Stock Research – Apple Computer Rocks World With New Phone
It is extremely rare in the business world to find a corporation that starts a revolution, and then the very same company leads another revolution. Steve Jobs who runs Apple Computer successfully stood the computer world on its high legs, and then shook its foundation when he created with his associates the very first personal computer. Yes, there were others before him, but they were nothing in comparison to the Apple. The operating system that Apple uses is still acknowledged to be vastly superior to anything that giant Microsoft has ever come out with.
Jobs did make one mistake however, and this mistake cost him his only opportunity to become the richest man in the world. Several decades ago, Apple had the opportunity to license the operating system to other personal computer manufacturers. Jobs made the mistake of believing that it was ABOUT THE HARDWARE. In reality, it was about the software.
Apple never licensed the software, and Microsoft did, which allowed the inferior Microsoft system to become the industry standard, which it still remains today. Gates became the richest man in the world, while Jobs had to settle for selling Apple personal computers with the software embedded into the hardware.
As an aside, the best investment Jobs ever made was probably the 10 million he put up to buy half of Pixar films. Disney passed on that $10 million deal, instead choosing to pay $4 billion plus for the same $10 million dollar investment that Jobs made, only it was several years later.
Jobs’ creation of the iPod revolutionized the music industry, which has experienced no growth for years until Apple came along and sold a 100,000,000 iPods that required music and its associated royalty fees. The music industry should give an award ceremony just for Apple.
Now Steve Jobs and Apple Computer, soon to become Apple Inc. are at it again. This time Jobs and company have created a cell phone device that threatens to create hegemony over the entire cell phone industry. The problem today with sophisticated cell phones is that they are too difficult to operate. The buttons on the blackberry require that you use a stylus to trigger them. Another cell phone, the Treo is not that much better in terms of operational design features.
What Jobs has done for this industry is take it to the next level, and what a level it is. It really shouldn’t be called an iPhone. The phone features of this device are probably the least interesting. I have spoken to two technology mavens that have access to this new device, and their features startled both. This is the equivalent of going from silent films to the talking movie era.
Imagine yourself struggling with the Blackberry small buttons or the Sony Treo? Now along comes the iPhone. There are practically no buttons on the device. It’s got a very large screen, which dominates the front of the device, and it is a touch screen. You operate it by finger alone. It scrolls the various listing almost like a roulette wheel. It slows down, and zeros in on the item you want. As it is slowing down, you have the opportunity to re-engage the scroller. It’s almost as if it has artificial intelligence built into it – that’s how good the user interface is.
This flicking or scrolling feature also applies to iTunes software and your photo collection, address book, videos, and podcasts. With a 3.5 inch screen, movies are far superior to previous Apple products, and there’s real time e-mail delivery similar to a corporate Blackberry but without the extra fees involved.
Now without the small keys that I have on my Blackberry, you have to touch the screen of the Apple to send messages. It is clearly not as precise as the tactile response of a Blackberry, but the software wildly overcomes that deficit. The Apple software has spelling correction software built into it, so if you hit the wrong key the device corrects it.
Browsing the web with this device is a mindblower due to what is called the “Pinch feature”. You can take a Web page that you are looking at, and with your thumb and forefinger pinch the picture wider or narrower, higher or lower. The real beauty here is the simplicity of the entire device.
Most products that are designed by engineers are created with an added level of complexity built into it. It’s like a writer that wants to use words that very few people understand. Why do people design like this? It’s because they want to impress themselves, and others with their brainpower. What is more interesting is how such designs survive to become marketed products.
The American car market self-destructed when for 20 years, the companies were run by financial / accounting types, not people who LOVED CARS. Apple has clearly developed a corporate culture that puts functional design first, and engineers, and software geeks second. From the PC to the iPod, and now the iPhone, we have a history of fabulous, sterling products coming out of this American design factory.
