new camera battery

Can it be? Is the device we already started saving up an undetermined amount of money to buy because we don’t even know how much it costs yet dead on before arrival?! Or is it coming to CES with Apple? And an iPhone bug lets the Macalope ride one of his favorite hobby horses: Apple and security.

Only the good die before being young

Sad news today, folks. You know that tablet device that’s totally for sure coming in the fall 2010 October? Well, the horny one hates to be the bearer of bad tidings but, it’s a failure (tip o’ the antlers to Daring Fireball). Oh, Apple tablet. We hardly knew ye.

Well, actually, we didn’t know ye at all. Because ye hasn’t even been announced or leaked in any detail. So what’s this about ye being a failure again?

Well, this, simply put, is sensationalist technology punditry at its worst. PC World’s Michael Scalisi is trying to have his cake and smear it all over his face like a two-year-old too.

Sensationalist headline?

Rumored Apple Tablet Is a Train Wreck

Check.

Weaselly escape clause?

If Apple does release a device that resembles the rumored tablet, it will need some killer twist that nobody saw coming. It wouldn’t be the first time Apple pulled something like that off.

Check. Now when Apple comes out with something good, Scalisi can point to that sentence and say “See? I was right!”

Scalisi, of course, has no idea what Apple’s going to introduce. What he means to say is that, to date, tablets have failed miserably for these reasons and Apple will need to resolve these issues if it wants to be successful where others have not been. Only that doesn’t drive as many hits as “APPLE TABLET DOOOOOOMED!” so here we are.

Sigh.

CE yeS?

Speaking of sensationalism, that sensationalist rag known as The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Apple, having given Macworld Expo the long kiss goodbye, will instead be attending CES, the giant consumer trade show in the little town of Las Vegas (also known as “Vegas” and sometimes even “Vega$”).

Well, not so fast, there, you supermarket checkout aisle, bat-boy-covering tawdry tabloid. See, Engadget’s Ryan Block was at the same elbow-rubbing event the Wall Street Journal’s Ben Charny was at and says what dinner were you at, Skippy?

Sure, if Jobs wants to go and keynote, CES would happily give the boot to whatever second-rate CEO from your Sonys, your Nintendos, your Microsofts they had already lined up and he could make a big splash. But to date all signs have been pointing to him stepping more behind the green curtain and operating the levers instead of appearing as a fiery disembodied head.

And the pointy one–who never gets invited to these journalist dinners–doesn’t see what Apple as a company really gets out of attending. He’s said since December that Apple can have a horde of press vans lined up on de Anza Blvd just by clearing its throat, sighing heavily, or scratching itself, so why attend these trade shows where they have to compete with other vendors for oxygen?

In this economy, stay home and read a nice book, Apple. Let those other clowns throw their cash away on tickets to see Celine Dion at Caesars Palace.

Actually, that’s good advice in any economy.

iPhone bugaboo

Just like what happened in Vegas, we stay in Vegas, which today is the scene of the annual Black Hat security conference, featuring the unveiling of an iPhone bug that allows an attacker to take over your phone via a sequence of text messages.

It’s also the scene of a lot of topless dancing if iPhone bugs are not your thing.

But back to the bug. Thoughts on this range from big whoop to I shall use this as an excuse to jam as many falsehoods into one piece as I am physically able.

Despite the large number of dillweeds who will try to make hay with this, Apple better be quick with the patchin’, because the iPhone is not the Mac. The iPhone is all the rage, if you haven’t noticed, and that fame makes it a more tempting target. The proliferation of apps on the phone that may contain sensitive data as well as the arguably less-sophisticated user community doesn’t help either.

Security gives the Macalope the heebie-jeebies because he’s never gotten the sense that Apple’s taken it as seriously as it should. The brown and furry one has no desire to see the iPhone or Apple’s name besmirched by someone with a handle like Sir-HAX-Alot. That would just be embarrassing.

Wal-Mart will start selling a fully loaded laptop from Hewlett-Packard for a breakthrough price of US$298 on July 26, but it may have a caveat: The Windows Vista OS included with the machine may not qualify for a free upgrade to Windows 7.

