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12 Responses to “iPhone 4 Edition | Will It Blend”

1. alan on July 4th, 2010 at 10:26 am

   The blind can now stay connected with iPhone

   KUALA LUMPUR: Yam Tong Woo may be blind but his disability has not deterred him from mastering the iPhone in less than a month.

   Yam lost his sight two years ago after he contracted a bacterial infection. He said he missed doing a lot of things he used to be able to when he could still see.

   Now Yam is a proud owner of an iPhone 3GS which he purchased in April after hearing of the phone’s many features that makes it accessible for blind users.

   Yam says he finds using the phone easy thanks to its Voice Over feature which describes whatever is on screen allowing him access to various applications as well as navigate around the phone’s interface.

   Using the phone’s 3G connection, Yam now stays connected everywhere he goes. He is able to browse the web, text message, call his children on Skype and find his way around by using the phone’s digital compass.

   The 56-year-old, who is chairman of the Malaysian Association for the Blind Cyber Club said he is teaching other blind users to use the iPhone.

   fr:thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/7/4/nation/6605192&sec=nation

2. alan on July 14th, 2010 at 7:50 am

   Consumer Reports claims latest iPhone has problems

   SEATTLE: A decision by Consumer Reports against endorsing the latest iPhone because of reception problems threatens to tarnish Apple Inc.’s reputation, yet fans who have braved poor reception for years are likely to keep buying the product.

   In fact, some analysts say Apple could simply ignore calls by bloggers and others to recall the iPhone 4 or offer free cases to mitigate the problems.

   As of Tuesday evening, Apple hadn’t returned phone calls or e-mails about the Consumer Reports critique, which the magazine posted on its website Monday.

   While some Apple watchers find the company’s responses to the reception issue objectionable, they don’t see any penalties for Apple if it does nothing further.

   People buy iPhones for emotional reasons, not because they’re the best phones, said Deborah Mitchell, executive director of the Center for Brand and Product Management at the University of Wisconsin.

   “People see you using the iPhone, and they think you are a certain type of person – hip, fresh and youthful in attitude,” she said.

   “It’s a brand that helps you identify yourself.”

   The iPhone has also been ahead of competitors when it comes to features such as easy Web browsing and shopping for music, movies and applications to download.

   Greg Brown, a retired Philadelphia Eagles football player who lives in Sicklerville, New Jersey, said he has overlooked the iPhone’s propensity for dropping calls because of congestion on the network of AT&T Inc., the iPhone’s exclusive U.S. wireless carrier.

   “When I am talking on the phone I like to finish the conversation before the phone call ends,” Brown said.

   “But I forgive it because of all the features.”

   Consumer Reports said Monday it won’t endorse the iPhone 4 as “recommended” because tests show that simply holding the gadget can cause reception to fade.

   Although Consumer Reports only recommends a handful of phones that it considers exceptional, this was the first time the publication isn’t giving an iPhone its “recommended” stamp of approval.

   The publication’s tests confirmed suspicions from many iPhone customers.

   Hours after the iPhone 4 launched on June 24, people were writing on Apple’s support website that gripping the phone a certain way made it show fewer “bars” of cell signal strength and even caused calls to disconnect.

   The company’s first response came in a curt note attributed to CEO Steve Jobs, who told one iPhone buyer to either hold the phone a different way or buy a case.

   After complaints persisted, Apple issued a formal letter saying an illusion caused by software was the culprit.

   For years, the iPhone had been showing people too many bars, a problem Apple says it plans to fix with a software update.

   At least then, dropped calls in areas with weak networks wouldn’t come as a surprise. Apple also said all phones, not just the iPhone, have reception problems when a user’s hand covers the antenna.

   Consumer Reports, however, believes Apple is dodging responsibility for a larger hardware problem.

   This doesn’t mean Consumer Reports believes the iPhone 4 is all bad, editor Mike Gikas said.

   It outperformed every other smart phone on the market in other regards.

   And avoiding the problem is as simple as buying a $30 “bumper” case from Apple that goes around the edges. Consumer Reports says even a simple a strip of duct tape would work (though one can imagine Jobs shuddering at such aesthetic blasphemy).

   “It’s like finding a dream home but then finding a leak in the basement,” Gikas said.

   Carolina Milanesi, an analyst for Gartner Inc., believes Jobs’ early e-mail was an atypical public-relations blunder on Apple’s part.

