Verizon Powers a Third of iPhone 4s, Analysts Say - PCWorld

Slowly but steadily, ground in the race for the most iPhone users.

ANALYSIS: Verizon iPhone: 7 Facts You Need to Know

According to new data released last week by Localytics, a mobile analytics firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Verizon powered 32 percent of all iPhone 4 devices in the U.S. so far this month. Daniel Ruby, the director of online marketing for Localytics, says that his firm collected the data by analyzing which carrier iPhone 4 owners were using to access the 1500 mobile applications that use Localytics as their analytics software. Localytics has several big-name clients that use its software to monitor traffic on their applications, including Skype, Newscorp and Turner Broadcasting, so its data does capture trends within some high-traffic applications.

Localytics notes that Verizon's iPhone share has been inching further upward ever since it started selling a CDMA version of the device in February. The firm found that Verizon powered just under 20 percent of all iPhone 4s after having the device available on its network for one week. That number grew steadily every month afterward, hitting 25 percent of the U.S. iPhone 4 market in April and 29 percent of the iPhone 4 market in June.

Going forward, the firm expects that Verizon will continue to eat into AT&T's market share, especially when the newest iPhone model debuts simultaneously on both networks this fall.

"Although various outlets reported on response to the Verizon iPhone launch being lackluster, the network has managed to pull together a very respectable segment of the iPhone-using market," Localytics writes. "With rumors swirling about the iPhone 5 perhaps launching in September on multiple carriers, Verizon's recent market share gains may be a precursor of what comes this fall."

Although Verizon activated an impressive total of 2.2 million iPhones in the first quarter of 2011, it was still no match for AT&T, which activated 3.6 million iPhones in the first quarter of 2011, a 33% increase over the 2.7 million iPhones it activated in the first quarter of 2010. AT&T also has said that 23% of iPhone activations in the first quarter of 2011 represented new subscribers, meaning the carrier is still attracting new users even though it no longer holds exclusivity rights for the iPhone. Although a survey issued by ChangeWave earlier this year suggested that one in four AT&T iPhone users would switch to Verizon once Verizon got the iPhone, there has so far been no indication of a mass iPhone exodus from one carrier to another.

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Will Verizon Pay to Keep the iPhone Out of Competitor's Hands? - PC World

Rumors suggest that Verizon may pay a premium to keep the hot-selling iPhone away from its competitors T-Mobile and Sprint. In other words, they want to keep it exclusive to themselves and AT&T, and this may have helped Apple to get the terms it wanted from Verizon for the (still-rumored) Verizon iPhone.

"We are hearing that [Verizon] does not want iPhone, the hottest selling smart phone, available on T-Mobile USA and/or Sprint and may be willing to pay for exclusivity to itself and AT&T," Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu wrote Monday in a "report to clients," according to Fortune magazine.

Wu's report, based on information gleaned from "industry and supply channel sources," indicates that not only is Verizon willing to pay extra to keep the iPhone exclusive, but that the deal's economics are "likely to be favorable" to Apple, and "similar to that offered by AT&T."

Wu notes that this is important, because many people have been concerned that "VZ iPhone economics could be less favorable given the strength of Android and higher cost of components, particularly those associated with CDMA.

Wu suggests Apple's hand was strengthened by the 14.1 million iPhones sold last quarter and the market share gains made by AT&T in the last two quarters. What's more, he asserted that Google's Android platform has started to "lose some of its luster" for Verizon.

Sources also told Wu that Verizon may be looking to get its hand in on the iPhone deal, because it does "not have high hopes" for the upcoming BlackBerry 6 OS, according to Apple Insider. Verizon reportedly believes that the release of the new OS will not have a "material impact" on BlackBerry sales.

It's been predicted that a Verizon iPhone would spark a significant migration of AT&T users to Verizon. A Credit Suisse study released in September, for example, forecasted 23 percent of AT&T subscribers would bolt to Verizon if the carrier started offering the iPhone.

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Skyfire Brings (Some) Flash Video to iPhone - PC World

[UPDATE: Skyfire has been pulled from the App Store. Engadget says that Skyfire did the deed itself because demand for it was crushing its servers--and here's the official word.]

Wanna watch Flash video on your iPhone? If you sit around waiting for Apple and Adobe to make nice isn't worth the effort, you're going to grow moss. But a partial solution is available today: Skyfire, a browser that can play some Flash-based video that's not otherwise available on iOS devices. Apple has approved it, and it's now on the App store for $2.99.

As with the Android version that came out last spring (before FlashPlayer itself shipped for Android), the iPhone edition of the browser scans Web pages for Flash-based video. In many -- but not all -- cases, it'll pop up a thumbnail video icon, which means that it can play a version of the video converted into the iPhone's H.264 format. Click on the icon, and Skyfire will buffer and play the video.

