Apple rumor roundup: pipe dreams, Lala's role and Verizon's iPhone 4G
By Darren Murph 
posted January 21st 2010 10:09AM
posted January 21st 2010 10:09AM
In case you haven't noticed, things are The rumor: Apple's acquisition of Lala will actually lead to customers having access to an "online locker" for multimedia. This could be a cloud storage location for one's iTunes library, enabling them to have access to their jams and vids even when away from their at-home storage. The trick is that the cloud would only hold the metadata, and streaming would originate from somewhere else on Apple's end.
Our take: Okay, so we want to believe. Just imagine if your next Apple tablet or iPhone knew exactly what songs you owned in iTunes, and at a moment's notice, you could tap into the iTunes store and stream full, unedited versions of those songs from anywhere. Amazing, no? Problem is, the bulk of iTunes libraries aren't made up of content that was purchased in iTunes (or purchased at all). It seems that the best Apple could do would be to negotiate streaming deals for content you've actually purchased within iTunes, which results in a half-baked user experience. Last we checked, Stevie J wasn't much on half-baked user experiences.
The rumor: Astoundingly, the mythical Apple tablet won't be the company's "one more thing" next week; instead, it'll be a refreshed iPhone... that works on Verizon Wireless. Oh, and iPhone OS 4.0. So says Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek, anyway.
Our take: Ha! Apple has never been one to showcase too much at one time, and we're guessing that the outfit would be smart enough to withhold a new iPhone introduction for a separate press event. We don't doubt that a Verizon iPhone is in the works (though an LTE version will be at least a year or two out), but there's no way Jobs steals the tablet's thunder by giving every rabid iPhone user hot sweats when considering the switch to Big Red. Bottom line? Don't bank on it.
At this point, we reckon everyone would be best served by taking a huge step back, a deep breath and one of those so-called "chill pills." Next Wednesday ain't so far away, now is it?
My zune can stream music without all this "locker" and "cloud" business. Also, if iPhone comes to Verizon, I will leave Verizon; it seems to be the kiss of death to an usable network.
The dorks at the local BB Mobile shop said the Verizon Rep told them no iPhone for now.
@Rick36
Sony also denied the "rumors" of the Slimlime PS3
Question for anybody who knows.
Does Apple's contract with VZN go through 2010 or did it end in 2009? I'm kinda of confused, from a contractual standpoint, is it possible for a VZN phone to come out this year? And would the iPhone because VZN exclusive, or would it stay with ATT as well?
what if, when apples contract ends with AT&T apple comes out with there own self serve phone service and they just put up the finger to every carrier service out there, now that would be crazy and something I wouldn't doubt apple doing in the future :P
Uh, you guys have used Lala before, right? One of the main features is the ability to upload your music to Lala's servers, allowing you to stream it from any computer with a web browser and Flash...
So I was working yesterday and we had a verizon rep come in... manages about 15 or so stores around the area. (Southwestern PA) I asked him about the iPhone for Verizon and he said there is no doubt about it that it is coming out in June. As for the LTE status he wouldn't comment on that, but it is definitely going to be on Verizon in June.