Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone has been selling like gangbusters in the U.S. since its debut in June 2007, but that kind of fever -- and the fever U.S. consumers felt at every iPhone launch in the U.S. -- seemed tepid by comparison when China Unicom unleashed the iPhone for sale last week.apple iphone posts
FeedApple's iPhone sees lukewarm reception in China debut
Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone has been selling like gangbusters in the U.S. since its debut in June 2007, but that kind of fever -- and the fever U.S. consumers felt at every iPhone launch in the U.S. -- seemed tepid by comparison when China Unicom unleashed the iPhone for sale last week.Continue reading Apple's iPhone sees lukewarm reception in China debut
AT&T, Google still waging battle over Google Voice on the iPhone
The infighting between AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) just continues to get nastier as the line that constitutes a telecommunications provider continues to break down. Back when Google'e "Google Voice" application was not approved for use on the Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone this summer, the game began.Continue reading AT&T, Google still waging battle over Google Voice on the iPhone
Smartphone apps to spike, newspapers to miss it (again)
By 2013, more than $4 billion will be spent on smartphone applications, according to a new study by the Yankee Group ... and the estimate is said to be conservative. With the average owner of one of these devices downloading around 20 applications a year, it's obvious that this market is getting ready to pop. Currently, only $343 million is spent in this space.
An increase in the number of smartphone applications available -- for Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone, Reasearch in Motion's (NASDAQ: RIMM) Blackberry, and Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android -- and rising prices for these applications will push the total size of this market higher.
Continue reading Smartphone apps to spike, newspapers to miss it (again)
Apple rumored to officially enter Chinese mobile market with China Unicom
While Dell, Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) finally entered the mobile phone market in China today with what could be considered a very disappointing product offering, competitor Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) may be blazing into China as well with its China Unicom partnership for the iPhone.Continue reading Apple rumored to officially enter Chinese mobile market with China Unicom
Apple and AT&T flex muscles, exert control over Google
One would think that Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) would be friends. Google CEO Eric Schmidt sits on Apple's board and his company partners heavily with Apple's iPhone for Google's web products. That is, except when Google is trying to do an end-run around Apple partner AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T).
This is what it comes down to: Google Voice, the service that gives you a universal phone number that you have total control over (and even provides free text messaging!) was blocked by Apple's App Store, most likely at AT&T's request. After all, AT&T surely does not want customers bypassing its margin-heavy text messaging plans to use a free Google-provided solution.
Continue reading Apple and AT&T flex muscles, exert control over Google
Apple snubs Palm, disables iTunes syncing on the Palm Pre
Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ: PALM) just keep volleying with each other with the duel between the iPhone and the Palm Pre, don't they? Accusations of an
"iPhone copycat" surfaced right after the Palm Pre was announced. After all, quite a bit of Apple design influence now works at Palm. But the war is not over yet, as one of the neater features of the Palm Pre has now been deactivated by Apple.
Continue reading Apple snubs Palm, disables iTunes syncing on the Palm Pre
China Unicom (CHU): Set to soar?
"China Unicom (NYSE: CHU) could be one of the best ways to play China's astounding economic growth," says Brandon Clay in Invest with an Edge. Here's the growth advisor's review.
"With the world's largest population as its market, the mobile phone industry in China is set to soar. This makes China Unicom a compelling play. The firm has 21% market share in China.
"China Unicom's vice president recently said the company is targeting subscriber growth of 20 million to 30 million within a year. To put that into context, Verizon Wireless, the largest mobile phone carrier in the U.S., had 72.1 million subscribers at the end of last year.
