THE APPLE INVESTOR: A Downgrade, An iPhone 5 Release Date And iPad 3 Production Notes

How Two "Competing" Wireless Technologies Made The U.S. Mobile Market Less Competitive

Verizon iPhone Doesn't Have A GSM Chip For Worldwide Roaming

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Verizon iPhone Loads A Web Site Faster Than AT&T

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AT&T: We're "Evaluating" The New iPhone Mobile Hotspot Feature

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Verizon iPhone Goes On Sale Feb. 10

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Steve Jobs: Sorry About "Antennagate," Here's A Free iPhone Case

gdgt Live iPhone 4 press event coverage

iPhone overload: Dutch T-Mobile issues refund after 3G issues

"Of the three mobile network operators in the Netherlands, only T-Mobile sells the iPhone. And only T-Mobile has a large part of its customer base irate from lack of 3G data access, dropped calls, and calls going directly to voicemail even with full 3G coverage.

So no, such problems aren't limited just to AT&T. And as with AT&T, the problems are worst in the largest and most tech-savvy cities. Those problems are now so bad that T-Mobile is offering a little cashback for affected users."

iPhone overload: Dutch T-Mobile issues refund after 3G issues

D8: Apple CEO Steve Jobs Talks

In his fifth appearance at D: All Things Digital, Jobs speaks with Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher about his well-known issues with Flash.


D8: Steve Jobs on Apple's Relationship With Google Onstage at D8, Jobs talks about Apple's relationship with Google.


D8: Steve Jobs on iAds Restrictions Jobs responds to a question about data collection and retention with a story about Flurry Analytics.


D8: Steve Jobs on the Gizmodo Story Jobs talks candidly about Apple's situation with Gizmodo, the site that bought an iPhone prototype found in a bar.


D8: Steve Jobs on Television Jobs talks about the problem with getting involved in television technology.


Jobs answers a question from the audience about whether AT&T's service for the iPhone will get better anytime soon.


D8: Steve Jobs on FoxConn Jobs answers questions from Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher about FoxConn, the Chinese manufacturer that has recently been the site of a number of suicides.


KatieCam: AOL Nightcap Gathering Katherine Boehret brings KatieCam to the D8 nightcap gathering, sponsored by AOL. Singer Natasha Bedingfield provided the musical tunes for the exciting event. Along with many interviews of peoples thoughts on what they just heard from Steve Jobs.

Verizon winds down expensive FiOS expansion

"NEW YORK — If Verizon Communications Inc. hasn't already started wiring your city or town with its FiOS fiber-optic TV and broadband service, chances are you won't get it.

Where it's available, FiOS usually provides the only competition for cable TV apart from satellite service. Studies have shown that its entry into an area leads to lower cable prices, though FiOS itself has not been undercutting cable TV prices substantially.

But Verizon is nearing the end of its program to replace copper phone lines with optical fibers that provide much higher Internet speeds and TV service. Its focus is now on completing the network in the communities where it's already secured "franchises," the rights to sell TV service that rivals cable, said spokeswoman Heather Wilner.

Verizon is the only major U.S. phone company to draw fiber all the way to homes and the only one to offer broadband speeds approaching those available in Japan and South Korea. The halt to further expansion comes as the Federal Communications Commission has sent Congress the country's first "national broadband plan," aimed at making Internet access faster, more affordable and more widely available."

Read the full story by PETER SVENSSON

iPhone Users Bandwidth May Not Be The Real Issue

Ars Technica over the weekend published a fascinating piece which theorizes that a lack of raw bandwidth may not be the real issue behind the trouble the Apple (AAPL) iPhone is creating on the AT&T (T) network in densely populated areas like New York and the Bay Area.

The real problem, Ars Technica says, is that the iPhone - and other modern smart phones - disconnect from the network whenever possible to save power.

“The fact that almost all of the complaints from iPhone users come from the U.S. suggests that AT&T’s network is at least partially to blame,” the story asserts. “In fact, users in other countries have told Ars that they don’t experience the kinds of problems that U.S. users often report. Well, other countries except one.”

Continue reading Apple: Bandwidth May Not Be The Issue For AT&T iPhone Users By Eric Savitz

Apple Solves iPhone 5.6 Carrier Update Mystery

"After three separate calls to Apple Support, I was able to reach a representative this morning that finally answered the infamous 5.6 carrier update mystery that quickly followed after iPhone OS 3.1.2was released last week.

