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Nokia on Apple: “A Fruit Confused”

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Staying on the subject of Nokia, I was delighted to read this post by Mark Squires on the Nokia Conversations blog.

Mark is Director of Social Media Communications for the company. He and his colleague Ray are amongst the finest in the industry. They run a disciplined well-oiled machine that was, for quite a while, entirely misunderstood by Nokia’s High Command. I swear some of Nokia’s senior executives thought social media was all about hanging around on Facebook wasting time.

In recent times though, the might that is Nokia has definitely bought the Social Media T-Shirt and recognised that the influence from Mark’s team is, in some quarters, significantly more important than banging out a press release.

I’m absolutely delighted to see Mark’s response to Steve Jobs last week. If you recall, Jobs explained to a fawning audience that since Apple makes quite a lot of Notebooks that are ‘mobil’ (“mobile”), and since Apple makes quite a bit of revenue, well then… that makes Apple the largest ‘mobil’ company on the planet.

Mark was having none of it:

The difference between the two companies [Nokia and Apple] is even larger if you use the more common measure: the number of devices sold. By that comparison, Nokia has been the largest mobile devices company in the world for a dozen consecutive years.

I think it’s about time we saw more of this type of action from Nokia. Sitting hiding behind the parapets isn’t good enough. The company is hugely powerful, hugely capable but generally afraid at getting stuck into the online debate. That’s where it matters though, particularly in the context of influencing the geeks, the opinion-formers and (crucially) the developers considering adopting the Nokia/Symbian/Maemo platform.

You only have to look at the trackbacks on Mark’s post to see the effect his post has had across the marketplace with hundreds of publications picking it up.

Kudos to Mark for getting the post up and out. More please!

Posted in Apple, nokia | Comments

The iPad: Advertising must be more entertaining

Friday, January 29th, 2010

I’m delighted to be able to bring you the first of what I hope will be a series of perspectives from leaders around the mobile industry. Starting us off is CEO of MOFILM, Andy Baker. Given MOFILM’s focus on providing a platform for independent filmmakers to submit ads for some of the world’s leading brands (on a competition basis), I thought it would be good to see how they view the introduction of the iPad into the marketplace.

Over to Andy for his perspective:

- – - – -

Everyone’s talking about books, newspapers and apps for the iPad, but not many people are talking about film. At MOFILM we’ve built an entire business around the idea that user-generated video content is and will continue to be big on mobile, and we think the iPad’s just going to accelerate that, and in the process, create a new advertising model.

Firstly, the iPad is unique in the mobile world in combining two things: a big, beautiful, touchable screen and the ability to choose, stream and download video content. Yes, it’s nice watching video on the iPhone and iTouch, but video on the iPad is going to be in a different league. And with a nice long battery life, video is going to be one of the major apps.

But filmmakers and advertisers are going to have to rethink the kind of video they push out. iPad users aren’t going to have time for content that bores them. We’ve already seen it happen with You Tube on the iPhone/iTouch: people are hungry for videos that they get a quick hit from, that make them laugh or make them think, the sort of videos they want to pass on to their friends.

This means traditional TV/cinema ads are going to have to change. I can’t imagine that people watching 4 On Demand, for example, will want to sit and watch ‘brand experience’ TV ads endlessly repeated. In fact this kind of content is just going to annoy them.

So what can advertisers do? They have to find original, well made, engaging content, and lots of it, to fill the many available ad spaces without repetition. This is where independent filmmakers come in. MOFILM specialises in attracting ‘user generated content’, but what we really do is put ambitious, creative filmmakers in touch with the brands that need them for their advertising.

The deal is that the filmmakers pour their talent into making a film (they’re well compensated) and the advertisers get several completely original ads. And hopefully, iPad users get video that is a joy, not an annoyance.

- – - – -

Ah well here’s hoping Andy. Here’s hoping. Thanks for taking the time. I think you’re absolutely right and I hope that now there will (I imagine) be a common, easily accessible platform, we’ll see a ton more of this kind of entertainment-cum-advertising. I also hope we’ll get a lot more off the wall and exciting messaging, rather than the usual ‘it’s a perfume ad’ or ‘it’s a car ad’ bland creative.

By the way, in case you need a quick memory jogger on MOFILM, here’s a quick overview:

MOFILM believes that in the age of accessible, digital filmmaking, an independent filmmaker with just a camera and an idea can produce high-quality, commercial ideas. We want these ideas to be seen. Our competitions provide the platform for filmmakers to make ads for some the world’s leading brands, winning money and prestige in the process.

