Hi Elraptor and welcome to the forum.

A good first up post. I look forward to discussing other apple topics with you.

DJ

Hi Guys,

News of the ipod from our UK compatriots. http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/04/21/uk.iphones.sell.out/

Sales of iPhones jumped rapidly throughout England last week, according to reports. O2 stores in London, Newcastle and Birmingham are said to have sold out entirely on April 16th, and only recently replenished their stocks. Meanwhile, a staffer from Carphone Warehouse's Oxford Street store in London says the location received a one-time doubling of daily sales from 30 to 60.

The rush coincided with a £100 drop in the cost of the 8GB phone, from £269 to £169. The cut is subsidized by O2, the iPhone's official UK carrier, and cannot be found at official Apple Stores. Similarly, the 16GB model is holding universally at the standard price of £329. It is widely believed that Apple and its carriers are clearing inventory in advance of a new 3G iPhone. 

Analyst Ben Wood, of CCS Insight, argues that previously low iPhone sales have been due to a lack of subsidies, which many Europeans take for granted. It is common for Europeans to upgrade their phones without paying any extra fees, whereas the iPhone has not only been unsubsidized until this point, but has remained considerably more expensive than comparable smartphones.
 

Here are some more blogs to provide detail about the whole Australian Iphone landscape

The link for the article is http://barinya.com/australia/iphone_australia/iphone_news_australia.htm

APPLE IPHONE AUSTRALIA NEWS

9 April 2008
Australian iPhone Release Date Info Given to Resellers by Apple Australia

Rumours have been rampant for months since the launch of the iPhone in the USA back mid-2007 regarding Australia's chance to buy the iPhone. There have been numerous dates and leaks of false info, so much so that some people even think Australia is never going to get it. Today however, Apple have been informing resellers of their iPhone release strategy for Australia.
Resellers have been informed of the following things:
• Last week of June release
• More than 1 carrier
• No contract lock in
• Current resellers will be able to sell iPhones

That's a lot of juicy info there and might not make sense off hand. Let me break down the significance of this.

Last week of June release
This ties in perfectly with the Sydney Apple store opening, any WWDC announcements, iPhone 2.0 software and time for stock to filter in to the country. hmm 

WWDC is in the first week of June this year, which could be the announcement of the 3G iPhone we're all waiting for. A 3G iPhone lends credence to the fact resellers have been told the iPhone will be on multiple carriers, as every telco in Australia has a 3G network. The current iPhone will only give high speed data on Telstra.

iPhone 2.0 software will be released then, and a late June release gives it time to be rolled out on new factory models for shipping to Australia, so the iPhone can be sold on the new features v2.0 brings.

A late June release also ties in well with the Sydney and Melbourne Apple stores currently under construction. It's well reported that at the progress of the Apple stores, a June opening is likely. What better grandstanding event to launch the store with than a new 3G iPhone? Would be be worthy of a visit to Australia from Steve Jobs - I'm sure he'd like to have a nice holiday in Sydney too.

Resellers have been told specific dates, but they have all been told different dates within the same week. If a specific date is said in the media, then Apple knows who leaks it and can slap them around. As the sources of my info are also my friends, I haven't included the dates. However, it is fairly certain Apple will not pre-announce the iPhone very far in advance, or at all, with a simple "iPhone is available now, come and buy it!" approach, compared to the dates given overseas to let people prepare.

More than 1 carrier

Having multiple carriers is a shock, but not unbelievable. Our telcos have been notoriously stubborn dealing with Apple, not seeing the potential benefits of having exclusivity of the device. It is highly likely Apple simply said "Seeing as you won't play with us, we'll give the iPhone to anyone who wants it, meaning you all lose out on exclusivity for your network".

More than 1 carrier also leads to the rumours of a 3G iPhone. In Australia, the only high speed network the current iPhone works on is Telstra's EDGE network. If Apple was to release the current model here in Australia, they would need to be exclusive to Telstra, or persuade another telco to upgrade their GSM network to EDGE to support it (like what O2 is doing in the UK). However, if a 3G iPhone is released, it won't matter, as all telcos have a 3G HSDPA network (either running on the 2100mhz or 850mhz frequency, both of which are supported by multiple 3G chipsets in mobile devices).

