Jobsian Exceptionalism Slipping at Apple

We talk about American exceptionalism all the time.  I happen to think America is pretty special but not in an arrogant way.  Well, in mobile and computing, I think Apple is also very exceptional.  The iOS devices like the iPhone and Macbooks – not just the design.  Not just the software.  And not just the corporate culture.  You have to take in all of that and look at it as a whole.

And it is very special.

Yes, there is a “however”.  While Apple remains impressive compared to its peers and competitors, I don’t know if Apple done much in the last year to make itself much more distinguished.  Don’t get me wrong.  Apple is still number one when it comes to getting a smartphone that is greatly designed, easy to use, and provides an over all awesome user experience.

However, in the smartphone market, I see a lot of companies do things that I wish the iPhone could do.  While iOS has been ridiculously easy to use, it has gotten a bit boring.  I’ve heard it from other people, both on- and off-line. In the tablet market, well, there is no one that is really pushing Apple forward.  We’ll have to see if Microsoft’s Surface really can light a fire under Apple’s feet.

Obviously, Apple has it’s way of doing things and I think any UI change would have to be in such a way that doesn’t compromise the experience while jazzing up the look and feel.  It’s the same for the hardware and software.

Frankly, I have no suggestion for Apple what it can do.  Right now, I think it looks fine.  Microsoft’s Metro is definitely different and the jury is still out on whether this is what the market wants.  Still, love competition and maybe we’ll see something spectacular from Apple.

We know that Apple has patented some 3D UI.  So we’ll see.

Apple remains exceptional.  No doubt.  But its competitors like Samsung are also looking pretty good too.  Having said that, it’s time for Apple to do something to remind folks just what an innovator the company is by putting more innovative and insanely great tech between its products and wannabes.

Trojan Horse In Apple’s App Store? You Betcha – Also In Google Play Too

Source:  Macworld.

This is the first time where a Trojan Horse has slipped into Apple’s walled-garden iOS app store.  Apparently, this app uploads your contact list, with your permission of course, and then processes to text your friends with a malicious link.

According the Macworld, the app is still up but I wasn’t able to find it so I think it’s probably not there anymore in Apple’s iTunes store.  Nor is it in Google Play.

However, I am not sure how many folks are really affected. It’s seems to be a Russian developer and I don’t know how many folks out there really download that many apps from an unknown Russian developer.

This is why app discovery is cool and all but I generally recommend that folks stick with better known developers rather than obscure ones.  That isn’t to say that you should go looking around for cool apps that fit your needs.  Just do a bit of research before you download, install, and use it.

BTW, Find And Call had only one star from Google Play reviewers.  So like I said, I doubt many folks were using it.  Still, I’m surprised Apple’s reviewers allowed it in their store.

Apple's 7" (or 8") iPad Could Be Priced Competitively But Will Performance And User Experience Suffer?

I think it's safe to say that a sub-9.7" iPad is on the way. Those who take Steve Jobs' words as mobile gospel will be in utter disbelief but they'll just have to life with this. This is now Tim Cook's Apple and Steve Jobs did say that the execs should not try to ask themselves "what would Steve do" when making a call.

Apparently, with or without Steve's blessings, Apple has decided to release 7" to 8" iPad with a target day for fall of 2012 – just in time for the Holiday seasons. The reason is obviously as I believed Bloomberg was leaked information about it. My culprit is Apple.

I started on this post Tuesday morning but the fact that WSJ came out with their own piece suggests not only is a sub-9.7" iPad or bigger screen iPod touch coming, Apple could be worried about an improved Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7 but it also wants to avoid giving anyone else momentum like Amazon got with the Fire. Just as Google mean to stamp out any Fire" with the Nexus 7, Apple wants to put a stop to any encroachment to its tablet market with a smaller screen iPad.

Obviously, there is a chance that one of its competitors is spreading rumors to freeze iPad sales and when the rumored $250-$300 iPad is a no-show, the disappointed tablet buyer would look to $150 to $200 Kindle Fire or Nexus 7. As improbably as that is, it's not impossible.

Money is still on Apple releasing such an iPad. However, pricing issue aside, we have to focus on the user experience. And we have to ask ourselves if Apple will see this as a 7" iPad or 7" iPod touch.

