So in the past few weeks we've seen the game changing once again. Firstly I'll pay my respects. Despite personal opinions about Steve Jobs it's hard to argue with the huge impact he had on the mobile phone industry and the home computing industry. He might have wanted things done his way and only his way but lets be honest it's his way that changed things, it's his way that paved the way for everyone else and whether you are Richard Stallman, Bill Gates or just the everyman on the street you'll have your views on Steve Jobs. The guy was a visionary and has forced the world into change in the last 20 years. So with that said RIP Steve Jobs.
Now we'll look at one of his many babies, the iPhone, or rather the iPhone 4S the device that was meant to make Google's "Android" system (and phones running Android) really need to step up. Instead of really changing the face of the phone industry once again it seems Apple have stalled somewhat, the device seems to be one that rather than reinvents the market again is merely limping to catch up with the top Android phones. The camera was one of the few noticeable upgrades going to a 8MP camera, the same as many of the Androids (and actually only as good as some of the older Sony Ericsson's) and with Siri aside (if it's as good as advertised) it's not really an upgrade that will have Samsung, HTC, Sony or Google worried in the slightest.
Of course Apple are also bringing "iMessage" to the table a clear "copy" of BlackBerry Messenger (funny how Apple want innovation when it suits them then copying when that suits them). It's with BlackBerry Messenger that we end this blog. BBM was seen as a quick reliable way to send messages for free. Rather than using up text messages (does anyone even have a limit on texts now a days?) people would just send BBM messages, and as we all know now the BBM system has been down around large parts of the world for much of the past few days. We've seen people like Alan Sugar tweeting about the issues that have plagued BBM over the past few days, though it's odd how foolish some folk are in thinking BBM was the only way of doing things. Whatever happened to the good old calls? Texts? And even the popular BBM alternatives such as Ebuddy XMS and Whatsapp?
Sadly Blackberry are a company on their last legs, it really won't be long until they do a HP and drop out of the market. RIM (the parent company of Blackberry) have seen their shares dropping through out the year and if this continues through next year the company may well need to completely change it's game plan. The past few days have shown that the company has problems and if these problems continue we can only guess how long they have left.
Whilst all this is going on we still have some major days in the phone world to come before the end of this year. Firstly the iPhone 4S is released TOMORROW! The Nexus Prime (and Ice Cream Sandwich) are also expected in the next few weeks and Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) is expected to to make Microsoft a bigger name on the scene. Although the Samsung Omnia W has been out for a little while it's been over shadowed by the other news, the next batch of phones running Mango will be out soon and could easily make a mark.
What a time to be involved in this brilliant industry!
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Apple about to lose it's head?
A press release sent out by Apple in the past 24 hours has announced that Steve Jobs is to resign as Apples Chief Operating Officer with Tim Cook filling in the position. Whilst Jobs will remain on the board (as the Chairman) speculation is rife that Jobs' health has taken a turn for the worse.
In 2004 Jobs had surgery to treat a rare form of cancer and since then he has battled through a number of health issues including hormonal imbalance and has had to have liver surgery. Every time Jobs has taken time off the company's future has been cloudy with doubt rising and as a result share prices dropping. Earlier this year Apple's share holders tried to get Apple to reveal their plans for when Jobs does leave the company (though the movement failed) and now, it seems, possible that the future of Apple will come sooner than some had planned.
Whilst Apple has won a major court case in the Netherlands against Samsung (which will see a number of Samsung devices pulled from stores in 7 weeks time through much of Europe), the cases significance pales in comparison to the possible implications of Jobs on his way out. Whether you love Apple or hate them it's hard to deny that they are a dominant force with the likes of the iPhone, iPod and iMac and this has been down to Jobs. Whatever your personal feelings about Mr Jobs maybe, it's impossible to deny that he's visionary that has revolutionised Apple from a dying company into a mega giant. Without Jobs at the helm it's hard to say what will happen to Apple, and dare I say it the implications of Apple failing could be massive.
