iTunes

Report: AT&T, Apple to issue software fix for connection glitch

Lynnette Luna — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:01:35 -0400

AT&T and Apple are reportedly working on a software fix to correct the iPhone 3G connection failures that users worldwide are rampantly complaining about. According to USA Today, citing anonymous sources, the problem lies with a faulty chipset provided by German chip company Infineon Technologies. Users are complaining about connection failures that typically happen when the device tries to move from AT&T's 3G network to the EDGE network. The software fix could be available next week via iTunes.

For more:
- see USA Today

Related stories:
Are design flaws plaguing the iPhone 3G? iPhone editorial
Apple iPhone less stable than Windows Mobile. iPhone story

Apple: More than 10M apps downloaded from App Store over weekend

Lynnette Luna — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:42:16 -0400

Apple announced yesterday that users of Apple's iPhone and the iPod Touch downloaded more than 10 million applications from the company's new App Store over the weekend. The company already announced that it sold 1 million 3G iPhones over the weekend, which InformationWeek reckons would mean that individual customers likely downloaded multiple applications from the App Store. When Apple launched the iPhone 3G, it at the same time made the phone's operating system available on the 2G iPhones and the Touch as an upgrade, giving both devices the same functionality as the iPhone 3G, which includes access to the App Store.

Apple launched the App Store with more than 500 applications built by third-party developers. By Monday, that number had grown to more than 800, with more than 200 available at no charge and 90 percent of the paid software costing less than $10.

For more:
- take a look at InformationWeek

Related stories:
iPhone 3G aftermath: Apple sells 1 million devices in 3 days. Apple story
iTunes glitch mars 3G iPhone launch. iTunes story

Apple CEO: iPhone represents launch of personal computer

Lynnette Luna — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:53:45 -0400

When Apple puts the iPhone 3G on sale tomorrow it will simultaneously open its online App Store, which is akin to Apples iTunes Store for music. The App Store will sell mobile applications such as games, reference guides and other software. For Apple, the move represents an ambitious effort to turn the iPhone into more of a personal computer.

"There's been nothing on a mobile phone a fraction as good as what's on PCs," Apple CEO Steve Jobs told The Wall Street Journal. He also said that the iPhone represents a rare launch of a new computing platform.

Of course, rivals such as Microsoft take umbrage to a remark like that. Microsoft says it has developers who have created more than 18,000 applications for handsets using Windows Mobile operating systems. Still, the level of interest in making software for the iPhone is what Gartner Group's Ken Dulaney characterizes as "white hot." A handful of startups have entered the mobile market with the purpose of making applications for the iPhone, and we could see more.

In an interview with The New York Times, Jobs said the App Store will initially feature more than 500 applications including educational programs, mobile commerce and business productivity tools, with games representing about a third of the first-wave apps. According to Jobs, 25 percent of the first 500 applications at the store will be free, with roughly 90 percent of the premium applications priced at $9.99 or less. Jobs insists Apple will not rely on the App Store as a source of significant revenue, in much the same way iTunes music sales have contributed little to the firm's bottom line: "We are not trying to be business partners," he said. The goal is to "sell more iPhones."

For more:
- check out The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)
- read the New York Times

Related stories:
Jobs: App Store launch features 500 iPhone applications
Apple releases iPhone SDK, adds features
Apple counts down most popular iPhone apps

AT&T to launch 3G BlackBerry Bold

Brian Dolan — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:41:42 -0400

Research In Motion debuted its latest BlackBerry, called Bold, which runs on HSDPA and comes with GPS and 802.11a/b/g WiFi. The device offers increased processing power and features a silver rim, which the Wall Street Journal pegs as a nod to its budding competitor the Apple iPhone.

The BlackBerry Bold, however, includes another enhancement that works toward Apple's favor: an easier syncing capability with Apple's iTunes. RIM's co-CEO Jim Balsillie explained the syncing feature as a natural progression: "We don't view it as a competition thing, we view it as a natural sync to an application that you use in your life."