And then there is performance. How well will Apple's iOS and apps work compared it its larger iPad siblings. For kids, there is no need to file their fingers down because their fingers are pretty small already. And we know that adults already navigate pretty well on 3.5" iPhones and iPod touches so that won't be an issue. What would be an issue is whether the apps will have the looks and feel of a tablet app or iPhone app.

Remember that before iPad apps were plentiful, users were told that they can maximize the iPhone apps to fill the screen of the iPad. Workable at the time because users knew that it would only be a matter of time before developers optimize apps for the iPad or completely develop new ones.

And what about the hardware. Specs, design, and feel of the 7" iPad (or touch). Will Apple have to make compromises to maintain margin and cut some corners. For instance, will Apple go back to the VGA cameras like the iPod touch and the iPad 2 in lieu of the 5MP camera in the new iPad? This will save millions but it would also degrade the experience. It's like that people will use their 7" iPad to capture pictures and videos than the regular iPad. If Apple does give the 7" iPad a subpar camera, it would degrade the experience entirely.

If Apple manages to solve all of the above concerns thorough to level of mobile experience it has achieved with the iPhone and iPad, there is also the issue of how mobile it is. I'm not talking about the weight but something more important and dear to me: the battery life. Also, how about battery life?

I like the 10-12 hours of battery life that I get from the iPads. I only wish the iPhone battery life would be longer. So, for these devices to be considered iPads, Apple would have to make sure it can optimize the system to give a 7" tablet sufficiently long battery life as well. I settle for 8-9 hours but keeping up with the iPad would be ideal. Such expectation isn't out of the question. Apple will likely be using smaller and more power efficient parts than what they are currently using for the new iPad. The newer iPad 2 actually has a chip that is smaller and more efficient than last year's iPad 2 – delivering battery life closer to 12 hours.

However, if Apple is only able to give users something closer to what its competitors are delivering, 6-7 hours, than I reckon we'll see this 7" tablet be called an iPod more than an iPad.

All of the concerns I have are very legitimate and I reckon Apple will deal with them with innovation or through clever marketing to address potential shortcomings.

Now about how much a smaller screen iPad will cost. At $250 for a 7-8" iPad, it's a steal and a no-brainer for anyone looking for a tablet but are put off by the $399 iPad 2. At $300, the choice becomes more confusing because $100, more you can get the iPad 2. However, one can say why would anyone wanna buy the iPad 2 when the new iPad cost $100 and you get a Retina Display, better camera, and Siri.

Ideally, I am looking for a 7" iPad with 1024x768 screen (nope, I am neither greedy or unrealistic), 8 GB, 5MP camera, and 10 hours of battery life. I hope there are options for 16 as well but 32 GB models are likely out of the question. However, such a model isn't likely to cost just $250.

What do you think? Will Apple make compromises to a 7" or 8" iPad and cost closer to $250 or will you be willing to play more to get better specs?

Movie Clip For July 4th: Fan-Made Superman Cartoon

Source:  Blastr.

We missed Friday's movie clip so we're making it up today with this week's July 4th movie clip.  If you don't already know, we used to go watch a movie on a Friday afternoon during work.  It was okay with my professor and it became a tradition.

Well, we can't do that no more so we'll do it on the Web.  And this week's July 4th video clip is an excellent and well-made fan video of Superman!  

Enjoy: Bizzaro Classic.  There is the video in the beginning and some behind the scene looks.

If you thought that was good, check out Superman Classic also from Blastr.

Have a safe and wonderful July 4th!  And Happy Birthday, America!!!

Why the next iPhone Probably Won’t Have NFC

The next iPhone, the “new” iPhone or iPhone 5, will be one of the most high-anticipated launch of Apple’s mobile history (but isn’t that always the case with each passing year?), and bloggers, analysts, and tech pundits will be spewing out rumors, innuendos, and speculations about what we can expect.  Well, I’m going to chime in at this time:  no NFC.

So, if you’re going to expect your next iPhone to be your digital wallet so that you can leave the wallet at home, like I have been wishing for since I found out commuters in Japan can use their phones to pay for fares, then we are heck out of luck.

Here’s my reasoning.