The laptop — a Compaq Presario CQ60-419WM — has attracted attention because of its low promotional price and generous features, which include a large screen, fast processor and Windows Vista Home Basic OS.

But according to HP’s documents, users will not be able to upgrade the Vista Home Basic OS to Microsoft’s Windows 7. Vista has been panned for being sluggish and resource-hungry, while Windows 7, due for release on Oct. 22, has been praised by beta testers as faster and more resource-friendly.

HP is not providing free upgrades (PDF document) from Vista Home Basic to Windows 7, according to HP’s Windows 7 upgrade option program. Only PCs with Vista Home Premium, Vista Business or Vista Ultimate qualify for the upgrade.

Microsoft has listed an upgrade path from Vista Home Basic to multiple versions of Windows 7, but HP isn’t offering those options. That means customers who want Windows 7 might have to buy a version of Windows 7, priced starting at $120, off the shelves.

HP did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Wal-Mart did not immediately comment on whether it had plans in place to provide free Windows 7 upgrades.

Hewlett-Packard said in June it would offer free upgrades to Windows 7 for customers who buy qualifying PCs pre-installed with certain editions of Vista in the U.S. and Canada. Customers need to go to HP’s Windows 7 upgrade Web site to check upgrade eligibility. Qualifying customers will receive Windows 7 upgrade disks starting Oct. 22, when the new OS becomes generally available.

Companies including Lenovo and Dell are also offering free upgrades.

Mainstream laptops under $300 are rare, and for such a low price, the Presario laptop is packed with features. A free upgrade to Windows 7 might have given additional impetus for users to buy it.

The laptop should give better graphics and application performance than netbooks, which are generally less powerful systems with smaller screens and keyboards.

Wal-Mart is expecting a rush of customers and it could run out of stock quickly. “We expect this one will be quite popular,” a Wal-Mart employee wrote in its blog entry announcing the offer.

Wal-Mart will start selling a fully loaded laptop from Hewlett-Packard for a breakthrough price of US$298 on July 26, but it may have a caveat: The Windows Vista OS included with the machine may not qualify for a free upgrade to Windows 7.

The laptop — a Compaq Presario CQ60-419WM — has attracted attention because of its low promotional price and generous features, which include a large screen, fast processor and Windows Vista Home Basic OS.

But according to HP’s documents, users will not be able to upgrade the Vista Home Basic OS to Microsoft’s Windows 7. Vista has been panned for being sluggish and resource-hungry, while Windows 7, due for release on Oct. 22, has been praised by beta testers as faster and more resource-friendly.

HP is not providing free upgrades (PDF document) from Vista Home Basic to Windows 7, according to HP’s Windows 7 upgrade option program. Only PCs with Vista Home Premium, Vista Business or Vista Ultimate qualify for the upgrade.

Microsoft has listed an upgrade path from Vista Home Basic to multiple versions of Windows 7, but HP isn’t offering those options. That means customers who want Windows 7 might have to buy a version of Windows 7, priced starting at $120, off the shelves.

HP did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Wal-Mart did not immediately comment on whether it had plans in place to provide free Windows 7 upgrades.

Hewlett-Packard said in June it would offer free upgrades to Windows 7 for customers who buy qualifying PCs pre-installed with certain editions of Vista in the U.S. and Canada. Customers need to go to HP’s Windows 7 upgrade Web site to check upgrade eligibility. Qualifying customers will receive Windows 7 upgrade disks starting Oct. 22, when the new OS becomes generally available.

Companies including Lenovo and Dell are also offering free upgrades.

Mainstream laptops under $300 are rare, and for such a low price, the Presario laptop is packed with features. A free upgrade to Windows 7 might have given additional impetus for users to buy it.

The laptop should give better graphics and application performance than netbooks, which are generally less powerful systems with smaller screens and keyboards.

Wal-Mart is expecting a rush of customers and it could run out of stock quickly. “We expect this one will be quite popular,” a Wal-Mart employee wrote in its blog entry announcing the offer.

Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner may have done “cartwheels down the hallway” when Apple called him to complain about the Redmond, Wash.-based company’s “Laptop Hunters” campaign. But he must have cartwheeled past Microsoft’s legal department because, as Advertising Age reports, the company has quietly altered its ad campaign in an apparent response to Apple’s complaints.

The “Laptop Hunters” campaign, you may recall, features actors-on-the-street looking for low-cost laptops that meet some rather specific technical specifications. I do not believe I am spoiling the outcome of the TV commercials when I tell you that each one ends with the person choosing a Windows-based laptop. As easily as it may be to pick apart Microsoft’s argument, there’s no denying the ads have been effective, even forcing Apple to tweak its own “Get A Mac” campaign in response.

In June, Apple revamped its laptop line, which included price cuts for the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models. Microsoft, however, continued to air its old — and now outdated — TV ads, prompting that phone call from Cupertino to Microsoft’s Kevin Turner that the Microsoft executive was crowing about last week:

“. . . two weeks ago we got a call from the Apple legal department saying, hey — this is a true story — saying, “Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices.” They took like $100 off or something. It was the greatest single phone call in the history that I’ve ever taken in business. (Applause.)

I did cartwheels down the hallway. At first I said, “Is this a joke? Who are you?” Not understanding what an opportunity. And so we’re just going to keep running them and running them and running them.”

Microsoft may be planning to “keep running them and running them and running them,” but they’ll be somewhat altered, according to the Advertising Age report. The original version of an ad featuring a law student and her mother includes a scene in which the two sniff about Apple pricing. “This Mac is $2,000, and that’s before adding anything,” moans Mom.

And now? Says Advertising Age:

In the latest version of the ad, that portion has been edited out. The original ad has been removed from YouTube and other sites by Microsoft, and replaced with a version in which Lauren doesn’t talk about how much the Mac costs, but she does say: “It seems like you’re paying a lot for the brand.”

A Microsoft spokeswoman confirmed to Advertising Age that the change was made to the ad to reflect Apple’s new pricing. “This does not change the focus of the campaign, which is to showcase the value and choice of the PC,” she added.

Does it seem disingenuous to boast about Apple’s apparently-quite-legitimate complaints one week and then quietly accede to that same request the next? Maybe. But from Microsoft’s vantage point, maybe it’s better to eat a little crow than stare down an FTC complaint.

Apple beat analyst expectations and appears nearly untouched by the economic downturn, reporting its best non-holiday quarterly revenue and earnings in the company’s history on Tuesday.

For its third quarter ending June 27, Apple posted net profit of US$1.23 billion and $1.35 per share, up from $1.07 billion and $1.19 per share in the same quarter last year. Revenue reached $8.34 billion.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters were expecting $8.20 billion in revenue and $1.17 per share.

One low point in Apple’s report is the declining iPod business, with unit sales dropping 7 percent compared to last year to 10.2 million iPods. But iPhone sales more than make up for that. In the quarter, Apple sold 5.2 million iPhones, 626 percent more than the same period last year.

Apple had projected the decline in iPod sales, which was “one of the original reasons we developed the iPhone and Touch,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s chief financial officer, during a conference call to discuss the results. “We suspected the traditional MP3 category to decline over time as we cannibalized ourselves with the Touch and the iPhone.”

Unit sales of the iPod Touch grew 130 percent in the quarter compared to last year, he said.

Revenue from iPhones, iPhone accessories and mobile carriers was $1.69 billion, an increase of more than 300 percent over the same quarter last year.

iPhone Audience Expands

While the iPhone initially targeted the consumer mass market, it’s making headway among business users, said Tim Cook, chief operating officer. Almost 20 percent of Fortune 100 companies have purchased 10,000 units or more, and multiple government agencies and other organizations have bought more than 25,000 iPhones each, he said.

“The iPhone is particularly doing well with small businesses and larger organizations that allow (employees) to purchase phones for individual use, both in corporate and government settings,” he said.

Analysts have wondered what effect the introduction of the new iPhone 3GS and the price drop for the original iPhone 3G would have on the mix of sales of the devices. But Apple executives didn’t shed much light on the issue. They declined to reveal how many of the 5.2 million iPhones that sold in the quarter were 3GSes and 3Gs.

