Apple

Predictions For Tomorrow’s Apple Event

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 29, 2016

I'm glad Apple will finally unveil its new iSlate, iTab, iPad, or whatever it will be called tomorrow because I cannot stand all these "rumors" and "leaks" anymore.

Within the last few weeks every Apple-related blog has been leaking some rumors that are mostly unfounded and that only serve one goal: generating traffic to their sites. I don't know if you noticed, but I didn't post such article once because I don't want to drag my lovely readers (that's you) into these pointless conversations.

These websites spreading the rumors or leaks seldom make predictions though. They don't, because predictions are your own opinions and they can be held accountable for them in case they are wrong.

I like to make predictions. Unlike most major iPhone blogs out there, I don't have an editor watching over my shoulder and I can say whatever I want. If I am wrong, well, I'm wrong. The world doesn't stop! If I'm right though (which I usually am), then no big deal either; I'll just be in your face saying "I told you so" ;)

I made 10 predictions for the iPhone in 2010 at the beginning of the month and I stand behind these. Today, I'd like to make 5 predictions for tomorrow's Apple event.

1. The Tablet Name

First things first. The name of this tablet. The rumors call it the iSlate. I really think iSlate is a terrible name. It just doesn't sound right. To me it sounds like some torture instrument used by Iraqi insurgents. I have no idea what it could be called but my prediction is that it will not be called the iSlate. Apple has much more class than that.

2. The OS

Everyone is excited about OS 4.0. See, the iPhone OS and the tablet OS are pretty much the same so releasing OS 4.0 for the tablet tomorrow would mean releasing OS 4.0 for the iPhone too. Then what would Apple have to unveil for the iPhone in June? Just new hardware? No! I predict that the tablet will run OS 3.2. OS 4.0 will not be available until June or July of this year, when Apple announces the new iPhone.

3. The Launch Date

Don't expect to get yourself a tablet anytime for the next few months. While many people think the tablet will be available for sale right away, I predict it won't be available for a few months. If I had to give a date, I would say April 2010.

4. The Network

I'm really not sure about this one but I think Apple will go with Verizon. My heart tells me Apple will choose Verizon, but my head tells me they want to stick with AT&T. Which one should I listen to? Ok, I have to make a decision, I say Verizon!

5. AT&T's iPhone Exclusivity

There has been many rumors saying that AT&T will lose the iPhone exclusivity tomorrow. I don't think so. I believe this event is about the tablet, not the iPhone. Even if Apple chooses Verizon for the tablet, it doesn't mean it will drop AT&T for the iPhone. I believe that after tomorrow, AT&T will remain the exclusive iPhone carrier in the US.

Enough with that I think. Now I want to hear what YOU think. If you think I'm wrong, please explain why. If you have more predictions to make, please feel free to share with us by leaving a comment below.

Apple and Microsoft to Join Forces Against Google?

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Last week I wrote about the new war that is sparkling between Apple and Google and in an interesting article, PC World even suggests that Apple may go as far as partnering with Microsoft in order to fight the almighty Google.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Apple could build its entire iPhone strategy on this one Arabian proverb. The combination of the rising smartphone stake held by the iPhone, and Microsoft's dominant position among enterprise communications and productivity applications could create a whole greater than the sum of its parts.

Alex Williams over at RWW is more specific about the possible synergies of an Apple/Microsoft alliance:

As PCWorld points out, Microsoft may be smart to team up with Apple. The iPhone is a solid, smart phone. Microsoft could do well by developing applications for the iPhone that serve its customers. Its Exchange Server and Office products still dominate the enterprise. As it is platform agnostic, Microsoft can develop applications for the iPhone that support its customers and protects its market base.

Apple needs a good partner like Microsoft to make any significant dent in the enterprise. It does not have the enterprise infrastructure like Research in Motion does with the Blackberry Server. Without an enterprise management service, Apple will find it tough for the iPhone to make any deep play into the corporate world.

