iTunes Brings Back the 45

Double-sided singles and digital music are two things that go oddly together. They seemingly don’t go together at all. Apple has got them. But not in vinyl, of course. The iTunes Store now offers D45s, with A and B side tracks, priced from $1.49 to $1.99.

I’m old enough to remember 45s, and I still feel warmly about vinyl. Audiophiles insist that vinyl (analog) is truer to the original sound than are CDs (digital) and most certainly MP3s. Digital processing really only samples the sine wave. MP3s are worse still, the bit-rate is much lower than even CDs—and people are getting used to the muddier sound. Warning: “Remastered” tracks often level instruments and boost bass.

In preparing this post, I discovered VinylFanatics.com. It’s worth a read, or is that listen?

My first single, which I got in a trade in seventh grade was “American Pie” by Don Mclean. The B side was the rest of the 8:37 track. Last week, while flipping channels I saw the Madonna version on the Soundtrack Channel. I’ve got to ask: What does Madonna have against Satan? The verses about Satan, Carl Marx and a “generation lost in space” are excised from her version. What’s the story behind that?

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Remembering iPhone Two Years Later

Two years ago today, Apple launched the original iPhone. in June 2007, I described using Apple’s smartphone as “life changing.” Despite my grumpiness about iPhone battery life and 3G call quality, I stand by the description.

I covered the launch for eWEEK, writing post “The iPhone Moment” (Two months ago tomorrow, I was laid off from eWEEK, as editor of Apple Watch and Microsoft Watch). At Apple’s suggestion, I went to the company store at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Md. for the launch festivities.

No event I ever covered as a journalist stands out like the original iPhone launch. I’m a studier of people, culture and society. The launch event delighted with its eclectic, non-geek group of buyers. I blogged two years ago:

The people turning out to buy iPhones yesterday made up one motley group—representing a broad swath of America. I saw in the line people of all races, ages and lifestyles. For example, near the front, waited a brawny Hispanic dude, with cut T-Shirt that exposed a praying hands tattoo on his upper right arm. He looked more like the kind of guy who works with metal, using his hands, rather than holding a pretty cell phone. Yet he was typical of the people waiting; they shattered geek stereotypes.

Before iPhone, and even after, handset manufacturers targeted gadget geeks as first adopters of their products. But iPhone captured the imagination and buying inclination of people who wanted cell phones that were more personal and that better reflected their personalities. The smartphone appealed to people confined by—no, imprisoned by—by gadgets designed by nerds for nerds. The iPhone represented freedom to be.

June 29, 2007: iPhone buyers Chris, Steve and Eddie hold up their old mobiles.

Several of the iPhone buyers spoke of being caught up in a historical moment, of the device’s release as a watershed event for handsets and how they are marketed. A buyer named Steve told me:

I think this is a day that you’re going to see a change in how computers, how handheld computers are done…It’s a little marketing history. I’m seeing it that way…I think we’ll look back in 10 or 15 years, and like on that day the gadget came out—same thing with iPod—it changed the game.

Buyer Steve’s assessment was right but not his time horizon. People already are looking back two years later at how iPhone “changed the game”:

• iPhone imitators/competitors are everywhere
• Touch is now the standard user interface for smartphones
• Google is a developer of mobile operating systems and services
• Smartphones are beginning to replace PCs for user-generated content

Apple started these trends—and more—with the original iPhone. Two years ago today.

The launch two years ago defined more than iPhone. It defined Apple. Better stated: Redefined Apple and its brand. The iPhone moment also defined an emerging mobile culture, of people being creative and expressive anytime, anywhere and without the shackles of PCs.

Does she look like a geek to you?

Microsoft has failed to understand how transforming was the iPhone’s original introduction. My measure is the company’s Windows Mobile strategy, which is a disaster. Windows Mobile 6.5 is obsolete before its release, whether measured by iPhone OS or competing operating systems from Google, Nokia, Palm or Research in Motion. While Microsoft clings to the perceived safety of the Windows PC, real people reach for the unfettered freedom of mobile handsets.

Your next computer will be a smartphone.