   “Reception is pretty crucial. You can’t tell people, ‘You can’t hold the phone that way,”‘ Milanesi said.

   A year or two ago, his comments might have prompted jokes, she said. But now, Apple is the world’s largest technology company by market capitalization, and Jobs’ remarks are being perceived as arrogant.

   Brian Marshall, a Gleacher & Co. analyst who is typically very positive about Apple, was horrified when Apple said it had used a bad formula for calculating signal strength.

   “That, to me, is atrocious,” Marshall said.

   “It’s so un-Apple-like. It shows a lack of attention to detail. Apple is a company that doesn’t mess things up.”

   But neither Marshall nor Milanesi see the matter hurting Apple in the long run, even though shares slipped about 2 percent to close Tuesday at $251.80.

   Marshall said the most likely scenario is that Apple does nothing beyond the software update it promised. Offering free cases or issuing a recall would amount to Apple admitting a problem.

   “I don’t believe for a second that they’re shipping what they view as a faulty product,” Marshall said.

   Even if Apple does issue a recall, that’s not likely to hurt the company.

   “We think $100 million here and there for a bumper or maybe a recall is a drop in the bucket for Apple,” Standard & Poor’s equity analyst Clyde Montevirgen said.

   “Sure, it might affect the company on a headline level, but from a financial standpoint we really don’t see much of an impact.”

   fr:biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/7/14/business/20100714072918&sec=business

3. alan on July 27th, 2010 at 9:47 pm

   US okays iPhone jailbreaks

   Owners of the iPhone will be able to legally unlock their devices so they can run software applications that haven’t been approved by Apple Inc, according to new US Government rules.

   The decision to allow the practice commonly known as “jailbreaking” is one of a handful of new exemptions from a 1998 federal law that prohibits people from bypassing technical measures that companies put on their products to prevent unauthorised uses.

   The Library of Congress, which oversees the Copyright Office, reviews and authorises exemptions every three years to ensure that the law does not prevent certain non-infringing uses of copyright-protected material.

   Unless users unlock their devices, they can only download apps from Apple’s iTunes store. Software developers must get such apps pre-approved by Apple, which sometimes demands changes or rejects programs for what the developers say are vague reasons.

   The new government rules, however, won’t stop Apple from continuing its practice of disabling jailbroken phones with software upgrades.

   That means owners of such phones might not be able to take advantage of software improvements, and they still run the risk of voiding their warranty.

   All the new rules do is exempt the user from legal liability – something Apple does not appear to be pursuing anyway. Apple did not return messages for comment last week.

   In addition to jailbreaking, other exemptions announced:

   • ALLOW owners of used cellphones to break access controls on their phones in order to switch wireless carriers;

   • ALLOW people to break technical protections on videogames to investigate or correct security flaws;

   • ALLOW college professors, film students and documentary filmmakers to break copy-protection measures on DVDs so they can embed clips for educational purposes, criticism, commentary and non-commercial videos;

   • ALLOW computer owners to bypass the need for external security devices called dongles if the dongle no longer works and cannot be replaced; and

   • ALLOW blind people to break locks on electronic books so that they can use them with read-aloud software and similar aids.

   Although the jailbreaking exemption is new, all the others are similar to the last set of exemptions, which were announced in November 2006. The new rules are expected to last a few years.

   The exceptions are a big victory for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which had urged the Library of Congress to legalise several of them, including the two regarding cellphones.

   Jennifer Stisa Granick, EFF’s civil liberties director, said the rules are based on an important principle: Consumers should be allowed to use and modify the devices that they purchase the way they want. “If you bought it, you own it,” she said.

   fr:techcentral.my/news/story.aspx?file=/2010/7/27/it_news/20100727093811&sec=IT_News

4. alan on July 30th, 2010 at 9:32 am

   The long wait for the iPad continues

   Expect the iPhone 4G by or before September this year but the same cannot be said for the iPad.

   Fortunately for the Singaporeans, they got the first taste of the Apple iPad last Friday. Some in the republic were queuing since 6am to get hold of the device and within half a day all the units – numbers not available – were sold out.

   As for us, we are still waiting. The only thing Apple has said so far is that it will offer the iPads to more markets but, that’s it.