“I think it’s too early to tell what the ultimate mix of those products will be,” Cook said. That’s because currently Apple isn’t able to keep up with demand for the 3GS, and it’s only available in 18 of the more than 80 countries where the iPhone is on sale. In addition, many iPhone 3GS buyers probably are upgrading from the iPhone 3G, he said.

AppStore, Yes; Netbook, No

Apple expects to maintain the lead among mobile application stores, even as new stores go live. The App Store is now available in 77 countries, has 65,000 applications and serves an installed base of 45 million iPhone users, Cook noted. His research shows that Research In Motion and Nokia each have between 1,000 and 2,000 applications in their stores and Android has fewer than 5,000, he said.

“We feel extremely good about our competitive position and believe we’re years ahead of other people,” he said.

Apple sold 2.6 million Macs during the quarter, a 4 percent increase from last year. Portable Mac shipments were up 13 percent over that same period. That means Apple is beating the industry, which was expected to contract by 3 percent during the quarter, according to IDC research.

Cook echoed comments he’s made in the past about a lack of interest at Apple in the netbook category, despite the growth in sales of the devices from other vendors. “At this point, we don’t see a way to build a great product for $399, $499, this kind of price point,” he said. He predicted that people who are buying netbooks may become disappointed and disenchanted.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who has only just returned to work after taking a sick leave, was quoted in the earnings report saying he’s thrilled at the number of iPhones sold. He also confirmed that users have downloaded more than 1.5 billion applications from the iPhone App Store in its first year.

There were no questions about or mention of Jobs or his health on the phone call.

For its fourth quarter, Apple projects revenue in the range of $8.7 billion to $8.9 billion, with earnings per share of $1.18 to $1.23

 

What gives?! The Macalope goes on vacation for a couple of weeks and Google gets into the operating system business? Well, fear not, loyal readers. He’s back now, just in time to save you from the Wal-Mart OS or some other atrocity.

So, who wants a big slice of Dvorak Schadenfreude pie? Ha-ha! That’s silly. We all do, of course. Meanwhile, David Coursey is throwing some loose charges around and Microsoft opening stores next to Apple’s? There goes the neighborhood.

Thanksgiving is going to be real uncomfortable

Prepare your best Nelson Muntz impression, people, because John Dvorak’s son just went Mac.

The family flag is flying at half mast.

The Dvorak family flag, as you know, is a jackass rampant, avec jerkweed azure.

Anyway, he ended up with a new MacBook Pro, one of the few laptops being sold that actually impresses me.

Well, let’s see, there’s the MacBook and the Air and the Pro. So, if “few” means more than one, then most of Apple’s laptops impress Dvorak. Not that he’d put it that way.

All these whiz-bang features make me realize that I have fallen behind.

You mean the action’s not in concern-trolling Apple anymore? But that gig seemed like such a sure thing! Oh, wait, he’s not talking about that.

When I do use a laptop, I prefer the lightest machine I can get hold of. I continue to use an old Toshiba R200 weighing in at 2.2 pounds.

That’s right. The go-to laptop of John C. Dvorak, technology pundit extraordinaire, is four years old. Now, John says he primarily uses a desktop machine and the desk he sits at is probably made of laptop review units, so it’s not like he hasn’t seen the improvement made to hardware under the new pope. But in terms of mainstream usage patterns, John’s fallen so far behind he can’t even see the behind of the thing he fell off of. So far behind, in fact, that technology has actually lapped him.

You see, John, that lightweight laptop sporting a processor from 2005 you’ve got is called a “netbook” these days. And they’re apparently all the rage amongst the don’t-mind-running-an-8-year-old-operating-system set.

By the way, Toshiba’s spec page actually says the R200 weighs 2.68 pounds, which is pretty equivalent to the MacBook Air if you ever feel like using a modern laptop.

Dvorak distastefully spits out some nice words about Macs, but in typical fashion he can’t complete a column about Apple without throwing in some trumped-up charges.

It’s like a car dealership in the ’70s, with layers of various salespeople, each trying to screw you.

