F. J. Taylor

Verizon Launches Direct Ad Attack Against the iPhone

Ho-hum. When will they ever learn?

First of all, this "commentator" is just regurgitating flak he read elsewhere, or is paid to shill for Verizon.

Android, while a neat step in the right direction, will NOT be the "iPhone killer" - any more than Zune and scores of others were "iPod killers."

As usual, the sad, lame, wannabee "competition" is skating to where the puck was - while Jobs, like Gretsky, skates to where the puck will be.

Most of iPhone's few "faults" have already been cured, and the rest soon will be. "No keyboard"? Who cares? Most of us who use the iPhone have already adapted to the new tech. "Keyboards" are clunky, VERY old (125 years) tech. Only dinosaur type users think they "need" them - and dinosaurs are, in case you hadn't noticed, going extinct at a rapid rate...

Also, Droid will almost certainly not interface as smoothly with the Apple OS as the iPhone does - it remains to be seen if it will even interface with Windoze as well as the iPhone already does. This is of importance because although Windoze is still the largest OS, their Vista cost them a LOT of business - which, along with those enamored of Apple by iPod and later the iPhone, have migrated to Apple platforms - and once there users tend to NEVER want to mess with buggy, slow, clunky Windoze again. (I know I won't! I refuse to even help friends still mired in Windoze these days - I send them to the local computer shop. I'd rather stick sharpened pencis in my eyes than return to Windoze!)

With China about to open to iPhone (already popular there using jail-broken copies), global sales should do well.

No, I will be using my iPhone for a very long time. While I would love to go back to Verizon, who I was with since they were Airtouch, I hope I have made it very clear to them that I will never return unless they have the REAL iPhone, not some sad wannabee version.

AT&T: The (Apple) Brand Destroyer

This article was totally bizarre!!

@JeffDB - AT&T has "radical left wing politics"???? What color is the sky on your planet? AT&T has been a far-far-right org almost since its inception. These are the same guys who called for the overthrow of Allende in Chile when he nationalized their holdings there - and got it, along with having him assassinated, and lots of other nasty actis in South America and elsewhere.

They were mega-donors to Dubya and his Dad, and Ronnie Ray-gun before them, and they never saw a right-wing politician or cause they didn't like.

Not sure what their policy towards homosexuals is, and don't really care, as a person's gender or preference is of minus zero interest to me, and none of my business, though I think they should have the same rights as anyone else. Same for abortions - the last worst form of birth control, but preferable in many case to unwanted kids being born - or even wanted, but to the WRONG parents. (I worked in Juvenile Halls and the Neglected and Abused Home for some time, and BELIEVE ME, there are a lot of folks who should NEVER have kids - or even be near them... and there are kids who would have been far better off never having been born than being born into the places they were.) It is also none of my business (or the govt.'s, or yours for that matter) what other people do.

Not sure how a person can have "Christian values" and be an investor anyway - did you ever consider the harm many of the companies do to the planet and the people of the world? As I recall, Yehoshua said something about "sell all you have, give the money to the poor, and follow me." and his comment about how it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Unless the Bible on your planet is as different as the AT&T.)

He did NOT say (to the best of my knowledge), "Yea, verily invest in ye great trans-national mega-corps, and give unto them your gold, for they shall multiply it many times, even as the loaves and fishes, (unless they lose the bundle in their maneuverings and chicanery and with the mega-bonuses they pay unto their CEOs) and despite the damage they do unto tose in the Third World, be thou not vexed, because that exploitation of men, women, and children will gain thee many gold ducats, and they are only sons of the cursed Ham anyway, so piddle upon them." (Nothing personal - we are all just as bad here - I just don't pretend I have Christian (or any other religious) "values" - which (historically speaking) usually means you have to hate and / or kill someone else who believes differently...

As to AT&T - I can understand some of these comments - AT&T as a corporation sucks. Most corporations suck. Even Apple has its suck moments, and I have been an Apple fan for years.

Their tech and customer service personnel have improved greatly in recent years, but they remain hard to actually get to, and yes, AT&T has done damage in some respects to the iPhone, especially in the buying aspects and the "one size fits all" data plan.

As to the dropped calls - I have had pretty good luck with them, and I just found out an interesting factoid - if you are on speaker and you forget or want it more private and hold it to your ear, your ear can cause the mute to go on, seeming to be a dropped call.

Other than that, their coverage is great.