Skyfire isn't a miracle cure for unplayable iOS video. The watching process isn't exactly seamless: When I sampled video at Comedy Central, ESPN, PCWorld, and other sites, it took from a few seconds up to about ninety seconds before video started to play, and it was sometimes a bit jumpy before settling down. Some sites, such as Hulu and network ones, are blocking this browser, and others, it just doesn't support. Just as important, major sites are doing an increasingly good job of supporting iOS devices natively -- as I bopped around the Web looking for video to watch, I found that more than I expected was playable with Safari (no conversion process required) as well as Skyfire. Basically, its a little hard to know what you'll get until you land on a page. But the browser does indeed let you watch some big-name stuff that's otherwise unavailable, and therefore serves a purpose for now. (I assume the day will come when Flash-only video is as rare as RealPlayer-only video is today.)

Like the Android version of Skyfire, this one utilizes the WebKit rendering engine built into the operating system but layers its own set of features on top. It has a bunch of items that Safari lacks, including the ability to quickly switch between mobile and full versions of Web sites; sharing via Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail; a private browsing mode; and a related-pages feature that wasn't too useful when I tried it. If you find Safari skimpy on features, you might prefer this browser. (My go-to iPhone browser, however, remains Atomic Web Browser, the most desktop-like one I've found.)

I must confess that spend virtually no time moping about the lack of Flash on the iPhone. I am, however, a fan of browser choice and competition -- so I consider the availability of Skyfire, Atomic Web Browser, Opera Mini, and others on the iPhone as good news. If you give it a try, let us know what you think.

For more smart takes on technology, visit Technologizer.com. Story copyright © 2010, Technologizer. All rights reserved.

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Apple iOS 4.2 may launch Friday for iPad, iPhone - IntoMobile

This one’s a rumor folks, but it looks like iOS 4.2 could be hitting your Apple iPhone and iPad this Friday at 10 a.m. PST and it will bring all sorts of goodies like multitasking to the iPad and Airplay.

The time makes a lot of sense because the iOS 4.2 gold master was sent out to developers last week and this means the software should be ready for prime time. The rumor also says we can look forward to an iTunes 10.1 update tomorrow in advance of the iOS 4.2 update.

So, what’s the big fudging deal? Well, as an iPad owner, I can’t wait for iOS 4.2 to actually bring all of the capabilities of the iPhone 4 to the tablet. The multitasking that came with 4.0 (or, quick app switching if you want to call it that) should turn this iPad into something more than a toy. Yes, you can install iOS 4.2 by looking at our walk through but that could be too much of a hassle for many people.

Another cool feature of the 4.2 version for the iPhone and iPad is that it will enable users to print content off their devices through AirPrint. This will send your documents, photos or other contents wirelessly to a compatible printer.

I’m also really looking forward to the AirPlay feature with iOS 4.2 because this will enable you to share content between your iOS devices. So, let’s say you have a video on your iPad, you should just be able to click a button or two and have it appear on your Apple TV.

While this appears to just handle multimedia files right now, there are some apps which will be able to take advantage of AirPlay like YouTube and the MLB app. If you hack it – an official jailbreak will come shortly – I’m sure all those limitations will be removed.

[Via MacStories]

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Reset iPhone Alarms To Avoid Daylight Savings Time Glitch - LANewsMonitor.com

Reset iPhone Alarms To Avoid Daylight Savings Time Glitch:  Some technology websites reported that the Apple’s iPhone OS- the iOS- has been hit by a bug that was causing alarms to go off an hour late after the clocks went back in the UK. The problem was noticed a few weeks earlier when Australians switched to Daylight Savings Time, but it was not fixed at that time and it grabbed headlines when the bug hit the UK.

Apple admitted that the iOS is facing the issue and assured that it would soon release a patch for fixing  daylight savings time problem. But Apple failed to release the daylight savings time update on time and it is expected that the fix would be released today, but it would be too late as the American clocks have gone back by now.

North-Americans would face problems if they would rely on their iPhone to wake and it would be better they manually re-set their alarm or make use of some other means to wake up on time. An alarm clock will be the best option.

Many tech websites reported that the bug is dangerous and they have published urgent reminders to their readers warning of the potential dangers of the bug. Although it is a small problem but Apple’s reluctance to release the fix on time has made it big issue and now it is expected that Apple will have to release a fairly substantial patch as some other iOS bugs have also came to light in the last few weeks. One bug allows individuals to gain access to an iPhone’s contacts when the phone is locked.

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Apple vs. Android Growth: Verizon iPhone and 9 Other Possibilities - PMP Today

The most obvious way is to announce and release a Verizon iPhone, a lot of Americans are not fans of AT&T’s network, therefore choose Verizon instead, at the moment most, if not all of the high-end devices Verizon offer run Android, which is obviously one way that Android has grown so much lately.

apple-vs-android-growth-verizon-iphone-and-9-other-possibilities

If you check out eWeek’s recent article you can see nine other ways that Apple can combat Android, we will talk about them briefly in this article, however check out this link for full details (be aware the article is split across two pages).

Other suggestions include keeping the pressure on with patents, keeping ahead in terms of physical and software design, continuing to innovate and improve on where iOS is failing, fix the antenna issue, use marketing to fight Google, add something exciting to the next iPhone (preferably something that has not been done before) and focus on Google as a competitor rather than all other smartphone options.