Interesting, isn't it? I'm sure some fanboys out there would cut their own throats opened if Apple and Microsoft joined forces but all in all, I think that it might be a great move from the two giants to put a stop to Google's uber dominance of the interweb.

What do you think?

Apple Vs Google: The War Is On

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated June 25, 2016

Last week, Apple purchased online music site Lala for $85 million. Rumors are already flying that Apple acquired the start up for the quality of its engineers, and most importantly because it wants to move iTunes to the cloud as music streaming is getting more and more mainstream so to speak.

There is another reason why Apple bought Lala: it didn't want Google to buy it first! It sounds a little childish but billions are at stake and it is safe to say that the war between Apple and Google is just starting.

According to the WSJ:

The twin pursuit of the start-ups reveal that the two tech titans have further plans to move deeper into each other's business: Apple wanted to get into advertising, while Google sought a music service.

The relationship between the two companies has been heating up for quite a bit. First the resignation of Schmidt from Apple's board, then the rejection of Google Voice from the App Store. More recently, Google snatched AdMob, the mobile advertising platform, from Apple. Now, Google is even entering the mobile market with its own device: the Google Phone.

Things are about to get ugly as the two companies will start bumping into each other more and more. I think competition is great for innovation and for bringing prices down and I can't wait to see what's to come in the close future.

How Quickly Apple and AT&T Are Making $2 Billion off the iPhone

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

I found this interesting piece on GigaOm and thought I'd share it with you. It doesn't say how much money Apple is making off the iPhone though a quick math can give us a vague idea.

If it costs $180 to build an iPhone and Apple sells each unit to AT&T (or other carriers) at $550, then it makes a profit of $370 per unit sold.

$370 times 5.2 million iPhones sold in the third quarter of 2009 makes Apple a profit of $1,924,000,000 (for quarter 3 only). That's almost 2 billion dollars in profits!!! To this, you have to subtract costs such as marketing, salaries, etc... but still, that's a hell lot of money.

These are obviously rough numbers but they shouldn't be too far from reality.

As you can see on the image below, it takes AT&T 2 years to make these $2 billion (in revenue, not profit). Apple is definitely cashing in...

A Developer Insight on Apple and the App Store in 2009 [Sponsored]

Guest Author ∙ Updated January 29, 2016

This is a sponsored post by the developers of Star Walk, an amazing iPhone app that I completely endorse and recommend. Star Walk devs are looking for some feedback and I encourage you to help them out because they really deserve it.

We are all immersed, surrounded, bombarded by everything that involves Apple, iTunes, the App Store, the iPhone and the iPod Touch. 2009 has seen the App Store phenomenon growing exponentially and people are confident enough to say that it will never stop, or at least not for a long time. But what kind of year has it been for the developers of the 100,000+ iPhone apps that are available in the App Store?

Today on the iPhone Download Blog we are writing an open letter as developers to tell you about our experience dealing with the App Store: the highs and lows, the great achievements but also some disappointments and problems encountered, things that are still unknown and that we are trying to get our head around.

A little more than a year ago we decided to start the iPhone adventure. We worked hard on an idea and submitted it to Apple with some hopes, fears, and a lot of expectations. How is it going to be received? Will people like it? Those are the main questions for every developer. It is still a new world, which is fast and sometimes harsh. If people don't like what you have worked on for months, you will soon find out that you have worked for nothing, and nothing will hurt more than not appearing at least in the top 100 apps of the category you are in.

Our idea was based on our passions, astronomy and stargazing. We are lucky enough to live close to the forest and have a lot of clear skies that allow us to admire the sky in all its beauty, and so Star Walk was born following our own inclination. But how many people have the same passion as us? Well, it was soon the be found out...

It turns out that apart from the passion for the Apple world, iPhone and iPod Touch users need beauty, smoothness, intuitive features, and only if your app has those features, people will get closer to it. So we discovered that the customers out there, you guys, are passionate as much as we are about astronomy.

