Amazon Tablet: Lots of Unanswered Questions, Android or Honeycomb; Patience Will Pay Off

According to WSJ, Amazon is coming out with their own tablet to compete with Apple.  This is a lock as far as I'm concerned.  And I'm glad they waited so patiently to do it now.  After all, Amazon is under a lot of pressure to compete with Apple and, traditional rival, Barnes and Noble (BN).

When Nook Color was leased by BN last year, everyone thought Amazon would respond in kind.  Instead, it patiently laid the ground work for its media empire to be ready first.  First, it offered an alternative app store for Android.  Then it readied its music cloud locker.  

And when the Kindle tablet launches a couple of months from now, it'll likely have a video component as well to the Amazon ecosystem.  

However, there are a few questions we don't yet know:

• What is the size of the screen? 8", 9", or 10"?
• Will it have 3G data access?  Or will we see multiple models?
• How much storage will it have?
• Will there be a special sponored version to keep cost down?
• What kind of processor will it run on?  
• Will rival tablets be allowed to use its ecosystem?
• Will will it run on?  Android or Honeycomb?
• Did Google get help from Google?
• Who is helping Amazon make the tablet? Could it be a Galaxy with Amazon's logo or however Google does it with Nexus – using more than one device maker?
• What will be the default search engine?  Bing or Google?
• When will they get sued by Apple?  I'm being serious here.
• When will Microsoft be asking for patent royalty?  Could Microsoft forgo royalty payments if Amazon uses Bing as its default search engine?
• When will Amazon be contact by Oracle for Java patent royalty?

The white elephant in the room is the iPad. Obviously.  This probably came as no surprise to Cupertino.  Apple's media and app ecosystem has not been challenged and Amazon will be the first company that can match or come close to offering the same level of media as the iTunes ecosystem.  

It's a wonder that this has not happened already or that Google or anyone else had never approach Amazon about this.  

I asked a very smart mobile warrior if the Kindle tablet has what it takes to challenge the iPad and shift the consumer mind share of the tablet market away from Apple.  The answer, surprisingly, was no.  He could be right.  With the gloves pretty much off already as Amazon and Apple fight it out over the "app store" name, a lot more firework is coming in the tablet market.

Personally, I can't wait  Missteps by various tablet makers and even Google itself has allowed Apple to remain unchallenged.  We need more competition.  And I think Amazon has the best chance of giving Apple's ecosystem a run for its money. 

And the fact that Amazon did not rush into the tablet market when its reader and ebook business was being challenged from all corners showed that it is a cool and calculating competitor.  Very Apple-like.

Companies Go Green? Which Ones?

We all know that Google is a major player in the power and green tech industry with hundreds of millions, even billions, invested in solar plants and green farms as well as grants for search.  Cleantechica has a list of some companies that are also working to use renewable power to help them cut back on use of traditional power sources.

And this being a mobile blog, I'm happy to say that some companies involved have mobile involvement.  Nokia, Adobe, Starbucks (for its mobile payment), Intel, Motorola, and Cisco to make a few.  And guess what?  Where is Apple in all this?

Anyway, it's fantastic that these companies are conscious of their social and environmental responsibilities and their willingness to set an example for society in general.  Kohl and Whole Foods (with its conservative CEO) both source 100% of their power needs from renewable sources.  I hope the rest will follow.  Imagine if all of Forbes 1000 get their power needs from geothermal, solar, and wind sources.  

All I can say is that Google was the one that started all this.  I'm sure one of more of these companies mentioned by Cleantechnica would have eventually taken up that mantle but they didn't do it in the manner and at the time Google did.  

Once again, where is Apple with regards to renewable power?

UK Job Post For Apple Retail Suggests Early to Middle of Sept iPhone Launch

CNet go this scoop that a hiring company in the UK is looking for temporary workers to get traininge in selling iPhones.  And to be a part of this special project during this period of time.  The timing jives with all the chatter about when Apple is going to unleash the next iPhone.

