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Apple Musings: Disappointing Disappointment

When you talk about September product announcements you're talking about Christmas present purchases. Getting the iPod touch entry price under $200 could be very big in terms of Christmas sales. Loading up the iPod Nano with new features at the $149 price also makes it a probable hit this Xmas (The Nano now comes with a built-in video camera, a microphone, a pedometer, a larger 2.2-inch display and an FM radio tuner. It costs $149 for an eight-gigabyte version). Both of these models provide tremendous functionality for the price.

Hardware features like a camera and an OLED display are nice but none of that compares to the value that the App Store adds to the Touch. It's those Apps that make the Touch an overwhelmingly better choice than the Zune. Microsoft will try to build a software library and copy the App Store but they're way back at the starting line and won't be competitive in this product lifetime.

What an Apple Tablet Has to Be

An oversize iPod Touch would be nice to have but not at a $6-800 price point. It could be a handy 'coffee table' device to be shared by family members, rather than someone's 'personal computer. It would be good for eReading, games, web surfing, email, and maps. Running apps from the iPhone App Store would give it an instant wealth of functionality. I think a price of around $399 or less would be required for this to take off.

There has been a lot of talk about a 3G enabled device to be sold and subsidized by cell phone service providers. This would make it a lot more useful as a mobile web and map reading device. However, I certainly can't afford yet another monthly AT&T payment on top of the already high iPhone contract. A device that would tether to the iPhone for internet access via Bluetooth would be attractive (unless they try to price gouge for the tethering hookup).

I think they could sell a combination two piece tablet that is a giant iPod Touch portable device (running the iPhone version of OS X) but converts to a full-blown computer with a complete version OS X when placed on a charging stand that contains a keyboard and trackpad. Virtualization would enable them to run both versions of OS X simultaneously.

A further extension of this idea would be to make the base charging/keypad/trackpad unit a laptop bottom and the tablet a detachable laptop lid. Connect the base to the lid with Bluetooth. Put some semiconductor storage in the lid and a big hard disk in the base. You'd need one of those non-user changeable long-life Apple batteries in each unit.

When riding in an airplane put the base in overhead storage and use the lid as a tablet on your tray table. Save files to disk wirelessly using Bluetooth.

Make the lid capable of tethering to the (3G) internet via the iPhone. Sell tethering as part of the deal when you offer the computer for sale.

So you're in a restaurant making a sales presentation to a client. The base (computer bottom) is in your briefcase alongside your chair. Your presentation is stored there on the hard disk. The presentation is to be displayed on the bright high res LED 1280 X1024 display on your tablet and sent from disk via Bluetooth. You are connected to the internet via tethering to your iPhone. You will also use your iPhone as a remote control for the slide presentation.

A product like this could be sold in pieces. Buy the lid as a huge iPod Touch. Buy the base later with keyboard, hard disk, and SuperDrive to convert to a full fledged laptop. Buy an iPhone to get Internet tethering via 3G.

Yet another idea would be to make a tablet that is also an iPhone with a slot for a pull-out bluetooth headset. This would be a much bigger form factor than a regular iPhone but would give some users a lot more functionality making the bigger size 'worth it.'

Be interesting to see what they actually do come out with after so much speculation.

Zune HD: Trying to Compete with Yesterday's iPod Touch

So the advantage Zune is going to have is that they'll be able to offer FM Radio broadcasts with commercials.

How is that an advantage?

The Battle Lines Are Drawn in the War for Mobile Developers

This war is already over and done. Game, set, and match to Apple.

Microsoft and Apple: Follower and Leader

One of the best blog articles I've read in a long time. Thanks for putting it up here. Really puts things into perspective.

Apple Will Flourish With or Without Steve Jobs

Windsurfar said: "For those that prefer a physical keypad, Jobs has decided not to offer them that choice, i say offer 2 versions, then all consumers regardless of their keypad preference could have an apple alternative, and sales would be even better for the apple phone."

That sounds good Windsurfar but how are you going to do it? If you put the physical keyboad on the top surface you will be reducign sreen size to make room for the keyboard. Would you really want to do that?

Perhaps you're thinking of a pull-out keyboard which would increase thickness and bulk. Would you really want to do that?

Apple Will Flourish With or Without Steve Jobs

Windsurfer - Where do you get the idea that a physical keyboard (like Blackerry) is superior to the iPhone's touch keypad?

When I was first considering buying an IPhone one year ago I tested both of them at my local AT&T store. The results were discouraging for both of them. My fingers were much to large and the keys much too small. I made a lot of typing errors. Since both keyboards were equally lousy, I decided to go for the iPhone over the Blackberry because of it's other positive attributes.

Now that I've had a year with my iPhone I find that my typing speed has increased rather dramatically and typing errors have decreased as well. It's not just practice and familiarity. There are some really great tips and techniques you can learn for typing on the iPhone's keyboard.

Perhaps the same would have been true had I bought the Blackberry instead. I have no way of knowing for sure.

At present, my take is that I don't want a physical keyboard on my iPhone. It would add bulk and reduce screen size. Screen area is much more important. The touch screen keyboard works well enough. I would hate having my phone filled up with buttons where there should be screen (as with Blackberry).

Apple Will Flourish With or Without Steve Jobs

Most really successful companies are founded by visionary entrepreneurs who focus on customers and are willing to take risks. They are change instigators. Their natural enemy is the bureaucrat - usually accountants and lawyers - who tend to be change avoiders seeking budget compliance rather than innovators seeking change.

When Steve left Apple the first time he was replaced by a guy from Pepsi Cola (John Sculley) and the Bureaucrats started taking over. Apple naturally began to decline. Bureaucrats only know how to lead when going downhill.

What's so remarkable about Apple is that the entrepreneur made a comeback. And the second time around he was experienced, seasoned, and better able to run a big company than before.

Great entrepreneurs are never short on ideas and vision but they often lack the resources and team to make those ideas really percolate. This time he insulated himself from the bureaucrats and surrounded himself with a team of like-minded innovators such as Jonathan Ive and Tim Cook.

Losing Steve would be a tough break but it wouldn't be so bad as bringing in another Pepsi Cola guy.

Microsoft's iPhone Envy Is Starting To Show

Ah yes, Microsoft. If I really focus I can remember when they were truly relevant. Aren't they the company that tried to copy the original Mac OS and couldn't get it to work until version 3.1? And then just barely? Aren't those the guys who have been living off upgrade fees for MS Office for years and years. Does anyone really need a new version of a word processor or a spreadsheet? Aren't they the innovators who recently gave us Vista? (yet another serial attempt to copy the Mac OS). Did they not fail to get it right once again? Doesn't it come bundled with lots of free junkware, spyware, trojan horses, viruses, and host of other maladies that have never been sighted on the Mac? Weren't they the smartest guys in the room even before Enron?