Preview of Apple's Preview of iPhone 3.0

We are less than 48 hours away from Apple's planned event to preview iPhone 3.0 to the media and bloggers at large. So, what are we expecting?

Honestly, there is no way to know with certainty. There are tons of rumors on the Internet and I'll let you sort those out yourselves. And anyone out there claiming to know what's going on is pulling a Jim Cramer.

What you're likely to read about iPhone 3.0, usually more than 12 hours out, are rumors and, likely, wish lists of what people to see in iPhone 3.0. Here's the problem. I want everything that I can imagine in iPhone 3.0. Everyone wants that. Every blogger, every iPhone user, and every Apple fan.

But that's not going to happen. One reason is a lot of features take time to develop, test, and deploy. Two, Apple isn't going to give us features unless it's critical to the success of the iPhone. And even with the complaints about certain lack of features (voice dialing and cut/paste quickly times to mind), the iPhone is still wildly successful.

So, let's be realistic on Tuesday (March 17) morning. I'm going to offer you a bit on how this is going to go down based on past iPhone events.

• iPhone Intro - how cool the iPhone is and generally the acceptance.
• We probably won't get iPhone sales numbers but we might get app downloads. One billion, anyone?
• Next we'll see the new features in iPhone 3.0. I can surmise what they might be but the features are no different from the wishlists from the other bloggers and tech journalists.
• We might also see different companies get shout-outs and get highlighted to come on stage to show how they've implemented the new features.
• We might get some geek talk on the underlying changes to the iPhone 3.0 and as it is related to Snow Leopard. This is something I am interested in. In particular, I would like to hear something new on battery efficiency.
• Then the new Apple CEO will come on stage and give us the new iPhone. Okay. Sorry. Scratch this one.

Now, my wish list:

• Cut And Paste
• Background app
• IM integration - folks do a lot of messaging. I really would like to see IM given an "always on" status with option to turn it off. Twitter integration would be terrific.
• Notification - stocks, weather, headlines, e-mails, mesages.
• Better use of the bar at the top of the screen. There is space for weather or stock updates.
• Additional MobileMe features.

So there you have it. The main focus I want from Apple on Tuesday is a focus on mobile life and computing beyond simple granting features and updates. Of all the products that Apple has truly come out with and improve to everyone's appreciate over the years is iLife. MobileMe was suppose to be that but we know how that has been. Let's hope Apple provides us with a mobile vision much like what Google is trying to develop.

iPhone integration with the Mac, MobileMe, and iTunes is great but Apple mobile warriors want more. Give us iMobile Life.

Big iPhone App Moves - TV.com And Kindle App

In the last week, we saw some major moves by big companies getting into the iPhone app business. Obviously, I'm talking about CBS's TV.com app and the just released Kindle for iPhone app.

Slow but surely, folks in the upper echelon of the corporate realm are beginning to realize that mobility, fortunately for us the iPhone, is how people will get their information, video, and other forms of entertainment.

So, what does the future hold? A month down the line? Six months? A year from now?

Frankly, both of these apps surprise me. Not the apps themselves but the fact that Apple allowed them to be released into the wild just blew me away.

First, the TV.com app. CBS, by offering albeit limited quantities of full episodes of videos to be stream free to iPhone and iPod Touch users, therefore, potentially bypassing the iTunes stores for some of its offerings was "okayed" by Apple's store sentries. Recall not long ago, the biggest news was that Apple was rejecting apps left and right that it deemed to be a competitor to the iTunes store or a duplication of iPhone functionalities.

With the release of the TV.com app, much has changed. Honestly, I don't think anyone knows just what has changed and to what extend. And that's the interesting part as far as observers, bloggers, and Apple critics are concerned.

Now, the Kindle app. When we learned that Kindle books would be offered on other mobile platforms other than the Kindle, admit it, you probably thought we'll see it on Android or anther mobile platform before you see it on the iPhone. In fact, some folks went as far as to say that Apple will soon offer their own digital book library for its millions of users.

I'm happy to say I wasn't one of them but it didn't keep me from thinking that Apple would ban Amazon because of Kindle and the perception that Amazon may be a competitor in the digital entertainment market. After all, you don't see an app for Amazon to sell its music on the iPhone. And if you used the Kindle app, you'll also note a page that advertises the Kindle. In this case, Apple obviously doesn't see the Kindle as a competitor. Yet.

So, what's next? Well, we've got Youtube. I've been able to find television shows if I look hard enough (or before they're taken down). There's TVU which streams live television. Lots of radio apps. Now, we have TV.com offering another source of television videos (limited). Right off the top of my head, I can count four ebook apps and that's not counting the hundreds of individual book apps.

Given TV.com's move, we'll have to see if they increase their offerings and what others like NBC, ABC, Fox, and, more specifically, Hulu may or may not duplicate CBS's app. Do keep in mind that CBS has always been more liberal about embracing digital entertainment than all of the other networks.