Verizon (who I had for many years, and only left for iPhone) had good coverage and GREAT service - and if they go with iPhone in the future, I may look at them again.

Meantime, Apple is a GREAT product and stock.

(Full disclosure: Bought when it was 86, sold half at more than twice that, still have shares, long on Apple.)

Trade Apple Like a Fool

Mr. Bass is right about the state of the market in general, and the deteriorating economy being unfavorable for any non-essentials.

I also wouldn't be surprised if Apple continues to slide during this market - but not because it is over-valued or any of the other usual reasons.

However, if it slides, it will mainly be because "the market" seems to be composed of manic-depressives who practice voodoo instead of looking at fundamentals, and because of articles slighting Apple stock, not because of any weakness in the company or products.

Obviously the market is down, and we are in a depression IMO (which, BTW, I saw coming over two years ago and cashed out of a lot of my holdings while they were high - except for half my Apple, which I kept -and so I am now playing with "house money")

However, Mikey is incorrect to state that the iPhone is a "trinket" of "jewelry" - while its usual superb Apple styling may give it that appearance, it is actually one of the most remarkable electronic devices in modern times - far from being a mere "smart-phone" or glorified MP3 player (which it is), it is the first true MID (Mobile Internet Device) - and a hell of a lot more besides. With the native apps, and the burgeoning third-party apps, it has an enormous amount of potential to become one of the greatest mind-tools ever developed.

It is truly astonishing - so much so, that even I, a long-time Apple user and booster, was amazed when I finally got my 3G recently - I knew of some of its capabilities, but was blown away when I finally got into the workings!! I don't have time to detail the device and all its capabilities here, but go to the Apple site and take the tour - or better yet, walk into an Apple or AT&T store (or your local Walmart or Best Buy) and get a demo.

I have also purchased one for my step-daughter (my step-son got one of the first ones), and am planning to get one for my wife shortly as well. I will be switching our lines to AT&T from my long-time favorite Verizon (albeit reluctantly, as I have been with them for over 12 years), and that means AT&T (and Apple) will be getting monthly income of about $125 for two years. I am not the only one I know who is doing this.

Apple has enormous potential to revolutionize the entire phone AND computer industry (they are already inspiring iPhone wannabees from all the major and many minor players) - and I believe they will.

While I agree not everyone will be able to afford one, especially now, that has always been the case with Apple products - though I personally wish everyone could have them - they are such a pleasure to use!!

And of course, these are only one product - there also are the iPods (especially the brilliant Touch, which was my "gateway drug" into iPhones), Air, the MacBook line, the iTunes music and video business, and all the marvelous hardware and software they are so justly famed for - far easier to use, superbly styled, and with killer customer service and support - and a lot more besides!

My own intention is to hold my remaining Apple stock - and buy more when I think it has hit bottom. Of course, this is only my take and strategy - everyone should think for themselves and do what you need to for your individual circumstances.

As to the economy and society in general - I hope we will all be around to see a better time and place than that which is currently shaping - but knowing people and history, I am always a bit dubious. Good luck to you all.

Crop of New Smartphones Will Compete With iPhone

Ho-hum! Yet another crop of would-be / wannabee iPhone "killers" and a writer who obviously doesn't know the field or what these devices actually are.

First, as I have said many times on these threads: iPhone is NOT a "smartphone" - it is a MID (Mobile Internet Device) - and it is the best - and so far the ONLY - one out there that is a true MID.

Second, regular wireless phones, even "smartphones" are passe for true mobile wireless internet device users, though there will doubtless always be a market, at least for the near to intermediate term. However, that market will never shop an iPhone or anything like it - because they can't afford it and generally aren't tech-savvy.

Third, my income is well below 100K, as is most of the people I personally know who already have or are planning on getting the iPhone. I don't know about you but I NEVER give my personal info to those wretches in marketing. If you do, you are just plain silly.

Fourth, Apple has the best OS and mobile OS available (OS X), and they interface beautifully - but will still work with those poor Windows users still mired in that drecky platform. As for the other abysmal "mobile platforms" being offered... the less said the better!

Fifth, I have used the touch screen. There are NO problems for the average user - even one with thick fingers who is a poor typist (like me). In fact, the intuitive nature of the app makes it even easier to type using this system - and there is nobody among the younger generation who feels the need for a physical keyboard, which just make the whole thing bigger and bulkier than it needs to be.

