Obviously, yesterday was all about the iPad. Actually, today is too. There have been thousands of stories already written about the device (including something like two dozen on TechCrunch alone), but a few points seem to be completely overshadowed by the glow of the iPad itself. Let’s revisit those.
The A4
While only a few people really picked up on it, in my mind, the biggest news yesterday was not about the iPad itself, but rather about what powers it. Apple has created a new processor, the A4, a customized ARM A9 processor. Never mind that it appears to match the specs of the Snapdragon (the chip inside the Nexus One), the key point is that Apple is now in control of their processors. Is there really any doubt that these Apple-designed chips will end up in the next iterations of the iPhone from here on out?
One of the things that makes Apple well, Apple, is the tight integration they weave between their hardware and software. That’s because, for the most part, they’re absolutely in charge of both unlike many other companies that do either one or the other. But for chips, Apple has still had to rely on outside parties to provide those. And in most cases, they’re the same chips that everyone else is using — Intel (in the Macs) or Samsung-built ARM chips (in the iPhone). There’s a reason Steve Jobs and Apple VP of Hardware Engineering, Bob Mansfield, were touting these new chips and their built-in GPU and power management systems yesterday during the keynote. With the A4, Apple really is in charge of the whole system.
And when you consider a key quote from Jobs yesterday, “Apple is a mobile devices company,” it’s not hard to imagine that Apple hopes to create its own chips for all of its products one day — including the Macs. The 2008 acquisition of P.A. Semi has allowed them to do this. And just two years later, they’re clearly taking advantage of it. This was the big revelation yesterday.
iPhone OS
While it was somewhat surprising that the iPad runs on the iPhone OS rather than a separate (but similar) derivative, even more surprising may be that Apple announced the launch of the iPhone OS 3.2 SDK specifically for developers to get to work on making apps for the iPad. On one hand, it now makes complete sense why we haven’t seen an iPhone OS update in over three months — Apple was holding it back for the iPad launch. But on the other, why is iPhone OS 3.2 iPad-only right now? Wouldn’t you think a major product like the iPad would be worthy of an update to iPhone OS 4.0?
Well, I have heard from a couple of sources that iPhone OS 4.0 is definitely coming along and soon. Usually, Apple shows off major iPhone SDK iterations in March so developers have some time to get used to the changes before the new OS rolls out alongside new iPhone hardware in the June or July timeframe. That would seem to be the case again. Since Apple wants to ship the first iPads in 60 days (the Wi-Fi version), iPhone OS 4.0 was likely out of the question. But I’d bet it will still be unveiled sometime in the next few months. And it seems likely that it will ship this summer for both the a new iPhone and the iPad.
And with it, we could also see something that a lot of people were disappointed was missing from the iPad launch: the ability to run multiple applications at once. Since last summer, when I heard that Apple was definitely thinking about the problem, all I’ve heard is vague references to it being a priority to figure out. Now, with this new A4 processor (which again, I’d be shocked if we don’t see in the next iPhone), computing power clearly isn’t an issue. More importantly, power consumption shouldn’t be as big of an issue anymore either. Apple claims you’ll be able to get 10 hours of use from the iPad (on Wi-Fi) — and that’s with a huge screen sucking up much of the power. Just imagine what they think they can squeeze out of an iPhone with this chip (though yes, a much smaller battery).
While Apple didn’t say much about Google during the event, Jobs did note that the Maps application on the iPad was equipped with the Google Maps backend. And despite the talk that Apple might be in discussions with Microsoft about making Bing the default search on the iPhone, Google remains the default on the iPad as well.
He also demoed full YouTube integration on the device — including YouTube in HD.
Google and Apple are definitely growing apart as they continue to compete, but with the iPad, at least for now, they seem cool.
There Will Be Apps
While the focus of the iPad event in terms of apps seemed to be on iPhone apps that would work on the iPad, it’s important to remember that developers are going to start developing apps specifically for the iPad. A few showed off their apps ported to the iPad for the event, but developers will also be able to create apps just for the iPad. This will be more important than a lot of people realize right now.
