Wall Street: LTE on iPHone Enough To Propel Apple to Trillion Dollars

We previously discussed how Sprint would take us to an LTE world, virtually assuring that the next iPhone would have to have LTE and then we discussed how Apple would get there given that LTE chips are so power hungry.  What I did not anticipate was just how important LTE is until a bunch of Wall Street guys started pricing Apple at $1000 or so a share and calling it a trillion-dollar company.

Why?  LTE.

Crazy?  I guess.  As of this moment, Apple is priced at around $630 with a market value of $580 billion.  And I suppose given how strongly the iPhone is perform against WiMax and LTE devices, with a major of smartphone sales at AT&T and Sprint being iPhones and about 50% of all Verizon Wireless sales, it definitely would be scary when Apple puts LTE on the iconic device.

Scary for competitors that is.  And who knows just what other new features Apple will offer.

In the past, I've blasted Wall Street guys for being clueless and spreading rumors based on Apple rumor sites.  But when it comes to valuation, some have been more right than others.  Some of the forward numbers they've placed on Apple are achievable.  $700 or $800 a share.  Probably.

I just don't want us to get ahead of ourselves on the $1000 a share value or Apple becoming the first trillion-dollar company.  Trust me when I say that a trillion today is not like a trillion a decade back.

Let's get serious.  $1.5 To $2 trillion.  Now we're talking.  And there's a path for Apple to get there.

How To Solve TV Now: Easy UI and Make It Accessible And Mobile

I set up a Slingbox for my uncle last night.  He’s an avid NBA and golfing fan.  We got an Apple TV hooked up to it and he’s able to use the SB to watch his videos and cable TV from anywhere.  Just about anywhere I hope because he travels a lot on business, especially, overseas.  He’s pretty happy about this.  He can keep with his golf games as well.  I know he’s big on cable news too.  All in all, the Slingbox is an incredible device.  I’ve wanted something like this since, well, forever.

But the Slingbox can only do so much.  It doesn't do more than offering an extension and convenience to whatever HDTV or other box setups you've got in your home.  And as great as it is, the Slingbox is last decade's innovation.  It's time for something new.

Now, I don’t know what people are talking about when they said that Steve Jobs cracked television when it came to digital and cloud deployment.  Most think it has something to do with Siri.  Maybe but it has to be more than that.  Siri would only be a part of the solution.

But I wonder if what Steve Jobs meant by figuring how television for Apple means nothing more than making what currently exists now easier to use and access for the user.  No more cables.  Anyone who can reduce the number of cables and plugs can really lay claim to figuring television. So, what else could there be that makes it easier for the user when it come to live or stored video?

Here are a few identified requirements for Apple, Google, or anyone else to lay claim that they’ve figured out television:

• One remote or mobile device.  You can control 
• “What would you like to do?” - this goes along with ease of use.  Being able to "tell" your TV what you want to do rather than having to go through a series of menus to do that would be key to all this.  
• Access Anywhere - this is about mobile. Being able to access content at home, Starbucks, or even work. 
• Easy and Clean UI - it shouldn't take three remotes, and going through a series of menus to get to what you want to do.  It should take more than a couple of seconds, not minutes.  And it should be so easy my mom could use it.  Let me back up a bit here:  it should be so easy even I can use it.  
• Mobile - 
• Live or later
• Social Network And Privacy
• Scalable

Does this have to be affordable?  It would be nice but I reckon it could be expensive. New hardware and all.  Probably even have to pay for a new HDTV.  However, having this service and carrying a premium could be worth all the trouble for folks who don’t want to have to deal with multiple cords, plugs, and cables.

One other thing that I like to see happen.  You know and I know that Apple would never allow any breaches in its ecosystem.  It’s iOS, iTunes, Apple TV, and Macs only.  But I like to see Google step up and release a Google TV app for competing mobile platforms and PCs.  Heck, if Amazon, Boxee, or Roku figures out TV, I like to see them do the same thing - allow access on not just the box but also on mobile and PC.  Charge for the app if need be. Slingbox charges $30 for an app.  We simply want something that works well to be everywhere.  For the companies involved, it not only allows a greater reach but shows your partners you’re doing everything you can to  help them expand their markets.