MOFILM filmmakers are valued by brands. Our competitions give our partners a chance to tap a huge reservoir of international filmmaking talent, as well as developing a wealth of content to be distributed online and via mobile devices. Our partners discover a whole new advertising model.

And if getting stuck into the world of independent advertising floats your boat, head over to www.mofilm.com to view the current competition briefs.

Posted in Apple, iPad | Comments

The iPad is nothing but an oversized iPhone–now where does the line form to buy one?

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

Yes, it has a cringe-worthy name. Yes it’s a closed development environment. Yes it’s $500 I don’t NEED to spend. Yes it is highly derivative of the iPhone. Yes it has a huge bezel. Yes it’s on AT&T’s shameful excuse for a network. And yes, I want–nay–must have one. I will now address each potential problem area point by point.

  • The Name – It sucks. Who cares? I’m over it.
  • Closed – Oh no! Whatever will I do? As much as some arbitrary app rejections might suck here and there, the App Store has set the standard for all other app stores. All my favorite apps that I can’t live without will be on the iPad. And the fact that the App Store is closed; the fact that Apple makes the hardware and the software, is the very reason why people love the Apple experience. Developers can cry all they want about its policies, but the App Store made buying a mobile app mainstream. Millions of customers that wouldn’t have existed otherwise  are now accustomed to paying for mobile content. You’re welcome, snotty developers.
  • It’s $500 – OK, I already have a MacBook Pro, an iPhone 3GS, do I need an iPad? No, I desperately need an iPad. I just do. Tech is my life, it’s how I make my living.
  • Just a Big iPhone - Yes! Exactly! That’s like saying that if you have a fifty pound pile of cash–a great thing, who would want a 100 pound pile of cash? Me who. That’s who.
  • Huge Bezel – OK, I’ll admit, at first sight of the big bezel–especially after seeing those sexy barely-there-bezeled mock-ups–I was taken aback. But then I thought it through. Where else would you grip it? Would you hold it like a cocktail waitress holds her tray?
  • AT&T – This is the only part that kills me. But for my needs, I’ll go WiFi only, and save on the $130 bucks and extra monthly subscription to yet another service. I’ll use it to surf the web at home, and use my iPhone when I’m out in the wild–who wants to lug around a tablet anyway? So by default this doesn’t matter to me at all (I know a total cop-out and AT&T’s SHIT 3G network should be a dealbreaker if you require 3G connectivity).

So yes, sign me up! I have already pledged my soul to the His holiness in the church of Jobs. Call me a sheep, a weak-willed fanboy, but when you are fiddling with your stylus, trying to get your sodding handset to work with that fragmented application, I’ll be joyfully multi-touching my way through the Internet, an ebook or one of the most compelling 140,000 apps ever made for a mobile platform.

Posted in Apple, iPad, iPhone, iPhone Apps | Comments

The official iPad Video

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

If you haven’t yet caught the official iPad video overview from Apple, the nice people at MacRumours have posted it.

Here it is:

Apple are simply superb at this stuff. The production of these kind of videos (let alone the actual product) is out of this world.

(Nice one Noah)

Watch this and tell me you won’t be getting one?

Posted in Apple | Comments

Apple Launches iPad: The full press release

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Straight from the horse’s mouth, here’s the Apple press release on today’s iPad:

- – - –

Apple® today introduced iPad, a revolutionary device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading e-books and much more. iPad’s responsive high-resolution Multi-Touch(TM) display lets users physically interact with applications and content. iPad is just 0.5 inches thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds– thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook. iPad includes 12 new innovative apps designed especially for the iPad, and will run almost all of the over 140,000 apps in the App Store. iPad will be available in late March starting at the breakthrough price of just $499.

“iPad is our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices that will connect users with their apps and content in a much more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.”

iPad features 12 next-generation Multi-Touch applications. Every app works in both portrait and landscape, automatically animating between views as the user rotates iPad in any direction. The precise Multi-Touch interface makes surfing the web on iPad an entirely new experience, dramatically more interactive and intimate than on a computer. Reading and sending email is fun and easy on iPad’s large screen and almost full-size “soft” keyboard. Import photos from a Mac®, PC or digital camera, see them organized as albums, and enjoy and share them using iPad’s elegant slideshows. Watch movies, TV shows and YouTube, all in HD or flip through pages of an e-book you downloaded from Apple’s new iBookstore while listening to your music collection.

iPad runs almost all of the over 140,000 apps on the App Store, including apps already purchased for your iPhone® or iPod touch®. The iTunes® Store gives you access to the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of over 11 million songs, over 50,000 TV episodes and over 8,000 films including over 2,000 in stunning high definition video. Apple also announced the new iBooks app for iPad, which includes Apple’s new iBookstore, the best way to browse, buy and read books on a mobile device. The iBookstore will feature books from major and independent publishers.

