Cloud: I'll Be Download And Backing Up All My iTunes Purchases Tonight Because The Studios Can Take Them Away At Any Moment, Disney Took Away Lion King From iTunes

I've pretty much stopped downloading stuff I buy from iTunes onto my hard drive at home because of the cloud, specifically, iCloud.  With the ability to re-download movies, TV shows, and music from iTunes, I did not find the need to store them locally.  That is until today.  And frankly, I'm surprise it took this long for the story to get traction and, even then, it's still not widely being reported.

Apparently, a few movies from Disney are not longer available for play or download.  Disney.  Apple's best buddy, Disney.  It's almost like Buzz and Woody.  Their association has to do with the fact that Steve Jobs was the CEO of both Apple and Pixar and Jobs eventually sold Pixar to Disney.  On top of that, Bob Iger, Disney's CEO, is on Apple's board.

So, I'm was perplexed and skeptical that this 9to5Mac post about a user who found himself unable to download Lion King.  It was one of the first posts I saw this morning.  I quickly did a search and found no other site has reported on it so I thought maybe this was nothing.

Now, it's been confirmed.  And Disney is working to make sure those who have bought movies from them can still do once a fix is avaiable.

The question is why is this happening.  Most folks think this is a licensing issues as Amazon is apparently suffering from the same thing.

So, I'll be firing up the old backup hard drive and putting it to work tonight.  All my movies.  Screw streaming from the iCloud.  This just isn't what I got into when I began buying from iTunes.

All Those Talks About Free Apple Apps and OS And How It's Bad For Microsoft, It's Too Early

Whenever I can get a great deal on things I like, I feel pretty good about it.  When I can get it for free?  Hallelujah!  That's what Apple made possible on Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013, during their iPad media event when Apple showed us their vision and paved the way to the future.

Many things are being talked about and sportscentered (like that?  I just turned the ESPN Sport Center into a verb) over.  One of them is how Apple has made a lot of apps free.  iLife.  iWork. And of course, the soul of all Macs, OS X.  This year's update is called Mavericks.

Of the three, Mavericks and iWork are being talked about in a specific manner:  how this will impact Microsoft.

To put it into context, we have to take a couple of steps back.  Apple may have started the personal computer revolution in the late 70s and really turned the world on its head with the Macintosh in 1984.  Then, Microsoft was but an app company by today's standard.  It sold Excel on the Mac in 1985 (wiki).  Word joined Excel on the Mac in 1987 (wiki).  Microsoft made apps.

But then it released its Windows OS and the rest is history as each subsequent release was improved up and, eventually, Microsoft, won the PC war.  I won't go into the details of what happened.  

To this day, Microsoft still dominate the PC market in terms of OS shares.  And not only that, it also dominate the office productivity share with its Office suite.  And Microsoft makes the vast majority of its profit selling licensed copies of Windows and Office.  

So, now you see why folks are saying that by giving away OS X and iWork, Apple is going to hit Microsoft where it hurts.  Maybe.

I don't agree or disagree with that assessment.  I like to offer possible reason why Apple is doing this, at least, with giving iWork away for free.  What Apple did on Tuesday was not a one-two punch but a block and a punch.

It's trying to block Microsoft's attempts to make further inroads into both the smartphone and tablet markets while trying to show the market that it has the office apps that are good enough for the vast majority of the market.  Be it the home, education, or enterprise market.  Not everyone is going to need the 80% of all the tools that Microsoft Office has like the pivot table.

We're okay with Pages, Numbers, and Keynote functions.  And all those functions may represent just 20% of all that Office apps can do but they are all of the 20% of Office that 90% of the market really needs.  

It's a good rational on Apple's part.  iWork is free and will always be free but anyone who wants to use Office will have to fork over around $130 a year.  That's also a good argument.  

But don't count Microsoft out.  Google Docs has been free for years and has made some inroads into government and enterprise but it's still nothing Microsoft is all that worried about.  Microsoft has learned from the market and adapted and I'm sure the same could be said how it will deal with Apple.

As for Mavericks and future OS X updates being free,  I don't think the majority of the PC market cares all that much.  Not in the short-term.  

iOS Multiple Account Support: Forget About It! Not Likely To Happen

This BGR post is clamoring for mutiple account support for the iPad.  Maybe all iOS devices including the iPhone and iPod touch.  Well, you can forget about it.  iOS devices are more personal than personal computers have ever been.  This is probably the reason why Apple will unlikely ever offer multiple account support.

What Apple might offer one day is a sandbox feature that allows someone, say the owner's child, access to the iOS device when turned out and can only exit once the user's print or pass code is entered once the device is returned to the rightful owner.

That's as much as I see happening.

Today, smartphones and tablets are carried around by their owners.  They're typically not shared at all.  The husband has one.  The wife probably has one.  Maybe even the kid.  Try prying that iPhone or iPad from their hands.

Besides, it's in Apple's self-interest that it gets its mobile devices into the hands as much individuals as possible.  Sharing isn't something they really like to see or care for too much.

And let's say the author does eventually get this feature from Apple.  Great, he got his wish and he's able to load differently profiles for use for his wife and children.  How long before he goes out and buys each and everyone of his family member an iPad because they've been hogging his and he had not been able to use it?

Mobile: T-Mobile In Its "Unleash" Plan Will Offer 200MB of Data To All Its Tablets

Initially, I thought it was just the iPad but it looks like T-Mobile will offer 200 MB of free data a month to all. I think this just about says it.  Supposedly, they've got a $10 a month plan as well.  I can see them going with one GB for $10.

This pic from T-Mobile's twitter feed just about says it.