Towards the end of eWeek’s article they seem to run out of ideas, they say that Google should look beyond smartphones and also concentrate on future tablets, to be honest I think that Apple has been doing this with all of their iOS updates etc.

We would love to hear your opinions on this article, what do you think Apple should concentrate on to combat Android? Personally, I think the next iPhone’s hardware needs to outdo its competitors rather than close the gap.

Source: Product-Reviews.net

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Apple iPhone Considered by Bank of America, Citigroup: Report - eWeek

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By: Nicholas Kolakowski
2010-11-06
Article Rating: / 6

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Apple?s iPhone is under consideration as a BlackBerry alternative by Bank of America and Citigroup, according to a Nov. 5 Bloomberg report. Unnamed sources suggested that both companies were testing the iPhone?s software security, and that Android was also under consideration as a corporate mobile platform.  

Both banking groups were reluctant to comment on any Apple iPhone or Android action, beyond a spokesperson for Bank of America telling Bloomberg: ?We continuously evaluate new and innovative technologies.? The four- to six-week testing at both companies reportedly involve 1,000 employees. 

Research In Motion?s BlackBerry, with its reputation for security, has long been the smartphone mainstay of many large enterprises.

Apple is making a more concerted push into the enterprise space. ?We?ve seen extraordinary growth from 60 percent to 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies,? Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer said during the company?s Oct. 18 earnings call. He cited companies such as Procter & Gamble that had ?made iPhone available to their employees.? The iPad is also under heavy consideration by large enterprises? CIOs and IT departments.

To boost that enterprise push, Apple has reportedly struck a deal with Unisys to increase its corporate and government footprint. Under the terms of that agreement, Unisys will provide maintenance and support for Apple products in use by those enterprises.

?Most of those organizations are still heavily PC-based,? Gene Zapfel, a managing partner at Unisys, told Bloomberg in an interview published Oct. 25. ?Apple is going to crack the nut and clients are going to start buying a lot more.? Terms of the deal remain undisclosed; reports suggest, though, that Unisys will also begin constructing more Apple apps for government use.

With the rise of consumer-device use in the enterprise space, security and compatibility concerns among IT administrators has also sharply increased. ?Employees and employers both agree?a Device and App Revolution exists although perceptions regarding extent of that revolution differ,? reads a June report prepared by research firm IDC for Unisys. ?Younger employees (iWorkers) are not demanding change ? they are driving it [through] Consensus Usage (IT Shop and Corp liability issues be damned).?

That report also suggested that around 50 percent of workplace devices end up used in both personal and business contexts: ?Data is freely mingled.?

Which may not be the best situation for institutions such as Bank of America and Citigroup?hence the reported testing.

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Europeans wake up an hour late as Apple fails to fix iPhone alarm clock bug - Apple Insider

Europeans wake up an hour late as Apple fails to fix iPhone alarm clock bug

By Katie Marsal

Published: 07:40 AM EST

A still-unfixed bug with Apple's iPhone caused alarms in Europe to go off an hour late Monday as the continent switched from daylight saving time, but their phone's alarms did not.

A number of readers contacted AppleInsider Monday to note that their handset's alarms failed to go off Monday morning. Instead, alarms went off an hour late, not automatically adjusting for the change in clocks.

"Both iPhones (3GS and 4) in my house failed to go off this morning," one reader said. "Even after checking and switching the settings in time/date and in the alarm app, there is still no alarm going off. Apparently this happened before. I had to delete, all the alarms, restart my phone then re-set the alarms before they worked as expected."

Most countries in Europe conclude daylight saving time on the last Sunday in October. The same bug affected iPhone users in Australia and New Zealand in September, causing their alarms to go off an hour early in the southern hemisphere.

In North America, the switch from daylight saving time occurs later this week. Clocks will be rolled back on Sunday, Nov., 7, and if Apple doesn't issue an update for iOS, the glitch will likely affect users there as well.

In October, Apple said it was aware of the issue and had "already developed" a fix that would be available to users in an upcoming software update. That fix could be a part of iOS 4.2, which Apple said would be released for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch in November.

Though Apple indicated last month that the software fix had already been developed, it was not issued in time for the end of daylight saving time in Europe.

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Rumor: Verizon Staffing Up Call Centers In Preparation For... iPhone? - PC Magazine

Two call centers with previous experience working for Verizon are both looking to staff up—adding thousands of customer service representatives for a, "major wireless cell phone service retailer" that many postulate could be Verizon itself.

If that's the case, is this yet one more sign in the unfolding rumor-mongering that is Verizon's potential iPhone launch?

Apple Insider's Josh Ong says that, "the connection between a flurry of call center recruiting and a Verizon iPhone is tenuous at best." However, both Teleperformance and Ryla both have experience working for Verizon, Apple, or both. The former's pulled double-duty for both companies, whereas Ryla has worked with Verizon for more than ten years.

