Apple’s iPad will be a winner

Then near state of euphoria that surrounded the launch of Apple’s iPad has seemingly died away so now it’s time for the creator of OS X to start selling. There are many nay sayers out there jumping up and down, screaming that there’s no place for a slate with plenty of commentators saying “…it just doesn’t work for me”. But do we care? More to the matter, does Apple care? In a word, no!

Currently, anything i-related (read iPod, iPhone, iwhatever) sells like crazy. Apple has built up levels of consumer loyalty that has the likes of Microsoft and Google drooling green envy but it’s not just about loyalty; for most Mac fans it’s about being cool and having that aura of exclusiveness.

At $499 upwards, the iPad is probably not the cheapest option on the market especially when you consider the relatively low specs on the base model: 16GB SSD and no 3G (feels naked). And we’ve no doubt that some other manufacturers will be building far cheaper, higher spec alternatives in order to grab some of the new slate-related fever doing the rounds (how long will it be before Asus joins the bandwagon?). But none of them will provide any serious competion to Apple’s offering.

Sure, some ‘industry experts’ say there’s no life in the iPad, DOA, etc, etc. But this is Apple that we’re talking about; comeback kid of the tech industry and if anyone can invent a new niche in an already saturated market it’s Steve Jobs and co.

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In fact, the ugly duckling of the family gets three upgrades; a move to the NVIDIA 9400M graphics (inline with the more expensive MacBook offerings), 2Gb of builtin RAM and, at the same time, in comes the 2GHz Core 2 Duo CPU (1GHz system). The latter of these enhancements now brings the processing performance of the plastic Mac inline with it’s mid-range cousins.

Hoooray? No, not quite. Whilst the memory upgrade is definitely welcome, Apple are treading the ‘cautious spending’ path (aka cheap). The upgrade still leaves system using tortoise-like 667MHz DDR2 memory rather than the supremely quicker 1,066MHz DDR3 found in the rather flash, new aluminum models.

So, for your money, the standard plastic Mac is pretty much unchanged with a 120GB hdd, 8X Superdrive and rather poor non-lit keyboard. Upgrade options are available - the plastic MacBook can take up to 4GB of memory and pretty decent 320GB hard drive.

Ok, I grumble but, to be fair, it’s actually not a bad deal. Short of completely revamping the plastic Mac (which, ironically, would raise the price that makes it so attractive) there’s not a great deal more Apple can do.

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It certainly looked like update 2.2 for the iPhone was going to make a lot of users happy. Sadly, that isn’t the case. It seems that happy downloaders of the much heralded update 2.2 have been stung by a series of problems including disapppering apps, failure to synch with iTunes and loss of WiFi/3G/EDGE signal. Added up, these issues alone give the iPhone 3G the value of a house brick!

There is a solution - downgrade, and fast. A procedure has been posted on the net and it goes pretty much like this;

1. Download iPhone OS 2.1 IPSW: [iPhone (first generation) | iPhone 3G]
2. Turn off your iPhone by holding down the sleep/wake button.
3. After the phone is off and hold the sleep/wake and home buttons at the same time for 10 seconds.
4. Release the sleep/wake button; continue to hold down the home button until iTunes detects the iPhone in “recovery mode.” Your iPhone is now in DFU mode.
5. Hold down the option key on a Mac or alt key on a PC and click “Restore” in iTunes.
6. Locate the IPSW file and select it.
Note, however, that they procedure may not work, and you may be forced to restore your iPhone with OS 2.2, potentially losing data in the process.

You’ll notice that I block quoted the details above so don’t try blaming me for any data loss/complete failure of your iPhone. Top tip - make sure you back up all your data before you attempt this downgrade. You may well find that you have to do a comple restore to get you iPhone/iPod working again!

“After the os 2.2 update. Safari suddenly disappeared. Syncing etc didn’t work or resolve the issue. I had to do a restore to get things back to normal.”

The two most widely reported issues were disappearing apps and loss of WiFi connectivity. Looking at the forums, it would appear that most application ‘disappearance’ were intermittent with one user commenting that Safari would ‘appear, then disappear…’ - sort of like a bunny in the magician’s hat but without the comedy value!

“I cannot connect to my wifi at home and I never had a problem in the past.”

This issue was fixed with minimal fuss - tell your iPhone to “forget” the current network config and then reattach to it. Other fixes included:

• Switch the router to WPA2
• Strip out any spaces in the WPA pass phrase
• Remove all security from your wireless router, connect and reconfigure the security
• Reinstall iTunes 7.6.1 on your computer (Mac/Windows).
• Connect your iPhone directly to your computer rather than through a hub (I’m somewhat dubious about this one)
• Turn off auto-lock On your iPhone, set it to “Never” in the General Settings and attempt to synch
• Restore the iPhone - only if you’re really desperate. Make sure you back up EVERYTHING!

