Apple posts iPhone developer video profiles

On the official website for its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference 2009 event, Apple has posted four new video profiles of various iPhone developers, explaining how the iPhone OS and SDK altered their views on what was possible on a mobile platform, and how it has affected their development processes. Included in the profiles are Dr. Ge Wang of Smule, developer of Ocarina, Werner Jainek of Cultured Code, developer of Things, Steve Demeter of Demiforce, developer of Trism, and Christina Wick of AOL, which has a variety of apps on the store, including AIM. Apple’s WWDC 2009 conference is scheduled for June 8-12 at Moscone West in San Francisco.

Apple Beats Windows In Customer Experience

When it comes to the customer experience of PC firms, Apple stands alone.


In a new Forrester report, I examined results for the five PC brands in Forrester’s customer experience index (CxPi): Apple, Compaq, Dell, Gateway, and HP. The analysis examines feedback from more than 4,500 US consumers about their interactions with these firms. Here’s some of what we found:

* Apple came out on top, with a “good” rating of 80%. Compaq, HP, and Gateway ended up between 63% and 66% while Dell came in at the bottom with a “poor” 58% rating.

* Apple received the highest score for all three components of the CxPi. It had a particularly large lead over all other PC makers when it came to being easy to work with (17%+ better than the others) and being enjoyable (15%+ better than the others).

* Dell landed at the bottom of the PC rankings because it was rated well below the other firms in the areas of being easy to work with and being enjoyable.

The bottom line: The Windows ecosystem needs an extreme customer experience makeover.

Apple Comments on Microsoft's Laptop Hunter Ads

Businessweek's Arik Hesseldahl analyzes Microsoft's latest ad campaign "Laptop Hunters" have generated a massive amount of apple fans' discussion.

The latest television advertisement continues the "Laptop Hunters" theme in which a mother and son are tasked with finding a speedy sub-$1500 laptop with a large hard drive that is also good for gaming. The ads specifically target Apple's Macs as having a higher cost than PCs. Like the previous ads, they specifically point to higher cost of the Apple machines.

Hesseldahl rehashes the usual arguments on cost, but also gets a rare comment from Apple's PR department on the new ads.

Apple's Bill Evans said of the ads:"A PC is no bargain when it doesn't do what you want .... The one thing that both Apple and Microsoft can agree on is that everyone thinks the Mac is cool. With its great designs and advanced software, nothing matches it at any price."

Apple Launches Movie Downloads in German iTunes Store

Apple today announced that it is now offering downloadable movie rentals and purchases through the iTunes Store in Germany.

Apple today announced that movies from major film studios including Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM), The Walt Disney Studios, Sony Pictures Television and independents including Universum and Shorts International are now available on the iTunes Store in Germany for purchase and rent (www.itunes.de).

The German iTunes Store is offering approximately 500 films at launch, and new movies will be added for sale on the same day as their DVD release. Customers have up to 30 days after purchase to start watching rented movies, and rentals expire 48 hours after viewing begins.

Apple sees rare Mac shipment drop in Q1

Apple is poised to ship fewer Macs to the US year-over-year in a quarter for the first time in multiple quarters,according to early estimates from IDC.

AT&T iPhone Exclusivity Expires in 2010, AT&T Asking for Extension?

The Wall Street Journal reports that AT&T's exclusive offering of the iPhone will expire next year but that AT&T is working with Apple to extend it to 2011.
The exact length of exclusivity has been a bit murky with initial reports claiming as far out as 2012 but the most recent reports corroborating the 2010 date.
AT&T has benefited from the exclusive iPhone offering attracting 4.3 million iPhone subscribers in the second half of 2008 with about 40% of them being new to AT&T. If the agreement does expire, this could open up the iPhone to become available with other U.S. carriers. This may, however, require some variations in hardware in order to accommodate other networks.

Apple Seeds iPhone OS 3.0 Beta 3 and New SDK to Developers

Apple today seeded the third beta version of iPhone OS 3.0, along with a new build of the software development kit (SDK), to developers. World of Apple republishes the seed notes for the SDK, detailing a number of changes to various components, including Xcode, Interface Builder, and Dashcode, and notes that applications targeting pre-OS 3.0 devices are unable to be tested on the latest beta.
No visible changes in the new version of the OS have yet been detailed. The last beta was seeded to developers on March 31st.

Next Generation iPhone Component Suppliers?

DigiTimes publishes this list of component suppliers for the next-generation iPhone that is rumored to arrive in mid 2009. The component list isn't particularly revealing except it reinforces the rumor that Apple will be using a 3.2 megapixel camera from OmniVision in the next generation iPhone. The current iPhone uses a 2 megapixel camera.

DigiTimes' sources claim that the suppliers will begin shipping in May and the first batch is estimated at around 5 million units.

iSuppli: iPod shuffle 4G costs $21.77 to make

According to a teardown analysis of the fourth-generation iPod shuffle, the total cost of the device is roughly 28% of its retail price. Citing analysis from market research firm iSuppli, BusinessWeek reports that the total cost of the shuffle’s components, its remote-laden headphones, and its packaging comes to just $21.77. iSuppli found that Samsung supplied both the shuffle’s controller chip, which costs roughly $6, and the 4GB of flash memory, which also costs roughly $6; iSuppli analyst Andrew Rassweiler notes that Apple is likely using flash memory from Toshiba and Hynix Semiconductor as well. “It’s almost like six dollars worth of flash memory tied to some flash and a battery and not much else,” Rassweiler said. “It’s very basic and downsized.” The device also includes a lithium ion battery that runs $1.20, which Rassweiler describes as “the smallest we’ve ever seen.” Other component suppliers include On Semiconductor, NXP Semiconductor, and Texas Instruments.

Microsoft plans touch-based Zune HD

According to new images published by Engadget, Microsoft is preparing a third-generation Zune device, presently titled Zune HD. One of the images includes a direct look at the potential device, which appears to have a wide-aspect touchscreen and an Apple-like black and silver exterior, with the rest showing abstract illustrations. Microsoft has previously targeted both the iPod classic and iPod nano with its drive- and flash-based Zunes, respectively, but has yet to offer a model comparable in features to the iPod touch.

Rumor: Apple Expect 4 Million New iPhones Shipment by end Q2

Apple has placed orders for four million units of new iPhone models, with delivery expected by the end of this quarter, according to a China Times report. The report goes on to state that Apple may introduce three distinct iPhone models, including a new 2.75G (EDGE) model, a new 3G model, and a third model created especially for the Chinese market. All three models are said to be similar in design to the current iPhone, and the report states that the introduction of a third, smaller model—often referred to as the iPhone nano—is unlikely. Prior reports have indicated that a future iPhone model would include an improved, 3.2 megapixel camera, 802.11n wireless network support, and video recording features; Apple is expected to reveal at least one new iPhone model at this year’s WWDC event, scheduled for June 8-12 in San Francisco.

Buy.com posts sale of unlocked iPhone 3Gs

Online vendor Buy.com is now selling unlocked 16GB iPhone 3Gs, a listing at the site claims. The phones are in detail described as "never-locked" models, able to connect to any GSM carrier in the US, including T-Mobile. Buyers are moreover said to be able to use the phones without the restrictions of hacked devices, such as an inability to sync with iTunes or download official firmware updates.
The list price for the phones is $800, however, and their origin is unknown. While Apple has begun selling contract-free iPhones, the official American options are still linked to AT&T. The most likely source may be regions such as France and Hong Kong, which sell unlocked iPhones that could in theory be imported at a high premium. Apple has not stated any position regarding the Buy.com listing.