Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Here we go!
India seems to be the newest member of “What country is getting the iPhone next”. It seems like a new pops up every day. Who is the newest member? India.
You need Safari for this? Just kidding.
Chad brought us a look at the rumored back-in-black iPhone 3G a while ago, and now Engadget claims to have some confirmation!
So we’ve got it on authority that the second-gen iPhone is already well into testing, and numerous units are floating around in super secret pockets. A trusted source got a chance to check one out.
According to Engadget’s source, the iPhone 3G is roughly the same size and shape, has GPS for realz, the glossy black backing we see in the pic, chromed up volume buttons, no removable battery (’natch), flush(!) headphone jack, same screens size and resolution (what? where’s my Nano-res 200dpi 640×480?!)
July is rumored, but who outside the jobspod knows for sure?
Daring Fireball, via Digital Arts, brings word that Sun hasn’t stopped trying to bring a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) to the iPhone even though:
Apple has not been publicly receptive to having Java on its popular new device. There have been questions about whether Apple’s iPhone SDK agreement would permit this. The JVM potentially could sidestep Apple’s App Store program for dispensing iPhone applications.
And while Sun’s efforts continue, they’re also hedging their bets with Innaworks, who produces alcheMo, which may let Java programs compile as native iPhone apps, ready for App Store:
[I]nitially targeted at games publishers. Now in a beta release, alcheMo for iPhone can be used to port Java ME mobile games to iPhone and iPod touch without the need for further manual adjustments. The product features an optimizing translator to convert Java ME application source code to equivalent source code for iPhone, according to the Innaworks press statement on the product.
While Apple’s Cocao Touch development sounds like a more chocolaty, and much sweeter beverage than Java, Sun sure does seem determined. Of course, determination has a tendency to crash and explode in Matrix-like bullet time when it strikes up against the Zen-like immovability of one Steven P. Jobs.
I don’t think we’ll be seeing the steaming coffee mug on the iPhone any time soon. You?
It’s morning; the dull Canadian sun seeps in through the blinds and the alarm sounds on my iPhone. I flip over, swipe to silence, grab the phone from off the side table, and quickly check my email for anything urgent. The weather widget shows clear skies, Twitter is abuzz with the latest SDK updates, and PhoneDifferent.com tells me Apple made a bit of money this year. Closing the browser, I flip on a podcast for some easy-learning and try to decide whether the day needs facing.
Sounds pretty normal, right? Actually, it’s still pretty revolutionary, really. One device to rule them all, as the meme goes. The iPhone. Apple’s gift to the mobile world. And something that, as a Canadian, I can’t legitimately own or use.
Biggest NAFTA- and Free Trade-powered partner, friendliest borders in the world, and seemingly endless source of hot singers and gifted comedians, and while we Canadians can buy every other bit of gear Apple produces, we get absolutely no iPhone love.
Why is that exactly? Read on.
In another round of the RIM vs Apple bout for smartphone supremacy, Scenta reports that RIM may be stalling their 3G Blackberry because of the impending release of the 3G iPhone. Though Fortune suggests that it is a technical glitch that is causing the delay, some rumor mongers are assuming that RIM is holding out on releasing the 3G Blackberry dubbed the 9000..er..8900.er..”Meteor” because it’s afraid of competing head-to-head with Apple’s next iPhone.
Admittedly, this rumor could just be analysts stirring news against RIM, but it goes to show how far Apple has come in becoming a player in the cell phone market. And if there is some truth to this speculation, its another knock on RIM and the rest of the smartphone industry. Innovating has never been their strong suit, copying innovation, well that’s another issue.
Following Apple’s acquisition of PA Semi yesterday, and some of the early theories surrounding it, comes word on reaction to the deal, and some more theories as to how Apple may leverage its new technology.
First up, Apple Insider (via EETimes) points out that the Palo Alto semiconductor design firm warned existing companies that:
[A] buyout by a then-unnamed company was entirely disconnected from its existing and future architectures
This bit of news, which is interpreted to mean Apple did not buy the company for its energy efficient PowerPC-based chip designs, wouldn’t be using them in upcoming products, and may not continue with previous roadmaps, has sent ripples through PA Semi’s current customer base (which includes military juggernauts Lockheed Martin and Raytheon).
