Category: Apple
March 7th, 2008
Sorry, Gizmodo, VoIP over iPhone isn't going to be "huge"
Gizmodo’s Brian Lam (no, not the C-SPAN guy, that’d be Brian Lamb) notes a snippet from Apple’s SDK-coming-out-part press conference in which one Mr. Jobs noted that any third-party iPhone developer cooks up a VoIP program for iPhone, the utility will be allowed to work via any Wi-Fi hotspots that might be in range.
VoIP over iPhone via AT&T’ Mobility’s cell network. Sorry, not gonna happen.
Brian thinks VoIP over iPhone WiFi is going to be “huge.”
I’m not so sure, though. Mobile VoIP is making some inroads in the enterprise and SMB sectors, but less so for the consumer. I mean, Vonage tried VoIP over Wi-Fi, but then quietly dropped their offering. Not enough demand, and reports of less-than-stellar tech quality.
Before I offer more a more conclusive assessment about the longer-term prospects VoIP over iPhone, let me see what the 3P devs come up with.
March 6th, 2008
Exclusive: iPhone DevCamp's Raven on iPhone SDK and what it means
Just a few minutes ago, I had a most enlightening email conversation with someone who knows as much about the new iPhone SDK, and its effects/potential, as anyone who doesn’t work at Apple. And probably know more than most who do.
That’d be Raven Zachary, who you may know as key force behind the iPhone DevCamp, (group-and-grin from 2007 SF event in pic) as well as an analyst and perhaps THE key thought leader in the third party iPhone developer community.
Raven had some thoughts on the new iPhone SDK. I know you are here because you want to know what he thinks.
Comin’ at ya!:
RS: Your overarching thoughts on SDK?- is it what you hoped for in terms of flexibility, ease of use, etc?
RZ: This is what the development community was hoping for - a platform that allowed developers to build native applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. In terms of openness, it looks to be something in- between what Apple does today with the iPod Games market and the Mac. Developers can write almost anything, but will need to distribute the software through the iTunes App Store, with Apple taking a 30% revenue share for distribution, billing, and marketing, basically. Developers wanting to distribute free applications through the App Store will be allowed to do so, as well.
RS: How does SDK functionality change the game for 3-party iPhone devs?
RZ: 3rd party development for the iPhone up until now was web-based through Safari, and a small number of people in the hacker community working on unofficial apps. We’re now going to see an entire new market created around native applications, and providing functionality not possible through web development. You’ll see iPhone development for web-based applications, just not exclusively.
RS: Are you troubled by the Apple “control” issue, i.e. they reserve right of approval?
RZ: No, because it seems that Apple will only limit this in extreme situations. Steve Jobs was quoted in the Q&A session with the media that they would even allow VOIP applications, although limited to Wifi and not over the carrier network. What we don’t have here is Apple review of all source code, which would have been time consuming and expensive.
RS: In SDK, what’s cool?
RZ: Everything, pretty much. Apple has provided a large sandbox for developers while still providing for data security.
RS: In SDK what’s missing that ought to be there?
RZ: There are still a number of unanswered questions from today’s announcement, such as hardware and peripheral connectivity, but these will be answered by Apple in time.
RS: Any other thoughts?
RZ: Don’t underestimate this market and the disruption on RIM (BlackBerry). Kleiner Perkins is putting $100m into the iFund, and this platform has a very exciting future, and one with plenty of commercialization opportunities for 3rd party developers.
March 5th, 2008
Is proprietary iPhone video player on the way?
In remarks to analysts yesterday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs clarified why the iPhone does not support Flash.
Jobs said a key reason is that Adobe’s Flash Player is optimally built for laptops. Because laptops are larger than the iPhone, the performance of Flash on the iPhone would be too slow.
“There’s this missing product in the middle,” Jobs said.
When I hear someone such as Steve Jobs utter the word “missing,” I don’t take the usage of the word casually.
Even though- as you see at the top of this post- iPhone is YouTube compliant, that’s just a start. I think this means a special video player platform for the iPhone is on the way.
Do you?
March 3rd, 2008
Apple co-founder Woz: sometimes I use a Moto Razr instead of an iPhone
In Sydney, Australia for a keynote speech at the Broadband and Beyond Conference this morning, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak appeared to lament the fact that the iPhone doesn’t have 3G support in the U.S
During a press conference immediately after his keynote, the Sydney Morning Herald’s Asher Moses noted “Woz said he still used the iPhone and praised its internet capabilities but he also carried a 
Motorola Razr for taking calls and browsing the web.”