While neither AT&T nor RIM announced a specific launch date for the BlackBerry Bold, it will hit shelves this summer around the same time that Apple is expected to launch its 3G iPhone. As part of the launch for Bold, RIM is teaming up with Thomson Reuters and the Royal Bank of Canada to form a $150 million venture capital fund to encourage applications for the BlackBerry platform.

For more on the Bold:
- read this press release
- read this WSJ article (sub. req.)
- check out this article on the BlackBerry VC fund over at FierceMobileContent

Apple: iPhone SDK and roadmap on March 6

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:59:56 -0500

Apple announced plans to release its long-awaited software development kit (SDK) for the the iPhone at a "town hall" meeting on March 6. As predicted, the event next month means that Apple did not make good on its original promise to make the SDK available by the end of February.

Apple also plans to unveil some "exciting new enterprise" features for the iPhone, which enterprise users hope include widely used email software like Microsoft's Exchange or IBM's Lotus Notes.

For more on the SDK and iPhone roadmap:
- read this article from CNET

Related Articles:
Sprint to make Xohm SDK available Article
Apple may use iTunes to distribute SDK Article

Apple uses iTunes to unlock iPhone in Germany

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 06:59:56 -0500

According to early reports out of Germany, those iPhone buyers who spend the $1500 for an unlocked iPhone in Germany have the iPhone unlocked when they sync it up with iTunes. Apple has always used iTunes to activate iPhones, but using (software-based) iTunes instead of a hardware-based solution to unlock the phone has surprised some.

T-Mobile Germany is offering an unlocked iPhone to appease rival Vodafone Germany, which filed a suit against T-Mobile for requiring a two-year contract for iPhone buyers, by offering the handset with no contract: For about $1500. The device will retail for about $590 with a two-year contract.

Vodafone won a temporary injunction against T-Mobile Germany after claiming that the terms of its Apple deal are uncompetitive according to German law. A Hamburg court is set to hear the case in two weeks. Vodafone claimed that its aim is not to halt T-Mobile's iPhone sales, but to allow consumers to have the freedom to select their own network provider.

For more on the unlocking reports:
- read this article from MacRumors

Apple: 17% of iPhones have been unlocked

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 06:59:57 -0400

Apple had their quarterly earnings call last month and in a lot of ways, it was business as usual for the Cupertino company. Yet again, Jobs and Co. posted record profits (for the month of September) and record Mac sales (for the quarter), raking in a net quarterly profit of $904 million with $6.22 billion in revenue. The company sold 10.2 million iPods and 2,164,000 Macs in Q4 2007--all up from last year, of course. Though the iPod and iTunes did well, they only made up 36 percent of the company's net revenue.

What was interesting about Apple's earnings call was the iPhone. While the company is keeping mum on how much money they drew out of iPhone sales, they did own up to selling 1,119,000 phones in Q4 2007, bringing the total number of iPhones up to 1,389,000. By comparing the number of iPhones sold to the number of iPhones activated on AT&T's network, Apple was able to figure out how many unlocked devices exist in the wild: somewhere in the neighborhood of 250,000. That's a huge number--representing almost 17 percent of all iPhones sold--and demonstrates that there's a very real demand for an unlocked iPhone. Here's a graph from Compete showing the increase in iPhone sales (click to see the full-size charts):

For more on Apple's Q4:
- see this press release
- and this 9 to 5 Mac article on the unlocked iPhones

ALSO NOTED: India's 200M subs; Samsung-Armani; and much more...

