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'iPhone vs Android' report finds Apple has three times Google's market share
It's oftentimes easy for us to get swept up in Android mania and forget that Google's mobile platform is still in its infancy. Then we get cold hard numbers like these -- showing iPhone OS owning 28 percent of the US smartphone market and closing in on RIM's leading 35 percent -- and we face up to the realization that Android handsets still account for less than one in every ten smartphones owned by Americans today. In spite of collecting 28 percent of all consumer smartphone purchases in the first quarter of 2010 (according to NPD), Google's OS was only able to climb up a couple of percentage points in terms of total market share, showing just how long a road lies ahead of its world-conquering plans. Guess that now explains why Apple's response to the earlier numbers was so nonchalant. Other intriguing figures include a high rate of loyalty among iPhone OS and Android users, with 80 percent of the former and 70 percent of the latter expressing a preference for the same OS in their next phone -- both rather shaming Microsoft and RIM's numbers, which were a mediocre 34 and 47 percent, respectively. Funnily enough, despite its inflammatory title, this report finds Android and iPhone users are more similar to each other than anyone else -- an uncomfortable fact for both parties to deal with, we're sure. The source link contains some more demographic comparisons, so why not go check them out and drop some sage analysis for us in the comments?
Same as it ever was: you can't tether an iPhone to the iPad
This isn't so much news as it is a public service announcement: even in markets where iPhone tethering has launched, you've never been able to use it to connect to an iPad, and you won't be able to when AT&T flips the switch on tethering with the release of OS 4. That's clearly not AT&T's fault, it's Apple's -- the iPhone inexplicably supports only USB and Bluetooth for sharing its internet connection, even though jailbroken apps like MyWi prove that a WiFi connection is totally doable and countless other handsets already support WiFi routing. And iPad doesn't support using another device as a Bluetooth modem, either. And as long as you're paying the tethering fee, there's no reason why AT&T wouldn't want you tethering the iPad; you'll certainly be able to do it with any phone in AT&T's lineup that can create a WiFi hotspot, after all, and we're sure they'd be happy to take your overage cash once you hit 2GB regardless of the device you're using to gobble the data. In the meantime, you know what you can tether to an iPad? A phone running Froyo, for one -- Google was certainly happy to show off that capability back at IO. Or pretty much any device running S60 from the last several years. Or a Palm Pre Plus... yeah, you get the idea.
Steve Jobs at D8: Foxconn, iPhone prototype, TVs, and more
In case you hadn't heard, Steve Jobs got downright conversational last night at D8, riffing on questions from Walt, Kara, and the attending audience of elites. You can hit up the entire liveblog for a timestamped play by play, or browse through some of the highlights below. Steve Jobs live from D8 Steve Jobs' D8 interview: the video highlights On TV: 'no one wants to buy a box' On Foxconn: 'We're all over this' On lost iPhone 4G prototype: it's an 'amazing' story iPhone OS 'started on a tablet' 'There might be' advantages to two iPhone carriers in US %Gallery-94186% We put some extra scintillating quotes after the break to shield the eyes of your children. Just a note, however: all of these are paraphrased quotes typed live as Steve was speaking, and not to be construed as the verbatim Word of Steve Jobs, though the gist is certainly there.
Steve Jobs' D8 interview: the video highlights (updated)
Sure, you read our liveblog of Steve Jobs' D8 conference -- and believe us, it's heavily quotable -- but don't you want to see and hear the Apple CEO claim HyperCard was huge in its day? Or perhaps you're more interested in his thoughts on Flash, market cap, and the iPad origins -- either way, videos are after the break, with presumably more to come from All Things D. Update: Four new videos have been added! Update 2: Two new videos have been added!