There’s an appropriateness to Apple CEO Steve Jobs officially returning to work two years to the day that iPhone launched. I’ve asserted that he won’t return to full-time work as chief executive, and that COO Tim Cook will eventually be promoted to CEO. That opinion isn’t changed, but I do hope that I’m wrong about it. I’d like nothing more than to be wrong and to see Steve Jobs dazzle everyone with more magic.

The iPhone is magical, the way it responds to touch. The entire iPhone creative team deserves some special prize for how this one device captures the imagination and changed how handheld devices are designed and used. More importantly, the second-generation iPhone, along with Apple’s App Store, stands at the precipice of computing’s future.

The PC that matters most is the one you carry. Damn the desktop.

[Update: This post was repurposed and condensed from joewilcox.com on July 7, 2009.]

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Nokia N97 First Impressions

Smartphone design is a series of compromises. It’s about making disparate functions fit oddly together. Engineers must find the best balance so that extended features don’t compromise those of highest priority. A smartphone is still a phone first, and everything else second. There, the Nokia N97 delivers. The audio call quality is simply outstanding. It’s the best I’ve heard or had others hear from any handset—and that’s using a Nokia BH-804 bluetooth earpiece. Several friends described the sound as “lively” and “full.” One person said “rich.”

The next priority is battery life. The N97 uses Nokia’s BP-4L, a 1500mAH 3.7v monster Lithium Polyomer battery. My daughter gets three to four days charge using the same battery on the Nokia E71. So far, in two days heavy use, the battery performance has proved to be excellent. But I’ve yet to give the battery full workout, by way of persistently data connected widgets.

The N97’s battery life comes from compromise. Nokia chose a lesser microprocessor than the iPhone 3G and Palm Pre, which both use 600MHz ARM processors. The N97 uses a 434MHz ARM processor. Presumably, the older generation and slower processor will consume less power. Does the slower ARM perform? I can answer yes, based on early testing. Caveat: I’ve yet to tax the N97—and there is a secondary performance concern. For reasons I can’t justify, the N97 packs 128MB of RAM; iPhone 3GS 256MB.

Snail taken using Nokia N97 close-up mode

Gadget geeks already are faulting the N97’s 3.6Mbits HSDPA compared to 7.2Mbits for iPhone 3GS. Slower is more sensible for the US market. AT&T is only now rolling out 7.2Mbits service, which I expect to be a real battery-life sucker. For N97, the slower speed is fast enough for now, while better balancing battery performance. As I stated a few paragraphs back, smartphone design is very much about compromise—pieces fit oddly together.

The N97 is bigger than I expected, but it’s surprisingly light for the size: 117.2 × 55.3 × 15.9 mm. I normally order Nokia cases from PDair in Hong Kong, but the N97 cases aren’t yet available. So I had to shop around from something make-do. I found a usable case at Best Buy for 20 bucks on sale: The Eddie Bauer Smartphone Wireless Case, or EBUDY44. The N97 is a snug but comfortable fit. The case really inspires me, because no major US carriers carry Nokia N-Series phones. Yet American-based Eddie Bauer offers a smartphone case that, according to the product box, fits Nokia models N73, N82, N95 and 6300.

The N97 screen is bright and crisp. I was somewhat skeptical of the resistive touchscreen, which I found to require too much pressure on the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. But the N97 screen is surprisingly responsive, but I’ll quibble with the touchscreen in a future post; it’s a UI design issue rather than hardware problem.

The QWERTY keyboard has great touch and feel, much better than I expected. The AT&T 8525 (aka HTC TyTN) uses similar QWERTY keyboard and tilt-screen approach, and I didn’t like the implementation. But, somehow, Nokia got the keyboard, tilt-out hinge and angle of screen just about right. I got to typing right away, with few mistakes.

I’ll end this long preview with the 5-megapixel camera. I’m convinced that the snail pics above could sell the Nokia N97 to almost any gadget geek or photographer. Close-up (e.g., macro) mood delivers, and then some. I did expect better camera start-up time. The Nokia N85 starts up almost immediately after opening the lens cap. Not the N97. But the camera is fast enough once started. I’m hugely satisfied by the photo results, but I’ll stop there. The camera deserves a fuller review.

