Archive of thenextweb.com
According to some excessively well paid bloggers (read: analysts) at Barclays Capital, Apple will probably choose to extend the iPhone exclusivity agreement with AT&T for this coming fourth generation of the popular handset.
The reasoning behind this is that the data plan for the iPad will be through AT&T, which is taken to mean that Apple is continuing its relationship with AT&T. From a behavioral standpoint, this makes sense: when Steve Jobs is done with you, he really gets done.
Another factor in the analyst speculation (and it is very much speculation as only Apple and AT&T know for sure right now) is AT&T’s recent drive to beef up their networks. AT&T’s long-standing inability to provide the data that iPhone users demand is one of the biggest complaints about the iPhone experience.
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Smartphone shipments are skyrocketing around the world, with fourth quarter shipments up some 39% year over year.
A total of 54.5 million smartphones shipped in the fourth quarter of last year, an all time high for a single quarter. Smartphones, as they have come down in price with increasing carrier subsidies, are becoming an increasingly common gadget from the executive down to the young student.
For 2009, some 174.2 million units shipped, this a 15.1% increase from the 151.4 million units shipped in 2008. The era of the converged device is upon us. (more…)
Owners of the new Nexus One, the Google Phone, are about to get an over the air update that will make their day brighter, and put a spring in their step.
That’s right, multi-touch is finally coming to Android. Starting with this update, Google is bringing “Pinch-to-zoom functionality: devices will now include a new pinch-to-zoom mechanism in the phone’s Browser, Gallery and Maps applications.”
That resounding hallelujah chorus you heard was the Android world rejoicing that the last main talking point that the iPhone had will soon be knocked down.
This is a software fix, meaning that this could soon be rolled out to the much wider Android ecosystem. Droid owners are assuredly going to be counting down the minutes until they get similar functionality. iPhone users have found it increasingly difficult to outline exact areas that their phone surpassed Android; today, one more is gone.
As the trademark battle over the iPad name looks to heat up in the coming weeks, a Fujitsu internal memo suggests a lawsuit against Apple is in the works.
The memo, which comes in the wake of last week’s Apple iPad unveiling, describes Apple’s product as a “possible infringement on our trademark, which has been in use in connection with Fujitsu mobile retailing computer products since 2002.”
The memo, sent to Fujitsu employees across the company, seems to jibe with their story of the history of the iPad name.
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Yesterday, I was trying to find tech news that didn’t relate in some way to Apple iPad and, to be honest, struggling. So instead, let’s take a look at an alternative reality.
Let The Next Web take you to a world where we’ve been using iPads for years and now Apple’s just gone and announced a pocket-sized version with a camera and phone built in.
They’ve only gone and called it the iPhone…
I began to reflect on the whole build up to last Wednesday’s Apple iPad announcement. The months of speculation and hype, in amongst the counter-speculation and and counter-hype. The rumours allegedly seeded by Apple, along with the rock-solid stories, videos and screenshots emerging from bloggers-in-the-know most of which turned out to be fake after all. (more…)
As Netflix continues to build a movie-rental empire, sources say that Amazon could be poised for a takeover bid.
Although Netflix acquisition rumors are nothing new, Wall Street Journal analyst Michael Corkery makes a good case for why the acquisition makes sense. As a company that has emphasized the move away from physical media and towards digital distribution, Amazon’s interest in a movie rental company like Netflix might be seen as odd. However, according to Netflix, half of their customers streamed at least 15 minutes of video during the fourth quarter of 2009. Netflix expects this number to grow to two-thirds of customers by the middle of next year.
In addition, a Netflix merger would be consistent with Amazon’s previous strategy. (more…)
It turns out the iPad just might have Flash after all in one form or another. The device was assuredly borking numerous Flash elements during its demo, but the iPad did render New York Times Flash content correctly.
Where does this leave us? Well, the conspiracy theorists will argue that given the NYT’s close relationship with Apple (they have been working together), perhaps some Flash will work, and some not. Why have an YouTube application if it will run in the browser? Not an unfair point.
Apple needs to come out and make it plain whether the iPad can handle Flash; and if not, will it ever. We should need to be speculating about this. Apple, act like a normal company and define your product. (more…)
UPDATED: see below
Here’s an odd one… While Apple is yet to accept preorders on the iPad, Amazon’s German site is happily taking them.
Props to The Inquisitr for spotting that Amazon.de is offering all six varieties of the device at prices ranging from €499 to €829. From what we can see, no other Amazon site is currently listing the device.
Supposedly, the device will ship in 2-3 months, tying in with what we’ve been hearing elsewhere. (more…)
Yesterday, as well as the run up to it, proved a hectic day for tech fans and news sites alike- it was Apple’s annual Press Conference. What with the rumours and the (eventual) release of the Apple iPad, it meant that many of you may have missed out on other interesting news that day. So here is a briefing of the best that you might not of picked up on:
1. Virgin Media want to monitor music piracy
Virgin Media have been debating cutting user’s internet connections if they believed copyright infringement was happening on the account. However, these plans have already been under fire by Privacy International, a human rights watchdog. The group noted that Virgin were using Cview, software to monitor the online activity of their customers- including illegal peer-to-peer file sharing. 40% of online activity would be analysed as part of a trial.
Alexander Hanff of Privacy International told the BBC in a statement: “Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa) intercepting communications is a criminal offence regardless of what you do with the data.” He also added the European Commission have since been informed.
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The moment has come and gone, and our collective post-hype hangover has arrived. This iPad that we were shown today was hardly what most of us wanted, and the letdown is reverberating around the internet.
And what does your humble servant think? In a nutshell, I am so disenchanted with the iPad that in under an hour I went from being fully open to buying one this evening, to having my wallet shut like a bra clasp on a poorly ending prom night.
I did not, ever, want a bigger iPod Touch. In fact, I never wanted an iPod touch. Apple seems to have ducked the responsibility of creating a new product category while claiming the opposite. No, indeed they opened Paint and hit the “Stretch/Skew” button on an image of a product they already had.
Before I get into my own laundry list of faults in the device, what do I like about it? (more…)