It seems like Star Walk has pretty much all of those characteristics and as our first app, it has been so far (for the whole year) very successful, never leaving the top 10 in the Education Category.

Now comes the difficult part... What's next? What would people like from us? Are they waiting for something more from us? Do we already have a fan base? Are we still an anonymous company in the crowded App Store? Is following our passion the key to success? It seems like it is not so easy to find out answers to those questions. We tried! In fact, we have now 4 more apps in the App Store but only Star Walk has reached the top.

Obviously we are not doing everything right but it isn't really easy to understand what's right and what's wrong. Therefore we started some small marketing research to become more knowledgeable about the App Store world and to make more successful apps.

We are convinced that in the near future this market will become more and more sophisticated, demanding and targeted. We know where we want to be, we are good at Education (we hope) and we want to stay there and for this, every feedback helps.

To do this properly we need your help.

It would be great if you could answer a few questions for us to help us understand you more! Click here, take our little survey (it is only 5 questions) tell us you have taken the survey on our twitter page and a random selected group from those who have answered will win Star Walk promo codes, iTunes gift cards, and an iPod Touch! Winners will be announced on Twitter @StarWalk on January 5th. Thanks a lot for your time and for making us one of the best educational application in the App Store.

Will In-App Purchase Kill iPhone Apps Piracy?

Sébastien Page ∙ October 16, 2009

Yesterday the news fell that Apple was finally allowing free iPhone apps to include in-app purchases. Until then, developers who wanted to offer a free trial of their applications had to create 2 versions: a full-featured paid version, and a "lite" stripped-down version with very basic features.

The news was very well welcome, especially by developers who see in this new system a chance to reduce application piracy. Two articles got my attention yesterday as they were insinuating that in-app purchase for free apps was the end of piracy.

From MobileCrunch:

Here’s the trick: while you can crack an iPhone application and throw it up for all to download in a matter of seconds, you can’t fake an In-App purchase receipt. A pretty notable chunk of the In-App purchase process is actually handled on the developer’s server, in addition to Apple’s – so unlike the initial purchase (which devs actually get to know very, very little about), developers know pretty damn well exactly which iPhones should be running which In-App Purchase. Developers have a specific receipt for each in-app purchase, which resides on their server. Faking this would be like tricking Amazon into shipping you a TV that you didn’t pay for.

From TUAW:

"Will this help in anti-piracy measures?" Definitely. StoreKit allows developers to validate receipts, ensuring that unlock codes are only sent to paying customers. Add a hash-check algorithm for the current device and developers have better control over who gets to use their applications.

I am not much of a technical person ("StoreKit" and "hash-check algorithm" sound like Chinese to me) but I really doubt that in-app purchase is the end of piracy. If anything, it's going to start a new era of iPhone app piracy.

To crack an application, you first have to download it. So let's say I'm a cracker, I download the app, I pay for the in-app purchase that "unlocks" the full-featured app. Now that I have everything, I just need to crack the application and make it available to the general public.

Nothing changes. Maybe the way I crack the application changes. Maybe I have to bypass a few new protections like the StoreKit thing, but in the end, if I have the full application to work on, there will always be a way to trick the app into thinking it is legit.

So to me, in-app purchase will not kill iPhone apps piracy. At best, it will slow it down and instead of getting the cracked version of XYZgame in 2 hours after the release, I'll get it in 3 hours. At the end of the day, you still get your cracked app.

As I said above, I'm not technical at all and I might be missing something here. I'm interested in hearing what you have to say about it. Do you think in-app purchase will put an end to iPhone app piracy? Why? How? Leave a comment to share your views.

Apple Makes Future iPhones Jailbreak-Proof

Sébastien Page ∙ October 14, 2009

In a not so surprising move, Apple decided to give some hard time to jailbreakers by fixing the 24Kpwn exploit on the iPhone 3GS bootrom, which is the exploit that allows you to jailbreak your iPhone.

