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Apple’s iPad Vs RIM’s Playbook: Which Is Better?

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After Steve Jobs publicly dissed the Blackbery smartphones, RIM has not surprisingly gone after the iPad in an attempt to prove to companies and consumers that their Playbook is indeed superior to Apple’s “magical” device.

I know many of you are eager to see more of the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ in action. I’m excited to share the above video with you that we filmed with Matthew from the web browser group here at RIM, which demonstrates how the web browsing experience is coming together on the PlayBook.

On the video, Matthew quickly runs through a series of comparison tests with a PlayBook and iPad (running iOS 3.2.2), which demonstrate three things: the speed of the PlayBook Browser, its support for rich Adobe® Flash® content, and the performance of open web standards like HTML 5 on the PlayBook. (Inside Blackberry)

As you can see in the video above, the very fact that RIM supports flash is probably enough to convince a few individuals the superiority of the Playbook (which is rumored to be priced at $500).

However RIM’s open war against the iPad might be a mistake for a few reasons, one which their own video demonstrates above. [Read more…]

Originally posted on November 16, 2010 @ 2:05 pm

Verizon iPad Or Sprint iPhone?

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After rumors began surfacing over a Verizon iPhone, CEO Ivan Seidenberg decided to shatter the dreams of millions of iGeeks by dismissing the possibility of a Verizon iPhone in the near future.

Seidenberg, talking to investors at the Goldman Sachs Group Inc. conference in New York, said until Apple introduces a long term evolution (LTE) supported device, it will not be bringing any of the Cupertino based company’s phones to its network. Verizon said it’s excited about the build up of its LTE network, which will support fourth generation technology. Additionally, it said the company has done just fine with Google Android phones. (International Business Times) [Read more…]

Originally posted on September 24, 2010 @ 4:59 pm

Will Apple Release A Verizon iPad Instead Of An iPhone This January?

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After rumors of a Verizon iPhone surfaced, the geek world went crazy over the possibility that Apple would finally give US users carrier freedom without having to jailbreak their iDevices.

While an expansion of the iEmpire would benefit Cupertino tremendously (if not help thwart the rise of Android), Apple may choose to release a CDMA iPad instead of an iPhone to the disappointment of millions everywhere.

For those wondering why Apple would even consider such a move (which would create a river from millions of iTears), here are five (5!) reasons we will probably see a Verizon (or CDMA) iPad instead of an iPhone 4 in January of 2011. [Read more…]

Originally posted on August 12, 2010 @ 2:14 pm

Apple is Not Only Earning So Much from iPad Sales But from iWork Apps As Well

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Again, Apple has launched a successful product with the iPad, agree? Ok, whether you accept it or not, the fact still remains. Apple iPad is selling like hotcakes, stocks are depleted and would be owners are eagerly awaiting for Apple to deliver their iPad. Apple could very well be on its way to earning $1 Billion in revenue by this end of this quarter alone from iPad sales.

But aside from that, Apple is not only earning so much from unit sales of the iPad alone but also from the sale of its iWork apps for the iPad. In case you’re not aware, upon release of the iPad, Apple has also released the iPad version of its popular Mac Office Suite – iWork for iPad consisting of Pages (word processing), Keynotes (presentation) and Numbers (spreadsheets).

According to Business Insider, the iWork apps are on track to potentially generate more than $40 million in annual sales after earning more than $3 million in sales in April. Essentially, Apple has not only successfully launch a new product device but also made itself as the most successful iPad developer, in terms of revenue.

Wait, how did Business Insider came up with estimate $40 million iWork revenue for Apple? Here’s the explanation:

Based on discussions with top-ten iPad app developers, we estimate that the top paid iPad app does about 7,500 unit sales on a Saturday or Sunday, and about 2,500 unit sales on a weekday.

Apple’s apps have consistently been in the top ten for paid apps since the iPad was released. Pages has been no. 1 for much of the time. All three have led the top-grossing listings as well.

So, we did some back-of-the-envelope math:

  • In a typical week… 7,500 downloads per app x 2 weekend days, and 2,500 downloads per app x 5 weekdays, = about 27,500 weekly unit downloads per app.
  • We multiplied that by the number of apps — three — and the $10 per app Apple charges, and get about $825,000 per week. (We are assuming that the three apps are roughly selling the same number of units, even though surely the top-ranked app of the three is selling more units than the third-ranked app.)

I’ll leave the analysis to you as I’m not so much into this kind of stuff.

But the important thing to note here is that with the success of the iWork, Apple is proving that the iPad is not only a content consumption device like what others may previously believed. Certainly, this is not what Apple want people to perceive the iPad is. That’s why the availability of these three iWork apps from the very beginning. Apple wants the iPad to be a content creation and productivity tool as well.

It may not be very obvious, but Apple certainly carving in the niche for the iPad which could in the long run replace the netbook market.

Originally posted on May 10, 2010 @ 5:54 pm

Gowalla iPad App Looks Great, Where Are Thou Foursquare?

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I just installed Gowalla on my iPad and was immediately blown away by its nice interface the moment I fire up the app. Gowalla has just launched their iPad app and is now available for free download from the iPad App Store.

Gowalla’s main page displays a Google Map right-fitted into the iPad’s huge screen showing the spots where you’re friends and other Gowalla members have checked-in.  If you turn your iPad to landscape mode, the screen will be split into two, with the left column displaying Activity, Spots and Passport and the right column displaying the Google Map.

If you clicked on any recent activity of your friends, the right column will display your friend’s activity as well as the different comments put in by his friends. You can add your comments as well. Now if you click on the spot where your friend has checked-in the right column will display a placeholder for that spot with a Google map, information about the spot and the list of people who have been on that spot. If you’re in the said spot, you can also check-in. Or if you’re not into the said spot but wants to go there you can tap on  “Get Directions” and Google Maps will show you the fastest route to get there.

Next to the Activity tab is the “Spots” tab. Tap on it and the huge Google Map will be displayed with icons on specific places. This is one aspect which makes Gowalla for the iPad fun. The icons are huge and adds excitement to the overall Gowalla interface. [Read more…]

Originally posted on April 30, 2010 @ 8:34 am