Apple Media Event Today-New iPods Announced

With little fanfare, Apple today made good on its promise to refresh its iPod line of MP3 players at a special media event held in San Francisco, CA. With Apple CEO Steve Jobs stepping out on the stage and proclaiming and I quote "The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated" referring to the recent media reports of his less than stellar health. It made for a great event opening line.

Every year around this time Apple normally announces a refresh in its line of iPods in time for the ever-profitable holiday season. Although no earth-shattering announcements or introductions were made today, the updates to both iPods and more importantly iTunes are significant enough to warrant a rundown of the major announcements.

• iTunes 8.0 was announced today and is available for immediate download with significant changes from verison 7.x. Most notable is the addition of a feature called Genius which creates smart playlists based on songs you choose from your library. Support for High Definition (HD) content and more significant here is the return of NBC television shows to the iTunes store which had been absent for the past year following a dispute between the two companies. HD versions of TV shows will now be available for download at a premium price of $2.99 vs. $1.99 for the standard definition counterpart. Shows like Heroes, The Office & Monk are available for download from the iTunes store today.

• The iPod Nano saw its form factor returning to its rectangular vertical roots with its new curved fourth generation design that makes so much more sense than the hidious looking square version introduced last year. The Nano offers enhanced video playback, an accelerometer, and a new larger wide screen LCD that changes the display from portrait to landscape by simply turning the Nano. Another cool feature is the ability to shake the Nano which in a sense orders it to cue up and play a new song (shuffle if you will). The new Nano will come in three new colors (Orange, Purple & Yellow) for a total of nine different colors-one to suit everyone's taste. The new Nano will come in two capacities-8Gb $149.99 & 16Gb for $199.99 and are shipping starting today.

• The iPod Touch also received a major cosmetic makeover as well with a new curved backside similar to that of the iPhone 3G. The back is now that infamous Apple "Fingerprint Magnet" stainless-steel. The iPod Touch now sports a built in speaker as well as hardware volume control buttons similar to those found on the iPhone, something the first generation Touch lacked. The new Touch will come with a new firmware 2.1 version that will fix some bugs that users of firmware version 2.o have been experiencing. The new iPod Touch line also were granted a price drop across the board, but will still come in three different capacities: An 8Gb version for $229.99; 16Gb for $299.99; 32Gb for $399.99 and all are available immediately. The 2.1 firmware update will be available to users who already have 2.0x firmware installed on thier iPod Touch for free. Users with 1.0 firmware will have to pay $10 for the upgrade, definitely a worthwhile update. The new iPod Touch has been dubbed as "The Funnest iPod Ever!" by Jobs and Apple.
  

• The iPod Classic line has also been updated, reducing this line of iPods to a single sku. The current 80Gb and 160Gb iPod Classics are now history in favor of a single 120Gb model that is thinner than both current Classics. No other significant changes to this line was announced. It's puzzling that Apple would eliminate its largest capacity iPod from it's line, but that doesn't mean that they won't later come back with a new higher capacity Classic later when a 1.8" drive of higher capacity becomes available. The classic will be available in Silver or Black.
  

• The iPod Shuffle line was updated as well today and it will now come in four new updated more vibrant colors in addition to the traditional silver with capacities of 1Gb $49 and 2Gb $69.

• Phone firmware 2.1. Apple announced the new 2.1 firmware update for the iPhone which is slated to become available this Friday September 12th. The firmware upgrade promises to greatly improve battery life, provide for fewer crashes, fewer dropped calls, and allow for significantly faster backups, all issues that needed addressing. Two factors conspicuously missing from mention is any reference to 3G data connection speed improvement, and the previously announced background process feature which is supposed to allow users to do tasks like instant message while talking on the phone.

• Jobs also introduced two new unique iPod earbuds at the media event. The first offers an in-line volume control that also integrates a click button which allows a user to pause, advance to the next song by clicking twice, or back by clicking three times. The earbuds also feature a microphone that allows users to take advantage of the recording feature found on the iPod Nano & Touch. Price is $29 and will be available in October. A $79 enhanced earbud set similar to those made famous by Shure will also be available for the iPod as well. This set will have an earbud that has both a wooferer & tweeter in each earbud, if you can fathom that. The earbuds come with three different ear adapters to best fit the user.
  

