Moore’s iPod/iPhone News Reader - Monday, September 24, 2007
iPhones In Iran!
Cyber Persia's Reza Hashemi says:
Smart people like smart things. When you like something you naturally want to own it. That is the reason all the Apple iPhone lovers around the world are so happy for 200$ price reduction, but the story of owning an Apple product in Iran is totally different.
Most of the products are available in Iran after one or two weeks. You get higher price, higher risk , no trained Apple technicians, and no official support and service because there is no official Apple representative in Iran.
Why? Politics!
I mean US sanctions against Iran and US companies.
Ok, You decide to have an iPhone and pay more. What's the problem?....
....If Apple contracts with all the mobile operators in the world, I'm sure there are some exceptions and those exceptions are mobile operators in Iran....
Current price for an unlocked iPhone in Iran is 1400$...
From Apple core values of innovation , design and customer respect. you get nothing....
This is how politics enters into everyday life of electronic products consumers and Apple fans inside Iran and makes Iran a high risk and high profit market....
For the full report click here.
http://asia.cnet.com/blogs/cyberpersia/post.htm?id=63000621
Apple Blacklisting Hacked iPhones?
The Apple Core's Jason D. O'Grady says:
Speaking of hacks, Today I went into an Apple store with a less than two week old iPhone that had the green tint camera problem.
Because it had been “hacked” with some 3rd party apps and was running T-Mobile they refused to service it, said the warranty was voided and “blacklisted” the phone against future service, or return!
Only after asking for the manager and having several conversations with her, did they finally allow me to return it, but charged me a 10% restocking fee…
For the full report visit here:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=882
Apple Won't Support Unlocked iPhones
InformationWeek's Antone Gonsalves reports:
People who unlock their iPhones in order to connect to wireless carriers other than the exclusive service provider AT&T won't get any support from Apple if the phone breaks, even if it's still under warrant, Apple said Friday.
A group of anonymous developers at iPhoneSIMfree started selling this month software that once installed would enable the smart phone to work on any service provider with a standard GSM SIM card. T-Mobile is an example of a carrier that would work on the modified iPhone.
Asked whether someone installing the software would break their iPhone warrant, an Apple spokesman said in an e-mail, "Apple does not support unlocked iPhones."
For the full report click here.
Apple May Refuse To Honor Warranty On Hacked iPhones
Ars Technica's Justin Berka reports:
Now that third-party applications and hacks for the iPhone have matured, the lingering question is just how much Apple is going to put up with. We know that Apple doesn't mind third-party applications, but devices with hacks like SIM unlocks aren't exactly on Steve Jobs' good side. A new ZDNet story by O'Grady(crantz) and Morganstern supports the more nefarious theories, since Apple may not be supporting warranty claims for hacked iPhones.
For the full report click here.
iPod touch Fault A Quality Control Matter?
Macworld UK's Jonny Evans reports:
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Apple has admitted to some problems with some units of the newly-shipped iPod touch.
While Apple hasn't issued any explanation yet on why some units of the new device display dark areas of video in a way in which they look like photo negatives, a post on the company's own support forums may shed a little light.
One poster there - who claims to be an engineer with experience in the LCD industry - believes the problem lies in the anti-reflective coating used, combined with Apple's desire to ship the product quickly.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.macworld.co.uk/ipod-itunes/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=19171
iPhone Gets Better At Corporate E-mail
Business 2 says:
When Apple's (AAPL) iPhone first came out, one of the early knocks on the device was that, straight out of the box, it doesn't handle corporate e-mail well. It seems that situation is changing; I got a demonstration yesterday of a solution that looks pretty good. You can see it for yourself, in somewhat blurry fashion, in the video below.
You can check it out at:
http://blogs.business2.com/utilitybelt/2007/09/iphone-gets-bet.html
Usability Data Proves That Apple's iPhone Really Is Better
Blackfriars' Marketing reports:
I've been claiming that the iPhone's usability is the keystone of its market appeal for a while. Well, ComputerWorld now has some hard usability study data to back that claim up. They had Perceptive Science, a usability consulting firm, pit the iPhone against a Nokia N95 and the HTC Touch (which is a Windows Mobile 6.0 device) with 10 consumers:
For the full report visit here:
http://www.blackfriarsinc.com/blog/2007/09/usability-data-proves-that-apple-iphone
15 things Apple should fix in iPhone 2.0
Computerworld says:
The iPhone will likely go down as the most successful launch of any technology product in history. It's a truly revolutionary product and deserves much of the praise it has received -- but that doesn't mean it's perfect.
In the spirit of constructive criticism, we're offering up 15 big things that Apple can do in the next generation of iPhones to make using an iPhone even better. Apple hasn't said when the next-gen devices will make their appearance, but some Apple watchers have speculated early 2008.
For the full report click here.
The Smartphone OS Wars
PCMag's Tim Bajarin reports:
There's an operating systems war in the works, and it has nothing to do with Windows, Linux, and OS X. In fact, this war has very little to do with systems (PCs and Macs, that is). The "war" I'm referring to will focus on cell phones, and smartphones in particular....
Last year, the cell phone market saw sales from approximately 1 billion units sold worldwide, and we are on pace to sell about 1.1 billion this year. Some believe that by 2012 we will sell closer to 2 billion cell phones each year, as more and more people around the globe jump on the bandwagon.
Of that market, only about 5 to 6 percent are what we define as smartphones. These include Windows Mobile phones, BlackBerrys, Palm OS phones, some Linux-based handsets, and Apple OS X–based phones, such as the iPhone.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2186565,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03079TX1K0000585
The Mac Night Owl: Has the Wireless Phone Industry Learned Anything From the iPhone?
Except for a few highly-recognized smartphone brands, such as a Blackberry, or a Palm, and perhaps the Motorola RAZR or LG Chocolate, few wireless phones are easily recognizable. Take a casual look at the standard LG, Motorola or Samsung, and you will find few distinguishing characteristics.
Here's the URL for today's commentary:
http://www.macnightowl.com/newsletter/2007/09/23/newsletter-issue-408/#iphone
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Orange to sell Apple's iPhone in France
The Associated Press reports:
France Telecom will start marketing Apple Inc.'s million-selling iPhone in France through its wireless arm Orange.
Thursday's announcement came days after Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs visited Britain and Germany to unveil similar deals with mobile operator O2 and Deutsche Telekom AG.
For the full report click here.
Charles W. Moore