On top of that, the lucky hire will be given the title "Apple iPhone Sales Specialist".  It'll look good when Apple lets him or her go at the end of October and looks for a job with Microsoft retail or something.  Nice title to go on the resume.

While this is a UK posting, Apple launches the iPhone 4 in the US and Britain at the same time.  And with an orientation in the middle of August, we should see a earliest launch window of late August but probably early through the middle of September.  

So, if you're thinking of getting a new iPhone, don't.  Stop.  There is absolutely no compelling reason for you to get one at the moment  Yes, you can wait a month or so.

Chinese Man Build Own iPad-Like Tablet That Runs On Windows

Remember a while back, a Chinese man built robots out of crap he found? Well, this dude is just as impressive.

He build his own tablet. It looks like even has an Apple logo but runs Windows. But then you wouldn't really be able to tell at first glance that it isn't an Apple product. It looks like a mini-iMac.

And after the initial launch, the UI even looks like OS X.



It's a long video. I suggest you skip to about the 16 minute mark of this 20 minute video.

Hey, if I'm Lenovo, HTC, Samsung, or even Apple, I'd hire this guy right away. I'm sure he could have this running just about any OS. Android, Windows, and even OS X.

Source: Yahoo News.

Apple Retail Is Booming; It Is A Bad Measure For The Economy

During the last recession with the whole housing and financial meltdown of 2008, Steve Jobs vowed that Apple will innovate its way out of the recession.  And it did.  It grew faster than most other companies  And put a lot of cash in the bank.  And amazingly, its retail business has grown beyond the wildest dreams of pundits and analysts.  

USA Today's post mentioned that Apple now accounts for a fifth of retail growth.  It's not bad for a singularly narrowed focus on few lines of consumer products.  Just wait until Apple gets into, oh, say, HDTV or something like that. 

In the same post, it suggested that Apple's growth could serve as a litmus test for retail sales.  I suggest this to be a major failacy.  While companies were laying off people during the recession, Apple sales were growing and hiring people.  By that measurement, we had no recession.

It just goes to show that Apple is an entirely different entity all on its own.  And its retail growth will continue to explode.  Just about every major product will be updated between now and just before the Christmas shopping season starts.  How do you hope to try to see how the economy is doing by Apple's measuring stick?

Boy Genius Report On RIM's Rise and Current Fall - Recommended Read

I think everyone interested in the history of mobile and how it got here should read this Boy Genius Report post on RIM. 

It's a good place to jump in to get an idea of where things are, how the industry works.  It's also about brilliance and blindness that went together.  

RIM is by no means finished.  It's fans are as loyal as any I've seen and they've got a foothold others can only jealously covet:  the enterprise market.  If anyone company can return super-duper growth they've experienced in the last from the "pretty good" growth now, it's them.

At the same time, the post served as a reminder to other companies that what's happening to RIM can also happen to them.

Leaked Info That China Telecom To Start Selling iPhone late 2011 Could Be Apple Ploy

I don't know why this news is out now but I am sure this leak was not accidental or a wink-wink type. There was a lot of details involved.

According to Appleinsider, Apple will offer the iPhone to China Telecom to run on its CDMA network.

Ordinarily, Apple swears its partners regarding deals to total secrecy. But this leak had the taste of previous ones that suggests it was someone close to Apple who authorized it.

Why now? A couple of reasons come to mind. Apple's earnings will be out next week. Could this be a way to give the stock a bump if Apple misses earnings estimates? After all, even if Apple does meeting or slightly beat estimates, it may not be enough to the hedge funds or Overtly demanding investors who swear only by the whisper numbers.

Or it could be a ploy in Apple's negotiation with other Chinese mobile carriers like China Mobile.

If two of its main competitors start offering the iPhone before it does, maybe that is enough for a deal more favorable to Apple be agreed upon.

Obviously, I could be wrong. This Reuters report which Appleinsider referenced came during Asian trading hours. Maybe it was someone at CT who jumped the guy on the announcement.

But I still think this smells more of an Apple leak.


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