Where Do Most Tech Innovations Come From?

Where do the seeds of innovation for much of the tech world come from these days? Well, where else, from where they have mostly always have - they are coming from the field of dreams that just happens to have it's address at 1 Infinite Loop, Cuupertino, Calfornia.

Zach Bass recently wrote an interesting article titled, "Apple Imitations: Just Like the iPhone, Only Crappier," for SeekingAlpha that outlines how tech companies and organizations  like Dell, HP, Gateway,  Microsoft, or Linux,  have all one thing in common - they continue to advance by ritually copying many, if not all, of  Apple's innovations, but yet never quite equalling them. 

In other words:   Apple is the leader in tech, the rest of the tech world are just mere followers.

I agree 100 % with Zach's post when he states:

"Where have all the innovators gone? Is Apple (APPL) the sole possessor of creative genius, the lone leader of usability and aesthetic, the single creator of new markets, the only company that knows what buyers want before they know themselves?

It would appear so. Just look at all the imitators of iPhones and the all-in-one computers trying to duplicate the iMac experience. This isn’t a new phenomenon, by the way. Apple has been the de facto leader of innovation in the personal computer industry from day one. But now it appears Apple will lead the way from hereon-in with consumer devices as well, a la the iPod, iPhone, and iPod Touch."

Years after Apple introduced animated desktops in OS X, for example, both Windows and Linux (innovation pretenders) now have now introduced their own style of animated desktops, such as found in Microsoft's Vista and Linux's Beryl, etc. Did they innovate this cool concept all by themselves? No, of course not - they simply copied the idea from Apple who had it on the market for years, going all the back to 2000 and 2001.

When it comes to copying Apple, Dell recently even added more Mac OS functionality by introducing it's own dock - the Dell Dock, which looks a lot like many of the Window emulated OS X dock add ons, such as Rocket Dock. 

As Zach points out, just look at all of the 'iPhone' styled phones that are coming out of the woodwork these days such as Verizon's 'Instinct' and the seemingly millions of others from Nokia, RIM, Palm, LG, etc.

Of course you don't have to limit yourself to recent examples of companies scrambling to copy Apple innovations such as OS X or the iPhone.  No, copying the leader in innovation goes  a long way back, as Zach mentions. From copying elements that Apple introduce to the Graphical User Interface such as hierarchal menu's, drag & copy, widgets (gadgets for you Window users), cut & paste, resizable pop-up windows, to all of the variations of the desktop garbage can, Apple's competitor's have been blissfully copying away as much of Apple's designs as they can.

There are far too many examples of others copying Apple that I could also mention, but this is, after all, just a little blog of mine, so I won't beleaguer the point except to mention that Apple was also the first to introduce  computer videos and sound files, personal laser and ink printers, and, as well, the first to introduce digital camera's and digital assistants (Newton) and the like. Oh, by the way, let's not forget that virtually all laptops now follow Apple's design, where the track pad (also first brought to market by Apple - who else?) is placed in front, as well as the first 3.5 inch floppy drive which was designed, by Sony, for the very first Mac according to Apple's input. Funny how that after Apple finally decided  to ditch the 3.5 floppy (much to the laughter and condemnation of the PC crowd), PC manufacturers  also finally followed suite some two years after Apple did!

Apple has been recognized as the world's most innovated company, not only once, but many, many times by various magazines, trade associations, etc., and has been handsomely rewarded for it's innovations with numerous awards and recognition, and, as well, by an increasingly very, very large piggy bank which should soon exceed even that of Microsoft's own legendary piggy bank -  if it already hasn't! 

Apple's past is rich with innovation, as is the present, but will Apple continue to lead by innovation in the future? Only God can know the answer to that, but I think that its fair and reasonable to say that based on both the past and present, it's most likely. They say that it is foolish to bet against Apple and it's founder, Steve Jobs. Wise advice, if you ask me.

So, in conclusion, Apple has innovation in very it's blood and DNA,  so it's no wonder why Zach Bass concludes his piece by saying:

"Come on folks. If you want the most innovative products in the world, that are designed from the ground up with your needs in mind, that just feel right, and work the way you would expect them to, just go Apple. Trust me, you won’t regret it."


And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, June 30, 2008.

Image via: Wikipedia

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OS X 's Growing Business Market Share

The Mac platform has been growing in the consumer market for several years now, grabbing millions of new consumers, or switchers, away from the Windows camp, but what about the business market, which Apple has been seemingly and noticeably ignoring for the most part?

Well, despite what seems to be Apple's complete lack of interest in the business segment, the Mac is not only doing well, but extremely well, thank you very much. Computer World is reporting that as many as 80% of all business's are now using Mac's in house. ComputerWorld reported that, in a recent survey, Group Research Inc. revealed that:

"Now the number of actual users is very significant. A number of the businesses said that they had 50 or 100 or even several thousand Macs deployed."

The report brings out some very interesting facts as to why the Mac has more than doubled it's presence in business during the past two years. One of the more interesting elements was that the Mac can now run Windows, either directly or via virtualization. Some 28% of the 700 firms surveyed report that they are using Windows virtualization on Macs, and a further 22% are using Apple's own Boot Camp to run Windows software natively.

Of course, one of those reasons  why Mac's are beginning to show up in more and more business's these days is directly because of OS X's stability and security. After all, OS X is a 100% based true certified Unix 3 machine, and Unix is after all what many big business's have long since come to depend on for security and power. In other words, as a Unix based OS, OS X is simply a rock stable and dependable OS without equal.

Still, yet another major reason for the Mac's increasing business presence is also due to the Mac's hardware. Like the high quality, simplicity, security and other features of OS X, the Mac on the hardware side is also rock solid, simply, clean, modern, of high quality, and extremely dependable as well.

Of course, a big factor in the corporate world adopting the Mac is not just because of it's strengths, but rather because of Windows's weakness's. Windows XP is still the choice for most business's and, as we are all aware, XP is hardly what you would call the most pleasant or secure OS to use out there, now is it. Vista is more secure, but it's not even on the radar for most of the corporate world and for good reasons. 

Windows was, in my opinion, never really that good of an OS to begin with, but now things are so bad that even Microsoft's retired CEO, Bill Gates, has been forced to slam it. Recently, Mr. Gates wrote in an email to Jim Allchin:

"I am quite disappointed at how Windows Usability has been going backwards and the program management groups don't drive usability issues.

Let me give you my experience from yesterday.

I decided to download (Moviemaker) and buy the Digital Plus pack ... so I went to Microsoft.com. They have a download place so I went there.

The first 5 times I used the site it timed out while trying to bring up the download page. Then after an 8 second delay I got it to come up.

This site is so slow it is unusable."

Trust me folks, Bill's frustration gets a lot worse as you can see after reading the full text of his email at: Seatlepie.  After reading Mr. Gates opinion of his own Windows experience, is it any wonder why more and more business's out there are looking for alternatives? I think not, and OS X, I believe, just happens to be the right OS, in the right place, at the right time to take advantage of that frustration! 

Sorry Linux fan-boys, as great as Linux is, it is just too fragmented with too many confusing and competing distros to be a via replacement anytime soon. That could always change, of course, but since big business's like to do business with other big and secure business's, something that Apple just happens to be, while Linux is not, I don't view Linux as a credible alternative. Don't get me wrong, I love Linux and think that it has it's place, but as a general business OS and, even more importantly as a client or consumer OS, Linux still has a long way to go.