No contract lock in

No contract lock-in ties into the idea of multiple carriers, as there's no need to hold anyone in to a certain provider to use the iPhone, unlike in the USA and other countries. Perhaps Apple have learned that there's no point holding the iPhone back to a certain provider, as we're all unlocking them anyway and are using Australia as a test-bed for rolling it out elsewhere due to Australia's high adoption rate of mobile phones and new technology, but our small market that won't hurt them if it fails. Good for the aussies

Current resellers will be able to sell iPhones

In the USA and other countries, you can only purchase iPhones from Apple, or from branded stores for the provider (AT&T stores for example). In Australia however, Apple are planning on letting resellers stock and sell iPhones, just like any other product, as the range of telco stores and official Apple stores is low, but resellers are wide-spread - together with driving people into stores where Macs are, so they'll look at what else Apple does. Also, it's the reason Apple is telling resellers in the first place, because they'll be selling them - otherwise Apple would do what they need to do without them.  Nice change

So that's what we know about the iPhone so far. No doubt more info will be released over the coming weeks. Australia finally gets the iPhone - now let us all speculate on the plans and whether it will be 3G or not! (~sourced from Digg & Apple MacTalk Forum) - [Naturally Apple have NOT openly confirmed these details yet]

3 April 2008
At an AT&T event, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega dropped some interesting information. He had mentioned earlier in the event that he expected all of their smart integrated devices to be 3G in the next couple months. Sascha Segan from PC Mag asked it that included the iPhone. De la Vega responded, "Let me repeat what I said: I think that you're going to see our integrated devices be 3G devices in the not-too-distant future, and I mean months.

27 March 2008
Apple iPhone rumours are buzzing about again with reports Apple has ordered some 10 million new 3G iPhone handsets to release in a few months.
The rumours suggest Australians may be amongst the first in the world to have the Apple 3G iPhone handset in 2008.
Apple will not confirm to me the release date for the Apple iPhone in Australia, only that a 3G iPhone will be released this year.
Analysts who examined supplier agreements and even Steve Jobs' travel expenses to suggest that they expect the new 3G iPhone to be released around June/July.

Kevin Rose, (of social news site Digg) adde to the rumours this week by stating that a "source" told him the 3G iPhone was due soon and would include video calling.

Wired reported rumours that Apple has now ordered 10 million 3G iPhone handsets on top of an existing order for 10 million first-generation iPhones (based on an analyst's anonymous source).
Apple's Tim Cook said in February that the company was on track to sell 10 million Apple iPhones this year.
In November, a manager for (Spanish mobile carrier) Telefonica told tech blog Sevenclick that the company expects to be distributing the 3G iPhone by May.
If the Telefonica rumour is true, then Spain could be one of the first countries to receive the Apple 3G iPhone.
Apple has scheduled an Australian iPhone release date for 2008 but has not confirmed if this will involve the new 3G iPhone model.
Local telco networks Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone are all in contention to be the official Australian iPhone carrier when it is released here this year.

13 March 2008
MacWorld are convinced that the Apple iPhone will be sold and partnered in Australia with the Telstra Corporation based on reports that Telstra is planning on porting their little used Sensis search engine over to the iPhone platform. Rumours now associate the conclusion of building the new Sydney glass apple store to the launch of the Apple iPhone in Australia. Further fueling speculation that the iPhone release in Australia will see a 3G iPhone handset.

7 March 2008
3G iPhone rumours have been around for a long time, however a new report points to specific sources knowledgeable about the updated iPhone. This source suggests that the 3G Apple iPhone could be released in April/June 2008.

The 3G iPhone uses next generation wireless data that provides faster speeds over the EDGE technology used in current iPhones.

Steve Jobs has stated that existing 3G chipsets drew too much power for them to be used in the original iPhones.

Recent advances in wireless chipset technology have reportedly addressed these power consumption issues.