But, as afterthought, I’ll add one more thing—as a taste of what’s coming in a fuller review. The N97 comes preloaded with several widgets on the home screen. Facebook is among them. I easily logged into Facebook and uploaded a pic of my daughter—my first with the N97. I’ve used the iPhone Facebook app, but am initially more impressed by the one shipping with the Nokia smartphone.

While long, this post is but a preview. My early Nokia N97 reaction is “WOW.” But I do have some concerns about some functions and user interface design. I need to test more to determine what might be user error before reaching final conclusions. But I can say this: I’m keeping the N97, and I would likely recommend it. I say likely only because my testing is far from finished. It’s going to fun.

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Nokia N97 Value vs. iPhone 3GS

On June 10, I sold my beloved Nokia N96 and the N79 abandoned by my daughter for the E71; the proceeds paid for the N97, which I purchased from Nokia USA. For the price of one N97, I could have bought two iPhone 3GS smartphones with some money left over. My N97 arrived on June 12, seven days before Apple and AT&T started selling the iPhone 3GS.

Why spend so much? As I’ll explain in the next post, on first impressions, the N97 is a mix of well-balanced capabilities packaged oddly together.

I chose the black N97, even though I pined for white. Two reasons for black: White wasn’t available, and I worried about it not being masculine enough. Dumb, huh? Until Friday, Amazon listed both colors for $603, but unavailable. Price jumped to $699 yesterday, but down to $682.94 today. Amazon partner MobileCityOnline wants $799.95 for either N97.

Is the N97 worth so much when the comparable iPhone 3GS, the one with 32GB of RAM, will sell for $299? That lower iPhone pricing is subsidized by AT&T. In the United States, Nokia doesn’t have a carrier for the N97, which means no subsidy. But that’s not true in international markets, where major carriers will offer the smartphone for much less. Something else: The iPhone’s unsubsidized price is about the same as what the N97 sells for. Still, 700 bucks is big money for a cell phone.

Close-up of snail taken with Nokia N97

But the N97 is more than a cell phone. It’s a pocket computer, GPS, high-quality digital and video camera, media player and much more. Does that sound like iPhone to you? It’s not. Apple and Nokia have made decidedly different design decisions.

For example, Apple chose to use a capacitive touchscreen that responds to electrical pulses, whereas Nokia chose a resistive touchscreen that responds more to pressure. Capacitive touchscreen is highly responsive and made it easier for Apple to offer multitouch capabilities. Apple’s more tactile approach makes the iPhone seemingly magical. By comparison, resistive touchscreen isn’t as sensitive or sexy. But it’s much better suited to using a stylus, which shows more global thinking on Nokia’s part. In countries like China, a stylus will be more useful for inputting characters from the local language. Apple’s approach is great for marketing; Nokia is being more pragmatic.

Many reviewers go bonkers over iPhone because it’s sexy, sleek and seemingly magical. Then there’s Apple’s App Store, which is hugely appealing. Apple’s smartphone is a sports car, and like a sports car there are sacrifices made for form over function. Apple’s sport is fast, but the gas tank (battery) isn’t as big, the engine has more horsepower (600MHz ARM processor) and the interior isn’t as roomy (no keyboard, lesser digicam, etc.).

I would compare the N97 to a Volvo. The smartphone looks and feels solid. Construction is of highest quality. The design isn’t sexy but sensible. Like a Volvo, the N97 oozes good engineering. Features aren’t just plentiful, they’re sensible. In my early testing, Nokia has found better balance of how the features work together than did Apple. For example, I have yet to find a feature that overtaxes the battery or performance. Some people drive sports cars, others Volvos. Others prefer cheaper cars (free cell phones).

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Sizing Up WWDC

Today, Apple kicked off its Worldwide Developer Conference with some expected and surprising announcements. I humbly offer my quick take on today’s news, which is really about an enticing collection of Apple stuff that fits oddly together.

iPhone 3GS
At $99, iPhone sales volume will go nuclear. The blast could literally incapacitate every other smartphone now sold or coming to market. Think of App Store as Apple’selectromagnetic pulse.

June 19 iPhone availability will disappoint many existing iPhone owners, who must wait until end of June or mid July before qualifying for subsidized pricing.

