Leander Kahney - page 67

UPDATED: See comment below.

The very last iPhone 3G at the Stonestown store in south San Francisco was just sold to a guy in a Microsoft shirt!

I’m currently at the Apple store in the Stonestown mall, posting from an in-store computer.

I came down to pick up an iPhone 3G, but the last phone was just sold to this guy in a Microsoft shirt. WTF!

The guy, who is very nice, asked me not to use his name in case he gets into trouble at work. He is a trainer for Microsoft Microsoft trainer who works for a third party company.

Staff here at the Apple store say they have no idea when — or even if — they will get new stock of the iPhone 3G.

The concierge is sending people upstairs to a new AT&T store that is apparently taking preorders. The concierge says there’s likely a 21 day wait however.

I phoned other nearby stores in Sand Francisco and Burlingame, but they are sold out also.

As Lonnie reports below, iPhones are available at only one in four stores, and Piper analyst Gene Munster thinks it will take Apple a month to restock.

iBeer is a virtual pint for the iPhone and iPod Touch that is supposed to behave like a real pint of delicious bubbly beer, according to the developers.

Thanks to the iPhone’s accelerometers, it tips, pours and drains like a real pint. It even foams up when you shake the iPhone.

However, the $3 app is getting mixed reviews on the iTunes App Store. Some love it, but many say the fun lasts for about 30 seconds.

“For $3, I can get a real beer,” says one.

Here it is in action on YouTube:

There are still long lines and at least a 3 hour wait to buy the iPhone 2 — four days after the device first went on sale.

I went by the Apple Store near San Francisco’s Union Square on Monday evening. At about 7.30PM there was a long line of about 120 people stretching nearly the entire city block.

The concierge at the front door (pictured above talking to the cop) told me the wait was about 3 hours. The cop told the concierge to call if she needed any help later on. She just laughed. She was about to cut the line off — the store closes at 9PM.

She said the line had been like that all day — a work day for most San Franciscans. A coworker from Wired.com went to the store at lunchtime thinking they could walk right in and pick up a iPhone, and were flabbergasted to see there was still along line.

The problem is the activation procedure, which she said takes an average of 20 to 30 minutes for each customer — even existing AT&T subscribers. Unlike the first iPhone, no one is allowed to leave the store with an inactivated iPhone.

Earlier in the day, my wife went by another San Francisco Apple Store in the Stonestown shopping mall, where there was a line of about 25 or 30 people.

Anyone else seeing long lines?

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Photo by Danny Novo

Everyone is concerned about Steve Jobs’ health, prompting the obvious question about succession plans at Apple. The company seems doomed without him. Who has the vision and drive?

But Apple will be fine without Jobs, although it won’t be the same.

Here’s why, after the jump.

I heard two interesting tidbits about the possible design of the iPhone 2 at the weekend:

Better Battery Thanks To Better Software

3G is generally assumed to be a drain on battery life because of the hardware, which sucks down juice, but it is actually the iPhone’s software that is the problem, according to engineers working on Google’s Android phone. According to a conversation reported to me by a colleague at Wired.com, Google’s engineers say the first iPhone OS was basically a hack. It was adapted from the desktop OS and had none of the advanced power-management features necessary to properly run the networking chips. But the iPhone 2 will have not only better integrated circuits, it will have proper power-management software also.

The iPhone 2 Won’t Have an All-Plastic Case

There are several rumors speculating that the iPhone 2 will have an all-plastic case, replacing the metal back of the current design. But an engineer I talked to last year said the metal cases of the iPod and the iPhone were probably designed to dissipate heat from inside the device . They were likely big heat sinks. And that’s why I doubt the iPhone will have a plastic back, because plastic doesn’t conduct heat as a well as metal.

USA Today, the London Guardian and the Financial Times are all independently reporting that the new iPhone 2 will start at $200, bolstering the rumors we heard last week.

The Guardian says that in some cases, the iPhone will even be free to new subscribers:

… the handset will be offered at lower prices – or even for free. Those who sign up for a contract costing £75 a month will be offered the handset for no extra charge, breaking with Apple’s earlier attempts to avoid the large subsidies common in the rest of the industry. Elsewhere, the gadget is likely to be subsidised to lower the price, which could drop from £269 to as little as £100.

ILounge ran a reader contest to see who could come up with the best iPhone 2 mockup.

We’re running some highlights on Wired: From Mind-Blowing to Mockery The iPhone 2 Mocked Up.