   It is available here in the grey market, so they say. Some businessmen and executives are walking around with this amazing device they presumably bought from overseas, and Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, the boss of AirAsia, got his from the man – Steve Jobs – himself. So he claims.

   In Singapore, the iPads are retailed from S$730 (RM1,708) to S$1,230 (RM2,950) for the Wi-Fi and 3G models.

   The tablet is also available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and of course the US.

   Apple has as of last week sold 2.27 million units since its availability and this generated revenues of US$2.7bil. Monthly sales are about 1.1 million iPads and by year-end it could have sold about 10 million tablets.

   Why the iPads?

   I am not promoting the iPad here, but it is an amazing device that you can take your world around with you.

   The device weighs just 1.5 pounds, thinner and lighter than any laptop or network and delivers 10 hours, yes, 10 hours of battery life.

   It was built for the executive and businessman in mind and not kids.

   But this device is user friendly and good to keep kids busy for hours. It offers music, movies and games, educational as well as creative artistic applications. It’s like your kid’s first drawing block.

   Its e-book application keeps the young glued to it and the screen is large enough not to put a strain on the eye compared to the smaller devices. It is said that ebooks are fast outselling hardcover books and the number quoted by a report says it could be as high as 143 to 100 respectively.

   With all the hype about the iPad and all the data at one’s finger tips, it is a wonder why Apple still cannot make enough devices to satisfy demand.

   Either it is not bothered, preferring people to wait for its devices, or there is poor planning despite a smart marketing strategy.

   But the iPad has essentially broken old moulds and spurred its rivals to do the same.

   The rivals are coming, in fact sharpening their blades for the onslaught.

   The anticipation is that there will be dozens of Android Linux based tablets available for every budget later this year. By the time they reach our shores it could be next year.

   Android is an operating system for mobile devices such as cellular phones, tablet computers and netbooks which any maker could use to develop devices whilst Apple is a propriety system.

   Apple knows it has time and it will take a while for the rest to catch up. Perhaps that is why we are being left out of the action for now just the way we were made to wait nearly three years before the iPhone reached our shores.

   The next battle experts say is the Apple-Android one, just like the Apple-Microsoft fight 25 years ago. For now, let’s just hope we do not have wait three years for the iPad.

   # Deputy news editor B.K. Sidhu wonders if there will be a sharp drop in prices for the iPhone 3G and 3Gs when the 4G makes its debut here.

   fr:biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/7/30/business/6763989&sec=business

5. alan on August 6th, 2010 at 10:26 am

   Apple to fix security hole in iPhone

   CUPERTINO, California: Apple is planning to release a fix for a security hole in the software that runs on its iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices.

   Hackers could gain access to data stored on Apple Inc.’s gadgets by putting a PDF file with hidden code onto a website and luring people to visit the site.

   Apple did not say when the software update will be available.

   The flaw drew attention after it was used for a program that lets people “jailbreak” iPhones in order to run programs Apple hasn’t approved for sale in its iTunes store.

   The company declined to say Thursday whether it knows of malicious hackers actively exploiting the flaw.

   A German government agency issued an official warning about the flaw Wednesday.

   fr:biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/8/6/business/20100806073146&sec=business

6. alan on August 9th, 2010 at 8:55 am

   Apple iPhone executive leaves company in wake of iPhone problems

   CUPERTINO, California: An Apple Inc. executive whose responsibilities include iPhone hardware is leaving the company in the wake of antenna problems with the newest version of the smart phone.

   Apple was forced to offer a free fix after consumers complained and numerous media outlets reported a problem with dropped calls.

   Mark Papermaster, Apple’s senior vice president of iPhone and iPod hardware engineering, is leaving the company, according to Apple spokesman Steve Dowling.

   Dowling wouldn’t comment beyond a brief statement or say whether Papermaster was fired or is leaving voluntarily.

   Papermaster’s departure comes weeks after Apple announced it will give free protective cases to buyers of its latest iPhone model to alleviate the so-called “death grip” problem: holding the phone with a bare hand can muffle the wireless signal.

   The antenna problems were a rare glitch in Apple’s rollout for a new product.

   Consumer Reports refused to recommend the iPhone 4 and called on Apple to compensate buyers.

   Die-hard fans of the Apple’s products have dubbed the stumble “antennagate.”

   Bob Mansfield, Apple’s senior vice president of Macintosh hardware engineering, will assuming Papermaster’s responsibilities, Dowling said.

