Apple's iCloud, iOS 5, And Lion

What about Apple's big day on Monday? Steve Jobs came on to the stage and helped introduced the next upgrad to its mobile and computing strategy for the future.

What does it really mean? I don't know. It was fantastic to see many pieces come together. At the same time as I followed the various live blogs on the WWDC keynote, I can't help but wonder just what is it that Apple showed us today.

Was this the future or was it just another lead change between Apple and its competitors?

You have to look at the three main pieces of Apple's mobile, Mac, and cloud products but see it as a whole that is more than the sum of its parts. After all, isn't this always the case with Apple anyway?

When Apple licensed the Mac OS to others, the Mac clones while mostly ran the OS adequately, it just never felt the same as a real Mac from Apple. The hardware, software, and services all worked together.

With iOS running on the iPhone, iPod touch, and the iPad and OS X running on the Mac, they are now being meshed with a renewed cloud focus.

My hope is that we are witnessing glimpses into the future than just incremental improvements.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch

Some iOS 5 Features Worthy of A Steve Jobs Keynote

Here's an excellent post from TIPB on what we want from iOS 5 but probably won't get - hey, it's what blogs are for right?

My needs are simple.  I don't need wireless firmware upgrade.  Download half a gigabyte of information is seriously going to sap the battery life.  I don't want to have to download a big file and then having to plug my iPod touch back into the wall just so I have enough juice to enjoy new features.  Besides, updates from Apple are few and between.  

What I really like is the suggestion to just outrigth steal from WebOS' Synergy.  Twitter and other social integration would be appreciated as  Siri on steroids.  

More at TIPB.

What About The iPod Refresh In The Fall

It's a forgone conclusion that the next iPhone won't be coming out during its traditonal June/July period this year but mug later, like in the fall. If that's the case, what'll happen to the iPods?

Are they going to get squished in along with the next iPhone launch?

Or could the iconic line of dedicated music players pass through 2011 without an update until 2012?

We really won't know until WWDC next week. It might provide a clue as to what we can expect when the next generation iOS devices.

Personally, I am in the market for a 200+ GB iPod classic. iCloud or not, I am determined to take my media with me wherever I go.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

New iPhone At WWDC Next Week? Possible But Highly Improbable

Does it make sense for Apple to release an updated iPhone before the next iOS update is ready?

Sure, and that could be why I won't be totally surprised if Steve Jobs goes on stage, reaches into the left pocket of his jeans, and tells the world, "this is iPhone XX".  

But you say, "how can Apple do such a thing without the accompanying iOS?  Doesn't it need iOS 5?"

Well, yes.  It would be nice to have iOS 5 ready but because of the fact that Apple did not talk about it back in April like it's done the last couple of years but, instead, in June, means it is not quite ready yet.  

However, when the original iPad launched, it ran on iOS 3 and it was not until November when iOS 4 version for the iPad was released.  

So, it is entirely possible that we can see a new iPhone next week.  It is highly improbably but that's another matter entirely.  

Yahoo and Microsoft Also Got Hit By Chinese Hackers

Don't know if you know they now, some Gmail was hacked by the Chinese, despite claims of innocence.  You know they did it, I know they did it, and they know we all know they did it.  With that settled, it's now known that Yahoo Mail as well as Hotmail were also in similar ways.  

This Macworld post diplomatically did not mention Beijing by name as the perpetrator until near the end of the post but that their choice.  Having said that, the Google mail accounts of US officials, journalists, and activists were the main target.  I reckon gaining access to these same category of people is the same reason for the Yahoo and Hotmail attacks.

And chances are, if you're reading this, you probably are just an average mobile warrior like me and not an ambassador something like that.  Still, it makes sense to change your passwords and such.

As a matter of fact, changing the passwords to all your online accounts is a prudent practice, even if you're not a member of the press or a freedom fighter living in a totalitarian realm.

More at Macworld.

Can Apple Surprise Us Next Week?

Apple will host its next World Wide Deveoper Conference next week in San Francisco.  And much of topics of what Apple wants us to focus on is out in the public.  OS X Lion, iOS 5, and, of course, iCloud.  But is that all there is?  