In all, Apple made some significant updates to iTunes and it's cash-cow line of music players at a time when the current crop of iPods were getting long in tooth. Gaming seems to be the next frontier that Apple is attempting to conquer as it demonstrated three new games for the iPod Touch & iPhone at the event including one from video game giant EA (Electronic Arts).

Even Microsoft who holds a 2.3% share of the MP3 hardware market (compared to Apple's whopping 75.4% share) is unveiling new Zune MP3 models this week that rival the capacities & capabilities of the Nano & Classic- introducing both a 16Gb and 120Gb Zune-not that anyone is really paying attention.

One Million 3G iPhones Sold & None Available

If you were one of the naysayers who was sure the iPhone 3G would never sell out and decided to dodge the long lines, ridiculous crowds, and six hour waits figuring the iPhone would be available by walking into a store once the hype died down, your procrastination had not paid off and will now delay your purchase perhaps a few weeks. In less than ten days after the infamous launch, the iPhone 3g is sold out...everywhere. AT&T Wireless stores were obviously the first to run short. Now a check of 38 Apple stores shows almost every store to be sold out of all models. 8Gb Black? None. 16Gb White? Nope. 16Gb Black? Forgetaboutit! No one including Apple anticipated the worldwide demand and now everyone is scrambling to figure out how to get the Jesus phone back in the pipeline while demand for it is still hot. A search on Ebay also confirms fewer buy-it-now 3G iPhone offerings with prices for 16Gb units going for a minimum of $800--OUCH! The 16Gb Black iPhone appears to be the most popular model. As of the past weekend, lines at Apple stores still existed with waits reported to be in excess of four hours. Its almost a forgone conclusion that Apple is ramping up production to meet demand, but for some its a bit too little too late.

iPhone 3G Day is Here-Long Lines & Out of Stock

Let the games begin...or should we say let them continue! The marathon of 3G iPhone launches continues here as we can't help but spread the joy of finally getting a shiny new 3G iPhone to call your own. Although lines developed in areas as early as a week ago for the sake of breaking some self imposed "standing in line" record, those early long lines were few and far between. Only a handful of AT&T stores and malls with Apple stores had lines last night in stark contrast to last years launch where the lines stretched around blocks and through the malls for days before launch. Most lines began early this morning a couple hours before the 8am bewitching hour in respective cities, with the West Coast stores last on tap to open at 11am eastern. According to sources out on the streets, it has been taking about 18-22 minutes average to walk in and walk out with an iPhone 3G--that's AFTER you've waited your turn in line. Some stores are reporting to have had lines of 100-200 people or more at opening. Given Apple's track record, they should be able to serve 20-30 customers at a time with their nifty hand held checkout kiosks which were recently updated to interface with AT&T's credit/account check system to make sure you have the collateral (credit?) to support your purchase. Of cours barring any checkout system issues or delays (yeah right!), thing should go smoothly. Problem is, some stores are already reporting shortages with some already out of stock, especially AT&T stores. Supposedly the AT&T stores received three separate shipments, one marked for sale today, one marked specifically for sale tomorrow, and one marked for Sunday, and the stores are NOT allowed to sell Saturdays or Sundays earlier than designated to spread out the madness despite probably having to turn away customers today where the demand will probably be the strongest!! Other than that for now, the Apple MobileMe (formally .Mac) website/portal is FINALLY up and running at the moment (after more than a 24 hours of downtime following its launch) and it looks good-we will report extensively on MobileMe once we've had a chance to put it through its paces. In the meantime, sit back, relax, and enjoy the that air conditioned spot you're in now--and think of all those poor clueless souls waiting in line in 85-100 degree heat waiting for a chance to get their hands on a 3G iPhone they probably could walk in and buy without delay later this afternoon. Shortage? Forgetaboutit!!!

