Apple unveils its iPhone

[lahbib]

Job Steves the Maistro of Apple company confirmed in his demoIPhone 3G last week that IPhone 3G with GPS will be on the hands of anyone who can pay only § 199. before Dec 2008.
Is Algeria ready for this revolution in telephone?
ML Tidjani
Freelancer e-learning
lahbibt@yahoo.fr

[Al-khiyal]

Apple cuts copy protection and prices on iTunes

SAN FRANCISCO, January 6, 2009: Apple Inc. is cutting the price of some songs in its market-leading iTunes online store to as little as 69 cents and plans to make every track available without copy protection.

In Apple's final appearance at the Macworld trade show, Apple's top marketing executive, Philip Schiller, said Tuesday that iTunes song prices will come in three tiers: 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29. Record companies will choose the prices, which marks a significant change, since Apple previously made all songs sell for 99 cents.

Apple gave the record labels that flexibility on pricing as it got them to agree to sell all songs free of "digital rights management," or DRM, technology that limits people's ability to copy songs or move them to multiple computers. Apple had been offering a limited selection of songs without DRM, but by the end of this quarter, the company said, all 10 million songs in its library will be available that way.

While iTunes is the most popular digital music store, others have been faster to offer more songs without copy protection. Amazon.com Inc. started selling DRM-free music downloads in 2007 and swayed all the major labels to sign on in less than a year.

Schiller also announced that iPhone 3G users will be able to buy songs from the iTunes store using the cellular data network. Previously, iPhone users could shop for tunes when connected to a Wi-Fi hot spot.

The iTunes changes marked the highlights of Schiller's run as a stand-in for CEO Steve Jobs, who used to make Macworld the site for some of Apple's biggest product unveilings, such as the iPhone. Apple said last month that Jobs would not address the throngs this time because the company plans to pull out of Macworld next year.

Apple shares slipped $1.56, or 1.7 percent, to close at $93.02.

Schiller got a warm welcome from the attendees — who packed the convention hall despite the pall cast over the industry by the economic downturn — especially at the start of his talk, when he thanked them for showing up despite Jobs' notable absence. He ran seamlessly through his 90-minute presentation, getting applause and oohs from the audience, varying little from the format of slides and demos established by Jobs. And like Jobs, he gushed about Apple's products being the best in the world.

"Phil did an exceptionally good job in representing Apple," said Tim Bajarin, president of technology analyst group Creative Strategies Inc.

Lower iTunes prices were Apple's only nod to the recession — and an oblique one at that, as record labels have been asking for years to set varying song prices. Rather than an inexpensive new Mac to lure budget-conscious buyers, Schiller unveiled a new $2,800 Macbook Pro laptop with a 17-inch screen and the sleek aluminum casing the company debuted with the super-thin Macbook Air.

He also unwrapped new versions of two software packages for Macs, including the iLife multimedia programs. For instance, iPhoto '09 can recognize faces and sort photos based on who's in them. GarageBand '09 includes videotaped, interactive music lessons given by Sting and other musicians. Apple added more professional video editing features to iMovie '09.

Apple's answer to Microsoft Corp.'s Office productivity suite, called iWork, also got a makeover, including zippy new ways to add animation between slides in the Keynote presentation software. And Apple unveiled a "beta" test version of a Web site for sharing documents, iWork.com. Unlike Google Inc.'s online documents program, however, Apple's version does not allow people to edit documents in a Web browser.

Apple said the thin new 17-inch aluminum-cased Macbook Pro, which joins an existing 15-inch model, will start shipping at the end of January. Perhaps the biggest twist is the laptop's battery, which is designed to last longer on each charge — up to seven or eight hours — and work after more charges than older batteries. But like Apple's iPod and the super-slim Macbook Air, the battery will be sealed inside and the owners won't be able to remove and replace it themselves. Instead, they'll have to spend $179 to have an Apple store expert swap in a new one.

Jobs' decision not to attend Macworld sparked a new round of fears that the CEO, a survivor of pancreatic cancer who has seemed gaunt in recent appearances, was in worsening health. To put the questions to rest, Jobs said Monday he is getting treatment for a hormone imbalance that caused him to lose weight, and urged Macworld attendees to relax and enjoy the show.

And after the Tuesday keynote, in which nothing purely new was disclosed, the company's decision to substitute veteran salesman Schiller for master showman Jobs seemed even less questionable.

[eyad]

when are they going to take the agency in the UAE, in the iphone mobiles!!!!!!!


i suffer of updating the i phone, what to do !!

and i dont want to get caught..