23 January 2008
Word has it that SingTel (Optus in Australia) is using its Asia Pacific reach and clout to convince Apple to give it exclusive rights to sell the Apple iPhone in those regions (including Australia). Optus spokeswoman Melissa Clare declined to comment on the move.
   

Hi Guys,

It seems that Australia is in the apple news again about the on again off again launch of the iphone.

This article came from : http://www.pcauthority.com.au/News/107931,former-apple-reseller-doubts-iphone-rumours.aspx

Former independent Apple reseller Adam Connor – owner of Total Recall Solutions – said rumours that resellers have been informed about the launch of Apple’s much anticipated iPhone in Australia is doubtful. Conner said the “only reason Apple would inform resellers about anything well in advance is when Apple is about to shaft them”.

Australian online Macintosh community forum – MacTalk – has gone wild with rumours regarding the impending Australian launch of the iPhone.
According to a long-time MacTalk user: “Apple has been informing resellers of their iPhone strategy for Australia. Resellers have been informed of the following things; last week of June release; more than one carrier; no contract lock in; and current resellers will be able to sell phones.”

The MacTalk user wrote: “This ties in perfectly with the Sydney Apple store opening, any WWDC announcements, iPhone 2.0 software and time for stock to filter in to the country.”
However certified Apple engineer and former independent Apple reseller, Adam Connor of Total Recall Solutions, said the thing that strikes him about the post is whether or not resellers will be able to sell the iPhone from “day one”.
“Take the iTunes for example, when Apple first launched that, mass merchant retailer and petrol station Shell had the cards in store, six months before independent Apple resellers. At the time resellers didn’t have any time to prepare their store and staff to sell the cards,” he said. “If Apple were to sell the phone on a no contract basis then resellers would only have to order them in and sell them, however if Apple commits to carriers then resellers would need to train their staff on paperwork.”

According to Connor, the rumour that the iPhone would be launched in June “doesn’t seem to ring true”. Apple can’t release current the current iPhone to Australia because it’s only a 2G EDGE phone and the only carrier offering a 2G EDGE network is Telstra.
“Apple would have to deal with Telstra. It would mean that Telstra would have the upper hand in setting the terms and conditions of the phone,” he said. “It would be more likely that Apple would wait to release the 3G iPhone directly to the Australian market.”

Connor doubts Apple won’t lock iPhone customers into a carrier contract. The only time Apple has done this was in France and Germany, where laws don’t tie mobile phone customers to one carrier.
“It was only for a short time and Apple was charging around $1100 for a phone. Apple has always gone with a carrier model because it’s a key revenue stream and Apple loathes losing any potential revenue,” he said. “Apple enjoys the kickbacks it gets from locking customers into a contract and having no contract means no extra revenue stream.”

However Conner concedes that he could be wrong, and part of him hopes that he is, as it would be a boon for resellers.
“One post (on the last page of the forum) said Apple may use Australia as a test bed to see if a multi channel strategy will work. Theory says that Australia is ideally suited as we are 'Western', affluent and small enough so if they stuff it up it doesn't matter. I don't think this is right, as Apple have never done this before. But one day they'll surprise me, I'm sure,” he said.
While doubts fly in the face of an impending Apple iPhone launch, some independent resellers believe Apple will bring the much anticipated product into Australia when it launches its store.
Independent Apple reseller, Ben Morgan owner of the Academy Store, told CRN in March that Apple’s direct model puts “intense pressure on the channel” and its “aggressive market share” is unlike anything independent IT resellers are capable of launching.

At the time Morgan said: “I’m sure when the stores open it will also launch the iPhone. Apple will keep it exclusively and at the sheer sacrifice of people before releasing it to the rest of the channel. What it doesn’t understand is two thirds of my staff and two thirds of my customers have already got an iPhone, through eBay and friends located in the US.”

Hi Carrie_joy,

Why would you recommend this product?
What does it do that is so spectacular?
How does it do this? Do you own this product or work for the company that does and are you trying to market it?

 

DJ
 

Hi Andrej,

Welcome to the forum.

