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Does the iPhone OS Need Multitasking?
Do More From Your iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch
Jesus Christ Is the King of the App Store
Want an iPhone And A Netbook At Work? Here's Why You Should Have Them
Canada's Conservative Government Opposes Proposed "iPod Levy"
Oddmakers Predict Number of Days it Will Take for iPad Sales to Surpass One Million
Windows Phone 7 Series Won't Have Copy And Paste
iPad 'Mute' Button Magically Turns Into 'Screen Rotation Lock'
GetJar Reveals That Mobile Apps Will Outsell CDs by 2012
Creating Apps Just for Cars
Handmark Expands Mobile Publishing Solution to Support Branded Apps on iPad
The Tech Night Owl: About an iPhone Case: A Personal Story
Does the iPhone OS Need Multitasking?
PC World's Tony Bradley notes that as the one-year anniversary of the iPhone 3GS launch, one of the most-wanted, and most-speculated about features for the next-generation iPhone OS is true multitasking capability among apps, and that multitasking, or lack thereof, has been one of the most prominant complaints about the iPhone as a serious business smartphone.
Bradley observes that the iPhone OS is already capable of some limited multitasking, and cautions that adding true multitasking facility will introduce several negative issues, but agrees that basing the iPad on the iPhone OS changes the equation as regards multitasking entirely.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://bit.ly/9PHNTT
Do More From Your iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch
A new Apple Knowledge Base article says:
Easily access your documents while on the go by using iWork.com's redesigned Sign In and Shared Documents pages for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. The new interface is optimized for scrolling with your fingertips, and makes it easy to find your documents faster. You can see a high resolution view of your document right on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch and even download it to edit with Keynote, Pages, or Numbers on your iPad.
Visit http://www.iwork.com using Safari on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch to access and view your shared documents.
You can check it out at:
http://bit.ly/btN2YD
Jesus Christ Is the King of the App Store
Gizmodo's Jesus Diaz says:
We know that ebooks represent the most numerous application type in the Apple Store, even topping videogames....
The Holy Bible has more than a thousand applications at the App Store. We counted up to 1,001.... Pride and Prejudice is one of the most popular, with 48 copies,.... Dracula has 34.... But the Bible beats all of them down by a wide margin......
To read more, click here.
http://gizmodo.com/5493795/jesus-christ-is-the-king-of-the-app-store
Want an iPhone And A Netbook At Work? Here's Why You Should Have Them
It's about time we were allowed to choose the hardware we use at work for ourselves, says silicon.com editor Steve Ranger, declaring that when it comes to office-issue technology, everybody knows exactly what they've got, when they got it - and how much they hate it. Which, in most cases, is quite a lot, noting that mobile phones and laptops aren't like desks and office chairs, whatever your corporate procurement people might think, and that that the vast difference between the type of technology workers appreciate and those that they actually end up using is perfectly illustrated by a piece of research published last week in which it was found that even though European business chiefs thought Apple had the best brand for smartphones, they ended up with a BlackBerry, and while they thought Apple was the best laptop maker, their IT department delivered them a Dell.....
Why not give workers the money you'd be spending on hardware and support, and let them get on with it says Ranger. It's an option more companies are looking at.....
For the full commentary visit here:
http://bit.ly/bxH2Ho
Canada's Conservative Government Opposes Proposed "iPod Levy"
The Canadian Press reports that Conservatives are Canada's new iPod freedom fighters, with the governing party's cabinet ministers and Members of Parliament mounting a "vigorous" defence against the opposition socialist New Democratic Party's push to have a levy applied to all new MP3 players, hard drives and laptops, proceeds of which would theoretically be distributed among Canadian music artists the same way as Canada's current 29-cent levy on blank CDs and cassettes is. Reportedly, since the levy was first imposed in 2000, $180 million has been distributed.
However, it's doubtful that New Democrat MP Charlie Angus' private member's bill, which is supported by the also lefty Bloc Quebecois party, will get anywhere, since it's arguably a tax measure and legislation regarding financial changes must be supported by the government, although the opposition leading Liberal Party in Canada's minority, and at least one Conservative, have agreed to continue discussion of the issue in committee.
However, the Conservative government's Heritage Minister James Moore is quoted commenting yesterday that "This is a very serious hit to consumers that could impact them, and if the NDP are as committed to raising taxes this week as they always have been, then this is a real threat," adding that a new levy is just not on as far as the government is concerned, and that "it's not in the interest of the music industry to make it more expensive to buy the devices on which they're listening to Canadian content,"
Canadian musicbiz and recording artists have lobbied stridently for revision of Canada's Copyright Act, and the CP reports that a spokesman for the Canadian Private Copying Collective lobby expressed disappointment that the Conservatives aren't perceiving this "iPod levy" initiative as an issue as of property rights of businesspeople.
