I haven’t seen a buzzword rise to such stardom so quickly—privacy. It’s all because of the Internet, of course, and all the desktop and mobile applications that are being written to gather location, music that you play, how fast your drive, etc. Writer Evan Schuman, editor of StorefrontBacktalk, takes a whack at privacy after reading Apple’s patent application for certain capabilities that might be built into an iPhone or other mobile device. Schuman says that Apple may have set the privacy movment “way back,” with a patent that “the stuff of nightmares.” Well, let’s get a handle on this privacy thing. First, most of the real paranoia is directed towards citizen privacy from government intrusion. We don’t want some government agency knowing what we eat, where we go, who we see, etc. This privacy right is all completely understandable because typically, the government wants to intrude into areas that we cannot avoid. For example, if the state of California wants to track my car travel so they can charge me highway fees, I’d be worried. I can’t just stop using my car. However, our fears are not usually directed at privacy from private company intrusion, because they usually operate in optional areas of behavior or activity. You can choose to purchase or not purchase the product or service, or to participate in sharing certain information. For example, the iPhone asks you whether you want to share your location with each specific app that requests it, and the “Settings” panel gives you complete control over location sharing. During the 2010 All Things Digital conference, Steve Jobs talked about privacy and noted just that—you have to ask people, and iOS is programmed to require the asking process for all apps that want the user’s location. So, just because Apple has applied for a patent that will gather user information, it doesn’t mean that the final product really will, or that it will do so without asking. And however it works, you’ll still have the option not to purchase the app or even use it. So, before getting too excited over a patent, consider what the privacy issue is really about.

I’ll hand it to Microsoft—they know where to go in order to promote their Bing brand. Apple’s app store. In an attempt to promote Bing, Microsoft paid iPhone app developers a sponsorship fee, in exchange for including the word “Bing” somewhere in the name of their app. Nick Wingfield for the Wall Street Journal writes that the apps were all music-related ones, and Microsoft’s sponsorship allowed app buyers free access to certain song lists (Pop 100, for example) for free. As a result, the Apple app store was suddenly flooded with lots of new apps like “Bing Hip Hop 100,” or “Ryan Seacrest’s MixTapes by Bing.” Microsoft then used its advertising syndicate to advertise the new apps, raising their ranking on the app store. A MS spokesperson told Wingfield, “It’s an innovative way that we can introduce ourselves to users of the iPhone platform, encourage downloads of our search app and do it in way that’s fun and engaging.” Turns out the apps allowed free music access only for a limited period of time, and the Bing-named apps dropped off the Top 25 list at the app store. “Fun and engaging?” Sounds just like paying for users, and not even in an advertising way. But, who am I to argue with Microsoft paying money to iPhone app developers?

Sometimes a reader will post a pertinent comment on an older story, and the information just stays hidden. That’s what just occurred with a comment posted about the changes made earlier this summer in Genius Bar operations. “Long Time Genius” said the Genius Bar workload has been increasing, and that Apple’s procedures changes have made the backlog of repairs even worse. Even worse, “Work/Life balance use to be something Apple was truly concerned with, at least at my store. Not anymore,” the person says. “Someone’s corporate job is riding on this,” the commenter says, “but they are still pushing this nightmare forward like it’s best idea we’ve had since the iPod.” The sad part, of course, is that there are thousands of dedicated Apple retail employees still trying to “surprise and delight” their customers, but cannot. The ironic part is that there are so many customers, as Apple becomes a more popular computer platform. Long Time Genius concludes, “We have lost our core. We use to say our number one resource, our soul, is our people. Well now our number one resource, our soul is our staffed bar hours and nothing else matters.”

I have now spent overnight at two international stores for grand openings, where there were two waiting lines—those who wanted to visit the store and those wanting to buy an iPhone 4 without a contract, that is, unlocked. And who was buying those iPhones in Paris and London? I talked to many people in the iPhone line, and they were all visitors from other countries. Without being stereotypical, I think most of the others in line were from other countries, too, including many from Russia, and some from Turkey, India, and eastern Europe. The reason, of course, is that there is no way to buy an iPhone 4 in any of these countries. And the challenge after buying is to get the phone to work on the local cellular system. The micro SIM card is the first hurdle. There are small electronic shops in Paris and London that will sell you a card cutter or cut your existing card. After getting on-line, not all the features will work (visual voicemail). There are still iPhone waiting lines at both the Regent Street and Covent Garden stores in London, since stock can’t keep up with demand. That’s a pretty amazing situation for a retailer to have, and must give Apple information and where they should be selling iPhones next.

