iPhone 5 Could Have A Sibling - iPhone iCloud

According to MacNN via Apple 'N' Apps, Apple could be releasing a $400 iPhone san the storage we are typically used and will rely mostly on iCloud and other cloud services.

First, ANA stressed the number of sources they have on this breaking news to validate it.  Second, the $400 price point for this iCloud iPHone is exactly in the ball park of how much Apple is willing to let loose an unsubsidized iPhone go for on the market.

The goal is to have to iCloud device leverge cloud computing and allow Apple to save hundreds if not billions in storage cost.  To further reduce costs, Apple will be using many of the same components as the iPhone 4.  Which leads me to believe that in addition to the iPhone 5 this iCloud device, the iPhone 4 could still be on sale after the iPhone 5 is released.

On top of that, the new iPhones will have upgraded components like the processor and share similar designs. It's said that the iCloud iPhone will look like a smaller iPad while the iPhone 5 will look more like the Macbook Pro.  That part is a bit strange to me but we'll see it when we see it.

My concern is the data plans.  Just how will Apple deal with the constant needs of the iCloud iPhone to access the wireless network.  And Apple cannot completely leave out the storage.  I think 2 GB of storage would be the minimum required and 4 GB would be idea in this scenario.

Source: Macnn via Apple 'N' Apps

Mobile: Once Hardware Patent War Is Over, Apple Needs To Focus On Software

At some point, the patent wars between Apple and the rest of the world will have to end.  Its competitors will find a way to get around those patents.  These skirmishes are meant to buy Apple some time, to stunt the growth of Android or even kill it.  It's good for Microsoft to say the least.  Then what?

Looking at the PC market as a parallel, when the first laptops came out, couldn't the first maker patent that idea and prevent others from producing a competing one with a keyboard with a LCD cover attached to it?  The clam shell design?  

In some sense, Apple is doing the same thing with the iPhone and iPad.  Okay, not exactly the same but similar.  Again, competitors will wise up and work around Apple.  At that point, it will be Apple who has to answer.

New compelling designs will be out but the key to all of this is going to be iOS.  In a 5-6 years, it's possible that iOS and OS X will merge or be virtually indistinguishable.  And it'll always be the Apple's control over software and hardware designs and a clear mobile vision that will win the day.

London Rioters Use Mobile and Social Media to Spread Violence and Anarchy

If you win, you're a rebel fighting against injustice.  If you lose, you're a looter, anarchist and/or criminal. The Egyptian protesters wanted to change their country for the better.  And those kids on London streets?  To those on the streets of England at night, this is what I have to say to you (I made sure to not say "the UK"):  you guys are criminals and opportunists looking to use an unfortunate event for your own nefarious gains.

There  is one connection I like to make between the Arab Spring and what's going on in London.  And that is the use of social media and mobile tech to spur action.  But that is where the similarities end.  The Egyptians used social media like Facebook and Twitter and mobile tech to exact political change in hopes of building a better future for their country.  That was what also happened in Libya and neighboring Tunisia.  

However, according to Wireless Week, the use of mobile tech and social media in London is nothing more than gangs looking to assert its power and use the opportunity for theft and destruction of public properties.  They directed one another to areas where they can cause problems and loot stores for goods.  It was nothing about trying to bring about social, political, or economic changes like what happened (is happening) in North Africa but selfish and twisted individuals forming a mob to profit themselves.

Blackberries are very popular among the looters and rioters as they can send messages to each other relatively easily.  RIM has indicated it will work with authorities to track down those instigating the violence.  

This Wireless Week post is a must read for everyone looking to understand the impact of social media and mobile tech.  It also excellently pointed out how the same technology used by the London criminals to create mayhem are also being used in positive manners: helping the affected community connect, spreading news and updates, and how they can help each other out.  

This is a very important lesson for authorities and I'm sure social anthropologists will be pouring over the events to see just how social networks and mobile are changing society, in both good and bad ways. 

Note:  The article is a reprint from the AP.

Mobile And PC Market? Checked. HDTV? Coming Soon And Checked. What’s Next After That For Apple?

Apple still has a long long way to go before it captures the mobile market the way it dominates the MP3 market with the iPod.  There is no indication that Apple can keep up the momentum with the iPad in the tablet market and while the iPhone is flourishing, the market is simply too big and competition too fierce.  

Whatever happens, at some point, Apple will need to also move into a new market.  Or create one as it has done once or twice in its lifetime.  The best bet is HDTV.  Fine.  That seems to be what everyone's thinking.  

Suppose Apple hits its mobile plateau and fights it out with Sony, LG, and Samsung the next couple of years in the HDTV market, then what?

What will Apple do after that?  What new market can Steve Jobs look to dominate? What new market can Apple create – a new tech or service that we did not previously know we needed?

Wall Street Agree With US Apple Has More Room To Grow

I can't help but feel that sometimes, Wall Street reads our blogs.  And not just mine but everyone else's when it comes to Apple speculations, rumors, and discussions.  And here's another one.  

Yesterday, I wrote just how folks are underestimating just the kind of force Apple has become.  When you pick apart the individual products, iPhone, iPod, iPad, or the Macbook Air, you see how they stack up against their respective competing devices.  That is the wrong way to go about it.  

You need to take Apple's whole mobile strategy, the mobile gears along with iOS 5 and the Lion and then stack that up against its competitors.  And you see that Apple really has no peers in this respect.  The iPhone was leading a "fellowship" (I used a Lord of The Rings reference) of Apple gears down a very very profitable road.

Furthermore, Apple is on pace to selling more than one hundred million iPhones in a year.  And if you translate Apple's market share today to a few years later when a major of devices sold are smartphones, Apple looks to be able to push out hundreds of millions of iPhones.

And that is exactly why there are talks about Apple being the first trillion dollar publicly traded company.  And that is exactly why Fortune is referencing Shawn Wu of Sterne Agee's report on just how big Apple's future is in mobile.

Here are some highlights.  As I've said, Apple is probably going to be able to sell iPhones in the hundreds of millions if things keep going the way they are.  Apple's smallish PC market is going keep growing and at a faster rate than anyone realizes.  Taken as a whole, Apple is the only pure play that can encompass three trends going on in mobile:  mobile Internet, cloud computing, leading consumer technology.

Okay, maybe Shaw Wu didn't read my posts but he probably read others with the same idea I have.  What is inescapable is the dominance Apple has now and given its small market share in mobile, Apple is really just a startup with a lot of room to grow.

More Companies Use HTML 5 To Bypass App Stores – Amazon And Vudu

Just yesterday, I wrote about Facebook’s HTML 5 push that they were developing and why webapps offer some pretty compelling advantages to mobile users.  And it’s significant to today’s two major webapp news.  First let’s go back to 2007 when Apple introduced the iPhone for a moment.

On the original iPhone, there were very few apps outside of Apple’s own and certainly no app store.  It was only when the jail-break community that got in on the action did we have dedicated apps.  Then a year later, the app store took the mobile world by storm.

To make the story short, Apple to this day has tight control of the app store.  And certainly, started enforcing a policy that require apps that sell services or content to remove the “buy” button or face giving Apple a 30% of the cut.  So, companies what came naturally to protect their profits – innovate.  Sometimes it works, sometimes, it doesn’t.

What does some companies do when restricted by Apple?

More at Clouding Around.

Apple Clears Out UK Stores Amidst Riots

Apple has cleared out their stores of inventory to avoid being targeted by rioters.  It's an indictment on the handling of the rioting so far in London.

This started when a suspect was shot and killed three days ago.  

Also, resellers are doing the same thing as well.  Just hope everyone's safe.

More at 9to5Mac.