   Mansfield oversees groups that components for the iPhone and iPod touch, including the A4 chip, Retina display and touch screens.

   Papermaster, who came to Apple in 2008 from IBM, could not be reached for comment at a phone number listed under his name.

   fr:biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/8/9/business/20100809074902&sec=business

7. alan on August 16th, 2010 at 11:10 am

   iPhone and BlackBerry likely to remain M’sian favourites
   By LEONG HUNG YEE

   PETALING JAYA: Apple Inc’s iPhone and Research In Motion’s BlackBerry are likely to remain a hit with Malaysians for now although sales of Google Android phones have overtaken the two smartphone models in the United States.

   Analysts said the mighty iPhone and Blackberry would continue to sell like hot cakes in Malaysia as choices for the Android were still limited locally.

   They are not discounting that the Android-powered phone will overtake iPhone or BlackBerry in Malaysia when the market becomes more mature and receptive towards the new operating system used in the Android.

   An analyst said the smartphone market remained healthy.

   “Overall sales are buoyant. Google, which has thrown its Android all over the place, is making its presence felt and the market became more competitive,” he said, adding that Microsoft would make the competition stiffer with its Windows Phone 7 Series handsets later this year.

   Commenting on the commitment needed from local celcos, an analyst said: “Typically, there is a volume commitment that the operators would need to meet but they won’t reveal what this volume is.”

   Both DiGi.Com Bhd and Maxis Communication Bhd, which sell the iPhone locally, have not revealed their volume commitment to Apple.

   DiGi started selling iPhone this year and has a three-year commitment to sell iPhones in the country.

   Celcom is currently the only operator that does not offer the iPhone but it has been successfully pushing the sales of the BlackBerry.

   It was the largest BlackBerry seller in South-East Asia in 2008.

   “We like the iPhone but we believe in getting an agreement that is fair to us. We do not think the current arrangement is fair to us. But things can change, it can be today, tomorrow or next year when we can roll out,” Axiata Group Bhd president and group CEO Datuk Seri Jamaludin Ibrahim told StarBiz recently.

   According to new reports, sales of the Google Android phones in the United States are rising so quickly that the devices have outsold iPhones for the first time on record.

   The Nielsen Co said new smartphone subscribers choosing Google phones accounted for 27% of US smartphone sales, nudging past the 23% share held by Apple.

   Locally, analysts expect the iPhone and BlackBerry to still fly off the shelves.

   Both Maxis and DiGi have pre-registered their users for the soon-to-be-launched iPhone 4.

   “All the three major celcos – Maxis, DiGi and Celcom Axiata Bhd – are also pushing for the sales of BlackBerry,” an analyst said, adding that DiGi had been very aggressively pushing sales of smartphones.

   DiGi has introduced the country’s most affordable plan for iPhone, starting from only RM60 per month while Maxis competes by reducing the price of its iPhone for a 24-month contract.

   Apart from iPhone, both also offer competitively priced BlackBerry packages. While both celcos claim that the sales of iPhones had been very encouraging, they did not disclose the figures.

   However, analysts said the number of pre-orders for iPhone 4 that Maxis and DiGi received showed there was a huge market for smartphones.

   All the three major celcos also offer Google’s open-source Android operating system phones such as Samsung Galaxy S, HTC Legend, HTC Desire, Sony Ericsson Xperia 10 and Motorola Milestones, amongst others. Android phones may not be getting as much attention as the BlackBerry and iPhones, but they are definitely catching up.

   HTC currently has the most comprehensive of Android phones as it started developing the hardware and software with Google for the latter’s first phone, the G1.

   HTC Malaysia country manager S. K. Wong said the company had managed to achieve double-digit growth in the last few quarters but did not disclose the numbers.

   “We’re expecting to launch even more Android smartphones this year, so growth is expected to be encouraging. Currently, HTC is experiencing a local and global supply shortage for our Android smartphones and we are accommodating the healthy demand increase as best as we can,” he told StarBiz.

   Wong said the current trend lay in the ability to customise each smartphone according to a specific individual needs.

   “There are other manufacturers who are beginning to adopt the Android operating system. However, we believe that HTC currently offers the most comprehensive line-up of Android smartphones (as we were) the first to enter the Android market plus our commitment to this platform.”

   Wong said local customers were getting more responsive after some initial challenges in promoting the Android.