Steve Jobs: iPhone OS 'started on a tablet'
Well, Steve Jobs just dropped a little nugget of history on us during his chat with Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher at the All Things D conference. When asked by Walt why they originally put their new OS on a phone and not a tablet, Steve said, "I'll tell you a secret. It began with the tablet." After working on the tablet OS which had a glass display and multitouch, another idea occurred to Jobs. "My God, I said, this would make a great phone ... so we shelved the tablet and built the iPhone." And there you have it.
devsugar: A better way to share ad-hoc builds
Hey, Dave Howell. This post is for you. Dave's company Avatron is in the midst of a beta program for its newest application, Air Display. Steve Sande took a first look at Air Display not too long ago, and I've been messing with it too. The thing is this: Avatron is still sending out zipped application files and separate mobile provisions. As I told Dave, there's a much easier and better way to do Ad Hoc under the 3.2 and later Gold Master iPhone OS SDK. Ad Hoc provides a way to distribute signed, secure applications outside of App Store channels. With Ad Hoc, you can send your applications to up to 100 registered devices and run those applications using a special kind of mobile provision that allows the applications to execute under the iPhone's FairPlay restrictions. Ad Hoc distribution is especially useful for beta testing and for submitting review applications to news sites and magazines.
iPhone video conferencing surfaces in supposed test firmware
Need a bit more evidence that the next iPhone will do video conferencing? Then take a good, hard look at the exciting screenshot above, which supposedly comes from a field test firmware for the next-gen iPhone that Apple is apparently working on. Not much more to go on than that at the moment, unfortunately, but Boy Genius Report says the screenshot (and a second one after the break) comes from one of its "Apple guys" and, as you can see, it not only offers yet more evidence of video calls, but video call debugging.
iPhone OS 4.0 beta 4 includes AT&T tethering option
See that screen there? That's from the minty fresh beta 4 of iPhone OS 4.0, which was just released to developers moments ago. Unless our eyes are badly mistaken, that's an option to setup internet tethering on AT&T, something that WWAN warriors have been waiting for since... oh, forever. We're downloading the new build as we speak, and we'll let you know if we find anything out. Oh, and don't get your hopes up too high -- AT&T proclaimed that it was "still waiting on better network performance" before enabling iPhone tethering just three weeks ago. Update: There's a video of the screens after the break, just in case your belief was temporarily suspended for any reason. Thanks, Jerish! Update 2: Well, this is interesting -- we just updated an iPhone 3GS in Chicago, and we're not seeing the tethering option. We're guessing this is a glitch or just a mismatched carrier setting file, since so many others are seeing it, but we'll do some digging and see what's up. Update 3: Okay, we've got it sorted -- all it took was a quick network settings reset. Thanks, Gray! [Thanks, Pete]
iPhone OS 4 beta 4 drops in
If you like living on the brutal, life-altering bleeding edge the same way we do, odds are you've got iPhone OS 4 beta 3 installed on that 3GS of yours -- assuming you have an iPhone 3GS, naturally. That also means that you'll likely be interested to hear that beta 4 is now out and ready for you to download, install, and not brick your phone if everything goes according to plan, just as long as you've got access to an Apple iPhone Developer Program account. Go forth, intrepid readers -- and do report back on your exploits, won't you? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Apple patent details workflows, social networking links for iPhone
When we're working with our iPhones and sharing information with other people, it sometimes takes more steps than it should to perform a task. Patently Apple recently published information about an Apple patent application describing a new icon and process to make multi-step workflows easier to accomplish. In the patent description, each transaction takes place between an initiator and a target. While several examples are shown, the most interesting one deals with Facebook integration. As seen in the above diagram from Patently Apple, this workflow creates what appears to be a Wi-Fi Direct or Bluetooth connection to another iPhone, requests a vCard from the target, receives the information and allows you to either edit or accept it, adds a picture of the target person, and then sends a friend request to Facebook. Today's process requires several apps (Contacts and Facebook) and the target would have to send contact information via email or MMS, adding another app and more complexity. The ability to add workflows to the iPhone automates the process of adding information to Contacts and Facebook much in the manner that Automator on the Mac can be set up to integrate applications. There were rumors circulating last week about Apple integrating Facebook into iPhone OS 4; perhaps the workflow concept is a way of doing that and building an Automator-type functionality into iPhone OS. As always, applying for the patent doesn't necessarily mean that Apple will use this technology in a future product.
When Steve says "No" we hear "Maybe." Here's why.
In a recent TUAW post, I wondered whether a closed Mac system might be in Apple's future in addition to the standard Mac offerings. Despite the existence of Apple TV, some are dubious. After all, Steve Jobs said no (or, more accurately "nope") to a correspondent who recently asked about a Mac App store under a far more universally closed system than the scenario floated yesterday. Jobs has said "no" (and "nope") before. Sure, we at TUAW love Uncle Steve, but when Jobs says "no," we're not always sure that he really, really means it. The following list includes TUAW's 6 top Steve Jobs "no way" moments. Each of these transformed into "yes way" actions some time after Apple's denial. It's not as if Apple doesn't mean "no" when it says "no." It's just that like any other corporation, Apple often moves in unexpected directions based on consumer pressure. And sometimes Pinocchio's nose grows a teeny tiny bit.