If like me you're not much of a technical person, here is an explanation from MobileCrunch:

If you want the full technical rundown of the exploit, you can find it here. In its simplest form: as with all computers, the iPhone requires something called a “Bootrom” to startup. During the startup process, one stretch of code in the Bootrom fails to ensure that the content being loaded is within a certain size limit. By throwing more instructions at that chunk of code than it’s intended to handle, exploiters are able to make the iPhone do damn near whatever they want; in this case, the jailbreaking process.

The reason for patching this exploit is unknown but we suspect it is to prevent applications piracy.

What's next? Well, the Dev Team and other iPhone hackers now have some more work to add to their plate. No code is perfect and there's probably other holes to exploit. It's now just a matter of time...

This cat and mouse game between Apple and the jailbreaking community is far beyond ridiculous now and iPhone users are getting tired of it. Yes, the iPhone is without a doubt the best mobile device out there, but all these stupid restrictions from Apple are leaving us tired and frustrated.

Apple was once famous for its "1984 commercial" that wanted the Mac to symbolize the idea of empowerment, with the ad showcasing the Mac as a tool for combating conformity and asserting originality. Look at what Apple has become. A perfect case study of irony and hypocrisy in business.

What do you think?

http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2009/10/13/apple-moves-to-block-jailbreaks-once-and-for-all/

Saurik’s Take On Apple’s Hypocrisy

Sébastien Page ∙ September 19, 2009

Saurik, the developer of Cydia, wrote an article last week on how to cache Apple's signature server, which helps downgrade an iPhone 3GS from 3.1 to 3.0. Besides all the technical stuff about the downgrade process, Saurik shared his view of Apple has a company. We share the same opinions about Apple, but he expresses it much better than me, because of my poor English (remember I am French).

Here is where Saurik is right on:

I have very little respect for Apple at this point: I make no secret of this fact. Apple, as a company, has turned into a corporate hypocrisy, embodying the very ideals that it claims to be rebelling against. "Think Different", as a slogan, has become a cold criticism of their own actions with regards to their product lines.

[...] Sometimes, it is "only" marketing restrictions: there is no fundamental reason why only the 3G[S] can record video (although the quality of the camera on the iPhone 2G and 3G is not very high), or why the iPhone 2G is somehow unable to do MMS.

Applications like Google Latitude or Voice are likewise "rejected" (Apple likes to claim that they didn't reject these applications, they simply "didn't accept" them...) from the App Store because they might "confuse" the user by replacing functionality that exists with better equivalents.

Our need for "more", however, goes deeper: jailbreaking isn't just about applications that Apple "rejected", but is also about taking provided tools and going in a new direction. The most popular packages available in Cydia aren't even "applications", but are "extensions": seamless and pervasive modifications to existing software.

What do you think about Apple and the way they do business?

New iPod to be Unveiled Next Week?

Sébastien Page ∙ September 1, 2009

Apple has finally confirmed the long-rumored event to be held on September 9, in San Francisco. The image above is the "official" image used on the invitations sent out by Apple. For some reason, I haven't received my invite yet. I assume it was lost in the mail ;)

Last week, I predicted that a new iPod will be unveiled at this event and that Apple will make firmware 3.1 available. I also predicted that MMS will be available around that time.

I'd like to hear what YOU would like Apple to announce at this event? A new iPhone? A tablet? A spaceship?

Apple Under Fire

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

If you're a regular reader of this blog, by now you may have figured out that I'm not a big fan of Apple. I love my iPhone and I honestly couldn't live without it anymore but I strongly dislike Apple. Ok, I hate Apple!

I hate the way they do business. I hate the way they treat their suppliers. I hate the way they treat their employees. I hate Steve Jobs for being such an egomaniac. I hate the way fan boys would die for a sneak peek at a beta version of a new Mac OS. I hate how Apple is controlling what apps I can install on my iPhone. Worst of all, I hate Apple for being such a close ecosystem and forcing its users to stick to Apple, and Apple only.