One of the mockups made me laugh — This iPhone Shuffle from Michael Hornbek of Hornslet, Denmark. It has no screen and calls random people.

“Think Indifferent,” Michael says.

UPDATE: RE: the comments below. I Photoshopped the image above for illustrative purposes. It’s not a spy shot. Also, my tipster said the iPhone will be subsidized, but he didn’t specify whether the subsidy will come from Apple, AT&T, overseas carriers, or all of the above. I can only guess that Apple will sell the iPhone 2 at a loss — to customers and carriers — and recoup the cost from monthly subscriber charges.

I just got a hot tip from a programmer at a major software publisher who claims to have seen the specs for the iPhone 2. This is unconfirmed, but according to the tipster, the iPhone 2 will be announced by Steve Jobs at Apple’s WWDC on June 9, and will much offer more for much less — and be thinner to boot. The iPhone 2 will have:

• 3G
• GPS
• 2 x memory (16GB and 32GB)
• 22 percent thinner
• Better battery life

The tipster says Apple will subsidize the iPhone’s price to better compete with RIM’s Blackberry. The London Times is reporting the same thing — that the iPhone will cost about $200 in the UK when it goes on sale in July.

Wired.com’s Italian correspondent, Nicole Martinelli, spotted this iCoffee table last week in the lobby of Milan’s Nhow design hotel.

The maestro of mockups Isamu Sanada is at it again. Here’s his fab mockup of the second-generation iPhone. Note the forward-facing camera for videoconferencing.

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Blogger Jon Accarrino of Methodshop reports that lines are already forming in NYC for iPhone 2.0, which is rumored to be launched on June 9 (the first day of Apple’s WWDC and Steve Jobs’ opening speech).

Jon went by Apple’s 5th Avenue store this morning and found a line of about 50 people all waiting for iPhones — or so retail staffers told him.

Jon thinks the liner-uppers are already waiting up for the new iPhone.

Noting that many in line are Asian, Jon speculates they are from NYC’s Chinatown, and are being paid to wait in line. But I find it hard to believe that people are willing to pay a line-sitter for two weeks or more — especially when there’s no indication there will shortages, which prompted the lines first time around.

Reading between the lines of Jon’s report, I’ll bet they are being paid to snap up dwindling supplies of iPhone 1.0 to be sent overseas. As long as Apple places restrictions on the number of iPhones people can buy (currently 5) and there are not yet official channels, there’ll be demand for grey market iPhones.

Dennis Liu, creator of the clever OS X-themed music video that went viral last week, is looking for help with his next Apple-themed video.
On May 9, Dennis posted a music video he’d made for indie band The Bird & The Bee featuring his OS X desktop and dozens of applications. The video, featured below, has been viewed more than 600,000 times and written up on scores of blogs and websites.
Eleven days later, the video has earned Dennis several job offers and offers of work from Yahoo, Microsoft and HBO, he says. According to Dennis, the highlights of his “crazy” week are:
– Ranked #1 viral video at www.viralvideochart.com for 1 week.- Head nods from several known Hollywood producers and directors.- Talks to getting a manager/agent at a major talent representation agency- NYU, USC, and Berkeley requesting the video to show their film/new media students.- E-mails from major corporations, including marketing directors and employees of Yahoo, Microsoft, HBO, Pixar, Disney, and of course Apple.- Invited to screen at film festivals world wide, from the UK to Australia- Bird & the Bee enjoyed the video, going to their NYC concert in June 2nd.- An apple store manager in IL showed all her employees the video as an example to artfully show the power of the macs to customers.- The author of “Stickies” wrote to congratulate, as well as a lead developer of OSX. https://mooseyard.com/Jens/2008/05/stickies-makes-its-music-video-debut/- Many, many, many start-ups/unknown musicians looking for a director to shoot their next video/ad.
Dennis works at the NY ad agency BBDO, and used to work out of Saatchi & Saatchi NY shooting viral videos. More about Dennis here.
Next on the horizon, Dennis says he’s looking for help shooting another Apple-related viral. He writes:
“I have another really cool idea, very different from this one – but still with enormous viral potential for Apple. Would take probably twice as long to make, but could be very cool. But am trying to decide whether it’s worth the amount of work… especially when it’s all by myself. If there is a next time, I could appreciate a hand….”

Here’s the striking glass facade of Apple’s new megastore on Boston’s Boylston Street. The store opens later today (See IFOApplestore’s coverage of the overnight campout), but is being criticised for not blending with surrounding buildings.

But check the picture below, which shows the lot before Apple. Which do you prefer?

