Headline Feeds
In a generally down market on Tuesday, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) share prices fell US$2.39, or 1.14 percent, to hit $207.72 at close. Consider that as just a blip -- the frenzy around Apple's expected tablet announcement continues to mount, and analysts expect 2010 to be yet another banner year for Cupertino.
Meanwhile, Apple's smartphone competitors seem plagued by confusion and doubt -- Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) taking heat for its Nexus One device, and reports that Windows Mobile 7 may be delayed yet again have surfaced.
Finally, a developer has launched a Bluetooth keyboard app for the iPhone, a move that could open up the market further still for the device.
Heard It Through the Grapevine
Like some out-of-control tornado, the speculation seething around Apple's possible launch of a tablet device Jan. 27 rages on. Left in its wake is Stephane Richard, the man picked as the next CEO of French-based wireless carrier Orange. At a press conference, Richard appeared to officially confirm what many already assume but what Cupertino has not set in stone: that the Apple tablet is real. This sent Orange's PR department scrambling to put out a denial. Orange, as savvy investors know, is one of Apple's carrier partners in Europe.
That's fruity news indeed, and we could see a spike in Apple's share prices Jan. 27 if it does announce the tablet. This doesn't mean that Apple prices will fall if it doesn't unveil a tablet -- it all depends on what the company brings out instead.
Perhaps it might show a next-generation iPhone. In years past, Apple has typically introduced new iPhones in the summer, but rumors about the next model in the line have already begun circulating. They suggest it will have a dual-core processor, an OLED screen, a removable battery, a superior camera, and video chat functionality.
"It's quite possible that Apple may set the bar high again with version 4.0 of its OS, enhanced capabilities and addressing new uses," Strategy Analytics analyst Bonny Joy told MacNewsWorld.
iPhone Competitors Dazed and Confused
When Google launched its Nexus One smartphone just a week ago, it introduced yet another Android-powered rival to Apple's iPhone. However, Google has since been plagued by complaints about quality, its price, the high contract termination fee, and poor service.
The real issue, which goes beyond technical problems, is that Google lacks experience in the mobile communications market, according to In-Stat analyst Allen Nogee. "When Apple introduced the iPhone, it took lots of time to fully understand the operator landscape, policies, technologies, problems and, most importantly, politics," Nogee told MacNewsWorld. "I'm not sure Google did as much research before it jumped in with the Nexus One."
Apple isn't going to be sitting on its hands in the meantime. In fact, it might be spurred to innovate more swiftly to ensure Google and Android phones don't become a more serious threat.
Meanwhile, reports that Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) might delay unveiling Windows Mobile 7 yet again because of pressure from Android are beginning to make the rounds. "Microsoft is under pressure to match the user experience of newer platforms," Strategy Analytics' Joy told MacNewsWorld.
"We believe that there will be several products in the market that can match the iPhone experience in some functions, but in terms of overall experience, the iPhone will still be the device to beat in 2010," Joy said.
A Bluetooth Keyboard for the iPhone
In another move that could spur increasing use of the iPhone in the corporate IT sector, independent app developer Matthias Ringwald has released the BTstack Keyboard app for the iPhone. Priced at $5, this lets jailbroken iPhone owners use a Bluetooth keyboard with their device.
"I just got a chance to play with the app last night and it was amazing," said consultant Jay Freeman, who owns and runs the Cydia app store for unauthorized iPhone apps. "I am finally going to get to use the iPhone like an ultra-portable laptop," Freeman told MacNewsWorld.
The keyboard application is based on the open source BTstack project. This is a Bluetooth stack designed for embedded devices. BTstack Keyboard runs on jailbroken iPhones and iPod touch devices with Bluetooth support.
Here's why this is important: Some IT support techs are using their iPhones instead of pagers to do tech support because the iPhone is really a very small computer running the Mac OS. Adding a keyboard to the device will make it easier for them. That could translate into more iPhone sales as a whole new area of use opens up for the iPhone.
"While the Bluetooth keyboard app is a niche product, the totality of niche products flooding the market will ensure that the iPhone will be able to fulfill many of the needs that it now does not," Strategy Analytics analyst Josh Martin pointed out. "This will further cement its status as the king of smartphones."
The only drawback right now is that the app is restricted to jailbroken iPhones, but that may not matter to IT techs.
In any event, more sales of iPhones means better results for Apple. You do the math.