Clearly the implication here is either that if you go into an Apple Store to buy a laptop, the salesperson will have one of those fake discussions with his manager about whether they’re going to let you out of the store without buying AppleCare. The Macalope, of course, has bought many, many things at the Apple Store and has never once had to go through “layers of various salespeople.” Yes, you’re going to get asked if you want AppleCare–once, politely.

This discussion ignores the fact that AppleCare is actually a good idea, particularly for a laptop.

Maybe his son had a bad experience; the Macalope has seen people get passed to someone else to complete a transaction in a crowded store on a Saturday.

More likely John is just trying desperately to find something to complain about.

Because when mindlessly dissing Apple is pretty much your shtick, it really must be galling to have the fruit of your loins switch to the other team.

Apple’s monopoly (actual monopoly not included)

When Coursey was in Egypt’s land, Let my iPhone go; Locked down so hard they could not load, Let my iPod go.

David Coursey says Apple’s iPhone and iPod Monopolies Must Go!

Is it really in customers’ best interest for Apple to have such tight control over what iPhone and iPod users can buy?

Now, the brown and furry one has some of the same complaints about the App Store that Coursey has and there is no alternative to the App Store other than jailbreaking your phone. But apps written for the iPhone are not portable to other platforms, no matter who runs the store. So, other than limiting choice and making it unpleasant for developers, this is no more lock-in than any other scheme.

And media? C’mon. The Macalope currently has 12 feature-length movies in iTunes, exactly zero of which were purchased from the iTunes Store. He does buy some TV shows and the bulk of his music there, but frequently uses Amazon’s MP3 store as well.

Yet, the tight linkage between iPod/iPhones, iTunes, and the Music Store is a big wall for potential competitors to climb. And if Amazon can’t compete head-to-head with Apple, who can?

But Amazon does compete head-to-head with iTunes. It managed to get DRM-free music before Apple did. It might help if Amazon made a dedicated app that allowed you to purchase and download in one interface, but they don’t want to be stopped from pointing out that people who bought songs by Coldplay also bought AXE Body Spray and lots of hair-care product.

That would dramatically increase competition in smartphones and players as well as between the Music Store and its suddenly compatible competitors.

Yeah! Why doesn’t Apple do that?! It’s almost like it’s not in their business plan to promote competition against their products!

Okay, sarcasm aside, there is currently huge competition in smartphones. Not only does Apple not have a monopoly, it doesn’t even have the largest market share.

Before you call something a duck, David, you might want to check to see if it has wings and quacks.

“Innovation” is the sincerest form of flattery

Hey, kids, if you’re strolling through the mall some time and you’re getting close to where the Apple Store is and you see a store that looks a lot like an Apple Store but reeks of brimstone and flop sweat, don’t be fooled!

It’s probably a Microsoft store. Don’t worry, that confusion is apparently only temporary.

The executive was emphatic that the stores wouldn’t imitate Apple retail, at least in the long term, but that they would “innovate.”

Yeah-huh. As soon as we’re done doing exactly what Apple does, we’re going to innovate like hell! Watch this space, because the innovation train? She’s a-comin’! Spoken like a true innovator.

You know, the one thing the Macalope has noticed about people who are really innovative, they don’t say they’ll be innovative next year

PC shipments were slightly stronger than expected in the second quarter, propped up by consumer spending and lower prices, according to IDC research released on Wednesday.

Strong interest in portable computers, including netbooks and laptops, helped mitigate the effects of the recession, though worldwide PC shipments still fell by 3.1 percent from the same quarter a year earlier, to 66 million units, according to IDC. IDC had originally projected a drop of 6.3 percent.

It was the second straight quarter that shipments declined less than had been forecast.

The decline resulted largely from continued slow spending by businesses, IDC said. Frozen IT budgets have restricted purchases of new equipment as companies remain focused on preserving cash. “As a result, the segment has not been as motivated by falling prices and new portable designs as the consumer segment,” IDC said.

China was a bright spot, and Asia-Pacific as a whole (excluding Japan) returned to growth after several quarters of decline. Shipments in all other parts of the world contracted, with the U.S. market slipping 3 percent.