Responding to pressure from U.S. regulators as well as domestic vested interests, the government has indicated it will address making changes to Canada's Copyright Act, but movement on the file has been slow in coming.
For the full report visit here:
http://bit.ly/94J0U2
Oddmakers Predict Number of Days it Will Take for iPad Sales to Surpass One Million
YouWager.com's Sweta Shah notes that:
With weekend presale numbers for the Apple iPad coming in lower than expected, many are wondering if the company's much hyped tablet will live up to expectations.
As such, oddmakers at YouWager.com, a leading sportsbook with top management and line-makers collecting over 150 years of experience, is allowing consumers to place their bids on how long they think it will take for sales to reach 1,000,000 units. According to odds, your best shot at making back some of the iPad's $499 sticker price is to hope that the experts are proven wrong.
For more information, visit:
http://YouWager.com
Windows Phone 7 Series Won't Have Copy And Paste
Engadget's Chris Ziegler says:
Ready for another long, drawn-out copy and paste controversy to overtake your every waking moment for a year or two? Good: Microsoft just mentioned in a Q&A session here at MIX10 in no uncertain terms that clipboard operations won't be supported on Windows Phone 7 Series... so that's that. Kind of ironic considering that the WinMo of old has been enjoying the functionality since time immemorial, isn't it?....
For the full report visit here:
http://bit.ly/9fZsck
iPad 'Mute' Button Magically Turns Into 'Screen Rotation Lock'
9To5Mac's Seth Weintraub notes another new fun fact:
The iPad can also play Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format
You can check it out at:
http://www.9to5mac.com/mute-button-turns-into-screen-lock-60972450692
GetJar Reveals That Mobile Apps Will Outsell CDs by 2012
The global mobile apps economy is set to be worth $17.5billion by 2012, according to an independent report commissioned by GetJar, the world's second largest app store. Mobile app downloads across all types of handset are also expected to increase from over 7 billion downloads in 2009 to almost 50 billion in 2012 – a year on year growth rate of 92%.
This would mean that the value of apps sold would be greater than the value of CDs sold in 2012 ($13.83bn)1.
To understand the potential of the "global mobile apps economy," GetJar commissioned independent consulting firm Chetan Sharma Consulting to lift the lid on the rapidly expanding global apps market. The aim of the project was to analyse the potential and real value of the mobile apps market worldwide, using first hand data.
It is clear that by 2012, off-deck paid-for apps will be the biggest revenue generator, accounting for almost 50 per cent of all apps revenue. By comparison, in 2009, on-deck apps available from mobile operators accounted for over 60% of all apps revenue, but this will fall significantly to just under 23% by 2012.
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The study outlines opportunities for both high end smart phones (such as BlackBerry and Android powered handsets) and feature phones2 (such as the Samsung Instinct/Jet and Nokia X6). In 2009, 90% of handsets in use worldwide were so-called feature phones, while smart phones and data cards accounted for the remaining 10% of the market. In some regions such as North America, uptake of smart phones was much higher (over 20%) than other regions (3% in Middle East/Africa). The line between powerful feature phones and smart phones is blurring as consumers demand powerful yet cost effective devices – effectively expanding the apps revenue opportunity across a much broader range of handsets.
Apps economies are evolving differently worldwide, suggesting a need for greater focus on developing different apps business models – as opposed to a "one size fits all" approach. For instance, the average app selling price (ASP) in North America was $1.09, significantly higher compared to ASPs in developing markets such as South America ($0.20) and Asia ($0.10). At the same time, post 2012, app downloads in developing regions such as Asia may eventually exceed those in Western regions although monetisation of these downloads will require different business models (advertising, virtual currency) than those seen in developed markets.
The revenue opportunities in Europe are set to soar from $1.5billion in 2009 to $8.5billion in 2012, while in North America the figure will rise from around $2.1billion to around $6.7billion in 2012. Currently apps are most popular in Asia, with the region accounting for 37% of global downloads in 2009. However, while Asia had the highest number of downloads, users in North America spent the most money on apps, accounting for over 50% of revenue.
Other findings from the research include:
• Advertising based revenue models have become increasingly popular. In 2009, advertising contributed almost 12% of the overall apps revenue. However, this share is expected to more than double to over 28% by 2012 – given the high proportion of prepay users in developing markets.