DJ

Hi Guys,

Been looking around for the latest Apple news and found this on the Reuters page.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple's iPhone is in short supply at many of its U.S. stores, which could indicate a component shortage or a clearing of shelves for a new model, analysts said on Wednesday.
Bernstein Research said its iPhone supply checks showed that the multifunction device appeared to be out of stock at Apple's U.S. stores and its online store, which could lead to lost sales of up to 40,000 units a week in the event of a prolonged shortage. 
Sacconaghi said the impact so far was limited, estimating the average Apple store was out of stock for only a few days during the March quarter, and that supplies appeared to be fine at stores of wireless carrier partner AT&T Inc.
"In our view, the most likely explanation for this unusual situation is a production shortfall, possibly due to a component shortage," analyst Toni Sacconaghi wrote in a note.
Apple declined to confirm if there was an iPhone shortage, but spokesman Steve Dowling said: "We are working to replenish iPhone supplies as quickly as we can and our stores continue to receive shipments almost every day."
Recent reports of iPhone shortages have fueled speculation that Apple is readying a new version of the device that will run on faster 3G wireless networks.
Apple could introduce a new iPhone  in June or July, about three months earlier than previously expected, said American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu, citing checks with unidentified supply chain sources.
"What gives us higher conviction in the accelerated timetable is that iPhone inventory levels appear fairly lean, which is consistent with Apple's tendency to wind down inventory ahead of an update," Wu wrote in a note.
Wu forecast Apple would sell 11 million phones by the end of 2008, 10 percent more than the company's stated goal, thanks to a new model, wider adoption among businesses, and price cuts
Apple shares fell 1.4 percent to $147.38 in early afternoon trading on Nasdaq. The stock is up 19 percent over the past month but is still nearly 25 percent below its level three months ago amid concerns that a slowing economy will dampen consumer spending.

DJ

I found a site that details the top 5 ringtones http://www.click4music.net/ringtones.php

Let me kow your thoughts.

DJ

Hi All,

Can anyone review the game for Paul and lets us all know the results?

Thanks

DJ

A week has gone by and still only spam and there are no technnical answers.

The way the spam comes up with all the pictures I am now thinking we have a following of salemen 

Come on techie's any solutions for the problem??

DJ

Hi,

I will make an offer to the first person who can answer hrudayamm and fix his probelm.

I will allow them to post their product on the forum without me deleting. To all the other spammers I will start blocking IP's 

DJ

Found this one at http://www.internetnews.com/mobility/article.php/3733191/Is+Apples+iPhone+20+Good+Enough+For+Enterprises.htm