IDC’s numbers came a day after Intel and Dell both said that the PC market was showing signs of recovery. Intel reported a strong second quarter, driven mainly by consumer spending on chips. Michael Dell said that the PC industry had bottomed out and was showing signs of recovery. However, both cautioned that enterprise spending was weak and said it may pick up next year when companies look to upgrade to newer hardware and software.

Hit hardest by the slowdown in enterprise spending, Dell was the only major vendor whose worldwide shipments fell year-over-year.

Hewlett-Packard was the top PC vendor worldwide, shipping 13.1 million units, a 3.6 percent increase from last year, giving it almost 20 percent of the market. Dell came second with 9.1 million units, a 17.1 percent decline that left it with 13.7 percent market share.

Acer came in a close third, IDC said. Its shipments increased 23.7 percent to give it 12.7 percent of the market. Lenovo’s shipments increased a modest 2.9 percent for fourth place, while Toshiba’s shipments increased 10.6 percent to put it in the fifth spot.

In the U.S., Dell took the top spot with 4.17 million units shipped, narrowly beating HP’s 4.13 million. Acer made the biggest U.S. gains, thanks to strong sales of its popular netbooks. Its shipments jumped 51 percent to reach 2 million.

By contrast, fifth-placed Apple, which has criticized netbooks for having poor hardware and a lack of software, saw its shipments tumble 12.4 percent year-over-year to 1.2 million units, giving it 7.6 percent of the market.

What gives?! The Macalope goes on vacation for a couple of weeks and Google gets into the operating system business? Well, fear not, loyal readers. He’s back now, just in time to save you from the Wal-Mart OS or some other atrocity.

So, who wants a big slice of Dvorak Schadenfreude pie? Ha-ha! That’s silly. We all do, of course. Meanwhile, David Coursey is throwing some loose charges around and Microsoft opening stores next to Apple’s? There goes the neighborhood.

Thanksgiving is going to be real uncomfortable

Prepare your best Nelson Muntz impression, people, because John Dvorak’s son just went Mac.

The family flag is flying at half mast.

The Dvorak family flag, as you know, is a jackass rampant, avec jerkweed azure.

Anyway, he ended up with a new MacBook Pro, one of the few laptops being sold that actually impresses me.

Well, let’s see, there’s the MacBook and the Air and the Pro. So, if “few” means more than one, then most of Apple’s laptops impress Dvorak. Not that he’d put it that way.

All these whiz-bang features make me realize that I have fallen behind.

You mean the action’s not in concern-trolling Apple anymore? But that gig seemed like such a sure thing! Oh, wait, he’s not talking about that.

When I do use a laptop, I prefer the lightest machine I can get hold of. I continue to use an old Toshiba R200 weighing in at 2.2 pounds.

That’s right. The go-to laptop of John C. Dvorak, technology pundit extraordinaire, is four years old. Now, John says he primarily uses a desktop machine and the desk he sits at is probably made of laptop review units, so it’s not like he hasn’t seen the improvement made to hardware under the new pope. But in terms of mainstream usage patterns, John’s fallen so far behind he can’t even see the behind of the thing he fell off of. So far behind, in fact, that technology has actually lapped him.

You see, John, that lightweight laptop sporting a processor from 2005 you’ve got is called a “netbook” these days. And they’re apparently all the rage amongst the don’t-mind-running-an-8-year-old-operating-system set.

By the way, Toshiba’s spec page actually says the R200 weighs 2.68 pounds, which is pretty equivalent to the MacBook Air if you ever feel like using a modern laptop.

Dvorak distastefully spits out some nice words about Macs, but in typical fashion he can’t complete a column about Apple without throwing in some trumped-up charges.

It’s like a car dealership in the ’70s, with layers of various salespeople, each trying to screw you.

Clearly the implication here is either that if you go into an Apple Store to buy a laptop, the salesperson will have one of those fake discussions with his manager about whether they’re going to let you out of the store without buying AppleCare. The Macalope, of course, has bought many, many things at the Apple Store and has never once had to go through “layers of various salespeople.” Yes, you’re going to get asked if you want AppleCare–once, politely.

This discussion ignores the fact that AppleCare is actually a good idea, particularly for a laptop.