Cannot sync with iTunes Several users have reported an issue in which they are unable to sync with iTunes after the iPhone OS 2.2 update.

Potential fixes for iTunes issues include:

All in all, not really a good day for Apple. Marks out of 10?

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Those pesky Chinese copycats are it again - they’ve ripped off the iPhone. Sad to say, that in some ways, this little iPhone Flip actually looks better than the original Apple version. For a start it’s a 3 Mpxs camera and a 2.6 inch screen which makes it considerably better than the iPhone Flip.

Ok, I’m going a little too far - aGPS, Email, Wi-Fi etc which actually makes it pretty crap unless you’re looking for a very basic phone that looks good and only costs £65.

Your choice, if Apple doesn’t manage to close them down anytime soon.

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…17 complaints! That’s right, 17 outraged viewers complained after seeing an iPhone 3G advert that suggested web pages would load in a split second. The Apple advert stated

“So what’s so great about 3G? It’s what helps you get the news, really fast. Find your way, really fast. And download pretty much anything, really fast. The new iPhone 3G. The internet, you guessed it, really fast.”

but they did add a disclaimer at the end of the advert that stated “Network performance may vary by location”. Isn’t that enough? Now I can be very cynical when want to be but this just smacks of bloody minded individuals (or G1 fanboys) needing something to moan about. If their home broadband is a touch under 8Mb do they cancel their contract? I don’t think so.

I’ve seen the ad and I know the page loading images can be deceptive but there’s a disclaimer at the bottom of the advert - can these people not read?

The ASS ASA (Advertising Standards Agency) have ruled that the advert is not to appear again in its current form.

Where’s my rose-tinted glasses?

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6 of the best for Google! The search giant has owned up to breaking the rules of Apple’s iPhone SDK when it created the latest version of the Google Mobile application for the iPhone.

Apparently, Google Mobile uses undocumented APIs (application programming interfaces) in order to use the iPhone’s proximity sensor to prompt a verbal search. iPhone developers are supposed to use only the APIs that Apple publishes in their SDK when creating their ‘home-brewed’ applications - it’s written in the terms!

Although Google has put their hand up over breaking the terms of the agreement it has denied a far a more serious charge; linking to private or dynamic frameworks in the Google Mobile application. Now, I’m not a hardcore developer but even I know that merits more than a slap on the wrist. Undocumented API’s have a major failiing - the lack of documentation around means that future updates of Apple software could break as a result of an undocumented API being used.

It’s not clear if Apple knew that Google were using undocumented API’s but it’s likely that they just sort of slipped through the net. Apple has a hard time policing policing all the apps that go into the App Store so it could be a simple oversight…or it could be part of Google’s plan to take over the whole world, one mobile vendor at at time.

If Apple decides to enforce the agreements terms, Google could be forced to rewrite the Google Mobile code. Simple enough, you might think but look at it another way; Google Mobile’s proximity sensor/verbal search software works because it uses undocumented API’s. Without them, the code will probably be bloated and a long time coming - not the sort of news that current users want to hear.

There is one other solution - Google can simply buy Apple. Or Apple could build their own search engine…..hmm.

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No, we’re not talking about a fun day at the park with tea and scones , more along the lines of millions in compensation to EMG Technology. EMG are seeking damages for for patent infringement over for “the way the iPhone navigates the Internet,” according information circulating. An interesting point to spring out of this is that EMG hasn’t put a figure on the overall amount they want from the lawsuit - a case of ’suck it and see’! Something that may perk the interest of American readers is the engagement of attorney Stanley Gibson, who won the $1.35 billion patent infringement lawsuit against Medtronic.

The patent in question covers the way web pages are reformatted onto TV’s and mobile devices which means that, if EMG win against Apple the floodgates will open for actions against just about every vendor of mobile browser! One of the most important aspects of this patent centres around the way in which touch screen devices manipulate data using and is covered by the patent “Apparatus and method of manipulating a region on a wireless device screen for viewing, zooming and scrolling internet content.” The patent was originally filed on 13th March 2006 which means any parties that may have infringed on it have had plenty of time to do their research.

Before G1 fans sit back and chuckle to themselves, be aware - this patent could be aimed at Android if the case against Apple is successful. At that point we’d see how committed Google really are when it comes to the Android OS.

I know patents are put in place to protect companies and inventions but I’d like to see a system that grants patents based on a working model rather than an idea someone whilst they ‘were sat on the toilet’!

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And it’s a beast!

The latest update for the iPhone has been released and it’s definitely no lightweight - 246.4 Mb which is considerably larger that update 2.1 which came in at 237.8 Mb.

