Disgusting Apple

Apple, the consumer electronics giant, makes products worth drooling over. The iconic iPod and iPhone have taken the world by storm and literally reinvented the portable music player and cell phone markets. But does that justify Apple’s high handed behavior with customers and developers?

Many Apple App Store developers have been complaining about Apple’s arrogance in disallowing their applications on the App Store even though similar applications were being listed. Apple has been totally silent on it. Very recently Apple denied Google Voice iPhone application an entry into App Store. Like always no reasons were given. This has been going on for quite sometime. But for how long are we going to tolerate this?

Recently, a kid’s iPod exploded when her father dropped it. Like any other consumer, the father approached Apple for a replacement. After going through several departments, Apple agreed to refund for the damaged product only if – check this out – the father agreed to sign a sort of NDA that would allow Apple to bring litigation against the customer if the customer spread the information about the exploding iPod. Here’s the link to the story.

Hey Apple, how about sticking a label on the product warning people that the damn thing might explode if dropped? Would they do it? Of course not. If they do, will those thousands of people who wear their iPods while jogging everyday morning buy them anymore? Surely not.

There are some people who are of the opinion that Apple is justified in asking for an NDA from the customer. If that is so, shouldn’t we, the consumers be justified in asking Apple for a label on their iPods informing us about the dangers? Cigarette packets have to have a warning from the Sugeon General, maybe Apple iPods and iPhones should also have something similar.

I am sure, if people who like Apple were to read this post, I would be flamed. But had something similar happened to a product from Microsoft or Dell, these very folks would be first in line to denounce those products and praise Apple’s offerings. Agreed Apple is a great company producing great products, but it is time Apple’s ardent supporters and all others start to realize that Apple might not have been doing proper checks when coming up with frequent generations of its hand-held products.

Apple: The next Microsoft…only more dominant

With the iPhone and iPod, Apple has already found its way into the pockets of the consumer and chances are pretty high that it would remain there for quite some time. The success of the iPod and iPhone has spurred the sales of Apple’s laptop and desktop systems. Today, Apple appears to be the sole beacon of light in the otherwise dark global economic situation.

So what’s next for Apple? Where is the company headed? Difficult questions to answer. And even if we could it would be more of an educated guess. From a computer making company Apple has evolved to a consumer electronic powerhouse, thanks to the genius of Steve Jobs. But there is only that much that you can do with a mobile phone or a portable music player. The more interesting question would be which segment would Apple target next?

There are quite a few of them that could be considered. GPS navigation systems would be one where Apple can make an impact. Imagine a GPS system with the grace and elegance of an iPod or iPhone. Apple already has the pieces, its just a question of putting them all together in an appealing package. Handheld gaming consoles can be another area for them to explore. They can even take on Sony and Microsoft on the gaming console business.

There is another space where Apple could play a potentially game-changing role. That space is nothing else but the flat panel television arena. Dominated by companies like Panasonic, Sony, Samsung and LG, the flat panel television business has almost hit a saturation level with respect to innovation. If you go to buy a flat panel TV today, most of the models offer similar features. It’s really left to the consumer to decide based on their budgets and their impressions of the TVs in the showroom (maybe some online reviews can influence that decision a bit). But imagine an Apple television (no not the Apple TV but a an actual plasma/LCD TV). Apple has the required competence to produce a world class television that would probably knock the wind out of the sails of the established players. With Apple’s expertise in software and hardware the product could actually become as pervasive as the iPod. And Apple can gain a very firm foothold in the digital living rooms world over. Once they are there, there is virtually no stopping Apple. The next in line would be a music server, stereo system, A/V receiver, specialized speakers, surround sound systems, and the list goes on. With one single stroke Apple can conquer this last bastion that has been eluding even the best of the best.

Even though Apple strongly denies any such inclination, chances are high that they are already eyeing it. Such a move has the potential of establishing Apple as the dominant player in the digital living room space – a position that the company can then consolidate upon to mount a serious threat to Microsoft’s dominance on the desktop. After all an Apple eco-system for the living room that harmoniously co-exists with iMacs and Mac Books offering unparalleled interoperability and legendary user friendliness, is something that would be very very hard to ignore.

