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Report: Apple sells more than 1.7 million iPhones in 3 days

June 29, 2010

Apple said Monday that it sold more than 1.7 million iphones in the first three days, making it the most successful product launch in the company’s history from the standpoint of sales.

High demand for the model caused shortages and unruly crowds at some apple stores.

“This is the most successful product launch in Apple’s history,” said Steve Jobs. “Even so, we apologize to those customers who were turned away because we did not have enough supply.”

Some stores sold out in a few hours. Apple is having a hard time keeping up with production especially producting enough parts for the phone, such as its new higher-resolution screen. Apple has said the white iPhone it plans to produce has been challenging and won’t be available until late July. Only black models went on sale Thursday.

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The nasty iPhone 4 problem

June 24, 2010

Hold the iPhone carefully by the glass, avoiding the new steel antenna band that runs around the edges. Notice the number of signal-strength bars you have. Now, touch the steel band with your other hand, preferably the left and bottom sides together and you will see your signal disappear, or drop by three or four bars.

The problem is widely reported by many user reports. The problem is also repeatable, making it look like a lot more than a coincidence.

Out of more than 40 respondents tested, about 35 are reporting a signal problems.

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CTIA to Boycott San Francisco Over Radiation Law

June 23, 2010

Last week San Francisco passed a law requiring cell phones to come with labels displaying how much radiation they emit, pressured by activists who argue phone radiation is affecting peoples’ brains.

CTIA–The Wireless Association, thinks something is wrong with San Francisco supervisors’ brains and says it will not hold another of its shows in the city in the future; at least not after the one already planned for October. Five of the last seven CTIA shows have been in San Francisco, which CTIA says brought more than $80 million into the local economy.

“We are disappointed to announce that the 2010 CTIA Enterprise and Applications show in October will be the last one we have in San Francisco for the foreseeable future,” spokesman John Walls said in a press release. “We have already been contacted by several other cities that are eager to work with us and understand the tremendous benefits that wireless technology and our show can provide their area.”

As the CTIA points out, phones sold legally in the U.S. must meet FCC standards for RF emissions.

“According to the FCC, all such compliant phones are safe phones as measured by these standards,” Walls said. “The scientific evidence does not support point-of-sale requirements that would suggest some compliant phones are ’safer’ than other compliant phones based on RF emissions.”

Advocacy groups say the science is far from definite and that there may be a correlation between cellphone radiation and cancer in salivary glands. That’s enough to let consumers know when they purchase a cellphone how much radiation a it emits.

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Verizon iPhone rumors continue to spin

June 23, 2010

Still waiting for an iPhone on Verizon, or at least another carrier besides AT&T? If so, your wait could be over early next year, according to a fresh wave  from Wall Street. Then again, haven’t we heard these Verizon iPhone similar rumors before?

Barclays Capital analyst James Ratcliffe says that Verizon could get iPhone in early 2011. Verizon would receive about 9 million iPhone activations, including anywhere from 500K to a million switchers from AT&T.  The bad news: Ratcliffe thinks Verizon is likely to follow AT&T’s in capping data plans.

For its part, Verizon continues to play humble. Verizon Communications chief exec Ivan Seidenberg said  that the carrier is ready to embrace the iPhone, but the final word is with apple.

Apple, as usual, is keeping quiet, although Steve Jobs said that there might be an iPhone on a U.S. carrier besides AT&T.

All the iPhone for Verizon rumors have been going on for couple of  years, and we still don’t have a Verizon iPhone, N\nor do we have an iPhone for Sprint or T-Mobile.

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FREE Wi-Fi at Starbucks Nationwide

June 15, 2010

Starbucks is stirring up a few changes to its Wi-Fi access that should make Web-surfing coffee drinkers happy.

Starting July 1, the coffee brewer said it will launch free Wi-Fi access throughout all of its stores nationwide, with no special registration or account required and no limits on the time people can spend online.

Available through AT&T, the enhanced Wi-Fi improves on the current access, which is free to customers who use their AT&T accounts or Starbucks cards to log in, $3.99 for everyone else, and restricts the time online to no more than two hours.

Appearing at Wired’s business conference Disruptive by Design on Monday, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz spoke about the new Wi-Fi access as part of the company’s goal to embrace social and digital media and look for new ways to bridge a customer’s coffeehouse experience with the digital world.

Beyond the enhanced Wi-Fi access, Schultz also unveiled plans for a new in-store service called the Starbucks Digital Network, slated to come online this fall. Teaming up with Yahoo, Starbucks will offer customers free and unrestricted access to different paid sites and services. Content partners will include WSJ.com, iTunes, The New York Times, Patch, USA Today, Yahoo, and Zagat. Additionally, Schultz said the new network will provide exclusive content, free downloads, and local community news.

Though Starbucks has offered its limited brand of Wi-Fi service for years, first through T-Mobile and then through AT&T, the company has lagged some of its competitors in offering unlimited free access.

McDonald’s, which sells coffee alongside its thick milkshakes, added free, unrestricted Wi-Fi access via AT&T to its menu in January, while nationwide cafe chains like Panera Bread also offer instant and free Wi-Fi.

Since his return to the CEO role in 2008, Schultz has been busy trying to promote Starbucks as a spot where people can work and socialize, especially online. He has spoken before about creating a third place between work and home and reiterated that point at the Wired business conference.

Given the company’s track record at tapping into the online world, Schultz’s new Wi-Fi initiatives may pay off. In a study from last July, Starbucks was named the biggest brand on the Web at using social media to promote itself and engage its customers.

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AT&T Killed Unlimited Wireless Data Plan (and Screwed Customers in the Process)

June 2, 2010

Unlimited, all-you-can-eat wireless data was a beautiful thing, delivering streams of Pandora, YouTube videos, a million tweets, and hundreds of webpages without worry. And now it’s dead.

AT&T’s new, completely restructured mobile data plans have officially launched the era of pay-per-byte data, which we’ve known was coming. We just hoped it would take a little longer. It’s the anti-Christmas.

Read more

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