東西 | dongxi

To the disappointment of many, Apple announced the upcoming release of the iPhone 4S, the next iteration of the iPhone line. It wasn’t that people didn’t want a new iPhone. It was that nearly everyone expected the iPhone 5.

Sunny Skies for Apple

Is Apple becoming a victim of its own success? The last few months and weeks have been marked by a frenzy of iPhone 5 rumors and speculations. Without a single word from Apple, the media jumped on screenshots of purported iPhone prototypes, exhibiting everything from new bevels, stretched display screens, and redesigned home buttons. There were rumors of carrier deals, including a last minute $20 billion Sprint-iPhone 5 exclusivity deal that sent blogs and analysts to a fury up until the final minutes leading up to the keynote. And like internet fan fiction, stories have circulated throughout the web on a dream iPhone 5 – replete with NFC, a larger display, and 4G functionality – none of which materialized. As Apple continues to hold the title as the leader in smartphones, the public has come to expect nothing but the very most from the Cupertino giant. It’s challenged the market with leaps and bounds with the initial iPod, iPhone, and even the iPad. Yet to expect groundbreaking changes in each yearly product iteration may be a feat too big for even Apple to tackle.

Still, despite downtrodden consumers taking to the web in protest post-announcement, Tuesday’s “disappointment” is expected to be but a blip on Apple’s continued dominance of the smartphone market. iPhone 4 owners who were hoping to upgrade will simply wait out to what will now be next year’s anticipated iPhone 5. Sprint users and those looking for a new phone will still have a solid option with the iPhone 4S. The real question is, despite the “failure” to deliver the iPhone 5, will Apple truly lose any consumers? No, in fact, their consumer base is expected to continue to grow, especially as the US smartphone penetration is only at around 33% according to a July comScore report. There’s still plenty of new fish for Apple.

So lesson of the year? Rumors are only rumors until it’s official. Despite all the speculations from every analyst, website, and blog out there, nearly all but a few of the rumors ended up true. It seemed like every website, news channel, and blog labeled yesterday as an iPhone 5 event – a pretty big miss on everyone’s part. As it turns out, Apple tends to play things rather conservatively. We saw the iPhone 3G move to the 3GS, now the 4 is followed with the 4S. So we’ll probably see the 5 next year, with some sort of 5″S” model the year after. Molly Wood of CNET actually has a pretty good theory to that pattern – it comes down to carriers. Plus Apple doesn’t need to rush – it’s got the top selling phone in the market.

And so now what? Well, my suggestion, if you have an older iPhone (not iPhone 4) and your contract is up, it might be worthwhile to look into the 4S. It’s still among the best smartphones in the market and the upgrades are still quite substantial (dual-code A5 chip, Siri voice commands, improved camera). For current iPhone 4 users, you might want to wait. It’s pretty likely the iPhone 5 will be released sometime next year, with substantial upgrades to the hardware – you don’t want to lock yourself into a two year contract at this point. And for the rest of us, enjoy the 24-48 hours of rest before the next batch of iPhone rumors start cropping up. Oh wait, too late.

Even Superman has his weaknesses. Such is true with Macs as well. With a malware attack hitting Macs, Apple is left stunned on what to do. Doesn’t look like the answer’ll be in those nifty iPads in the new Apple Store 2.0s. We also talk about Sony’s “Welcome Back” package for Playstation owners and of course the latest round of iPhone 5 rumors.

Source: Canadian Reviewer

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Malware on Macs: http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/05/malware-on-the-mac.ars

Removing Mac Malware: http://www.tuaw.com/2011/05/19/macdefender-malware-protection-and-removal-guide/

Playstation Password Reset: http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/05/18/update-on-psn-password-reset-process/

Playstation Welcome Back Package: http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/05/16/details-for-playstation-network-and-qriocity-customer-appreciation-program-in-north-america/

Magazines for Android:  http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20110517/hulu-for-magazines-opens-its-android-newsstand/

Apple Store 2.0: http://www.9to5mac.com/68299/apple-store-2-0-gets-official-interactive-ipads-replace-paper-signs-more/

Rentals Blocked on Rooted Androids: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/21/googles-blocking-android-market-movie-rentals-on-rooted-devices/

iPhone 5 Rumors: http://www.tipb.com/2011/05/19/iphone-5-world-phone-coming-verizon-day-att/

App of the Week

Google Maps (webapp): http://maps.google.com/

If you’re a PS3 or PSP owner, rejoice! The Playstation Network is back on after being down for nearly a month. A slew of Google news made headlines this week as well during the Google I/O conference..

