Why No South Korea?

Two of the most obvious non-Apple store locations are Hong Kong and South Korea. Of course, one of the biggest hurdles is finding the perfect location. But certainly there are other issues: politics, international finance, supply chain and local sales opportunities. And both of these locations definitely have their set of these issues. South Korea, in particular, is very unique. It's one of the major sources of electronics manufacturing, although Apple seems to obtain most of assembled products from China. Korea is generally a pro-U.S. country, but there have been huge protests recently over the Korean government's decision to begin importing American beef again, after a Mad Cow Disease scare. But the economy isn't expanding as rapidly as the 1990s, the division between wealthy and poor is increasing, and the use of part-time and contract workers is increasing. Lastly, competition from U.S. agricultural imports has put Korean producers in a bind. Looking at the potential market, there are tons of local suppliers for computers, mp3 players and cellular handsets. When you consider all this, South Korea doesn't look so attractive, and certainly doesn't seem to be worth the money and energy required to locate a store within the country.

The Real Power of iTMS

The Rhapsody music service today announced that it will begin selling unprotected music tracks in mp3 format for 99 cents, while still retaining the subscription model that they've operated for several years. The experts have been talking about this development and its effect on Apple's iTunes Music Store operation--will it take away business from Apple, is Apple vulnerable, where will the music sales business go in the future? I think that iTMS is often mistaken for a music download service only, instead of what it really is--a large music community. Anyone can throw up some music on a server, accept payments and allow downloads. That's pretty easy to do. But Apple has created an entire world of music where downloads are just one small part of the process of discovering and enjoying music. You can find playlists put together by others (including celebs), videos, cover art, discussions and much more. It all creates a reason to visit--and re-visit--the iTMS, which is what other music services lack. And, I should say, iTMS does all this with an elegant interface that's, in turn, just one part of Apple's digital lifestyle software package (iPhone, iMovie, etc.). So these semi-technical or business announcements about music aren't really as important as they seem, and certainly are competition for Apple.

Ready to Rumble?

I really enjoy reading other people's experiences visiting an Apple store--but you gotta start out neutral. Ron Miller on Daniweb.com writes that he visited before attending a nearby conference, and admits, "I had set the expectations bar a little high." It was nearly 100 degrees out, and the air conditioning was apparently taxed. He toured the store, had difficulty getting someone's attention, he says, and wedged in to the Genius Bar to test a Genius with a test question. "He seemed put off and said if I made it quick." Then on the way out, "I commented to the kid at the door that for all the money Apple had spent on the store, it might have invested in a decent air conditioner." Yikes! He calls the person a "kid," remarks on the cost of the store, and complains about the temperature, all in one sentence. And he makes his remark to someone who has to spend 8 hours in the store suffering the heat. Where's the sympathy? Well, he admitted he started out with a high bar.

iPhone G3 - A Day Later

After processing all the aspects of Monday's iPhone G3 announcement, here's my take:

• AT&T decided to subsidize, or pay upfront for, the iPhone with $200, bringing the price down to what they feel is a magic price point of $199. On the other hand, they'll increase the month unlimited-data plan by $10 to $30. AT&T and Apple also agreed to end their deal to share the iPhone's monthly service fees. The result--Apple will receive more iPhone purchase money and no monthly share, while AT&T will trade immediate revenues for monthly money. Both hope they'll sell vastly more iPhones.


• By any measure, Steve Jobs looked thinner and more gaunt. Apple claims he had a "common" bug.


• Other people spent a record-breaking amount of time on-stage instead of Steve. And this wasn't just for technical reasons. Seems like we're entering an era to de-emphasize Steve.


• The amount of time given to developers on-stage was precedent-setting, even for a WWDC conference. I agree with some others who say it's an attempt to really emphasize that the iPhone is the platform of the decade.


• The audience (and everyone else) was certainly disappointed that the iPhone itself didn't include new hardware features beyond G3 speeds. The biggest reaction in the entire conference was when Steve showed the non-recessed headphone jack, and the mass delete and move feature in e-mail.


• The big news is really the number of countries where the iPhone will be sold, and the Exchange server integration. Those two factors will sell a ton of iPhones!


• During Apple's video of the keynote, why was there a quick dissolve during Phil Schiller's speech, and why was there no audo during the part where Steve showed all the countries where the iPhone would be sold?


• Lastly, where were all the other predictions: laptop and iMac refresh?

Mobile Me = Mobile Yes

Today's introduction of Mobile me by Apple certainly brings the most useful pieces yet to what's been a strange service. First it was iTools, then .Mac, and now something that is totally useful and meaningful. It was originally a service ahead of its time, without any devices or purpose. With the introduction of the iPhone, and the more common practice now of having multiple computers, having push-based services makes great sense. Email comes right to you, no matter the device you're using. You can update and add information to contacts and calendars, and have those changes immediately reflected across all your devices. I'm urging you---buy a desktop, a laptop and an iPhone, get a Mobile me subscription, and you're life is set. Music, photos, e-mail, Internet browsing, all seamless across the devices, and available anywhere there's cellular service. Now, if they can just market these new features adequately to explain what they mean to the average person. Watch a guide tour video here.

Dell Creates Undercover Buzz

An article in the Wall Street Journal noted that computer-maker Dell created a year-long project to create buzz for its new miniature laptop computer, which included joining the bloggers, "leaks" of photos and other buzz-creating activities. "Some businesses try to ignore unflattering blog posts or message-board rants," the article says. But Dell decided to take address comments, "head on." Dell V-P of communications Andhy Lark said, "It's in a company's best interest to deal directly with any complaints or criticism on the Internet." Dell employees apparently trolled the blogosphere to add comments when posts were critical, and even casually took the new candy-red computer to a conference hoping some blogger would "spot" it and publish photos of it on the Web. They did, and they did.

Too Much Info?

Sometimes it feels that I've surfed the very last Web site on the Internet. Other times, I can't find enough information to read on a topic. But now I have the feeling that too much information is a bad thing. Take Google's latest update to its finance Web page--live NASDAQ stock trading prices. Instead of the usual "All prices delayed at least 20 minutes," statement, when the stock market is open you will see the stock price change as trades are made--every second. If you watch Apple's stock (AAPL), for example, you'll see constant ups and downs...$184.70...71...68...73. It's just nuts. I certainly do feel connected to the Internet, and the NASDAQ specifically. But if I watched those dollars and cents changing for more than a minute, I'd have no idea whether to buy or sell. I'd just be telling myself, "Trade!" Like many situations in life, you have to step back and get a wider, and longer, view of things. In this case, check the graph, which isn't updated dynamically. Watch the trend. P.S.--Did you know that some trading companies locate their computer centers closer to the NYSE so they can have quotes faster--by milliseconds?

What's the Point?

A couple of recent posts on other blogs raised the question of what technology is all about, and the point of blogging. First, a visitor to Robert Scoble's blog wondered why he gets so excited over Internet stuff. Robert's response and a ton of comments tries to answer the question. But I'm not sure if it really settles the original query--everyone has their own goals and purposes for dipping into technology. Next, Lorelle VanFossen approaches the issues of high traffic, fame and the real point of blogging on the BlogHerald Web site. Lorelle explains, "What matters most to me is helping people." I agree. The whole point of the Internet is bringing people together, sharing information and having fun. In my case, Apple fun.