Another sign of the Mac's increasing acceptance, in both the business and consumer levels, can be seen in the increasingly large number of developers flocking to OS X. One of the biggest developers doing software for the Mac these days, after Apple itself, just happens to be none other than Microsoft itself. Microsoft's Mac Business Unit is going full hog these days, and reported that it's Mac Office suite more than triple in sales since the Mac went over to intel chips. While presently 92% of Windows developers are ignoring developing apps for Vista, Microsoft's Mac software sales are growing so fast that Microsoft has publicly been crying out for more and more developers to join and help them in developing even more Mac software! Mactopia , one of Microsoft's Mac websites recently posted:

"The Mac BU at Microsoft is growing - we’re launching our biggest hiring initiative since the inception of MacBU eleven years ago. We are hard at work planning for products beyond Office 2008, and we are growing our team to help turn our vision into reality."

So, with 8 out of 10 big business's already now using Mac's in their business, what more can we expect to see in the future for OS X? Well, no doubt, we can expect to see even more Mac's being deployed, with a lot more new business apps to go along with it. This will be even more so if and when Apple starts to seriously direct more effort in promoting Mac's in business, which they already seem to be doing by building in Microsoft Exchange Server into the next version of OSX Snow Leopard and some of their other initiatives, like MobileME.

In conclusion, I think that what we are now seeing in business and OS X, is very impressive indeed, and especially so considering the lack of interest that Apple has thus far shown for the business market. However, as impressive as OS X's use in business is presently, it will soon be dwarfed in the future as Apple gives OS X even more of a business focus.


And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, June 27, 2008. (Happy retirement Bill)

Image via: Apple

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Super Graphic Cards = A Super Fast & Powerful Snow Leopard OS X!

Information Week did a post on AMD's new Teraflop line of graphic cards - graphic cards that could also go a long way in helping make Snow Leopard's OS X into the fastest and most powerful based operating system ever created.

As you may already know, Snow Leopard is being designed specifically to be a lean and mean upgrade - a true powerhouse, that takes full advantage of multi-core chips. This so called 'featureless' upgrade of OS X, will, in actual fact, have several features that could prove to be downright revolutionary. 

Grand Central is one of those features and one that will allow OS X , for the first time, to take full advantage of multi-core cpu's, and in a way that truly brings their power to the forefront, thus turning your existing computer into a much faster and, by far, more powerful and capable machine. Snow Leopard may be an 'under-the-hood' type of upgrade, but it's one upgrade that you will noticed big time when it comes to speed and performance.

Not only will Snow Leopard be able to harness the full power of multi-chore chips such as Intel's cpu's, but it will also harness the full power of GPU's, the brains of graphic cards and who's power generally lies dormant much of the time. With Snow Leopard - no more! Now, for the first time ever, all that power will be at your beckon call, and something that should leave both Windows and Linux choking in OS X's dust.

For the first time ever AMD is about to release graphic cards that have the ability to do a whopping one Teraflops! That's one TRILLION (1,000,000,000,000) calculations each and every second! That's not only huge for the graphic card industry, but now, it's also huge news for OS X users, as Snow Leopard will be able to tap into all of that huge and unused power! As of now, all that goodness is only available for complex gaming, but thanks to Snow Leopard, it will now be available to do so much more, like making just about everything that you do on a Mac so much more responsive and super duper fast!

Quoting Information Week on AMD's HD 4870 they say, "The HD 4870 pushes 1.2 teraflops performance and has a GPU clock speed of 750 MHz and 512 MB of GDDR5 memory rated at 3.6 Gbps. The card comes in a dual-slot PCI Express 2.0 configuration and consumes 160 watts of power. The HD 4850 offers 1 teraflop of visual computing power, a GPU clock speed of 625 MHz, and 512 MB of GDDR3 memory rated at 2 Gbps. The card comes in a single-slot PCI Express 2.0 configuration and consumes 110 watts of power."

What can I say but - wow?

Yes, as powerful as AMD's upcoming offerings will be, they are just the beginning. You can count on AMD and it's main rival, Nividia, will be both advancing the state and power of graphic cards that will make the upcoming AMD 4870 seem like a pokey, crippled, little old turtle in comparison to what's coming in the future. And, importantly, as they advance in speed and power, so too will OS X!

I must admit, that even though I was a little disappointed, at first, with the news on the OS X portion of Apple's last Worldwide Developers Conferance (WWDC), I am now beginning to feel, like the fine folks over at Lowend Mac , that as more info trickles in, that Snow Leopard will be, in fact, the fastest, most powerful, if not downright revolutionary OS X upgrade ever!

So, in conclusion, let me repeat, that as each and every new generation of graphic cards become ever faster and more powerful, so likewise, will Snow Leopard automatically advance with them. Each and every advance in graphic cards will represent an equal advance in Snow Leopard's power and speed that will allow Snow Leopard go where no other OS has ever gone before. This might end up being a bummer for Windows and Linux fan boys, but oh, baby... for us OS X users - it will be sheer nirvana!


And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, June 26, 2008.

Image via: Anandtech

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The Newest and Latest iPhone Killer: Verizon's LG Dare

Another day, another iPhone 'killer' enters the market. This time around it's Verizon's, LG Dare.

So, how is it, how does it compare to the iPhone 3G, and does it have any credible chance of 'killing' off the iPhone?

Well, for starters, even though it looks like a smartphone, technically it isn't. It is a touch phone, but not a multi-touch phone like the iPhone. Verizon's answer to the iPhone use's a modified version of LG's Voyager phone, and like the iPhone it also allows you to easily flick through pictures, as well as web pages.

However, as PC Magazine pointed out, Verizon's LG Dare's biggest draw is it's camera and it's ability to record video at up to 120 frames per second at a resolution of 640 x 480. The camera itself has a resolution of 3.2 megapixels - or almost twice that of the iPhone.

As PC Mag further points out, the LG Dare use's the Teleca's Obigo web browser which just happens to be a very mediocre browser at best. I never used this browser personally, but according to PC Mag it can be quit a frustrating experience at times. Personally, I'm really surprised that they didn't just go for the mobile version of Opera, which would have been a better choice.

Verizon's LG Dare will hit the streets tomorrow, June 26. It will cost $199.99 and will come with a $50 mail-in-rebate to help make it more competitive with the iPhone.

As you can see, from the LG Dare's photo at the beginning of this post, the Dare - dare I say it, is a very nice looking phone indeed and should be a great choice for anyone wanting to do video on their phone.

But is it an iPhone killer?

Nope, not at all, but  it's still a great iPhone inspired device and much better, in some respects, than some of the other iPhone wannabe's that I have come across lately, such as the Instinct that Sprint has gambled so much on.

Like the Instinct, LG's Voyager, and other iPhone knock offs, the LG Dare simply doesn't have the 'buzz' factor of the iPhone. It will do well, no doubt, but the lack of  any real 'buzz' may just leave the Dare, like the others, scrambling to grab the crumbs left over from the 3G iPhone.

Because of the iPhone 'buzz,' it is now thought that the iPhone may, like the iPod and PS2 before it, will explode in sales when it is released, this July 11,  selling up to 23 million units, which is remarkable, no matter how you slice it. 

So, in my humble opinion, as nice as Verizon's LG Dare is, it is no iPhone killer. In fact, I have yet to see any phone come anywhere near to being an iPhone killer, at least, for the time being anyway.

The iPhone has completely changed the mobile landscape and you can bet your last pair of pants that we will be seeing an ever increasing number of  iPhone type phones hitting the market, of which some could possibly one day just might succeed, if not killing off the iPhone, at least steal a lot of it's thunder, so watch out Apple!

That day, of course, has yet to come, and it may, in fact, never, ever come,  if or as long as Apple continues to keep pushing the iPhone's envelope, which is now becoming a new and major platform in and of itself.

So, in conclusion, all I will say is that the new Verizon LG Dare is a nice piece of work, a very nice piece of work, but their going to need to do a lot more work if they think they can kill off the iPhone anytime soon.



And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, June 25, 2008.

Image via: PC Magazine

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Logitech and OS X's Growing Market Share

Apple's Macintosh is on a roll these days. It seems that every time Net Applications reports on the number of internet users, the Mac's portion just keeps on going and going - up and up!