Apple also introduced a new version of iWork® for iPad, the first desktop-class productivity suite designed specifically for Multi-Touch. With Pages®, Keynote® and Numbers® you can create beautifully formatted documents, stunning presentations with animations and transitions, and spreadsheets with charts, functions and formulas. The three apps will be available separately through the App Store for $9.99 each.

iPad syncs with iTunes just like the iPhone and iPod touch, using the standard Apple 30-pin to USB cable, so you can sync all of your contacts, photos, music, movies, TV shows, applications and more from your Mac or PC. All the apps and content you download on iPad from the App Store, iTunes Store and iBookstore will be automatically synced to your iTunes library the next time you connect with your computer.

iPad’s brilliant 9.7-inch, LED-backlit display features IPS technology to deliver crisp, clear images and consistent color with an ultra-wide 178 degree viewing angle. The highly precise, capacitive Multi-Touch display is amazingly accurate and responsive whether scrolling web pages or playing games. The intelligent soft keyboard pioneered on iPhone takes advantage of iPad’s larger display to offer an almost full-size soft keyboard. iPad also connects to the new iPad Keyboard Dock with a full-size traditional keyboard.
iPad is powered by A4, Apple’s next-generation system-on-a-chip. Designed by Apple, the new A4 chip provides exceptional processor and graphics performance along with long battery life of up to 10 hours.* Apple’s advanced chemistry and Adaptive Charging technology deliver up to 1,000 charge cycles without a significant decrease in battery capacity over a typical five year lifespan.**
iPad comes in two versions–one with Wi-Fi and the other with both Wi-Fi and 3G. iPad includes the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi, and the 3G versions support speeds up to 7.2 Mbps on HSDPA networks. Apple and AT&T announced breakthrough 3G pre-paid data plans for iPad with easy, on-device activation and management.

Continuing Apple’s dedication to designing and creating environmentally responsible products, each iPad enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminum and comes standard with energy-efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. iPad contains no brominated flame retardants and is completely PVC-free.

Apple today released a new Software Development Kit (SDK) for iPad, so developers can create amazing new applications designed to take advantage of iPad’s capabilities. The SDK includes a simulator that lets developers test and debug their iPad apps on a Mac, and also lets developers create Universal Applications that run on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

Pricing & Availability
iPad will be available in late March worldwide for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model, $699 (US) for the 64GB model. The Wi-Fi + 3G models of iPad will be available in April in the US and selected countries for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad will be sold in the US through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. International pricing and worldwide availability will be announced at a later date. iBookstore will be available in the US at launch.

*Apple tested wireless battery life by browsing web pages and receiving email over an AirPort® network, never letting the system go to sleep during the test, and keeping the display at half brightness. This is a typical scenario of use on the go, resulting in a battery performance number that is very relevant to mobile users.

**A properly maintained iPad battery is designed to retain 80 percent or more of its original capacity during a lifespan of up to 1,000 recharge cycles. Battery life and charge cycles vary by use and settings.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

Posted in Apple, Devices | Comments

UK Normobs: We’re not buying Samsung again

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Researchers YouGov asked almost 4,000 UK adults to comment on their mobile phone purchase intentions. Interestingly the majority of users expect to change handset brands next time the get a chance. It makes interesting reading so I’m going to cut and paste YouGov’s feedback:

Step changes in technology always provide opportunities for significant shifts in market share driven by reduced loyalty and YouGov’s new Smartphone Mobile Internet Experience study highlights the opportunities for non-traditional handset brands in the smartphone gold rush. How smartphone handset brands are regarded by their users is the foundation of YouGov’s new report.

The newer but more focused handset brands are shown to be the best regarded by UK smartphone users with Apple and BlackBerry leading the remainder of major handset brands.

The majority of users do not expect to get their next handset from their current brand / manufacturer. The winners in this are Apple, BlackBerry, Nokia, and HTC. At the other end of the scale only just over a third of Sony Ericsson’s and LG’s users expect to get the same brand handset next time around, just over a quarter of Motorola’s current users can be considered loyal but the brand most users expect to switch from is Samsung (only 21% expect to replace their Samsung with a Samsung). In contrast nearly four fifths (79%) of Apple users believe they will get a handset from Apple the next time they upgrade or purchase a new handset.