Maybe his son had a bad experience; the Macalope has seen people get passed to someone else to complete a transaction in a crowded store on a Saturday.

More likely John is just trying desperately to find something to complain about.

Because when mindlessly dissing Apple is pretty much your shtick, it really must be galling to have the fruit of your loins switch to the other team.

Apple’s monopoly (actual monopoly not included)

When Coursey was in Egypt’s land, Let my iPhone go; Locked down so hard they could not load, Let my iPod go.

David Coursey says Apple’s iPhone and iPod Monopolies Must Go!

Is it really in customers’ best interest for Apple to have such tight control over what iPhone and iPod users can buy?

Now, the brown and furry one has some of the same complaints about the App Store that Coursey has and there is no alternative to the App Store other than jailbreaking your phone. But apps written for the iPhone are not portable to other platforms, no matter who runs the store. So, other than limiting choice and making it unpleasant for developers, this is no more lock-in than any other scheme.

And media? C’mon. The Macalope currently has 12 feature-length movies in iTunes, exactly zero of which were purchased from the iTunes Store. He does buy some TV shows and the bulk of his music there, but frequently uses Amazon’s MP3 store as well.

Yet, the tight linkage between iPod/iPhones, iTunes, and the Music Store is a big wall for potential competitors to climb. And if Amazon can’t compete head-to-head with Apple, who can?

But Amazon does compete head-to-head with iTunes. It managed to get DRM-free music before Apple did. It might help if Amazon made a dedicated app that allowed you to purchase and download in one interface, but they don’t want to be stopped from pointing out that people who bought songs by Coldplay also bought AXE Body Spray and lots of hair-care product.

That would dramatically increase competition in smartphones and players as well as between the Music Store and its suddenly compatible competitors.

Yeah! Why doesn’t Apple do that?! It’s almost like it’s not in their business plan to promote competition against their products!

Okay, sarcasm aside, there is currently huge competition in smartphones. Not only does Apple not have a monopoly, it doesn’t even have the largest market share.

Before you call something a duck, David, you might want to check to see if it has wings and quacks.

“Innovation” is the sincerest form of flattery

Hey, kids, if you’re strolling through the mall some time and you’re getting close to where the Apple Store is and you see a store that looks a lot like an Apple Store but reeks of brimstone and flop sweat, don’t be fooled!

It’s probably a Microsoft store. Don’t worry, that confusion is apparently only temporary.

The executive was emphatic that the stores wouldn’t imitate Apple retail, at least in the long term, but that they would “innovate.”

Yeah-huh. As soon as we’re done doing exactly what Apple does, we’re going to innovate like hell! Watch this space, because the innovation train? She’s a-comin’! Spoken like a true innovator.

You know, the one thing the Macalope has noticed about people who are really innovative, they don’t say they’ll be innovative next year.

Netbook shipments will double this year, while mainstream laptop shipments will remain flat, research firm DisplaySearch said on Monday.

Netbook shipments this year could reach around 32.7 million units, propelled by competitive pricing and improved hardware capabilities. Shipments will be close to double that of 16.4 million netbooks that shipped last year, said John Jacobs, director of laptop research at DisplaySearch.

The latest estimate represents a hike on the company’s previous forecast of 27.5 million netbook shipments for the year.

Netbooks will also take a larger chunk of worldwide laptop shipments as mainstream laptop shipments flatten, Jacobs said. Worldwide mainstream laptop shipments will total 129.5 million, flat compared to last year.

Buyers are drawn to netbooks because of competitive pricing between US$300 to $500, Jacobs said. PC makers have also improved netbook hardware with larger screens and keyboards, which could further boost demand. The improvements were necessary as the cramped keyboards and small screens were resulting in many netbooks being returned, Jacobs said.

Some PC makers are also offering netbooks with better graphics capabilities, Jacobs said. For example, Lenovo recently introduced the IdeaPad S12 netbook, which has a 12-inch screen that can play full high-resolution movies with the optional Ion platform from Nvidia. The platform couples Nvidia’s GeForce 9400 graphics core with Intel’s Atom chip.