Of course, this does not go unnoticed by developers, be they of the software or hardware kind. In this vein, Endgadget is reporting that Logitech, a company long known for being a PC specific based supplier of peripherals, has just announced that their newest and greatest webcam, their flagship model, will only be available as a Mac specific one! That's right PC folks, if your hankering to buy the Logitech's latest and greatest webcam, well, then you better go buy yourself a Mac, because this baby won't run on your PC or Linux machine!

Some people will naturally say that it's only a webcam, so what? What's the big deal?

Well, for one, Logitech's decision helps demonstrates that the Mac's increasing market share and influence in the world of desktop pc's is for real and not just some temporary fluke. It also is a sign that the Mac may yet be on the verge of gobbling up even more of the PC market, all at the expense of Microsoft's Windows which has been seeing a reversal of fortunes these days and especially so since Vista failed to 'wow' us as promised.

Mind you, Windows has had a good run, but increasingly it's beginning to look a little rundown these days and past it's prime. The notion that Microsoft is unstoppable is now beginning to look like a myth, and, at this point, I'm not too sure that Windows 7, (which frankly is just a reworked version of Vista) is going to able to reverse Windows slow and steady decline.

Yes, Windows 7 will attempt to 'wow' us with it's iPhone like multi-touch features, but don't let that fool you. It's still Windows underneath - it's still Vista, but just with a new name and features. The so called featureless, features of Snow Leopard are about to pounce and they show a lot more substance than anything that I have yet heard of for Windows 7. Remember too that: Snow Leopard will also have multi-touch capabilities, and that OS X is already running multi-touch - on the iPhone!

When it comes to features, nobody can pack them in like Microsoft and I expect that it won't be any different when it comes to Windows 7. The problem, sadly, with Microsoft and it's numerous features is that they tend not to work as well as advertised. Microsoft likes to over promise and under deliver. Apple, on the other hand, tends to under promise and over deliver. Microsoft is trying hard to change on that score, but,  I'm seriously beginning to think that just as its impossible for a Leopard to change it's spots, likewise, it may also be impossible for Microsoft to change it's ways at least as long as the current leadership is still in place.

Some of these great new Snow Leopard features will be Apple's inclusion of Sun's ZFS, as well as Apple's Grand Central, LLVM Compiler, CUPS printing engine, etc. These features will help make Snow Leopard so much more secure, faster and stable, that they may just leave Windows 7  scrambling in an impossible effort to keep up. But who knows, Microsoft may yet surprise us here, but, as I said, I seriously doubt it at this point.  

So, in conclusion, what's the big deal about Logitech is coming out with their next flagship webcam that is Mac specific only? 

The answer is simple: besides giving Mac users another great web cam option, it helps to validate the Mac as legitimate choice over Windows. As such, Logitech's decision not only validates the Mac, but will help to further quicken the Mac's adoption in the market place over that of Windows.

Thanks Logitech!



And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, June 24, 2008.

Image via: Endgadget

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A YouTube History of Steve Jobs!

Many newspapers, magazines, blogs, TV and radio shows by the hundreds have feature Steve Jobs in one way or another. And since we can always read about Steve Jobs in books such as Leander Kahney's, Inside Steve's Brain,  I decided instead to take a brief look back at the history of this remarkable man in a different and unique way - via YouTube.

Indeed, this remarkable man has touched and influenced the lives of most, if not all, of the people living in the modern world, whether they realize it or not. From the computers that we use, to the way that we buy music and videos, etc., this is one man that I feel that we can all learn a great deal from, whether it be from his many success's or even from some of his failures. After viewing these Youtube videos, I think that you will begin to see why Steve is not just your everyday run-of-the-mill CEO, but rather an extraordinary man of great vision and insight, a virtual one man catalyst for change. 

So, sit back and enjoy these Youtube videos. They offer a wealth of information on Steve Jobs - how he thinks and why he does the things that he does, and in the way that he does, and giving us, in the process,  a better understanding on what makes this great leader tick.

If there is anything, of course, that helps define Steve Jobs it is the Macintosh. The Mac was revolutionary and changed the course of computers for ever. It was Steve's personal pride and joy - his baby, and like every proud father, we get to see Steve show off his baby to the world for the very first time in our very first YouTube video as seen below:



After introducing the Mac it wasn't that long before Steve Jobs was ousted from the company that he help found, Apple. What did he do? Simple: he pulled up his boots straps and went out and simply started up a new computer company called Nextstep, which he presents to the world below:



Nextstep was the OS that ran on Nextstep computers, and as you can easily see, it is the basis for today's Mac OS X! Just watch Steve as he demos this incredibly advanced OS (introduced when Windows was still at version 3.1) and noticed just how sophisticated it really was, and how much like Mac OS X it was, or should I say how Nextstepish, OS X really is:



In the next Youtube video we see how a young Steve Jobs describes the computer as a bicycle for the mind. This is one of my favorite videos on Steve:

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Here, in the video below, we get to see Steve give his opinion on Microsoft and it's products, it's philosophy. This is a view that I and many, many people alike just all happen to share. As you can see, Steve doesn't pull any punches:



In our next YouTube video, Steve Jobs gives an inspirational speech to the students of Stanford University. Here he speaks eloquently of his battle with pancreatic cancer and gives us his views on death, which he describes as one of life's greatest motivators:



Of course, I could go on and on, but I will end this post with a video about the so-called rivalry between Steve and Bill Gates. This is a very comical and popular animated YouTube video, so you may have already seen it on YouTube before, but I think that you will enjoy seeing again. However, if you haven't seen it, well,  then hold onto your hat, because your in for a treat, because, as you can see, it is a great animated clip:



Of course, you can view these and many more Steve Jobs videos on Youtube, so check them out at your leisure.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, June 23, 2008.

Videos via: YouTube

Steve's Portrait via:  DevianArt

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Is Psystar Cruising for a Bruising?

Appleinsider  is now reporting that Psystar, who began selling Mac OS X Leopard desktops clones a few months ago, is now testing it's oats by rubbing it's nose at electronic giant Apple with it's new clone version of Apple's Xserve called the OpenServ 1100.

Pystar's OpenServe 1100 will sell for $1,724 with the option of having the client version of OS X Leopard installed instead of OS X server edition. As AppleInsider reports, Apple has yet to challenge Psystar since it started selling a cheaper $400 OSX Leopard clone, and they are reporting that:

"For its part, Psystar has been on the offensive in staking out its rights to sell its clones, arguing that Apple would violate antitrust laws by attempting to ban third-party hardware and that Psystar itself wasn't violating any rules."

This is very puzzling to say the least. I'm not sure why Apple has allowed Psystar to get away with selling their clones, but it certainly gives a lot of room and ammunition for a lot of wild speculation, including my own wild theory.

Since we can only speculate on the reasons as to why Apple has yet to crush Psystar, like a little itty-bitty bug, I will go on to further speculate that Psystar's day in the sun is about to come a very messy and sudden end, and rightfully so. After all, it was Apple, not Psystar, who spent the many years necessary to develop OS X and the countless millions of dollars, if not billions, in the process to make OS X what it is today, the most sophisticated OS on the planet.  It was Apple that provided the thousands of highly paid software engineers to create OS X - not Psystar who provided absolutely none? 

Just who does Psystar think that they are anyway? Are they that arrogant that they think that they can just take others people's intellectual property and do what ever thy please as if it's was there own?

Regardless of Psystar's thinking, if Apple allows Psystar to get away with what they are doing, building unlicensed clones in direct defiance of Apple's EULA, then the flood gets are about to burst wide open. If a little pip squeak of a company can challenge and get away with building OS X clones then every mom and pop outfit will see fit to do the same, and if they can do it, well, so can the big boys - Dell, HP, IBM, Asus and everybody else - you name it, it will become a free-for-all that Apple has to stop now or forever hold their piece.