[Felicity]

getting the update patch? It does suck that itunes does not support Algeria, and does not let you pretend to be in the UK. Though if you did update it, its incredibly unlikely that you would get caught, as its just downloading the software, and thats the only dangerous bit, because itunes, although it does communicate with your iphone, does not seem to check whats on ur iphone, and the software update is very small, so quick to get. Though really i'm talking about ipods rather than iphones, but I suppose the theory behind it is all the same. Not that i think stealing is good, nor have I stolen, nor should anyone else. But frankly, if they refuse to support a country, who would very much like to move forward with their tech gadgets, then what do they expect?

[eyad]

thats a point..

the other one is the problem of updating "iphone Issue" that you should have accurate data first of all, then you have to ask for an update, which will figure out what the serial of the phone, and throught this procedure u'll get caught

rather than the gps service which is not supported here in the UAE- dubai,,,

what do they want exactly!!

[Al-khiyal]

Nokia sues Apple over alleged breach of patent

October 22, 2009 -- Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer, today launched a legal attack on Apple in the US courts, alleging the iPhone infringes 10 of its patents. The move could cost the Californian technology firm tens of millions of dollars. The two companies have been locked in long-running negotiations to agree a deal that would see Apple pay a licence fee to use technology Nokia developed, which is fundamental to the way a mobile phone works and is already in the iPhone. Talks failed to reach a settlement and Nokia has filed a complaint against Apple with the Federal District Court in Delaware. The case, however, is unlikely to come to court until the end of 2011. Apple can continue to develop and ship the iPhone, which has rapidly eaten into Nokia's share of the lucrative smartphone market since its launch in 2007. A Nokia spokesman said it was seeking "to get appropriate compensation" for its intellectual property and the door remained open for Apple to do a deal and avoid the issue going before a judge.

The court case comes after Nokia last week announced its first quarterly loss for more than a decade as a host of rivals, including the iPhone and new consumer-focused handsets from corporate email specialists Blackberry, have invaded the market for smartphones. By contrast, Apple this week surprised Wall Street by announcing a recession-defying 46% rise in profits due to strong iPhone and Mac computer sales. The iPhone has created copycat phones, from the Palm Pre and Motorola Dext to the SonyEricsson Satio and Samsung Omnia HD, while Microsoft has updated its Windows software for mobile devices. Nokia's dominance has also been attacked by Google with its Android mobile phone software. Initially only relatively unknown handset manufacturers such as HTC and Huawei were making Android devices, but later this year phones will appear from big names such as Motorola and Sony Ericsson. Google is also rumoured to be working on its own-branded handset. The Gphone would allow the search engine to show off the soon to be released latest version of Android, codenamed "eclair".

Nokia yesterday refused to say how much it thinks the licences to use its technology should cost, but typical licence payments are a few dollars. Apple has so far shipped more than 30 million iPhones since the first 3G version was launched in 2007. Analysts at RBC Capital Markets estimate it could be selling at least that many next year and as many as 80 million a year by 2012. At that level of sales, "appropriate compensation" for Nokia could run into hundreds of millions of dollars. The Finnish mobile phone manufacturer, which makes almost four in every 10 mobile phones sold worldwide, is no stranger to legal fights. It fought a three-year battle with American microchip firm Qualcomm across three continents, causing intense investor unease on Wall Street, before the two sides agreed a 15-year deal last summer. In its last set of annual reports and accounts Nokia itself made provision for €343 million (£310 million) payments it might have to make for allegedly infringing other people's patents.

The 10 patents at issue in the Apple case relate to technologies that are "fundamental" to making devices that are compatible with one or more of the current wireless standards – GSM, UMTS (3G W-CDMA) and wireless LAN. "The patents cover wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption and are infringed by all Apple iPhone models shipped since the iPhone was introduced in 2007," Nokia said. The company said it had invested more than €40 billion (£36 billion) in research and development over the past two decades and had successfully entered into licence agreements, including these patents, with approximately 40 companies, including virtually all leading mobile vendors. "The basic principle in the mobile industry is that those companies who contribute in technology development to establish standards create intellectual property, which others then need to compensate for," said Ilkka Rahnasto, vice president, Legal & Intellectual Property at Nokia. "Apple is attempting to get a free ride on the back of Nokia's innovation." Geoff Blaber, director of devices and platforms at industry experts CCS Insights, said Nokia's move "is not altogether surprising". "The company has an enormous patent portfolio and their investment in innovation is as important to Nokia as its devices and services businesses. It is a large revenue stream for Nokia," he said.