If the next iPhone’s supposedly bigger screen and new form factor augmented by iOS 6 and a more robust Siri (hoping there could be more than Apple let on during the WWDC keynote) isn’t going to sell the next iPhone, I doubt having NFC will make much of a hay at the launch event.  At most, Passbook will get a mention and a demo but that’ll be about it.

And all of the above mentioned (possible) improvements will be enough to form lines at Apple stores again.

Furthermore, I doubt NFC is going to be a major selling point in the next couple of years.  Just as the various Android manufacturers that shipped NFC-capable handsets.  There just aren’t enough places out there that supports NFC-based commerce today.  And by some reports, they don’t always work or the store clerks have no idea what they are for.

Simply put, the infrastructure just isn’t there yet.  And as huge as mobile payment will be for Apple’s race to becoming the first trillion-dollar company and convenient as it’ll be for consumers, it just isn’t all that sexy for users this year.  Plus, Apple isn't going to put out a feature like NFC that consumers won't be able to use.

If you’re an average mobile warrior, and Apple asks you what do you want this year from the new iPhone, what would you want: better Siri, bigger screen with LTE or NFC.

Here are the main points again:

• Siri still a selling point and it will only get better
• Bigger screen
• LTE
• iOS 6

We might see NFC in the iPhone next year after Apple has sorta beta bested Passbook this year.  For now, we’ll just have to settle for just about everything else we’ve been asking for from Apple.  Poo-hoo!

Dish Network Dropped AMC Channels: Great Opportunity For Amazon, Apple, or Google To Disrupt

Source:  LA Times.

This is it.  As viewing patterns change and new technologies to distribute media comes online an become more popular, media companies and traditional distributors grapple with this reality.  And they know that if they don't adapt, they're going the way of, well, you can pick the analogy yourself.  LA Times is reporting that Dish Network has dropped AMC channels just as a couple new shows were about to be broadcast.

Regardless of the politics, greed, or whatever makes media execs tick, this is an opportunity for someone to come in and disrupt things and change just how we viewers can get our favorite channels or shows without having to subscribe to a package of channels and shows we're never going to watch.

I put the onus on Apple, Amazon, and Google but I'm not sure they're going to go about this as we would like it. Honestly, I think the shows and movies on iTunes and Amazon are still too expensive for me to buy in bulk except for a few shows I really like.

Perhaps, it should be the providers like AMC that should look distributing shows to viewers without the traditional cable and sat companies.

This is an incredible opportunity for these tech giants to encourage more cutting of the cord.  There is an assortment of business models the tech companies and content providers can work out to make this happen. As it is now, it isn't working given the increasing number of cord cutters.  Millions probably.  

Blackberry OS 10 Delayed Again - Middle of 2013

This is a very bad day for RIM workers.  First, there was the 5K job cuts that's coming.  Then, there's also the more than half a billion dollar loss by the company during the last fiscal quarter.  Well, expect more pain, guys.

Blackberry fans who wanted the same OS that runs on the Playbook to run on their Blackberry superphones will have to wait until the second quarter of 2013.  You've got another 9 to 12 months of waiting to do.  At the current page of mobile innovation and competition, that's a life-time.

RIM will be going up against the iPhone 5 and maybe even the Galaxy S IV.  On top of that, Windows 8 phones could prove more popular than Windows Phone 7.5 devices now.

I don't want to say that we should close the book on the iconic messaging device company but certainly, I hope someone scoops them up.  Some with deep pockets who can make it work.

Who will benefit the most now that RIM's missteps has begun to put the company's livelihood in danger?  Apple will be Apple as Google's hardware plans like the Nexus 7 and Motorola become more clear.  However, it could be Microsoft's Surface tablet that benefit the most.

Microsoft with its strong corporate reputation could try to position Windows 8 devices as a strong Blackberry alternative.  Traditionally, Microsoft has been more willing to acquiesce to individual government and corporate needs where as Apple is well, Apple.  And should Windows 8 phones gain traction, that halo effect could bring in Surface tablet sales.

We'll know in time how well Apple and Google will be doing with their iOS 6 and Jelly Bean devices.  No matter now you look at it, at this point, RIM's portfolio of mobile and messaging patents are more valuable than its hardware and service businesses.