   “Our local consumers are starting to recognise our superior features and potential which can be seen from the fast-growing demand for HTC Android smartphones even with other brands coming into the mix.

   “Our marketing strategy and partnership with SiS Distribution (M) Sdn Bhd has been fruitful so far and we are confident the Android platform will revolutionise the smartphone market with HTC at the helm, as proven in the US and Europe.

   “Today as we continue to lead the growth in the Android market, everyone has come to expect innovative high-quality phones from HTC as well as great after-sales support,” Wong said.

   The latest version of Android 2.2, released last week, includes 10 new voice commands that can be used to operate phones without using a keypad.

   Android is now being touted as the operating system of tomorrow, not only for mobile phones, but also for tablet computers.
   fr:biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/8/16/business/6814828&sec=business

8. alan on September 9th, 2010 at 11:01 am

   mTrip app for iPhone uses augmented reality

   NEW YORK: The new iPhone application mTrip is a travel guide and then some: It uses the latest in smart phone technology to make it easier to stay on track in a foreign locale.

   But isn’t getting lost part of the fun of traveling? For me, yes. For others, maybe not.

   So-called “augmented reality” became more widely available about a year ago and takes advantage of a smart phone’s GPS and compass features, along with access to high-speed wireless networks, to mash up super-local Web content with the world that surrounds you.

   It works like this: You turn on the application, hit the augmented reality button and then look through your phone’s camera at the Brooklyn Bridge or the Empire State Building. Icons pop up that show you other points of interest, or restaurants within a half mile (800 meters) of your location, whether the restaurant is open, and what reviewers are saying about it.

   The feature feels a bit like being in a “Matrix” film, but in a good way. I used the application for New York. Being a local, I was impressed with the restaurant selections and shopping options that popped up when I pointed my camera down Broadway in SoHo, or more off-the-beaten-path locations like my neighborhood, Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn.

   The mTrip developers partnered with Sparks, a massive travel guide company, to provide content but also rely on user-generated reviews and suggestions. There’s a spot in the app that allows you to send a new place back to mTrip for reviews and additions to its list.

   The app also has something called mTrip genius, which works similarly to the genius feature in iTunes. You note whether you want more or fewer parks, religion or monuments, and it designs an itinerary for you.

   Overall, I felt the app was a bit busy, offering perhaps so much it could distract the user from the travel at hand, but developer Frederic de Pardieu noted it’s not necessary to use every feature offered.

   “We give you options,” he said. “You do with them what you like.”

   The first phones with Google’s Android operating system, which enables augmented reality, came out in the past year. The iPhone became augmented-reality friendly with the compass that debuted in June 2009 on the iPhone 3GS. Apple also recently joined Google in making it possible for software developers to overlay images on the phone’s camera view.

   mTrip doesn’t specify that you need a newer phone to use this feature. I don’t have one and had to spend a while wrangling a newer phone to borrow in order to test the app, so beware before buying that you have the right device to take full advantage.

   That said, augmented reality still feels like it hasn’t fully arrived. The technology can generally pinpoint location to within 30 feet if the user is outdoors, but inside you’re lost. Businesses I saw on the screen weren’t actually in front of me, though they were nearby. But I’m not sure I’d have known that if I was using the app in a foreign city. Often tags sometimes just kind of dart around on the screen and it honestly didn’t make it easier to FIND the locale, simply noting the locale existed.

   Another problem: Using GPS for extended periods sucked up the battery life on both my phone and my borrowed iPhone 4 quicker than usual.

   Developers are dreaming big about the concept, but it’s not necessarily for everyone. It was cool, but when the initial ooh-aah value wore off, I found myself wanting to walk around and look at the world. John Boris, executive vice president for Lonely Planet in the U.S., said the feature can only do so much.

   “Travelers want to be able to fold up their phone and see physically in a virtual world what is around them,” he said. “We can help you get to the heart of the place, but we can’t carry you around.”

   Lonely Planet has Compass Guides that use the augmented reality feature with the Google Android, all in international cities.

   “It’s the continuing evolution of the traveler’s toolkit,” Boris said. “It’s an important component of today and for tomorrow. But, there will be another piece of technology right around the corner.”
   fr:biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/9/9/business/20100909090843&sec=business

9. alan on September 21st, 2010 at 10:13 am

   See how iPad unbelievers were won over
   PETER SVENSSON,AP Technology Writer

   NEW YORK: At first glance, the iPad looked like a heavy, overgrown iPod Touch. After just a few months of use, however, this iPad skeptic realized that it’s so much more: it is one of those devices I always have needed. Those do not come around very often.