Apple, to you and me, may mean iPhones, Macs, iPads and iPods though to many they mean savings, pensions and employment. If Jobs' health is failing as some are thinking then a lot of people are going to be effected. Whilst Apple may be losing it's figure head and the world losing a visionary, a lot of people may end up losing a lot of their investments. We can only hope that Tim Cook manages to follow up the work done by Jobs or...we could be up the proverbial creek.
Whilst I'm not the biggest fan of Mr Jobs I do wish that he is fine and that I, like others, are over worried, though if Apple do "lose their head", we may be looking at a very different world in 12 months time.
In 2004 Jobs had surgery to treat a rare form of cancer and since then he has battled through a number of health issues including hormonal imbalance and has had to have liver surgery. Every time Jobs has taken time off the company's future has been cloudy with doubt rising and as a result share prices dropping. Earlier this year Apple's share holders tried to get Apple to reveal their plans for when Jobs does leave the company (though the movement failed) and now, it seems, possible that the future of Apple will come sooner than some had planned.
Whilst Apple has won a major court case in the Netherlands against Samsung (which will see a number of Samsung devices pulled from stores in 7 weeks time through much of Europe), the cases significance pales in comparison to the possible implications of Jobs on his way out. Whether you love Apple or hate them it's hard to deny that they are a dominant force with the likes of the iPhone, iPod and iMac and this has been down to Jobs. Whatever your personal feelings about Mr Jobs maybe, it's impossible to deny that he's visionary that has revolutionised Apple from a dying company into a mega giant. Without Jobs at the helm it's hard to say what will happen to Apple, and dare I say it the implications of Apple failing could be massive.
Apple, to you and me, may mean iPhones, Macs, iPads and iPods though to many they mean savings, pensions and employment. If Jobs' health is failing as some are thinking then a lot of people are going to be effected. Whilst Apple may be losing it's figure head and the world losing a visionary, a lot of people may end up losing a lot of their investments. We can only hope that Tim Cook manages to follow up the work done by Jobs or...we could be up the proverbial creek.
Whilst I'm not the biggest fan of Mr Jobs I do wish that he is fine and that I, like others, are over worried, though if Apple do "lose their head", we may be looking at a very different world in 12 months time.
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
Why Googorola won't go alone (part 2)-Avoiding the HP road
Yesterday I posted an entry explaining my thoughts on the Google buy out of phone manufacturer Motorola and explained why, personally, I don't think Google are going to run solo with Android. In the past few weeks we've heard the other big story in mobile industry, the HP news. For those who haven't heard (are you living under a rock?) HP are discontinuing webOS, one of the rivals to Android, iOS, Windows Mobile 7 and Blackberry. This has seen HP cut the prices on HP Touchpads (Tablets) significantly, in fact if you can still find one anywhere snap it up, it's a complete bargain, and announce a cut on the price of Pre 3, the newest webOS phone. In fact the phone, which was going for £30 a month on 24 month contract (or just shy of £500 on a Sim only deal) is expected to be sold at £50 as stores try to clear their stock.
Where HP went wrong with the webOS is difficult to really break down, though their is a number of clear reasons. Despite actually being a good rival, software wise, to Android HP did a number of things "wrong". Firstly they took on Apple head to head, they were the only company making webOS phones this was foolish. If you're the only company making devices with the operating system you will get pounded out of the market no matter how good the OS is. I'm sorry to tell you, but at the moment you cannot take on Apple directly, and Google know this that's why they license Android for free, HP went directly against Apple with their own handsets and tablets
As well as going solo against Apple they also charged like Apple. £500 for the Pre 3, no matter how mind blowing it might have been, was simply too much. Lets be honest it is a wonderful piece of kit. The processor is either a 1.4ghz or a 1.2ghz dual core (sources seem to contradict each other, though both would be swift), the screen is 3.58" as well as having a qwerty keyboard (so a huge screen for a qwerty phone), a huge 8GB of internal storage, a very solid 5MP camera on the back and the wonderful webOS 2.0 operating system. Despite how good it is (and was, if you prefer) it was simply over priced and as a result went directly against Apple's iPhone's rather things like Androids and Blackberry's.