So, in conclusion, let me repeat - Apple has to show it's muscle's and do so in a big way and do it soon! Unless, of course, my crazy theory was correct and Apple is simply using Psystar as research in deciding whether or not to legally license OS X  to other OEM's such as Dell, HP and the other big OEM's?

One way or the other, I expect the sparks to start flying soon.


And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, June 20, 2008.

Image via: Appleinsider

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iTunes: 5 Billion Served and Counting!

What does Napster, Amazon, eMusic and others have over iTunes, besides trying hard, very hard to take it's crown? Not much, thats what. In spite of all of their bragging and to the contrary, iTunes just today announced that it's growing legends of fans have now downloaded well over five billion  songs to date.

iTunes has now emerged to become the largest source of legally purchased music in the entire United States, something that is no small feat to be sure. Not even mighty Wall-mart, long the number one source of purchased music, was able to stop iTune's steady march to the top of the heap.

iTunes, of course, sells more than just music. iTunes also sells movies..... lots and lots of them, like some 18,000,000 per year or an astounding 50,000 per day! At that rate maybe Apple should also consider adding pop-corn to iTunes mix?

Seriously, as seriously as all of iTune's competitors have tried to kill off iTunes and steal it's crown, iTunes has amazingly only grown stronger and more popular and influential in spite of all of their efforts. 

For example, when it comes to it's catalogue, iTunes now also ranks number one in the sheer number of songs offered - well over 8 million of them! In addition to that, iTunes now also offers over 20,000 TV episodes, a growing list of over 2,000 films and over 350 high definition videos and counting.

So, why is iTunes so popular? The answer is simple:   it's simple!   Yes, it is the simplicity of iTunes, it's ease of use, it's great and consistent user interface, coupled with it's unequaled and huge selection of songs, videos, etc. and it's reasonable prices that accounts for iTunes incredible acceptance in the market place. 

As good as some of the other copy cat music download services have become, be they eMusic, Amazon, or Napster, etc., none of them have yet been able to equal iTunes when it comes to being as friendly, easy to use and just down right cool, convenient and fun to use, and until or unless they can, it may be awhile, a long, long while, before any of these competitor's will ever equal, let alone be able to take iTunes crown.

It seems strange, but the harder the competition seems to try to weaken iTunes, the stronger it becomes! As more and more competitors enter the market, most of them just seem to fade from the scene, never to be heard or seen from again, while iTunes itself becomes all the more visible and prominent.

I love using iTunes, because, as I already noted, iTunes is so easy, convenient and fun to use, so congratulations Apple on a job well done.

So, in conclusion, not only does iTunes rock on, but apparently, most of us are rocking along with it!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, June 10, 2008.

iTunes logo: Apple


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Snow Leopard Stocking Windows 7

Some people are disappointed that the next major version of OS X, to be released next year, Snow Leopard, will not contain many new features. However, they shouldn't be, because what Snow Leopard will have will more than make up for in lack of new eye candy, or fancy new features, as Robin Harris writes in a recent post for ZDNet.

Mr. Harris's title, "Apple's Grand Central threat to Microsoft," says it all. In his piece he sates:

"Apple’s quiet preview of OS X.6 - Snow Leopard - promises “. . unrivaled support for multi-core processors . . . ” through a “new set of technologies” named Grand Central. What makes Grand Central so powerful - and how can Microsoft respond?"

Grand Central will be one of the major vehicles that Apple will use to achieve their goal of primarily making the next OS X, Snow Leopard, super fast, super stable and super secure. Grand Central will allow OS X to make full use of multi-core processor's. Apple, as Mr. Harris points out, is already clearly one of the leaders in implementing multi-core support from it's first dual processor Power PC's that go wat back to five years or so.

Grand Central may not seem that exciting to the average person right now, but it will, trust me. If your Microsoft and your planning on getting the upper leg on OS X or Linux, well, then you have a big problem as Mr. Harris clearly spells out in his piece. In it he says, concerning Microsoft upcoming Windows 7:

"Whether Windows 7 is simply perfuming the Vista pig or a significant re-write, Apple’s Grand Central challenge can’t be ignored. If Apple achieves real speed-ups and Microsoft doesn’t they will look like a pitiful, helpless giant. And their IT defenders will look like idiots.

Windows 7’s rapid development schedule suggests a marketecture refresh rather than a fundamental re-write. For a much smaller company to steal the lead in multi-core performance would be a long-remembered humiliation. Imagine the PC guy vs Mac ads."

Like Mr. Harris, I too want an OS that delivers fast multi-core performance and I want it now, but unlike him, I do care who delivers it first. In this case, I not only hope that it's Apple, but I am becoming more comfortable in believing that this will indeed be the case. One of the reasons that I believe that it will be Apple, not Microsoft, that succeeds first is because as Mr. Harris astutely points out:

"Microsoft has a deep technical bench, but their executive leadership can’t seem to prioritize. Just as Henry Ford lost a 25 year lead in automobiles through inflexibility, Microsoft’s cavalier attitude towards Windows customers is steering them to disaster."

I have long believed that it was and still is the leadership at the helm of Microsoft that is it's biggest liability. Despite all of the money, man power and other considerable resources of the Windows camp, Microsoft's leadership seems hell bent on driving the company into the ground because of it's old, monopolistic views of doing things. In other words: Microsoft still thinks and acts - like it's 1995!

We still, of course, only have a small glimpse of Apple's next major OS X version, but what little that we do know, is that Snow Leopard is about to make a big very leap into the future, but not with a slew of big eye candy features, but rather with a few big features, features that will have a very big impact not only on OS X users, but ones that will effect Window and Linux users perceptions as well.

As more information emerges on the few upcoming Snow Leopard features such as Grand Central and Apple's adoption of Sun's ZFS, etc., I am predicting that Snow Leopard will cement OS X's considerable lead as the world's best and most advance operating system, which, in the end, will end up driving even more switchers into the Mac camp, and will help whittle away Windows market share at the same time building up and solidifying OS X's share of the OS pie.

I predict that Apple's quiet preview of Snow Leopard will turn into a mighty roar when it's released in a years time, and after Apple sets Snow Leopard loose in the wild, it will stock and trounce it's main prey - Windows 7 - if, that is, Microsoft ever gets it out the door on time as they have promised.

Regarding Microsoft releasing Windows 7 on time, well, let me put it this way - I ain't going to be holding my breath on this one.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, June 18, 2008.

Image: Apple

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Steve Jobs Sneezes - Blows Away $19 Billion Dollars!

Getting a 'common bug'  can cost you in tissue paper, cough medicine and time off from work, etc. This can be a little expensive, but for some people it can be very expensive indeed. For example, if you just happen to be Apple's, Steve Job, catching a 'common bug' can' be a very uncommon event, and the cost can be absolutely astronomical.

How much so, you ask? Well, after investor's noticed Steve's emaciated appearance at the unveiling of the G3 iPhone, they got scared, very, very scared and they promptly knocked off an incredible $19 billion dollars from off of Apple's market cap! The stock is now recovering which makes some people rather suspicious, arguing that unsavory hedge fund managers and other speculator's have been deliberatly trying to manipulate the stock, hoping to drive it down in order that they could make huge profits on the upswing when people discovered that there really was nothing to worry about after all.

Concerning Jobs health in relation to Apple's market cap loses,  Timesonline  interestingly noted:

"Which, when you think about it, probably works out at a couple of hundred million dollars per sneeze." Or, in other words, some $19 billion dollars in total over the past week!

Wow, when it comes to sneezing, that's certainly nothing to sneeze about! Personally, I didn't think that even a person with a snoozer like Jimmy Durante could do that much damage by simply sneezing, but that just goes to show you the clout of Steve Jobs, and just how much influence he has, not only in regards to Apple, but also in the general business world as well.