These guys even put the speaker on the bottom front edge of the product . I have a Motorola Razor that when I put down in the car, I can’t hear it when it rings, the speaker is on the back. You will notice that Motorola stock took a hit to the downside this week with the unveiling of the iPhone. Apple’s new product is not cheap. It will sell between $500 and $600 per phone depending upon storage capability. Cingular will be the only carrier at the moment.
So the real question is at this price point how much of the market can the iPhone capture. My firm’s answer is plenty. Apple is looking to ship 10 million phones by the end of 2008. This equals about 1 percent of annual worldwide cell phone sales. We think that the sales goal is easily achievable.
You can buy a Blackberry, Treo, or Razor cell phone for $200 to $300. You still need an iPod if you are into music. The iPod sells for a couple of hundred dollars by itself. At some point Cingular, or other cell phone companies will be kicking in part of the cost in order to get subscribers. That amount is usually up to $100 per phone. We see people standing on line to get this product. Will you be one of them, I will?
People pay big bucks for snob appeal and status, and this product qualifies for the ultimate status definition. Status is buying things you don’t need, with money you don’t have, to impress people you don’t know. Stay tune for more.
Goodbye and Good Luck
Richard Stoyeck
How Does a Touch Screen Work: iPhone Solution by Apple
At the moment the company produces the Smartphone iPhone and multimedia player iPod Touch with multi-sensor displays. Their capabilities and the capabilities of notebooks Macbook Air with the analogical touchpad Apple in the document are called referring to the “major.”
The additional functions are much wider and enable the users to, for instance, cancel the last action or teach the sensor to identify certain touches as the Tab button. For certain operations you can use up to 3 fingers – thumb, forefinger and middle fingers.
Another novelty is the ability of the system to identify the side part of the little finger. Owing to the fact that the imprint of this part of the finger is completely different to the imprints of other fingers, the user will be able to change the volume of screen brightness in a few moments.
Some time before, 5 Apple engineers patented a technology enabling to define to which application user’s touches refer to with the help of a touchpad. This helps to control a number of applications simultaneously.
tiny_code_apple.jpg
A few more words about Apple’s software development, from now on the group of developers Tiny Code works for Apple Inc.
Their web-page features an announcement of the following content:
Tiny Code no longer produces fixes or applications for firmware 1.1.3. We can’t say much, but we are working with Apple and with their SDK for the next firmware release and SDK applications and we shouldn’t be missed for long. We will no longer update our Installer. app repo for legality reasons and you should see us soon on iTunes.
Who’s next? Zibri? Geo? Netkas?
Update: Comments from the Tiny-Code developer:
Yes, Tiny-Code.com was ordered to be removed from operation by Apple, Inc because by releasing firmware versions and stating I had possession of the firmware and SDK was apparently a violation of the Non-Disclosure Agreement I agreed to when I accepted a copy of the SDK and firmware.
To Download or Not To Download
The dilemma facing many new Iphone owners is whether they should download games to play on it or should they just use the built in web browser to play online browser games. The biggest argument is the fact that there are far more games available to download than there is to play online. Read on for more information.
In most cases, if all you are looking to do is pass the time it can be worthwhile to just use the online games. Even if you aren’t aware of them, it’s very simple to find playable browser games – a quick internet search will usually reveal hundreds if not thousands of them.
This is obviously good news, but the downside is that the online games are usually inferior in quality to the games you would download. Also, you will need to be in an internet service area to be able to play them. This can cause problems if you are travelling on a bus or train or something, as the signals can easily be dropped in these circumstances, which means the game goes byebye!
On the bright side, downloading Iphone games does not need to be as expensive as you may first imagine. Granted, it can be expensive, but if you can find some of the better sites around, you’ll find there’s a wealth of games and things available for you to download for free.
This sounds great, but it can be a little dangerous if you aren’t well prepared, so check out these guidelines first:
1-First of all, steer clear of the Peer 2 Peer or file sharing sites. Downloading from sites like this is illegal in many countries and territories, so if you do feel the need to visit them be sure to check your local laws and regulations. It’s never been easier for the authorities to trace downloads etc, so don’t break the law unless you want to go to jail.