Apple App Store-Itunes 7.7 & iPhone Firmware 2.0 & MobileMe

The Apple iPhone 3G saga continues as Mr. Jobs & Co. continue to push the envelope and create an atmosphere of hype and buzz around the world with the launch of the 3G iPhone less than 24 hours away from being launched here in the U.S., and less than six hours away in countries as far away as New Zealand where it is already Friday Morning and the first 3G iPhone will begin selling in less than six hours. In anticipation of this, Apple has had a busy night pushing updates and software updates out its virtual doors to coincide with the ensuing launch madness. First out is the newest version of iTunes, now version 7.7 to accommodate the other big launch--the Apple iPhone/iTouch App store which finally allows regular users to download Apple sanctioned applications to their iPhones and iTouch music players. Already live in the iTunes store once you have updated to iTunes 7.7. So far there are plenty of apps to get excited about such as a native AIM client for mobile chat instant messaging, Twitterific, a Twitter client, a previously demonstrated Ebay Mobile search and bid app, and most anticipated and widely appealing, an app that allows you to use your iPhone/iTouch to control your iTunes library from a remote location, view your iTunes library, control AirTunes speakers, and see album artwork on your screen. All these apps are free downloads, with plenty of other apps available for free as well as at a nominal cost. iPhone Firmware 2.0 has been seeded and available for download to allow iPhone 1.0 users to upgrade to 2.0 so they can take advantage of the new apps and features, including MS exchange push email, contacts and calendars. Lastly, MobileMe is now officially online and running (down at the moment) and dotMac is now history. An update for MobileMe has also been seeded for subscribers to download to their Mac computers. We'll provide more info on MobileMe once its back up and running. And of course more iPhone 3G updates as they happen all day long--so come on back folks!

Another Day Closer To Launch-3G iPhone aBuzz

Unlike last year when the iPhone launch hype was non-stop and everywhere you turned, be it on TV, Radio, Internet, email, or Newspaper, this years encore has proven to be a bit more tame. But the build up to the imminent launch is nonetheless something that techies simply cannot ignore. As we inch closer to the bewitching hour of 8am Friday, more details, more hype, more information both old and new continues to emanate from Apple, AT&T, and more importantly, anonymous tipsters who may or may not work for them. By now everyone knows most of the drill. But as the launch inches closer, we can't help but add to the hype. Here are some key developments on the iPhone 3G from the days news.

• It would appear that several websites have posted unboxing, one particular BoyGeniusReport has posted a complete series of unboxing photos showing the 3G iPhone in hand as you would buy it from a store on Friday. No surprises there.
• Rogers Wireless of Canada back-peddled on its very limited and outrageously expensive data plans to offer a 6Gb data plan for $30 Canadian per month. This should be enough for most users and is almost considered unlimited given that the likes of Verizon impose a 5Gb data-download limit on its so called unlimited data plan.
• It's confirmed that unlike many other international wireless carriers, there is plenty of supply for most Apple and AT&T outlets across the U.S. Fears that the 16Gb white 3G iPhone would not be available at launch have been dispelled. Some carriers across the pond who offered pre-sales have declared themselves sold-out and have stopped taking orders for now.
• First generation iPhone owners who managed to get their hands on the 2.0 iPhone firmware beta that was seeded to developers recently and used it to upgrade their iPhones are now reporting for the first time that they are receiving thier email via push from thier respective dot Mac (soon to be MobileMe) accounts. The last so called 2.0 beta firmware seeded to developers is supposedly the same firmware that will be on the new 3G iphone.
• According to several reliable sources, it would appear that the Apple iPhone Apps store will launch around noon Thursday, a full day ahead of the launch. This is supposedly to accomodate the overseas launches in time zones that are way ahead of the United States who will be selling the iPhone at 12:01 local time which is as early as 12:01pm US time in some countries.
• MobileMe/dotMac is now down for the previously announced upgrades/updates that will finally provide the promised functionality for push email, push contact, push calendar, over the air synchronization for subscribers of the service.
  
• Itunes 7.7 and firmware 2.0 for iPhone 1.1.4 owners and iTouch owners should also be available by noon tomorrow if not sooner, again to accomodate overseas market users who will need these updates to take advantage of the new App store and other 2.0 features.
• More updates will be posted here as they develop. Stay tuned.
  