In fact, some people like Jim Cramer explains, "Without Steve Jobs there is no Apple." He goes on further to say, "Those who think that Steve Jobs's health is on the line should take 75% of their Apple off the table."

I agree with Jim Cramer to a point, but is Steve Jobs that essential to Apple that it is worth only a mere 25% without him?

Personally, there is absolutely no doubt that Steve is Apple's biggest asset and by far, but the truth is, that he is not the only great asset that Apple has. As Steve personally pointed out, sometime ago, that Apple would be more than fine without him. He illustrated that by pointing to those other assets that have help make Apple what it is today and the biggest of them all - the incredible talented people that Steve said he had the privilege of working with each and every day.

Some of those people, though not exactly Steve, are still, none-the-less, kindred souls of his. They think and act much like Steve and I believe that they would carry on, running Apple just as did Steve if ever he were to leave Apple's helm. 

Some of these great assets include  people like Jonathan Ive, Scott Forestall, Timothy D. Cook, Bertrand Serlet, Philip W. Schiller, among others, that would ensure that Apple would continue to grow and prosper, much the same as it has done under Steve if Jobs ever were to leave. After all, no man, or woman, no matter how talented, or gifted, Steve Jobs included, can remain at the helm forever.

Yes, certainly Steve would be missed, and in truth, he could never be quite replaced, but that doesn't mean that Apple is exactly doomed without him like some would have you believe. After all, I'm sure that Microsoft will do just fine after Mr. Gates leaves, and that Apple will do just as well as General Electric did after it's great CEO, Jack Welch, left his position.

What is important, to note, in this whole mess, is that Apple has already assured us that Steve Jobs was not only just suffering from a 'common bug', but that he was recovering very nicely, thank you very much. 

If Apple were to lie about Steve's health, it would not only be illegal, but the consequences would be extremely high for the company and the individuals issuing the statement, so, in this light, I have absolutely no reason to doubt Apple's statement, and feel we can accept it at face value. 

So why do so many still like to question Steve's health? Again, as stated above, it could because of some unsavory types  trying to undermine Apple's stock for profit, and, as well, possibly because some bloggers and other media types are just trying to garner more hits? Personally, your guess is as good as mine on this one.

One other possible reason could be that Steve simply isn't just your ordinary, every day, type of CEO, but he just happens to be one of the few 'rock stars' in the world of CEO's, who's every word is followed and closely analyzed by the media.  He is, as the Times Online pointed out:

"......... the description of Mr Jobs as a “rock star” is no longer accurate. After all, dying is usually a good career move for a rock star. No, he is a deity - a messiah in Apple's corporate theocracy. And when God catches flu, people get worried."

Ok, Steve isn't exactly a deity, or a messiah or anything of the kind, or otherwise people wouldn't be panicking and knocking off $19 billion of Apple's market cap, now would they? However, it is safe to say that he is sure one hell of a great business leader, and like millions of others, I not only look up to him, but wish him well, and believe and expect to see him at the helm of Apple for long time yet to come. He is one of the greatest business leaders of this century,   who's wisdom, foresight, innovation and determination has inspired and transformed the world of computers, operating systems and software, music players, music distribution, phones, television and movies - this man just oozes innovation, design and sheer class.

When it comes to this man, well, I think it is very safe to say - Steve is the man!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, June 17, 2008.

Images via Apple

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Site-4-the-Day: Macdesktops

One thing that people everywhere can always appreciate, be they Windows, Mac or Linux users, is a good desktop picture. This brings me to MacDesktops , today's  'Site-4-the-Day' feature.   

MacDesktops , as it's name implies, is a Mac site for downloading desktop pictures, but, don't think, for a minute, that you have be a Mac user to use it. No, the truth is that this is really a great site for anybody looking for some really cool desktop pictures including Windows and Linux users, as MacDesktops offers over 6,200 desktop pictures, many of which are sure to please users regardless of their platform of choice. 

MacDesktops offers all computer users many, many different categories of great desktops to choose from. These range from animation desktops, fictitious landscapes, nature-landscapes, Apple logos, sport, sky and spacecapes type desktops, plus many more to boot, so regardless of your platform your bound to find a desktop to suit your fancy.

MacDesktops has been around, it seems, for as long as I can remember and I have enjoyed using many, many of their fine desktops over the years. In fact, some of my favorite desktops are some of the older ones, desktops that go back seven, eight or more years, and desktops that I still continue to use to this very day.

As you can see from the excellent desktop called, "Path", at the beginning of this post, this great site offers some truly great desktops that can be appreciated by all.  Most, if not all, of these great desktops will look just as stunning and at home on any computer, regardless of the equipment or operating system being used.

Also, all of MacDesktops desktops come in many and various sizes, from 640x480 all the way up to 2560x1600! Of course, being true to it's name, MacDesktops offers a plethora of nifty Mac specific desktops such as, "iThink" (below), which hails all the way back to 1999.

So, in conclusion, regardless of which computer platform your on, if your a lover of cool desktops, than, by all means, do yourself a favor and visit MacDesktops and download yourself some pretty nifty desktops today.



And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, June 16, 2008.

See also: Desktopedia

Images via MacDesktops.

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Will iPhone Games = More Mac Games?

Apple's SDK for the iPhone has developers flocking in droves to develop for the iPhone. Among the many software titles being developed for the iPhone are games - lots and lots of them.

So, naturally, since the iPhone is in reality nothing more, nothing less, than a pocket-sized Mac, running OS X, many people are understandably beginning to ask if any of these hordes of upcoming OS X iPhone games will be finding their way to the Mac desktop? 

Will iPhone games increase the gaming count on the Mac?

Macworld recently ask that very question, and stated:

"Developing for the iPhone requires both a Mac and a working knowledge of Cocoa, the Application Programming Interface (API) that Apple uses for Mac OS X, and a Macintosh to develop on. So intuitively, it seems to make sense that developers creating iPhone games might eventually make Mac games too."

Considering how many games could be coming to the iPhone, it would only take a few percentage of them to make a difference on the Mac. But how many games designed for such a small device could actually be translated into Mac games? At this point that is hard to say, but I'm convinced that many of them can and will be.

Spanish game developer, Digital Legends, Unai Landa Bonilla says:

“The problem I see is the size of the content,” Bonilla explained. Most developers creating a game for the iPhone will be generating a limited amount of content—smaller graphics and fewer gameplay levels than many Mac gamers may be expecting."

Yes, it is true that there are differences between developing for the parameters of the iPhone compared to that of the Mac, but in many cases, with just a little tweak here and a little teak here, I'm sure that any size difference in graphics, etc., can be overcome.

Personally, I'm not sure if it is easier to transport a Mac game, such as recently demonstrated with Cro Mag Rally to the iPhone, or if its the other way around? However, I do feel that if desktop games can be scaled downward, then surely to goodness they can also be scaled upward too?

Regarding iPhone games being transported to the Mac, Glenda Adams, Aspyr Media's director of development says:

“That might be what happens....... It’s possible that iPhone games might lead to a new crop of little games for the Mac.”

Personally I think it will not only might happen, but that it will definitely happen!  The iPhone SDK is probably the best thing to ever happen in bringing more developers over to the Mac. Like the iPod before it, the iPhone, and its legends of new developers, will accelerate the market share gains of the Mac to even greater heights. 

Even if the iPhone game developers don't transport iPhone games directly into Mac ones, I'll bet you a 'lick-n-a-stick' that those very same developers will eventually end up trying their hand at developing games specifically for the OS X desktop in addition to their iPhone gaming apps. It's just what developers do. After all, why waste all that knowledge and OS X talent just on the iPhone when you can double your market with just a little extra effort?