Ryla's currently hiring for approximately 1,700 new positions across Indiana, Colorado, Virginia, and California. For the 500 or so people the company's seeking in Clovis, California, "The new hires will be answering customer-service calls on behalf of a Ryla client identified only as a Fortune 500 cellular/telecommunications company that expects to increase its marketing and sales," reports Tim Sheehan of The Fresno Bee.

Teleperformance's listing for Pennsylvania positions indicates that employees would, "Take Inbound Customer Service Calls for a major wireless cell phone service retailer."

The locations of its other open positions are a bit more varied—and equally cryptic. Positions in Utah include, "Outbound Sales Reps to sell products to existing customers for a leading software or wireless company," and positions listed in Idaho indicate that an employee would, "Take inbound technical support calls for laptop and mp3 player assistance."

Fanning the rumor flames, Teleperformance vice president of recruiting Marcie Ballard said in an October interview with The Augusta Chronicle that the new positions needed to be lined up by November of this year. More importantly, they would be supporting an existing (and major) wireless client with which the company has secured a brand-new line of business. Unfortunately, Ballard would not say what company that specifically is.

According to a report from Electronista, it would take a given calling center roughly three to four weeks to train employees prior to actually sticking them in a cube. If that's the case, then Teleperformance's November deadline puts the new employees in the chairs right around the January timeframe, assuming delays and time lost for the holidays—and that's the same January, "when many expect a Verizon iPhone to be ready," reports the site.

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Apple's iPhone tops US smartphone shipments, but Android devices take 44% - Apple Insider

Apple's iPhone tops US smartphone shipments, but Android devices take 44%

By Neil Hughes

Published: 09:45 AM EST

Apple's iPhone was the best-selling smartphone in the third quarter of 2010, taking 26.2 percent of the market, but the wide variety of handsets running Google's Android represented a commanding 43.6 percent.

New data from Canalys released on Monday shows that Apple took the top spot in the U.S. as the best-selling smartphone vendor in the country. Apple's 26.2 percent share edged Research in Motion's 24.2 percent, giving Apple the greatest shipments of any vendor in the U.S., which is the largest smartphone market in the world.

However, Canalys also found that devices running Google's Android mobile operating system represented 43.6 percent of U.S.shipments in the third quarter of 2010. Worldwide, Android grew 1,309 percent from the same period a year ago, from 1.4 million shipments in the third quarter of 2009 to more than 20 million units during the three-month span this year.

"With Samsung, HTC, Motorola and Sony Ericsson all delivering large numbers of Android devices, and with focused efforts from many other vendors, such as LG, Huawei and Acer, yielding promising volumes, the platform continues to gather momentum in markets around the world," said Canalys Senior Analyst Pete Cunningham.

"Android has been well received by the market and in some geographies it is becoming a sought-after consumer brand. It has rapidly become the platform to watch, and its growing volumes will help to entice developers, ensuring consumers have access to an increasingly rich and vibrant mobile content and application ecosystem."

The numbers show a total of 9.1 million smartphones running Android from the Open Handset Alliance being shipped in the third quarter of 2010. That was ahead of the estimated 5.5 million iPhones sold in the three-month frame. Research in Motion's BlackBerry came in third in the mobile operating system race, shipping an estimated 5.1 million, followed by Microsoft with 600,000.

Recent studies have repeatedly shown that Android-based smartphone shipments have eclipsed Apple's iPhone in 2010. Some have shown that Android's growth was not slowed by the launch of the iPhone 4 this summer.

Apple and Android have publicly disputed one another over new device activation numbers throughout 2010. But on last month, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs admitted that Android outsold the iPhone in the June quarter, citing numbers from Gartner which he said he believes are "pretty accurate."

Jobs said during his company's quarterly earnings call that in the June quarter, many customers were waiting to buy the iPhone 4. He said his company is waiting to find out what happened in the September quarter, but it's hard to track because there is no "solid data" on how many Android devices are shipped each quarter.

Apple just had its best quarter ever, selling a record 14.1 million iPhones. That helped the company achieve 70 percent growth in profits to $4.31 billion.

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Apple iPhone Leapfrogs RIM BlackBerry in Smartphone Rankings - eWeek

Apple, Research In Motion and Android phone producers such as Samsung put in strong performances during a third quarter that showed smartphone sales to be very much dictating the global handset market. The handset market also seems to be rewarding phone vendors that are constantly innovating and producing the strongest possible portfolio of smartphones.  

The launch of the iPhone 4 helped Apple, according to Oct. 28 reports from research firms IDC and Strategy Analytics, join the list of top-five performers for the first time. Apple, such as competitor RIM, only contributes smartphones to the handheld market, and both vendors posted highest-growth rates among the top five vendors during the quarter.  

?The mobile phone makers that are delivering popular smartphone models are among the fastest-growing firms,? Kevin Restivo, an IDC senior research analyst, said in a statement. ?Vendors that aren?t developing a strong portfolio of smartphones will be challenged to maintain and grow market share in the future.?  