A Razr?
March 3rd, 2008
Sexism at the Apple Store? Woman claims "Genius" totally ignored her while pitching her husband
Seems as though when Consumerist reader Arjela and her husband entered an Apple store in Bellevue, Wash. to shop for a MacBook Air last week, she felt as though the Apple Store “genius” concentrated all of his sales efforts on the hubby and not on both.
Arjela, who is quite an experienced computer user, seems to be particularly ticked that during the consulation, the “Genius” aggressively pitched the Mr. on Apple Care, still ignoring her.
All this got her so pissed off she wrote Apple a letter and forwarded it to the Consumerist.
She wrote in part:
The Apple Store “genius” — and I’m offended that he was called that, given the stupendous idiocy he exhibited today — was named Bill. Bill was called over when my husband and I came into the store; I had told the concierge that I was interested in buying a MacBook Air.
Well, first of all, Bill DID NOT LOOK AT ME. He did not greet me. He greeted my husband, introduced himself, and shook his hand… and completely ignored me. He didn’t ask my name, what we were there to buy, or who the new computer was for. He did not make eye contact. He simply behaved as though I were not there, and steered my husband through the crowded store — ignoring me and leaving me behind.
When I caught up to them, he was commencing the hard-sell of “AppleCare”. After being told several times that I was not interested, he asked my husband if he was a Microsoft employee, and pointed out that he could get a 12% discount on it. My husband finally stopped Bill in his tracks and told Bill that the computer was for me. He asked Bill if the education discount, which I qualified for, or the Microsoft employee discount, which my husband qualified for, was a better deal. Bill told my husband that the education discount was better — but continued talking to my husband as if I were not there. Even after being told the computer was for me and that we’d be using my education discount on it, Bill did not greet me, make eye contact with me, or acknowledge my presence in any way.
After scrolling through a screen of peripherals and asking my husband — not me — about each one, and only giving up on selling us the items when my husband — not me — confirmed I was not interested, he muttered something I could not make out (I presume because he was, again, talking to my husband and not myself), and wandered off.
I did not wait for him to come back before leaving the Apple Store. As my husband was not interested in anything at the store, he left, too.
I have to tell you that when my girlfriend and I went into my local Apple store to look at iPhones and MacBook Pros, we got equal treatment. Heck, the store geeks talked to her more! I mean, she uses Macs in her school, and knows more about them than I do.
I only wish Arjela and her husband received equal attention as well.
February 29th, 2008
Same old, same old control-freak Apple: they'll be "gatekeeper" for third-party iPhone apps
Jeremy Horvitz from iLounge has been listening to some developers with apparent knowledge of the iPhone SDK due next week.
He’s gleaned that Apple plans to require that all mobile applications be distributed through its iTunes Store.
Perhaps more important, Jeremy notes his sources tell him that Apple’s SDK intends to specify that Apple has the right plan is its intention to formally approve or deny all SDK-based software releases for its devices.
“Our sources confirm that Apple will act as a gatekeeper for applications, deciding which are and are not worthy of release, and publishing only approved applications to the iTunes Store; a process that will less resemble the iTunes Store’s massive directory of podcasts than its sale of a limited variety of iPod Games,” Jeremy writes.
“Sources told iLounge that the collective impact of Apple’s decisions will be to control and stifle third-party development at a critical juncture in iPhone and iPod history, limiting what could be an open, thriving Mac-like collection of applications and accessories to a smaller, more stagnant iPod-like controlled environment,” Jeremy adds.
Apple as “gatekeeper?” Imagine that!
February 29th, 2008
Asterisk Voicemail for iPhone on way; here's a peek
On his website, Asterisk developer Chris Carey posts an interesting preview of something he is building called Asterisk Voicemail for iPhone.
Chris says Voicemail for iPhone will allow you to check your voicemail messages on your house or business line from your iPhone.
“You can think of it as “Visual Voicemail”, but for your Asterisk PBX numbers instead of your AT&T cell number,” he writes. “The technology behind it is Asterisk (The Open-Source PBX), with iUI, Joe Hewitt’s UI interface for iPhone. This software can be installed on any Asterisk server (though you will want to use one that is available via the Internet) and will allow you to check messages, listen to messages, delete messages, move messages, and change voicemail settings - all from your iPhone.”