Sixth, I have spoken with AT&T sales personnel at our local store - which is in a small rural town in OR. They said the iPhone outsells all their other "smartphone" models by 25% - with the next closest model being their Blackberry. If that is indicative of actual sales nation-wide (which, judging by the fact that the iPhone is still flying out of stores everywhere, it is), I assume that means Main Street has already spoken.

As to the touted G1 - it is a clunky ugly duckling (though the Open Source model is one I support). However, like the Voyager and all the other "competitors", whatever their good features, they all lack the main item - Apple OS as their platform. I will not settle for less.

9 Feature Comparisons: G1 vs. iPhone

Yes, Blaque - and we all KNOW how many people choose to run the various cute Linux GUIs, right?

If one wants the world's best GUI on a UNIX base, one runs OS X. Period.

Also, though you are perfectly correct in stating that Apple is a niche market, you forget (or are perhaps too young to know) that Apple was once the Big Dog on the block, with a dominant share of the market...

With its string of recent hits with iPod / iTunes and iPhone luring many former Windows customers away, I'd say there is a fair chance they may again become number one.

However, whatever Android does or becomes, it is a good idea - and will speed development in the field. It is not good for any system to have primacy, as we learned from MS's dominance of the field.

A Real iPhone Challenger - Barron's

HO-hum... yet another "iPhone killer" - yeah, right! Like Zune and the rest killed iPod?

HTC? Never heard of it till now. Never even SAW one. (I've seen hundreds of iPhones, however.) AND it runs Windows??? If it doesn't run Apple OS, I am not interested. I am a former DOS / Windows user and systems administrator who migrated to Apple about 10 years ago and have never looked back - so I want as little to do with MS dreck as possible.

The only close competitor iPhone had was Blackberry - and with the new generation, that is going to be sucking eggs soon.

I have no idea where these gentlemen are getting their outlandish ideas - but I can make a guess... Redmond.

Apple, Microsoft Run for the Clouds in the New Client Software War

The author and many commentators have some interesting and valid points.

However, I agree with several of the comments re: the fact that web-based apps, while having great potential, will not likely dominate the market any time soon - especially since many (perhaps most) of us prefer the security and ease of use of device-based apps.

Apple is fully aware of and pushing the envelope of web-based computing, and is on the cutting edge of web-based computing as several comments correctly point out. Leopard, the iPhone, and Air were intended to inaugurate this, but Mr. Jobs soon learned that the public are not "there" yet.

An analogy might be Net-based sales vs. "bricks and mortar" - a few years back, the dot-com bust was littered with great and innovative on-line sales ventures that failed for only one reason - the Great Unwashed was unready for the concept. Now, Net sales are a large and growing segment of the economy.

I love iPhone and Air, and intend to get the former shortly. (I am waiting for Gen 2 and ( hopefully ) an eventual open provider system - or at least a fool-proof hack!) If I were still a Road Warrior, I'd have an Air in a heartbeat!

I differ strongly with the author's opinion that hardware innovation is finished - quite the opposite.

As some commentators correctly pointed out, this merely betrays a lack of knowledge about what is happening right now in computing - though retired, I have friends who are still deep in tech, and though they cannot speak in detail, there are developments afoot in the coming "Computer Revolution" that will make the first one pale by comparison.

Re: MS - they are far too slow, clumsy, and ungainly to ever come close to out-maneuvering Apple in products or in the web-based world.

Re: gentleman from MS's comments on Zune - with all due respect, I cannot think of a single aspect of any MS product that outdoes Apple - let alone Zune, which in my opinion is a singularly clumsy and unlovely attempt to knock off the iPod - much as Windows was a clumsy and unlovely attempt to knock off the Apple GUI. I would say Zune sales and usage vs. iPod sales and usage adequately reflect this.

MS's early success had much less to do with product superiority (none) than with the early decision to license, early teaming with Deep Blue, (and Apple, for that matter), etc.

(Disclosure: I DON'T work for Apple, though I am a user, and I previously used every MS system and product from DOS 3.0 through XP, as well as Unix and Linux. I have run LAN networks of both Apple and Windows, and I wouldn't return to Windows under pain of death, nor would I touch the extremely clumsy and ugly "Vista" with a fork.)