Nokia has learned this lesson well. While the long-time market leader, Nokia saw its volumes grow below the market average for the ninth consecutive quarter, despite posting ?record smartphone shipments of 26 million units,? according to Strategy Analytics. Looking to again be a serious smartphone contender, Nokia has introduced four high-end models, the N8, C7, C6-01 and E7, which it hopes will significantly impact its fourth quarter.  

?The N8, C7 and C6-01 will be attacking Sony Ericsson, LG and Samsung, while the E7 will set its sights on RIM, HTC and others,? wrote Analyst Neil Mawston, author of the Strategy Analytics report.  

LG Electronics, Mawston points out, saw shipments shrink 10 percent compared to a year ago, and ?like Motorola and Sony Ericsson before it, has missed much of the boom in premium 3G smartphones,? causing it ?financial pain.? As competitors such as Samsung begin releasing 3G tablets, Mawston warned, ?LG must be careful not to repeat this error.?  

Samsung, with its line of Galaxy S smartphones and Galaxy Tab tablet, was quick to jump on the Android craze, and consequently shipped 71.4 million units during the quarter?an all-time high for the company. It also more than doubled the number of converged mobile devices, or smartphones, it shipped. During the fourth quarter, it will bring still more smartphones to market, though its Wave 2 will launch with Bada, its in-house OS.  

IDC estimated that the global handset market grew 14.6 percent during the quarter, with a total of 340.5 million shipments, which Strategy Analytics put the figure slightly lower, at 327 million.  

Again, according to IDC, market leader Nokia shipped 110.4 million handsets, to claim 32.4 percent market share and was followed by Samsung, with shipments of 71.4 million units for 21 percent market share. Third-place LG shipped 28.4 million units, for 8.3 percent of the market, and Apple, jumping ahead of RIM to claim fourth position, shipped 14.1 million units to claim 4.1 percent market share?and post a remarkable 90.5 percent year-on-year growth.  

Fifth-place RIM, with 3.6 percent of the market, shipped 12.4 million units, for a year-on-year growth of 45.9 percent. While IDC reports that RIM shipped a record number of units during the quarter, and showed particular growth in Latin America, in the U.S., Strategy Analytics highlighted that its ?relatively weak touchphone portfolio for consumer users? has challenged the company, particularly following a lukewarm response to the Torch. 

With its fellow top vendors, RIM will need to proceed smartly though the fourth quarter, or risk being chucked off the list.  

?There is a long tail of second-tier players emerging who are knocking on the doors of the top five players,? Strategy Analytics? Mawston warned. ?ZTE, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Huawei and Alcatel are all shipping volumes that are within touch distance of the leading group.?  

ZTE in particular is growing at an above-average rate, Mawston noted, and ?stands a good chance of entering the top five in coming quarters.?   

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Apple`s White iPhone Delays Causing Color Coordination Angst - eWeek

Apple executives are attempting to comfort customers dismayed by Oct. 27 news reports that the eagerly-awaited White iPhone would be delayed until spring. Apple is claiming that production of a phone with white plastic proved significantly more challenging than production of the same phone with black plastic. For reasons that remain obscure, iPhone fanciers have been waiting with bated breath for the white version. 

After a few minutes of in-depth research on the problem with white iPhones, I?ve been able to make some basic determinations as to what might be going on here, really. Clearly, making a phone white does not strain the limits of phone production technology. After all, Western Electric was making white phones back in the days of rotary dials. Since that time a number of companies, including Panasonic and General Electric have sold white cordless phones. So the color white clearly does not preclude the phone-worthiness of a device.

Nor does being white keep a smart phone from working. Rim has been making white BlackBerries for a couple of years, and has just announced a new version of the Bold, running BlackBerry OS 6.0, that will come in white. So it has to be something besides manufacturing. Some Apple sources say it?s because the white home button doesn?t match the case. But that reason is also clearly bogus since the existing black iPhone cases and the black buttons don?t match either.  

No, something more sinister is at work here. Perhaps Apple is suffering a case of political correctness run amok? Perhaps by creating a white iPhone, Apple might lose its status of being the coolest phone out there. Or perhaps they?re afraid of being too much like RIM, which is, after all, from Canada, not California which is the home of all that?s cool (as differentiated from cold, which is what Canada has to offer). 

On the other hand, perhaps it?s fear of losing a competitive advantage. After all, Android phones are available in silver and black, but not white. Is this the fear of losing the silver and black market to the Android masses? Think about it. The hyper successful Droid line from Verizon Wireless is black. Most BlackBerries are black, except for those which are red or purple or gold or whatever. Perhaps black is the color of success in phones, just like in the old days when pay phones were all black. 

Or, perhaps the black iPhones have priority on the secret underground iPhone production line because Verizon Wireless likes black phones and there simply isn?t capacity for white phones on the same line. Sometime next spring, after Apple has sold Verizon Wireless its ten million black iPhones, the production lines will free up and they can start using up that supply of non-matching white cases that have been gathering dust since July. After all, who is really going to care if the white home button doesn?t match the white case? Who is even going to be able to tell? They?re on different sides of the phone, after all.

