What I learned by sitting in an Apple store during WWDC

Yesterday morning I was in the San Francisco Apple Store. I was watching these sites:

1. FriendFeed. Refreshed it every 15 seconds.
2. MacRumorsLive. Automatically was refreshing on a browser.
3. TechCrunch, when I could get to it.
4. Engadget. Refreshing every 15 seconds.
5. Gizmodo. Refreshing every 15 seconds.
6. TechMeme (which, now, is showing all the best posts).

Plus, there were lots of Apple fans in the store and many were doing similar routines to me (refreshing pages trying to learn the latest news).

So, what did I learn?

Well, for one, FriendFeed was better than any of the other sites. Why? Because it had all the sites and more. Most of the time I learned about the latest Steve Jobs announcent on FriendFeed 45 seconds before I saw it pop up on MacRumorsLive. It was consistent enough that it amazed me.

Plus, the commentary was higher quality there.

Plus, people would point out who had the best stuff. The community was doing comparison shopping in live time and it was glorious for someone like me.

At the end of the day I knew before anyone else in the store that there wouldn’t be anything shipped yesterday. There were still 20 people in line when I left and they didn’t believe me that a phone wouldn’t be coming. I said “I have friends at the show and they say there’s nothing coming.” They wanted to believe. I let them believe and left.

I did something different this time, though. I “liked” each good Tweet, each blog, each photo, etc. that came in. Hundreds of them. I wish I could repost them all here, but that wouldn’t be any fun because it’s pretty much old news anyway.

But my Discussion page was rocking and rolling with new things showing up there every few seconds. Overall the consensus was FriendFeed was best, MacRumorsLive was close second, and Gizmodo had the best photos.

Some key points that are being missed:

1. The new iPhone is NOT that much cheaper. Yeah, it’s $199, but you have to sign a two-year-contract and the 3G network plan is $10 a month more expensive. So, do the math. It isn’t cheaper.

2. The camera continues to disappoint. It really sucks compared to my Nokia N82. When I get my new 3G I’ll do some demonstrations.

3. Video? Not a word. Steve Jobs usually makes a big deal of things when he has them, especially sexy things like video. Nokia is safe for another generation because of this one feature alone.

Other things I liked?

1. GPS. I wonder if Apple is going to do something really cool with this.

2. Battery life. Longer is better and this delivers.

Put it all together and I’ll buy one. But I’d buy one even if it were a pile of dung. Why? To be able to tell you it’s a pile of dung, of course. So take that with a grain of salt.

Anyway, the lesson I learned is that FriendFeed was a major winner today.

Oh, and VentureBeat deserves the credit for posting to FriendFeed directly. That was a major reason why FriendFeed was faster than the other major blogs. Look at the conversation underneath each post, this was happening in live time and was really great for me to see how things were being perceived.

155 thoughts on “What I learned by sitting in an Apple store during WWDC

  1. I dont like that mac is cheating us on prices. making a big deal about the 199 tag when its actually much more than that when you do the math on the 2 year contract. It sounds microsofty to me. in fact on my blog http://www.technoboogie.squarespace.com i wrote that i found the two new products to be a bit of a bummer, because they both lock you into paying more.

    I think a free iphone and free sync storage would be the best win for the consumers….

    Like

  2. I dont like that mac is cheating us on prices. making a big deal about the 199 tag when its actually much more than that when you do the math on the 2 year contract. It sounds microsofty to me. in fact on my blog http://www.technoboogie.squarespace.com i wrote that i found the two new products to be a bit of a bummer, because they both lock you into paying more.

    I think a free iphone and free sync storage would be the best win for the consumers….

    Like

  3. I dont like that mac is cheating us on prices. making a big deal about the 199 tag when its actually much more than that when you do the math on the 2 year contract. It sounds microsofty to me. in fact on my blog http://www.technoboogie.squarespace.com i wrote that i found the two new products to be a bit of a bummer, because they both lock you into paying more.

    I think a free iphone and free sync storage would be the best win for the consumers….

    Like

  4. I dont like that mac is cheating us on prices. making a big deal about the 199 tag when its actually much more than that when you do the math on the 2 year contract. It sounds microsofty to me. in fact on my blog http://www.technoboogie.squarespace.com i wrote that i found the two new products to be a bit of a bummer, because they both lock you into paying more.

    I think a free iphone and free sync storage would be the best win for the consumers….

    Like

  5. I dont like that mac is cheating us on prices. making a big deal about the 199 tag when its actually much more than that when you do the math on the 2 year contract. It sounds microsofty to me. in fact on my blog http://www.technoboogie.squarespace.com i wrote that i found the two new products to be a bit of a bummer, because they both lock you into paying more.

    I think a free iphone and free sync storage would be the best win for the consumers….

    Like

  6. I dont like that mac is cheating us on prices. making a big deal about the 199 tag when its actually much more than that when you do the math on the 2 year contract. It sounds microsofty to me. in fact on my blog http://www.technoboogie.squarespace.com i wrote that i found the two new products to be a bit of a bummer, because they both lock you into paying more.

    I think a free iphone and free sync storage would be the best win for the consumers….

    Like

  7. I dont like that mac is cheating us on prices. making a big deal about the 199 tag when its actually much more than that when you do the math on the 2 year contract. It sounds microsofty to me. in fact on my blog http://www.technoboogie.squarespace.com i wrote that i found the two new products to be a bit of a bummer, because they both lock you into paying more.

    I think a free iphone and free sync storage would be the best win for the consumers….

