Retail Roundup: Apple to Release ‘Concierge’ iPhone Application? Nashua, NH Store Opening?

Posted on November 16, 2009 by MacRumors : Mac News and Rumors.
Categories: Uncategorized.
MacRumors has heard from several sources that Apple is preparing to launch a "Concierge" iPhone application targeted at customers of its retail stores. The application will reportedly provide many of the same functions available through the company'...

Was iPhone More Profitable Than Nokia Handsets Last Quarter? — Blog vs. Blog!

Posted on by Rene Ritchie.
Categories: Uncategorized.

blog_v_blog_gruber_wilcox

Last we we covered the analyst accounts that Apple’s iPhone was more profitable than Nokia’s handsets. Since Apple makes high margin on one premium phone, while Nokia has a range of featurephones and smartphones, including low-to-no margin ones, it didn’t seem too unlikely. Joe Wilcox, however, broke out his abacus and begged to differ, saying no they weren’t, and everyone was stupid for thinking they were. John Gruber then tapped Calculator on his iPhone, looked at GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) and non-GAAP numbers, and saying the estimates were likely accurate. Wilcox updated his original post, decrying the use of non-GAAP numbers, and re-asserting his original conclusion.

Who’s side are we on? Why, the audiences’ of course, with popcorn, hotdogs, and spicy drink in hand. It’s not like either Apple or Nokia give us a cut of the winning profits, and though we love our iPhones a lot, we’ll take a blog v.s blogfight any time.

[via TUAW]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Was iPhone More Profitable Than Nokia Handsets Last Quarter? — Blog vs. Blog!


Apple reverses decision, approves iPhone political caricature app

Posted on by Lex Friedman.
Categories: Uncategorized.
Apple has now approved an application that provides contact information for every representative in Congress in addition to bobble-head caricatures of them.

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Apple Considered Purchasing AdMob?

Bloomberg reports that Apple is reported to have approached mobile advertising firm AdMob about a possible acquisition just prior Google's announcement that it had agreed to purchase the company for $750 million in stock.

AdMob Inc. w...

Apple seeks game guru for app development

Posted on by Ken Ray.
Categories: Uncategorized.

Filed under: , ,

While some say Apple never wanted the iPhone to be a gaming device, the company knows which way the wind is blowing and wants to get involved. Apple is looking to hire a game and media software engineer for its iPhone and iPod touch team, which could mean it wants to make games of its own.

The job description doesn't say "games" specifically, focusing instead on "interactive multimedia experiences." However, the ad is looking for someone with "3-4 years of video game development experience," someone who has "shipped at least one AAA title," and someone who is a "passionate gamer."

id Software co-founder John Carmack says higher-ups in Apple aren't overjoyed with the growing status of the iPhone and iPod touch as gaming devices. But there's big money in games. Research firm DFC Intelligence sees profits for dedicated game-device makers like Sony and Nintendo shrinking 27% over the next five years, while expecting revenue from games for Apple's handhelds to rise from $46 million last year, to $2.8 billion dollars by 2014. That's a lot of money flowing through Apple, though most of that will go to developers. With over 100,000 apps available in the App Store, only four available today are made by Apple, and only one of those - Texas Hold'em (iTunes link) is a game.

[via Apple Insider]

Apple seeks game guru for app development originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)Apple seeks game guru for app development originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon Anti-iPhone Campaign Drags On - Is it Time Verizon Stopped?

Posted on by Andy.
Categories: Uncategorized.

John versus Joe: iPhone earnings smackdown edition

Posted on by Chris Rawson.
Categories: Uncategorized.

Filed under: , , ,

Apple naysayers are a dime a dozen these days. I keep a few in my garage just so I can laugh at them when I wave my iPhone in their general direction and they all cry in unison, "The Zune phone is so totally going to be an iPhone killer. You know, if and when it comes out. Just wait and see."

Rarely do Apple naysayers come with more unintentional hilarity than Joe Wilcox from Betanews, who, alone among reporters everywhere, uncovered a media conspiracy on a scale not seen in recent memory. Namely, contrary to what literally everyone else has reported, Apple was in fact NOT more profitable with the iPhone compared to all of Nokia's cellphone business during the recent financial quarter.

John Gruber from Daring Fireball saw Joe's post, and with his response laid the smackdown on Joe's analysis.

Gruber's post boils down to castigating Wilcox for ignoring Apple's statement of non-GAAP earnings. Basically, Apple's subscription-based accounting for the iPhone spreads its revenues out over several quarters, which it expresses in GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) earnings. These are the earnings Wilcox looked at and said, "Wait a minute! Apple didn't make that much money at all! Murder most foul!" If you want a real idea of what Apple actually made with the iPhone over the quarter, you have to look at the non-GAAP earnings. This is something I figured out back when I edited earnings press releases for PR Newswire, and something anyone who reports on financial matters really ought to double-check before protesting to one and all that something foul is afoot.