But if white is that big a problem, maybe it might be better if Apple chooses some other color. Granny Smith Green, perhaps? Delicious Red? That won?t come with the marketing baggage of the white iPhone, and it?ll be a lot less boring. And they ARE Apple colors, right? 

There are, of course, solutions. The most obvious is spray paint. The advantage is that you can have a white iPhone in seconds. It?s also cheap, readily available, and if you let it dry properly it won?t cause too many serious health hazards. The primary downside is that you have to be careful what part of the phone you paint. 

And of course, you can buy up scrap Western Electric white phones, melt them down into a nice batch of phenolic resin and cast the iPhone parts from that. The resulting phones will be white, they?ll be cheap and rugged. The fact that they?ll weigh three pounds each is a small price to pay for a white iPhone. 

And of course, you can take a marketing lesson from Steve Jobs and simply deny that your black iPhone is actually black. You can hold a press conference and explain that it?s just a different kind of white, that the whole discussion is just the media causing ?black case gate.? If you think about it, the case is the color it should be. Calling the case black will just show that you?re out of touch. 

Or, of course, you can just wait until Apple gets its act together to make white phones. But where?s the fun in that? 

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6 Features Apple MacBooks Should Steal From the iPhone - PC Magazine

The iPhone 4 and iPad are no doubt the darlings of Apple's revered product line, dominating media coverage in the past year. As such, both offered unique features that helped them stand out in crowded markets, and in certain cases, redefine their category. Now, as Apple's Back to the Mac event approaches, we've made a list of some of these features that we hope Apple will apply to its latest Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops.

1. Retina Display. The iPhone 4's "Retina Display" is touted as having 4 times as many pixels as its predecessor, and the higher contrast ratio makes anything multimedia pop. Basically, the iPhone 4 ships with a higher resolution on the same screen. Since Apple was able to do it with the iPhone, why not offer a "Retina Display," or a higher screen resolution, with the Apple Macbook and Macbook Pro.

2. Embedded 3G. There are two versions of the Apple iPad: one with Wi-Fi only, the other with a built-in 3G modem. Doing this for a device that's practically a PC should set the precedent for Apple's upcoming laptops, no? Apple should offer embedded 3G in all of its laptops

3. HD Camera Sensor. The iPhone 4 and the latest iPod Touch both come with camera sensors that can shoot video in 720p HD. It's almost laughable that users are watching their glorious high-definition clips on a 3.5-inch screen. If Apple can put these HD sensors in over a billion handhelds, it seems like a MacBook Webcam should be given the same capability to shoot video. HD content, furthermore, can be appreciated on a bigger a screen, or streamed over to an HDTV, via the DisplayPort.

4. Touch Screen. The touch screen is an integral part of the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Though unlikely, Apple could offer a multitouch feature for its laptop displays. It has become increasingly common in Windows-based laptops: The Dell Studio 17 (Multitouch), HP Mini 5103, and numerous convertible tablets offer multitouch displays.

5. FaceTime. The iPhone 4 and iPod Touch offer a software feature called FaceTime, which allows users to video chat using a W-iFi connection. Thing is, both parties must have compatible iPhones or iPod touch devices in order to take advantage of this feature. The rumor is already out that FaceTime is coming to Mac OS 10 or the next version of iLife. This is a no-brainer: It's a simple software installation that will allow users who don't own an iPhone 4, but own a Mac laptop, to communicate with others in the Mac community, through video. This move would also make an application like Skype less relevant on the Mac platform.

6. Mac OS App Store. The App store, finally, is the key that unlocks the success of the iPhone 4 and iPad. It's the reason why Apple's competitors have had little success in the slate tablet market. It seems improbable, almost pointless, to have an App store for the Mac when software for this environment is readily available on a disc and online. But there are several reasons why it would make sense to have a Mac OS App store: People are just familiar with the concept of downloading apps, because there's more variety; it's easier than driving to an Apple store to buy software; and it's less expensive in many cases.

It's the same reason why Intel is developing its own app store for devices that run on a full-blown version of Windows 7. The question isn't why; it's why not? Sure, developers will have to develop apps for yet another platform, tweaked so that they can run and look great on screens as large as 30 inches. It's a chance for Apple to gain market share in areas such as gaming, since gaming software is already scarce on the Mac side. The iPhone 4 and the iPad, contrarily, are touted as the ultimate mobile gaming platforms, so why not give developers an environment where they have an incentive to create.

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Report: Apple Holding Off On iPhone 4G Support - ChannelWeb

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Verizon and AT&T plan to roll out 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks next year, but Apple may not be part of the initial wave of handset makers building 4G devices.

On Monday, Techcrunch contributor Steve Cheney reported that Apple won't support 4G LTE in the iPhone until 2012, and in the meantime will offer a dual mode 3G iPhone that works on CDMA and GSM networks.

According to Cheney, Apple is well aware that the road to 4G LTE may be a bumpy one and plans to wait for the technology to mature before making the transition.

