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- Who's Minding the App Store? Over the course of its existence -- and particularly since the successful launches of the Macbook, the iPod and the iPhone -- Apple has developed a reputation for its streamlined design ethos and user-friendly interfaces. A stylish product that's easy to use is just part of the equation, however. A problem-free launch of a product is perhaps almost as important to a its success as its actual quality.
- Apple Bloggers Pay Pretty Penny for Macs, Ponder Porcine iPhone Update, Pray for Perfect Products There's been lots of activity in the Apple-focused blogosphere this week -- and that's no surprise, what with the screaming success Apple's been having with its Mac and iPhone sales. For example, TechCrunch reported that Foxconn, a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer that produces the iPhone for Apple, has ramped up production to 800,000 units a week.
- What Does Apple Have Up Its Sleeve? When Apple announced last month that it anticipated higher development costs in coming months, analysts cringed and the stock dropped. But tech heads rejoiced. Such a message often means new products are coming from the company. Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer told analysts that a "future product transition" will lower gross margins from nearly 35 to about 30 percent in 2009.
- Warning: The App Store Is Dangerous Recently, Apple's App Store -- the iTunes area designed to showcase and sell independent, third-party programs for the iPhone and the iPod touch -- hit an inventory of 1,001 applications. The store launched with a little more than half that number, and in the first weekend it served up 10 million downloads.
- Foraging in the iPhone App Store The outstanding new feature on Apple's iPhone -- both the new 3G and original versions -- is that it allows users to download and install applications. I've tested out only a small fraction of the 900 now available. But here are some games, music and other programs that have caught my eye so far.
- Sony Breaks Up Duet With BMG Buyout Sony has acquired German media giant Bertelsmann's 50 percent stake in Sony BMG Music for $900 million. Bertelsmann gets another $300 million for its share of the cash on Sony BMG's books. Filings with the SEC show that Sony BMG will buy back part of Bertelsmann's stake for $600 million, with another $600 million coming from Sony Corporation of America.
- Apple's App Store Antics Frustrate Devs Now you see it, now you don't. Apple is playing hide and seek with some applications in the iPhone and iPod touch online App Store. The first application to show and then disappear was Nullriver's NetShare. It first went on sale briefly on Thursday, then disappeared without explanation -- to the developer or to MacNewsWorld press inquiries on the matter -- then reappeared Friday. And now it's gone again.
- Beyond 3G, Part 2: What the iPhone Still Needs Early reports indicate that the new iPhone 3G is selling faster than the first iPhone, and with all the extra hype, it's easy to think the iPhone 3G is the most complete device ever created. While customer satisfaction seems to remain high, there's definitely room in Apple's new cell phone for improvement. And if there's one thing the company's aficionados love to do, it's to imagine what comes next.
- The Steve Jobs Leak: Another Stroke of Brilliance? It's been an interesting week. As if to prove the point of last week's column, Steve Jobs used his impressive skills to trick a New York Times reporter he didn't like into giving him a clean bill of health. This was brilliantly done, and there are some real lessons here that dovetail with last week's piece.
- Wanted: Smarter Mobile Enterprise Portals The poor enterprise portal. It has had more lives than a cat and more personalities than a summer stock theatre troupe. After a decade of wandering from fad to fad (remember intranets, knowledge management and corporate taxonomies?) the enterprise portal is back, and in a big way. But this time the enterprise isn't leading the way, it is following.
- Apple, AT&T and the iPhone's Risky New Plan Wonder why the smoking-hot 3G Apple iPhone only costs $199, less than half the price of the original? Here's a two-word hint: Randall Stephenson. Stephenson, who became AT&T's chairman and CEO a year ago, championed the idea of paying Apple about $300 per device, analysts estimate, to help hold down the retail cost.
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