A developer of enterprise mobility software has expressed doubts that Apple's iPhone can cut it in the enterprise due to a number of issues, all of which Apple can change, but in doing so are anathema to how the company operates.
Ahmed Datoo, vice president of marketing of Zenprise, a developer of software for enterprise BlackBerry users, said he would welcome the opportunity to support the iPhone in the enterprise but has his doubts it will make much headway.
"The question that needs to be asked is, is the 2.0 software going to be good enough to take on RIM at the enterprise level?" he told InternetNews.com. "It doesn't look it. Is it good enough to get at the small and medium-sized business market? Probably. They have different requirements."
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) did not return calls seeking comment for this story. The company had its big enterprise roadmap event last week where it unveiled details of its software development kit (SDK) and support for Microsoft's Exchange Server. CRM and Saas provider Salesforce.com announced support for the iPhone and two large corporate customers, biotech giant Genentech and Nike, said they already had iPhone deployments underway.
  "The iPhone is a watershed event in mobile computing for corporations," said Todd Pierce, vice president, of corporate IT at Genentech, in a statement. "Genentech’s pilot with iPhone has shown its potential to be the most useful business mobility tool we’ve ever used. We now have 3,000 planned for deployment based on how easy and simple it was to integrate iPhone with our corporate email system."
IDC analyst Sean Ryan, said Apple's support of Exchange was important to get the iPhone consideration among enterprise buyers, but nothing special. He notes that Nokia, Palm, Symbian, HTC and other mobile players already support Exchange and its ActiveSync technology for connecting to corporate email systems.
"In the mobile enterprise it's not just about the devise, but about the platform and the support system," said Ryan. "The iPhone has a lot of cachet, but there are many challenges to wide corporate adoption. It's a premium-priced device with limited device management." With Exchange, IT can shut down an iPhone that's lost or stolen, but other mobile devices have more extensive management capabilities.
Ryan also said the market for enterprises devices like smart phones is still at a very early stage and the iPhone is very new. "Apple has an opportunity but RIM, Nokia, Microsoft and others aren't going to sit still."
Datoo of Zenprise laid out four distinct areas he thinks Apple must overcome to make the iPhone a true success in the enterprise. The problems range from technical to perceptual. The first is that Apple is viewed as a consumer product, and firms that play in both spaces, consumer and enterprise, use separate brands. "It's rare to see a company pulling off operating in the enterprise space and consumer space with the same product," said Datoo.
The second is support. Apple is a relatively small company with modest support infrastructure. Where would an enterprise customer go for help, AT&T or Apple? Over the years, RIM built out a significant support structure, which Apple will need. "To be a mainstay in the enterprise, you need a support model conducive to an enterprise model," said Datoo.
The third problem is security. The iPhone's internals are not documented or exposed. Datoo said it's not even possible to get at basic internals, like the battery levels or signal strength meters. Many features, like Bluetooth and the camera, can't be locked down. Also, the iPhone is managed through iTunes, which many enterprises have banned from their computers. None of this, he said, will sit well with enterprise customers.
Finally, there is support. Datoo cited a Gartner study that put total cost of ownership for a mobile phone at between $1,300 and $2,600, with about 50 percent of that cost going to IT and user administration. iPhone has no remote administration features, no visibility into the device, which means a lot more time would be needed to be spent diagnosing problems.
And then there's the cultural issues. Apple CEO Steve Jobs is a major showman and loves a big splash at announcement time, but that means being ultra-secretive. While Intel and Microsoft lay out roadmaps stretching into 2010 and beyond, Apple won't confirm a 3G iPhone that even AT&T's CEO has said is coming this year.
That may work with consumer devices, but enterprises don't care for that kind of secretiveness. "In the enterprise, people want to know the next set of features so they can plan accordingly. That's totally antithetical to Apple," he said.
Summing up his view of the SDK and iPhone 2.0 software, "My overall feeling is this is a good first step for the iPhone, it will be well-received in the SMB market. It at least gets them to the discussion table with the enterprise but it's got a ways to go before it can become an enterprise standard."
Roger Kay, president of Endpoint Technologies, agrees that Apple faces challenges but could meet them… if it wants to. "It's not a matter of can they do it, it's do they want to do it?" he said. "Culturally, it's not their main modus operandi and it would be hard to imagine them adopting this business model readily."
Because Apple has a smaller overall market, there is less support for its platforms and ergo, that support is more expensive. That hurts the company as well, said Kay. "I've watched this discussion go on among educational institutions, K through 12 and higher education, in terms of the Mac for years. A lot of the education institutions like the Mac but they don't all take it because they can't get support."

Kay figures it will be another case of Apple having things its own way and the market can take it or leave it. "Steve Jobs has always figured they could have it on their own terms. They offer Exchange support and figure people who will go for it will and those who won't, won't."

Thoughts guys??

DJ

Found this article at Business week.com

Will this setup a new gaming industry or will it just exapnd the platforms for the same games?

Hot on the heels of Apple’s (AAPL) unveiling of an iPhone software development kit last week, game-makers are rushing to join Electronic Arts (ERTS) and Sega (SGAMY) in planning games for the coveted uber-device. Yesterday, mobile developer Gameloft (GLOFF) announced it was cooking up some 15 games for the iPhone for 2008. Game designers, it seems, have been chomping at the bit to create titles for Apple’s hot-selling phone.
Id Software’s legendary John Carmack also entered the fray, posting his company’s initial plans on Slashdot. “We have put in our application like everyone else,” he wrote, adding, “I don’t have any inside information at this point. I think Steve is still pissed at me over some negative comments I made about iPod development tools a while ago.”

