June 2007: Monthly Archive

Apple just sent out a press release announcing the official service plan details and pricing. Individual plans will be priced at $59.99 for 450 minutes, $79.99 for 900 minutes and $99.99 for 1,350 minutes. This is inline with previous expectations. Read the full press release after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Raven from iPhoneDevCamp sent me this link to a video interview he made with the now famous Greg Packer, better known to the world as “iPhone camper guy”.

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Urgent newsflash: Bellview Mental Hospital is reporting that a dangerous unnamed patient has escaped. If you see this person, approach with caution and contact your local law enforcement officials immediately.

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CrunchGear has posted user submitted photos of AT&T iPhone kiosks taken at a corporate store in Seattle. No shockers here, we’ve already seen the video of one such kiosk in operation. Expect to see more of this kind of “OMG! I just saw a…” reporting throughout the week as Anarchy Apocalypse day draws near.

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Dan Farber over at ZDNET blogs makes some interesting points about Steve Jobs throwing his full weight, and reputation behind the iPhone. As Dan points out, if initial iPhone sales aren’t blockbuster, as the hype machine would have us expect, the result may end up tarnishing the company’s image and stock. It could even result in shrinking Steve’s mock turtleneck wardrobe, and just think of the impact that would have on future keynotes!

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And you thought the iPhone was already expensive? Author and Pricing “expert” Rafi Mohammed believes Apple could (and should) have charged more than its current subsidized price of $499 and $599. Sound crazy? I think so too.

What exactly makes him a pricing expert? Was he a former contestant on the Prices Is Right?

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Joel Wilcox over at Microsoft Watch has written an interesting blog post urging Microsoft to learn from Apple’s example of product development, choosing a “less is more” approach to software design. His points are sound, if predictable. What Joel doesn’t realize is that Microsoft has a different strategy with Windows Mobile that largely mirrors the company’s desktop strategy for more than a decade; good enough is good enough. By that I mean that Microsoft has long believed that if a product possesses the right features at the right price, consumers won’t care if the product is imperfect. After all, you don’t care if the bun is seated crookedly on your McDonalds Quarter Pounder with Cheese, do you? Of course not. You simply shove it in your mouth and add ten pounds to your waist line.

By that same rationality, Microsoft believes that consumers have inherently low expectations in computing, creating an ecosystem where mediocrity rules. Despite the deafening buzz iPhone is generating, I don’t see it forcing Microsoft to reformat its hard drive. Here’s hoping I’m wrong.

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According to Cult of Mac, Apple employees have begun showing iPhone pride a week ahead of launch. Several readers reported that, at several Apple retail stores, staffers were spotted eagerly flaunting their iPhones in front of customers and answering questions about the device.

Does Steve know about this? What happened to the tight-lipped company I once knew and loved?

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When a tipster sent word that some people were already loitering around the Apple Store in NYC I was immediately skeptical. Then I was sent this link and nearly fell on my knees laughing, then later crying as the terrible realization of the implications this has on my prospects of getting an iPhone on Friday. FYI - is it just me or is this guy a tool for taking donations to help him acquire an iPhone, just days before the product launch?

Wait, what am I saying? I can’t talk now, I’m on my way to camp out at the AT&T Wireless store in Fort Wayne Indiana. Goodbye!

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Someone has posted a video on YouTube which shows the setup and demonstration of AT&T’s in-store iPhone kiosks the company is currently setting up in select store locations.

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