Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) has sent specifications of the device to Australian media companies in an effort to sound out whether they would be interested in delivering their content to the tablet.
Ummm what? Since when does Apple give anyone the specifications to their devices before shipping them? Is Apple aiming to announce the iTablet, say it is going to ship “tomorrow”, and have content partners already lined up? Doubtful. They’ll probably do what they did with the iPhone and announce it a few months before shipping it so media companies have time to get their shit together and format their content for the iTablet, if an iTablet even exists, which I have to repeat is total bullshit.
Here is another quote of epic proportions:
The tablet is tipped to be a larger version of the iPhone. It is small enough to carry in a handbag but too big to fit in a pocket.
Carry in a handbag? So you’re saying the number one users of this device will be women? Men who carry bags do so because they carry around a laptop.
But seriously, just how credible is The Sydney Morning Herald? They said this on October 27th 2009:
Apple is also working with the major music studios to develop a new album format, delivered over iTunes, that will include liner notes, artwork and potentially mobile ringtones and music videos in a unified software package that the labels hope will boost sales of albums, instead of just single tracks.
It’s called iTunes LP and it was announced on September 9th. I hope this blog post, and every other blog post linking to your bullshit to fuel the iTablet rumour, gets you some page views because maybe then you could hire someone to do your fucking research.
iPhone hacker George “geohot” Hotz has released an update to his “blackra1n” jailbreak utility that should give new iPhone 3Gs owners reason to celebrate. The blackra1n RC2 update will jailbreak factory-fresh iPhone 3GS’s loaded with iPhone OS 3.1.2 by Apple (NSDQ: AAPL), but only through a “tethered jailbreak” method.
While the initial release of the blackra1n utility was capable of jailbreaking iPhone OS 3.1.2 for iPhone 3GS hardware already in the wild, it was useless in jailbreaking newer iPhone 3GS units already rocking iPhone OS 3.1.2 from the factory. The same applies to the iPhone Dev Team’s PwnageTool 3.1.4 release. The updated blackra1n RC2 utility changes all that.
This is what to expect with the blackra1n RC2 release:
Fixed 3G issues
Tethered jailbreak for factory-fresh iPhone 3GS’s and new out-of-the-box iPod Touch 8GB
So what is this “tethered jailbreak” we keep mentioning? Simply put, it’s a less convenient jailbreak method that requires the user to keep their iPhone 3GS connected to their computer during the jailbreak process. Any subsequent reboots (resulting from power loss or a manual reboot) will require a computer to boot successfully. The jailbreak is possible (using blackra1n RC2), but it’s decidedly more of a hassle. But, then again, how many times do you reboot your iPhone?
Note: if you already jailbroke your iPhone 3GS using blackra1n RC1 (the initial release), there’s no need to run RC2. Also, if you would rather wait for the iPhone Dev Team to build the tethered jailbreak option into PwnageTool, sit tight, they’re working on it.
Soccer moms, move over, your time is over. It’s time to make room for the “iPhone Mom” – a relatively new demographic made up of female iPhone owners with children. A new survey from Greystripe indicates that the usually slow-to-adopt “mommy” segment has quickly become a significant consumer of mobile content and mobile applications. As a key purchase decision maker in most US households, sometimes the sole decision maker, the iPhone Mom could prove to be the most important demographic to advertisers.
Greystripe found that a typical iPhone Mom is 7% more likely to be African-American, but 5% less likely to be Hispanic, than the typical iPhone user in general. They wield a lot of purchasing-power in their homes – 96% are involved in purchase decisions, with 40% indicating that they alone decide what their family buys. And, these iPhone Moms use their iPhones for a variety of daily activities – 59% let their kids use their iPhone; 79% use their iPhone to keep their daily shopping duties organized, with 60% using it to locate a nearby store; and a healthy 42% of iPhone Moms use their iPhone at the grocery store. To top it all off, they’re an educated bunch – fully 80% of iPhone Moms have completed a an undergrad stint in college.
What do all these numbers mean for the typical iPhone user? Well, if advertisers take this iPhone market analysis to heart, you might soon see in-app and other types of mobile advertising catering to the iPhone Mom segment.
Check out Greystripe’s full report here [PDF link].
This is not real, it's a mockup. Sure is pretty though...
The tech community is buzzing (again) about the possibility that Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) will release an Apple Tablet computer of some sort in the coming months. There’s even talk of the new SIM card tray belonging to an Apple Tablet. Without official confirmation from Apple themselves, however, all this talk of an Apple Tablet is just that – talk. Or is it? A loose-lipped comment from New York Times executive editor Bill Keller is now making its way around the blogosphere, hinting at an “impending Apple slate.” Does the NYT know something we don’t?