Rumor: Apple building Facebook into iPhone OS
Business Insider says a source has told them that Apple is working on integrating Facebook directly into the next iPhone OS. This would mean the use of Facebook Connect to bring contacts directly into the phone (which we've heard as a rumor before, and which would make sense, considering that the Android OS already does that). BI also suggests that Apple might be working on features like showing Facebook pictures of your contacts when they call or building the Facebook API into the official iPhone SDK. This would allow app creators to use Facebook information in their apps directly through the iPhone's code interface. It's all rumor and speculation at this point, so don't get (too) freaked out about Facebook's privacy problems spreading off to the iPhone just yet. However, it's true that Facebook is quickly becoming one of the Web's biggest sources of personal information, and qualms about privacy aside, Apple would do well to at least catch up to Android and start getting the hooks into the main OS.
Boxee for iPhone, iPad and Android all but confirmed in Vindicia payment processing deal
Oh sure, having Boxee nailed down to the desktop of your PC is fine and dandy, and that Boxee Box will ensure that the same experience is enjoyed by all who plant their fundament in front of your HDTV. But we all know what you're after -- lemon drops. And a mobile version of Boxee. In a post today by the company, it expressed outright joy in inking a deal with Vindicia in order to bring a payment processing solution to the platform; slated for implementation "by the end of the summer," this CashBox add-in would enable users to purchase "premium content" from Boxee's programming partners via credit card, gift card or PayPal. It's a vital step in Boxee finally finding a revenue stream (something it confessed to needing on a previous episode of The Engadget Show), and better still, "Vindicia's flexibility makes it possible for [Boxee] to enable payments on its website and across mobile platforms like the iPhone, Android and iPad." Yeah, those are the company's own words right there, and in case you still aren't believing your eyes, chew on one final quote: "Boxee's eventual expansion to these platforms will pave the way for universally accessible content no matter where a user is (we love this idea!)." Huzzah!
Marking out iPhone app icons on the iPad
David Frampton has an interesting idea for how to display non-universal iPhone apps on the iPad: put a black border around them, much like how iPhone apps will display if they are not scaled-up. I think it's a brilliant idea. It makes them distinguishable, but at the same time seems not too obvious. If you look at iPhone apps on the iPad today, you may be able to tell the difference between the 57x57 pixel icons for iPhone apps versus 72x72 for native/universal iPad apps. Would Apple ever consider doing something like this? Hard to say. Initially Apple has wanted to make it clear that iPhone apps are available for the iPad, but nearly everyone I've heard who has run iPhone apps scaled up on the iPad says that the experience is definitely sub-par. When iPhone OS 4 comes to the iPad this fall, perhaps one of the ways that Apple will try to nudge developers towards producing either universal apps or iPad versions will be to scale their icons. I'm reminded of the way that System Preferences in Snow Leopard handles 32-bit Preference Panes: they force the user to re-open System Preferences. It's not a huge issue, but just enough that I can imagine developers wanting to avoid the "ugh" factor. The biggest reason that I see in favor of doing something like this is that there's very little downside. The icons will look better not being scaled up and it helps the user identify iPhone applications at a glance. Developers would have a slight motivational push to make iPad/universal versions of their apps. [via DaringFireball]
NPD: Android ousts iPhone OS for second place in US smartphone market
"We're number two" might not be the chant everyone's after, but we have a feeling that Google is more than satisfied with that in this case... for now. According to market research firm NPD, Google's Android operating system edged up into second place in the US smartphone market during the first quarter of the year, leaving it still well behind RIM's BlackBerry OS, but marking the first time that it has moved ahead of Apple's iPhone OS. Specifically, NPD found that RIM maintained a strong 36 percent market share for the quarter, with Android coming in at 28 percent, and iPhone OS in third at 21 percent. The growth for Android was attributed largely to strong carrier support -- like Verizon's buy-one-get-one free offer which, incidentally, also helped Verizon maintain a 30 percent smartphone market share, which is just slightly behind AT&T at 32 percent, and ahead of T-Mobile and Sprint at 17 and 15 percent, respectively. Disclaimer: NPD's Ross Rubin is a contributor to Engadget.