As far as I can see, once developers become really versed and comfortable in the in's and out's of OS X development for the iPhone, they, by their very nature as developers, coupled with the Mac's increasingly growing market, will not be able to resist also developing games for the Mac desktop specifically. I think that iPhone games will mean as much, if not more, for the Mac than for the iPhone itself!

So let me state, in conclusion, that in the end, not only will iPhone games result in more games for the Mac desktop, but will result in a steady stream of new Mac games that will become unstoppable!

So, happy gaming, iPhone and Mac users!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, June 13, 2008.

Image via: TouchArcade

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After the G3 iPhone, What Comes Next?

Now that Apple has officially announced the G3 iPhone, which officially goes on sale this July 11th., the question is what will Apple's next iPhone be like, and what features will it offer that the G3 iPhone now lacks?

Even though a lot of the complaints about the iPhone, such as G3, GPS, price, etc., have been answered, others such as, cut & paste, horizontal keyboard, better camera and video conferencing, etc., have not.

The Balitmore Sun's, David Zeiler, wrote an interesting piece in which he speculates that Apple may be deliberately holding back on those and other features for the next version, which could possibly be here come this time next year. I, like Mr. Zeiler, I'm of the same mindset and agree totally when he writes:

"The cynical voice inside my head also wonders if Apple held back on some improvements intentionally to save them for the next version of the iPhone. Most of those who bought the first version of the iPhone might not be ready to upgrade now but probably will be next year when Jobs introduces iPhone 3.0.

If Apple rectifies most of the issues that irk current iPhone owners in next year's model, all will be forgiven. And Apple will sell even more iPhones. "

It is clear to me, anyway, that by holding off just a wee bit longer in adding some of these requests, Apple gets to toot their own horn a little bit louder and a little longer when they do eventually include them in a future release. After all, when you think about it, it must be really hard coming up with new features that no one has ever thought of all of the time, as compared to simply adding the ones that are all ready availble. Apple easily could have offered cut & paste, for example, from the get go, but they chose not to, but trust me, it is only a matter of time before they do, building in the process better customer appreciation each and every time they add a requested feature.

Steve Jobs said that they are not interested in Flash or Java, but yet, as iPhone Atlas pointed out, the Apple web site depicts the iPhone rendering very nicely, Lonely Planet. What is interesting about this, as iPhone Atlas points out is:

"The page renders beautifully, as all HTML does on the iPhone, and looks similar to the way it would in a full-fledged desktop browser — too similar, in fact: the Lonely Planet home page includes a world map on the left-hand side that makes use of Adobe Flash, but reverts to a non-Flash version of scaled-down browsers. With Flash, the map is multi-toned and can be hovered over with a cursor, triggering animation. Without flash, a monotone map is displayed without animation or interaction."

So, it is quite obvious then that Apple has been deliberately holding off on some features, and equally obvious that they are seriously considering adding them at some future point. Just because Apple or Steve Jobs says they are not going to do something, doesn't mean they won't. Apple has long demonstrated that they can and will change whenever it is in the best interests of the business. Who, after all, would have ever believed that Apple would have switch from the Motorola chips to the Power PC, and then, of all the crazy things imaginable, switch yet again to Intel! Or how about dumping the old Mac Classic OS in favor of a totally new OS? I, for one, would have never dreamt it possible, but yet they are all now just historical facts!

Of course, besides the next iPhone including most, if not all, of the missing features above, Apple, no doubt, has a lot of additional cool 'in-house' development going on and cooking in the laboratory, that will be yet added in future iPhone's, making the iPhone  more  unique and more desirable than other smart phones.

PcPro.com/uk , for example, posted today that Apple's recent purchase of PA Semiconductor was for a very good reason, or as they put it:

"Developing its own chips will allow Apple to distinguish the technology in the iPhone from the host of competing products all running on ARM-designed processors."

This makes a lot of sense to me. By developing it's own unique set of chips, future iPhone's will be able to offer and do things that other mobile will have a very hard time, if not an impossible time to compete against. Who knows exactly what that might entail? Maybe a 10 or 20 megabyte built-in cameras, or even HD video conferencing - again, who knows? The possibilities are endless here, and limited only by one's imagination. And, when it comes to 'thinking different', and thinking outside of the box, Apple's imagination, has proven, time and time again, to be without equal.

So, in conclusion, even though I, like many others, believe that most, if not all, of the present perceived short comings of the iPhone, be it cut & paste, video conferencing, etc., will be eventually added in future updates, I also believe that in addition to all of  this, that future iPhone updates will also bring many unique and Apple only type of features, many that we can't even begin to fully imagine as yet, and ones that the iPhone's competitor's simply won't be able to duplicate because of Apple's own uniquely designed chips.

Time will tell, of course, but in the meantime, both first and second generation iPhone users can still enjoy all of the features and benefits of what the iPhone offers today, and tomorrow, through a simple update, enjoy even more and better features to boot.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, June 12, 2008.

Image via Apple

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RIM, Nokia and Android's Biggest Problem Ever: Apple

When it comes to smart phones, RIM, Nokia and Google's Android initiative, all have one very big problem in common:  Apple!  Apple as in Apple's iPhone that is. Apple's original iPhone not only challenged and changed the whole concept of what we think a smart phone is, or should be, but, also, in it's second version, the G3 iPhone raised the bar even higher, and, as well, the stakes for RIM, Nokia and Google's Android.

Antone Gonsalves, writing for InformationWeek says:

"Apple's just-announced 3G iPhone has the potential of becoming a stronger competitor in the business market against Research In Motion (NSDQ: RIMM)'s popular BlackBerry, and could weaken the impact of Google (NSDQ: GOOG)'s initiative to build an open source operating system for smartphones, experts said Tuesday."

As Mr. Gonsalves article mentions, the addition of GPS, Microsoft's Exchange support, high-speed G3 networks, security protocols, Apple's MobileME and the availability of 3rd party applications through iTunes, coupled with massive price cuts, the iPhone, more than ever, has emerged as a serious threat to RIM, Nokia, Googles Android and the rest of the mobile industry.

One thing that the InformatiionWeek article missed, however, and another major reason why I think that Google, Nokia and RIM should be worried by the newer iPhone model is this: MINDSHARE!  No matter how great Apple's competitors products are, or how many cool features that they add, they still don't have anywhere near the mind share that Apple has generated with the iPhone'.  As long as Apple and the iPhone are preceived as being the 'in thing', the sexiest and most innovative product of it's kind, it will be a very big problem for the iPhone's competitor's to overcome . In other words: The iPhone, like the iPod before it, has emerged as a virtual status symbol, and it is this status symbol component of the iPhone, one that the second version has only strengthen, that will remain as one of the biggest problems for RIM, Google's Android, and Nokia, etc.

Sraman Mitra says in Seeking Alpha,  that Apple is clearly going for market share with the new G3 iPhone, and she, of course, she is right. She is also correct, I believe, when she says that the iPhone will:

"With the price cut and enterprise-friendly features, the new iPhone will make easy work of the 10 million iPhones target this year."

How many iPhones will Apple actually sell this year I don't know for sure, but I do believe that  Apple will not only sell it's stated goal of 10 million phones, but, will, in all probability, exceed that number quite considerably. Will it be 12 million, 14 million, or much higher? We'll just have to wait and see, but I predict that it will be impressive.

Tim Wu, in fact, thinks that Apple's new iPhone will eventually be so successful that it will augur the inevitable return of the Bell telephone monopoly. Writing for Slate, Mr. Wu says:

"..... A telephone monopoly has been the norm for most of American telecommunication history, except for what may turn out to have been a brief experimental period from 1984 through 2012 or so. Like the short British experiment with republican government under Oliver Cromwell, it may be that telephone monopolies in America are a national tradition. In this larger story, the iPhone matters just as one of the last nails in the coffin of Bell's would-be competitors."