The Apple rep indicated that the 5.6 carrier file update addresses a specific issue that some iPhone users were experiencing after the 5.5 update enabling MMS was rolled out on Friday, September 25th.

When sending photos or videos in an MMS message, the progress bar would stall at about 90% then result in an error ending with a (!) red exclamation point next to the MMS message. The associated message failed to be properly sent, though standard text messages worked as normal. The 5.6 patch addressed that particular MMS issue. "

Read the full story by Ray Basile

How Apple Can Beat RIM

While Apple is the smartphone technology leader, it is not the sales leader. Importantly, it's still trailing BlackBerry maker Research In Motion. This is a platform land grab, so sales and market share count.

"This isn't because RIM is selling to corporations while Apple is selling to consumers: RIM says 70% of its new subscribers were "non-enterprise" last quarter, and consumers are now half of its total subscriber base. RIM and Apple are largely going after the same customers, meaning many BlackBerry buyers are choosing RIM over Apple.

How can Apple improve its position?"

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Skype handles more international calls than AT&T

"Skype has become the world's single largest provider of international calls, surpassing even incumbent telcos like AT&T. Unfortunately for the company, few of these calls generate any revenue, and corporate parent eBay grows impatient.

Skype might not be performing quite as well as parent company eBay would prefer a $2.6 billion acquisition to perform, but that hasn't dampened worldwide enthusiasm for the VoIP service. Skype is so popular, in fact, that new numbers out from TeleGeography suggest that it has become the "largest provider of cross-border voice communications in the world." Take that, AT&T!

Actually, AT&T probably doesn't care, since long distance has lost some of its revenue-generating luster, but the surging popularity of VoIP no doubt keeps future-thinking execs up at nights. Skype's revenues are more modest than the big telcos, despite its usage numbers; at eBay's annual meeting earlier this month, the company said that Skype pulled in $550 million in 2008."

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Free AT&T Wi-Fi for iPhones users in the USA

Yup this Includes Starbucks stores too!

Accessing AT&T's Wi-Fi hotspots is easy. You can use any Wi-Fi enabled laptop or other device to connect quickly and seamlessly.

Get started with LaptopConnect

Log in to the AT&T hotspot web page with LaptopConnect
Activate the wireless networking functionality on your laptop or Wi-Fi-enabled device and look for the SSID "ATTWIFI"
Once connected to "ATTWIFI" you will be presented with options to order AT&T's Basic or Premier service

iPhone users, get started with Wi-Fi

Activate Wi-Fi from the settings icon on your iPhone
Select "attwifi" from the list of available networks
Enter your 10-digit mobile number and check the box to agree to the Acceptable Use Policy. Tap 'continue'
You will receive a text message from AT&T with a secure link to the AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot. You will not be charged for the text message.
The SMS link will only be valid for 24 hours at the location it was requested. Another request must be submitted when using another hotspot location.
Open the text message and tap on the link for 24-hour access to the AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot

Apple products selling well for both home and business users

The Baltimore Sun's David Zeiler writes that Business suddenly discovers the Mac. "Mac use in businesses rose from 1.1 percent in October 2006 to 4.5 percent in June of this year, according to a report by analyst Benjamin Gray of Forrester Research released Friday and made public by eWeek’s Joe Wilcox."

"Finally, Gray offers this reason for Mac growth among businesses: “Tech populism drives younger, more tech-savvy workers to buy whatever they need to work smarter, faster, and cheaper.”

Today’s students are tomorrow’s young workers, and ever-higher numbers of them are Apple customers. In a report released earlier this month research firm IDC said Apple had regained the lead in notebook sales from Dell with 36.5 percent of the market. Dell sunk to 27.1 percent.

“What we’ve seen over the past couple of years is a significant increase in the number of students who own an Apple laptop or Apple desktop or plan to buy one,” Eric Weil of Student Monitor, a research company focused on college students, told Investor’s Business Daily."

Suzanne Choney of MSNBC wrote that Macs continue to gain in home, business share.
"More home users, and a growing number in the small business sphere, are opting to move to Apple’s computers, their interest driven by positive experiences with Apple's other products, as well as disenchantment with the Windows world."