Picture from Flickr

Picture by Peter R. Wood

On Flickr:

“I took a walk by the new apple store opening this thursday in boston, and they were pulling down the green monster covering.”

Via Digg.

Many thanks to everyone who bought Inside Steve’s Brain about Steve Jobs. Three weeks after release, Inside Steve’s Brain is a New York Times best seller. It’s number 28, hardcover nonfiction for the week of 5/11.

Gotta say, I’m super delighted.

Link.

Picture: The president of Ukraine, Viktor Yushenko, yakking on his iPhone. The iPhone is hot in the Slavic country. From iPhone Code.

Used iPhones are worth more than $1,000 in Ukraine, according to the Craigslist buyer who just purchased my slightly scratched iPhone for (get this) $350.

The buyer, named Claude, is heading to Ukraine next week on business and everyone he meets will ask him for an iPhone, he says. He’s sold dozens of iPhones, new and used: It doesn’t really matter.

In fact, I sold him two iPhones: a virgin 16-Gbyte model still sealed in its box, and my slightly worn day-to-day iPhone, an original 8-Gbyte model.

I got $850 for both phones — $500 for the new one (it retails for $500 + $40 tax) and $350 for the used iPhone (it sells new for $400 + $34 tax. I paid $600 minus a $100 rebate).

I felt pretty good until Claude told me he’ll be getting at least $1,000 for the used iPhone in Ukraine, and more for the new one. WTF! — thanks for telling me!

Still, it’s not all gravy. Claude says he has to keep the iPhones on his person when passing through customs, or they disappear from his luggage. Likewise the chargers, cords and everything else. Plus, he has to bribe every official he meets.

Claude wasn’t aware there’s a new iPhone model expected next month (which is why I’m selling). Not that it mattered. He says he’ll take all and any iPhones I can send his way.

Anyone want to get rid of their old iPhone?

The lines are 30-people deep for an iPhone in NYC, Gizmodo reports. And that’s for the current generation iPhone — not version 2.0 excepted in a month.

It seems there’s lots of people desperate to get their hands on unopened iPhones — even a couple of weeks before older models are outdated.

A couple of months ago I bought a 16-Gbyte iPhone at the Apple Store, thinking I’d upgrade from my original 8-Gbyte iPhone. But then rumors of the iPhone 2.0 started catching fire, so I didn’t open it. With the release of a 3G iPhone looking likely in early June, I thought it better to wait.

Trouble is, I waited too long to return the unopened iPhone to the Apple Store, which has a two-week return policy. So earlier this week, I put it on Craigslist for $550 ($50 over retail) and crossed my fingers.

Boy, was I surprised. I’ve had several offers, many of them for the inflated price. Most of these buyers asked me if I had more than one phone.

The first offer came in just a few seconds after I posted the ad. The buyer, who I’m meeting this afternoon, wrote: “I will need as many as you have. no receipt needed if you know what I mean.”

The iPhone must be headed overseas. Apple has a policy limiting sales to five iPhones per customer — checked against their credit card.

I’ll be asking the buyer some questions this afternoon about his interest in buying multiple, unopened iPhones.

Link to “iPhone wanted” ads on SF Craigslist.

Macworld has some interesting, contrarian advice about buying a Mac these days.

A couple of years ago, pro users would never consider a low-end iMac or MacBook portable for work: it just wouldn’t be powerful enough.

But because Apple is using powerful dual-core Intel chips across its entire line, the difference between machines is blurring.

After running a battery of tests, MacWorld concludes that for most people, a new iMac or MacBook Pro is good enough — pro, power users included. The savings add up to $1,000 or more.

… for most mainstay applications, the high-end iMac and MacBook Pro models are plenty fast (the 3.06GHz build-to-order iMac even beat the Mac Pro in some of our tests). Even Adobe Photoshop, a heavy-duty program that conventional wisdom has long argued should be run only on a high-end system, works acceptably well on just about any Mac (unless you’re editing gigantic files).

A new limited-edition, Europe-only R2-D2 DVD Projector now has an integrated iPod dock for projecting the Star Wars saga onto your living room wall. Earlier versions of the Artoo didn’t have an iPod dock. The projector is limited to 4,000 units, and costs € 2799 — about $4,300.The dock is compatible with the 1G and 2G iPod nano,* and 5G iPod with video.*(Facts corrected, thanks to reader Mario Panighetti)Link.

Isamu Sanada, the Japanese photographer who makes Mac mockups, has created a new design for a tablet Mac that blends the iPhone with the MacBook Air subnotebook. He calls it the Mac Air.

