Science and technology news blog

Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced a price cut on the iPhone barely 2.5 months after its launch. This irked a lot of existing customers and Jobs quickly went into damage control by announcing that all existing iPhone customers would be getting a $100 credit towards their phone bill. This has by far been the quickest price cut that I have seen, but it makes sense as Apple can afford a cut right now. The iPhone is supposedly costing Apple around $250 in manufacturing costs and sells at $499 and $599 for 4GB and 8GB models respectively.

The following is a good article to read on the recent price cut from Apple:

http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_The_iPhone_vs_the_PS3_A_Price_Cut_Comparison_08398.html 

Composite video of the iPhone showing its expected functionality

And we have another browser dreaming to make it big on Windows. But after trying Safari for about 30 minutes I uninstalled it. There was no new features to really talk about and the interface was completely crap. Yeah, I know that a lot of Apple fans would be baying for my blood, but the truth is that Safari does not stand a chance against Firefox or IE. Even Opera packs in quite a punch as compared to Apple’s Safari.

The biggest concern is the interface. Instead of changing to interface to look more like Internet Explorer or Firefox, Apple chose to go the iTunes way. Not that iTunes is bad, but if Apple wants to convert IE and Firefox users to Safari, then they have bet wrongly on the GUI. Exactly the same reason why there are more Windows desktops than Apple’s. In my opinion, its better to wait for the full version to release. Although if you are like me who want to try out the latest and the self-proclaimed greatest browser, then download it from here: http://www.apple.com/safari

Ever since Steve Jobs’ keynote at the Macworld Expo in January, we’ve known that the iPhone is being released sometime in June. But we haven’t known exactly when.

Now Cingular is confirming that the release date will be June 11. A customer service manager at Cingular (we called 800-947-5096 and were transferred to sales) gave us that date late Thursday, but, alas, said he didn’t have any additional information beyond that.

That date is no coincidence. It’s the first day of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, scheduled to be held in San Francisco from June 11 through June 15. (Incidentally, the agenda includes a focus on Leopard, the next generation of OS X that’s supposed to be released sometime in the second quarter of 2007.)

Rumors have been swirling about the iPhone release date. One blog pointed to a release date of June 15 based on alleged documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission, but those have been shown to be a hoax.

Apple and US networking giant Cisco have resolved their battle over the iPhone trademark and the iPod maker will now be able to use the name for its new mobile phone.

Apple’s recently announced plans to enter the mobile phone market quickly ran into trouble with Cisco deciding to sue the company for using the iPhone name, which it believed it had trademarked.

But now the two have issued a joint statement announcing that both companies are free to use the “iPhone” trademark on their products.

Click here for full article

With Apple’s products garnering so much attention these days, the company’s biggest competitors have been busily designing new gadgets to steal some of that limelight. Microsoft ’s Zune didn’t turn out to be the iPod killer that some had predicted it would be, but Samsung is ready to launch a new smartphone that it hopes will turn out to be an iPhone killer.

On Thursday, Samsung announced a new addition to its Ultra portfolio, offering similar features to Apple’s highly anticipated iPhone, which is scheduled to launch in June through Cingular . Samsung’s Ultra Smart F700 will formally debut at the 3GSM telecommunications event held next week in Barcelona.

In a published statement, Geesung Choi, president of Samsung’s Telecommunications Network Business, said the Ultra Smart F700 is a good example of how mobile phones will evolve in the future. Indeed, the new model does reflect an emerging smartphone trend toward large touch-screen displays. But for those who still want access to phone functions through a more traditional keyboard, the F700 offers a slide-out Qwerty keypad as well.

Click here for full article

Apple is recommending that iTunes users stick with Windows XP for now. The iPod-maker is warning that its music store software might not be compatible with Vista, Microsoft ’s latest operating system.

Those who own iPods depend on the software to synch music stored on their computers with their MP3 players. Apple is suggesting that, although iTunes 7.0.2 might work with Windows Vista on many typical PCs, customers should wait to upgrade Windows until after the next release of iTunes. The company said the upgrade would be available in the next few weeks.