Next, Roughly Drafted delves deep into the purchase and comes up with the following: the ability to differentiate their products by developing proprietary hardware components (e.g. for video acceleration, something already prepared for via Core Services), making it harder for others to copy (and clone?) their offerings, while simultaneously getting engineers that specialize in areas Apple values (low level, energy efficient), and have relationships (RD conjectures Texas Instruments, which invested in PA, manufactures their designs) that could benefit Apple.
[P]owered by Intel processors, Apple has seen phenomenal growth in Mac unit sales. That has helped the company amass a $19 billion cash pile that allowed Apple to snatch up the team at PA Semi at a bargain basement price in the midst of a recession. Apple is having its cake and eating it too.
What do you think?
No reports of Pink Screens of Death this time, but Apple has released the fourth version of their SDK (5A258f), which weighs in at a beefy 1.15GB (200+MB for firmware) and according to TAUW (via Apple Developer Connection) sports:
Xcode IDE, iPhone simulator with Open GL ES support, Interface Builder, Instruments, frameworks and samples, compilers, and Shark analysis tool.
In addition, code-signing is now enforced, Audio Toolbox was big-upped, NSXML parser was introduced, fonts were given some pro love, and — teasingly — the UIApplication delegate class is now rumored to have Springboard Icon badging and some way to get and release “active status”. TAUW speculates this may allow some form of background functionality for Apps! (Wishful thinking?)
Go get ‘em developers. Especially you deep-code-digging developers who find all sorts of goodies hidden in the strings.
I remember well the days of yore when I had a whopping 5 channels to choose from for my viewing pleasure. Now before you start doing some quick math and send me Geritol for my birthday, I was just a wee lad then. Although I didn’t have much in the way of choices, I made sure to never miss an episode of “The Six Million Dollar Man”, re-runs of “Star Trek”, and a generous helping of “Sesame Street” and “Electric Company”. I also had to (gasp!) actually GET UP off the couch, WALK to the t.v., and MANUALLY change the channel! Ahhhh, those were the days.
Times have certainly changed. The average home now has about 114 channels to choose from. I switched to DirectTV recently and I get lost in the maze of menus and virtual cornucopia of channels and programming to choose from. You may be wondering what all of this may have to do with your iPhone. HARK! There is a handy AOL site designed just for the iPhone that can help you navigate the ever-expanding universe of televised entertainment!
Apple outperformed their initial forecast in the second quarter posting profits of $1.05 billion, or $1.16 per share. Selling, 1.7 million iPhones, 2.2 million Macs, and 10.6 million iPods, total revenue was reported at $7.51 billion. Amidst all the financial (read: dry) news, Apple did drop some interesting tidbits via conference call with financial analysts and members of the media (via AppleInsider):
Overall, it seemed to be a pretty good financial quarter for Apple. The iPod is still selling strong and its ‘halo effect’ on the Mac is still shining. As Apple releases an update to the iPhone, it’ll be easy to reach their lofty goal of selling 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008.
Another day, another iPhone International rumor, this one from Ars Technica (via astel.be) pegging the iPhone 3G to arrive in Belgium sometime between May and June.
Quick check of the scorecard, should this be true:
| Europe | North Am. | South Am | Asia | Africa | Oceania | Antarctica | |
| 2.5G | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3G | 1? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Says Ars:
The report indicates that Belgian carriers Proximus, Mobistar and BASE are putting together special iPhone data packages which should include compatibility with the Visual Voicemail feature as well as unlimited data transfer. It’s also noted that an exclusive deal like the one Apple has with AT&T in the US would violate trade laws in Belgium.
And a quick recap, as the lineup continues to grow with Italy, India, Singapore, the Netherlands and Mexico, and Australia also in the running for the next great iPhone release.
Who’s your money on?
  
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The iPhone Blog merged with the Phone different site in May of 2008. Both sites were founded on a premise that comes one from one of Apple's old slogans: Think different. The iPhone Blog: for people who dare to phone different.