Palm's Pre may only sell half as much as Apple's iPhone on debut
Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ: PALM), the handheld PDA pioneer that has reportedly been on its deathbed several times in recent years, is about to launch the hotly-anticipated Pre on the Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) sometime this summer. From all accounts, the Pre may take on Apple, Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone as its best competition yet.Continue reading Palm's Pre may only sell half as much as Apple's iPhone on debut
Motorola unveils the Evoke; Apple's iPhone not scared
When Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) unveiled the iPhone in January 2007, it probably knew that its marketing and influence were ripe to make that product the "must have" wireless handset. Indeed, it's turned out that way, with Apple quickly entering into the top-five companies in the wireless phone business.Since then, the copycats (if we can call them that) have released on touch-screen phone after another. Some are good, some mediocre. Sprint Nextel Corp.'s (NYSE: S) impending release of the Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ: PALM) Pre may be a very good contender to actually compete head-to-head with the iPhone.
Continue reading Motorola unveils the Evoke; Apple's iPhone not scared
Are Apple iPhone fans feeling bored?
With most Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone App Store applications gathering dust after a very short period of time, one has to wonder if the ultimate application store for the iPhone is all what it's cracked up to be. If most of the applications have very limited usefulness (one the novelty wears off), is the iPhone more than just an expensive applications platform with a mobile phone attached?Wal-Mart starts carrying Apple iPhone - minus any discount
When it was rumored that Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) would carry the Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone 3G last month, many of us wondered what pricing the world's largest retailer would give the benevolent wireless handset. It's here now, as Wal-Mart confirmed at the end of last week that it would indeed be carrying the iPhone 3G as of yesterday in 2,500 stores in the U.S.The price? Just a drop below normal $199 and $299 pricing. Wal-Mart is now selling the 8GB iPhone for $197 and the 16GB version for $297. For some reason, Wal-Mart whacks a few dollars off the price and thinks it has a pricing advantage. Not. Apple relented and allowed the retailer to take its usual "price ending in XX7" approach but apparently did not allow any discount on the iPhone beyond that. No lower priced handset, not a 4GB model for $99 that had been rumored. Nothing new really.
Except -- the iPhone will now be in front of the largest retailer audience in the U.S. That makes a huge difference for Apple. Pundits, myself included, have always thought brands cheapened themselves by selling in Wal-Mart. Does Apple cheapen itself by going into the largest discount retailer in the world? The iPhone and iPhone 3G have been around now for over 18 months and have sold in huge numbers, so I doubt it. The exclusivity factor of just being carried by AT&T has worn off, as has the novelty of the iPhone itself (it's no longer exclusive -- you see them everywhere). Assuming many Wal-Mart shoppers can pass credit checks, the iPhone 3G may find a whole new audience now.
Best Buy whacks iPhone price by $10; gets rid of $30 setup fee also
Best Buy, Inc. (NYSE: BBY) is slicing $10 off the price of the 8GB Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone 3G, cutting its price to $189.99 through January 3rd. In addition, the 16GB version of the iPhone will drop to $289.99 as well. Wow! A measly $10 off a new iPhone! Stop the presses! Best Buy's Scott Moore indicated that "we thought this would be a way to help customers right now." What a generous gift, yes? Truth be told, it's Apple who dictates to its retailer partners the prices they can sell Apple goods. This is why you'll see almost the exact same price for any Apple product no matter where you purchase it.
But, if Best Buy thinks whacking $10 off the price of an already-overpriced piece of hardware is doing customers a favor, something's in the food in Richfield. And, a $30 "setup fee" for the iPhone? What kind of nonsense is that? At least this fee is being waived along with this huge price reduction. Since Best Buy gives a free "walking out working" setup to all the other cellphones it sells, why on earth is there a $30 fee to setup the iPhone -- which is heralded as one of the easiest phones to setup anyway?
It's no secret that Best Buy has been hurt by the holiday season retail sales slowdown -- it has said as much -- but I'm not sure this is any way to help that situation. That is, unless customers are expected to line up to save the cost of a single movie ticket to a device that locks them into more than $1,600 in calling and data plan contract fees over a 24-month period. What a mark that $10 will have, yes? If Apple and Best Buy really want to "help out" more customers, it sure needs to be more than a measly $10 pittance.