According to Tim Deal, a senior analyst with Pike & Fischer, Apple has a strong incentive to respond to the issue quickly: the possibility of losing revenue. “Apple has been relatively quick to respond to compatibility issues in the past,” he noted. “The quicker the better because if users get frustrated they could switch to another digital music player.”

Click here for full article

With the launch of Windows Vista, Bill Gates is giving it the proverbial ‘one hundred and ten percent’ in explaining to everyone in the world why they should care about the new operating system.

In response to analyst speculation that Windows Vista could be the last Microsoft operating system of its kind, as we know it, Gates replies to Newsweek, “Well, people have said that at every major Windows release. Java was going to eliminate Windows programming, or thin clients were going to eliminate people buying PCs.”

The Microsoft chairman says that operating systems keep getting better and richer and that there are no shortages of radical things that will be happening in the next release. When asked if Microsoft will be back with a new OS in 2010-2011, Gates was confident enough to say, “Absolutely.”

Gates said that the next version of Windows “will be more user-centric,” meaning that users should be able to move from PC to PC, whether or not it is their own, and still be able to access much of their own information by using Live Services, regardless of where they are. “So even if you drop by a [public] kiosk or somebody else’s PC, we can bring down your home page, your files, your fonts, your favorites and those things.”

Click here for full article

It looks like Apple’s new iPhone has some serious competition…

LG has announced today the launch of the LG KE850 PRADA mobile phone which the company claims to be the first completely touch screen mobile phone.

The same claim was made by Apple last week at MacWorld Expo about the new iPhone and that is not the only similarity. In fact, the new LG KE850 PRADA looks too much like the iPhone to be a coincidence.

The new LG KE850 is the result of the collaboration between LG Electronics and Prada, one of the world’s leading brands in the luxury goods industry and it has been designed to be a truly fashion accessory.

Click here for full article

I love whiz-bang technology. I love it so much that when MP3 players first came out, I bought one as a voice recorder for business interviews when all my reporter counterparts were still buying reel-to-reel mini recorders or digital recorders with a one-tenth the memory and no file-manipulation capabilities. And, I love my cell phone because I can send and receive messages in a meeting, take photos on the fly, shop on it and perform Google searches no matter where I am—and it was free with my cellular service plan. So why would I ever pay $500 for a cell phone? I don’t think I’m alone here.

Market research firm Isuppli Corp. today released a research report stating that the iPhone will generate more than a 50% gross margin for Apple—nothing unusual for them. That basically means that Apple is pocketing $250 for every iPhone it sells. Compare that with the average gross margin of 10% to 20% for handsets and you’ll see where Apple is really relying on fan loyalty to gouge.

In a recent interview, Steve Ballmer chortled when asked about the iPhone. Not that I would normally take anything seriously that a Microsoft executive would say about an Apple product, but in this interview posted on YouTube, he makes two very good points: 1) $500 for a phone is outrageous when you can get the same features on another cell phone for less than $100; 2) The iPhone has no keypad, so it’s not business/text-message friendly.

Click here for full article

With characteristic showmanship, Steven P. Jobs introduced Apple’s long-awaited entry into the cellphone world Tuesday, pronouncing it an achievement on a par with the Macintosh and the iPod.

In Cingular-Apple Deal, Only a Phone Was Missing (January 10, 2007) The creation, the iPhone, priced at $499 or $599, will not be for everyone. It will be available with a single carrier, Cingular Wireless, at midyear. Its essential functions — music player, camera, Web browser and e-mail tool as well as phone — have become commonplace in hand-held devices.

But it was the ability to fuse those elements with a raft of innovations and Apple’s distinctive design sense that had the crowd here buzzing.

Apple’s goal, Mr. Jobs said, was to translate the Macintosh computer’s ease of operation into the phone realm. “We want to make it so easy to use that everyone can use it,” he said. And he was clearly betting on translating Apple’s success with the iPod music player to a hot category of multifunction devices.