Heavyweights Weigh In On iPhone 3G-Worth The Wait!

The iPhone 3G is less than three days away from its anticipated launch on Friday, and the three of the most respected and read national technology columnists have posted their take on the latest marvel coming out of Cupertino. The Grand Pooba Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal, David Pogue of the New York Times, and Edward Baig of USA Today all have had 3G iPhones for the past couple weeks to evaluate extensively and write reviews for their respective publications for their Wednesday editions. All three reviews pretty much give the iPhone 3G a respectable two thumbs up when it comes to the features that set this version apart from its older sibling that launched last year. 3G appears to live up to its speed improvement hype according to all three, GPS is said to be very accurate, and audio output appears to be substantially improved over the original iPhone. Other positive comments include a better feel in the hand given the new curved back, excellent 3G data download speeds as well as much better voice quality, and new MS Powerpoint support. Amongst the common complaints were inferior battery life compared to the first generation iPhone (mostly attributed to the power hungry 3G radio), the lack of no cut-copy-paste function, no stereo Bluetooth audio, or a memory card slot. Complaints about the lack of voice dialing, MMS and video recording were also pointed out in the reviews, however it is widely believed that these shortcomings will be addressed via third party Apps that the Apple iPhone App store will provide come Friday when the iPhone is launched. Overall, the three reviewers gave the iPhone 3G their blessing for first time iPhone buyers and upgraders who want faster internet speeds via 3G and/or GPS functionality. You can find the full articles at WSJ.com for the Walt Mossberg review, New York Times for the review by David Pogue and USA Today for the review by Edward Baig.

Apple's MobileMe Debuts Wednesday 7-9-08

Apple is officially notifying its subscribers tonite via a side-note when they log-into their .Mac accounts that the .Mac website will be unavailable on Wednesday July 9, 2008 between 6pm-12am PDT to facilitate the transition of .Mac to the previously announced MobileMe service. The MobileMe service was announced during the Apple World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) Keynote address in June. MobileMe will primarily provide Mac, Windows and iPhone users with a unique way to synch their devices over the air, provide push email to iPhone users similar to that of the Blackberry, and offer subscribers substantial online storage (20Gb) all for $99 per year. Buyers of the new 3G iPhone which launches Friday will be able to purchase their first year subscription for a discounted $69. MobileMe is being touted as a Microsoft (MS) Exchange server for consumer iPhone buyers who don't have access to an email account that is linked to an MS exchange server for push email. Here is the announcement:

MobileMe Launch
7/9/2008, 6pm-12am PT

As part of the MobileMe launch, www.mac.com will be taken offline at 6pm PT on Wednesday, July 9th.

Members will be unable to access www.mac.com or any .Mac services during this time with the exception of .Mac Mail accessed via a desktop application, iPhone, or iPod touch.

MobileMe will be available as soon as possible during this maintenance window.

iPhone 3G Launch-GET READY, GET SET, GO...!

Unless you've been living in a cave for the past month or so, anyone who has any interest in the new 3G iPhone knows that this Friday is D day. With the launch less than four days away, here are some tips to make sure your purchase experience is as painless as possible:

• AT&T stores will open at 8:00am on Friday July 11, 2008 for iPhone sales and should be well stocked and also have plenty of personnel on hand to serve the anxious crowds eager to get thier hands on the new 3G iPhone. Apple stores have not finalized or announced opening times, but you can almost rest assured that the Apple stores will open at 8am as well. UPDATE: The Apple website has now confirmed an 8am store opening/Launch.
  
• Bring your photo ID and know your Social Security number. This is especially true if you are not a current AT&T customer looking to buy your first iPhone. If you wish to port your number, be sure to have a copy of your latest bill from your current carrier to expedite matters and minimize delays in porting your number.
• Apple stores will only accept checks or credit cards for payment. No cash will be accepted at Apple stores for iPhone purchases. AT&T stores will supposedly accept cash, but check or call them first to make sure. There is also information floating around saying that each individual is limited to a single iPhone purchase regardless of how many lines you have with them. Bring bodies just in case!
  