Handset OS Fragmentation is Here to Stay

While Dean has a number of good points as usual, he misses several facts - here in Europe, iPhones are flying out the door - they cannot stock enough to keep up with demand. Even in countries where it hasn't been "officially" released yet, it is selling like hotcakes. I understand from friends in Asia that the same applies there - there are even iPhone knock-offs and look-alikes appearing. (Be careful of where you purchase them!)

The iPhone already number 2 or 3 (depending on whose figures you use) among smartphones - this is only 6 months after its release, and before the release of SDK, the 3G and MS Exchange-capable, increased capacity versions, etc.

All of this indicates by any reasonable standard that the iPhone is indeed rapidly changing the face of the entire industry.

As to the overall theme of platform wars, etc, I imagine that they will continue for some time, although it is my hope that the Unix-based platforms (esp. those who have embraced Open Source) will prevail, as they are quite simply the smoothest, most stable, most secure, and best.

For me personally, Apple will remain the platform of choice for all those reasons and more. I am just waiting to get my iPhone till they intro those items I mentioned above (probably later this year) and (hopefully!) drop the locked provider deal so I can deal with a provider of my choice.

Under The Radar News - Friday

Eli, you always have things of interest, are a compendium of information and (mostly!) good ideas, and I love your columns. That said, you are way off the mark on iPhone vs. Google.

First, as Miner himself said; "That's for a device that doesn't even exist yet." He's right - it doesn't - and it may never exist. (Though I tend to think it will emerge eventually.)

I am a big believer in the Open Source movement - it has some remarkable people doing remarkable things that need to be done.

However, I don't see Android (if and when it emerges) as being even a match for iPhone, let alone a killer. The iPhone already has generated some self-proclaimed "iPhone killers" a la the iPod - but we see how far they went. (What's a "Zune" again...?)

Put simply, a hodge-podge of Open Source software for a mobile device is simply no match for the smooth, slick, well-integrated iPhone. This is all the more relevant because the Apple OS and Mac is once more a growing market share, thanks to iPod, iTunes - and especially thanks to Microsoft's Vista, which is driving even die-hard MS users away in droves - and into the arms of Apple. (I just helped yet another life-long Windows tech convert the other day!)

It's like the difference between Linux and OS X - both are Unix based, and have safer, faster, and more secure operation than Windows ever did or ever will. Both have nice GUIs (now that the interfaces on Linux have been substantially improved). But if you want to run a Unix based machine with the best GUI out there - you want a Mac!

Likewise, if you want a great mobile device designed for web-based work, and that also has a lot of terrific native software supported by the best support team out there, and that will seamlessly interface with the growing number of Macs - you get iPhone - this a no-brainer.

That said, I believe there will be a market for Android, and that it fills a much-needed gap. I also hope it spurs Apple into some much-needed reforms of the iPhone and their business model (such as being locked to one provider).

However, when I buy, it will be iPhone. (BTW, my stepson [another die-hard Windows convert!] just did - and he loves it!!!)

Apple's AT&T Deal Is Costly

I am as big an Apple fan and user as exists on the planet - even in the years they were in Coventry, I was a Mac booster. I have sold hundreds of people on them, and watched with pleasure as sales and shares eventually grew.

That said, I am not a Kool-Aid drinking Mac-aholic. Apple and Mr. Jobs have ALWAYS had a snooty attitude, control issues, and hubris that would make a Greek tragic hero blanch.

They are unapproachable as a firm, their attitude is "We know best." (even though nobody has a corner on the marketplace of ideas).

I have waited and asked for a product like the iPhone for 10 years or more, and now that they deliver it, they try to force me to join a network that I'd sooner stick pencils in my eyes than join again. (AT&T in the US, and other equally unacceptable non-choices overseas).

I posted words to this effect on the Apple website users forum, only to have it removed by the Apple equivalent of Big Brother.

I understand the above posters' points, but think the author had a few valid points as well - I am living proof, as I have sat on my hands to resist buying the product I have waited for so long until Apple either opens it up or signs on with a network I choose to do business with. (My choice is Verizon.)

Until then, there will be one iPhone unsold, no matter how many others they sell, locked or unlocked. And no, I refuse to buy a crippled unit that might well become a brick!

I also refuse to buy Leopard till they de-bug it. Even Rush Limbaugh (a long time Mac user, fan, and booster, who I have minus zero else in common with) has stated publicly his dissatisfaction with Leopard - but he will probably get more attention than I will!

I hope the other Apple users who posted here read this and think about what I am saying - I don't think even the long arm of Jobs can reach Alpha and take this post down!