Jobs’ Off-The-Glass Pass
One other thing that struck me as odd during the keynote yesterday was the point where Jobs pointed out the price analysts had predicted for the iPad. Normally, Apple doesn’t do things like this. In basketball, from time to time when players decide they want to showboat, they throw the ball against the backboard to pass it to themselves so they can score. Jobs’ move yesterday, in my eyes, was largely the same thing.
As I laid out a few weeks ago, it seems pretty likely that it was Apple that leaked much of the information to The Wall Street Journal about the tablet device prior to its launch — including the bogus $1,000 price from “analysts.” Later, a former Apple employee corroborated this. Why would they do this? It’s simple. As I said at the time, if they plant the idea in peoples’ minds that a product will be $1,000, then release it for significantly cheaper, it’s a huge win for Apple. So when Jobs announced the entry-level iPad would be $499 yesterday, it was an absolute home run.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a masterstroke of manipulating the media, but it’s still a showboating move.
Let’s take a trip back in time. The year is 1994, and two tech giants are going to war over copyright. They are Microsoft and Apple, and they are fighting over a copyright claim by Apple over Microsoft and HP’s use of graphical user interface elements from the Macintosh OS. The resulting court case, Apple Computer, Inc. v. Microsoft Corporation, ended with a ruling in Microsoft’s favor, mostly due to a contractual license agreement between the two.
The matter was never fully settled by the case though. Instead, negotiations that took place several years later resulted in the two companies agreeing to make Internet Explorer Mac’s default browser. Microsoft also agreed to keep developing Office for the Mac. Most importantly though, Microsoft invested $150 million into Apple to keep it afloat.
This series of events, which happened while Steve Jobs was being reinstated as the CEO of Apple, set the stage for what is happening today between Microsoft, Apple, and GoogleGoogle. While Microsoft and Apple are still bitter rivals, several recent events have inadvertently brought them closer together in order to fight their common enemy: Google.
The phrase “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” comes to mind. Let’s explore how we got to this tipping point.
Android: Google Enters Apple’s Turf
When Google CEO Eric Schmidt joined Apple’s Board of Directors in 2006, the move made perfect sense. Here’s what Apple said about Eric in its original announcement:
“Eric’s 20 years of experience as an Internet strategist, entrepreneur and technologist give him a well-seasoned perspective which perfectly complements Google’s needs as a young and rapidly growing company with a unique corporate culture.”
At that time, Google wasn’t in mobile, hardware, operating systems or browsers. Now Google is directly competing with Apple through the Nexus One, Google Chrome, Chrome OS, and even possibly in the tablet computer space.
It all started with AndroidAndroid, though. Back in August 2007, details began to leak about Google building a mobile OS or even a GPhone. It turned out to be Android, the open-source mobile OS that is now the fastest growing smartphone OS on the market.
At first, Android didn’t pose much of a threat, but as more phones utilized the software, the relationship between Google and Apple became very uncomfortable. Eric Schmidt sat out board meetings discussing the iPhone due to conflict of interest, but the relationship only eroded from there.
Watershed Moment: Eric Schmidt Resigns from Apple’s Board
Tensions between the two companies grew worse after Apple rejected Google Voice as an app on the iPhone.
The resulting FCC inquiry, along with an FTC investigation and the announcement of Google Chrome OS were just too much. On August 3, 2009, Eric Schmidt resigned from Apple’s Board of Directors.
In retrospect, this was the moment when Apple, Google and the rest of the world realized that the two companies could no longer be allies. Google’s expanding interest outside of search was pouring over into Apple’s domain on multiple fronts. With the search giant free of its Apple association, it could go all-out on its agenda to bring more people onto the web for longer (read the Google Revenue Equation to learn why).
The culmination of the breaking of the Google-Apple alliance? It was the release of the Nexus One, a direct competitor to Apple’s lucrative iPhone.