Apple, of course, didn't respond to a request for comment. But for a company that pays so much attention to user experience, it wouldn't be surprising that Apple would want to soft-pedal its 4G LTE support plans, especially at a time when 3G iPhone sales are still booming.

Michael Oh, founder of Tech Superpowers, a Boston-based Apple reseller, doesn't expect Apple to jump on the 4G bandwagon right away but says a dual mode GSM-CDMA iPhone makes a lot of sense.

Next: Why VARs Say This Makes Sense

1 | 2 | 3 | Next >>

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Indian Firms in Talks to Sell iPhone - Wall Street Journal

MUMBAI—Two Indian wireless operators are in talks with Apple Inc. to offer a version of the iPhone based on code division multiple access, or CDMA, technology, people familiar with the matter said.

Apple is in talks with Reliance Communications Ltd. and Tata Teleservices Ltd., whose networks run on CDMA technology. The discussions come amid news that Apple is making a CDMA version of its iPhone that Verizon Wireless will sell early next year in the U.S.

"Tata has been in talks with them [Apple] for four to five months now," one of the people familiar with the negotiations said. It is unclear though when any launch may take place, these people said.

Anand Baskaran, an Apple spokesman for India, declined to comment.

Separately, Apple is adding two more iPhone carriers in Germany. Telefonica SA's O2 and Vodafone Group PLC both said Tuesday they will sell the iPhone 4 within the next weeks in Europe's largest economy, ending the exclusivity of Deutsche Telekom AG ahead of the Christmas holiday season.

In India, Apple's iPhone is currently available through operators Bharti AirTel Ltd. and Vodafone Essar Ltd., a unit of Vodafone, which offer services under the global system for mobile communications, or GSM, technology. Vodafone is also joint owner of Verizon Wireless with Verizon Communications Inc.

Launching a CDMA phone will give Apple access to more customers in the world's fastest-growing telecom market, which is adding around 18 million users a month. India currently has about 670 million wireless users, of which roughly 20% use CDMA phones. GSM phones make up most of the market.

For the two local operators, offering a CDMA iPhone would help them battle shrinking revenues and margins due to intense competition. Currently, the cheapest iPhone in India costs more than $670 and is considered expensive for a country where 42% of the population earns less than $1.25 a day.

Still, analysts say Apple may find it tough to generate significant revenue from a CDMA-based iPhone in India given that it is not as widely used as a GSM phone, and because there is stiff competition for smartphones from companies including Nokia Corp., Motorola Inc., HTC Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. and Research In Motion Ltd.

Moreover, Google Inc. is pushing to its presence in India through little-known Indian handset makers that are poised to launch low-cost devices that include its Android operating system in coming months.

"While the possibility of a CDMA iPhone through Reliance Communications or Tata would help Apple, it is unlikely to generate significant volumes in India," said Daryl Chiam, a senior analyst at research firm Canalys.

Apple accounted for less than 1% of India's smartphone market share in the first half of 2010, said Mr. Chiam, adding that in contrast, Nokia shipped 1.8 million smartphones in India and accounted for 71% of the market during that time.

—Archibald Preuschat and Kenan Machado
contributed to this article.

Write to Romit Guha at romit.guha@dowjones.com and R. Jai Krishna at krishna.jai@dowjones.com

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The Most Disruptive iPhone Yet - msnbc.com

Remember when I said Verizonisn't ready for the iPhone? Forget it.

Citing an anonymous source in direct contact with Apple, The New York Times on Friday confirmed that the two companies plan to introduce an iPhone 4 for Verizon's network "early next year."

Crow, meet mouth. Mouth, crow. (Nom nom nom.)

So far, we don't have any of the details of the arrangements between Apple and Verizon. What we do know is that Verizon plans to roll out an initial version of its 4G network, built on a technology known as Long-Term Evolution (LTE), in 38 cities before the end of the year. Denver, where I live and work, is one of those cities.

We also know that AT&T, demonstrating its affection for open relationships, plans to carry Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7. The former Ms. Bell has been carrying handsets based on Google's Android OS for months.

Timing is where this deal gets really interesting. The new iPhone should be out weeks after Verizon officially lights up its LTE network. Apple, in a coup, could have the first smartphone built for that network.

To be fair, it wouldn't be the first 4G smartphone. Samsung and HTC already have smartphones designed for Sprint's 4G WiMAX network, built in concert with Clearwire. But neither Samsung nor HTC has the brand allure of Apple, and neither of its smartphones is built for an LTE network.

We also know from surveys that iPhone users and wannabe buyers crave the opportunity to choose a carrier other than AT&T -- one that lacks a history of dropped calls. Unfair? No doubt. AT&T has made huge improvements, but as often happens in business, perception has become reality. For Apple and Verizon, that's a huge opportunity they'll soon be able to take advantage of.

Now it's your turn to weigh in. Would you pay a premium for an LTE iPhone? Please vote in the poll below, and then leave a comment to explain your thinking.

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Verizon says iPhone announcement would come from Apple - Apple Insider

Verizon says iPhone announcement would come from Apple

By Josh Ong

Published: 08:30 PM EST

A Verizon executive responded to reports of a Verizon iPhone by telling the press that any news would come from Apple, not Verizon.