2-Keep your computer safe- actively downloading files and games etc can be a great way to get it stuffed full of viruses and dangerous software, so it’s important to make sure your security suite is up to date and working correctly. You won’t be downloading anything if you ruin your computer!
3-The last tip is to be prepared to pay for access. Some of the better sites will charge you an admin fee before they give you access to their download database. This sounds bad, but it will give you access to their MP3s and movies as well as games, so it usually represents excellent value, as their libraries are large and your downloads are usually uncapped.
As you can see, downloading anything to your Iphone can be dangerous and can easily ruin your computer if you aren’t careful. Hopefully these guidelines will help you stay safe.
Why You Should Try the Apple iPod Touch
Apple has paved the way of producing a brand new generation of portable gadgets in the market. After they are able to introduce the famous iPhone smart phones, the world has instantly been under the spell of having the need to purchase the latest gadget that the company introduced. One of the famous gadgets that this giant company was able to introduce is their iPod series. This gadget is able to do all the features that their iPhone can do besides being a phone. All the iPhone generation contains a compatible iPod generation also. The company has recently introduced the latest smartphone the iPhone 5 and instantly right after the iPod 5th generation hit the stores. It is available for $299 for a 32GB and $399 for a 64GB sized gadget. There is also a wider variety of colors available. It comes in Black, Blue, White, Pink and Yellow. It comes with the iPod Touch loop, lightning to USB cable and Apple EarPods. You can enjoy the brilliant 4 retina display that the device offers. It also comes with a multi-touch IPS technology for a better usage. Its camera offers a 5MP iSight technology with high 1080p HD video output.
The highlight of this latest generation device is that owners can enjoy wider color choices compared with the usual black and white option. Now it comes with five different color choices. Its 5MP camera is also another thing to mention because it enables you to take more colorful and clearer pictures anywhere. You can surely feel the difference of this latest generation from its predecessors. It also features a 4 inch display and the A5 chip that is used in the new iPod. These enable it to have a faster response. If you are a big fan of the Apple iPod generation series, this latest one is surely worth buying. Plus, you are able to earn free shipping if you order it from Amazon.
The down part of this product is that it includes a hefty price tag, which is just reasonable for an Apple device. Another thing is that its port will no longer be compatible with the entire previous device. This means that you have to buy all the new accessories that you might want to add to your collection for an ultimate user experience. You can consider selling your old set to have money to buy all the new accessories. Besides the improved processor, display and size, there are really no other significant changes from its predecessor. But if you are willing to update everything just to enjoy the new gadget, then you will not find anything wrong with buying this item. It still is able to have you completely satisfied.
In conclusion, the latest Apple iPod Touch is worth buying once it is available in store or you can consider on paying for pre-order on Amazon that enables you to enjoy a significant discount. Plus, you can enjoy all the bragging rights being one of the first few people who are lucky enough to have the item the moment it is made available in the market. The device is very reasonably priced for all the updates that it has compared to the iPod 4th generation. You can always check out some other user reviews regarding this particular device before deciding to buy one or you can consider visiting the store and try it out for yourself and be able to give your personal assessment if it is truly worth buying. You will surely enjoy all the HD games and videos with the 5th generation of the iPod series. Plus, it comes with an even higher storage that enables you to save a lot of application and other multimedia. With its better battery life, you can enjoy online browsing and gaming for a much longer period. There are simply a lot of reasons why you should buy the new device, but it is really up to you to decide.
Apple iPod Touch
iPod touch is considered as the newest line of iPod being introduced in the market. Apple iPod Touch comes in six generations which means that the storage capacity has now gotten higher and even bigger once iPod Touch introduces their 7th gen. What revolutionized iPod Touch from its predecessors is that the device has the capacity to access the App Store. With this, users can already purchase applications for their iPod Touch in the comforts of their home. The 2nd generation iPod Touch was equipped with built-in speaker system which was not a part of the 3rd generation. Meanwhile, the 3rd gen has a speed boost feature of an additional 50% which means that the 3rd gen is faster in rendering audio and video files.