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 06:59:50 -0400

> More on the Samsung-Armani partnership for the Armani phone. Article

> Starbucks is giving away 50 million free iTunes songs for iTunes WiFi users. Article

> India now has more than 200 million mobile subscribers. Article

And Finally... AT&T's HSUPA launch imminent? Article

Apple cuts price of 8GB iPhone, drops 4GB

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 06:59:58 -0400

As we reported yesterday afternoon on our website, Apple has lowered the price of the 8GB iPhone from $599 to $399 and dropped the 4GB iPhone model altogether, citing a clear customer demand for the model with more internal memory. The price reduction seems to be a strategic move as Apple launches WiFi-enabled iPods that look to echo all the features of the iPhone, save the actual phone capabilities. The price reduction marks a $200 price cut: "We want to put iPhones in a lot of stockings," Jobs quipped. Here's more on the WiFi-enabled iPods.

iPod Touch
Looks like there's a new iPod in town--the heavily-rumored, touchscreen-sporting iPod Touch. The form factor looks almost identical to the iPhone and it boasts WiFi, Cover Flow, Multitouch, Calendar, Contacts, Clock, Calculator and a very iPhone-like UI.

iTunes over WiFi
There's one more thing today--the rumored iTunes WiFi Music Store. Accessible from the iPod Touch (and, ostensibly, from the iPhone as well), the WiFi store has the same selection and pricing as its desktop brother and allows you to preview songs in the same manner. Download a song directly to your iPod and you can listen to it right away--sync your iPod with your Mac or PC when you get home and the songs you purchased over-the-air will automatically download to your hard drive.

Apple teams up with Starbucks
Starbucks has been trying to break into the music retailing game for a while now, so it makes sense that they've partnered up with the king of the hill in the digital music game. Walk into any Starbucks and a special Starbucks icon will pop up on your iPod or iPhone. You'll then be able to browse the last 10 songs played in the store and purchase them over-the-air from iTunes. You'll also get free access to the iTunes Store over the in-store WiFi, though I'd assume you can't use the WiFi for anything else. They'll be rolling the service out in most U.S. metropolitan areas by the end of this year, with all Starbucks locations slated to get it by 2009.

For more details and photos of the new iPods:
- read this full write-up

Apple slashes 8GB iPhone price, drops 4G model

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 14:58:11 -0400

Due to a computer error, this article was accidentally reprinted in a May 2008 issue of FierceWireless. This news did indeed happen in 2007. Please disregard the story. We apologize for any confusion. The intended article about free WiFi service for iPhone users can be found here.

Apple has lowered the price of the 8GB iPhone from $599 to $399 and dropped the 4GB iPhone model altogether, citing a clear customer demand for the model with more internal memory. The price reduction seems to be a strategic move as Apple launches WiFi-enabled iPods that look to echo all the features of the iPhone, save the actual phone capabilities. The price reduction marks a $200 price cut: "We want to put iPhones in a lot of stockings," Jobs quipped. Here's more on the WiFi-enabled iPods.

iPod Touch

Looks like there's a new iPod in town--the heavily-rumored, touchscreen-sporting iPod Touch. The form factor looks almost identical to the iPhone and it boasts WiFi, Cover Flow, Multitouch, Calendar, Contacts, Clock, Calculator and a very iPhone-like UI.

iTunes over WiFi

There's one more thing today--the rumored iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store. Accessible from the iPod Touch (and, ostensibly, from the iPhone as well), the WiFi store has the same selection and pricing as its desktop brother and allows you to preview songs in the same manner. Download a song directly to your iPod and you can listen to it right away--sync your iPod with your Mac or PC when you get home and the songs you purchased over-the-air will automatically download to your hard drive.

Apple teams up with Starbucks

Starbucks has been trying to break into the music retailing game for a while now, so it makes sense that they've partnered up with the king of the hill in the digital music game. Walk into any Starbucks and a special Starbucks icon will pop up on your iPod or iPhone. You'll then be able to browse the last 10 songs played in the store and purchase them over-the-air from iTunes. You'll also get free access to the iTunes Store over the in-store WiFi, though I'd assume you can't use the WiFi for anything else. They'll be rolling the service out in most U.S. metropolitan areas by the end of this year, with all Starbucks locations slated to get it by 2009.