If you are looking for a download link, there isn’t one yet. Chris says that after he cleans up portions of the code, he’ll release the software under GPL or some other free public license.
February 28th, 2008
Is Apple going to ease up on iPhone jailbreakers? Based on what COO said yesterday, kind of sounds like it
In remarks at an investment conference yesterday, Apple chief operating officer Tim Cook said that because the demand for hacked iPhones exists, there would always be a level of hacking.
That type of hacking could be taken to be the type of jailbreaking that when performed successfully, can “free” iPhone from its tethers to geographically exclusive carriers such as AT&T Mobility in the U.S.
Since no one at Apple speaks about such sensitive matters without Steve Jobs’ OK, I wonder if Cook is sending some sort of a signal that Apple may ease up on jailbreaking-throttles in successive decimal iPhone firmware updates.
At some point, either Apple or the jailbreakers will get tired of the arms race. Not that the jailbreakers won’t keep trying to free up the iPhone, but Apple may decide it is time to move forward and concentrate on making the iPhone an even richer experience and stop their preoccupation with matching the jailbreakers’ moves, tit-for-tat.
I am convinced that this evolving attitude will then be followed by Apple buying out its five-year iPhone contract exclusivity with AT&T.
February 25th, 2008
Oscars emcee Jon Stewart plays with his iPhone, Wii too!
Seems like Academy Awards emcee Jon Stewart managed to include iPhone and Wii-related compedy bits in last night’s Oscar telecasts.
Engadget has posted a grab from one of those moments.
Doesn’t tell us much about the iPhone except for the fact that it has become an indelible component in pop culture.
By the way, I wouldn’t suspect this moment was ad lib or random. This was paid-for product placement, plain and simple.
February 22nd, 2008
New YouTube video shows man drinking beer from his iPhone
Hey, on this relatively light news Friday, I see a YouTube video has just gone up in which mit9901 shows someone (maybe him) in the act of drinking beer out of his iPhone.
Of course this isn’t really possible, but why not go along with the suspension of disbelief meme here?
Slurp:
I mean it is Friday, right?
Hmm, maybe I should check out that KarpiSoft iPod Video Converter as well…
February 21st, 2008
New Apple Patent app describes technology for personalized podcasts to iPhone, other devices
Technology described in a newly published Apple Patent application would let podcast viewers and listeners request personalized podcasts from podcast content creators whose podcasts they subscribe to.
The Patent app is entitled, “Creation, Management and Delivery of Personalized Media Items.”
The Abstract furnishes a basic understanding of what is being proposed:
Improved techniques to facilitate generation, management and delivery of personalized media items for users are disclosed. Users are able to influence or control content within a media item being personalized. In one embodiment, personalized media items are podcasts. Users are able to influence or control the content in or with a podcast. In other words, a podcast can be created in accordance with a user’s needs or specifications so that the content within a podcast is customized or personalized for the user.
Additional passages and art from the accompanying Patent app literature further describes how this would be done. Let’s go there now.
February 20th, 2008
Apple Retail Store shopper to Steve Jobs: clerk had no right to ask for my ID
Update: Ignacio, who is the customer in this tale, informs The Consumerist thatthe store manager has apologized for asking for his ID. Apparently in a gracious mood, Ignacio has forgiven the store and plans to go in to shop soon.
But he’s doing so after all this:
From the Consumerist website comes this account of a frustrating experience by Apple Store shopper “Ignacio.”
Seems that when Ignacio was hopping at the 
Apple Retail Store in the Stonestown Shopping Center (southwest San Francisco) he tried to charge a purchase on his MasterCard, but upon presentation of the card, was asked for I.D.
He refused, and the store did not allow the charge.
Not only was Ignacio offended, but he thinks this request is illegal under California state law.
Ignacio then wrote this note to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, as well as to William Rhodes of Citibank (which issued the MasterCard in question):
Russell Shaw is an enterprise computing journalist, analyst and author based in Portland, Oregon. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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Recent Entries
- Russell Shaw, rest in peace
- Sorry, Gizmodo, VoIP over iPhone isn’t going to be “huge”
- Over WiFi at DIA, free speech is DOA
- Exclusive: iPhone DevCamp’s Raven on iPhone SDK and what it means
- Is proprietary iPhone video player on the way?
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