Angry Birds

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Playstation Network Restored: http://ps3.ign.com/articles/116/1168419p1.html

Google Music: http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/10/google-music-beta/
http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/10/google-music-beta-versus-the-titans-of-the-streaming-music-space/

Google Marketplace: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-ways-to-discover-great-apps-on.html

Angry Birds on Chrome: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/aknpkdffaafgjchaibgeefbgmgeghloj

Top 10 Music Videos on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/music

iPhone 5/4S Rumor: http://www.tipb.com/2011/05/13/iphone-5-called/

Netbooks: http://news.cnet.com/has-apples-ipad-finally-killed-the-netbook/8301-17938_105-20061085-1.html

App of the Week

Netflix (Android): https://market.android.com/details?id=com.netflix.mediaclient

It’s a busy week as network issues across Amazon and the Playstation Network leave users frustrated and doubtful of the whole cloud hype. Meanwhile, everyone’s up in arms about the iPhone – is it really tracking everywhere you going? Is Steve Jobs keep tabs on you?

Don’t forget to subscribe to us on iTunes with the link below and follow us on Twitter (Derrick at @derrickc82, Tony on about.me/tonywang. Leave a comment and check out the links to the show on the blog post.

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iPhone Location Tracking: http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/04/iphone-tracking-followup.html

http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/21/the-iphone-tracking-fiasco-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/

Amazon Cloud Disruptions: http://techland.time.com/2011/04/22/cloudy-with-a-chance-of-outages-amazon-web-service-disruptions-continue/

Playstation Network Down: http://www.destructoid.com/sony-admits-hackers-have-taken-down-playstation-network-199468.phtml

Mortal Kombat: http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/mortal-kombat/index.html?tag=topten%3Ball%3B1

Portal 2: http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/portal-2/index.html?tag=topten%3Ball%3B2

iPhone 5 Rumors and Mocks: http://thisismynext.com/2011/04/22/iphone-5-design/

App of the Week

HowStuffWorks
Android: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.twentythreedivide.hsw

With the Playbook slated to release this week, will you be among the first to line up? If you don’t have a Blackberry, you might want to think twice. Jordan Nardick chimes in his thoughts as well while we give out the important PSA to changing your passwords.

Playbook vs iPad

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Playbook Initial Reviews: http://reviews.cnet.com/tablets/blackberry-playbook-16gb/4505-3126_7-34185051.html#reviewPage1

Ad-Supported Kindle for $114: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HFS6Z0/ref=tsm_1_fb_kin_kdev_20110411

Android Skype Bug: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2383639,00.asp

Verizon iPhone vs AT&T iPhone: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/04/05/verizon_iphone_4_owners_report_fewer_dropped_calls_than_att.html

iPhone 5 Delay: http://www.pcworld.com/article/224863/analyst_apple_iphone_5_may_slip_to_next_year.html/

Nintendo Rumored Next-Gen Console: http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/04/14/new-nintendo-console-at-e3.aspx

App of the Week

WatchESPN
iOS: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/watchespn/id429009175?mt=8

Waiting to get the next iPhone? You might have to wait a bit more! Tony Wang joins in as we decipher the cryptic messaging and rumors surrounding WWDC. We also look at storing music “on the cloud”  with Amazon and discuss the big fuss with Google’s new +1 search tool.

Amazon's Cloud Player

Don’t forget to subscribe to us on iTunes with the link below and follow us on Twitter (Derrick at @derrickc82, Andrew at @hotmilkgt. Leave a comment and check out the links to the show on the blog post.

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WWDC – iPhone 5 Delay? http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/03/wwdc-2011-may-be-all-software-signaling-change-in-iphone-strategy.ars

Xperia Play and Android PS Games: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/31/playstation-one-games-appear-in-android-market-predictably-rest/

Google +1: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2382878,00.asp

Amazon Cloud Service: http://techland.time.com/2011/03/29/amazons-streaming-music-service-cloud-player-goes-live/

Cloud Storage Face-Off: http://lifehacker.com/#!5786884/cloud-storage-faceoff-windows-live-skydrive-vs-dropbox-vs-amazon-cloud-drive

Time Warner App: http://paidcontent.org/article/419-its-a-done-deal-netflix-making-content-play-with-house-of-cards/

App of the Week

Zite
iOS (iPad): http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zite/id419752338?mt=8

With the announcement of WWDC, rumors quickly spread on the possibility of an iPhone 5 delay. While the next iteration of iPhones are normally announced at the conference, analysts have been pointing to a possible fall delay for the phone. The conference meanwhile will focus primarily on the iOS and MacOS software. Though this possible change would be a shift in Apple’s normally time-based strategy, really isn’t that big of a shock. For one thing, Apple can afford to wait. Apple at this point isn’t pressured to release out the next iteration; their current phone is still in the lead and selling extremely well. What Apple does need to work on, however, is updating their relatively “dated” operating system.

The iPhone is due for a revamped iOS. The hardware, which had been a main focus the past few years, is still on top. The retina display, HDR camera, and slim design are still unrivaled, even against the latest smartphones. The pressure now is in the software. While iOS is extremely easy to use, it’s started to look dated, especially as new competitors such as Android and WP7 have come to market. Features such as multitasking, widgets, pre-installed GPS, and cloud storage have given other phones an edge over Apple. While Apple might not rush to get all these features out in its entirety, iOS 5 should have some pretty significant changes to not only keep their position as a marketplace leader, but to also address a much larger lineup of iOS devices since the original iPhone. With larger devices like the iPad and a rumored move of their PCs adopting an iOS-like operating system, iOS needs to evolve.