   Most things get less interesting the more examples you see of them. If you’ve never seen a computer before, the first one is a revelation, but each successive model gets less and less remarkable.

   Apple Inc.’s iPad is the other way around. It looks more impressive in light of what has come before it. I’ve seen many tablet computers of different stripes since 2002, when Microsoft introduced Windows XP Tablet Edition. The quality has varied, but they all have failed, even the recent ones. They are a Stonehenge’s worth of near-useless slabs.

   The iPad finally fulfills the promise of the tablet computer when it came out in April.

   It cuts the mouse and keyboard out of the equation, giving us a straight, tactile connection. While the iPad builds on the iPhone, it feels like a bigger achievement. The first iPhone was a great phone, driven by far-thinking new ideas. But other people had made good phones before. Before the iPad, no one had made a good tablet computer. Even Apple failed with its first attempt, the Newton, back in the 1990s.

   When I first got my hands on an iPad for a review, I played games on it for about a month. My favorite strategy game, “Battle for Wesnoth,” was written for the PC, but actually works better on the iPad, thanks to the immediacy of the touch interface. Several other games conspired to suck away my productivity, so it took me a while to realize that the iPad actually fulfills a longtime tablet vision as well: It is like a sheet of paper, electronified. That is what made me plunk down $499 for one of my own once I was done with the borrowed review unit.

   I knew I was waiting for a device that could replace printouts, magazines, newspapers and books in my life. At first, I didn’t think the iPad was it, because it is too heavy to hold comfortably in one hand. In particular, I need one hand free to steady myself on the New York subway. Better, I thought, to wait for a smaller device, something with a screen that measures 5 to 7 inches diagonally instead of the iPad’s 9.7 inches.

   I was wrong. The iPad is not too heavy if I support it on a bag when standing. And the screen is just big and sharp enough to display decently a letter-sized document or a reformatted newspaper page with teasers for a couple of articles.

   That means the last defenses that kept dead trees relevant to me have been overcome. I canceled the print subscription for one of my newspapers and went electronic. I’ve also started stuffing papers I want to have with me through a sheet-fed scanner and moved the resulting files to the iPad as PDFs. It is like ripping CDs to get MP3s; the iPad is like an iPod for paper.

   Replacing paper was the rationale of Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle e-reader, but the multipurpose iPad beats it at its own game. The Kindle was revolutionary in its way because it could download books wirelessly, but it has been held back by a screen technology that is slow to react to our commands. It can display static page after static page, but scrolling and zooming do not really work, so PDF viewing is impractical.

   Amazon launched a new TV spot this week, showing a man struggling to read an iPad poolside in bright sunlight, while a bikini-clad woman next to him is reading a Kindle comfortably. Itis true that Kindles are more readable than iPads in bright light. What the ad does not mention is that that is the only situation in which you will be happier with a Kindle. By all means, if you spend your days at the pool or beach, get a $139 Kindle and spend the $360 you’ll be saving over the iPad on a lot of sunscreen.

   Other reviewers have spread confusion about the selection of books available on the iPad. Itis true that Apple’s own iBook store has fewer books than the Kindle store. That does not matter, however: You can buy and read Kindle books on the iPad, along with books from a lot of other retailers, including Barnes & Noble Inc.

   What about other competing devices? A lot of manufacturers want a piece of the tablet action, and we will see quite a few options in stores this holiday season. For instance, Samsung Electronics Inc. has shown off a 7-inch (18-centimeter) tablet called the Galaxy Tab, and according to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. wireless carriers will sell it subsidized with two-year data service contracts.

   From a hardware standpoint, these could be compelling options (although a 7-inch screen is now too small for my taste). Samsung and others can take advantage of the same technological advances that helped Apple improve over previous tablets. They also could remedy some of the annoying omissions of the iPad, such as the lack of built-in USB and memory card ports. They will have built-in cameras, too.

   The crux, though, is the software. Competitors are relying on Android, a free software package from Google Inc. that has done well in smart phones. It is not intended for tablets, though, and Google does not promote it as such. Apple managed to move the iPhone’s software to the iPad without much trouble, but that transition looks more difficult for Android. It just is not as slick to begin with. That said, Android has some compelling advantages, including PC-like access to stored files and the ability to run Flash on Web pages.