• The battle of the app stores is well underway - in 2009 the number of app stores leapt from eight to 38 – an increase of 375%. The number of app stores is expected to further increase in 2010.
• The price of mobile applications can vary from $0.99 to $999, however the average selling price in 2009 was approximately $1.9. This is predicted to decrease by 29% over the next three years, although advertising revenue derived from apps is likely to stay relatively flat.
Ilja Laurs, CEO and founder, GetJar comments: "With the consumer appetite for mobile apps rocketing, the opportunities for developers are huge. This report signifies a battle for survival of the fittest among app stores worldwide – with app revenue and growth opportunities growing significantly. There is no way that this many app stores will survive in the long term and while the value of the global app economy is set to be astoundingly high by 2012, we think only a few app stores will share this revenue."
Chetan Sharma, President, Chetan Sharma Consulting, comments: "The app ecosystem is adjusting across multiple dimensions and thus expanding the revenue opportunities. The growth in the quality of mobile advertising is also opening up new revenue streams for developers. As the number of active data subscribers grows, we will continue to see the proliferation of apps in many directions on different device types."
The goal of the research study was to quantify the global mobile apps market by taking a truly holistic view from specific data in the market. To build an effective framework for analysis, Chetan Sharma Consulting built a grounds-up model that took into account how the overall apps consumption is evolving across all dimensions – on-deck (offered on carrier deck), offdeck (outside the carrier deck or offering though they still might play a role like in billing or marketing), smartphones, featurephones, paid, free, advertising based, and virtual goods based.
The model focused on apps consumption by five major regions: North America, Europe, South America, Asia, and Middle East and Africa.
For more information, visit:
http://www.getjar.com and follow GetJar on Twitter @getjar
1 According to world music trade body IFPI April 2009. For more information, click here.
2 GetJar's definition of a smartphone is a phone that runs on a native operating system. Phones such as the Samsung Jet or Instinct are becoming a significant revenue opportunity, even though they are primarily considered to be feature phones with smart phone capabilities.
Creating Apps Just for Cars
Technology Review's Erika Jonietz reports that Ford and the University of Michigan are developing social networking apps to be used with Ford's Sync and MyFord Touch systems, and has opened the Sync programming interfaces to mobile app developers.
Jonietz notes that in January, Ford, Pandora, Stitcher, and Orangatame debuted Sync-enabled software that allows drivers to use the car's voice-recognition and speech-synthesis systems to interact with Internet-based streaming radio and Twitter apps running on the driver's phone, but that now Ford is looking to do much more than simply create in-car versions of existing smart phone applications, and is collaborating with the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Microsoft to develop a new computer science and engineering course called "Cloud Computing in the Commute."
For the full report visit here:
http://www.technologyreview.com/communications/24824/?ref=rss
Handmark Expands Mobile Publishing Solution to Support Branded Apps on iPad
[Press Release]
Handmark, an emerging media company, specializing in mobile application solutions for publishers and media brands, today announced its support of the new Apple iPad, set to launch on April 3.
"We look forward to supporting quality, innovative mobile experiences for iPad customers, leveraging our development expertise and relationships with major newspapers, magazines and other content providers."
The company plans to bring a variety of apps it powers for media partners to the iPad, in addition to its own, branded mobile apps. Handmark currently supports mobile applications for a variety of the most trusted brands around the world including Zagat, New York Daily News, Forbes, Oxford University Press, Goal.com and others.
"Even with enhanced mobile browsing capabilities and larger screens, mobile applications will remain an integral part of the user experience across all smartphones, e-readers or other mobile tablet devices," said Paul Reddick, Handmark CEO. "We look forward to supporting quality, innovative mobile experiences for iPad customers, leveraging our development expertise and relationships with major newspapers, magazines and other content providers."
The iPad adds to the broad portfolio of mobile platforms Handmark supports, including iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm webOS, Kindle and others.
Handmark delivers the industry's only full-service mobile application solution for media companies and content publishers. The company supports development across all the major mobile platforms, as well as strategic distribution, monetization and on-going innovation.
To learn more about Handmark or to see a full list of brands the company supports, visit:
http://www.handmarkmobileapps.com
The Tech Night Owl: About an iPhone Case: A Personal Story
Let me state from the outset that I've never owned an iPhone that arrived in defective condition or developed a defect after heavy use. Unless heavily abused, I expect them to last a fairly long time, other than, of course, the battery. But since most of you probably swap your mobile phones every couple of years anyway, maybe longevity isn't a deciding factor.
Here's the URL for today's commentary:
http://www.technightowl.com/2010/03/about-an-iphone-case-a-personal-story/
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