Macworld reports that Verizon President and COO Lowell McAdam made the comments at a press conference at the CTIA conference in San Francisco.

When asked to comment about a story from The Wall Street Journal that Apple will begin building a Verizon-compatible iPhone by the end of the year, McAdam dismissed the story as "one of those things that rolls out every few weeks whether there's a basis for it or not."

"I can't give you any insights," he continued. "But I think Apple is the one that has to make that announcement."

McAdam remains hopeful that a deal will eventually be reached, especially as Verizon rolls out its Long-Term Evolution 4G data network.

?What I?ve always said is I expect at some point in time our business interests are going to align," McAdam said. "I think things like LTE are another great reason why they?d want a device or tablet on that network. But I don?t have anything to say today about timing.?

In September, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg downplayed rumors of an upcoming Verizon iPhone by telling investors that he hopes Apple will work with Verizon to sell an LTE 4G smartphone.

Despite the remarks, rumors have persisted that a CDMA iPhone will arrive in early 2011.

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Motorola Sues Apple, Seeks to Block iPhone, iPad Sales - PC Magazine

Motorola has sued Apple for patent infringement in the latest round of suits that involve mobile technology.

Motorola Mobility sued Apple in three separate complaints; in district courts in Illinois and Florida and a separate complaint filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission. The suits cover 18 different patents, and they allege that Apple's iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and certain Mac computers infringe them.

The Motorola patents include wireless communication technologies, such as WCDMA (3G), GPRS, 802.11 and antenna design, and key smartphone technologies including wireless e-mail, proximity sensing, software application management, location-based services and multi-device synchronization, Motorola said. The ITC complaint asks the court to block the import of Apple's allegedly infringing products.

"Motorola has innovated and patented throughout every cycle of the telecommunications industry evolution, from Motorola's invention of the cell phone to its development of premier smartphone products," Kirk Dailey, corporate vice president of intellectual property at Motorola Mobility, said in a statement. "We have extensively licensed our industry-leading intellectual property portfolio, consisting of tens of thousands of patents in the U.S. and worldwide. After Apple's late entry into the telecommunications market, we engaged in lengthy negotiations, but Apple has refused to take a license. We had no choice but to file these complaints to halt Apple's continued infringement. Motorola will continue to take all necessary steps to protect its R&D and intellectual property, which are critical to the company's business."

A copy of the suit was not immediately available. Representatives from Apple were unavailable to comment.

Apple has sued HTC over phone technology, including trying to block several Android phones. Meanwhile, Microsoft has sued Motorola, also concerning mobile patents.

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Google Goggles Hits the iPhone - PC Magazine

Google on Tuesday released a version of its Google Goggles feature for Apple's iPhone.

Goggles lets you search by taking photos of things with your mobile phone. Take a photo of a landmark to get more details about its origins, or snap a pic of a DVD cover to find out more about the movie. Users can also speak commands to get location-based results. Saying "best Italian restaurants," for example, will return places in your immediate location.

Google has added the feature to its Google Mobile App for iPhone; the newest version is available now in the App Store. It is currently only available for the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 4 running iOS 4 or above because Goggles requires an auto-focusing camera.

To activate Goggles, tap on the camera button within the app. Goggles will analyze the image and highlight the objects it recognizes; click on them to find out more.

Google stressed that Goggles is still a Labs project, so it won't work with everything. "It works well for things such as landmarks, logos and the covers of books, DVDs and games," Google said in a blog post. "However, it doesn't yet work for some things you might want to try like animals, plants or food."

An Android version of Goggles was released in December.

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Post Tech: Android takes smart-phone lead from BlackBerry, iPhone - Washington Post

Android phones have replaced the BlackBerry and iPhone in popularity among new users, according to new data by Nielsen.

Statistics show that Google's operating system for mobile phones has become a greater threat in the dynamic and competitive market for wireless smart phones.

In August, 32 percent of new users (people who bought a phone within the past six months) purchased a device running on Google's operating system, more than double the portion of new users surveyed in January.

Research in Motion's BlackBerry operating system and Apple's iPhone were behind at about 25 percent of the market each.

Overall, BlackBerry continues to dominate the smart-phone market for new and longer-term consumers with 31 percent of all sales. But that portion is down from 36 percent in January. Google's Android sales have more than doubled from 8 percent to 19 percent of all customers.

Fierce competition is not only being displayed in sales but in patent disputes between phone makers. Microsoft, which has trailed all operating systems, sued Motorola for allegedly infringing smart-phone patents related to e-mail, calendar and other applications. Apple and HTC have a back-and-forth patents dispute. In March, Apple sued Taiwan-based HTC, the manufacturer of such Android phones as the HTC Hero and Google's Nexus One (since taken off the market), alleging that it had infringed on 20 Apple patents related to the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware.

Separately, Apple was ordered by a Texas jury to pay more than $625 million to a computer science professor for alleged patent infringements.

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