   Next year, we may see better software alternatives. Google has another software package called Chrome OS in the works. It is to be designed for netbooks coming out this year and could be used for tablets as well. But it is heavily Web-oriented, and may not provide a lot of functions when used without an Internet connection. Hewlett-Packard Co. recently bought Palm Inc. and plans to use its excellent webOS smart phone software for a tablet, probably next year.

   It took competitors a couple of years to start catching up to the iPhone in a serious way. The gap probably will be shorter for tablet computers, but by getting the iPad right on its first try, Apple has real head start. Maybe I am trying to justify my purchase here, but I have a strong feeling there isn’t a lot to be gained by waiting for the others to catch up.

   fr:biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/9/21/business/20100921090752&sec=business

10. alan on September 25th, 2010 at 9:32 am

    iPhone 4 comes calling in Malaysia
    By CHONG JINN XIUNG and S. SUBASHINI

    PETALING JAYA: It was the moment that thousands had waited for – the launch of Apple’s iPhone 4 that is set to bring mobile communication to a new level.

    The phone, with its prominent touch screen and fingertip-control interface, was launched at separate events by DiGi Telecommunications Bhd and Maxis Bhd on Thursday night.

    Launched in the United States in June, the iPhone 4 is a major redesign of all previous models and it packs more features than its immediate predecessors, the iPhone 3G and 3GS.

    Maxis launched the iPhone 4 at a midnight event at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, with DiGi holdings its launch at a showroom here.

    At both events, guests and the public got to check out the latest smartphone.

    Among those waiting in line at the Maxis event was systems engineer Mohammad Khair Shamsudin, 31, who came as early as 8.30pm.

    “When I got here, there was already a long line extending all the way back from the entrance,” he said.

    Also there was finance manager Mohd Darul Yusnezam Mohamad Yunus, 30, who said he was waiting to buy two units of the phone – the other for his wife.

    The iPhone 4 will be on sale at selected Maxis centres in the Klang Valley from tomorrow and nationwide from Monday.

    DiGi has already started selling the iPhone 4 at its 45 centres and specialised stores nationwide.

    Among the new features of the iPhone 4 is its high-resolution viewscreen that provides very sharp images and graphics.

    The iPhone 4 is also able to record and play back 720p high-definition videos, and if users buy the optional iMovie application from Apple, they will be able to edit these videos on the phone itself.

    The new version also has two cameras enabling users to make video calls.

    For pricing and data plans, visit maxis.com.my/iphone and digi.com.my/iphone.

    fr:thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/9/25/nation/7100249&sec=nation

11. alan on October 19th, 2010 at 9:32 am

    Apple 4Q net income soars 70% on iPhone sales

    SEATTLE: Apple Inc. said Monday that net income for the most recent quarter soared 70 percent on strong sales of iPhones, though iPad sales fell short of expectations.

    Shares fell in after-hours trading. Apple’s stock had been breaking through record-high prices for more than a week on high hopes for the iPad.

    Apple sold 4.2 million of its new tablet-style computer during the fiscal fourth quarter, fewer than the approximately 5 million that analysts, on average, had expected.

    The company sold 14.1 million iPhones from July through September, more than the 12 million or so analysts were looking for. Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer said in an interview that had the company been able to make more iPhones, that number would have been even higher.

    Sales of the iPad might have been constrained by supply issues. Oppenheimer said the company was able to increase production of the iPad toward the end of the quarter.

    Apple’s net income rose to $4.3 billion, or $4.64 per share, from $2.5 billion, or $2.77 per share, in the same period last year.

    Revenue jumped 67 percent to $20.3 billion from $12.2 billion last year.

    Both revenue and net income were record amounts for Apple. The company also did significantly better than Wall Street analysts expected. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect Apple to earn $4.08 per share on $18.9 billion in revenue.

    “When you’re shipping the best products ever, these are the results you expect to see,” Oppenheimer said.

    Apple said it expects to earn $4.80 per share during the holiday quarter on $23 billion in revenue. Apple is known for issuing low guidance and then sailing over. Analysts are currently looking for $5.06 per share in net income on $22.3 billion in revenue.