There is currently a "bounty" put up online for people to find a method of putting Android on both the Pre 3 and the HP Touchpad meaning that if you are one of the lucky ones who do snap a bargain (and trust me at the prices they've been cut to, you have got a considerable bargain) you will end up being able to run Android on it in the near future.
The HP road won't be one Google wish to follow, Google have seen what happens when you attempt to take on Apple head to head and will almost certainly continue to license out the Android operating system rather than try to take on Apple. HP's white flag perhaps came too early for some though it should act as a warning, you can have a great handset and a great operating system, but take on Apple directly at your own peril. We might see "Googorola" phones by the end of 2012 but don't expect them to be high priced, that's simply not the Google way. Don't lose sight of the fact Google are an advertising company, they want everyone to have an Android even if it costs them to begin with, HP were never an advertiser.
Where HP went wrong with the webOS is difficult to really break down, though their is a number of clear reasons. Despite actually being a good rival, software wise, to Android HP did a number of things "wrong". Firstly they took on Apple head to head, they were the only company making webOS phones this was foolish. If you're the only company making devices with the operating system you will get pounded out of the market no matter how good the OS is. I'm sorry to tell you, but at the moment you cannot take on Apple directly, and Google know this that's why they license Android for free, HP went directly against Apple with their own handsets and tablets
As well as going solo against Apple they also charged like Apple. £500 for the Pre 3, no matter how mind blowing it might have been, was simply too much. Lets be honest it is a wonderful piece of kit. The processor is either a 1.4ghz or a 1.2ghz dual core (sources seem to contradict each other, though both would be swift), the screen is 3.58" as well as having a qwerty keyboard (so a huge screen for a qwerty phone), a huge 8GB of internal storage, a very solid 5MP camera on the back and the wonderful webOS 2.0 operating system. Despite how good it is (and was, if you prefer) it was simply over priced and as a result went directly against Apple's iPhone's rather things like Androids and Blackberry's.
There is currently a "bounty" put up online for people to find a method of putting Android on both the Pre 3 and the HP Touchpad meaning that if you are one of the lucky ones who do snap a bargain (and trust me at the prices they've been cut to, you have got a considerable bargain) you will end up being able to run Android on it in the near future.
The HP road won't be one Google wish to follow, Google have seen what happens when you attempt to take on Apple head to head and will almost certainly continue to license out the Android operating system rather than try to take on Apple. HP's white flag perhaps came too early for some though it should act as a warning, you can have a great handset and a great operating system, but take on Apple directly at your own peril. We might see "Googorola" phones by the end of 2012 but don't expect them to be high priced, that's simply not the Google way. Don't lose sight of the fact Google are an advertising company, they want everyone to have an Android even if it costs them to begin with, HP were never an advertiser.
Monday, 22 August 2011
Welcome to a New World, a New Blog
After starting the pretty successful Mobile and Cell Tips blog a while back I've learned more about phones than I ever thought I would and now, after the Google and Motorola business (in which Google, the owners of Android are preparing to buy Motorola) I've decided to start an editorial style phone blog. You won't find phone tips or even reviews of programs or apps just my views on whatever is going on, feel free to take it with a pinch of salt, though it's still a chance to see my interesting take on things.
As it was the Google and Motorola business that caused this blog in the first place it seems only fitting that we start by looking at what I think this deal means. Some people seem to think this is a deal which will see Android phones run more like the iPhones in which Google will become the only manufacturer of Android phones (like Apple is for iPhones). Motorola are, after all, a huge manufacturer of phones and making "Googarola's" will mean that Google earns 100% profit on every phone and will also be able to get rid of the fragmentation issues that dog the Android system. Personally, I don't see this happening for a number of reasons.
