Big Al

Apple, Amazon Take Note: Free Music Downloads Are Coming

They've given up on DRM? Man, you really didn't do your homework. Qtrax music IS DRM-protected. You also can't burn playlists to CD, like you can with iTunes. Seems that the labels aren't giving up so easily.

A Look Back at Zune - From the Future

>>quote: "The future is in handheld computers that do it ALL. Apple >>has it with iPhone"
>>reply: nobody gets it on the first try, your bias is clear.

Gee, I don't know, Marcel. It looks like the market has spoken. Approximately 1.4 million iPhones sold in the first three months. More than a million Zunes sold in the first, what, eight months?

The iPhone is Apple's first try at a cellphone. Zune is Microsoft's first try at an MP3 player.

That isn't bias, that's just facts.

A Look Back at Zune - From the Future

>>quote: "The future is in handheld computers that do it ALL. Apple >>has it with iPhone"
>>reply: nobody gets it on the first try, your bias is clear.

Gee, I don't know, Marcel. It looks like the market has spoken. Approximately 1.4 million iPhones sold in the first three months. More than a million Zunes sold in the first, what, eight months?

The iPhone is Apple's first try at a cellphone. Zune is Microsoft's first try at an MP3 player.

That isn't bias, that's just facts.

What's Next For Apple Stock?

Just thought I should point out that several of your negative points are simply incorrect. In no particular order, here are some corrections:

The iPhone DOES have WiFi connectivity.
The battery life is not 8 hours maximum, that's the talk time. Reviewers who had the phone for two weeks reported that it came very close to that even if WiFi was left on.
Early tests indicate that the iPhone is indeed pretty much scratch proof. (Which by the way Apple never claimed about any iPod, nor did they claim it for the iPhone.)
Further testing indicates that the phone is quite sturdy, and easily survives multiple drops of up to six feet (the maximum tested) onto concrete.
There is no firmware upgrade required prior to activation.
YouTube movies download quickly, even over the EDGE network.
People who have actually tested the phone say that it's very easy to learn how to use its features, and that the virtual keyboard works very well after you get used to it in a few days.

Really, if you're going to join in the coverage of the iPhone, you ought to do at least a minimum amount of research.

iPhone Blindness

This is a comment that could only have been made by a person who hasn't bought or used an iPhone: "Here's the bottom line -- buying an iPhone is like buying a MacBook that only supports dial-up access. Sure, it rocks for offline uses, but this would be a deal killer for nearly any laptop buyer. How can iPhone reviewers tout the web browser as the "real dazzler" and the "closest thing to the real Internet" when it crawls along like a 1200 baud modem?"

I understand the use of hyperbole to make a point. But I have been using computers since the time when a 1200 baud modem was the latest thing, and I can assure you that my browsing experience on the iPhone on the EDGE network is fine. If it were frustratingly slow, I would know that. Sure, it would be faster on W-CDMA or HSDPA.

Seriously. I am neither blind, nor stupid, and neither are any of the people to whom I've demonstrated the iPhone over the weekend. We have all been pleasantly surprised at the data throughput over EDGE. The work Apple has done in optimizing the Safari browser for this platform, as well as the 620MHz ARM processor, certainly makes a positive difference as well.

By all means, don't buy an iPhone if you don't think the AT&T network is good enough. But don't assume that people who buy them and like them are suffering from some kind of delusion.

Earnings Preview: Apple Computer

Good call on the earnings report today. I'll look forward to seeing more of what you have to say about AAPL and other issues.