In terms of physical qualities, the iPod Touch comes with a dimension of 4.86” (height) x 2.31” (width) x.24” (depth) and has a weight of 3.10 ounces. Its touchscreen features and internet connectivity has also placed the iPod Touch in a higher league compared to its predecessors. Users can enjoy the widescreen display inherent on all iPod Touch versions which measures at around 4” diagonally and has a multi touch IPS technology. While the first three generations of iPod Touch lack camera functions, the newer models are equipped with a 5-pixel iSight camera with practical features such as AutoFocus, backside illumination, LED Flash, Face detection, and HD video recording among others. The iPod Touch runs on a built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery that can support around 40 hours of music playback time and eight hours of video playback duration.
Positives
• Apple iPod Touch comes in different colors and the newer versions are equipped with extra features such Facetime, iMessages, e-mail reader capability, iCloud, movie rental application and the addition of the camera functions.
• Least expensive among Apple’s iOS applications.
• iPod Touch camera is capable of taking quality pictures and function as an HD camcorder at the same time.
• Clean, seamless look and weighs light.
• Has the same hardware specification as the iPhone.
• The 4th gen iPod touch is integrated with a mono microphone which is relevant for FaceTime, camcording, Voice Memos and even on third-party VoIP without the need for an earpiece.
• Internet connectivity, touchscreen features and the capacity to browse the App Store.
• The gaming experience with iPod Touch is quite impressive, from the widescreen display and graphics to the wide selection of game applications in the App Store. The fourth generation iPod Touch also comes with preinstalled game application.
• iPod Touch has retained the high music and video quality that iPod has been known for.
• Allows the use of third-party audio streaming and Netflix subscription.
Negatives
• Photo quality does not match to iPhone 4.
• No 3G service.
• Good in camcording but not as great as other dedicated pocket camcorders such as the Flip (although Flip does not have internet connectivity).
Conclusion
For those who see iPod Touch as its own entity and not a pocket iPad nor an iPhone without a phone, iPod Touch undeniably offers a great value for money. It has revolutionized the way that iPod functions with its internet connectivity and camera functions. In addition, Apple has maintained the great benefits found in iPod Touch over the years as it still provides great music and video quality. Its capacity to access the App Store is another plus for the iPod Touch. Yes, even the newest versions of the iPod Touch can’t come at par with the iPhone and the iPad, but on its own league, iPod Touch is totally unmatched in terms of features and price value.
Pocket PC: An Informative Overview
With the world’s technological advances, a lot of problems are given appropriate solutions. Information is widely needed therefore, information granted. The fad of getting into the waves of gaining power to achieve minute by minute communication and information combined. A computer is just the tool for that but for the inventors of Pocket PC, a computer is not enough to always be online, there is a need for portability.
Pocket PC Defined
A PPC or Pocket PC is a kind of hardware specification that is made like a handheld-sized personal computer. It is a computer’s scaled down version that can be used in offices and in homes. With its size, people can mistake it as a small diary or an ordinary mobile phone.
Although, PPCs have almost all the commands and applications your local personal computer can have. PPCs have the capability to run software applications that is most likely to be sophisticated. Usually, a Pocket PC weighs for just about 110-170 grams or around 4-6 ounces which can be a perfect fit for your pocket.
Aside from the permanent Microsoft operating system, Pocket PCs can have the ability to run other alternatives like Linux, NetBSD, Android and other forms. Currently, more than a thousand applications are adhered by the Pocket PC, most of which are known as freeware. Pocket PCs compliant to Microsoft can also be used together with numerous add-ons like barcode and RFID readers, cameras, and GPS receivers.
Brief History
Pocket PC is the evolution of computers which are considered as calculator sized. Calculators that are keystroke-programmable and can do scientific applications and simple businesses that became available during the 1970s. It was during the 1990s when the origination of an earlier version of PPC was formed. This device was small and handheld that had organizer facilities and is known as Palm Pilot. When 2000 came in, Microsoft introduced a more sophisticated pocket-sized version of the Windows operating system.