It seems that I'm not the only one getting tired of Apple. Last week, Jon Fortt of Brainstorm Tech wrote an interesting article comparing Apple to Microsoft's earlier behavior. Jon Fortt actually goes as far as apologizing to Microsoft:

I'm sorry, Microsoft. On behalf of Silicon Valley, I’m sorry.

We cursed you, mocked you, labeled you the Evil Empire. Your crime: trying to control the technology world. Sure, we had reason to be upset. During the dawning of the PC era, the Windows operating system made you the most powerful company in tech, and it went to your head.

Your detractors say you intimidated PC makers, crushed Netscape, and tried to turn the web into an extension of the Windows platform. As it turns out, local darling Apple (AAPL) probably would have done the same thing.

Just look at how Apple is behaving today with a fraction of the power you had.

Better and more insightful is Jason Calacanis' message to Apple Fanboys and girls. While the video might sound a little too much and insulting at some points, I think the general idea is true. It's interesting to note that Jason Calacanis was a long time Apple lover and recently decided to go back to PC.

Apple Says Jailbreakers Must Be Drug Dealers or Other Criminals

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated July 24, 2016

Apple doesn't want you to jailbreak your iPhone and it's doing everything it can to legally prevent you from doing so. In its latest attempt to make jailbreaking illegal, Apple has argued in a filing with the US Copyright Office that iPhone owners who jailbreak their iPhones and change the ECID can very well be drug dealers.

Each iPhone contains a unique Exclusive Chip Identification (ECID) number that identifies the phone to the cell tower. With access to the BBP via jailbreaking, hackers may be able to change the ECID, which in turn can enable phone calls to be made anonymously (this would be desirable to drug dealers, for example) or charges for the calls to be avoided.

The filing also goes on and on about how evil jailbreaking is. Pure propaganda if you want my opinion.

Come on Apple, with all the money you spend on these legal fees, you could at least make the effort of finding good reasons for not jailbreaking. On my end, I do have as much as 30 reasons to jailbreak ;)

Next thing you know, Apple will tell you that every time you jailbreak an iPhone, a puppy dies somewhere.

Via Slight Paranoia

Enough With Apple Dictatorship

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated October 9, 2018

I am growing tired of Apple's ridiculous app approval process. There is not one day going by without Apple making the headlines of tech blogs for their absurd abuse of power over developers. At first, I covered these nonsensical rejections, but there's been so many that I stopped reporting them.

The latest grotesque rejection from the App Store is GV Mobile, a Google Voice application that was approved last April by Phil Schiller himself, Apple’s senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing... Fast forward 3 months later and the app is rejected because it is "duplicating features that the iPhone comes with (Dialer, SMS, etc)". What a nonsense!

Last month, Apple rejected iLaugh Lite for no reason at all, saying that it reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject an application for any reason. If this doesn't sound like a pure dictatorship, I don't know what it is...

What really annoys me is that people don't seem to care much and just deal with it. If it was Microsoft doing the same thing, people would be ranting all over the web. But it's Apple, the great innovative, customer oriented company so that makes it ok... To me it doesn't!

Apple is taking the risk of seeing the most innovative developers jump over to Android or the Palm Pre, but does it really care? It seems to me Apple cares more about money coming in through fart applications than it cares about really pushing the limits of innovation in the App Store.

If you were looking for yet another reason the jailbreak your iPhone, then here you go. This is an opportunity for developers to flip their third finger to Apple and make their apps available on jailbroken iPhones. That's exactly what the developer of GV Mobile is going to do has done as GV Mobile is now available for free on Cydia. I just wish more developers would follow the jailbreak way. No one, including Apple, should dictate what I can and cannot do with my iPhone.

What do you think of the app approval process? Do you think it's ok for Apple to reject whatever it wants, or do you feel that you, the end user, should decide what's good or not for you?

As a side note, you can see that my Photoshop skills are very limited... If any of you guys want to make a better image for this article, feel free to get in touch with me.