According to a rough translation of his site, the Mac Air also doubles as a desktop.

It hooks to a wireless keyboard and uses a wireless Time Capsule-like docking station as a hard drive. The dock includes a SuperDrive for playing and burning Cds/DVDs.

It boots into the iPhone operating system when a tablet, and OS X when used as a desktop.

It’s a great idea, but will Apple  ever make such a device? Maybe. Sanada has once or twice correctly predicted Apple’s products in the past. As previously reported:

Isamu Sanada is a photographer by trade, but an Apple designer by calling.

Sanada is an amateur designer of fantasy Macintoshes. His Applele website is a popular showcase for dozens of speculative designs for future Apple machines.

In fact, Sanada is so adept at mimicking Apple’s look, he created a design for a new laptop that predicted Apple’s distinctive Titanium PowerBook G4 months before it came out.

Link to Sanada’s Mac Air mockup.

Sanada hasn’t made a new design for many months. No word why he’s returned to making fantasy Macs. His email simply said:

“I made a new image. Please enjoy it.”

My old colleague Rob Beschizza, who recently abandoned Wired.com for BoingBoing Gadgets, has a brilliant parody of my new book, Inside Steve’s Brain. The treacherous bastard writes:

“It’s hard to believe that one man revolutionized the operating system business in the 2000s, converting Windows’ extraordinary market dominance into the reviled seven-year ditch that is Vista, and squandering billions on confused advances into ill-understood peripheral markets like video gaming and music hardware

…. Wired.com’s Leander Kahney cuts through the salt-ringed tide marks that surround him to unearth secrets to his unbelievable results. It reveals the real Steve.”

LINK.

Apple has pushed past Toshiba to become the fourth largest PC maker in the U.S., according to new numbers from research firm Gartner.

Apple earned 6.6 percent of the PC market in Q1 2008, and saw 32.5 percent year-on-year growth in unit shipments, Gartner said. Overall, the PC market grew 3 percent year-on-year, Gartner said.

Apple trails Dell (31.4 percent market share), Hewlett-Packard (25 percent) and Acer (9.1 percent). While Dell grew 15 percent year-on-year during the quarter, Acer slipped 18.3 percent, Gartner said.

Acer is only 2.5 percentage points ahead of Apple, and Apple is positioned to regain the number-three slot, which it hasn’t held since the mid-nineties.

Worldwide, Apple failed to make the top 5 (HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, Toshiba).

A Santa Cruz woman is using Leopard’s Back to My Mac remote control software to track a thief who stole her laptop.

The woman, named Joey, had her MacBook and iPhone stolen from her truck. The thief didn’t wipe the MacBook, and Joey was able to log on remotely every time the crook connected to the internet using Back To My Mac. Built-into OS X, Back To My Mac allows administrators to take full control of machines over the Net.

Joey was able to remove sensitive data; copy and delete files; and then spy on the thief using the MacBook’s built-in iSight camera.

The crook spends a lot of time in cafes using free WiFi to search file sharing networks for software, music and movies.

As the crook surfed the Net, Joey was able to compile a full profile for police, including his Gmail account, home IP address, mother’s maiden name, and even snap clear pictures showing the detail of his tattoos.

Santa Cruz police are reportedly issuing a warrant to arrest the thief.

Joey was documenting the entire process on a LiveJournal account, which has been taken offline, likely to prevent the crook from getting wind of his impending arrest.

Via Roughly Drafted.

The first movie starring stoner legend Ellen Feiss, the break-out star of Apple’s “Switch ads,” will air online on Monday, April 21. But don’t get too excited: it looks like a turkey.

Bed & Breakfast, an indie movie shot in France, will air at 9:30PM ET / 6:30 PM PT on TheDigitalLifestyle.tv, a 24-hour Apple-related Web TV channel.

Feiss stars as the girlfriend of an American guy lured to a castle owned by a former college roommate, or something. The movie was shot in 2006 and seems to have promptly disappeared. There’s no indication whether it’s a comedy, a drama or a slasher flick.

It looks like a film school project; it “twists the apparent perception of things to reveal the reality that lurks behind,” according to this archived web site for the film.

Feiss shot to fame in 2002 after slurring her words in an Apple Switch ad detailing how her dad’s PC ate her homework. The ad became an online sensation, and was parodied widely. Feiss was invited on late night TV and was offered roles in moveis and TV shows, but shunned Hollywood — until now.

Here’s a still of Feiss from the movie: