Either Microsoft thinks it’s still April 1, or they really are going to open Microsoft Stores right next door to Apple Stores. Gizmodo provides the quote:
And stay tuned, because we’re going to have some retail stores opened up that are opened up right next door to Apple stores this fall. Stay tuned, just stay tuned.
Tuned to what, Comedy Central? We’ve made fun of this before — and rightly so — but it seems Microsoft is again entering a business just because Apple or Google are in it. And is that really sound strategy in anything outside a Hollywood parody? (Starring Will Farrel, ‘natch).
Sony Style Stores haven’t hit the mark yet, and Microsoft Stores selling shrink-wrap Windows 7 with free Songsmith classes…? Sigh. Apple needs competition. Good, focused competition that builds successful core business on top of successful core business.
We don’t see Google Stores opening up next door, do we? Microsoft, if you’re going to clone something, clone the focus. Please.
When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone back at Macworld 2007, he prefaced the introduction by saying what was wrong with current not-so-smartphones — the hardware keyboard. They don’t go away when you don’t need them. They don’t change if you switch from text entry to bitmap editing, for example, And if you come up with a great idea later, you can’t go back an add an extra button.
Now it’s 2009 and Apple has released the iPhone 3GS, yet many people, including notable technologists, have called the lack of a physical keyboard a deal-breaker.
Is it? Let’s take a look after the break.
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Nothing makes people more paranoid than a shiny new gadget, especially if it’s an expensive-to-replace shiny new iPhone 3GS gadget fresh from Apple. Cases can’t work miracles, but they can go a long way towards helping you avoid dust and dirt, nicks and scratches, and — depending on how hardcore you go — cracks and breaks. Oh, and they can also stylize your iPhone beyond Apple’s iconic black and white, if that’s how you want to roll.
We’ll be rounding up some accessories for new iPhone owners in the coming days, and because we’re just as paranoid, we’re starting with cases.
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Jeremy and Chad both gave excellent, compelling reasons for why they ARE SO or ARE NOT upgrading to the iPhone 3G S. For certain, intelligent people will have different yet equally valid reasons for choosing to upgrade, or not to upgrade. For myself?
Apple had me at speed.
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There’s a “budget” smartphone category that has so far revolved around devices like the Palm Centro, BlackBerry Pearl, and a host of Windows Mobile devices like the Samsung Jack — basically scads of devices aimed below the fat wallets of enterprise.
Typically these devices are small to the point of being cramped, with tiny keyboards or work-arounds like T9 or SureType, and are low-margin for manufacturers — sold more to grab new users, bolster market share, and create brand awareness than to serve as mobile computers for the internet age.
Well, Apple has just shot a cannonball through the heart of that smartphone category — the iPhone 3G at $99.
At least that was our editor-in-chief, Dieter Bohn’s reaction when we spoke following the big WWDC 2009 Keynote. And I think he’s right. Here’s why:
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[TiPb vs. TiPb time! In the blue corner we have Jeremy who tells us why he IS SO upgrading to the iPhone 3G S. In the red corner, Chad who tells us why he IS NOT upgrading to the iPhone 3G S. Two writers, one issue. Check them both out and tell us who's side you're on!]
There have been a lot of people out there who are very disappointed with the third generation iPhone — iPhone 3G S. They’re saying that it is pretty much the same phone as the current iPhone 3G, or that the upgrades are not enough to warrant purchasing the new iPhone 3G S. I’m here to say, they’re right – the upgrades are not significant enough!
More after the break!
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[TiPb vs. TiPb time! In the blue corner we have Jeremy who tells us why he IS SO upgrading to the iPhone 3G S. In the red corner, Chad who tells us why he IS NOT upgrading to the iPhone 3G S. Two writers, one issue. Check them both out and tell us who's side you're on!]
There have been a lot of people out there who are very disappointed with the third generation iPhone — iPhone 3G S. They’re saying that it is pretty much the same phone as the current iPhone 3G, or that the upgrades are not enough to warrant purchasing the new iPhone 3G S. I’m here to say, think again – the upgrades are very significant indeed.
More after the break!
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Yeah, the wait for TiPb’s WWDC meta live-blog to kick off at 1pm EDT/9am PDT is killing us too. Looking for something to keep you busy? Check out our TiPb iPhone Forums. If you haven’t joined up already, registration is super quick and easy, and you won’t find a better community to chat, get and give help, and generally engage in the best iPhone discussion on the net.
Check it out, and see you back here soon!
What a difference a year makes. 2008 saw the introduction of iPhone SDK, iPhone 2.0, App Store, MobileMe, and iPhone 3G, the latter two of which were announced at WWDC and prefaced a worldwide rollout that broke Apple’s conservative goal of shipping 10 million units.
We’ve seen iPhone 3.0, the changes to the SDK and App Store, and now on the eve of WWDC 2009 it’s time to think about what else we just might see one year later, and — according to Apple — lightyears ahead.
No one knows exactly what Apple is going to do. They make the cold war Kremlin seem positively chatty by comparison. That doesn’t mean we don’t have rough ideas. See, Apple likes their patterns. They like showing iPods off in the fall, for example, and they seem to like June for showing off the iPhone. So, based on WWDC 2008, the iPhone 3.0 Sneak Preview, and the more consistent rumors since then, we might be able to draw some educated guesses as to how WWDC 2009 might play out…
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Tomorrow is WWDC 2009. We’ll no doubt get a second preview of iPhone 3.0 and hopefully a release date to go along with it — if not the actual release itself.
We’ve done our best to cover iPhone 3.0, both through our massive and continuously updated iPhone 3.0 Beta Walkthrough, and our ongoing iPhone 3.0 blog posts. But what will that release — tomorrow, later this week, or later this “summer” — mean for current owners of the 2007 original iPhone 2G and the 2008 iPhone 3G, never mind the 2009 iPhone… whatever it ends up being called.
Let’s take a look!
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