It's been good news for the Apple iPhone as well this week as AT&T has announce new pricing plans for travelers. Also it seems that Apple has been vindicated because recently a Swedish firm has tested the iPhone 3G antenna and found no problems! Interestingly the new BlackBerry suffering same 3G connection drops as iPhone. This would seem to be some type of software problem as both phones use different chips. 

In other iPhone news it seems that some European users have also reported problems with being billed for data use even when they are on their home WIFI networks! Ouch!

Apple Burn Notice to Corporate Executives?

You never know what you will see when your in a Apple store. Seems Apple has been working over time to disgrace itself in the eyes of corporate executives lately with the MobileMe fiasco and lets not forget about the iPhone 3G call dropping issues.

Apple latest foolish impulse seems to burning corporate executives whom were previously favorable to Apple products. What happened? Well it's seems that Apple will no longer allow corporate staff to go into Apple Stores and buy iPhones or iPhone upgrades for their executives. I have personally seen mindless Apple store drones give the brush off to authorized technical support staff and executive admins telling them to have their CEO's or President's come down and stand inline and sign AT&T contracts. Yeah, like that is going to happen. You should have seen these folks trying to explain that they had purchased and upgraded numerous iPhones before and never had a problems. But the Apple employees would have none of it and handed out business cards of the store manager to the shocked corporate staff and said they could complain if they wanted. Now I remember the days when Apple was not doing so good and would have been excited to sell any equipment to any business person. So in the end all I can say is that this half-baked smack in the face to the corporate elite will not go well for Apple in the long run. After all do you think they would have received the same frosty reception in oh say the Verizon or T-Mobile stores?

AT&T Announces iPhone 3G pricing plans

Finally, a piece of news we can actually do something with. AT&T today announced its pricing structure for the next iteration of Apple's iPhone -- which you can plunk down money for come 8 am, July 11th. There's not much that's surprising here -- new customers and those eligible for an upgrade will be able to nab the phone for $199 (8GB) or $299 (16GB), while "early upgraders" will have to fork over $399 or $499, all with a two year contract and $18 upgrade fee, of course. The telco says a no-commitment version of the phone will be available for $599 and $699, though it looks like that will come after the initial launch. AT&T appears to be leaning pretty heavily towards the all-in unlimited plans, but there are options if you don't want to go that route. We've sorted out the basics after the break, and included AT&T's "iReady" video -- certainly good for a few chuckles.

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WWDC 2008 news

A new 3G iPhone will be released shortly and you can  view todays keynote details here. The iPhone 3G (8/16 GB) will be available on July 11th in 22 countries. Other then 3G the iPhone will also feature Exchange and GPS. According to Apple, maximum price around the world is $199 USD plus the cost of your data plan per month. 

The iPhone 3G will first be released in the 22 largest markets: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the US. The remaining 48 countries listed after the break will get theirs "later this year." In total so far the iPhone country count stands at 74.

Even though Russia and (all of) China are not on the list then if you check the iPhone tech specs you will see that their languages are now listed as supported. Apple is also replacing .Mac with MoblieMe. Apple also announced Snow Leopard (are they running low on cats yet?) at the WWDC keynote (podcast) and this release of 10.6 will offer Exchange support and will focus on improving performance. How will they do this? Well 10.6 will be 64bit for INTEL processors and they will make all of OS X multi processor aware to take full advantage of all cores. Not only will Grand Central boost speed but they will also introduce OpenCL and this will tap hidden additional resources. Yes while Microsoft is letting you upgrade from Vista to XP, Apple is really pulling out all the stops to make OS X powerhouse. While it did not make a big splash Apple is also showing off Snow Leopard Server at WWDC.

AT&T to cut the price of Apple’s new iPhone

AT&T (T) is planning to put some extra shine on the even sleeker new Apple (AAPL) iPhone. When the 3G iPhone is introduced this summer, AT&T, the exclusive U.S. iPhone sales partner with Apple, will cut the price by as much as $200, according to a person familiar with the strategy.AT&T is preparing to subsidize $200 of the cost of a new iPhone, bringing the price down to $199 for customers who sign two-year contracts, the source says. Apple is expected to have two versions of the new iPhone, an 8-gigabyte-memory and a 16-gigabyte-memory model with price tags widely expected to be $399 and $499. AT&T and Apple declined to comment.

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