You never really think about all that goes into the development of game trailers for iOS. I can understand big game developers like EA having access to superb materials, and I never considered that solo or small-team developers would spend too much on camera and video equipment. Leave it to RazorianFly and the folks from Majic Jungle Software Blog to give us some insight.
iHome’s Latest Clock is an iPad Throne
It had to be around 2006 or ‘07 when I purchased my first iHome speaker. I believe it’s the now discontinued iHR5 (I may have the model name wrong), but it’s still perched atop my dresser till this day, delivering AirTunes and clear FM radio across my bed as I browse websites on my iPad. At the time, the product was geared around the 5th generation iPod Video, which was a fantastic hit in the early days of senior high. While it can certainly play music from the 1st gen iPod touch I’ll replace upon the next announcement, I’m certain it won’t be future proof for much longer (but who knows). Looking big, TUAW recently showcased iHome’s latest model, which is pretty ridiculous. Not only is this rectangular beast designed to blast the infinite musical spectrum straight out of your eardrums, it sits the largest Apple mobile device you may own: the iPad.
iPhone Owners Love the iPhone. Android Owners… Hate Android.
Hey, it’s the Yankee Group again! While it’s from the same CNN Money article we’re finding tidbits of information from, we decided to split their statistics into two posts.
Quoting 9 to 5 Mac:
A telling stat from Yankee Group via CNN:
The iPhone is also the gift that keeps on giving: 77% of iPhone owners say they’ll buy another iPhone, compared to 20% of Android customers who say they’ll buy another Android phone.
You’ll all have your own thoughts on Android (haters gonna hate), but I have my own theory on this. There’s so many Android phones available, I can see the this statistic being appropriate for the platform as a whole. I think anyone still running anything less than Android 2.0 would probably want to throw their phone out the window at this point. And I can see owners of lesser Android phones like the Motorola Cliq, the HTC Droid Eris, and the Samsung Moment being generally dissatisfied. But looking at phones like the Motorola Droid, I can see those particular users being very happy as they have a massive development communities behind them. I imagine Motorola Droid X and HTC Evo owners would be happy with their purchase as well if they sought an Android phone, but I chose the Droid specifically since it’s the phone to get if you want to take advantage of every ounce of openness that’s advertised about the platform.
Otherwise, I’m indifferent.
[CNN Money via 9 to 5 Mac]
Positive AT&T Survey Result of the Reality Distortion Field?
When the Yankee Group set out to survey the general happiness of AT&T customers, they were actually surprised by the results. 73% of surveyed US iPhone customers are very satisfied with their service. As a whole, AT&T has a satisfaction rate of 68%.
The Yankee Group concluded this to be quite the head scratcher, claiming that the “Reality Distortion Field” of Apple and Steve Jobs attributed to the iPhone’s praises rubbing off onto the carrier. I’m a Verizon customer myself, so I can’t comment on these claims, but of the readers here who live in the states, what do you think of AT&T?
Dragon Dictation Updated with Social Features, iOS 4 Support
I’ve reviewed Dragon Dictation (the iPad version) before on MacStories, and it’s really spectacular for patients dealing with RSI injuries and arthritis. TUAW reports that the latest update brings a pop-up toolbar that allows you speak a status update and send those messages to Facebook, Twitter, the iPhone SMS client, or the clipboard. Also available is the ability to save states between phone call interruptions.
Dragon Dictation is free as a universal application in the iTunes App Store. You can download it here.
[via TUAW]
AT&T Details iPad 3G Activation, Usage
So exactly how many iPad 3G’s have landed in customer’s hands? AT&T gave up some of the juicy details as a part of their quarterly earnings report.
- AT&T reported that it activated service on 400,000-500,000 iPad “Wi-Fi + 3G” devices during the quarter, which actually consists of only the last two months of the quarter as the 3G-capable models did not begin shipping until the very end of April.
- 75-80% of iPad data customers are on the more expensive 2 GB plan priced at $25 per month as opposed to the 250 MB plan at $14.99 per month. AT&T had initially launched an unlimited data plan priced at $29.99 per month, and users who joined that plan while it was in effect can remain on it for the foreseeable future provided they do not allow their service to lapse.
It was also noted that 50% of all Fortune 100 companies have deployed or are piloting the iPad for corporate use.
LG Cannot Meet iPad Demand
Apple’s manufacturing woes continue as iPad delays become more evident. Display supplier LG cannot keep up with the demand for the slate-like device, claiming that they’re running at full capacity but may consider production cuts in August.
Reuters’ reports:
The company is a supplier to Apple’s iPad, which has sold 3.47 million units since its April launch, and Kwon said LG Display was unable to meet growing demand from Apple.
“Demand (from Apple) keeps growing and we can’t meet it all. Apple may have to delay launches of the iPad for some countries due to tight component supplies and strong demand.
“We are considering increasing production lines for iPad products but overall supply is likely to remain tight until early next year.”
It’s forecasted that 13 million units will be sold this year.
[via Reuters]
White iPhone 4 Delay to Have Little Impact on Sales
The white iPhone 4 has been delayed again. And it’s the phone some are waiting out for simply because it’s not available yet, making it that much more lucrative to own. But will this hurt Apple’s bottom line? Not really. UBS analyst Maynard Um basically says an iPhone is an iPhone.
“We view the delay of the white iPhone 4 as net neutral as we believe [Apple’s] outlook likely did not embed sales of the white models given the ongoing manufacturing challenges.”
“Although the white iPhone could have potentially further helped sales, we note that consensus ests of $18.3 billion is much closer to mgmt guidance (about $18 billion) relative to historical trends. We still believe estimates could prove conservative given our view that guidance reflects conservatively achievable targets.”
Between sales of the iPad and the iPhone, Apple will still be incredibly successful. Color is a relatively minor issue, something that is making more news than it should. But if you haven’t gotten an iPhone yet just because of the color, may I suggest a TUAW reader’s approach?
[via The Mac Observer]
Apple Showing Continued Interested in Ad-Supported OS
Where exactly is Apple going with this? An old Apple patent “Advertisement in Operating System” was republished as a continuation this week, garnering interest in whether a model like this would be pursued or if it would even be popular.