The app I'm waiting for most is Hulu. I don't whether we'll ever see it but after the launch of TV.com and Kindle apps, I'm much more hopeful now. In fact, I am venturing, putting my neck out if you will, and say that Apple may eventually offer a streaming service not unlike what Netflix is doing on the desktop and Xbox 360. Subscription based and all you can eat.

It would not go against two of Apple's core business directives: selling hardware at a premium and retaining control via iTunes.

Note: I think any video that streams to iPhone, iPod, or the Mac will need to be encoded without using Adobe's Flash and Microsoft's Silverlight. Given that there are videos available from Youtube, TVU, and TV.com, any entity out there that wishes to offer video on the iPhone will need to encode them according. We should know in the coming months if that'll happen and whether Apple is lending a hand.

Another note: Offering streaming video subscription isn't going to be easy. I'm sure Apple TV is figured heavily in the equation. If it ever happens, we'll see it for the Mac and Apple TV before we see it on the iPhone or iPod Touch.

Third note: We deal with mobile stuff on Apple but I just want to say that Apple TV is no hobby. But that's alright. I'll wait until it's Jobs-ready.

Steve Jobs Is Not Down, Here's Why

No one knows if Steve will be back as CEO of the company. I don't know either and I frankly don't are so long as he's still around to make the big decisions.

And here's why I think Steve will be around for a long time to come. According to Information Week, a source familiar with Apple's government sales plan said Jobs and certain Apple executives were granted security clearance by the federal government.

Why provide Steve Jobs clearance if he isn't coming back to Apple? You don't just grant security clearance like it's some kind of knighthood.

And let's assuming for a sec that Apple is treating the NSA and the military like they treat the rest of us, basically, telling them Steve's health is a personal matter. I have to assume that for the folks fighting and trying to keep America safe, they would have some intel on the status of Steve's welfare before giving him security clearance.

Finding out about Jobs' medical situation isn't like trying to find Bin Laden or WMD. The CIA or whoever else can easily get Jobs' health record. I seriously doubt the intel community would grant Steve Jobs security clearance if they did not believe he'll be back at Apple in some capacity.

Note: Steve was recently voted back onto the Disney board. Unless there is evidence to the contrary, we can only conclude that we'll be hearing more "one more thing..." from Steve for a long time to come.

Source: Information Week

Free Applications From The Omni Group

If you have bought a Mac in recent years, you'll notice OmniOutliner that comes with the Mac. The Omni Group has gone a step further today and made a few applications free for Mac users.

This is a recession busting sort of thing but its greatly appreciated as far as I'm concerned.

• OmniWeb - I like the session saving feature. But I'll go with what I've already got on my desktop.
• OmniDictionary - not bad. I will be downloading this one.
  
• OmniDiskSweeper - always need more memory and space.
  
• OmniDazzle - I'll be passing on this one. I don't need more "dazzle" even though my Macbook can handle it.
  
• OmniObjectMeter - it's a good application for developers who are looking to optimize their applications. Not for everyone.

I've downloaded OmniDictionary and OmniDiskSweeper. I've got Safari, Firefox, and, more recently, Flock. OmniWeb has come neat features but given the unqiue session saving is a good feature but it's not one that I need all the time.

Omni Group, thanks for these applications. I will be upgrading Outliner which I think is one of their better applications.

Source: Maccentral

Safari 4 Beta Is Out!

Apple released Safari 4 beta here.

 

I'll be back later for some previews/reviews.  

Apple And Mobile World Congress

No one really expected Apple to go all the way to Barcelona to introduce a new mobile device or update the iPhone. However, everything about smartphones at the MWC is about Apple. Over at Onxo, we discussed what Apple's competitors were doing to catch up the one-two punch of iPhone-iTunes.

Just about every touch device was compared to the iPhone. Just about every app store was given a shakedown (even though none except Android Marketplace is operational) relative to the iTunes app store.

It's was always Apple this. iPhone that.

Here's my question: where is Apple? Seriously, right? This time last year, we were given an updated 16GB iPhone. The major update was the unibody Macbooks in October and sprinkled with the 17" Macbook Pro at Macworld.

I'm tempted to say we're are going to get a slew of updates from Apple in March through October (usually the last month of updates from Apple) but in this economic condition, I don't know if that'll happen. And rumor after rumor, we continue to be disappointed week after week with no new announcements.

There are indications that Apple is prepping for new products - memory chips are drying up all over the world because Apple is taking them off the market. New iPhone models? Probably. Apple's answer to the netbook? Perhaps.

So what are we looking at from Apple?

