BurkPhoto

Why Amazon Isn't Worried About iPhone's Kindle

The Kindle is great for what it is. My sister loves hers. But the iPhone and iPod Touch are multi-purpose devices. Last I checked, they can be any of about 85,000 different things, in addition to a book reader. So which would you rather carry around all day?

Okay, so they're a bit small, the iPhone sucks batteries dead in a few hours, and the Touch does, too. But you can use either while you charge, and you can charge in your car or at your desk or anywhere there's an outlet. Various third party battery solutions are also available.

Then there's the screen size. Despite the fact that these gizmos have the sharpest, best screens on the market for their size, they are still small, and no amount of pinch and spread touch gesturing to reduce and enlarge the image is going to make up for that when reading Gone With the Wind.

Beyond the iPhone and the iPod Touch, then, most of us who follow Apple expect them to release a product somewhere between those items and a MacBook in its design scope. Call it iPad, or iTab(let), or whatever, and hope it's a general purpose computing device as well. With a 7 to 10 inch touch screen, it could be about perfect for use as a reader, and as all 85,000+ other things the earlier devices can be as well.

I'd look for Apple to release such a device some time in the next three to five months, hopefully in time for the holidays. They're building a huge, honkin' data center in North Carolina to serve up content for something... I'd bet it's for this sort of device, among others.

E-Reader Wars Heating Up: Apple May Have Edge with Younger Generations

Apple will revolutionize this space. They're building a HUGE facility here in NC to serve data. They have the ecosystem in place with iTunes and the App Store. They are building a seamlessly scaled platform with OS X. At some point, they are going to OWN content provision in this country.

If you haven't spent 15 minutes or an hour in an Apple store, you owe it to yourself to see what the buzz is about. If you haven't spent 15 minutes playing with an iPhone 3GS or the new iPod Touch, go play with one. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

This is a company with an extremely long view and an extremely wholistic approach. They want their customers to move easily from one of their products to another, and to be able to use any of them instinctively. They are ALL ABOUT the consumer experience with electronics. When you use their systems, you concentrate on the task, not the tech.

Watch what happens with this company in the next six months. It will be amazing, and I'm not just talking about the financial performance or the stock price...

Why Apple's iTouch Tablet Will Become Its Flagship Product

It's long rumored because it takes Apple a measured amount of time to put all the pieces in place. They will release it when the ecosystem to support it is ready.

If all it took was hardware, we could have had *some* sort of hardware, oh, two years ago?

There's the network question... Will it be data only? Whose network? Then there's the OS question... How much does Snow Leopard have to do with the tablet, and vice-versa? Then there's the battery life issue... related to the processor issue (Atom? ARM? Something entirely new?)

But above all those things, how is it positioned for success? Is there content lined up for it? Does the App Store work with it? Are developers ready with wares for it? Are major newspapers and magazines and publishing houses and others on board?

On Jul 26 04:53 PM evanz wrote:

> Let's see if I can sum this up. The long rumored Apple tablet is
> not a phone. It's not a computer. It's not an e-reader. What exactly
> are we all so excited about here? Think about it this way...will
> this device replace the need for a phone? No. The need for a computer?
> No. There is, afterall, a reason the tablet is "long rumored".

Why Apple's iTouch Tablet Will Become Its Flagship Product

The significance of the App Store and its 65,000+ titles and 1.5 billion sales to date is not (yet) revenue for applications (unless you're a developer of a megahit title!). It is the success of that marketing ecosystem in enhancing the utility of the iPhone and iPod Touch to levels way beyond those of competitive devices.

It's not just a phone, folks! It's a fully functioning communications computer in your pocket. It's already way beyond the "Dick Tracy Two Way Wrist TV" we saw in the 1960s comics... With video capture and editing, still camera with image database, phone with interactive directory, GPS, compass, gaming, email, chat, online shopping, Internet radio and music downloads, etc. ad nauseam, it is a wild fantasy granted reality status. Who wouldn't want one?