Apple's iPhone to see Google's mobile-specific AdWords soon
Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) is starting to place its advertising all over its web-based products as it tries desperately to gain ad revenue outside of its web search results. In what has been a long time coming, the world leader in internet search will now be tailoring ads for its search product specifically for smaller screens like those on the Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone and the Google-powered G1 smartphone, offered by T-Mobile.
This makes sense. A web search performed on a standard web browser brings up text ads that bring in billions of revenue for Google every quarter. On smartphones with full web browsers but with a lack of screen real estate, these ads work but are sub-optimal. If Google can get this right and make text ads next to search results look like they belong on small-screen web browser, it will have significantly upped its ante.
Will customers click (with their fingers, no less) on mobile ads set next to mobile search results on these full-featured phones? The law of averages suggests they will, most likely. As iPhones sell in more volume and smartphones eventually become the mobile device of choice, mobile advertising will become a decent income stream for Google and other mobile ad networks.
At least, that is Google's dream. So far, mobile ads are miniscule in income generation compared to standard web search income generation -- even with many more phones in use than computers with standard web browsers.
Apple iPhone may be coming to Wal-Mart in just over a month
It was just a matter of time. It looks like the Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone 3G will be coming to Wal-Mart sometime before the end of the year, but probably after Christmas. According to the Boy Genius Report, which claims its sources are reliable and to have come across some internal Wal-Mart correspondence, the iPhone 3G will be sold in 2,500 Wal-Mart locations in about a month from now. Remember that the iPhone 3G must be activated (unlike the original iPhone), so only Wal-Mart locations that can use a specific ordering and activation system can carry the iPhone 3G. Some Sam's Club locations will also carry the iPhone 3G, but they also must use the Wal-Mart ordering and activation system in-house (several Sam's locations use a different wireless activation system). All in all, this will make the iPhone available to just about every American (well, the ones with good credit at least) as more U.S. shoppers have exposure to Wal-Mart than just about any other store.
The question is whether Apple is forsaking the iPhone cool brand allure by offering it at the largest discounter in the world. At this time, no. The iPhone 3G has been out in the world long enough for the iPhone to make its name. Offering it at Wal-Mart now won't impact its reputation nor affect Apple's cred.
Since Apple pretty much dictates pricing to its retail partners, expect the iPhone 3G to sell for a dollar or two less than the standard $199 and $299 pricing levels seen at all other retailers. Say, something like $197.48 and $297.48, as Wal-Mart is into non-standard retail pricing schemes to try and create the illusion of low prices against the competition. The presumed launch date: December 28th. Get ready.
Google makes search on the iPhone prettier -- and more useful?
Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) continues to bet that beating the competition in the wireless arena is not a strategy, but a matter of growth survival. If it wants to rule the wireless search and web application universe like it has the world wide web, it has to be everywhere on every device. To that tune, Google has upgraded its search results for the Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone in an effort to fit better with the device's specific display limitations -- and capabilities.
Yes, Google voice search was just added to the iPhone's capabilities, but Google can't stop there. Google indicated this week that the "side to side" scrolling to view complete search results on the iPhone has been eliminated. In addition, easier "click to call" and "get directions" links are now in place for those mobile searches where Google thinks you may want to call someone or find directions from a web search on the iPhone. Even though the iPhone has a great display, it's nowhere near a standard flat-screen monitor.
Similar to how Google displays itself on a standard cellphone, a "Classic" option exists at the bottom of every Google search performed on the iPhone should iPhone users wish to get the "full Google" experience on the limited screen real estate on the iPhone. For iPhone fanatics (you're probably included if you own one), the new layout will probably be to your liking. And, just like Google wants you too, you'll continue to use Google for all your iPhone web-based search needs forever and ever. At the same time, Yahoo! Mobile employees may be heard collectively screaming.
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