Will the newer iPhone really help put the last nail into the coffin of Bell's competitor's? I can't say, but it should at least make it a hell of a lot harder going for Apple's and AT&T competitors. They're just going to have to work harder and innovate a lot harder if they wish to stay competitive with the iPhone.  Already, the threat of the iPhone has resulted in Apple's competitor's coming out with an never ending stream of  iPhone 'killer' clones. Even though I have yet to see any of these phones coming close to being the iPhone killer that they hoped to be, they are still, for the most part, much better products than the ones that have gone before, and all thanks to Apple's competitor's attempts to compete directly with the iPhone.

The newer G3 iPhone may make it harder for RIM, Nokia, Google and others, but it is making it a lot easy for stock analysts to agree on Apple's stock. Seeking Alpha, in another article, posted today, said that:

"Analysts are not just impressed by the faster, sleeker update to Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) iPhone, but the surprise change in its carrier revenue sharing agreement will drive cash flow quicker to the computer giant.

Citigroup Capital Markets analyst Richard Gardner is upgrading his price target for Apple stock from $248 to $287 over the news, which he estimates will increase free cash flow by $2-billion for 2009."

Again, what a lot of these analysts, etc. seem to be missing though is the fact that the new G3 iPhone is still only the second iPhone! Yes, its remarkable, but the iPhone is still very much in it's infancy.  In other words, when it comes to the iPhone and it's impact on the market - we ain't seen nothing yet baby, so hang on to your hats!

The iPhone is clearly starting to grow up, but since it's still in it's infancy, we can expect that as Apple matures in its mobile initiatives, we can also expect that future iPhone's will be of much better quality, have better features, and much better functionality, that will keep the shadow of the iPhone hanging over the necks of Apple's competitor's for a long while to come. 

Will the iPhone kill off the competition? No, of course not - it will actually make them better as they continually struggle to keep up with it, but, still, in the end, I have this sneaky little feeling that as good as they might get, Apple will continue to get even better, keeping the iPhone at the top of the world of innovation, function, features and style and, at the same time, at the top of the mobile market place for a long, long time to come.


And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, June 11, 2008.

Image via Apple.

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The Growing List of G3 iPhone Software

The 3G iPhone appears to be one fantastic upgrade alright, and for many reasons, but all-the-more so when considering that it's price has been cut in half. There are many reasons to be excited about the newer iPhone, but as cool as the upgraded hardware is, its only half the story.

Yes, as great as is G3, or the now included 'real' GPS, improved reception, or the iPhone's amazing, large and glorious multi-touch screen are, what really sets the new iPhone, in fact, apart is the high quality and soon sheer number of 3rd. party applications that will be coming to the iPhone via  Apple's new iStore. 

This iStore component is something that is new, unique and something that clearly sets the iPhone apart from any other mobile phone in the past, including those, now mushrooming, iPhone 'clones that are popping up in increasing numbers.' Others, like Google, have already indicated that they will be following suite with their own versions of an app store for their Android platform, but, as in so many cases, it will be just a copy cat - Apple gets the nod for it's innovation.

Already people are beginning to draw up various  iPhone application lists, featuring software examples such as: 

In the gaming area, Sega's Super Monkey Ball, which looks like a real winner, as does Cro-Mag Rally.  I never played Super Monkey Ball, but I did play the Mac version of Cro-Mag Rally and I really enjoyed it. Both games feature visually rich and stimulating graphics and fluid game play and both, I predict, will become sure fired iPhone hits.

Of course, these two games will soon be joined by a flood of other high-quality games such as Digital Legend's  Kroll, which looks to be another early iPhone winner. The graphics, one of the cooler aspects of a game, look really impressive here, but that's coming from little old me, a non-gamer.

MajicJungle's, Chopter, however, looks more like the type of game that I would play, if I played games. It sort of reminds me of an old game that I used to play on my very first computer, an old Commodore Pet. The iPhone version, by the way, has the older version totally trumped, trust me.

TouchArcade, if your into gaming, has a much better listing of upcoming games, so check them out. They are the first site totally dedicated to gaming on the iPhone and iPod Touch platform and they showcase all of the latest and upcoming iPhone games. All I can say is, "Nintendo.... watch out!"

The new G3 iPhone, of course, is a lot more than just fun and games. This new mobile powerhouse has a serious side as well. On the more serious side, you can also expect to see tons of great productivity software coming iPhone's way.

MIMvista, for example, is a medical company that offers to bring some remarkable software to the iPhone, if your a doctor, or a student of medicine. Their software can allow a doctor to move through a CT scanner, for example, with just his or her fingers. Impressive indeed.

Though not yet released,  TomTom's navigational software is one of the killer software pieces that I am eagerly looking forward to seeing ported to the iPhone. Mind you, it's already working very nicely on the iPhone, but we are still waiting for more details to emerge on when it will be available.

For me, one of the most interesting pieces of software is called, iCall.  iCall is a program that is already working fine on the iPhone, though not available yet, but should be soon.  According to iCall's website you can use iCall to:

1. Make and receive calls over WiFi
2. Transfer inbound calls from a regular cell call to WiFi instantly and seamlessly - save your expensive minutes
3. Access your same address book
4. Customize your voicemail options

 iCall sounds and looks impressive, as you can easily see by clicking below on the YouTube video. Even more impressive is the price - FREE, as will be much of the software coming out for the iPhone!



I don't have time to list more iPhone applications, but rest assured, they are coming and they are going to be coming thick and fast in the next little while as the G3 iPhone picks up speed in the market place, something that the massive price cuts should, more-or-less, help to guarantee.

I am just guessing, of course, but I think that when it comes to software, the iPhone will end up lacking for nothing. The iPhone is, as I and many others have already pointed out, is really more of a pocket sized OS X computer than just a mere mobile telephone. And for that very reason, the iPhone is capable of doing more, a whole lot more than any mobile phone has been able to do in the past. Not only doing more things, mind you, but doing them better as well.

Because it is essentially a computer, even the first adopters of the iPhone won't have to fear being left out of the coming iPhone software feast. No, they won't have access to G3 speeds or a full featured GPS chip, but, like the newer G3 version, first generation iPhone users will be able to easily upgrade to the new iPhone 2.0 software and, as a result, will be able to run, just as well the huge upcoming iPhone software library of games, productivity and business software.

I have barely scratched the surface here, and in the coming weeks, months and few years, we can expect many, many more iPhone software lists to follow - and lists that are going to become longer and longer as time goes on.

So, if your into high quality games, productivity or business application software, the iPhone will have you covered.


And that's my 2 cents on the upcoming flood of G3 iPhone software, 4 Tuesday, June 10, 2008.

Image: via Gizmodo

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3G iPhone - It's Finally Here!

IT'S HERE! After what seemed like forever, the new iPhone G3 has finally been announced by Steve Jobs at Apple's World Wide Developer's Conference (WWDC) to a sold out and boisterous crowd of over 5,200 developers.

The 'newer' G3 iPhone will officially go on sale come this July 11, in some 22 countries, that should, before the year is out, quickly expand further to 70 countries. Apple originally only planned to expand the iPhone to another 25 countries, so this is welcome news indeed for both Apple's share holders and potential customers.

So, how much is this 'newer' and improved iPhone going to cost? Try $199 dollars for the 8GB based iPhone, and $299 for the 16GB version. I was somewhat disappointed that Apple didn't decide to bring out a 32 GB version as they have already done with the iPod Touch, but hey, on the bright side - the higher priced version is also available in a super sexy white finish!

I was also a little disappointed that there was no mention of video conferencing, or a higher upgraded camera. I was hoping that the 2 megabyte camera would be bumped up to 5 megabytes. Rats.

One rumor, that turned out to be correct, was that Apple's .mac service was going to be upgraded and renamed to, 'Mobile.Me." This happened and, as many have long complained, was long overdue.