What’s in a Pocket PC?
Sophistication of commands made possible at the palm of your hands – this is what PPC is all about. It functions as an extension of your desktop PC where you can use Microsoft software applications even if you’re far away from your home PC. It’s accessibility ranges from all updates of data that may include appointments and emails. Pocket PCs are very much available. You can purchase it in different designs and features with various memory sizes. Upgrades like increasing the memory size are possible with the purchase of add-on memory cards.
With regards to the lives of batteries, it can last for 4 – 8 hours or even more. When the battery is down, charging can be easily done. Sizes of screens also differ depending on the preference of the person purchasing the PPC. The normal variety of PPC screen sizes ranges from nine to ten centimeters if measured diagonally. Majority of PPCs are touch screens.
The ability to connect via the Internet is also possible through Bluetooth or WiFi that gives you the opportunity to browse in web pages to compose, send or read emails no matter where you are.
With the Pocket PC at hand, you can go anywhere you want and still be able to communicate, do work or simply do whatever it is you have to do. Conducting business matters can be made possible even if you’re still on your way to work or is stuck in heavy traffic.
Non-Traditional Wedding Gifts We Saw in 2012
They say the mother of innovation is necessity. Or is it invention? Anyway, finding that unique wedding gift is a hassle. More so, finding the traditional yet unique gift can be a challenge. You don’t want to have your couple flooded with coffee makers right? Some people have used their imagination to the fullest and tried their best to come up with gift ideas that could stand out from the rest.
This year we have seen that most non-traditional wedding gifts are mostly technology based. Why not? More and more people have been drawn to technology and it has slowly being woven in our everyday lives. People have been too dependent with technology and some of us being geeks are the new normal. As we scoured wedding registries and other sources we have picked some of the unique gift ideas that we saw this year and could become the staple in years to come.
Whole grain cookers
No, not rice cookers but whole grain cookers. To those who are very particular with what they ear, whole grain cookers are heaven sent. These whole grain cookers are able to cook whole-grain pasta, whole grain food and cereals, brown rice and soup meals that could help you maintain that healthy and lean figure. Wait, you are already married why do you have to maintain a figure? No, not because you’re married it doesn’t mean you have the license to neglect your health.
His and hers iPhone cases
Customized iPhone cases were a hit as one of the non-traditional wedding gifts that we saw in 2012. The iPhone cases are nice especially when they have inscription in the back about the wedding. It is an excellent way to protect that too expensive iPhone 4 or 4S and also to keep you reminded that you have someone waiting for your text reply. Of course, we haven’t seen the same cases made for the iPhone 5 but it will be just a matter of time for some enterprising dude that will come up and sell an upgraded version.
Berger lamps
Fragrance lamps have been invented in the 1930s but it never became a staple in the wedding gift circuit. However, there are a lot of people that gave this as a gift this year owing to its ability to disinfect the air. Berger Lamps are used in hospitals for many years to disinfect the air. It can be used inside the house as couples would rather snuggle than spend time cleaning the house for once. Berger lamps can surely help get rid of the foul odor that can spread through the couples’ new home.
Stainless steel fondue
If you like to have a fondue then having a stainless steel one is a welcome treat. You can have some friends over for some fondue or you can have a private event with your new and lovely wife and share some chocolate fondue while having a movie marathon streamed over your new HDTV. Speaking of HDTV…
HDTV remote control
Well, this could either solve the problem of who will control the TV or make it worse. An HDTV universal remote control can make or break a relationship. Nonetheless, an extra remote control ain’t so bad especially if you happen to lose the original one. Having a spare as your wedding gift is a nice way of being reminded that you can lose the remote and still have something to use to change channels.