For more details and photos of the new iPods:
- read this full write-up

SPOTLIGHT: iPhone speculation surfaces, again

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 20:01:32 -0400

Dare we mention it again? A research analyst from Piper Jaffray who covers Apple said there is proof the company is making its own iTunes-enabled mobile phone and could release the phone in the next four to six months. Gene Munster said there is "more tangible evidence of the existence of the iPhone from the resource files in the new iTunes 7." The latest iTunes software release last week includes messages that suggest features for a mobile phone. These messages include information about copying games and syncing photos to cell phones. Article

Study: Mobile music pricing not sustainable

Wed, 19 Apr 2006 20:01:35 -0400

A new report from Pyramid Research argues that the pricing mobile operators are offering for music downloads is not sustainable, despite the fact that Sprint Nextel announced more than 1 million music downloads after just four months of service launch. Most operators are selling songs for more than iTunes' 99-cent price tag. Sprint Nextel is selling service for $2.49, but the 1 million downloads include many free downloads since the operator offered a promotion that included five free downloads. Pyramid estimates that the actual number of Sprint Nextel subscribers paying full price for song downloads was only a few hundred thousand. Verizon Wireless executives have told me customers are willing to pay its $1.99 price tag for song downloads, but I certainly don't know how many subscribers are willing to do that. Pyramid says that the novelty element to mobile music may cover up the inflated pricing for now, but operators will have to drop prices to the $1.25 to $1.50 range. I argue operators may have to move down to a loss-making 99-cents per download in the long-run and try to make up for it by combining other types of offerings.

To read more about Pyramid's mobile music report:
- take a look at this report from the company

CES: Motorola puts Google on handsets

Thu, 05 Jan 2006 19:01:39 -0500

Motorola announced that many of its future handsets will offer access to Google's search technology at the touch of a single button. The officialese is that the companies want to encourage mobile users to access the Internet using their handsets--a worthy cause, no doubt. Motorola sees Google's presence as a selling point that could rationalize a higher retail value on its phones. All very safe and plausible. The deal seems like an innocuous feather in Motorola's handset hat.

Google-rival and enterprise search solutions provider Fast has a different perspective: "Google isn't just a search engine--it's now a global brand right up there with Coca-Cola. By partnering with Google, Motorola is allowing its own brand to be diluted." The criticism boils down to this: Motorola lost the chance to launch "Motorola Search" powered by someone like FAST. It's true, the Google brand is a powerful one. And the iTunes phone, er, ROKR E1, is case in point when it comes to big brand names overshadowing Motorola. Did you hear there's a ROKR E2? And what do you know? No iTunes this time around.

For more on Google's search technology on Motorola's handsets:
- take a look at this article from the BBC
- and FAST's criticism of the deal posted on Mobile Europe

ALSO: Motorola teams with Kodak in a 10-year deal for mobile imaging solutions. Release

PLUS: Yahoo! launches its Yahoo Go mobile search technology. Article

Motorola triples net profit to $1.75B

Tue, 18 Oct 2005 20:01:35 -0400

Motorola has tripled its net profit from this time last year to $1.75 billion, compared with $479 million last time around. Quarterly sales rose 26 percent to a new high of $9.42 billion. Motorola claims it has increased its cell-phone market share to 19 percent, up 5.5 percent from a year earlier. Its sales of handsets also increased 41 percent from a year ago; Motorola shipped 38.7 million handsets during the third quarter. The company's flagship Razr phone continued to set the pace with more than 6.5 million units sold. In hopes of building on that momentum, the company started shipping two new phones from the Razr family after the quarter ended. Motorola did not release stats on the assumed poorly selling ROKR iTunes phone, which was released late in the quarter.

For more on Motorola tripling its profit:
- see this piece from the BBC

Rumor Mill: iTunes for Windows Mobile 5.0

Thu, 29 Sep 2005 20:01:35 -0400

According to rumors circulating the Internet, Apple is developing a version of iTunes for Windows Mobile 5.0. Insiders claim there will be a special data rate for T-Mobile users bundled with the devices that come with iTunes. Apple chose to use the iTunes interface over the iPod interface because iTunes is more well known. Reports of a version 0.9 for the software have been accompanied by screenshots of the program running on a T-Mobile MDA Pocket PC.

