Nov 12, 2007

iPhone: fastest-selling product of all time

MOBILE phone giant O2 has declared Apple's iPhone its fastest-selling product of all time, less than a week after the handset went on sale in Europe.

The Daily Mail reported that O2 stores experienced a 300 per cent increase in customers since the iPhone was released last Friday, and the company was rumoured to have hired more than 1000 extra staff to cope with demand.

O2, which is owned by Spain's Telefonica, told the newspaper they had sold tens of thousands of units so far.

The company also predicted that "a couple of hundred thousand" more iPhones would leave its shelves over the Christmas period.

About 1300 stores around the UK were selling the iPhone on Friday morning. Several hundred customers lined up outside one Apple store in London waiting to get their hands on one, The Daily Mail reported.

O2 is the only company in the UK to legally use the handsets over its network.

A release date for the iPhone has not been set for Australia, but thousands of locals are thought to be using the handset already after importing it from overseas and using internet downloads to unlock the phone for use with domestic carriers.

More than 1 million iPhones have been sold in the US, where Apple recently announced plans to limit sales to two per customer and refuse cash payments to prevent people unlocking the phone and selling it overseas.
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iPhone - where next?

The iPhone launch has sparked more debate in our office than any recent news from the tech sector. Advocates and detractors have been at loggerheads by the watercooler getting their point across....

What seems certain is that it will be the hottest christmas seller of '07 - the £269 price tag will deter few of the first wave of buyers. 200k unit sales in the first two months predicted by O2 CEO seems over-cautious, analysts have forecast closer to 400k units - closer to the 1m sold in the US during the first 74 days after launch. That stat made it the fastest selling phone in history - beating the RAZ-R by some margin.

However - phone sales are like games console sales- for a true reflection of demand we have to look beyond the initial PR-fuelled surge. Here is the nagging question...

- Will UK consumers be prepared to fork out £269 for a phone when they are familiar with paying zero for a subsidised handset? (even the Prada phone is available with a £35 tariff)

Anyone signing up today will be paying at least £880 for the phone and their contract - in return they get a measly 200 monthly free mins..

Wisely - Apple are creaming the premium from the market - but I predict that by March next year there will be a substantial price drop - maybe as far as £199. Why? it is widely known that O2 swallowed a 10-20% contract revenue share deal with Apple in order to guarantee an exclusive UK distribution deal. Given that they are making so little from the initial sale and contract - they must be looking for critical mass in terms of a user base, to achieve that, the entry price will have to reflect the 2nd wave demand before the competitors start to divert attention from the iPhone.

Rightly - O2 are in it for the long game, they recognise that iPhone buyers are not your regular phone users, they are the holy grail of HVC (High value customers) - the mobile users with higher average bills. As soon as Apple iron out the current teething problems (lack of flash player and 3G connectivity amongst others) usage levels should unlock excellent revenue potential for O2, from a user base that are very, very unlikely to switch network in current conditions.

So - don't be a surprised to see a price drop next year, but don't be surprised to see the iPhone dominate the 'must have' list for some time to come...
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Apple patches security hole with iPhone update

Apple made the software available for download last Thursday, but on Monday it began pushing it out automatically to users via its iTunes updating mechanism.The iPhone uses iTunes to scan for security updates once per week, so users will gradually be offered this new firmware over the next seven days.

The update fixes a bug in the way that the iPhone renders TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) images.

The bug patch is a bit of a mixed blessing for iPhone enthusiasts. While it fixes a critical security vulnerability, that flaw had been used by iPhone developers in the unauthorized Jailbreak software that is used to run third-party applications. The update makes it difficult for users of brand-new iPhones to install Jailbreak.

Apple has been in a tug of war with some developers who have had to circumvent Apple's security measures in order to get their software to run on the iPhone. Apple initially wanted to prevent all third-party code from running directly on its mobile device, but in recent months the company has reversed course and promised to give developers a way to run their code on the iPhone. This software development kit (SDK) will become available in February 2008.

Apple's unauthorized developers have already found a way to stay ahead of Apple's latest software update.

Users with Jailbreak on their iPhone 1.1.1 systems are being advised to first install an application called OktoPrep, according to a post on the Unofficial Apple Weblog. This allows them to update to 1.1.2 without compromising their ability to run unauthorized software on the device.
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iStuff PhoneDock - blast our your iPhone tunes

Ok, so you have your iPhone, now it's time to survey the ever-growing number of add-ons - and that includes the iStuff PhoneDock.

Yes, it's an iPod dock for your iPhone, although it does cater for the iPod too (just to keep the market wide). Packed into a piano white, natural wood enclosure are two tweeters, two mid-range woofers and a 4-inch rear-firing subwoofer, all of which combine for 40w of output.

Also included is a remote control, a USB port for syncing, a 3.5mm mini jack input as well as cables for S-Video and RCA. Available in time for Christmas, priced at £129.

source: http://techdigest.tv

Never have to hear of the iPhone again

Reg web app will take away the pain
By Bill Ray → More by this author
Published Sunday 11th November 2007 19:25 GMT

You've got your shiny new iPhone, so the last thing you want is to read any more about it, luckily we can now offer a Web App which will remove all references to Apple's slate and replace them with a term of your preference: at least while you're surfing El Reg.

Some people here at The Register are getting a little bored of the iPhone, so we thought we would spend the weekend creating a WebApp to remove all references to it, though replacing them seemed more fun.

You can try the application here, though only if you're using an iPhone (or an iPod Touch): it also very nearly works on a Nokia N95, though you'll have to hit the additional Back button at the bottom of the first page to kick it into action. On desktop Safari it just looks strange.

Given the lacklustre UK launch we're not sure how many will be interested, but if enough of you are then we'll run a feature next week showing how the WebApp was written so you too can create filters for your least-favourite words, or perhaps create something useful. ®
source: http://www.theregister.co.uk

Apple says more iPhone features still to come

12 November 2007 7:00 GMT - Apple has confirmed that it has plenty more upgrades to come for the Apple iPhone.

"All the complaints and feature requests we've had can be fixed and added by software upgrades," a spokesman for the company told Pocket-lint.

The news will come as a relief to new customers who bought the company's mobile phone over the weekend and may have been disappointed by some of its limitations.

Apple representatives told Pocket-lint: "We didn't want to include something for something's sake."

Since its launch in the US in June, Apple has been criticised for leaving out some key functionality, like the ability to record video via the included digital camera and greater Bluetooth support beyond voice functionality.

"For the average mobile phone most people only use around 10%, Apple didn't want that to happen with the iPhone."

However some commentators believe that not including all the software features from day one will allow the company to entice new customers over the next couple of months.

"They [Apple] aren't stupid. They won't want to give you everything at once. You wait, there will an exciting partnership with YouTube that adds video functionality
and then lets you upload to the site in no time," an industry insider told Pocket-lint.

Others however believe the answer is more simple than that:.

"If the reason to upgrade the software each time is compelling enough, then you are less likely to hack the software, meaning Apple gets to earn the substantial revenue agreement it has with the official operator," another source told us.
source: http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/