Carmack also pointed out that – as far as marketing and distributing games is concerned – Apple’s plan to use the iTunes store to package and promote new software could be a major breakthrough for mobile games publishers. In other words, the iTunes store could provide a much more attractive billboard to trumpet new titles than currently exists. (Currently most mobile game stores are over-the-air or phone based, hard to navigate, constrained, and generally cumbersome.) He wrote, “This type of developer / customer interaction is probably the wave of the future for mobile devices, it will be interesting to see how quickly the other players can react. Based on our experiences with the carriers, I am betting not very quickly.”

It’ll be interesting to see if this becomes yet another area where the iPhone breaks the iron fisted control of carriers over distribution in the mobile market. The device’s unique touch and motion-sensing technology combined with a better mobile game “shopping” experience could foster another microcosm within the already booming iPhone ecosystem similar to music, video, and accessory sales. Mobile games have gradually been getting more sophisticated with triple-A titles redefining the experience, away from re-hashed 80’s “classics” towards more console worthy titles. The recently release Metal Gear Mobile is a prime example. All in all, this could be another boost in that direction.

DJ

Going around the world to pull the interesting articles for your review   

If you find some why not post them on the boards for all to see.


As many as 400,000 unlocked iPhones were running on China Mobile's cellular network at the end of last year, according to market research firm In-Stat.

Apple sold 3.7 million iPhones in 2007, and more than 10 percent of them are in China, In-Stat said, attributing that information to China Mobile. That helps explain part of the "iPhone gap" created by the difference between Apple's shipping totals for 2007 and the activations reported by its carrier partners in the U.S. and Europe.

Despite Apple's attempts to keep iPhone unlocking under wraps with new software and changes to the iPhone's bootloader, enterprising entrepreneurs are apparently giving the people what they want. This is a bit of an opportunity lost for Apple, since the company has signed lucrative revenue-sharing deals with its carrier partners that don't apply if an iPhone is unlocked from its respective network.

But, as In-Stat noted in a report, at least it shows people want the iPhone. The firm said Chinese consumers want smartphones with multimedia features and Web browsing, and the iPhone fills that need nicely. And they're willing to pay for it: 20 percent of smartphones sold in China last year went for 4,000RMB ($533) or more.

Apple had at one point discussed the iPhone with China Mobile, but Apple CEO Steve Jobs downplayed the significance of those talks, saying the companies just had a single meeting. The iPhone is set to make its official debut in Asia at some point in 2008, probably sooner rather than later, but it's clearly a hot item in China already.

Although Apple has declined to make an overt push into the corporate market, a few daring business customers bought iPhones anyway. And they like them.

Three out of five business customers (59 percent) who bought an iPhone said they were “very satisfied” with it, leading all other smart phones, according to a survey on corporate IT spending conducted by Rockville, Md.-based ChangeWave Research.

While Research in Motion ranked second on the customer satisfaction question with 47 percent saying they were “very satisfied” with their BlackBerries, ChangeWave notes this is an 8 percent decline from the previous survey.



The survey, composed of 2,013 business customers, was conducted Feb. 11-15 and released last week.

Of course, the iPhone still lags in market share -- ChangeWave’s data shows Apple (5 percent) trailing RIM (73 percent), Palm (18 percent), Motorola (9 percent) and Nokia (7 percent).

The picture is a bit brighter for the iPhone on the planned purchases front. Of the survey sample 11 percent said they would buy iPhones, second only to RIM’s 77 percent. However, that’s a 3 percent drop for Apple from the November survey, not the direction it wants to go.

At the same time, RIM picked up 3 percent, demonstrating the BlackBerry’s powerful grip on the corporate smart phone market.

Apple’s not-so-secret weapon is that customer satisfaction rating. It should gradually help win over more corporate customers, even without Apple marketing the iPhone as a business product.

And despite its dominance of the market, RIM’s service outage two weeks ago (as well as one last April), could inspire disgruntled business customers to take a look at the iPhone as an alternative.

It’s conceivable the iPhone could crack double-digit share in the corporate smart phone market at some point -- no trivial achievement for a product targeted primarily at consumers.