Apple Floundering?

There was a mixed reaction yesterday at Apple's media day to the announcement of iPhone 4S. Every was expecting the iPhone 5, but it didn't happen. My initial thoughts were that Apple was forced to show something. Yes, there were some software improvements and Siri is cool, but was it really worth the effort of the PR push? I believe some analysts who wrote about production delays on the iPhone 5 called it correctly. There was no way they could launch the iPhone 5 in October or even November, but with the Kindle Fire announcement and the upcoming launch of Samsung's Nexus Prime and Android's Ice Cream Sandwich operating system Apple felt the pressure.

Android is still experiencing leaps in growth while Apple's market share of the mobile OS pie is stagnant. Bill Gurley called it correctly months ago that Android is an unstoppable freight train, and Apple feels it coming. Samsung alone approaches iPhone's sales numbers and I stated for a while now that by 2013 Android will takeover the seemingly unstoppable iPad in the tablet market. And this is not Tim Cook's fault. Whether it was Cook or Jobs, this was and is inevitable, which is why Apple had to start a patent battle that many consider dirty or counter to all that Silicon Valley stands for.

Korea's 1st iPhone 4 Music Video

Cool project by Wonsuk Chin, who is a film director I met a few times while in Seoul. From his post at YouTube:

"Hi, my name is Wonsuk Chin and I'm a filmmaker currently based in Seoul. I just directed and shot a music video with an iPhone 4 and I believe it's Korea's 1st iPhone 4 music video.

The song "Garosougil" (the name of the street in Seoul) is written and sung by Yang Jinseok, also a renowned architect in Korea. We had fun making it and I hope you enjoy it, too.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach me @wonsuk on Twitter."

Lunsford Group Wireless Industry Snapshot 2010

I recently update an internal document for our firm that I made which serves as a wireless industry "cheat sheet," or quick reference guide. Nothing proprietary, so I thought I would share it with all of you.

Lunsford Group Wireless Industry Snapshot 2010

View more presentations from Bernard Moon.

iPhone4 vs HTC Evo

Amusing. Ripping on iPhone4 users/shoppers. Not safe for work.

iPhone 4 Reception Problems... Maybe It Isn't All AT&T's Fault?

Numerous reports are coming in about a couple major problems with the new iPhone 4:

"Apple iPhone 4 problems crop up: screen discoloration, reception issues" VentureBeat

"IPhone 4 users reporting reception problems when holding phone" SF Chronicle

"Some iPhone 4 owners report discolored screens" CNET

After reading these various stories, I think there is some validity to my friend's analysis that the dropped calls and bad reception isn't all AT&T's fault. He believes that it's also the issues with the iPhone itself. Whose ever fault it is, I'm so tired of having full bars on my iPhone and still getting poor reception that I'm switching back to Verizon when my contract expires.

Appholes: The Daily Show on Apple, Jobs, and Being Like Microsoft

Love John Stewart. Hilarious. His rant starts at 1:23.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Appholes
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

"That Lost 4G Phone" by Scott Adams

Hilarious cartoon from Dilbert:

Apple iPad Mania

Ah, the reviews are in...

"The Apple iPad: starting at $499" Engadget

"Apple unveils the iPad – at last – and it’s $499" CrunchGear

"Apple Launches iPad
Magical & Revolutionary Device at an Unbelievable Price" Apple: Official Site

"No Flash on Apple’s iPad" VentureBeat



And from MADTV a few years ago...

Loving the Lose It! iPhone App

Since I'm fat and need to lose weight my doctor of all people recommended a great iPhone app called Lose It!. She explained that a good method for people to lose weight is simply tracking their daily calories. No fancy diet shakes or eating methods. Just knowing what your maximum calorie intake should be based on your age, height and weight and working to eat below that. There are several online calorie calculators that you can use, such as this one from the Mayo Clinic.