Dell announced the availability of the Streak thingy on Friday. I say “thingy” because Dell and some reviewers are calling it a tablet, although by an objective industry standard, its 5-inch screen is too small for that designation. And it’s way too big for a smartphone—where on earth would you carry a device this large? There’s no shirt or pants pocket large enough unless you’re wearing cargo pants. You can watch Dell team member Kevin Andrew tries to explain the size and capabilities of the device in a 7-minute video. He tries real hard, recalling his several months-long use of the Streak in his daily life. But he’s sitting in a chair and never explains how he carried it around in his daily life. At one point he ludicrously holds it up to his head as a monstrous phone, but admits that he usually uses a Bluetooth headset (but doesn’t explain he does so because of the embarrassment factor). The problem, of course, is that Apple has already established the “proper” sizes for a smartphone and tablet. Not that Apple’s vision or decision is perfect, of course. But it certainly sets up a certain standard that others must deal with—and alibi. The Streak may be nice, but so far Dell hasn’t been able to explain its size. And they haven’t been able to to find a pocket for it, either.

Somehow, Apple’s lab and in-field testing failed to discover a glitch in the antenna sub-system of the iPhone 4 (perhaps it had something to do with that lost phone bar visit!). Is it a signal strength display problem or an actual radio frequency/antenna problem? Despite all the bloggers and a contradictory Consumer Reports test, it’s not clear what the problem is and how it might be corrected. Apple has said it’s the display, Consumer Reports says its the electronics—and then rated it the highest among smartphones. Along the way, hysteria has reigned. “People” are demanding a recall that could allegedly cost $1.3 billion, while “others” are asking for a free case. Consumer Reports, in a clever, humiliating touch, seriously suggested putting non-conducting tape over the antenna gap area. The bottom line is that Apple is the company that people love to hate, and when an opportunity comes along, they jump. That seems to be what’s happening here. The accusations that Apple is “arrogant” or is showing lots of “hubris” are way off the mark. There may be some technical problem, but it doesn’t render the iPhone unusable. Hold it without bridging the antennas or get a case, and move on with your life.

I can’t believe that it’s been over nine years since my first Apple store grand opening. Along the way I’ve been posting stories, photos and videos of the events—it’s amazing how that’s evolved. Seems like the stone ages back in 2001, when photos were 640×480, on-line videos were the size of postage stamps, and it took me a day to post a meaningful story (WordPress). Now technology and I have a standard process of using Twitter for at-the-scene reports, with text, photos (Twitpic) and video (TwitVid). I also post full stories and photos from in front of the store, and then later more stories and photos (MobileMe galleries). As for the rest, here’s the list:

I got up at 5 a.m. to travel to the Walnut Creek (N. Calif.) retail store for the iPhone 4 debut. I found that many of the people in line were Apple loyalists, but that wasn’t really why they were there. These people had been cut out of home delivery on the very same day by computer problems, some with Apple’s servers and some with AT&T’s contract validation link. So they showed up to collect their iPhone as walk-ups, right next to everyone who did manage to pre-order on-line for store pick-up. Anywho…I managed to order my on-line and it was delivered by a Fed-Ex driver at 9:20 a.m. (“I should put a giant Apple logo on my truck,” he said. “All I’ve been delivering is iPhones!”) The phone seems much smaller, and is much slicker to the touch. Seems like a case of some type is a requirement, especially because I keep thinking, “This thing is made of glass!” It seems to operate as fast as the 3GS, and physically all the buttons seemed to have a little more “click” when operating them. My top iOS 4 features are: multi-tasking (not instant but really convenient), unified e-mail in-box (I watch four accounts), improved photo/video (makes my store pix/videos better, love iMovie for iPhone) and improved battery life (can’t have too much power). Other interesting features include the flash/light for photo/video, improved video focusing, and folders. I’m not yakking on the phone a lot, so AT&T’s reception problems and the antenna problems don’t really bother me. I would love tethering…except it costs $20 a month (Why?). Overall, a killer first smartphone for anyone, and a great upgrade for iPhone 3G owners. If you have a 3GS, the “must have” feeling is a little less obvious. On the other hand, you can trade in your 3GS for $197 on Gazelle.com, and essentially buy the 16 Gb version for free.