Companies like Apple previously dismissed netbooks, saying the small laptops had junky hardware and limited software capabilities.

Hardware improvements could blur the lines between netbooks and mainstream laptops in the future, Jacobs said. That could affect the shipment of laptops priced at around $800, he said. Lines could blur further when new ultrathin laptops priced between $500 and $800 make an impact, Jacobs said. PC makers recently started offering lightweight ultrathin laptops, which are more powerful than netbooks, but offer less performance than mainstream laptops.

Netbook shipments are getting a boost in developing countries, where buyers are adopting them as primary laptops. In developed countries, however, netbooks are viewed as secondary devices to mainstream laptops, Jacobs said.

Frozen IT budgets have also slowed down mainstream laptop shipments, though that may change in 2010 when customers look to upgrade their PCs to Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 7 OS. There is a lot of momentum behind Windows 7, but unlike mainstream laptops, users won’t buy netbooks specifically for the OS, Jacobs said. Microsoft has said it would offer a version of Windows 7 for netbooks.

DisplaySearch said that of the 32.7 million netbooks estimated to ship this year, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) will account for 13.1 million units. North America shipments will total 8.8 million, with Greater China totaling 3.9 million units. Shipments in Asia will touch 3.0 million, while Japan and Latin America will account for 1.9 million units each.

Netbook shipments for the second quarter of 2009 totaled 7.07 million, just shy of 100 percent year-over-year growth, Jacobs said.

Netbook shipments will double this year, while mainstream laptop shipments will remain flat, research firm DisplaySearch said on Monday.

Netbook shipments this year could reach around 32.7 million units, propelled by competitive pricing and improved hardware capabilities. Shipments will be close to double that of 16.4 million netbooks that shipped last year, said John Jacobs, director of laptop research at DisplaySearch.

The latest estimate represents a hike on the company’s previous forecast of 27.5 million netbook shipments for the year.

Netbooks will also take a larger chunk of worldwide laptop shipments as mainstream laptop shipments flatten, Jacobs said. Worldwide mainstream laptop shipments will total 129.5 million, flat compared to last year.

Buyers are drawn to netbooks because of competitive pricing between US$300 to $500, Jacobs said. PC makers have also improved netbook hardware with larger screens and keyboards, which could further boost demand. The improvements were necessary as the cramped keyboards and small screens were resulting in many netbooks being returned, Jacobs said.

Some PC makers are also offering netbooks with better graphics capabilities, Jacobs said. For example, Lenovo recently introduced the IdeaPad S12 netbook, which has a 12-inch screen that can play full high-resolution movies with the optional Ion platform from Nvidia. The platform couples Nvidia’s GeForce 9400 graphics core with Intel’s Atom chip.

Companies like Apple previously dismissed netbooks, saying the small laptops had junky hardware and limited software capabilities.

Hardware improvements could blur the lines between netbooks and mainstream laptops in the future, Jacobs said. That could affect the shipment of laptops priced at around $800, he said. Lines could blur further when new ultrathin laptops priced between $500 and $800 make an impact, Jacobs said. PC makers recently started offering lightweight ultrathin laptops, which are more powerful than netbooks, but offer less performance than mainstream laptops.

Netbook shipments are getting a boost in developing countries, where buyers are adopting them as primary laptops. In developed countries, however, netbooks are viewed as secondary devices to mainstream laptops, Jacobs said.

Frozen IT budgets have also slowed down mainstream laptop shipments, though that may change in 2010 when customers look to upgrade their PCs to Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 7 OS. There is a lot of momentum behind Windows 7, but unlike mainstream laptops, users won’t buy netbooks specifically for the OS, Jacobs said. Microsoft has said it would offer a version of Windows 7 for netbooks.

DisplaySearch said that of the 32.7 million netbooks estimated to ship this year, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) will account for 13.1 million units. North America shipments will total 8.8 million, with Greater China totaling 3.9 million units. Shipments in Asia will touch 3.0 million, while Japan and Latin America will account for 1.9 million units each.

Netbook shipments for the second quarter of 2009 totaled 7.07 million, just shy of 100 percent year-over-year growth, Jacobs said.