So when Apple makes it bigger, it will just have a whole range of additional uses that replace print.

The significance of the App Store is that it makes the iPhone/iPod Touch an "iDo Anything" device. Can any of Apple's competitors in the smart phone market claim they're anywhere close to this?





On Jul 25 05:33 PM Michael Comeau wrote:

> I don't understand the excitement over the 1.5 billion app sales.
> The vast majority of them are of the 99-cent variety.

Why Apple's iTouch Tablet Will Become Its Flagship Product

@ Roger Knights:

The Kindle is very readable, without a backlight. However, I've been using PowerBooks and MacBook Pros since 1994, and I can't say I've ever experienced eye strain or fatigue from the screen. LCD/LED monitors have decent backlight controls on them, so you can limit the brightness to a comfortable level. My wife's iPod Touch has a brightness adjustment on it that lets the user set a comfortable level.


On Jul 25 01:40 AM Roger Knights wrote:

> BurkPhoto wrote:
>
> "Given the high resolution screens on the iPod Touch and the iPhone,
> I'd bet the high res screen on an iTouch Tablet or iPad or whatever
> they'll call it will be high enough res to do the job of virtual
> ink as good as, or better than, the Kindle."
>
> It isn't the lack of resolution that makes long-term (multi-hour)
> reading tiring on the eyes on an iPhone or iTablet, but the backlighting.
> A Kindle's screen isn't backlit, so it is readable without eyestrain
> for long periods of time.
>
> "The Kindle is great, but it's a one-trick pony. Apple will release
> a general purpose device with much greater total utility."
>
> I agree, which is why I said the iTablet will sweep the world, leaving
> only heavy duty readers for the Kindle. (In comments elsewhere on
> the Kindle I've argued that it needs to be more of a general-purpose
> device, and that Bezos's determination not to do so is a huge mistake.)

Why Apple's iTouch Tablet Will Become Its Flagship Product

@davesmall:

Thanks for the kudos. I'll add that one of the remarkable things about this company is that they don't follow; they lead. They don't play by the "rules"; they make the rules. They know, culturally, the difference between a commodity market and a luxury market, and they choose to play predominately in the latter.

If anyone wants an idea of how good their stuff really is, without buying it, just mosey on over to InfoWorld.com and read Tom Yager's reviews of their hardware. As InfoWorld's Chief Technologist, he knows a thing or two about computers.

That said, if you want to know *first hand* what the Apple experience is like, then first visit the Apple store online, and then visit one of their stores if it's not too far out of the way for you. The experience is not unlike that you would encounter at a Lexus or Mercedes dealer, or Neiman Marcus, or a W hotel, or any top tier vendor of anything.

There really is a difference. They think differently, with strategic vision rather than with a bullying strategy. They think long-term, with grand plans that lead to multiplicative opportunities. In short, don't short them. We ain't seen nuthin' yet, folks!


On Jul 24 02:07 PM davesmall wrote:

> Reply to vloscomp who said, "The key point of this story is the infrastructure
> that will allow mobile devices (not just APPL devices) to connect
> to the internet. I am so happy that you chumps had been cheering
> APPL for the last 24 months, but it is time (by Oct) for me to bid
> adew to APPL. Device technology have been competitive market (ie
> US Robotics 56K modems, HP Calculators ...) and the shelf life of
> a device is probably about 12 months or less. iTouch has no barrier
> to a competitive "me too", therefore, APPL will see erosion in profit."
>
>
> You obviously don't get the significance of the app store (50,000
> apps and 1.5 Billion downloads in just one year); integration with
> iTunes including wireless downloads, and the elegance of Apple's
> user friendly designs. Sure they're going to be copied. Microsoft
> built their business on copying. But betting against Apple is high
> risk investing to say the least. Read BurkPhoto's second post (above).
> He says it very well.

Why Apple's iTouch Tablet Will Become Its Flagship Product

It's often funny to watch the business media react to Apple, too often without understanding who they are, what they do, and why they do it. Jason, here, absolutely understands them. Apple's wizards are, first and foremost, about innovation, quality, user experience, and change agency.

