March 13, 2010

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Apple Removing ‘Wi-Fi Scanner’ Apps from App Store

March 5, 2010 By Alex Jordan Leave a Comment

AppleInsider is reporting that Apple has begun removing “Wi-Fi Scanner” (help you find Wi-Fi access) applications from the App Store. Apple claims they are removing these apps due to “minimum user fuctionality. ”

AppleInsider quotes Three Jacks Software, the publisher of “Wi-Fi Where” as saying the following about their app’s removal from the store:

“I find it quite ironic that Apple removes these very handy, very useful apps from the app store when there are so many useless gimick apps that just pollute the App Store pages,” the developer wrote. “I’m not going to list any names, but its not hard to see that this trend.”

The way I see this, is that Apple is just now coming to terms with the fact that most of the apps in the App Store are in fact, tacky, tasteless junk apps. Apple is in a curious situations. Leave all of the junk apps in (that they should have never admitted in the first place) and choke out all the outstanding apps that are made, or remove all of the junk apps from the store and look like control freaks. Either way looks like a misstep for Apple.

Filed Under All News, Developers, Software, iPhone, iPhone Apps

Apple Raises iPhone’s App Size Download Limits to 20MB Over Cellular Netowrk

February 19, 2010 By Alex Jordan Leave a Comment
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MacRumors is reporting on reports from iPhone users that Apple has raised the download cap for App Store applications from the previous 10MB to a new limit of 20MB. This new limit seems to apply to iTunes Store content as well.

This will give developers a little more breathing room when creating applications and elevating frustrations some users were experiencing when attempting to download applications over the 10MB limit.

This move is likely in preparation of the 3G iPad coming in sometime in April.

Filed Under iPhone, iTunes

iPhone Users Consume 5X More Data Than Blackberry Users

February 15, 2010 By Alex Jordan Leave a Comment
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Consumer Reports has released the results of a study comparing the data usage of iPhone users to other smartphones. The data, which was gathered from over 1,000 accounts linked to Validas, shows that iPhone users consume right around 273MB of data each month. That’s fives times the amount of data Blackberry users consume, and nearly twice that of other smartphone users.

On average, iPhone users consume 273 MBs of data per month. That compares with 54 MBs for consumer users of Blackberrys and 150 MBs for consumers who use other brands of smart phones, the Validas study found.

The biggest difference comes in when you compare customers using less than 50MB a month. That is, 80% of Blackberry users, and 54% of “other” smartphone users consume less than 50MB of data a month. Compare this to 20% of iPhone users who consume such little data and you can easily see the trend.

Consumer reports then uses this data to make the argument that iPhone users are straining AT&T’s network, which led to last month’s Consumer Reports analysis showing AT&T with generally poor ratings.

Filed Under All News, iPhone

Apple Paid $100 Million Per Year by Google for iPhone Search

February 12, 2010 By Alex Jordan Leave a Comment
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Sillicon Alley Insider is reporting (on source information) that rumors of Apple developing their own search engine are false, and that Google pays Apple $100 million per year for the default search engine position on the iPhone.

Our source tells us “there’s too many options” for search on the market, so there’s no reason for Apple to build its own search engine.

Another reason Apple might not want to build its own search engine: It’s getting over $100 million a year from Google in its revenue share deal, according to our source.

For Apple, that’s not a lot of money. But, it’s enough that it doesn’t make sense for Apple to put considerable resources towards building its own Internet search engine. And, if Apple wanted more money or options, there’s Microsoft — with Bing and a big checkbook.

This news is in the wake of a story by BusinessWeek that claimed Apple and Microsoft have been in negotiations to make Bing the default search engine on the iPhone.

Filed Under All News, iPhone

Possible 4th-Gen iPhone Parts Show Taller Form Factor

February 9, 2010 By Alex Jordan Leave a Comment

iResQ, a iPhone repair site, has posted photos they claim are parts of the 4th-generation iPhone, which is expected to be released later this year. The most notable difference is that the “4th-gen” casing is 1/4″ taller than the iPhone 3GS.

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This front panel also has a “reflective surface” located above the earpeice slot. It’s not clear what this to be used for. iResQ speculates it’s simply a placeholder for a proximity sensor.

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If Apple is actually elongating the next iPhone, they must need the extra room for something new. Pure speculation, but a new longer form factor could accommodate one of those front-facing cameras the rumor mill has been chattering about for some time now.

Filed Under Rumors, iPhone

iPhone Sales Still Outpacing Market Growth

February 5, 2010 By Alex Jordan Leave a Comment

Research company IDC has issued a report with Q4 and full year worldwide sales of “converged mobile devices”, or smartphones as the rest of us know them. Why is this Apple news worthy? The iPhone is selling quicker than the smartphone industry, which itself is growing rapidly.

IDC’s numbers claim that Apple’s iPHone shipments for Q4 2009 increased 97.7% year-over-year. This places iPhone well in from of the industry’s overall growth of 39%. Apple shipped 8.7 million iPhone in Q4 with 16% of the market share. That puts Apple in third behind Research in Motion and Nokia, who both saw growth similar to the industry’s.