So what can be expected of iOS5? Here are a few predictions and a couple of wishes:

1. Multi-finger Gestures: As patents for multi-finger gestures leaked out, rumors of a home button-less iPhone have been circulating. With iOS 4.3, developers have been able to use multi-finger gestures for additional commands and functionality (e.g. “Back” and “Forward” comments on a browser). Especially with larger devices like the iPad this is almost certainly a guarantee.
2. Cloud storage and Wireless Syncing: Long rumored for Apple as well, Amazon this week pulled the trigger with their cloud-based service. iOS devices have truly grown to be a multimedia device. With the strength of the iTunes Store, Apple can easily “lock down” users by offering streaming services for music, movies, and other files.
3. Maps & Geo-location: While seemingly a small feature, other smartphones have been excelling in their maps and geo-location services. Google maps on Android phones offer 3D vector graphics as well as touchable links for ratings, transit schedules, street views, etc. Android phones have a built in GPS as well, taking full advantage of voice commands, Google Search and Google Maps. Given Apple and Google’s recent rift, there’s a strong possibility of a revamped non-Google maps program. Apple’s been long rumored to be considering additional geo-location functionality for their devices as well, allowing users to tag media and find nearby friends.
   

   Google Maps

4. Widgets: Widgets have really given Android a “wow” factor that Apple once received. The only “widget” currently on iOS is the calendar icon that reflects the date. Even the weather and clock icons are but a static image, non-reflective of actual conditions. At the very least these icons can use a revamp to provide users with additional information. Especially with the iPad, much of the screen real estate is unused and wasted on bland icons. Email, calendar, and iPod can easily be revamped to allow users to access data without opening the app itself. Other functions, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G/4G should be re-considered for easy access. Currently turning on/off any of those functions requires several clicks into settings. Third party app developers could also clearly take advantage of an on-screen RSS feed as well.
   

   Xoom Widgets

5. Home Screen Navigation: As the app store has exploded, users are now dealing with several “pages” of apps to scroll through. Swiping through several screens is quite cumbersome and definitely does not reflect the style and ease Apple likes to represent. Considerations include hiding or shifting less used apps (a la “Menu” on Android), revamping app folders for better grouping of apps, and a quick view of all the “pages” of apps to allow for quicker access to programs on the device.
6. Notifications: Honeycomb made a big splash with their side notification system. With mail, instant messengers, calendar alarms, device connectivity, etc., the new OS should focus on better delivery and access to notifications to fix their pop up notification system. Handcent SMS for Android has a great popup notification that allows to user to write/speak/pick a quick response back.
   

   Notifications

7. Lock Screen: Apple is rumored to be testing an Android-like pattern based unlocking system. Additional protection options are always welcome. The lock screen could also use some widget functionality, much like how the iPod is available. Access to weather, email, or RSS feeds would be a great feature.
   

   iPhone Lock Screen Widgets

8. Multitasking: Apple has remained fairly conservative when it comes to multitasking for very good reason. Unchecked, multiple apps can quickly slow down the entire system creating a dreadful user experience. So far, Apple has skirted around the issue, allowing for light multitasking across specific apps. Music players can run in the background. Games are paused when another program is running. In all fairness, the cries for multitasking have mostly dissipated. Still, there is room for improvement. With the iPad as well, the ability to run a few programs simultaneously (on the same screen) would be an interesting move as well, such as allowing a user to watch a video on the top third of the screen while using the browser with the rest.
9. Multiple User Accounts: While Apple would love to sell a device for each user, iOS devices are often shared, especially between parents and younger kids. Given the recent in-app purchase controversy (with children “accidentally” spending money in freemium games), Apple should consider allowing multiple user accounts on their devices. Users can set restrictions (for minors) as well as customize apps and screens per account.
10. RFID/NFC: Rumors have gone back and forth for implementation of some sort of payment system through the iPhone. There has been a recent rash of moves by major corporations to adopt digital payment systems and Google moreorless confirmed to be testing with Android phones in New York and San Francisco. To turn the iPhone into a payment device could give Apple a similar wow-factor as a game changer the iPhone initially received as a “first” smartphone device.
    

    iPhone NFC

The main concern with a drastic change to iOS is its compatibility with older devices. The newer iPhone 4 and the iPad 2 should be able to keep up, but no matter the scale in change, the oldest models will most certainly be left out. Still, iOS is long due for some major upgrades and Apple is more than certain to deliver this June.

Mock of a possible iPhone 5

If you’ve been holding out for the next iPhone, here’s a bit of good news. The WWDC (where previous iPhones have been announced) is scheduled for June 6. At this point (if you can afford to do so) it’s better off waiting – even if you’re not into getting the next iteration, you’ll be able to get the current models at a discount. [TechCrunch]

Update: A lot of journalists inside with Apple are suggesting that this year’s WWDC event will be software only. In other words, there may not be any new announcements for any of the iOS devices (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad), but instead be new offerings for a new OS, perhaps iOS 5. [All Things D]