Apple creates or relies upon confluences of events in the technological realm to meld various concepts together in new and meaningful ways. They are able to think and act multidimensionally, so that their products and services make sense, solve problems, improve life, and "just work." It's entirely likely that the forthcoming product will change our lives and our industries in ways most people can't even begin to imagine, but the folks at Apple have dreamed of these things for many years.

When someone at Apple pooh-poohs an existing product such as a netbook as "not worth their time," they really mean that they're working on something else that is worth their time! Given their track record (Apple II, Macintosh, Apple Store (retail), Apple Store (online), iPod, iTunes, iPhone, App Store...), would you doubt them? Would you expect less? They set the standards for the rest of the industry to follow. There are LOTS of people at cell phone manufacturers and service providers who are very worried about Apple's next moves right now. For consumers, that is a VERY GOOD THING.

Why Apple's iTouch Tablet Will Become Its Flagship Product

Oh, please, you haven't even seen this device yet! Given the high resolution screens on the iPod Touch and the iPhone, I'd bet the high res screen on an iTouch Tablet or iPad or whatever they'll call it will be high enough res to do the job of virtual ink as good as, or better than, the Kindle. The Kindle is great, but it's a one-trick pony. Apple will release a general purpose device with much greater total utility.


On Jul 24 09:09 AM Roger Knights wrote:

> I agree that the iTablet will sweep the world and become the default
> e-book reader for most readers. But for heavy readers, the Kindle
> is better, because its e-ink is easier to read for long stretches
> and because there is no battery drain except when turning a page.
> I think it will continue to sell well.

Steve Jobs' Shrinking Billions

This is an example of an article written to fill space to support a headline and draw people to the site. Apparently it worked. But if I read more such horse$hit here, I won't bother coming back.

Steve Jobs is not the be-all, end-all of Apple. He co-founded it, and he made the important decisions that saved it, but at 53, he has to be thinking of its future. With a net worth in the billions, it can't be about the money anymore, if it ever was. It has to be about the future.

Apple is among the most important companies in the electronics industry. It has the right to disappoint journalists and crybaby investors and consumers momentarily as it carefully forges forth along a new and more appropriate path. To quote its ad campaign from the late 1990s, "Think Different."

If you apply the conventional investor wisdom and speculative techniques to Apple, you will probably be disappointed. If you follow the history of this company carefully, and if you use its products and understand its users from their perspective, you will understand that Jobs and his team are doing the right thing.

Apple can reach the equivalent customer base of 100 MacWorlds a day with their stores, and even more on the Internet, and they reach those folks far more effectively than they can with a trade show keynote and booth! At the same time, look for more of their Town Hall Meetings to satisfy the needs of the press for "touchy feely" sessions.

Disclosure: I don't own any Apple stock, and I don't work for Apple or any of its dealers. (I've used its products extensively for 35 years.)

Five Apple Predictions for 2009

I've followed this company closely, since using my first Apple (a //e), in 1984. I've never had any money to put in stocks, but I sure wish I had! I would have bought Apple in 1998 and would never have sold it.

Apple is like an iceberg... They're responsible for more innovation, more creative design and engineering, and more market shifts in the tech and entertainment sectors than most people even begin to realize:

If it hadn't been for the Apple ][, //e, and //c, there would have been little urgent incentive to develop the IBM PC.
If it hadn't been for Apple's Macintosh, Microslop Windoze wouldn't have "happened" as early as it did. (Not that that would have been a bad thing!)
If it hadn't been for Apple's LaserWriter printer, the desktop publishing revolution would have taken a lot longer to occur.
If it hadn't been for Apple's iPods, we would still be listening to CDs instead of plugging iPods into cars and clock radios.
If it hadn't been for Apple's iPhone, your phone would still be (too) hard to use. (Oh, but wait, they haven't quite caught on yet, have they?)

