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iPhone 4 a hot commodity in India thanks to new trade-in plan
One of the most untouched markets in the world for smartphones is India, and Apple has quickly leaped to second place in the market by using a very smart pricing workaround. As noted on Electronista, Apple is now using a trade-in promotion with resellers that has tripled sales in less than a week. In India, contracts on mobile phones are rare and customers have to pay up-front for the full cost of the phone in addition to their regular cell service plan. Since income levels in India are somewhat lower than those in more developed markets, smartphones tend to be a product that people hold on to due to the cost. The Apple plan provides a discount of about 7,000 Rupees (about US$129) off of the $488 price tag of an iPhone 4 if a buyer trades in an old smartphone. The used phones are then refurbished for sale in India's thriving used-phone market, which gives the resellers a way to make back the discounted price while moving merchandise. Apple has also recently implemented iPhone payment plans in India, making it easier for customers to spread out the up-front cost of a new phone. The trade-in plan is so successful that archrival Samsung has apparently jumped on the bandwagon in order to achieve a similar sales bounce. As Electronica noted, "Samsung, true to form, quickly copied the plan right down to the details shortly after it was unveiled."
Apple lists iPhone 4S as "in stock" in most online stores
Those TUAW readers who haven't yet caught Siri fever and purchased an iPhone 4S won't have to wait if they finally decide to buy one. Electronista reports that the device is finally listed as "in stock" at the Apple Store for most countries. As recent as two weeks ago, availability times were still in the three to five day range, but now the 4S is available immediately in every color and capacity. It appears that Apple has managed to get a good handle on iPhone 4S production, with 37 million devices reported as being shipped in just over three months during the first quarter results call. Part of the improvement is most likely due to the addition of Pegatron as a second manufacturer of the popular smartphones. With supply finally meeting or slightly exceeding demand, Apple now has to keep a close eye to make sure that inventories of the phone don't start piling up. The company has a reputation for keeping minimal product inventories, so production is probably being tweaked to more precisely match demand for the iPhone 4S.
Intel CEO: 'Simplistic' Apple TV is for 'mom'
With the recent announcement of Apple's new, improved Apple TV, there's been a lot of talk as to whether it will meet consumers' demands and expectations, not to mention how it will fare following the arrival of Google's competing TV device. According to Electronista, Intel CEO Paul Otellini said he felt Steve Jobs was taking a "step backward" by not making the Apple TV more of a computer-like device. He said Google TV would be the "full internet" coupled with a traditional TV, featuring the complete Chrome browser as well as supporting Flash. Otellini said he still thought Apple TV and Google TV could co-exist, though, because they appeal to two different audiences. Apple's device will appeal to his "mom" because it's "simplistic," whereas Google's device will appeal more to those wanting more, like his son. At the recent Apple event, Steve Jobs said that consumers didn't want their TVs to do everything and that they wanted them to be simple: play Hollywood movies and TV shows. MacDailyNews has a chuckle with the Intel CEO's criticisms, pointing out that Apple TV will no longer use Intel's Pentium M, but instead rely on an ARM-based processor. Google TV is expected to start shipping in September, very close to when the new Apple TV will ship. It's sure to be an exciting time seeing how these two devices fare. Let the race begin!
iMac benchmarks and review say it's a beast
People have had their chances to put their grubby hands on those "incredible" iMacs that got released a few weeks ago, and the results are in. And they're great, apparently. First up, MacRumors has a collection of a few sets of benchmarks on the new machines, and the Core i7 processor (a $200 upgrade from the still very powerful Core i5) especially kicks up the speed to a place where it's competing with even the Mac Pro. In fact, in the second comparison, when pitted up against the single CPU Mac Pro, the iMac is virtually identical. Not only is it slightly cheaper depending on options, but you get that nice monitor for free. Electronista has a much more qualitative analysis, but they still love the new machine. Their "biggest" problem (aside from the usual complaints about the glossy screen and a lack of easy-to-reach ports) seems to be just the size of it. The 27" iMac is a big machine no matter how thin it gets. But they agree: with the i7 in there and all of the extra options, the iMac is a monster, matching up to the Mac Pros sitting in the lower atmosphere. Good stuff. I'm not personally in the market for a new computer, but man -- if I was ready to spend $2000 on a quality machine, it's tough to consider anything else a better purchase than the new iMac. UPDATE: Chart graphic is from Timon Royer, we regret the omission.
Apple adds staff, boosts R&D spending in FY2008
The Associated Press' Jessica Mintz notes that Apple increased its payroll by 48 percent this fiscal year, with most of the new employees starting at Apple retail stores. The data came from Apple's 10-K filing, an annual financial document required by law for public companies (Apple has not produced a 'glossy' annual report in several years). A direct link to the PDF is available here. Steve noted yesterday morning that Apple reported sales of $3.3 billion via the iTunes store in the filing. Apple employed 32,000 full-time employees, and 3,100 temps and contractors as of September 27, up from 21,600 and 2,100 (respectively) a year ago. Of the 11,400 new additions, 8,000 went to Apple's retail segment, while the others started elsewhere in the organization. The filing also said that Apple spent 40 percent more on research and development this year, compared to 2007: $1.1 billion. Electronista also notes that Steve Jobs was paid $189,000 for the use of his personal jet, a gift from Apple several years ago.
Rogers sells 255k iPhones, adds 191k subscribers
Rogers Wireless sold 255,000 iPhones since their introduction in July, and added 191,000 new customers, according to Electronista. Desjardins Securities analyst Joseph MacKay estimates that Rogers will have to absorb subsidies for all those new customers -- two out of five who bought the iPhone -- adding about C$90 million in costs for the quarter. Over the three-year contract period, however, MacKay figures Rogers will do much better, as the average monthly bill for Rogers customers will be about C$100 (thanks to higher costs for iPhone plans), up from C$74 now. Since Rogers is the only major GSM carrier in Canada, it said a third of its customers moved from another carrier, or had no mobile service before. Both Bell Canada and Telus had lower new subscriber numbers for the quarter. Like Verizon in the United States, Bell Canada and Telus are planning on upgrading their networks to LTE, a fourth-generation mobile phone standard that AT&T will also support. [Via AppleInsider.]
PA Semi team creating new ARM-based iPhone CPU
Apple Senior Manager Wei-han Lien let slip that teams acquired with the purchase of PA Semi are working on an ARM-based processor for the iPhone, and possibly other devices, according to The New York Times. While not a huge surprise, as Steve himself said that's what the former PA Semi staff was working on, the question was still "what kind of processor?" ARM variants can be customized to meet the needs of very specific devices, including supporting the multi-touch screen, or QuickTime playback. Electronista suggests that this supports earlier hints that Apple licensed the architecture from ARM under a secretive arrangement in late June. Lien updated a section of his LinkedIn profile to describe what he was working on. (The NYT has a screenshot.) Oops. The profile, as you might expect, has been changed.