Firstly these patents would protect Google, and the Android system directly against rivals using them (so this hits directly at Apple, who have been trying to rough house manufacturers of Android for patent infringement, RIM, the makers of Blackberry, and Microsoft) but more tellingly, it would allow Google to share them. Google could license them to all the phone manufacturers for free, who continue to produce Android phones. Now quite what the patents cover I'm not sure, like I've already said, though giving Samsung, Sony and HTC free reign of them would be a big incentive for manufacturers to stay with Android as opposed to paying a large fee for licensing them to use on devices running their own operating system.
Whilst in the past Samsung have created the "Nexus" range of Android smartphones, what I think we'll be likely to see is a "Googrola Nexus" whilst HTC, Sony Ericsson, Samsung will be able to continue on their own ranges and dip their fingers (and whole hands if necessary) into the Motorola patents.
Back in July Microsoft, RIM and Apple (as well as a handful of others) formed a consortium to buy around 6,000 patents from Nortel out bidding Google in an auction. Those 6,000 patents were expected to force up the price of Android phones (despite the fact Sony were one of the companies in the consortium), that 6,000 number is dwarfed by the number that were held by Motorola as we go into an era that may be fought more in the court rooms than the shop floor. Some are dubbing this the start of the patent war, and I think they are spot on.
As it was the Google and Motorola business that caused this blog in the first place it seems only fitting that we start by looking at what I think this deal means. Some people seem to think this is a deal which will see Android phones run more like the iPhones in which Google will become the only manufacturer of Android phones (like Apple is for iPhones). Motorola are, after all, a huge manufacturer of phones and making "Googarola's" will mean that Google earns 100% profit on every phone and will also be able to get rid of the fragmentation issues that dog the Android system. Personally, I don't see this happening for a number of reasons.
- Google make their money from advertising. The search engine giants make billions from advertising, they ideally want Android phones in everyone's hand, they would be foolish to alienate manufacturers like Samsung who's Galaxy S2 alone, has sold something in the region of 6,000,000 units.
- Google have never been a big manufacturer, in fact they've only manufactured a handful of items themselves (including a Chromebook) so why would they go the Apple route when Apple have had a history of manufacturing? It just doesn't make sense.
- If Google attempt to "fob off" the likes of HTC, Samsung and Sony Ericsson the result will be that these companies will start to make rival phones, such as those running Windows. This isn't going to help Google do the #1 in this list and is going to end up making Android a minor system.
- Continuing on from point #3 (and something I will get onto in much more detail in a minute) what we are seeing in the phone market at the moment is a war of patents with Apple attempting to sue HTC and Samsung for infringing on patents. Would Google (even with Motorola's patents) have enough to establish a phone line of there own to rival the other phones giants?
Firstly these patents would protect Google, and the Android system directly against rivals using them (so this hits directly at Apple, who have been trying to rough house manufacturers of Android for patent infringement, RIM, the makers of Blackberry, and Microsoft) but more tellingly, it would allow Google to share them. Google could license them to all the phone manufacturers for free, who continue to produce Android phones. Now quite what the patents cover I'm not sure, like I've already said, though giving Samsung, Sony and HTC free reign of them would be a big incentive for manufacturers to stay with Android as opposed to paying a large fee for licensing them to use on devices running their own operating system.
Whilst in the past Samsung have created the "Nexus" range of Android smartphones, what I think we'll be likely to see is a "Googrola Nexus" whilst HTC, Sony Ericsson, Samsung will be able to continue on their own ranges and dip their fingers (and whole hands if necessary) into the Motorola patents.
Back in July Microsoft, RIM and Apple (as well as a handful of others) formed a consortium to buy around 6,000 patents from Nortel out bidding Google in an auction. Those 6,000 patents were expected to force up the price of Android phones (despite the fact Sony were one of the companies in the consortium), that 6,000 number is dwarfed by the number that were held by Motorola as we go into an era that may be fought more in the court rooms than the shop floor. Some are dubbing this the start of the patent war, and I think they are spot on.
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