“Whichever metrics you look at, Apple and BlackBerry lead the smartphone pack in terms of satisfaction, recommendation and loyalty”, commented Marek Vaygelt, Head of Technology & Telecoms Consulting at YouGov. He continued, “The traditional handset brands are suffering in this transition to smartphones and even Nokia, normally a brand with high loyalty, has lost ground.”

Furthermore, the survey shows that mobile Internet users value ease of use, menu navigation and function speed as the three most important attributes of a mobile Internet handset, all areas where Apple in particular demonstrates market leadership.

Here’s the associated graphic:

Samsung is not doing well at all, is it? I wonder if that’s because the majority of Samsung users in the UK are perhaps using rather limited feature phones? (A rather broad assumption, I know).

I think Motorola’s 28% is representative of the amount of people using older-generation Motorolas. I wonder how Droid or Milestone users would react to the survey.

So, how about you? Are you sticking with your current brand or swapping?

Me: I’m pretty concerned about hopping from a BlackBerry Bold 9000 to a Bold 9700 simply because they’ve made it smaller. And I really, really like the wide QWERTY keyboard on the original Bold… What’s a guy to do?

Posted in Apple, Blackberry, Devices, motorola | Comments

The Tablet is coming tomorrow — confirmed (by mistake?) by McGraw-Hill’s CEO

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

If, a little while ago, you felt like Silicon Valley shook a little bit, don’t worry, it wasn’t an Earthquake or a tremor. No. It was Steve Jobs and the Apple executive team erupting with total annoyance, frustration and outrage at Terry McGraw, CEO of publishers McGraw-Hill.

Terry was on CNBC today discussing his company’s performance. It’s already a very stressful situation for your average CEO, so when he got to the end of the interview and the anchor asked a question about Apple — boom — Terry let it rip.

Engadget caught it all.

If you’d like to see the footage of the interview, here it is:


The first 90% is Terry discussing McGraw-Hill’s performance — the last 10% is where he discusses the Tablet. Engadget even transcribed what he said:

“Yeah, Very exciting. Yes, they’ll make their announcement tomorrow on this one. We have worked with Apple for quite a while. And the Tablet is going to be based on the iPhone operating system and so it will be transferable. So what you are going to be able to do now is we have a consortium of e-books. And we have 95% of all our materials that are in e-book format. So now with the tablet you’re going to open up the higher education market, the professional market. The tablet is going to be just really terrific.”

So there we have it: The CEO — the top dude — of a major publishing company confirms the tablet’s existence.

This was either a rather interesting departure from Apple’s usual tight-lipped PR strategy or a complete misfire along the lines of the other quotes we’ve seen from executives in recent months (I’m thinking of that Orange executive who apparently confirmed the Tablet’s existence).

However there’s no guarantee that the chap’s actually seen the Tablet. Indeed when Apple was allowing mobile operators access to pre-release devices for testing, I’m told that they came in huge oversized locked boxes that only allowed a small number of authorised technicians access to just the critical components. So that you couldn’t snap photos of the actual device.

I wonder precisely what Terry’s actually *seen*. Or whether he’s obviously heard a lot more.

Engadget points out that until the fat lady has sung (or until “Stevie Jobs confirms or denies it on stage tomorrow”) Terry’s statements could well be entirely inaccurate.

Posted in Apple | Comments

Vodafone’s 100,000 a week iPhone habit puts paid to 360

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

I’ve been hearing on the grapevine about more Vodafone 360 woes. Despite the brilliant marketing, the service is understandably failing to capture consumer imagination. You’re still forbidden to send pictures to anywhere except social networks that Vodafone deems appropriate and relevant (Facebook is in, Flickr, Picasa and every other photo sharing service you can name is prohibited).

Pocket Lint reports that Vodafone have announced over 100,000 Vodafone customers have walked straight past the proverbial Vodafone 360 stand and headed straight for the sales desk to order an iPhone.

This is phenomenally good news for Vodafone and just goes to show how much pent-up demand there is for the jPhone (“Jesus Phone”).

Where are all the analysts who, late last year, said that everyone who wanted an iPhone had already bought one?

Probably busy authoring more ridiculously stupid reports.

By the way: If you’re the proud owner of a brand new Orange or Vodafone iPhone, greetings!

(You can also download the Mobile Industry Review app from the iTunes app store — search ‘Mobile Industry Review‘).

Posted in Apple, Vodafone | Comments

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