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As for all of 2009, Apple stayed solidly in third place, while shipping 25.1 million units, which works out to be a 81.9% increase over 2008’s shipments. These shipments gave Apple 14.4% worldwide market share, which was up from 2008’s 9.1%. The market grew by only 15% year-over-year overall.

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Excellent numbers. If I was any other company besides RIM or Apple I would watch out.

This is pure speculation on my part, but I’d wager to say that RIM’s market share will slip over time as more and more teens using the iPhone now become businesspeople later in life, and as some of the older, more entrenched Blackberry users start to retire.

Charts and research courtesy of IDC.

Filed Under iPhone

Next-Gen iPhone and iPod Touch Internal Model Numbers Found in Latest iPhone SDK

February 3, 2010 By Alex Jordan Leave a Comment
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Engadget is reporting that an internal model number (N89) for an as of yet unreleased iPhone has been found in the new iPhone SDK 3.2 that was released at during the iPad launch.

Buried way inside the platform simulator lies a set of folders dedicated to specific models of iPhone OS-ready devices, including the iPhone 3GS, second generation iPod touch, something called the “K48″ (yep, the codename we were told was the internal name for the iPad), and… the “N89.” Sure, it sounds like a Nokia phone just waiting to happen, but this is — according to our extremely knowledgeable and trusted sources — likely the codename of the next iPhone (previous versions were called the M68, N82, and N88).

Another number (N80) was found in Apple’s recently released iPhone OS 3.1.3 and supposedly belongs to an as of unreleased iPod touch model.

Interestingly, Apple’s just released firmware (3.1.3) also includes another new model, the “N80,” which we’re told will most likely be the next version of the iPod touch.

For what it’s worth, it appears the iPad has an internal model number of “K48″. Historically, Apple offers incremental revisions to their consumer electronics lines of products every year. In short, we already have a gut feeling these updates are on the way, the numbers just prove that Apple is in fact working on them.

Filed Under Rumors, iPhone, iPod

Apple Releases iPhone OS 3.1.3 Update

February 3, 2010 By Alex Jordan Leave a Comment

itunes1.jpgJust a quick note. Apple has released iPhone OS 3.1.3, which is an update for all iPhone and iPod touch models. There update includes fixes for several bugs along with closing up some security holes.
Release notes:

This update for the iPhone and iPod touch contains bug fixes and improvements, including the following:

- Improves accuracy of reported battery level on iPhone 3GS
- Resolves issue where third-party apps would not launch in some instances
- Fixes bug that may cause an app to crash when using the Japanese Kana keyboard

You can download the update by clicking on the “Check for Updates” button in iTunes when your devices is plugged into your computer. If you are so inclined, you can read the release notes here.

Filed Under Software, iPhone

No More AT&T iPhone Exclusivity Come Wednesday?

January 26, 2010 By Alex Jordan Leave a Comment

144693-verizonatt_original.pngHotHardware is reporting that AT&T might be losing their iPhone exclusivity at the upcoming Apple media event.

According to an inside source close to the going-ons involved in all of this, a new tablet of some sort may not be the only thing on deck for next Wednesday though. We have been led to believe by an inside source that AT&T will lose their iPhone exclusivity on the same day, though it’s not yet clear what other carrier (or carriers) will be stepping in to also carry the phone

Needless to say, AT&T is the exclusive carrier for the iPhone here in the U.S., and due to some of the company’s recent 3G woes, it has been a long standing rumor (hope?) that Apple would bring the iPhone to another carrier such a Verizon.

Many of you have heard me say this before, but I doubt Apple would bring the iPhone to Verizon simply because Verizon uses a cell technology that isn’t as widely used as AT&T’s. Thus, Apple would have to make a Verizon-specific iPhone, an added expense. Also worth noting was AT&T’s, and to a certain extent, Apple’s recent attack ads on Verizon’s network. In the mad, mad world of business, this doesn’t seem likely to me.

Filed Under Rumors, iPhone

Apple to Replace Google with Bing as iPhone’s Default Search Engine? [UPDATED]

January 20, 2010 By Alex Jordan Leave a Comment

bingLogo_lg.jpgBusinessweek is reporting that Apple and Microsoft are in talks to replace Google with Microsoft’s Bing as the default search engine on the iPhone. These negotiations reportedly been ongoing for weeks now.

The reason for this switch? The increased encroachment of Apple and Google on each other’s businesses.

“Apple and Google know the other is their primary enemy,” says one of the people, who’s familiar with Apple’s thinking. “Microsoft is now a pawn in that battle.”

If an agreement is met between Apple and Microsoft, we could see Google replaced with Bing on desktop versions of Safari too.

Businessweek does point out that even if Apple and Microsoft come to some sort of agreement, this still may be only a time buying move on Apple’s part, while they work on their “skunk works” search technology.

I don’t buy this for a second. Firstly, the relations between Google and Apple aren’t all that bad as far as we know. The relations between Apple and Microsoft aren’t all that great as far as we know. Thirdly, I believe Yahoo would more than likely be willing to accommodate any of Apple’s demands for a prominent position on a popular platform such as the iPhone.

[UPDATE]: It turns out that Yahoo is now powered by Bing. That means the only two large players in search are Google and Microsoft. That makes this story far more plausible. My apologies for the confusion.

Filed Under Microsoft, Rumors, Software, iPhone
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