• Desktops - iMac, Mac Pro, and Mac Mini. We all expected this in January but there is truth to what Apple said about not doing Macworld - they can now introduce products at a time of their choosing. Well, they sure are taking their time. However, I doubt the iMac are just getting any old updates. I'm guessing something's up. The same can be said for the Mac Mini. As for the Mac Pro, I honestly have speculation whatsoever. I'm gonna pass on that one.
• Apple TV - hobby is what Apple will continue to call it until it takes off. If it takes off. Don't be surprised if it get folded into the Mac Mini or the iMac. Again, no clue anyway as to what the next update, hardware or software, is going to be like.
• Macbooks - selling extremely well. If not for the Macbooks, Mac sales would be much worse in this environment. I don't see an update any time soon. However, expect the new battery technology in the 17" Macbook Pro to trickle down to the 15" and Air models later this year. Macbooks changes make take longer, possibly 2010. To Onxo, the new battery is one of the better mobile changes from Apple.
• iPhone - I don't do rumors but I do read them eagerly, hoping they all come true. But we know that is almost never the case. Multi-core anyone? LED? iPhone HD? 32GB models? I'm looking for looking for longer battery life, hoping, wishing for longer battery life. My experience with the G1 has made me think twice about the next iPhone unless its battery life goes back up to the level of the original iPhone, at the very least.
  
• iPhone OS - this is more important than any change in hardware. iPhone's hardware is like to change once a year. Why is the OS more important than the hardware? Because everyone will like use similar chips (unless the rumors of Apple design its own is true) and other market components. It has been innovations with iPhone's OS that put it head, shoulders, and body above everyone else. It'll be innovation that keep the iPhone on top.
• iPods - We have the nano, touch, and classic. I don't know where the nano will go from here. It was thin, then fat, and now thin again. In that time, it gained the ability to play video. No idea. The iPod Touch is easier to figure. It's the iPhone without the phone functions. I wouldn't mind if it had the same body as the iPhone with longer battery life. The new updated iPod Touch has a faster chip and, to many, that has made a difference with some tasks. My iPhone and, now, my iPod Touch has always felt snappier than my G1 and Blackberries so I've got nothing to complain about speed. We might see a 64GB iPod Touch. That's almost a lock. And that brings me to the iPod Classic. I don't know if we'll see any change and Apple probably had a couple of meetings about what to do with it. There's a reason they called it the "classic". As soon as the iPod Touch has storage comparable to the Classic, that's when Apple will kill it off. However, it's not inconceivable that Apple will turn the Classic into a portable media hub of sort.
  
• Gaming - this is the main reason why I don't think the hardware will change much this year. The iPhone is way more powerful than the DS or PSP. But I'm not in the camp that believes the iPhone is a threat to Nintendo or Sony. Someday, but not today. But Apple can and should do more to move iPhone gaming in new innovative directions. Then maybe the iPhone and iPod Touch can be mentioned in the same breath as the DSi or PSP.
• Netbook or iTablet. the iPhone isn't Apple's answer to the netbook. But I'm sure Apple will not offer a $400 or even a $500 netbook. Why shoot yourself in the foot when Macbooks are selling so well. Why cut sacrifice revenue and market to maintain marketshare? I'm looking at a $700-$800 tablet with the same OS as the iPhone and iPod Touch. Perhaps two models. And there is a very important thing that it won't do that netbooks are doing now: serve as replacements for regular PCs and laptops.
  

There are things I wish Apple to produce but they're wishful thinking on my part. Dual-boot system and letting Macs run apps for the iPhone. I'll get into this at a later date.

My speculations and assumptions are based on past Apple actions. Still, I'm hopeful we'll see exciting innovations from Apple. After all, it's competitors are doing their best to catch up and Apple execs have said they'll innovate their way out of the recession.

To Apple Mobile Warriors: It's Okay To Not Get the iPhone

I totally get that people love their iPhone or want an iPhone if not for the fact that it exists only on ATT.

I was reading a post on Verizon's LTE deployment and wishful thinking by TUAW (hey, I do that all the time - thinking wishfully) about the possibility of the iPhone working on Verizon's LTE network in 2010 instead of waiting for ATT to take it live in 2011.

But here's the larger issue.  You go with the network you like or go with the iPhone and have to tolerate an arguably inferior network?  Well, that's the great thing about the iPod Touch.  You can get the iPod Touch with all the great features of the iPhone OS, iTunes, and the app store and then go with a Storm on Verizon or Pre with Sprint when it comes out.  

I understand with the iPhone, you carry one single device.  That works the ideal situation.  What about folks are locked into non-ATT contracts or live in areas where ATT just plainly have no signal?  Since I've been trying out the G1 for the last few months, I pretty much carry around an iPod Touch as well.  I've got access to my iPhone/iPod Touch apps as well as the ease of use of the OS.  At the same time, I've got a 3G phone provides me with mobile Internet and connectivity.

I've got issues with my G1 but it does get things done.  So for folks who, for whatever reasons, want an iPhone but can't, the iPod Touch is the way to go.

Via TUAW