Wilcox updated his post after Gruber's response, but his rationale is almost as funny as his initial post:

I chose to use the GAAP figures because a) Again, that's what Apple is supposed to report; b) It made for a simpler analysis; c) Apple recognizes previously deferred revenue with the quarterly results; d) According to Apple SEC filings, deferred revenue is for more than just iPhone and Apple TV. The last two points are paramount.
In other words, a) It's the SEC's fault, not mine; b) like Gruber said, I didn't bother reading past the first paragraph of the press release; c) I also didn't bother parsing through the reams of financial tables that come with every quarterly financial press release; d) Gruber is wrong and Apple TV is totally selling like hotcakes.

I showed Wilcox's post to the Apple naysayers I keep chained up in my garage, and they just kind of turned away scratching their heads awkwardly. I don't think that's a good sign for the supposed "misreporting" of Apple's iPhone profits that Wilcox thinks he's uncovered.

John versus Joe: iPhone earnings smackdown edition originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)John versus Joe: iPhone earnings smackdown edition originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eliminate Pro, iMac, Apple TV 3.0, Touch Pets Dogs, Trip Cubby, Astonishing X-Men – TiPb Picks of the Week

Posted on by Staff.
Categories: Uncategorized.

tipb_pick_of_the_week

Every week a few of us from team TiPb, bloggers and forum crew alike, will bring you our current favorite, funnest, most useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone (or iPod touch) related, they’re fair game.

So who’s on deck this week and what are our picks? Find out after the break!

Chad’s Pick: Eliminate Pro

This week’s has to be Eliminate Pro by ngmoco:) The iPhone community has been yearning for a solid FPS for a while and ngmoco:) delivers. There is debate as to how the energy system works, but at the end of the day, Eliminate is free and you can frag with your friends over 3G and Wi-Fi. What more could you want? [Free + in-app purchase - iTunes link]

Eliminate Pro

Chris’ Pick: iMac (Late 2009)

My pick of the week is the new iMac. We just got one for my wife, and the added functionality combined with the iPhone is great. Adding in the MobileMe account, my wife is ecstatic with the iMac/iPhone combo, and I have to admit I am more than a little jealous. [$1,999.00+ - Web link]

[I got one as well. Phenomenal. - RR]

iMac (Late 2009)

James’ Pick: AppleTV 3.0

When Apple announced the iTunes LP and movies extras, I hoped the functionality would be rolled out to AppleTV and the iPhone. With AppleTV 3.0, it has. The previous 2.0 OS was getting a little long in the tooth, so having a fresh UI and some new features has breathed some new life in Apple’s “hobby”.

Apple TV 3.0

Leanna’s Pick: Touch Pets Dogs

Touch Pets Dogs is absolutely adorable and my new addiction. The idea behind this game is that you have one or more virtual puppies that you must take care of by feeding, playing, training, etc. Touch Pets Dogs is very creatively made and your puppies respond great to your gestures. Want to pet your puppy? No problem, just rub your finger on his little body and he’ll respond by pushing his neck toward you just like a real dog would. This game has a similar feel to The Sims in that your puppies have various attributes you must keep up or else your puppy will get sad. Touch Pets Dogs also runs live, so if you go too long without playing with your puppy, you will receive a push notification telling you that you have a sad puppy! Touch Pets Dogs also uses the Plus+ network to meet other puppies, go on play dates, and possibly find a love interest for you puppy! If you pick this one up, look up llofte and meet my puppies! [Free/1 bowl of food - iTunes link, $0.99/10 - iTunes link, $1.99/20 - iTunes link, $9.99/120 - iTunes link, $29.99/400 - iTunes links]

Touch Pets Dogs

Matt’s Pick: Trip Cubby

I recently began a new job for a production company and found myself driving all over Texas for commercial shoots. I soon realized that I needed an app to keep track of my trips. While I sifted through several apps, I finally came across Trip Cubby and haven’t looked back. Trip Cubby has a nice and easy workflow for entering data. It remembers recent locations, your last mileage entry, displays graphs, exports as CSV attachment and even has an online sync. If you are one of those people that need to keep track of mileage for deduction reasons, then this app is for you! [$6.99 - iTunes link]

Trip Cubby

Rene’s Pick: Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic

Joss Whedon didn’t bring his A game to Dollhouse, not the way he did with Buffy, Angel, or Firefly. For Astonishing X-Men, assisted by the amazing art of John Cassaday and the gorgeous (and uncredited!) colors of Laura Martin, he brought the A+. It was simply the best X-Men I’ve read since the original Phoenix Saga (yes, I’m that old). If you didn’t catch the comics, trades, or omnibus, Neil Adams’ company and Marvel Studios have brought it — at least the first chapter of it, Gifted — to Motion Comics life. 2 episodes of 6 are available now. I hope they do all 24 + the Giant Sized conclusion. Grab it from iTunes, sync it to your iPhone. Watch it now. With beer. [$10.99 Season Pass - iTunes link]

Astonishing X-Men

Your Pick?