Recent Events: Apple and Microsoft Talk Bing
Yesterday we learned that Apple and Microsoft are in talks to make BingBing the default search engine for the iPhone. While we’ve heard this rumor before, the talk seems to be heating up. Most of our readers expressed their dismay or shock over the potential deal, some questioning why Apple would ever team up with Microsoft over Google.
Really though, the deal makes perfect sense, given the new competitive landscape. Earlier today, Jim Goldman at CNBC provided some interesting new information on the dynamics of the Apple-Google-Microsoft relationship. According to his source, Steve Jobs hates Eric Schmidt (it wouldn’t surprise us) and Microsoft is offering a bigger cut of iPhone search revenues than Google.
While Microsoft and Apple’s relationship grew cold after the Redmond, WA, company bailed Apple Computer out, it never vanished. Moreover, Steve knows that he can work with Microsoft, especially if it helps Microsoft hurt Google.
Android has become the de facto alternative to the iPhoneiPhone OS, and the Nexus One is closest thing yet to a smartphone that can stand up to the iPhone’s dominance. While Microsoft and Apple are still in competition over Mac vs. PC, Apple clearly believes that its future isn’t just in computers, but in other Internet devices such as the iPhone and the fabled Apple Tablet. Microsoft poses far less of a threat in these areas than Google does.
It’s time to call it: Google is now Apple’s greatest enemy. Soon Google will be entering its OS turf with Chrome OS. Apple increasingly sees Google as a major competitor over the next few years. While the company Steve built doesn’t particularly like Microsoft, it knows that it has to work with the lesser of two evils in order to succeed.
Say hello to the new dynamic. It’s Apple + Microsoft vs. Google. May the new battle begin.
Like many of you, we can’t wait for the official unveiling of the iSlate (or whatever name Apple chooses for its next product). Apple is an interesting company to watch because not only are their products innovative, but the best Apple products create entirely new markets. Sure, there were mobile applications for sale before the App Store, for example, but the App Store transformed how mobile apps are advertised, sold and distributed, just like iTunes transformed the way music was distributed.
Yet, it’s important to remember that Apple doesn’t hit it out of the park every time. Granted, most of Apple’s most memorable flops (The Newton, the Pippin, the 20th Anniversary Edition Macintosh) happened before Steve Jobs returned to the company in 1997, but even the Jobsian one has introduced a clunker or two. We decided to track down five of Apple’s biggest hits and five of Apple’s biggest misses of the last ten years. What will the Apple Tablet turn out to be?
The Hits
iMac
First introduced in 1998, the iMac continues to be one of Apple’s biggest success stories. The most recent edition, the 21.5″ and 27″ iMacs started flying off shelves when released in October and it is still difficult to get a quad-core 27″ iMac (there is currently a 3-week delay). I’m writing this post on a 27″ i7 iMac and it really is a perfect fusion of form and function.
Throughout the years, Johnny Ive and the design team at Apple have managed to pack more and more of a computer into less and less space. The current iMac differs very little in appearance from the Apple Cinema Display.
iPod
In October 2001, Apple introduced the iPod with the simple premise, 1000 songs in your pocket. It was pricey, Mac only, but utterly game-changing. When the second-generation iPod was released in September of 2002, adding support for WindowsWindows. Once iTunes and the iTunes Store were brought into the mix, white earbuds went from being a rarity to just downright ubiquitous.
The iPod is still the best selling MP3 player on the market by a huge margin and comes in three different varieties — and that’s without even counting the iPhone and the iPod touch.
iTunes
What started as a Mac music player in the latter days of OS 9 has become a content distribution juggernaut. Tying together movies, music, mobile apps, ringtones, audio books and podcasts in one place, plus making it dead simple to transfer to your iPod or iPhone, iTunes is one of the most powerful pieces of media management software around.
We don’t know exactly what Apple will be unveiling today, but we’re sure that iTunes will play a role in how content for the new tablet device is distributed.