There’s some nice little additions to the iPhone’s capablities rolled into this update but some of the biggest gripes still haven’t been addressed (more on those later). Here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll get:

• Google Street View is rolled into Google Maps
• When you drop a pin the locations address is displayed
• Send your current location in an email (more toys to encourage users sign up to MobileMe?)
• Bugfix scheduled email collection
• Improved stability and performance of Safari - I reserve judgement!
• Podcasts can be downloaded direct to your iPhone via WiFi/3G
• A decrease in call failures/dropped-calls -this was supposedly fixed in the last update!
• Visual voicemail gets improved sound quality
• Return to home screen with a single click of a button - about time. Nokia have been doing this for year
• Turn keyboard auto-correctin on and off - at last!

On the whole, the improvements should keep most users happy but there are a few niggling points that Apple still haven’t addressed; cut & paste functionality hasn’t been included. I use the Wordpress app and constantly writing html is a real pain. There’s no MMS functions (presumably to stop you pirating all the software and media you download from iTunes!). No voice dialling either. Now, most of us can live without these missing features but if Apple wants to get ahead of the game they need to give users what they want (otherwise Android will beat them to the post).

Probably the most import feature in this update is the ability to turn auto-correction off. It’s one of the most hated components of the software; how many times have you not checked a text only to receive a reply from the recipient saying ‘???’ - auto-correct turned you lovingly crafted message into a ball of indecipherable crap!

‘Nuff said?

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Watch out Google, the rumour mill is grinding and sources suggest that Apple is developing a search engine to rival the search giant - I can hear Google sniggering as I type!

The news, which came out of TechCrunch.com, may well be influenced by the fact that Google’s Android OS looks set to take a chunk out of the iPhone market - fight fire with fire, boys.

Although this rumour seems to be a death wish it’s actually quite a logical move on Apple’s part - right now, iPods and iPhones own a seriously large chunk of the market for their respective sectors. By building a search engine which integrates into OS X and charging for ad space Apple could pull in some serious moolah. Then there’s Safari - make an Apple search engine the default setting, sit back and let the money roll in.

TechCrunch does go on to point out that Apple may simply be redesigning the user experience for searching whilst retaining Google as the engine of choice.

Either way, Google currently holds the search engine crown. To beat them, Apple will have to produce something specatular which integrates easily and provides the relevancy users want. Integration will be simple for Apple - they own OS X, the rest…let’s wait and see.

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Definitely not the sort of news you’d expect to hear from the makers of the iPhone but it’s certainly food for thought but will Apple be able to take a big bite out of the gaming sector? Looking at the news that’s appearing on the web it would seem so.

A number of games are now available for the iPod Touch through iTunes App Store that have put paid to the rumours about the supposed quality of games. Take a look around iTunes and you’ll find goodies such as Gameloft’s Real Soccer 2009 (easily rivals the Nintendo DS version) and demos for the likes of Sim City (this one is getting rave reviews).

The market penetration of the iPhone 3G alone is enough to make most manufacturers drool with envy and gives Apple a very competitive edge. Add in the iPod Touch and some analysts are suggesting potential sales figures in the region of 40 milliion units per year! This compares to about 42 million DS consoles sold between January 2007 to June 2008 - Apple looks set to top the sales charts in the near future which will, in turn, allow them to dominate the games market.

Another key component of Apples massive gaming potential reach is the huge success of iTunes; can you honestly point to anyone between the ages of 15 and 50 and say they’ve never heard of iTunes? The move into games downloads is a logical, if somewhat surprising, move by Apple which has probably been planned since the launch of the iPod Touch and iPhone 3G.

Pricing of games is also weighted in Apples favour - £10 and under through App Store versus £20 - £40 for DS games…you get the picture. No shipping or associated costs as the game is downloaded and bug fixes can be pushed out through App Store - it makes you wonder why Nintendo etc didn’t think of distributing games via download! That said, comparitively speaking the actual cost of the Apple devices is considerably higher than Nintendo or Sony consoles - no problem; just think of all the money you’ll save in the long run by downloading through App Store!

Ok, not everyone who buys an iPhone or iPod Touch wants to play games and the devices don’t seem to have been designed with gaming in mind but the touchscreen functionality allows for some pretty impressive moves inside a game. Who knows, maybe this is the start of the next big thing in gaming.

So, with 1500 games already available to download competitors such as Sony and Nintendo will have to work hard to keep up with Apple. Will the T-Mobile G1 follow suit at some stage? It wouldn’t surprise me - successful ideas always have their mimics.

It seems that rumours of iTunes demise at the hands of competing music download sites have been massively exaggerated; Apple has made the move to the gaming arena and, based on the current quality of games downloads, look set to be a big winner. Time for Nintendo, et al to respond!

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