You’re part of team TiPb too, so what’s your pick? What app was your absolute fav last week? Let us — and everyone — know in the comments!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Eliminate Pro, iMac, Apple TV 3.0, Touch Pets Dogs, Trip Cubby, Astonishing X-Men – TiPb Picks of the Week


OnLive to Bring PC Gaming to Your iPhone?

Posted on by Chad Garrett.
Categories: Uncategorized.

onlive

Oh yeah — Looks like in the near future that OnLive thing might just take off and lucky iPhone users will be able to play along with their PC gaming friends. However, many roadblocks still exist. Steve Pearlman OnLive’s CEO Says:

I’m afraid we are not announcing a date for availability of OnLive on particular cell phones just yet. We have further development to do, and we need approvals from some cell phone makers before we can release OnLive to the public. So, for now, OnLive on a cell phone is only a technology demo. But, for those of you who have been asking about OnLive on cell phones, the answer is yes, it is coming. And, it is REALLY cool.

As a gamer, this is rather exciting. Not only what it means for the iPhone, but for gaming in general. Perhaps we won’t need apps on our phone anymore for game playing, we just “tune in” to the latest games and play from where we can. I can dig that.

The OnLive service will begin in Winter 2009, however they are currently looking fro beta testers. You can sign up here.

[via Engadget Mobile]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

OnLive to Bring PC Gaming to Your iPhone?


Apple Approached AdMob Before Google Gobbled Them Up?

Posted on by Rene Ritchie.
Categories: Uncategorized.

iphone_business_model-400x400

Did Apple meet with mobile advertising company, AdMob before Google acquired them last week for $750 million? That’s what “people familiar with the matter” told Bloomberg:

Buying AdMob would have allowed Apple to expand into online advertising, a strategy that Nokia Oyj is pursuing, [IDC analyst Karsten Weide] said. “If a lot of traffic goes through my devices, why can’t I become the middleman that serves ads against that inventory? AdMob would have allowed them to do that quickly.”

Clearly advertising isn’t a core Apple business the way it is for Google, but then again with Google getting into so many of Apple’s core businesses (smartphone OS with Android and now desktop OS with CloudOS), Apple could be looking to give them a dose of their own expansion. Given that Apple recently filed a patent for an ad-supported version of Mac OS X (something Microsoft explored years ago for Windows), they could also be looking for alternate ways to subsidize the cost of their platforms going forward. Right now carriers like AT&T foot the advance for the iPhone (and theoretically might do the same for an iTablet or 3G-connected MacBook) but the more options to reduce up-front consumer costs, the better — especially in the increasingly competitive landscape.

We’ve said before Apple should have snapped up Grand Central before it became Google Voice, is Cupertino growing slow to react, or is Google just hitting warp speed?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple Approached AdMob Before Google Gobbled Them Up?


Review: Samsung Behold II smartphone

Posted on by Ginny Mies.
Categories: Uncategorized.
With a gorgeous AMOLED display and an excellent camera, the pricey Samsung Behold II will appeal to multimedia junkies with deep pockets.

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OnLive demonstrates iPhone app, set to redefine mobile gaming?

Posted on by Tim Stevens.
Categories: Uncategorized.
OnLive demonstrates iPhone app, set to redefine mobile gaming?
Okay, we admit to still being a little bit unsure about OnLive's pledges for high-end, high-resolution, lag-free gaming on any 'ol device with bandwidth, but we want to believe, and so it's with skeptical optimism that we report on news of mobile implementations. The company has demonstrated an iPhone app in which users are able to play against gamers on a PC or on the company's MicroConsole -- despite not having a single button to press. It's interesting stuff but, according to OnLive's CEO Steve Perlman, it'll be awhile before we see this in the wild, as plans for initial mobile apps will be limited to checking game stats and watching live gameplay. However, we presume it'll be a small step from there to flip the switch and two-way communications, meaning that perhaps by the time Modern Warfare 3 hits the wires you can keep gaming even while you're commuting.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Filed under: ,

OnLive demonstrates iPhone app, set to redefine mobile gaming? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Retracts Stance After Rejecting US Senators’ Database iPhone App

Posted on by Andy.
Categories: Uncategorized.