My first waiting line was in 2001 for store #9. Back then, it was all enthusiasm, amazement and excitement. It’s pretty much been the same thing for each new store grand opening. Even the product launch waiting lines were driven by loyalty to Apple and its products, and not so much by publicity. But I guess it’s inevitable, especially in New York. First, a serial publicity hound (who I routinely don’t name) has taken over the task of being first-in-line for Fifth Avenue events. He appeared for the iPhone, the iPad and now the iPhone 4 events, never really intending to purchase one of the new products, and not being an Apple devotee. But everything has a purpose. For the iPhone 4 event, electronics recycler Gazelle has is paying him $250 a day to sit in line wearing their logo apparel and publicize the company. I think they’re also buying him a new iPhone. Not a bad idea, really, although they could have picked anyone off the street to perform the same task. At last look, Gazelle was paying $197 for an iPhone 3GS (plus 10% if you take it in Amazon.com credit), which is a great deal if you buy the 16 Gb version of the iPhone 4. Well, as long as everyone has fun in New York City, then it’s all good.

I use Google Analytics to get a very thorough view of my Web site (I also use Urchin for more general statistics). For the latest 30 days, about 11% of my monthly visits are from one of 10 mobile devices tracked by Google, a figure that has been increasing the past three months. The iPhone is the most common mobile device, with about 56% of all mobile visits, while at the bottom, Sony devices have made just three visits total. Most interestingly, for the period of May 11 to June 10, the iPad contributed 36% of the visits by mobile devices, putting it in the #2 slot. And that percentage is a sharp increase from when the iPad was first introduced. Other mobile devices accessing IFO in order were the iPod, Android, BlackBerry, SymbianOS, Windows, Danger Hiptop and Samsung. Here are the mobile stats for IFO in the past four months:

I should note that I also implemented a special theme for smartphone browsers earlier this year, providing a much more compact and fast interface. This change may have encouraged more visitors to use their iPhone when visiting IFO, leading some part of the mobile traffic increase.

The All Things Digital Web site has posted the full interview with Steve Jobs from their recent D8 conference. It’s a pretty amazing performance from someone who was once near death, both physically and career-wise, but who has returned to full strength. Jobs is so un-technical during the interview that it’s hard to realize that he heads Apple Inc., a major tech company. He talks personally, jokes and generally provides some great insights into how the company operates. His perspective on Google is that the Flash decision is not personal, but rather in line with how Apple usually selects technology. He talks about the controversy over app analytics by saying he was “pissed,” and still is. To really see how amazing Jobs’ remarks are, take a (short) look at Steve Ballmer videos at the same conference. Ballmer is entirely technical, talking about revenue, competition, blah, blah. No insights into people or how they work. Here’s the Steve Jobs video.

As if mobile phone call reception wasn’t enough of a perception problem for AT&T, along comes the “issue” of data limits. The company just tossed out the “unlimited” data plan (although it wasn’t truly unlimited), and instituted plans to recognize what is really happening in the smartphone market. And that is, most of us are using just a moderate amount of data, and a few are using lots more data. I can tell you that my AT&T data use with an iPhone is very consistently 50 Mb a month (although one months was around 125 Mb). So the new AT&T 2 Gb data plan limit wouldn’t be a problem. Naturally, the new iPhone OS 4.0 tethering feature might change that. But for now, a 2 Gb limit wouldn’t bother me at all. I was worried when signing up for Comcast Internet service that their 250 Gb limit might be too little. Again, as it turns out, it’s not a problem. Comcast just implemented an on-line way to check your monthly data use, and it says I’m consistently using 20 Gb a month. That includes 2-3 of Apple TV movies a month, lots of browsing and moderate Web video watching by my family. Obviously, I still have plenty of data left to download. Those who hear the word “limit” and who are immediately fearful should relax. It’s not limiting. [And read this discussion of how much video you can watch for 2 Gb.]