One other issue that I have, which I doubt Steve Jobs was thinking about is when I meant access anywhere, I really mean anywhere.  For instance, I’m in the US.  Which means I have access to Netflix.  Awesome right?  Except the problem with this is that when I travel, I no longer have access to that.  Nor does my NBA TV subscription work anymore.  I know the reasons behind it.  Distribution rights, piracy, etc.  Still, it’s insane, don’t you think?

For the moment, I think Apple is finalizing plans for its TV and has been very meticulous about it. Google’s approach has been to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks.  Maybe they'll figure it out or maybe it'll be someone else with a better approach with the right balance to content access.

2012 iPhone Will Have LTE But No One Knows How It'll Happen

We learn that Sprint will stop work on WiMax devices and focus only on LTE going foward.

What about Apple?  We know what the first LTE device from Apple is.  It’s the just released 2012 iPad with the “resolutionary” Retina Display.  So, we have an idea what Apple’s thinking is.

First, the Retina Display along with the LTE chip is very power hungry.  It just so happens that Apple managed to fit a vastly bigger battery into the 2012 iPad and that only managed to keep the battery life on par with the previous generation iPads.  I’ve used mine for a couple of weeks now and I find it on par.  

Second, the new iPad is a tiny bit thicker and heaver, which goes contrary to what Apple has been doing over the last few years by trying to shrink the weight and thickness of its iOS devices and Macbooks.  While it isn’t noticeable, it shows that Apple under Tim Cook is more pragmatic about design until technology allows for Apple to continue its strides to make its devices lighter and thinner.

Third, by incorporating LTE now, Apple has demonstrated market awareness and sought to continue its dominance in the tablet market.  It could have easily forgone LTE connectivity for the sake of design but it knows that it has to get with the time as it were.  Apple engineers may have performed a small miracle when they managed to cramp all that tech and battery into 2012 iPad.  Innovation has not died under Tim or will it.  

So, where does that leave the 2012 iPhone?  Assuming Apple applies the same parameters in developing the new iPad, we could well be looking at an iPhone with LTE later this year.  By then, the efficiency of LTE chips from Qualcomm could have improved and give Apple a bit more breathing room on battery life.  Furthermore, Apple may continue to shrink “the brain” of the iPhone to fit in more battery life.

What we don’t know is if Apple will add a larger body to the iPhone.  I know readers will immediately jump to the conclusion that Apple will then ship a larger display for the new iPhone.  Right so but that much isn’t guaranteed at this time.  No one knows if that will happen.  I repeat:  no one, particular click-baiting DigiTimes, knows what kind of display the next iPhone will have.

For speculation sake, let’s suppose that happens and the iPhone gets a bigger display ranging from 3.6” to 4”.  It like means a larger volume to put extra battery in for the designers and engineers.  Also, it means more room for a better camera.  Perhaps, I am asking for too much.  This will be the third year of Retina Display being used on the iPhone.  It is possible that Apple could use a more efficient display for the iPhone to help offset any power drain by its wireless chip.  

And from a marketing perspective, Apple has to get an LTE iPhone out on the market in 2012.  It would be a huge draw in the America market and it means one less weapon competitors can hammer the iPhone over.  

When the original iPhone was released in June of 2007, it was a revolutionary device like no others.  Still critics found something to complain about which was that it only allowed for 2G access.  But a year later, Apple released the iPhone 3G without sacrificing the battery life. With LTE phones on the market for about a year now, and about 18 months by the time Apple is due to release the next iPhone, Apple should have ample time to figure out how to make LTE work on the iPhone without us working about find a power plug.

Sprint: It's LTE World After All

Source:  Android Guys.

Sprint says no to WiMax and will focus on LTE.  It’s not a surprising thing considering where its competitors are headed and what is going on in the wireless market as more consumer focus on faster LTE deployment.  What this does mean is that WiMax users should be able to keep their devices a while longer before having to chuck them for LTE.

