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Category Archives: apple

There may not be a market for a mid-range iPhone

06 May

iPhonesWith Apple signalling that it won’t be releasing any new products till the fall, the cottage industry that is speculation about the company’s imminent moves has taken a hit. The normal rash of stories trying to guess everything from what kind of watch Apple is working on to how much integration the iPhone will have with cars has slowed lately, even though the company has its annual Worldwide Developers Conference coming up in a month’s time.

The slowdown hasn’t affected some analysts and media, though, with All Things D picking up a report from J.P. Morgan analysts who believe Apple isn’t planning to release a cheap iPhone. Rather than a $200 iPhone, the company is likely thinking of a mid-range device that would sell for around $350, they say.

Their logic is based on two facts. For one, the company has historically avoided catering to the low-end by releasing mid-range iPods and iPads (the Mini) after initially commandeering the high end. And secondly, there’s a big chunk of the mid-range market that is there for the taking. Read the rest of this entry »

 
2 Comments

Posted by on May 6, 2013 in apple, iphone

 

Where are those BlackBerry defectors coming from?

24 Apr

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABlackBerry fans don’t have much longer to wait now – the Q10 is officially launching in Canada and a number of other countries on May 1, with the U.S. release coming just a few weeks later. While the first phone running the company’s new BB10 operating system – the Z10 – became available in February, most people agree that the Q10 is the first real new BlackBerry, since it’s the one with the physical keyboard. Actual QWERTY buttons and BlackBerry have, after all, become synonymous over the years.

The Q10 is indeed the communications powerhouse that the faithful have been waiting for, although it still doesn’t necessarily stack up as a full-on lifestyle hub or enhancer. With a few flaws and a lack of apps, the Q10 (and the Z10, for that matter) aren’t nearly as fully featured as the latest iPhone or Android smartphones. Here’s my full review.

One of the things I mentioned in both that review and of the Z10 is that the dearth of apps compared to competitors may act as a deal breaker to a significant number of potential buyers. As good (or bad) as a phone might be, existing smartphone owners aren’t going to switch over if they have to give up apps they’ve become accustomed to. Personally, I just don’t think I could switch to a phone that doesn’t have Google Maps, because I use it just that much, which precludes either BlackBerry model for me, at least for now. Read the rest of this entry »

 
6 Comments

Posted by on April 24, 2013 in android, apple, iphone, RIM

 

Smartphone market is distorted by middle men

23 Apr
steve-jobs-holding-original-iphone

Steve Jobs and the original iPhone: remember when it cost only $399?

The big question on tech watchers’ minds heading into Apple’s latest quarterly earnings report on Tuesday is: what’s wrong with the company? While Apple could once do no wrong, it has seen its share price swoon more than 40% over the past few months, closing below $400 last week for the first time since Dec. 2011.

As I wrote on Thursday, there’s nothing really wrong with the company per se – it’s just that Moore’s Law is finally catching up to it. Apple is almost entirely a hardware company, with 94% of its revenue coming from selling iPhones, iPads, Macs and iPods. Only 6% of its hefty cash flow comes from iTunes, apps and software sales (it’s doubtful this will change materially for the current quarter).

With Moore’s Law continually accelerating the price-performance ratio of all hardware, those companies that make most of their money from such goods will inevitably come back down to earth, regardless of what kind of run they have. And boy did Apple have a run – its decade of iPod-to-iPhone-to-iPad was an unprecedented string of hardware hits that will be difficult for anyone, including the company itself, to duplicate. Read the rest of this entry »

 
3 Comments

Posted by on April 23, 2013 in apple, microsoft, mobile

 

Apple iWatch? That’s a really dumb iDea

12 Feb
A mockup of what Apple's unlikely iWatch could look like.

A mockup of what Apple’s unlikely iWatch could look like.

The latest silly Apple rumour has the company interested in selling a watch. Or, an iWatch, as it would probably go.

According to the New York Times, “investors would most likely embrace an iWatch, with some already saying that wearable computing could replace the smartphone over the next decade.”

It seems the Times, and perhaps the investors it references, have forgotten one simple fact: it’s a freakin’ watch.

Seriously, does anyone under 50 wear a watch anymore? And of those few souls who do, are any of them doing it for any other reason but to make a fashion statement (that statement, by the way, is “I’m a dinosaur.”)? Surely nobody wears a watch to actually tell time. Read the rest of this entry »

 
10 Comments

Posted by on February 12, 2013 in apple

 

Why offering lots of apps does matter

04 Feb

Apps1It’s a big week for BlackBerry fans as the new Z10 finally arrives in Canada on Tuesday (it launched in the UK last week and is coming to the United States next month). I did a quick and dirty review for CBC last week, with a loooong, in-depth review hitting Canadian Business some time on Monday. (It’s up here.)

Overall, I quite like the new phone. I’ve been using it for much of the past week and have become fond of some of its features, notably the swipe-heavy Flow interface. I’ve also warmed up a bit to the predictive text typing, although I’m still finding it slows me down half the time.

One thing I’m not liking, however, is BlackBerry’s lack of apps. I detailed the 29 apps I use regularly in my in-depth review; fewer than a third of them are available for the Z10. I consider some, such as 680 News (for traffic) and Cineplex for buying movie tickets – not to mention Google Maps – to be mission critical. BlackBerry’s selection is sure to improve over time, but by not having them now, I wouldn’t consider switching yet. Many users will be in the same boat. Read the rest of this entry »

 
4 Comments

Posted by on February 4, 2013 in apple, Google, microsoft, mobile, RIM

 
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