Dude, did You Lose Another iPhone?

Remember Gray Powell?  No?  

This week, we learned that an Apple employee lost another iPhone prototype.  Ah, now you're beginning to recall who Gray Powell is.  He's the kid who lost last year's iPhone prototype in, yes, a bar.  And like this one, it also got lost in a bar.  What is it with people and alcohol?

Anyway, I reckon Gray, if he's still working at Apple, probably got some rubbing from his friends about this.  Personally, if it happened to me, I try to laugh it off with each friendly jab but it'll serve as a reminder what a painful period that would have been in my life.  

On the other hand, I'd be old news.  

How Would You Use a 5" Tablet/Phone? As A Tablet or As A Phone?

I'm sitting here trying to imagine a 5" tablet or phone in my pocket.  It'll fit.  I wear generally pretty baggy pants and when I do wear jeans, well, they should be fine as well. However, I definitely don't see myself holding up a 5" device to the side of head to carry on a conversation with someone. 

 

This line of thought started yesterday when we heard news of the 5.3" Galaxy Note from Samsung.  I've already a few things I didn't like about it, specifically, it ran Android version of the OS rather than the tablet version, Honeycomb.

 

That aside, it looks like a winner if people wanted to use it as a tablet.  I reckon Samsung will probably look into releasing a model that is Wi-Fi only.  My hope is if there is ever such a device, it would work more as a tablet than a phone, hence, installed with a tablet OS.

 

I see people who would buy this device or the Note using headsets or Bluetooth devices instead.  Unless you're really big and tall and have a big head.  I've got an average sized head so if I could buy such a device here in the US, I'll be using it as a tablet.

Lost iPhone 5 - Saga Continues

According to Macrumors by way of SF Weekly, maybe Apple did not contact the SFPD after all but went after the lost iPhone on its own.

And the men who went after the iPhone impersonated police.  If true, isn't that a serious crime in and of itself?

Someone's gonna get a lot of trouble for this.

Source:  Macrumors, SF Weekly.

Had Apple Made The iPhone To T-Mobile in 2007 Too, The Mobile Landscape Would Be Much Different

I'm a T-Mobile subscriber and will be leaving them after almost a decade of relationship.  Along the way, the iPhone came and it was pretty awesome that we could use our iPhones on the network and bypass AT&T altogether even if it meant that we would not be enjoying 3G speed.  

But imagine how things might have turned out had Apple also made a deal with T-Mobile as well. I think a lot of things would be very different.

• Complaints against AT&T's network would not have been so dramatic as it was. The burden may have been shared by T-Mobile.  However, it would have meant more people signing up for the iPhone on T-Mobile instead of waiting.
• T-Mobile likely would have experienced subscriber growth.
• It may well be Sprint that is the smallest of the four major US carriers.
• Verizon would have still be forced into Google's arms but experience greater pain in the marketplace as T-Mobile provides a better avenue for most to leave for the iPhone.
• T-Mobile might have grown fat and lazy like AT&T but it also knew that it needed a true 4G network.  
• T-Mobile might be in third place but a strong third place.  Right now, it's a weak 4th.

Still, there is time.  More people than not want out of AT&T and I reckon once Apple releases the iPhone 5, we could still see T-Mobile flourish.  Should the AT&T and T-Mobile merger not go through, T-Mobile could be in a prime position to take third if it plays the game correctly.

It will have gained billions and additional spectrum as a result of the breakup fee from AT&T.  It could use that to strength its HPSA+ network which can match up nicely against LTE networks from Verizon and AT&T that are still in their early stages of deployment.  

Meanwhile, there are other companies that T-Mobile can deal with for LTE networks.  

Furthermore, should the deal fall apart, T-Mobile could still be a takeover target for someone else.  Perhaps a cable company.

5.3" Smartphone or Tablet? Samsung Note Tries To Be Both

Check out Samsung's new 5.3" Note - I guess it's a tablet. It can also be a smartphone like its Galaxy S II but with a bigger screen.  Whatever, I do like it.  However, I would only be interested if this was just a tablet with cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity but not as a phone.

Here are some well known specs:

Fortune's Post About A Bigger AT&T With T-Mobile In Its Belly Would Mean Lower Cost But Not For Customers

This Fortune post got it right.  The meger between AT&T and T-Mobile would mean it would cost less for the mega-AT&T to serve about 130 million users than serving just 100 million users.  It's simply economics.  What the post failed to say is that these cost savings won't translate to lower bills for the customers.

It's about maximizing profit for the company and, ultimately, adding value to the shareholders.  Billings to customers will be the same.  Elimination of a competitor that prides itself with value mobile plans means it won't have to worry about customers looking for a better value.  It also means AT&T is free to increase prices if it wants since customers will not longer have the choice to go to another GSM carrier.

So, when the author, Scott Woolley of Fortune, said that AT&T overlooked this argument for the merger, it most certainly did not.  In fact, had it brought this argument up, it might not have worked in its favor.

As I've said before, none of AT&T arguments for the merger made any sense at all.  Some of its own figures seem to go against the merger at times.  

Furthermore, othing in AT&T's arguments support the merger mention cost savings would be passed along to customers.  Why?  Because it won't.  And while AT&T dangled a carrot, hiring 5,000 more employees should the deal go through, its history said that job cuts will happen else where in the new company.  

If anything, Woolley should just come out and say what's on everyone's mind.  It's about greed.  Just now, we learned that AT&T has eliminated a popular feature called A-List that allow users to pick up to ten friends that they select for unlimited calling (Electronista).  

Greed.  That's what this merger is about.  Plain and simply.  Nothing more, nothing less.

Source:  Fortune.

Note:  Most of the time, I find mergers to be very exciting news for the market  It generally does create opportunities.  Here through, that's not the case.

20 Million iPads Sold During the Summer Quarter? Not Surprised if True

TUAW is reporting that Apple may have sold about 20 million iPads over the summer quarter.  Is it possible?  Definitely and I can't wait to see just what kind of effect this has on the larger PC market.

Now, the source of the post, DigiTimes, is in my opinion, a click whore but one has to take what they say and compare it with reality.  And the reality is that Apple was facing the mother of all backlog for the iPad 2.

And with back-to-school and the Greater Chinese market, there is a lot of demand.  And while the post said that Foxconn "shipped" twenty million iPads, chances are that Apple sold most of it and kept a couple of million in reserve.

Since it had some in reserve to start the quarter, saying that Apple sold twenty million iPads would not be out of line.

Source:  TUAW.