Apple’s market share has slipped 0.5 percent over the last summer.

While RIM’s Blackberry remains the smartphone market leader, the iPhone has more than doubled its share since last June, when it stood at around 11 percent. The Blackberry maintains a commanding 41 percent of this market yet has dipped 1 percent between the months of September and December, notes CultofMac.

Customer satisfaction numbers put the iPhone in another realm completely, as 77 percent of users rank as “very satisfied” compared to the 52 percent of Blackberry owners. Rim’s touch edition Blackberry Storm owners seem even less impressed as a ChangeWave survey shows a mere 33 percent of users to be “very satisfied” with their purchase.

Electronista reports that an iSuppli study had shown a considerable shift from desktops to notebooks this summer as Apple’s global market share had slipped a half of a percent, from 3.7 to 3.2 leaving it in seventh place. The study had shown HP leading the worldwide market with an 18.8 percent share, followed by Dell with 13.9 percent and Acer with 12.2 percent.

iSuppli provided no explanation for Apple’s slipping performance other than it had been seen at the tail end of the early 2008 MacBook model lifecycle. Asus, in comparison had grown 79 percent year over year, partially due to their shift toward netbook manufacturing, such as the Aspire One. It has additionally been noted that notebooks have ousted desktops for the first time ever during a summer quarter, where 38.6 million notebook shipments had been made compared to the 38.5 million desktops.

Apple Unveils Two New Holiday ‘Get-a-Mac’ Commercials (VIDEOS)

Aviv — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 02:43:05 +0000

Apple has unveiled two new holiday ‘Get-a-Mac’ commercials titled “Tree Trimming” and “I Can Do Anything.” Both commercials are targeted at holiday Mac sales.

This commercial is titled “I Can Do Anything”

Apple’s ‘Get-a-Mac’ campaigns were getting slack for losing focus a while back. Many people believed that Apple had been spending too much efforts on slandering Microsoft and Vista. These two new commercials should breathe some new life into the ‘Get-a-Mac’ campaigns as they make light of PC guy and Mac’s “little differences.”

This commercial is titled “Tree Trimming”

As TUAW notes, you can watch both commercials on Apple’s website as well.

The Cultural and Economic Significance of Macs at Walmart

Aviv — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:48:49 +0000

It has been confirmed that Apple’s iPhone will be sold at Walmart before the end of this year. While most may see this as a natural step in the iPhone’s evolution, the cultural and economic significance this has on both companies is astounding.

Acceptance

Culturally speaking, Apple’s products have always been marketed as “high-end” products. Which is what most analysts will tell you is confining the company to a sliver of market share in the computer industry. In the portable media player category, Apple dominates the space. No other competitors can even come close to Apple’s market share. This has happened because Apple has made the iPods so attractively priced, and so readily available that anybody, at anytime can buy one. With the iPhone, Apple will eventually bring the same strategy forward, this is inevitable. But what this may lead to has perhaps not been focused on for more than a moment amidst all of the ongoing headlines.

Macs at Walmart? This would be a huge move for Apple. As CNBC’s Jim Goldman points out, both companies have an incredibly head-strong “my-way-or-the-highway” attitude towards business partnerships. Could Apple be loosening up its controlling ways? Not unlikely. The bleak reality sits within product availability and pricing these days. The economy is not in a good place and even moderately high priced products are looked at as too expensive.

By placing its Mac computers at Walmart, Apple could be making them available to an entire section of consumers that have never before been exposed. Not lower-level consumers per say, but consumers that are more interested in saving money. More interested in squeezing everything they can out of their hard earned dollar. And there is nothing wrong with that mentality. The idea that Apple’s products are only for those that can afford them should be tossed aside. Apple is a computer company, OS X is a direct competitor to Windows, and increasing market share should continuously be a high priority for them.

Consumer Reaction

The initial hesitance that Apple may see from its devoted customers and brand devotees should be taken with a grain of salt by the industry. No matter what analysts say about Apple’s brand devotion, consumers use Apple products because of how they function, not the social implication that comes along with the shiny Apple logo. Marketing and branding will always play a big role in Apple’s success. But convincing PC users who have had preconceived notions about the Mac for years, to give it a try, is fundamentally based on how Apple’s products work.

The economic reaction to Apple’s products by this new segment of exposed consumers should be welcoming. Apple’s products are not outrageously overpriced when compared to similar spec’d machines from PC rivals such as HP, Dell and Sony. Apple offers an entry level Macbook, which is a more than capable machine, at the sweet spot of $999. Walmart shoppers who have never before known they had a choice will realize that a PC with Windows is not their only option.

The sheer volume of Walmart’s distribution channel is very impressive. With upwards of 4,000 locations in the United States, Apple’s products could get a whole new wave of exposure. For example, a consumer with access only to Walmart, may never know that Apple has a competing product at the same price-point. By Apple placing its Macs at Walmart, this could be avoided. Potential customers could get hands-on with Apple’s products and test them out first hand.

Apple currently sell its iPods at Walmart, along with a slew of accessories both from Apple, as well as third party manufacturers. Additionally, it has been confirmed that Walmart will be carrying the iPhone by the end of 2008. This places Apple’s most sensitive, powerful and important sector of business, the iPhone, at the heart of America’s shopping masses. If Apple ever plans on entering the big leagues in terms of computer market share, placing some of its Mac products at Walmarts would be a giant step in the right direction.

We here at MacBlogz welcome the idea of Macs being sold at Walmart, or any other credible retailer for that matter. The bigger the Macintosh user base, the more ubiquitous Apple’s technologies will get, thus elevating the company’s initiatives to the forefront of the PC industry.

Attack of the Mac Clones, Part Two: OpeniMac Sets Up Shop

Aviv — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 15:13:36 +0000

It seems as though the ongoing Psystar battles have opened the doors for a few more bold clone attempts, as another Mac clone maker has popped up. This time, they are selling the “OpeniMac” and the “OpeniMac Pro,” with Leopard pre-installed.

Back in April 2008, Psystar unveiled a line of Mac clones. After having their products on the market for more than two months, Apple finally responded by filing a lawsuit against Psystar. Through the remainder of 2008, we would here about the ongoing battle between Apple and Psystar.

First, Psystar hired a known legal firm to battle Apple’s hounds. Then, Psystar’s lawyers started hinting at bringing up antitrust issues. Next, Psystar claimed Apple was illegally destroying competition in the marketplace. Apple then moved to dismiss Psystar’s claims, and both parties agreed to enter an “Alternative Dispute Resolution.”

Through October 2008, Psystar continued to advertise and even started shipping their “Open Computer” Mac clones. After pondering the results of an unexpected outcome, Apple was finally awarded the motion to dismiss Psystar’s counterclaims. Most recently, Apple has suggested a larger conspiracy behind the entire Psystar ordeal, with which we are doing extensive research on the background of the legal parties involved.

An Engadget reader first spotted the Mac cloner, and they explain the specs.

Selling for $990 (or $1,330 with an LG 19-inch monitor), the base unit ships with 2GB memory, 320GB storage, and a 256MB ATI Radeon HD PRO. If you’ve got deep pockets, $1,710 will get you the OpeniMacPRO, a 3.0GHz machine with a 20-inch widescreen monitor and 4GB RAM.

The entire scenario has given the Argentinean Mac clone company enough gall to try and sell an “OpeniMac” with Apple’s proprietary OS X pre-installed. Not necessarily the best timing as Apple is seemingly blowing the doors off the Psystar case.