Would all this be good for the end-user? That’s a totally different question. I for one believe that monopolies are seldom beneficial towards the consumers.

Apple, Microsoft: Birds of the same feather

Microsoft is being sued in the European Union(EU) for antitrust practices – yet again. The piece of software that’s the bone of contention is Internet Explorer. In spite of being one of lousiest browsers, extremely prone to security exploits, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer still holds a majority stake in the market of web browsers. Mozilla’s Firefox, comparatively a much superior product, comes second by quite a distance. The EU now wants to stop Microsoft from bundling IE with its Windows family of operating systems or bundle other competing browsers too. The rationale behind such a directive is to allow users the choice of trying out an alternative.Anyway, Microsoft’s practices have always been anti-competitive and for this reason it has been much vilified by the pundits.

On the other hand, Apple, in spite of being even more closed than Microsoft, has never come under the radar of the anti-trust laws. Firstly, Apple prohibits the usage of its operating system on any hardware other than Apple branded ones. The hardware that Apple sells has significant markups even though it is not necessarily superior. So for the same hardware capability, consumers pay an exorbitant price. Isn’t that anti-competitive? How is it then that Apple never comes under the scrutiny of the anti-trust sharks? When Psystar started selling computers with Apple Mac OS installed, Apple decided to sue to the company. Many thought it would be an open and shut case, but guess what? Psystar continues to sell its brand of Open Computers preloaded with Apple Mac OS. Psystar has also brought forward anti-competitive charges against Apple. Till date Apple has not won the case. So is there are a chance that Apple might come under the anti-trust laws at last?

And Apple is a really sore loser. The recently announced Palm Pre stole the thunder from Apple in this year’s CES. Experts are predicting that the Pre would probably dethrone the Apple iPhone. So what does Apple do? It responded with a veiled threat of suing anyone(read Palm) for violation of their IP. Well the iPod design was not Apple’s and they ripped it off. They survived that because the previous patent was held by an individual who could not renew it due to financial constraints. And being the unscrupulous corporate that it is, Apple did not even think of paying a one time royalty to the guy. But when sued, they brought him over to lend credence to their case in court.

So ladies and gentlemen, next time before maligning Microsoft over a coffee-table discussion, please give Apple a fair thought. They are no better than Microsoft. The only difference is that Apple enjoys the loyalty of a few high-nosed zealots that Microsoft does not have.

Arrogant Apple good for Google

Another one of the prospective Apple App Store applications bites the dust! The application in question is the Podcaster. Podcaster enables people to download podcasts to their devices directly without going through iTunes. Apple thinks that’s a bad idea since iTunes already gives that function. The result – Podcast rejected from App Store. 

So what’s Apple’s policy for App Store applications? Apparently only two entities are in the know. God and Apple. I am pretty sure God is not interested in it. As for Apple, they want to control everything in their eco-system. Controlling everything is fine for stuff that Apple creates. But how can they intend to exercise this same level of control over third-party applications.

Time and again we have heard that Apple’s policy of examining each and every application that goes on the App Store is to ensure quality and stop malicious and offensive content. Malicious we can understand, but what is the yardstick that Apple employs to determine offensiveness? There have been no answers from Apple on this.

Here is a list of a few of the apps that have been axed by Apple from the App Store for no reason:

• Podcaster
• I Am Rich
• Pull My Finger
• NetShare
• A comic book

In not publishing a clear policy of conformance for application developers, Apple is actually hurting itself. Already a lot of developers have vented their frustration over such high-handed behavior. Yet they still stick to Apple because of the popularity of its portable devices. But for how long? After all there is a limit to everything. Unfortunately Apple is not ready to listen to their woes.

A potential winner may be Google’s Android powered mobile phones. People have expressed their concerns about the viability of Android phones without a vibrant eco-system to sustain its growth. Google has answered that, even though partially, with the Android Market. What remains to be seen is how popular the Android phones become. Google can bolster this popularity by making the hosting policy for applications on the Android Market more open and transparent. Maybe even have community participation in forming a policy. This would surely encourage developers to write content for Android. In fact, if Android becomes a success, we might see a lot of switch in allegiance from Apple to Google. If this happens Apple will only have itself to blame.