Phone guitar: iPhone OS, Windows Mobile and Android got all night to set the world right (video)
What can you do when no one's got a phone to jam with you? Why, you can be a geeky one-man band, of course! Web developer Steffest (just one name, like Sting or Madonna) managed to do just that by strapping a couple of Android devices (possibly an Archos 5 and a HTC Desire), a couple of WinMo handhelds (looks like a HP iPAQ h1940 and a HTC Touch Diamond), and an iPod touch on top of a portable speaker. All this just for a forthcoming presentation on mobile cross development -- Steffest had to painstakingly write the same audio program "in Java for Android, in C# for Windows Mobile and in Objective-C for iPhone." Oh, and it doesn't just end there -- turns out this dude can also pluck tap away a good Neil Diamond classic on this five-way nerd-o-strummer. Get on board and check out the video after the break.
How would you change Apple's iPad?
To say that Apple's iPad has driven the tablet market straight into an era of revival would be understating things greatly, and one million units later, we're here to ask the earliest of adopters how they'd tweak things if they were ever lucky enough to take over where Jonathan Ive left off. We already know that select changes are coming in iPhone OS 4.0, and the recent Spirit jailbreak has also opened up a whole new world of possibilities, but there's always work to be done, right? Would you have included a USB port and SD card slot along the edges? Designed it for use on other carriers? Made the screen a bit bigger / smaller? Thrown in a front-facing camera? Go on, spill your deepest, darkest wishes for Apple's first tablet in comments below. Someone will listen, we promise.
Nintendo CEO: battle with Sony is over, Apple is the 'enemy of the future'
Backing away from a previous position, are we Nintendo? Just a month after Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime claimed that the iPhone OS (you know, that operating system used on the iPod touch, iPhone family and the iPad) wasn't a "viable profit platform for game development," along comes the company's president to say that, in fact, Apple is the primary "enemy of the future." That's according to Times Online, who says that the Big N's CEO (Satoru Iwata) feels that the battle with Sony is a "victory already won," and who clearly believes that the next wave of gaming won't be of the traditional sit-on-your-coach-and-slam-buttons variety. 'Course, the PSP never has been able to hang with the DS family, but even the Wii has a ways to go before it catches the mighty PlayStation 2 in terms of global sales. Going forward, the company is purportedly looking to revive the element of "surprise" in Nintendo products, but it might be best served by simply catching up to the competition and supporting this wild concept known as "HD gaming" over "HDMI."
Adobe decries Apple's 'walled garden,' yet pledges 'best tools' for HTML5
Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch says Flash works just fine on the Apple iPhone, thank you very much -- and he thinks that's exactly why Apple keeps on denying it access. Speaking at the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco, he explained his belief that by eliminating Flash, Cupertino is forcing developers to build apps natively for iPhone OS rather than one of Adobe's cross-platform solutions, and thus creating a "walled garden" of applications that users must flock to an iDevice to be able to use. Lynch compared Apple's control over development formats to 19th century railroad lines that competed for customers by using differently sized rails, and pledged that Adobe would not be part of such a competition. "It's not HTML vs. Flash -- they've been co-existing for over a decade," he said, adding, "We're going to try and make the best tools in the world for HTML5." So, what do you think about that, Steve?
Apple to face antitrust inquiry over iPhone coding restrictions?
Apple's decision to block third-party toolkits and middleware -- particularly Flash -- from being used to develop iPhone and iPad apps has certainly prompted a fair amount of debate around the web, and now it sounds like Steve and the gang might face some even harsher scrutiny: a single-sourced piece in the New York Post reports that the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice are currently tussling over which agency should be tasked with a potential antitrust inquiry into the matter. That would certainly make some noise in the industry, but it doesn't mean much for those of us here in reality quite yet: assuming the report is true, an inquiry would still just be the very first step -- whichever agency is ultimately put in charge would then have to launch a formal investigation and then finally file and win a lawsuit for any changes to occur. That's a timeframe measured in months, if not years. All that said, we can see why the feds are interested: Apple's slowly moving into an ever-more dominant position in the mobile market, and forcing developers to make a hard choice about which platforms to target certainly puts the squeeze on competitors. We'll be following this one closely -- stay tuned.
