Remember when Apple was pushing Web apps for the iPhone? That may be catching up with the company. That, and HTC says your Dad’s iPhone is lame, while Lavar Burton wants kids to read on their iPads. Mac OS Ken’s Ken Ray sorts it all out, lines it all up, and knocks it back down.
Apple and Web apps: Old New School
If things go the way Apple originally intended them to go, Apple could get hurt. That’s one possible read of a bit of analysis from Sanford Bernstein research analyst Toni Sacconaghi.
Computerworld has the Sack-Man saying that the widespread adoption of HTML5 for Web apps could cut Apple’s profit growth by 30 percent over the next few years, while Apple competitors like Microsoft and Google could end up being beneficiaries.
By his way of thinking, widespread adoption of HTML5 could reduce margins for iPhones and market share for iPads, thus the reduction in Apple’s profit growth.
Computerworld points out that “HTML5 is appealing to developers and businesses because it can be used to build Web apps that target all mobile platforms at once. It also lets developers and publishers sell their services without having to cut Apple, Google, or any other App Store in for a percentage of their sales.
Jeffrey Hammond, principal analyst at Forrester Research, says… yeah… Sacconaghi is probably right. Or put more formally, “The primary beneficiaries will be Microsoft and Google and their (Original Equipment Manufacturers).”
And so Sacconaghi says his firm believes “that the emergence of HTML5 apps is an important, longer term issue for Apple investors to monitor, given its potential to undermine margins and share in Apple’s iPad and iPhone franchises.”
That’s for later, though. For now Toni, Tony, Tonee says “Apple remains our top pick and we rate it outperform with a price target of $510.”
Now the weird thing: Apple has — over the past couple of years — been a huge proponent of HTML5. And Apple — when the iPhone was introduced — said that Web apps were the way developers would be able to develop for the phone of the future, with no apparent plans for an iOS App Store initially.
So, if things go the way Apple originally intended them to go, Apple could get hurt.
This’ll be interesting to watch.
Apple and Samsung, Sharing the Love
Suit-counter-suit continues between Apple and Samsung. Serving it up this time around, Samsung, which AppleInsider says has sued the all things iMaker in France for allegedly violating three of its mobile patents with two of its devices: the iPhone and iPad.
I could tell you which ones and how but… Seriously, with cases in every corner of the globe, will you really remember? Really?
It’s not a look-and-feel thing, like Apple’s suits but does, instead - have to do with the underlying technology, which I’m given to understand is the realm of the techno-mage, anyway.
Next door in Germany, meanwhile, The Mac Observer says Samsung has filed an appeal to the “you can never ever ever sell the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany ever” ruling from late last week.
The piece says “The German Court confirmed Samsung filed its appeal, but isn’t releasing any other details,” leaving one to assume that a tremendous amount of crying and cursing were involved.
HTC: Gimme Some OS
Strange sounds from Taiwanese phone-maker HTC this week.
First, AppleInsider highlights a report from Focus Taiwan that has the Android and WinPhone 7 device producer saying it may just want to buy an operating system of its own.
iOS isn’t for sale. BlackBerry isn’t for sale. What’s out there?
According to the piece, HP’s webOS is a possibility, though there is apparently no hurry. Cher Wang, chairwoman of HTC, says higher-ups in the company have kicked around the webOS idea, though they’re in no rush to make a deal.
Wow… Tt’s almost like she said nothing at all.
Strange HTC sound number two: Business Insider highlights a wee bit of stuff from Geekwire which has the acting president of HTC America deeming Apple’s iPhone totally uncool.
Yes, the iPhone 4 is the number one selling smartphone in the states, and yes, it’s over two year old predecessor iPhone 3GS is the second best selling smartphone in the states… still not cool. So say the college kids with whom he’s been hangin’ out.
Nothin’ kinky.
According to the piece, Mr. Martin Fichter, said HTC exec, dropped his daughter off at college recently and did some market research while there. He apparently ran an informal poll with the kids in the dorm — again, nothing kinky… as far as we know, asking them about their phones.