Indoor electric grill
An indoor electric grill is perfect especially for new couples who opt to live an apartment as they scout for a bigger home. The indoor electric grill does not emit too much smoke which is perfect when you live in an apartment. You don’t need to have a balcony to do some grilling and will give you a nicer way of cooking without the grease and oil.
Download Music Onto Iphone
Downloading music to your Iphone may be a little easier than you first think- all that’s needed is a computer, an Internet connection, and of course an Iphone! For those of you that have already owned Ipods, the procedure is pretty much identical, but for those of you that don’t read on to see how it’s done.
First of all, before you can download music to anything, you need to decide where you want the music to come from. If it’s from cds that you already own, you can copy it to the hard drive of your computer without too much bother, but if it’s music you intend to download, most often you’ll find it’s in the correct file format already.
If you decide to go the CD route, the first thing to do is decide on the songs you want, and then go about the task of pulling the songs from the CDs and saving them on the computer. This process is known as “ripping”. You’ll find that most computers built within the last 5 or 6 years will be able to perform this task with no problem, although you may find it easier with a newer model as it may enable you to do all the CDs in one shot, instead of one at a time.
If on the other hand you are tired of all your old music, or you simply don’t want to go to the trouble of transferring it across and would rather download it from the internet, this is pretty simple too. At the current time it’s not possible to download music directly to the Iphone, it needs to go onto your computer first. It’s thought that Apple will fix this with a future software update.
When looking to download music from the internet to use on your Iphone, one of the most important things is the speed of your internet connection. It can take a while to download a song over dial up, generally the faster your connection the better. If you have a slower one, it’s still no huge problem, you’ll just have to wait longer for your songs.
The other main thing you need is somewhere to get the downloads from. Customarily, over the last few years people have been having a field day getting all kinds of free downloads by using the peer to peer sites, or torrent sites, or whatever you want to call them. This can seem pretty cool, until you try it-torrent sites are pretty dangerous-hackers hang out there to try and get their warez and trojans etc downloaded by innocent users, so that they spread around the internet. Also, sites like this are pretty illegal, so if you get caught downloading anything, you’re going to get into a lot trouble. Do you want the new JZ album bad enough to go to jail?
As a happy alternative, you can now download stuff from a variety of new places, which are altogether a safer haven from hackers and spammers etc. The way it works is that you pay a one off fee, and for that you get unlimited access to their download database. The databases are usually huge, and the downloads are pretty high speed. As well as music downloads, you can also expect to get free movie and tv shows, as well as games etc. All in all it’s a pretty good deal, as you won’t usually have to pay any more than about $50, and that covers you for life.
Hopefully that article will come in useful for you.
How Gadgets Make History
The history of gadgets spans as far back as humanity itself — since hominids began creating tools to make their lives easier. Humans have always created devices and appliances with specific practical purposes that were initially thought of as novelties, due to unfamiliarity with and initial unwillingness to accept the technology. Today, industry has augmented the creation of new gadgets, while certain retailers, including Brookstone and Richard Thalheimer’s RichardSolo.com, specialize in popularizing them.
What famous inventors Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell and Leonardo da Vinci, among others, had in common was foresight. They understood that a lifetime spent playing with what others viewed as toys and senseless gadgets would eventually result in indispensable technology. From just that small group, the groundwork for electricity, communications, film, and flight was laid because of their gadgets, which obviously possessed more value than novelty.
Perhaps one of the earliest, most well known gadgets created is the wheel, many millennia ago. Take a ride in your car and witness how truly revolutionary such a gadget became and how much we now rely on it for transportation. A more recent gadget, the Apple iPhone, appears to be the beginning stages of yet another gadget-turned-necessity that will reshape communications.
“The iPhone may someday be looked upon as the device that started a second revolution in computing. Desktop computing was the first revolution. Hand-held computing will someday be regarded as the second revolution, and the iPhone is the product that started it.”