I had been waiting all week long with glee, expecting to the blogs to run wild with rumors and speculations knowing well that most of it just stuff people are going to make up to get hits.  Imagine my shock when that has not happen at all.  It has been a relatively quiet week.  Maybe it has something to do with the long weekend we just had and folks are still exhausted.  I know I am.  

Still, it is possible for Apple to pull a fast one on us and unleash something spectacular?  Yes, but I'm not hopeful.

What?  No Crazy Rumors This Year? At this time the last few years, we were getting a lot of crazy rumors about this and that.  And of course, there was the Gizmodo theft of the iPhone 4 prototype and the Web was crazy with what we know.  So why no Apple rumor craziness this year?

I attribute this to Apple announcing ahead of time what they want to talk about.  It isn't OS X Lion.  We know that much and expected it.  But it was that in a press release, Apple said we'll be hearing about iOS 5 and iCloud as well with Steve Jobs as the keynote speaker.  In all my time watching Apple, never have they done such a thing.  

iOS 5 was kinda expected to be a topic at WWDC but "iCloud"?  Before that confirmation, everyone had put the "iCloud" in the rumors category

It was as if Apple made an preemptive move to shut down rumor wild fire that they would have a difficulty putting out.  Sure, Apple has never responded to rumors in the past but that doesn't mean that Apple is not in any way influenced by them.  Stock prices go up and down because of them because Wall Street analysts and CNBC would include them in their reports  Expectations go up.  

By mention a head of time what to expect, Apple effectively shut down anything that would distract from what they want us to focus on.  At the same time, it is also a perfect opportunity for Apple to let loose something, a major and pleasant surprise while we least expect it.  

What can this surprise be?  I know what I want.  And I won't say because you could want something totally different from Apple next week.  

I leave this in closing.  Regardless of what we see next week, I fully expect to be wowed because it'll be Steve Jobs on stage and that reality distortion field will be on full.

Ready for a cheaper iPhone at $300 unsubsidized? What It Can Do To The Market

Ready for a cheaper iPhone at $300 unsubsidized?  Well, an analyst has ventured a guess as to when it can happen.  Me, I think the sooner the better.  You know, competition and all.  But forget when but let's focus on what it can do to the market.

Take the iPhone 3GS that debut in 2009 at $200 for the low-end model. And today, it's at $50 if you're willing to sign up for a two-year contract.  And yes, since the iPhone 4 became available on Verizon, the 3GS has helped AT&T fend off competition from its main rival.  While the $50 3GS has only 8 GB compared to the iPhone 4 with 16GB or more, it remains popular for a device that is about two years old.

Suppose Apple continues to keep the 3GS on the market beyond this year after the next iPhone hits the market.  Whether it'll be called iPhone 4S or iPhone 5, Apple can sell the 3GS for much less unsubsidized or simply give it away if mobile users are willing to sign up for a two-year commitment.

Also keep in mind that the 3GS is nothing that users want to consider "dated" at all.  Compared to a lot of "smartphones" out there, it is still capable of running hundreds of thousands of apps with arguably the best mobile OS on the market.  Right now, I'm using an iPhone 2G with iOS 3.  While I miss a new features on it that my iPod touch running iOS 4 have and that it is on EDGE, it has handled my mobile needs most of the time.  And this is a 2007 iPhone!

The speculation by Jefferies analyst Peter Misek in this ZDNet post suggests that such an iPhone could allow Apple to disrupt its competitors further.  Rather than putting it that way, I like to think that still powerful iPhone like the 3GS can bring to the masses mobile tech that has previously was inaccessible to a large portion of the mobile market due to cost.

Imagine a $300 iPhone running off Virgin Mobile's $35 monthly plan with unlimited data!  If you want disruptive, that'll what I'm talking about!

Obviously, Apple's main competition at this point is Android.  It'll be interesting to see Apple and its Android competitors go head-to-head in this segment of the market.  And keep in mind that while the analyst has made a guess when we'll see this iPhone, Tim Cook from Apple has already they will address it soon.

More at ZDNet.