Category: Apple

Chris Foresman at Ars Technica:

David Chartier alerted us this morning that his MobileMe account type had changed from “Family Pack” to “Full Member.” Turns out that several MobileMe subscribers have reported having their account type change, fueling speculation that Apple will announce tiers to MobileMe subscriptions next week during WWDC.

Previously, MobileMe account types were either “Trial,” “Individual,” or “Family Pack.” Without notice, numerous MobileMe users had their accounts changed overnight to “Full Member.” While rumors have suggested that Apple may drop the $99 price to better compete with Google’s services, Mac Observer speculates that Apple may instead offer multiple tiers of service at different prices, with current $99 subscribers getting all MobileMe features. New subscribers would presumably be able to choose a cheaper option with fewer features.

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Matt Buchanan has written a great piece over at Gizmodo about MobileMe and Apple’s overall problem with iTunes being the center of so many of their services:

A minute after I pull any Android phone out of the box for the very first time, it’s loaded with all of my contacts, emails and voicemails. It took some people hours to setup their iPad.

Which speaks to a more fundamental problem with the iPad and iPhone, that they cannot exist completely independent of a desktop computer, the thing they’re supposed to be replacing. Fantasies of handing your parents an iPad, a very simple computer that’s easy to use and handles most of the things they want to do, like browse the web, send email and share photos, are dashed by this very simple fact. It’s mind-boggling, because it seems so obvious that the only big computer to which an iPad should connect is a server rack somewhere in North Carolina.

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Gruber breaks down AT&T’s new data packages.

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Jason Snell:

I don’t think the company needs to stop controlling what apps get in the App Store. All Apple needs to do is add a new feature, buried several menu items down in the Settings app, that mirrors the one found on Android devices: an option that lets you install Apps from “unknown sources.” If a user tried to turn this option on, they’d get a scary warning about how these sources couldn’t be trusted, and that they may lead to instability, crashes, loss of data, you name it. Scary stuff.

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Every year as WWDC approaches, the Apple rumor mill spins up and starts suggesting that the iPhone will be announced for additional carriers in the US.

The obvious carrier in question is Verizon. Just as large as AT&T, Big Red’s 3G coverage and voice quality far surpass AT&T is many regions. In fact, the most recent rumor — just out this morning — claims that Verizon is testing iPads on their network.

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Not too shabby.

Update: The timing of these announcements seem weird to me. Why not let Steve announce it on-stage at D8 last night? And why are the changes going into effect June 7? I still don’t really think an non-AT&T iPhone is coming, but this sure makes me wonder why AT&T is trying so hard all of a sudden to keep iPhone customers happy.

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From d8:

When we were an agrarian nation, all cars were trucks. But as people moved more towards urban centers, people started to get into cars. I think PCs are going to be like trucks. Less people will need them. And this is going to make some people uneasy. The PC has taken us a long way. They were amazing. But it’s changes, vested interests are going to change. And I think we’ve embarked on that change. Is it the iPad? Who knows?

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Engadget has a liveblog chugging away right now.

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Excuse me while I go burn my Rob Enderle effigy yet another time.

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The Apple PR Monster:

Apple today announced that iPad sales have topped two million in less than 60 days since its launch on April 3. Apple began shipping iPad in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK this past weekend. iPad will be available in nine more countries in July and additional countries later this year.

“Customers around the world are experiencing the magic of iPad, and seem to be loving it as much as we do,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We appreciate their patience, and are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone.”

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Steve Jobs, in a 1996 interview with Wired about the future of the Internet:

The desktop computer industry is dead. Innovation has virtually ceased. Microsoft dominates with very little innovation. That’s over. Apple lost. The desktop market has entered the dark ages, and it’s going to be in the dark ages for the next 10 years, or certainly for the rest of this decade.

It’s like when IBM drove a lot of innovation out of the computer industry before the microprocessor came along. Eventually, Microsoft will crumble because of complacency, and maybe some new things will grow. But until that happens, until there’s some fundamental technology shift, it’s just over.

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It’s quite interesting. Here’s Brian Lam, in response to a question the criticism voiced about the leaked iPhone story:

I’ve been thinking about it a lot. And I notice it’s usually Apple-only press. I don’t know how they see their jobs, but I think reporters have to be critical of their subjects and hungry for stories that expose the truths that companies may not want in the light of day.

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