-Richard Thalheimer, RichardSolo.com
All gadgets were not created equal. In fact most inventions are built on the newest technology. The world of gadgets is tiered; devices fall into one of four categories: mechanical, electronic, programmable, and application. Mechanical gadgets include the wheel, as well as later developments such as the pulley, the bicycle, the sail boat, the thermometer and the sort. Following the advent of electricity, gadgets were taken to a new level as inventors began to discover different uses for the newly harnessed energy. The television, radio and quartz watch are examples of electronic gadgets. After electricity, inventors toyed around with electronic information via microprocessor, beginning an age of programmable devices such as computers, and later, MP3 players and the iPhone. Application gadgets include iTunes, Microsoft Office and other computer applications that customize our experience with programmable devices.
Richard Thalheimer, the President and founder of online gadget vendor RichardSolo.com, and founder and former CEO of gadget giant The Sharper Image, understands, maybe better than anyone, that there’s much more to gadgets than novelty.
“Certainly most people enjoy the novelty of a gadget that introduces new convenience to their lifestyle. What they forget is that solving these everyday problems is not just entertainment, but some of these devices become functional necessities. In my personal life, I rely on my iPhone, my garage door opener, my nose hair trimmer, my electric toothbrush, and other gadgets that were once regarded as novel gadgets. “
– Richard Thalheimer, RichardSolo.com
Both his former brainchild and his current venture sell quirky, useful and fun gadgets of all types, from mechanical to programmable and application. He has seen some devices, such as the Ionic Breeze air purifier, spur sensational and lasting trends based on a realization of utility value, while others collected dust on the shelves after their novelty wore out. Specialty stores like The Sharper Image and Richard Thalheimer’s RichardSolo.com serve a greater purpose: spread new ideas, and give credit to the Franklins and Edisons of the world.
~Ben Anton, 2008
The Apple Iphone – Why?
In January of 2007, Apple announced that it was entering into the portable phone market with the development and launch of the iPhone. Scheduled for release in June of 2007, the Apple iPhone will be able to play music like an iPod, surf and browse the web, take pictures, showcase videos, send text messages and emails, and, maybe, make or take a phone call or two.
Big deal.
For every new cell phone or cell phone company that introduces itself to the market, proclaiming that their particular model of cell phone can, say, play music, there are dozens of other names and brands, some popular, some not, that can do exactly the same thing. What’s the catch? What’s the hook? Where’s the innovative technological design that’s supposed to make the public stand up and take notice?
Now, the Apple iPhone does have complete virtual touch-screen. There are no raised buttons to press and push, and everything is operated with the sense of a finger. Now, that actually is a cool feature, but, it might not be completely practical. Why? Simply because when I look at my hands, I see chubby fingers that are not going to be able to accurately press any button on a small touch screen. Now, unless that screen is 6″ across, which, if that were the case, might defeat the entire mobility purpose of the phone.
Why does Apple feel the need to develop and create their own portable phone? Could it be that they really want to revolutionize portable communication? Do they want to make the world a better place? Can they offer something that no one else can?
Look at it this way: why does Lindsay Lohan think she could sing?
Because it’s another revenue stream to be mined, that’s why? Now, there’s no doubt that the iPhone is cool, and will find a popular and receptive audience. But, like Lohan’s singing attempts, it doesn’t really improve the world and the world wouldn’t notice it if it weren’t around. It’s just there, and it will make money. Partially because of its features, partially because of curiosity seekers, and partially because of people loyal to the brand name.
No one is begrudging Apple for getting in on the portability craze. After all, Apple may have taken that craze to incredible heights with the development and release of the iPod. So, it makes sense, then, to fuse the iPod with a cellular phone. But, it’s already been done before.
Maybe the real issue is that if Apple released a phone without web, email, video player and other bells and whistles, that it simply wouldn’t sell and just sit there on the shelves. If Lindsay Lohan had to sing on her own merits, she might be joining that lonely phone. But, add some studio effects, create some stylish videos and surround her with talented musicians, and she becomes passable and tolerable.
In today’s ultra-connected world, it seems that no one will buy a cell phone for the expressed purpose of having a phone with you while on the go. You need to have everything or your will appear to be nothing.