Apple did not invent the iPod

Even though Apple was a successful company, it really saw its fortunes soar with the introduction of the iPod series of portable music players. With the iPod, Apple saw sort of a second coming. The world applauded Apple for it, not knowing that Apple never truly invented the tiny device that revolutionised the way people listened to music on the go.

Now, Apple has admitted that it did not invent the iPod. The real inventor of the iPod is Kane Kramer, a British furniture salesman who dropped out of school when he was 15 years old. Of course, needless to say, Apple was so busy reaping the profits that poor Mr Kramer was never paid a dime for his invention. 

The truth about this came to light while Apple was defending itself against Burst.com that claimed ownership of the technological patents of the iPod. Mr Kramer invented this little plastic box that could play music in 1979. In its original form, the player could play about 3.5 minutes of music, long enough to hold half of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. He called the device IXI and got a worldwide patent for it. However due to financial constriants he could not arrange for the $120,000 needed to renew the patent. Thus this patent became open to adoption for other companies and Cupertino based Apple was the first. The rest, as they say, was history.

In Apple’s remarkable turnaround of fortunes, the company never acknowledged Mr Kramer’s contribution – neither in a public statement nor through monetary compensation. All through, the iPod was thought of as an Apple invention and Apple chose to keep it that way. Not surprising considering that Apple is afterall just another business.

However, it was this little plastic box that saved Apple, twice. Once from its dwindling fortunes and once from the lawsuit against Burst.com. Yet, Apple, apparently has done nothing to help Mr Kramer who had to sell his house for the need of money, the person to whom Apple owes its second coming.

The new iPod Nano

Kevin Rose, the founder of Digg, has offered a list of features that can be expected from the new iPod Nanos that are expected to debut in September this year. Going by Apple’s propensity for September releases, there might be some truth in there.

According to Mr Rose, here’s what people can expect from the new iPhod lineup:

• Cosmetic changes to Touch
• Nano to see significant redesign
• iPods to see fairly large price drops to distance itself from the $199 iPhone
• iPod touch 2.1 software
• iTunes 8.0, a significant upgrade

Mr Rose also provides a photo of what might be the next generation iPod Nano. Though the basic shape remains the same the Nano, according to Mr Rose, has become thinner and longer and sports a larger screen. Here’s the photo:

Click here for more.

Universities to give out free iPhones and iPods to students

The University of Maryland, Oklahoma Christian University, Abilene Christian and Freed-Hardeman have announced that they will give out Apple iPhones and internet-capable iPods to their students this fall. The universities are of the opinion that these devices will help students with online research and polls. Also this opens up the possibility of new and novel ways of collaboration and learning.

Though the prospective students are excited about this, a number of professors are not so happy since they think that this measure would prove counterproductive. The professors argue that in addition to the laptops that students bring into classes, these additional devices would add to their distractions and may negatively impact the effectiveness of lectures.

Even though the devices would be free, the students will still have to pay for the mobile phone service.

Some critics have also warned about colleges tracking students through these devices. According to Apple, tracking would not be possible unless the students permit it. The colleges have, of course, officially said that they have no plans of tracking students.

So the biggest gainer in this is Apple. This choice made by the colleges when comparable devices were available from other manufacturers like Palm, RIM, etc. goes on to establish the cool factor that has become synonymous with Apple products. The younger generation easily identifies with these products and gains more peer acceptance through the ownership of one. Quite an achievement for Apple.

I guess the four colleges mentioned would also see an increased number of applications this year.

More troubles for Apple; this time its the iPod Nano

Looks like Apple is going through a tough period with regards to complaints about its products. Already they faced a lot of criticism with Mobile Me and the black listing of applications on the App Store. More recently, Apple has been fighting reports of the iPhone 3G dropping calls though they have never acknowledged it. To complicate matters further it seems like some of the iPod Nanos had bad batteries and were overheating.

There have been a few reports in Japan of iPod Nanos overheating. Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry are looking into these reports. The Nonos that suffered from overheating were sold between September 2005 and September 2006. Most probably the problem area is the battery.

Looks like Apple would have to recall these products. The problems just don’t seem to be stopping for Apple.