During his speech, Keller mentioned that his newspaper needs to figure out how to best deliver content to mobile platforms. Nobody buys newspapers anymore, but everyone seems to have a smartphone. He says any plan to get news content mobilized will have to include the iPhone, iPhone apps, and the “impending” Apple Tablet. Yup, he specifically mentions the Apple slate as a device that needs to considered in any plan to digitize content.
Was the mention of the “Apple slate” just a slip of the tongue from Keller? Or, does Keller have some insider info on the Tablet? We’ll have to wait for Apple before we’ll know for sure, but it’s worth noting that Apple may be looking to position the Apple Tablet as a feature-packed eBook and digital newspaper reader. In that light, we can see Apple working with the NYT to bring their content to the rumored tablet. That is, if the Tablet actually exists.
Check out the video for Keller’s talk. Apple Tablet mention around 8:20.
In case you’re into role-playing and like to pretend to be a lawyer in your spare time, the best kind of lawyer too, the kind who sleeps with their secretary that’s half their age and tells the wife that they ended up staying late at work battling a pro bono case defending an inner city kid accused of selling illegal substances, then you’ll want to read this 30 page PDF detailing Nokia’s complaint against Apple for violating 10 patents held by the Finnish handset maker. For the impatient people among us, here is a list of the 10 patents, with links to their corresponding page on the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s website:
If Nokia (NYSE: NOK) wins this case, they’re looking at getting between $200 million and $1 billion courtesy of Cupertino according to an estimate by Strategy Analytics analyst Neil Mawston. Knowing how long Nokia fought InterDigital and Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM), it’s safe to say that you’re going to hear about this case with Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) every year of the first half of the upcoming decade. As always, stick to IntoMobile to get the details you crave.
Nokia (NYSE: NOK) is suing Apple for infringing on up to 10 of Nokia’s patents with the iPhone. And, it seems Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) could get hit with as much as $1 billion in damages related to their alleged patent infringement. Sounds crazy, but it might just happen.
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster estimates that Nokia will seek damages of around $200-$400 million – assessed at $6-$12 for each of the 34 million iPhones sold to date. But, that might be Apple’s best case scenario if a judge finds that Apple was in the wrong by not paying their dues to the folks in Espoo. According to Strategy Analytics analyst Neil Mawston Apple could be facing down the barrel of a lawsuit that could end up costing the iPhone maker $200 million to $1 billion in damages.
Apple is something of a newcomer to the mobile phone game. They don’t have the patent portfolio to protect them against lawsuits like this, and it’s hard to see how Apple could make a smartphone these days without treading on at least a few of Nokia’s wireless technology patents. That leaves Apple open to getting legally violated by the mighty Finns.
Some say Nokia’s lawsuit is more a ploy to try and slowdown the runaway success of the iPhone. Others think Nokia just wants to get in on Apple’s cash cow. In any case, Nokia says they approached Apple with several offers before filing suit, so it’s Apple’s bad for not wanting to settle this out of court. It should be interesting to see where this goes…
Print publications are losing customers to web-savvy consumers who are increasingly getting their information fix online or otherwise electronically. Conde Nast has been sticking to its print-is-better mantra, forcing it to close some big-name publications. But, the publisher might have a solution to tap into the lucrative digital market. Conde Nast will soon offer individual copies of men’s lifestyle mag GQ in the iTunes AppStore. Single issues of GQ will be available for $2.99 on the iPhone AppStore, starting with the December issue.
The new iPhone app-as-mag model not only saves trees, it should bring the reader a media-rich magazine experience that no print magazine could ever deliver. Each monthly installment will be offered in a stand-alone iPhone app that features mobile-optimized content, audio, video and even links to advertisers’ websites. The reader never has to leave the app to fully explore the magazine and its interactive content.
Conde Nast plans to bring that enhanced magazine experience to other mobile platforms as well – so we might soon see the Android Market and Windows Marketplace boasting magazine issues. “This iPhone is just one platform,” said Sarah Chubb, president of Conde Nast Digital. “We plan to be, and generally try to be, anywhere our consumers are.”
Would you pay $2.99 for an iPhone app version of the latest GQ magazine? We certainly will.
iPhone hacker George “geohot” Hotz has released an update to his “
Nokia (
Print publications are losing customers to web-savvy consumers who are increasingly getting their information fix online or otherwise electronically. Conde Nast has been sticking to its print-is-better mantra, forcing it to close some big-name publications. But, the publisher might have a solution to tap into the lucrative digital market. Conde Nast will soon offer individual copies of men’s lifestyle mag GQ in the iTunes AppStore. Single issues of GQ will be available for $2.99 on the iPhone AppStore, starting with the December issue.
