To call the new phone a success would have to be an understatement, and considering the pricing changes in their line it’s clear that Apple is going to become a player very quickly. However, to be fair, news phones like the Samsung Galaxy S II have sold 10 million in their first five months and Samsung is selling other phones, too.

On an even more positive note, Sprint is saying that the iPhone demand is high which only confirms that Apple made the right decision branching out into new carriers.

geek

The newcomer, Sprint, seems to be the leader in this race, but it would take a lot to pry my unlimited AT&T plan away. Anyone trying Sprint or switching around their carrier?

geek

Some interesting side notes:

• Steve Wozniac, Apple’s co-founder, was enjoying the excitement at the Los Gatos, California store last night. He “didn’t want to miss” this great event, even though we all know that he probably has two of the new phones hanging out in his Prius. As an aside, it’s nice to see that he’s taken the high-road and isn’t be accused of “cutting the line” like previous releases.
• The Pleasanton, California Apple store had about 250 people in line with some suggesting that the store had “1000′s of phones” of unknown configuration for unknown carriers. With the ever increasing number of SKUs that Apple has to manage for this release, it’s easy to see how 1000′s could quickly turn into “you’re not getting the phone you want.”
• Local news in the San Francisco Bay Area has caught the fever and are reporting regularly about all the people waiting for their new phone and how successful the launch is. In typical Apple fashion; yes, the launch is successful, woo hoo!

Share your stories, what are people seeing in the queue waiting for their Apple phone?

geek

They identify all the core pieces and it appears that just what you might already expect is in there. Nice to see, of course, the quality of Apple’s design, and equally amazing how much stuff they have crammed in there. Stop on over to the iFixit site and check out what they’re doing!

geek

On an up note, if you’re willing to start sitting outside your local Apple retail store it’s likely that they will have a bit of inventory on hand for those of you not wanting to pre-order their phone.

geek

While I’m sure Apple is doing the best they can to make this an easy upgrade process for developers, it’s frustrating, to say the least that after installing the new release of iTunes you will be unable to sync your beta 1 iOS 5 device until you have upgraded it to iOS beta 2. As those are ~750+MB downloads, it’s a bit frustrating. To resume syncing, connect you idevice and follow the upgrade process as you did when originally installing iOS 5; it will work successfully.

Some other highlights culled from notes and the internet:

• iTunes 10.5b2 can’t sync iOS 5 Beta 1 devices
• iOS5 Beta 1 devices can’t iMessage iOS5 Beta 2 devices and vice-versa
• WiFI Sync works with OSX Computers only (has to be enabled in iTunes 10.5 beta 2) – Sorry Windows users
• Over-the-Air (OTA) updates have been released – none current available
• General speed improvements (thank goodness) and bug fixes

That’s it for now – I will add more as I get it.

~geek

Some of the highlights:

• Fixes an occasional graphics glitch on the iPod Touch (4th generation)
• Resolves bugs related to connecting and activating on some cellular networks
• Fixes image flickering with Apple’s new Digital AV Adapter
• Resolves an issue authenticating with some enterprise web services

Curious to hear if you find anything else, but there you have it for today’s excitement.

geek

Of the products that were there, many seemed to be “coming soon,” and far less than ever before was really available to buy at the show. Overall, I walked away most of the cash that I came with, a couple of stickers, and a feeling of disappointment. I told my wife via text message that MacWorld was a lot like going to Fry’s, same size as the store, a lot of stuff that you would never buy, and shelf space showing stickers for stuff that you really wish you could buy.

So, what did I buy? Two items:

The “glif.” <link>  The Glif is a simple iPhone 4 accessory with two primary functions: mounting your iPhone onto a tripod and propping up your iPhone at various angles.  One of my favorite blogs had praised their design and after seeing it in person and realizing that it really is small and really useful.  The only downside is that it doesn’t work with any case, but the added functionality more than made up for any downside.  On the plus side, it is reported to be recyclable, made in the USA, and the packaging was minimal and some of the best that I have seen in a long time.  At the show price of $18, this seemed like a good deal.

The other “item” that I purchased was actually more of a kit, and that’s the Modulr <link> case for Apple’s iPad.  For $75 (show price), I purchased the modulr case and cover, slim mount, quick stand, shoulder strap, refrigerator mount (magnets) and hand strap.  Yes, that is about everything they offer at this point in time, but if I can get it all setup the way that I want it, I’m envisioning a lot of flexibility with how I use my iPad.  What I would say, like so many of the products out there today, the modulr case seems cheap to me.  Not in dollars, but in build quality.  It’s not terrible, but I consider the iPad an accessory and a piece of art.  I want whatever I am using with it to accentuate the product itself, even if I have to pay more for it.  That said, it fits well and does what it’s supposed to do.  We’ll see how well it holds up to use and if the practicality makes it outlive my beloved Apple case.

And that about sums up my experience at MacWorld 2011.  Too many cases.  Too much vaporware.  Not enough maturity in the market.  I sure hope for next year to be better, but I’d bet money that unless Apple decides to come back and pick up the show, it won’t be any more than another Fry’s store.

~geek

If there’s enough good stuff, I will even add more to this post later on.

~geek

As the words of this article are reaching the screen I, like many likely will, am wondering why HP, a company of such vast resources, would buy Palm, a company that has been floundering in recent years. Their last big success, the Treo, has been replaced many times over and their recent products were met with harsh criticism from even the staunchest Palm supporters. Hopefully they know better and we can all sit back and watch what they turn out of this acquisition.

~geek