What Apple’s iPad Means for Your Wallet
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LONDON—Phew! Thank heavens the iPad is coming. Solving the economic crisis should be a breeze—it has an app for that. |
Apple’s new all-singing, all-dancing hand-held computer is the talk of the moment. Even thousands of miles away in London, when I staggered off the redeye Thursday morning, the front pages showed a gaunt but grinning Steve Jobs clasping his latest creation. |
But if we can hack our way through the hype, what are the financial implications of this latest techno marvel—for consumers and for investors? |
AT&T, Boosted And Stressed By iPhone, Lays Out Network Plans
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AT&T Inc. detailed its plans for beefing up its often-maligned network Thursday, just one day after being tapped to carry another closely watched Apple Inc. device that will likely add even more traffic to its airwaves. |
| The carrier’s attention to network issues reflects its deep reliance on the iPhone for growth. |
Apple gave AT&T an important vote of confidence Wednesday by making it the carrier for the new iPad, but the consumer electronics company made clear earlier in the week that it is carefully monitoring AT&T’s plans for improving its network. |
In 2009, AT&T put up about 1,900 new cell sites, opened new spectrum frequencies and upgraded their equipment to a faster wireless technology, he added. This year, the carrier plans to spend $18 billion to $19 billion on its networks, including spending twice as much on the wireless network as it did last year. Read more at online.wsj.com |
Make sure to watch the Apple unveiling today at 1:00pm EST! URL: www.macrumors.com
Apple, Google Vie for Start-Ups
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Google Inc. and Apple Inc., which have long thrived without treading on one another’s turf, are vying to acquire some of the same Silicon Valley start-ups and developing products that put themselves in more direct competition. |
The twin pursuit of the start-ups reveal that the two tech titans have further plans to move deeper into each other’s business: Apple wanted to get into advertising, while Google sought a music service. |
For years, the two giants focused on different parts of the tech market, with Google dominant in Internet search and Apple making computers and consumer electronics devices. |
More acquisitions could be in the works as Silicon Valley dealmaking heats up overall. As the worst of the recession appears to have passed, tech companies are eager to pick up promising technologies before prices climb. Read more at online.wsj.com |
Apple Plots Reboot of iTunes for Web
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Apple Inc., the company that restructured the music industry around its iTunes service, is exploring an overhaul of the way it sells and stores music that is aimed at extending its influence to the Web, according to people briefed on the strategy. |
The key vehicle for the move is Apple’s newly acquired music-streaming service La La Media Inc. for which Apple paid $85 million, according to people familiar with the matter. Where Apple’s iTunes requires users to download music onto a specific computer, Lala.com lets users buy and listen to music through a Web browser, meaning its customers can access purchases from anywhere, as long as they are connected to the Internet. |
Apple is considering adopting that same model for songs sold on iTunes, a change that would give consumers more ways to access and manage their iTunes purchases—and wouldn’t require them to download Apple’s software or their purchases. Read more at online.wsj.com |
Need help finding a good app? A new app let’s the power of “social” media help you find that app that you’ve been missing out on! App Watch: A Matchmaker in a Sea of Apps |
One of the frequently heard complaints about iPhone applications is that with more than 85,000 options, finding good ones can be tricky and time-consuming. Could the answer be yet another app? |
Envio Networks on Tuesday is launching Chorus, a free app that shows users the ones their friends are trying out and suggests ones that might interest them. The Andover, Mass.-based company, which has received funding from Matrix Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners, specializes in social-networking technology and saw the Apple device as a good showcase for what it can do. |
“We think that shared discovery is a very powerful concept,” said Manish Jha, Envio’s chief executive, who ran ESPN’s mobile unit previously. Read more at blogs.wsj.com |
Apple To Offer iTunes TV Subscription Service? |
Google Says It Will Limit Call Blocking
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WASHINGTON–Google Inc. said it will limit the number of phone numbers its Internet phone service blocks, in a partial bow to federal regulators’ concerns that it was skirting rules designed to ensure that consumers phone calls are connected seamlessly. |
A Federal Communications Commission spokesman said the agency was reviewing the letter but had no comment. It’s not clear if Google’s actions will settle the FCC’s inquiry, since the agency has historically taken the position that phone companies can’t block calls or stop consumers from calling whomever they want. |
In its letter to the FCC on Wednesday, Google said it believed it had fixed the immediate problem of blocking calls to rural consumers, but urged the agency to change how phone companies compensate each other for connecting calls. Read more at online.wsj.com |
Motorola Droid Makes Its Debut
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Motorola Inc. and Verizon Wireless on Wednesday unveiled the Droid smart phone, which the companies plan to aggressively push as a challenger to Apple Inc.’s iPhone. |
The Droid, which will go on sale for $199 starting Nov. 6, is the first device using Google Inc.’s Android software to run on Verizon Wireless’ network. The major push from the biggest U.S. wireless carrier underscores the momentum of Google’s Android platform, which has seen a number of phones launch in recent months. |
The Droid will be targeted at tech-savvy customers willing to spend on the latest devices able to straddle the line between work and personal use. It’s a lucrative market dominated by Research In Motion Ltd’s BlackBerry line and the iPhone. Read more at online.wsj.com |
Apple Updates iMacs, Adds Touch-Sensitive Mouse
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Apple Inc. is updating its iMac desktop computer line and introducing a computer mouse that responds to the touch of fingers instead of using buttons or scroll wheels. |
The wireless Magic Mouse, as Apple calls it, will come included. It lets people manipulate what they see on the screen by pinching, swiping and using other gestures. It’s similar to the control mechanism made popular on the screen of the iPhone. Read more at online.wsj.com |
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How Much Will That iPad Really Cost You?