Tmonews has more information. The gist is that you can get unlimited data for $10 a month with the first 500 MB at LTE speed.  And you know what happens after that, right?  It's down to EDGE speed of course.  For none intensive use like messaging or e-mailing, that ain't bad at all.

Then there's the T-Mobile scheme that allows you to pay for the tablets over the life of 24 months.  Already know that part.  Nothing new there.

This definitely is a game changer.  Guess which network I'll be getting my tablets from from now on?

iPad 2013 Line-Up, $299 and Up, Will Be One Of the Richest But Most Difficult To Settle On (Part 1)

Apple's iPad event yesterday did not disappoint.  I got my target Macbook Pro and an assortment of new iLife and iWork. But I also need a new iPad.  Sure, I've got two of them in my mobile arsenal but I'm gonna be passing my 4th gen one to my nephew.  And as for my 2010 original iPad?  It's getting a lot of mileage as a home tablet for streaming videos and whatnot.

So, I'm in the market for a new iPad.  Before the event, I was gunning and hoping for an iPad mini with Retina display.  I love the Retina Display on the iPad but that thing weighs more than twice that of the mini.  And I'm not that particular about using my tablets with one hand, not like I do with my phones, so that isn't an issue.

See, I carry around lot of gears and notebooks still.  So, any less weight off would be great.

Then Apple dropped the iPad Air.  And with it, comes a new form factor that comes in at 1 pound.  And to make matters worse, while Apple did offer the iPad mini with Retina Display, it also increased the weight to about .75 pound.  The different is only about a quarter pound.

There are a couple of factors that might drive me towards the Air.  One is that it will be available sooner rather than later.  Also, I've might be more productive on the iPad than on the mini.  Third, bigger screen also means bigger text.

One caveat for me about the iPad is the charge time.  It takes a freaking long time.

Anyway, I'll go check it out on November 1st at my local Apple Store.  It does sound like I'm settle on the Air.  I'd say it's more like 55-45 that I'm leaning towards it.

For now.  I'm sure more info will leak out over the next few days as Apple insiders gleefully share much coveted information.

Air: iPad Versus Macbook

There's so many direction I can go with this and I think I will go with all of them.  Because it's fun to speculate about Apple products and how this will impact mobile warriors.

First, I've got a late-2010 Macbook Air, the original iPad, iPad 4th gen, and an assortment of iPhones and iPods.  I'm just an Apple fan like that.  In general, I'm a huge mobile fan.  Got Google and Microsoft gears too.  But Apple has been more fun to talk about because of its history and secrecy.

So, imagine the surprised looks on many people's faces, those at the live Apple event, those watching them on their Apple gears, and those following the live blogs, when Apple announced the "iPad 5" will be called the "iPad Air".

So then I got to thinking almost immediately once the shock wore off.  Air?  Doesn't Apple already have a successful product called the Macbook Air?  Two of them if I remember correctly.

So, it's Air versus Air.  iPad versus Macbook.  Is Apple trying to tell us something?

Who the iPhone 5c Is Really For

It's been nearly a month since I've got my iPhone 5s.  Been using it extensively.  That's obvious since I'm a mobile warrior just like you and it's been like that since my iPhone 4.  Having said that, I have to admit that thought I had the iPhone 5, I was looking pretty hard at the iPhone 5c - the green version.  I didn't go with it because I wanted the newest that Apple had to offer with the 5s, the speed, the upgraded camera, and, of course, Touch ID.  And I wanted 64 GB.

Still, the 5c is in its own right something that works for many people.  I think some folks were disappointed in the fact that the iPhone 5 form factor is no longer available and in order to get one, you have to go with the 5s.  Also, the colors may not be for everyone.  Perhaps, this is why the 5s schooled the 5c in the beginning.  After all, which iPhone that Apple has ever released been outsold by last year's model at a lower price.  The 3gs outsold the 3g in the same period.  The iPhone 4 outside the 3GS.  The iPhone 4s outsold the iPhone 4 and so on.

So, this is why many in the media and blogdom are using the fact that the 5s has outsold the 5c by a factor of 3 to 1 to click-baiting themselves to get more eye balls.  It's a low hanging fruit.  They don't want you to remember that newer iPhones has always outsold the older ones.

So, who are the colorful iPhones for?  Kids.  That's who.  I came to this conclusion largely because of what I saw with Nokia's Lumia phones, the low-end devices with its color choices.  It could help explain why the cheap Lumia devices are selling better and why Lumia devices are also so colorful. Sure, they cost less but they also aren't the high-end iPhones.  The Lumia offers a stark contrast to what Apple offers.

With the iPhone 5c, Apple is attempting to address the color gap.  It's only the first step.  Right now, the cost of an iPhone 5c is much higher than the low-end devices that Nokia is selling.  I was able to buy a decent one for $200.  A 5c costs around $500.   That's this year.  Next year or the year after that, Apple may well offer versions of the iPhone 5c at a lower price.

Right now, the iPhone 4s can be had for free with a two-year contract.  It's arguable one of the most popular iPhones out there.  It's wrecking havoc on Android device makers in that segment of the market.  Then there's the 5c that one can get for $99 with a two-year contract.  And right now, sales of the 5c has picked up as the consumer realized its value.  Imagine next year what the mobile market will be like when Apple offers the 5c for free on contract or $350 or $400 contract free?

Suddenly, Apple will have a premium-ish device that caters to the low-end market.  Apple is never going to compete with the $99 or $199 smartphones.  That's not them and not their market.  But at $400 for an iPhone, Apple will capture anyone who has interest in entering its walled garden, the iOS ecosystem.