New 3-megapixel camera and video capture capabilities are, at best, catch up with other smartphones. Nokia, Samsung and Sony are already moving to 8-megapixel cameras and beyond.

Where Apple will distinguish iPhone 3GS photo and video capabilities is ease of use. The iPhone may not have the hardware as, say, the Nokia N97. But Apple is sure to make photos and videos easier to capture, use and share.

Apple is taking the right platform development approach by releasing APIs so that developers can build video capabilities right into their applications.

iPhone 3.0 OS
Apple boasts three types of push notifications. That’s three types too many. Apple should allow background applications, which is standard for Google, Microsoft, Nokia, Palm and Research in Motion mobile operating systems. Push notifications aren’t trailblazing so much as trailing behind competing features on other smartphones.

The new Find My iPhone feature is a smart way for Apple to upsell smartphone users to MobileMe, which costs $99 a year.

Apple claims 40 million iPhone OS capable devices, which is solid number for rapidly expanding App Store platform.

Apple’s exclusive distribution deal with AT&T is starting to be a hardship for iPhone. MMS will be available in other countries before United States. iPhone tethering also will be available elsewhere first, too.

The new ZipCar iPhone application demonstrates hardware, software and services utility as a platform. People can even unlock their ZipCar using the iPhone app. This kind of integration is what sets iPhone and App Store far ahead of other smartphone platforms.

Snow Leopard
Apple’s Snow Leopard pricing strategy is nothing short of shocking: $29 or $49 for a Family Pack. That pricing is for Leopard users. Clearly Apple wants its install base to move quickly to Mac OS X 10.6

Apple’s Snow Leopard pricing—$100 less than previous versions—will hurt software margins. Mac OS X upgrades have been easy money that Apple suddenly is willing to sacrifice. It’s a volume play, pricing so low that Apple must hope to make up in number of upgrades what it loses per copy.

Snow Leopard’s September release means Apple gets in front of Microsoft, which plans to launch Windows 7 on October 22nd. If for no other reason than marketing, Apple scores a coup over Microsoft.

Everyone should ask why Apple is willing to sell Snow Leopard for so little? The strategy clearly is about ramping up users quickly to the new platform. It’s about something coming next—perhaps App Store for Macs and iPhone?

There’s the smell of fear in Snow Leopard’s $29 upgrade pricing. Could it be Windows 7? Apple should be afraid. Microsoft and its partners will blanket the planet in Windows marketing this autumn. Everywhere you turn will be open Windows.

New MacBook Pricing
Apple isn’t giving up much of anything at the low end. People will still pay a premium to join the Mac Club. But the price for a substantially better Mac laptop is now much lower than yesterday.

It makes sense that Apple added “Pro” to the 13-inch MacBook name. The entry-level MacBook already packed Pro features.

The newest Pro model brings MacBook pricing down $100 to $1,199 or $1,499. For many consumers, the price will still be too high to join the Mac Club. Mac pricing is sweet music to Microsoft and its Windows 7 PC partners. The Windows symphony starts October 22nd, when Windows 7 officially goes on sale.

About a month ago, I said that Apple would need to bring MacBook Pro entry-level pricing down from $1,999 to $1,799. Apple did better by reducing the price to $1,699. There’s good value for the price, but it’s still a high price to pay in this economy.

Apple’s netbook equivalent is, for now, the MacBook Air. Like netbooks, Air is small and light but with more full laptop features. The $300 price cut, to $1,499, should open up sales volume.

Even at $1,499, MacBook Air costs $1,000 more than most Windows netbooks.

Miscellaneous
Apple’s stock dropped by nearly five percent during the early WWDC keynote. Perhaps Wall Street is freaking out over $29 Snow Leopard upgrades and Mac laptops entry-level pricing still well above $1,000.

Apple marketing gurus put on the charm by negatively comparing Internet Explorer 8 to Safari 4. That’s a misdirection. The browser Apple should worry about is Google Chrome, which is fast, slick, largely standards compliant and likely to take away user share from Safari before Internet Explorer.

[Update: This post was repurposed, edited and retitled from joewilcox.com on July 7, 2009.]

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