These are just the obvious achievements this company in Cupertino, CA, has to its credit. I agree with Jason. They're going to surprise most of you again. Start scratching your heads...

The Irrational Preoccupation with Apple's Guidance

I just love to read comments about Apple from folks who have no real understanding of the IT industry or the consumer electronics industry, or computing in general. Thanks, Andy, for NOT being one of those people. I've seen enough of their crap elsewhere this past week.

Apple is the real deal, folks. They are on a serious roll that started in 1998 when Steve Jobs came back to the company, kicked the Mac clone makers in their collective crotches, released OS 8, 8.1, 8.5, 8.6, and 9.x, while launching the iMac, the iPod, OS X, and the iTunes store. Add the iPhone and Intel-based computer systems, pro audio and video and photography apps, and consumer iApps (iMovie, iDVD, Garage Band, iWeb, iPhoto...) and you have the core of a healthy computer and telecommunications revolution.

The key/core feature of all of these things is INNOVATION. Apple puts their magic user-friendliness spin on everything they touch. For the most part, it works better than other solutions on the market, and those who try their wares become ardent evangelists if not happy users.

We haven't seen anything yet. OS X is about to get much faster, slicker, and more capable. The App Store for the phone is a huge and potentially game-changing development. MobileMe got a rocky start, but will recover (You would have supply chain and infrastructure issues, too, if you sold a million of anything in three days!)

I could go on, but you get the picture. There is serious cultural good and game-changing innovation to be had from this company. That can, will, and does translate into long-term profit potential. The stock will go up and down, but I can't see many reasons for it to go low in the near future, other than FUD generated from bozos who want it to dip so they can ride it up again.

Apple Checks Show Big Upward iPhone Build Revisions; Positive for Chip Suppliers

Get real! Apple was a startup in 1976. They're directly and indirectly responsible for more real change in the electronics and computing and recording and telecommunications industries than any other single company on the planet.

'Best of Breed' Business Model a Chink in Apple’s Armor?

I just bought a 15-inch MacBook Pro 2.6 GHz with 250GB HD and 4GB RAM to replace my aging 17-inch PowerBook. I migrated everything over from the PowerBook in about an hour, and it just worked! Then I added Parallels Desktop and sucked the contents of my Dell Latitude 610 over to the Mac, lock, stock, and barrel, via network. With a fresh copy and activation of XP Pro, and a few minor tweaks, it works better on the Mac than it ever did on the Dell.

Now I carry just ONE laptop instead of two. See, I have to use Windows on occasion, because my company's software runs only on Windows. But I have to use the Mac, because the software I use for creating training programs runs best or runs only on Macs.

I use the Mac as much as possible, because I prefer to get things done without spurious interruptions from an operating system that wants to control me. XP works, but it's still an insult to my intelligence every time I boot it, even if it runs a lot faster on the MacBook.

In short, don't short-change yourself. I have never met anyone -- ANYONE -- who has been disappointed with the last two versions of Mac OS X, the iApps, or recent Intel-powered Macs. And if you've ever been frustrated by computer vendors' service options, you've got to experience the Genius Bar at the Apple Store. If you have AppleCare, they treat you like a god.

Oh, and the secret to the iPhone has nothing to do with phone service, but everything to do with the fact that it is an OS X device! It's a TRUE mobile computing platform.

If you don't think we're witnessing another paradigm shift as we watch iPhone 2.0 mature, you're unaware of how these things work. Look at the Apple II, the Mac, OS X, Airport WiFi, the iPod/iTunes, the iPhone... I think you have to be blind not to understand the importance of Apple's influence on, and contributions to, the electronics industry. They are among the top 5 true change agents of the last 30 years.

Micro$oft??? What a bloated mess. I think we're going to watch them decay for a good while under Steve Ballmer. They NEED to fail to get better... They haven't yet learned their lesson. IBM learned theirs in the late 1980s. Apple learned theirs in the late 1990s.

(Full disclosure... I don't own any stock in any computer or electronics company.)