So, in the short term, I reckon Sprint WiMax device sales could suffer until they bring their own LTE devices to the market.  According to Android Guys, Sprint could move more than a dozen LTE devices but little is known about when that’ll happen or when and where its LTE network will go live.

It’s likely we’ll see Sprint advertise the heck out of it but still rely mostly on the older CDMA network to provide wireless Internet for those with LTE devices.  So yeah, you’ll be paying for a LTE device running on 3G.  This isn’t that much different for the early adopters of WiMax or even LTE now on AT&T and Verizon Wireless.

My hope is that this second batch of LTE devices will sip power more conservative than the current crop of LTE phones.  This is largely one of the main complaints of LTE users and why Apple passed on LTE in its iPhone.

It’ll be interesting to see where this takes Sprint’s unlimited wireless plans, the only true wireless data provider that still exist since AT&T throttles users while T-Mobile continues to falsely advertise their “unlimited” plans.

We need a strong Sprint to compete in the marketplace.  T-Mobile is self-destructing that really started when it tried to sell itself to AT&T.  Hope Sprint’s LTE roll-out will go without a hitch.

We Have Our New Steve Jobs

It looks like Ashton Kutcher will be tasked and given the honor of playing iconic and legendary figure in today's most revolutionary tech market, Steve Jobs. Man, I really killed that first sentence didn't I?

Here's the things, I don't know what to make of it. Steve Jobs' role in bringing about the computer revolution on the 80s and the mobile revolution with the iPhone. Along the way, Apple, under Steve, really changed more than just music, computer, and mobile but with the whole ecosystem, it changed the way society operated and how we deal with each other.

So, a guy who has done well for himself but can hardly taken seriously as an actor will play this man, the man who was mourned by millions upon his passing.

I seriously hope Sony knows what they are doing.

 

Apple's "Greener" Fuel Cell Plant Online In June

Apple has commissioned a fuel cell plant that will run on animal waste to power its North Carolina data center. You know, iCloud, iTunes, and, hopefully, some secret plan that will power Apple's TV plans.

It's a 4.8 MW plant. There should also be solar panels as well. Macrumors reported that these will be 20% effecient Sun Power panels that will provide an added 20 MW of power.

All along, I thought it was Google that has lead the green charge but it it is good to see Apple trying to get its power from more efficient and renewable sources.

Perhaps, we'll see Apple put more into newer battery and renewable tech for its mobile devices. With possibly around 400 million devices in the wild by the end of 2012, imagine just how carbon will be offset if Apple allows solar charging to be built into its iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

Source: Wired.

 

Mobile Means Be Careful What Video You Watch In Public

I like scary movies. And today, I got quite a treat as I ventured out of the house to do some chores on a cloudy day in LA. Cloudy cold day that was perfect for a hot coffee with a pastry and a scary movie on Netlfix. I don't like watching them alone at home.

Which leads me to this post. Be careful what you watch in public.




As you can see, nice day, right?

Well, with mobile now, we can take our whole lives with us. Work and entertainment. So I finished watching Quarantine from a couple of weeks ago and started on Quarantine 2, zombie movies where the characters in the plots were, you guessed it, quarantined. In the first movie, a news team followed a fire engine into an apartment in LA and ended up trapped inside by a military force tasked to keep a weaponized rabies that turned the infected into the walking dead. In the second part, it's folks on an airplane and airport terminal.



Don't knock it until you try it. Both are good movies that even friends who typically aren't into zombie stuff liked it.

The thing is that there is a lot of violent scenes and folks walking by as you watch it can get them wrong impression as they glance at what you're doing on your smartphone or tablet.

Oh, and there are scenes where zombies suddenly pop out at you and you instinctively flinched back. Yeah, happen to me a few times and this old couple at an outdoor seating area kinda gave me weird looks.

I am sure there are other movies or videos that likely are not appropriate in public even if you're not really sharing them with others. It's one of those things we have to get used to with more mobile users. People at the gym might wonder why I am laughing or smiling but when they glanced at my screen, they'd realized that I am watching the Daily Show or the New Girl. But if they happened to see the scene where the survivors tried to hang and choke a zombie, they probably wouldn't understand and consider me a sicko.


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