Intel MacBook
When Apple announced that it was switching to the Intel platform at WWDC in 2005, many longtime Macheads shed a tear or two for the long-used PowerPC architecture. Some even called the move a huge disaster and predicted that it would be the end of Apple as a computer maker.
Instead, the Intel Macs brought in new users (who could now feel safe switching, knowing they could also run Windows if needed), faster processors, better graphics and tons of innovation. The MacBook, first released in May 2006, is Apple’s best selling computer and is one of the best-selling laptops period. Every revision brings new features and new design motifs.
Intel was a huge win for Apple and MacBook is one of the best-regarded laptop lines on the market.
iPhone
Really, what can you say about a phone that has transformed the smartphone industry — heck, the tech industry — that hasn’t already been said. From its humble, third-party-free beginnings to over 120,000 apps and 3 billion downloads, the iPhone is still the phone to beat and the platform that developers and brands continue to flock towards.
The Flops
Power Mac G4 Cube
Introduced at Macworld New York in 2000, the Power Mac G4 Cube promised the oomph of a Power Mac tower in an eight inch cube. To this day, the Power Mac G4 Cube remains a testimony to industrial design and style. Unfortunately, high price, the tendency to overheat (I witnessed one of the G4 Cubes in my high school’s AV lab catch fire — not cool), and the tendency for components like optical drives to break down kept the Cube from every really taking off.
Apple would try the headless, compact Mac idea again with the Mac mini in 2005, this time keeping costs down. Five years later, the mini is still going strong.
Motorola Rokr
If anything could illustrate exactly why Apple likes to control almost every facet of a product from end to end, it would be the Motorola Rokr. Dubbed the first iTunes-capable phone, this thing was a dud. From the offset it was clear it wasn’t a true Apple product, nor was it running Apple-quality software. First units were limited in how much storage they could hold, the phone quality was poor and during the demonstration, Steve Jobs couldn’t even get it to work right. The Rokr was a huge flop. For a real iPod phone to become a reality, Apple would have to create it itself.
Apple TV
After three years on the market, the Apple TV has yet to actually take off. The product hasn’t seen any hardware updates, aside from increases in storage capacity, and while some of the latest software updates have added some nice features, the only way you can really get something useful out of your Apple TV is to hack it with something like BoxeeBoxee.
Apple was right on the money with the idea that TV and the Internet will be converging — but they missed the boat on execution. By restricting what type of content you could connect and play on your Apple TV and not making deals with more online content providers, the device never really became viable for more than a small subset of users.
Fifteen months ago, the Apple TV was still a good option for those that are into hacking their toys, but now that the Boxee Box is on the way and current generation BluBlu-ray players offer tons of various playback and media purchasing options, the Apple TV just isn’t enough. Good idea, poor execution.
iPod nano, 3rd Generation
You have to give Apple credit, when they make a mistake, they aren’t afraid to go back and correct it. Case in point: when the iPod nano was redesigned in the Fall of 2007, it featured a new shape. Despite being quite thin, the device got the nickname of the “fat nano” because of it’s square width, as opposed to the candybar shape of its predecessors. The screen might have been bigger and video playback might have been added, but the form factor was not a winner.
Apple changed back to the old design in 2008 and further refined that design this past Fall.
MacBook Air
The MacBook Air was released with much fanfare in January 2008. At just three pounds and thin enough to fit inside an envelope, the MacBook Air is beautiful. However, what many hoped would be a return to the 12″ PowerBook was instead underpowered, expensive, and maybe, just maybe, too thin for its own good.
The MacBook Air is still for sale, and some might chastise us for calling it a failure. However, the reality is, professionals who want a compact, powerful Apple computer are better off with a MacBook Pro 13″ unibody machine.
What About the Tablet?
Today, Apple is expected to unveil their long-awaited and much-hyped tablet device. Which will it be: a huge hit or a disappointing flop? With the tablet live up to all the hype? Or will it have a fatal flaw that keeps it from taking off? We want to know what you think. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Tags: apple iPhone, iphone
Tim Stokes