Click here for full article

Click here to discuss this

Not to be outdone by their Windows counterparts at CES, Microsoft’s Macintosh Business Unit announced today at Macworld the release of a universal version of Office designed to run on both Power-PC and Intel-based Macs. Set for release in the second half of 2007, Office 2008 for Mac promises to implement new tools and introduce an Apple-centric look and feel, while retaining the program’s existing Windows-sharing capabilities.

Like the recently-introduced Office 2007 for Windows, Office 2008 will feature Office Art 2.0, a graphics engine that allows users to add professional level graphics with ease. Mac users will also receive their own, unique version of Office 2007’s popular user-friendly interface, Ribbon. Designed with Apple users is mind Elements attempts to make Office’s tools more easily discoverable by users, taking full advantage of Mac-specific technologies, and maintaining a look and feel familiar to its users.

Click here for full article

The patent in question, filed in 2001 and granted in 2005, outlines the business model for offering video content from various providers to consumers over the TV and the Internet, Intertainer Inc. said in its lawsuit.

Intertainer claims Apple, Google and Napster are using the patent without permission. The lawsuit, filed last week in U.S. District Court in Marshall, Texas, seeks damages and a permanent injunction.

Apple recently started selling movies through its popular iTunes online store, while Google offers a mix of free and for-pay video content and recently bought the highly trafficked video-sharing site YouTube. Napster runs an Internet music service.

Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said Wednesday the company does not comment on pending litigation, while Napster spokeswoman Dana Harris said the company was looking into the matter. A call to Google for comment was not immediately returned.

A new iPod or two, an iPod phone or two, the iTV, an 8-core Mac Pro, a 12-inch MacBook, the Mac Tablet, an OS X 10.5 demo, new ‘Universal’ software and more… everyone is expecting Apple to release something in just about every category they currently cover. Can Apple really deliver something in each category, and will the press only focus on what wasn’t delivered, instead of what was?

Macworld 2007 is the most anticipated Apple event in history. Never before has there been such enormous expectation placed on one company – and ultimately, until Steve Jobs leaves – one man to deliver an astounding series of innovative, easy to use products at the much more consumer friendly pricing that Apple has used over at least the last couple of years.

Even compatibility with Windows is an issue that’s as hot as ever, especially as the Mac can now run Windows natively in Boot Camp, or under virtualization (along with a host of other operating systems) using Parallels or VMWare. The rumours that Mac OS X 10.5 will do what Parallels does today won’t go away either.

Can Steve Jobs pulls not just one rabbit out of the hat, but more than half a dozen? If anyone can, it’s easy to believe that Steve Jobs can. But of course, no-one but Steve, his inner circle and the Chinese manufacturers who are manufacturing (or is it assembling) the products that were ‘Designed in California’ can really know.

Click here for full article

As if its options woes weren’t trouble enough, Apple Computer Inc. said Friday it is facing several federal lawsuits, including one alleging the company created an illegal monopoly by tying iTunes music and video sales to its market-leading iPod portable players.

The case, filed July 21, is over Apple’s use of a copy-protection system that generally prevents iTunes music and video from playing on rival players. Likewise, songs purchased elsewhere aren’t easily playable on iPods.

The plaintiff is seeking unspecified damages and other relief. The court denied Apple’s motion to dismiss the complaint on Dec. 20.

Another lawsuit, filed Nov. 7, alleges that the logic board of Apple’s iBook G4 fails at an abnormally high rate. The plaintiff is seeking unspecified damages. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Apple said its response to the complaint is not yet due.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based company also disclosed that PhatRat Technology LLC filed a lawsuit Oct. 24 alleging patent infringement. The Nike-iPod product in question, developed jointly with Nike Inc., allow runners to keep track of how far and how fast they’ve gone. The company’s response to the complaint is not yet due.

Click here for full article