According to his fire alarm-side chats:
None of them has an iPhone because they told me: ‘My dad has an iPhone.’ There’s an interesting thing that’s going on in the market. The iPhone becomes a little less cool than it was. They were carrying HTCs. They were carrying Samsungs. They were even carrying some Chinese manufacture’s devices. If you look at a college campus, Mac Book Airs are cool. iPhones are not that cool anymore. We here are using iPhones, but our kids don’t find them that cool anymore.
Hey did the acting president of HTC America just say he was using an iPhone?
That was probably a word jumble.
Business Insider wanted to do some almost as scientific research, and so they asked a number of recent college grads in their office whether the iPhone was still cool, and they were told “totally…”
50,000 Elvis Fans Can’t be Wrong and 30 Helens Agree. It just goes to show: people say stuff.
On Orange, iPhones and Leaks
La chat, she is out of le bag. Anyway, she may be.
French Apple news site says, in a interview with a TV business channel, Orange CEO Stéphane Richard said the planned release date for the next iPhone is October 15th.
Two points of clarification: One, he’s the CEO of wireless carrier Orange and is, in fact, not orange himself. And two: That’s the kind of thing he’s not really supposed to be sayin’ on TV.
HardMac says it’s not the first time he’s done something like this, though he wasn’t right that time According to the piece, he said things he shouldn’t have said about the first-gen iPad before it came out, like about the built-in webcam… that wasn’t there.
And he may be at it again. As the piece points out, “October 15th is a Saturday,” and iPhones usually hit on Friday, with the iPhone 4 actually seeing release on a Thursday.
So, la chat. She may be snug in her bag after all.
Does this Phone Make Me Look Fat?
Is being mostly thinner than something the same as being thinner than that thing? Not according to the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority.
TechCrunch has the ASA ruling that the iPhone 4 is the world’s thinnest smartphone… not the Samsung Galaxy S II.
Because it’s Apple’s world and Samsung can NOT catch a break.
Apple introduced iPhone 4 as the world’s thinnest smartphone a while ago, then in walked the Galaxy S II. Slinked, maybe, with its 8.71-millimeter thickness at its thinnest point. That’s noticeably thinner than iPhone 4’s 9.3 millimeter thickness. And that should have been the ballgame, except for the Galaxy S II’s 9.91 millimeter hump.
And so, despite being mostly thinner, the UK Ad-Dogs say since the iPhone’s thickest point is thinner than the Galaxy S II’s thickest point, Apple gets to keep calling its phone the world’s thinnest smartphone… and the Galaxy S II can suck it.
Reading Rainbow, Meet iPad
And finally this week, Butterfly in the sky. I can go twice as high. Take a look. It’s on an iPad. Or at least it will be at some point.
Reading Rainbow, by the way… that’s the theme to Reading Rainbow.
Fast Company says LeVar Burton — children’s literacy advocate, Star Trek: TNG star and longtime host of Reading Rainbow — plans to bring the property to Apple’s tablet, or a 21st century variation of it, anyway.
According to the piece, “Burton’s for-profit venture, RRKidz, plans to launch an educational iPad app that lets children explore topics of interest … in a multimedia-rich environment…”
The app will reportedly include voice-over-enhanced children’s books, videos of Burton at associated locations, and games.
Burton says he’s on a mission to “get kids hooked on books,” and that his company is “going to where kids are today; those devices that they love to spend time on.”
On which they love to spend time.
Also, he spells the “Kids” in RRKidz K-I-D-Z.
Why am I beating up on Geordie LaForge? But as long as I am, “get kids hooked on books” or “get kids hooked on reading?”
Take a look. it’s on an iPad.
Reading Rainbow was a little bit after my time.
Still, I kind of have to wonder when I became such a jerk.
I have issues. There, I said it.
I seriously think Burton’s venture is totally awesome. He wants to kids to enjoy reading and to be excited about learning! What’s wrong with me?
RRKidz will launch as a monthly subscription for the iPad. No word exactly how much it’ll cost, nor exactly when it’ll launch.
And on the incredibly slim chance that Levar Burton hears about this: Dude… I don’t know, okay? I’m sorry.
When did what happen to me?