For more on the rumored iTunes for Windows Mobile 5.0:
- see this blog

SPOTLIGHT: Motorola CEO: 'Screw the nano'

Sun, 25 Sep 2005 20:01:25 -0400

Motorola picked holes at the hype surrounding the iPod Nano, calling it undeserved considering the advanced features found in mobile phones abroad. The company's CEO, Ed Zander, said, "What the hell does the nano do? Who listens to 1,000 songs? People are going to want devices that do more than just play music." The comments come just three weeks after Apple launched the iPod nano along with the Motorola ROKR iTunes phone. Until recent complaints about its fragile screen, the iPod nano had garnered widespread praise, while the ROKR's welcome has been lukewarm at best. Article

Trend: iTunes phone disappoints many

Wed, 07 Sep 2005 20:01:38 -0400

While Motorola has given Cingular a one year exclusive deal for its new iTunes ROKR handset, many say the device is already eight months out of date. According to critics, the iTunes phone does not live up to the hype and already looks dated compared with some mobile music phones set to hit the market. With storage capacity for 100 songs, a processing speed of 30 seconds per download, and limited Bluetooth compatibility, the ROKR is not the killer phone many expected. Motorola and Apple were supposed to debut this phone, or a version of it, at 3GSM in February but delayed the release until yesterday. Some insiders claim that the delay resulted from carriers' initial refusal to carry the device.

For more details on industry disappointment with the iTunes phone:
- see this article from the Inquirer

Motorola, Apple finally launch iTunes phone

Tue, 06 Sep 2005 20:01:39 -0400

Motorola and Apple announced today the much anticipated iTunes phone, which will operate on the Cingular Wireless network as rumored last week. The iTunes phone will combine functions of Apple's iPod music player with voice, messaging, and other cell phone features. Motorola and Apple were supposed to debut the phone at 3GSM in February but delayed the release until now. Some insiders claim that the delay resulted from carriers' refusal to carry the iTunes phone. There have been several rumored launches for the device since February, but none panned out. Last week, more rumors emerged that T-Mobile will carry the iTunes phone in Germany and O2 will carry it in the UK, but neither of those claims has yet been confirmed.

For more on the iTunes phone launch:
- read this article from the Chicago Tribune

PLUS: Will Apple launch its own iTunes phone? Article

Rumor Mill: T-Mobile to carry iTunes phone

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 20:01:38 -0400

Earlier this week rumors broke that Cingular Wireless will carry the iTunes phone in the US. Now rumors emerge that T-Mobile will carry the iTunes phone in Germany. While there is no confirmation yet, T-Mobile reportedly revealed plans to unveil some kind of iTunes related service by Christmas during a press conference this week. Insiders also claim that O2 will carry the iTunes phone in the UK. Apple and Motorola are supposed to formally launch the long-awaited device next week in San Francisco.

For more on the latest iTunes phone gossip:
- see this blurb from Macworld Daily News

Rumor Mill: Cingular to offer iTunes phone

Mon, 29 Aug 2005 20:01:39 -0400

According to a story in The Wall Street Journal, Cingular Wireless has agreed to offer a Motorola handset that is compatible with Apple's iTunes music service. The report sent the wireless industry into rumor overdrive today. Some insiders claim that Cingular and Motorola will unveil the iTunes phone at an Apple event on September 7 in San Francisco. Critics of the rumors caution that this is possibly another promised launch that never materializes.

Motorola and Apple were supposed to debut the iTunes phone at 3GSM in February but reportedly pulled their plans when carriers warned the two companies that they might not carry the phone. There have been several rumored launches for the device since then, but none have panned out.

For more on the latest iTunes phone buzz:
- read this article from UPI