    Shares of Apple, which is based on Cupertino, California, plunged $20.69, or 6.5 percent, to $297.31 in extended trading after the release of results. In the regular session earlier, the stock rose $3.25, or 1 percent, to $317.99.

    For the full fiscal year, Apple’s net income jumped 70 percent to $14 billion, or $15.15 per share, from $8.2 billion or $9.08 per share.

    Revenue jumped 52 percent to $65.2 billion from $42.9 billion.

    fr:biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/10/19/business/20101019074759&sec=business

12. alan on October 21st, 2010 at 9:54 am

    Apple looks to iPhone, iPad for Mac inspiration

    CUPERTINO, California: Apple’s iPhone and iPads have been such hits that the company is now looking for ways to bring some of their cachet to its laptops and desktops.

    Apple Inc. offered glimpses on Wednesday of an updated Mac operating system, called Mac OS X Lion. The company highlighted features that borrow from the lighter-weight iOS that runs on its mobile gadgets.

    The company also unveiled two new versions of its MacBook Air ultralight laptops.

    Apple CEO Steve Jobs drew laughs when he introduced the new models by saying, “We asked ourselves: What would happen if a MacBook and an iPad hooked up?”

    Lion — Apple uses names of big cats to differentiate between versions — is expected to arrive next summer. Lion will include a built-in store selling Mac software, similar to the iTunes store that sells apps for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

    Those devices have been successful in part because of the tens of thousands of games and other programs available as free or paid downloads in the app store. Apple may be looking to a Mac app store to boost interest in its computers, which make up a tiny but growing percentage of the personal computer market. In the second quarter, Macs accounted for about 4 percent of PC shipments worldwide, according to the research group IDC.

    Apple plans to vet Mac programs before they’ll be sold in the store. Software developers will be able to submit apps for review starting in November, and the Mac store will be open for business in the next 90 days.

    Lion also mimics the iPhone and iPad user interface in a few ways. Mac users will be able to move from the main desktop to a “dashboard,” or screen with a clock, weather report, calculator and other widgets, by swiping a multitouch mouse or trackpad. People will also be able to drag one program icon on top of another to create a new folder, which smartly names itself based on the type of applications that are inside.

    Before the event, rumors swirled that Apple would add a touch screen to its Mac laptops. But the company stuck to its stated belief that it doesn’t make ergonomic sense to make people reach out and touch a vertical surface.

    Apple’s new MacBook Air laptops have something else in common with iPhones and iPads, however: They store all their information in flash memory. Apple did away with a CD and DVD drive in its first MacBook Air, and it ditches the hard disk drive in this edition, too. That will speed up the time it takes to boot up the laptops or wake them from a sleep state.

    The laptops are 0.68 inches (1.73 centimeters) thick at the back and taper down to 0.11 inches (0.28 centimeters) thick at the front edge. They come in two sizes, one with a screen that’s 13.3 inches (33.8 centimeters) diagonally and another with a 11.6-inch (29.4-centimeter) screen. The larger one clocks in at 2.9 pounds (1.3 kilograms) and can be used for seven hours, thanks in part to a low-voltage processor from Intel Corp. that consumes less power than ones running in standard laptops. The smaller one weighs 2.3 pounds (1.04 kilograms) and is rated to last five hours. Both can sit on standby for 30 days.

    Prices range from $999 for a smaller one with 64 gigabytes of flash memory storage to $1,599 for the larger model with 256 gigabytes of flash.

    Apple is also bringing FaceTime video chatting to Macs. The feature debuted this summer on the iPhone 4 and has since been added to the iPad. A test version is available now on Apple’s website.

    Apple is also releasing a new version of iLife, its set of programs for managing photos, editing videos and music and doing other tasks.

    The company added more ties between its iPhoto program and the popular social networking site Facebook. When people look at pictures they’ve published on Facebook, for example, iPhoto displays comments friends made on that site.

    Other new features include a full-screen view for managing photos, slick new slideshow templates and the ability to e-mail customized photo-postcards straight from iPhoto.

    In iMovie, Apple improved audio editing and the ability to easily piece together movie trailers.

    ILife ’11 will come installed on new Macs and can be purchased as an upgrade for $49 starting immediately. The previous 2009 version cost $30 more.

    Apple’s stock increased $1.04 to close Wednesday at $310.53.

    fr:biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/10/21/business/20101021090924&sec=business