The key features, as reported by, Gizmodo, who's excellent 'live blog' feed enabled me to catch the highlights, are listed as follows:


"Charcoal Back
Solid Metal Buttons

Same 3.5" Display


Camera
Flush Headphone Jack


Dramatically Improved Audio



3G Advantage
Showing a EDGE vs 3G comparison loading a webpage, 3G took 21 seconds. EDGE...waiting...waiting...uhh...59 seconds! Same phone, same location. 2.8X faster - and they claim loads webpages faster than Nokia N95 (33 seconds) or Treo 750 (34 seconds).

Battery Life
8-10 hours of talk time
5 hours 3G talk time
5-6 hours of browing
24 hours of audio battery

And GPS!"

What is really nice, and I really love, is how the included GPS will support tracking, allowing you and your friends to know and trace where you are at all times.

So, over all, even though there were a few disappointments, the new G3 is, at least, finally here (ok, make that July 11th.) and the pros out weigh, in this case, I believe, any negatives, which were very few as I saw it.

Of course, for me, at least, what's most exciting is that the 'newer' G3 iPhone will be soon coming to Canada, and God willing, one hopefully will be landing in my hands as well! As I stated in my last post:

"..... if you been holding off on getting the first generation iPhone for the second generation, well, hats off to you, - your about to be justly rewarded for your patience!"



And that's my 2 cents on the just announced G3 iPhone, 4 Monday, June , 2008.

Images: Gizmodo

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Finally Today - the 3G iPhone and 3rd. Party Software?

Sometime later today, many of the rumors concerning the new G3 iPhone will either be validated or laid to rest, as Steve Jobs takes the stage at San Francisco's massive Moscone center, to deliver the opening speech for Apple's annual developer's conference (WWDC).

If, as many believe, Mr. Jobs does, indeed, finally unveil the much rumored, much anticipated 3G version of the iPhone, he is also expected to shed more light on the fruits of thousands of developers who have been busily working away on new software for the the iPhone.

With well over 200,000 developers already registered, developers are expected to deliver hundreds, if not thousands, of cool new apps for the iPhone from the very get go, ranging from games, productivity and medical software, to business software, such as Microsoft's Exchange.

Software developers have already titillated us with some pretty cool demos of some pretty amazing software from the iPhone's SDK's introduction, so I think it's safe to say - that we ain't seen nothing yet, so be prepared to be amazed.

Regarding cool software, Endgadget, one of the coolest web sites out there, has received conformation that one of the coolest new features for the iPhone will be coming from SlingMedia, namely it's amazing television software. The bad news is that Sling is, as of yet, not an official Apple iPhone developer, so exactly when it will be released is not yet known. It shouldn't be long, however, as Engadget recently pointed out, it should be no later than this fall or early winter.

SlingMedia, for those of you who may not know, is a great combination of hardware and software that enables you to have access to your home television shows regardless of where you are -anywhere in the world! Sling works through the internet, but only via the high-speed variety.

For example: if I, a Canadian, am traveling in some beautiful country, let's say Germany, I could still easily watch, if I wish, my local 'Live-at-Five' nightly newscast from my hotel room in Freiburg Im Breisgau, or elsewhere! You can read all about Sling Player for yourself at their website above or here: SlingMedia. They even have a terrific video that shows you just why I'm so excited about Sling Player coming to the iPhone.

Unfortunately, when uncle Steve officially announces the second coming of the iPhone, I probably won't be around, as I will be busy elsewhere (doing much more boring things) at the time, so you may find out all about the new G3 iPhone details long before I do?

None-the-less, later in the day, after Steve does his magic, I'm expecting to see both new iPhone 2.0 software and hardware emerge that should make the current, yet still great, iPhone look a little passe.

So, in conclusion, if you been holding off on getting the first generation iPhone for the second generation, well, hats off to you, - your about to be justly rewarded for your patience!


And that's my 2 cents 4 Monday, June 9, 2008.

Imagine via: Endgadget

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Your Next TV: The iPhone?

Your next tv, according to reports on various news sites, could very well be your next iPhone. 

BusinessWire, reported that Analysys Mason, the premier advisers on telecoms, IT and digital media, believes that the next G3 iPhone has the potential to have a major impact on the emerging mobile television market.

It is widely believed that Apple will incorporate special designed chips that would allow any new iPhone to display 'over-the-air' television, and with much higher quality as compared to the few mobiles with similar such capabilities.

Continuing, Businesswire reported that:

“The iPhone could become the mobile video delivery device of choice for many consumers, by providing a compelling mobile TV and video proposition before mobile broadcasting networks, such as DVB-H become widely available”, says Mark Heath, co-author of the new Analysys Mason report iPhone Shows the Way for Mobile TV."

Some of the reasons that Businesswire listed, from the report, in favor of the iPhone, are as follows:

• Video-friendly specifications, including high-quality widescreen display, substantial internal memory and low battery consumption.
• Access to a rapidly increasing range of TV and video content provided by Apple or specifically optimised for the iPhone. By May 2008, the iTunes Store had a catalogue of 600 TV programmes and over 1500 films and, by April 2008, Apple iTunes had sold 125 million TV programmes.
• The ability to support multiple methods of delivering TV and video content, including sideloading, indoor WLAN and high-speed 3G cellular data access. Sideloading and indoor WLAN minimises the amount of TV and video traffic that needs to be carried on 3G networks, allowing 3G operators to support high rates of mobile TV penetration.

Quoting Dr. Alastair Brydon, the co-author of the Analysys Mason report, Businesswire added:

“If the iPhone is able to achieve significant worldwide market share, it will be well-positioned to have a significant impact on the way mobile subscribers purchase and watch mobile TV and video content."

I believe that the iPhone will indeed achieve significant market share, thanks, in part, to the additional list of countries that can now finally begin selling the iPhone. These countries will, in fact, add about 450 million more potential customers within the market reach of the iPhone.

The report, by Analysys Mason, highlighted the fact that current iPhone owners are already accessing television and video content to a much higher degree than users of other mobile devices, due largely, in part, because of the iPhone's large, high-quality screen, it's substantial memory, coupled with services such as the easy-to-use iTunes store, low battery consumption, and the iPhone's excellent user-interface. This, I believe, is a trend that should grow much more significantly now that, as I have said, the iPhone will be available in so many more countries.

Not only that, but in addition, it's also being reported that Sling will be bringing their amazing 'watch-your-tv anywhere' system to both the iPhone and iPod Touch soon as well! This is sure to add and greatly enhance the iPhone's image as the world's best mobile television platform.

So, could the iPhone really conquer the mobile television market the way the iPod and iTunes have conquered their respective markets? 

Not only could they, but you could probably bet money on it. And the main reason for that is really quite simple: 

 - the iPhone has what other mobile devices could only hope and dream of having - Buzz - and lots of it! 

That's right, like the iPod before it, the iPhone has captured a most significant portion of the world's 'mind share,' and the perception of what is cool, what is hip and what is trendy! And since we all know that people naturally want to be thought of as being cool, hip and trendy, the world will snap up iPhone's like flies to you-know-what?  It doesn't really even matter that other mobile carriers could offer similar, or even, in some cases, better phones - it is the perception that the iPhone is the 'In-thing', that it is the best and coolest device out there that will help rocket the iPhone past it's competitor's!

So, in conclusion, with the next iPhone expecting to incorporate higher 3G speeds, GPS, Television, music, the real net, Microsoft Exchange, and fantastic games that should rival, or even exceed those of the Nintindo DS and Sony PSP's, and also, as well, in large part, to the incredible success of the iPhone's SDK', the iPhone has not only the potential of becoming the biggest and best mobile platform, but also, a lot more than that - a whole lot more!

And that's my 2 cents  4 Friday, June 6, 2008.

Image: The David Sarnoff Library

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