Crazy Busy Apple Store In Pasadena

I am here for my Genius appt. It's crazy busy and the number of people here for iPhone purchases is crazy. I almost want to yell out "Don't buy it! The new one is coming out in weeks!"

Still, it is impressive to see just how many folks are here. I saw a few folks walk out with MacBook Airs.

As someone who owns a couple of shares of Apple stock, I can't be happier.

As for the folks who bought their iPhones, well, they don't care that a new one is just around the corner. And the people who bought iPads are just the same.

They're just excited to be a part of our generation's mobile computing revolution.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Possible New Social Feature in iOS

"Find My Friends" has been located within the iOS 5 beta. According to Appleinsider, this could be a prelude to location-based social network. Otherwise, seriously, why else the need to stalk your friends or be stalked.

What isn't know is if this will be extensive and how much of this will be available to third parties. And if so, will be supplant other services? Take Foursquare for instance. Will FS be forced to access only certain location data from Apple's service so that users have greater control over what developers know about them and where they are or have been?

Apple just recently told developers that the individual unique codes of devices will no longer be available to them.

Apple essentially will use iCloud as the launching pad to other social services. If you do a simple search for keywords in this regard, you'll see that Apple has a few patents on location, messaging, and social patents.

Just as with the app store, Apple will eventually become a gatekeeper of its user's information.



- Posted using Mobile

Friday Movie: Gmale, Google's Latest Product

Here is Friday's movie clip. It also happens to be a new innovative Google product.

"Almost" world premiere of the Gmale service. I wonder when the killer iOS app will be out.

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.