• Every iPhone will be either activated or pre-activated prior to leaving the store. In other words, you must either establish new service at the point of sale (POS) or have an exisiting account that you can upgrade to the 3G iPhone. Every iPhone activated on AT&T will require a 2-year agreement. New customers will undergo a credit check and those who don't qualify may need up to a $500 deposit to become a post-paid AT&T customer.
  
• iPhones without a contract will probably not be sold on launch day to protect supplies. If your plans are to buy an iPhone without a 2-year agreement, you can almost rest assured you won't be able to do so until the majority of iPhone customers who are buying with an agreement have been served-probably a week or two after launch. The won't be any iPhone Go plans for the iPhone at launch, but that will probably change down the road.
  
• There has been much speculation about Best-Buy carrying the new iPhone 3G given that they are stocking many iPhone accessories, but don't expect Best-Buy to have them on launch day. They too will probably not get them until a few weeks after intial launch.
  
• iPhone prices are $199 for an 8Gb version, $299 for a 16Gb version if you are a current AT&T iPhone customer looking to upgrade, or a current AT&T customer who is eligible for an upgrade. Otherwise the price is $399/$499 with a 2-year agreement.
• If you are a not an AT&T customer looking to put a non-AT&T SIM card in an iPhone at launch forget about it. You cannot buy a 3G iPhone that is SIM-unlocked in the U.S. Even if you can eventually unlock the 3G iPhone, current T-Mobile USA customers will not be able to take advantage of T-Mobiles new 3G network that is starting to roll out due to the system incompatibilities in AWS (Advanced Wireless System)
• Expect to spend at least 30 minutes at the store where you purchase your iPhone once you have reached the front of the line. And yes, there will be lines folks! They started last Friday in some NYC locations, believe it or not!
• Be sure to back up/sync your current iPhone before heading out to upgrade. Bringing your laptop and iPhone sync cable with you may not be a bad idea if you want to be up an running on the spot. Apple has posted an article on How To Replace an Original iPhone with a 3G iPhone.
  
• Bring plenty of patience with you. The in store activation process is going to be a very trying one this time around compared to last years launch. You walked in, paid, walked out with your shiny new toy and went home and activate at your leisure. This year AT&T won't be having any of that to make sure that they get full value for the $200 or so subsidy they are supposedly paying Apple on each iPhone sale.
• Most Important: Be sure to check the AT&T website to make sure that 3G is offered in your area. 3G is very limited to major cities and AT&T markets right now. Unless your area has 3G AT&T coverage, you will be surfing at EDGE speeds--the same as those with the first generation iPhones until AT&T fully deploys 3G across its entire coverage footprint and network. No sense in upgrading to a 3G iPhone if you can take advantage of the additional speed boost unless you must have an iPhone with GPS built in.
  
• Lastly, your data plan will be increasing by at least $10 per month to $30. $5 More if you want to keep that 200 SMS bucket you now get for your current $20 edge plan. Data is still unlimited, and you can get a unlimited talk plan with iPhone data for $129.99. add $20 for unlimited texting.
  

Lines For 3G iPhone Already Forming in NYC

Reports are surfacing that people are already standing in line today at the New York City Apple store in anticipation of the 3G Apple iPhone launch on Friday July 11, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. when they finally go on sale here in the U.S and in 21 other countries worldwide. That's almost a full week before you able to part with your $199/$299 in hard earned cash after signing your wireless life away to AT&T for the next two year, or even throwing in your first born if you are looking to plunk down the required $699 to walk away with the 16Gb version sans a contract. With iPhone supplies expected to far exceed demand at launch, this is just crazy! Folks, if you're spending the next six days (and nights) waiting in line for an iPhone you can walk in and buy at hundreds of outlets without having to wait more than five minutes--if that, you probably have no life with too much time on your hands, and/or are looking to get you face on the six-o'clock news. Either way, we can think of plenty of better things you can do with this amount of spare time--like volunteering at the nearest homeless shelter, or better yet, maybe using that time to polish up that resume! We hear lots of outlets where the phrase "Would you like fries with that?" can use a few dedicated good men and women!