I'm currently 6'1" and 222 lbs. My goal is 200 by the end of the year. Let's see how this goes. Anyway, I love Lose It!'s user interface and design, and being an iPhone app makes it so much easier to track your calories versus being limited to your laptop or desktop. More on Lose It! from FreshApps here:

Succeed at weight loss with Lose It! Set goals and establish a daily calorie budget that enables you to meet them. Stay on track each day by recording your food and exercise and staying within your budget.

Enter food and exercise easily using a searchable database. Quickly re-enter foods and meals you’ve had in the past. Lose It! is the most complete and streamlined weight loss application available for the iPhone.

Lose It! will be available for free during the first six months of its release. Get it now while it’s still hot!

MiLi Pro: iPhone, iPod Video Projector

Very cool iPhone accessory launching in September 2009:

Announcing the PhoneSuit MiLi Pro...
The MiLi Pro is a breakthrough in iPhone and iPod accessory technology. It's an iPhone / iPod compatible, rechargeable, micro video projector. The power of the PhoneSuit MiLi Battery has been coupled with the convenience of a portable video projector and speaker system. Watch all of your movies, video clips, podcasts and more with ease! Now you can carry your own personal movie theater with you, anywhere you travel.

Innovative Micro Projector Technology
The MiLi Pro incorporates the latest in technology, an LCOS, LED driven micro projector. This ultra-compact projector fits in the palm of your hand. It has the capability to display 640x480 high resolution images on most any viewing surface. Use the focus wheel to fine tune your image quality. Scale your iPhone's video up to a 40 inch for screen for eye strain free, relaxed viewing.

I Am Ninja Game Launches on iPhone

Our friend's, Hamid, game just launched on iPhone. "I am Ninja"! 10% of the proceeds will go to the Deep Search Foundation. Check it out!

VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi has a write up here, "The iPhone’s I am Ninja game asks where you learned to blow"

Creator of Popular iPhone App, Doodle Kids, is Nine-Years Old

Here's a boy genius, Ding Wen:

"This young prodigy from Singapore is fluent in six programming languages, according to a BBC report this week, and his newest creation, an iPhone drawing game called Doodle Kids, has racked up over 4,000 downloads in just two weeks. He wrote it for his younger sisters, who love to draw."

Pinch Media... Analytics & Ads for iPhone Apps

Recently I caught up with Greg Yardley, who I knew through the blogosphere since he was at Right Media, while attending a conference. It was good to finally meet him in person and also to catch up. After Right Media acquired by Yahoo!, Greg stayed there for a bit and then left to start a new company. He is now Co-founder & CEO of Pinch Media.

Greg is a solid guy and has happened to create cool and useful products. Good combination:) Pinch Media has developed easy-to-use iPhone analytics and an advertising platform for iPhone apps. If you're a developer or advertiser, check them out!

InsideWork 52 App for iPhone

InsideWork is one of our portfolio companies where I serve as the VP of Business Development until we get a better person to fill the spot :)

InsideWork is a unique business site since it's for the spiritually interested. One useful tool that we provide is the InsideWork® 52 is a weekly Scripture verse and quote designed to stimulate your thinking. If you have an iPhone, you can download our app for it. More here:

The quotes come from a diverse group of thought leaders representing business, economics, theology, history, sociology, technology, and the arts.

Juxtaposed next to the Scriptures, the quotes stimulate one’s thinking — sometimes by supporting the text, sometimes by challenging, but always creating the mental tension that leads to better insight and understanding of a biblical worldview.

Lumina iPhone Game

If you love the old Simon game or enjoy memory games, download Lumina to your iPhone. Just go to their iTunes page here.


Some more news on the iPhone App Store from VentureBeat, "iPhone App Store first impression: Sublime beyond belief"

Samsung Instinct Breaks Best Buy Sales Record

Over at IntoMobile, they are reporting that "Sprint's Instinct is now the best-selling handset to have graced Best Buy's inventory in the past two years."

I wonder how many Instincts have been sold over this period? Doing a quick search didn't bring up anything. Q1 of this year there were nearly 31 million handsets sold in the U.S. and Samsung was number two after Motorola.

Putting Apple's iPhone in perspective, I believe they have sold 4 million so far, which is about what Nokia sells in a week globally.