    Like

  8. I dont like that mac is cheating us on prices. making a big deal about the 199 tag when its actually much more than that when you do the math on the 2 year contract. It sounds microsofty to me. in fact on my blog http://www.technoboogie.squarespace.com i wrote that i found the two new products to be a bit of a bummer, because they both lock you into paying more.

    I think a free iphone and free sync storage would be the best win for the consumers….

    Like

  9. I dont like that mac is cheating us on prices. making a big deal about the 199 tag when its actually much more than that when you do the math on the 2 year contract. It sounds microsofty to me. in fact on my blog http://www.technoboogie.squarespace.com i wrote that i found the two new products to be a bit of a bummer, because they both lock you into paying more.

    I think a free iphone and free sync storage would be the best win for the consumers….

    Like

  10. I dont like that mac is cheating us on prices. making a big deal about the 199 tag when its actually much more than that when you do the math on the 2 year contract. It sounds microsofty to me. in fact on my blog http://www.technoboogie.squarespace.com i wrote that i found the two new products to be a bit of a bummer, because they both lock you into paying more.

    I think a free iphone and free sync storage would be the best win for the consumers….

    Like

  11. I dont like that mac is cheating us on prices. making a big deal about the 199 tag when its actually much more than that when you do the math on the 2 year contract. It sounds microsofty to me. in fact on my blog http://www.technoboogie.squarespace.com i wrote that i found the two new products to be a bit of a bummer, because they both lock you into paying more.

    I think a free iphone and free sync storage would be the best win for the consumers….

    Like

  12. Great news in the UK is that the new iPhone will be available on a Pay as You Go. With the price drop as well, it means that it’s worth buying to play around with, without having to change providers.

    They’re going to be able to drive sales with this (which has been sluggish) as it’s potentially going to be more attractive to teens plus everyone else who’s still in a contract.

    Like

  13. Great news in the UK is that the new iPhone will be available on a Pay as You Go. With the price drop as well, it means that it’s worth buying to play around with, without having to change providers.

    They’re going to be able to drive sales with this (which has been sluggish) as it’s potentially going to be more attractive to teens plus everyone else who’s still in a contract.

    Like

  14. Great news in the UK is that the new iPhone will be available on a Pay as You Go. With the price drop as well, it means that it’s worth buying to play around with, without having to change providers.

    They’re going to be able to drive sales with this (which has been sluggish) as it’s potentially going to be more attractive to teens plus everyone else who’s still in a contract.

    Like

  15. Great news in the UK is that the new iPhone will be available on a Pay as You Go. With the price drop as well, it means that it’s worth buying to play around with, without having to change providers.

    They’re going to be able to drive sales with this (which has been sluggish) as it’s potentially going to be more attractive to teens plus everyone else who’s still in a contract.

    Like

  16. Great news in the UK is that the new iPhone will be available on a Pay as You Go. With the price drop as well, it means that it’s worth buying to play around with, without having to change providers.

    They’re going to be able to drive sales with this (which has been sluggish) as it’s potentially going to be more attractive to teens plus everyone else who’s still in a contract.

    Like

  17. Great news in the UK is that the new iPhone will be available on a Pay as You Go. With the price drop as well, it means that it’s worth buying to play around with, without having to change providers.

    They’re going to be able to drive sales with this (which has been sluggish) as it’s potentially going to be more attractive to teens plus everyone else who’s still in a contract.

    Like

  18. Great news in the UK is that the new iPhone will be available on a Pay as You Go. With the price drop as well, it means that it’s worth buying to play around with, without having to change providers.

    They’re going to be able to drive sales with this (which has been sluggish) as it’s potentially going to be more attractive to teens plus everyone else who’s still in a contract.

    Like

  19. Great news in the UK is that the new iPhone will be available on a Pay as You Go. With the price drop as well, it means that it’s worth buying to play around with, without having to change providers.

    They’re going to be able to drive sales with this (which has been sluggish) as it’s potentially going to be more attractive to teens plus everyone else who’s still in a contract.

    Like

  20. Great news in the UK is that the new iPhone will be available on a Pay as You Go. With the price drop as well, it means that it’s worth buying to play around with, without having to change providers.

    They’re going to be able to drive sales with this (which has been sluggish) as it’s potentially going to be more attractive to teens plus everyone else who’s still in a contract.

    Like

  21. Great news in the UK is that the new iPhone will be available on a Pay as You Go. With the price drop as well, it means that it’s worth buying to play around with, without having to change providers.

    They’re going to be able to drive sales with this (which has been sluggish) as it’s potentially going to be more attractive to teens plus everyone else who’s still in a contract.

    Like

  22. Great news in the UK is that the new iPhone will be available on a Pay as You Go. With the price drop as well, it means that it’s worth buying to play around with, without having to change providers.

    They’re going to be able to drive sales with this (which has been sluggish) as it’s potentially going to be more attractive to teens plus everyone else who’s still in a contract.

    Like

  23. Of course, if you were in BoingBoing’s IRC channel, you got all the news much faster than you would have hitting refresh on FriendFeed. Or you could have listened to the live audio stream of the keynote that someone managed to get running on Ustream.

    But hey – never let an opportunity to plug your latest obsession go to waste Robert đŸ™‚

    Like

  24. Of course, if you were in BoingBoing’s IRC channel, you got all the news much faster than you would have hitting refresh on FriendFeed. Or you could have listened to the live audio stream of the keynote that someone managed to get running on Ustream.

    But hey – never let an opportunity to plug your latest obsession go to waste Robert đŸ™‚

    Like

  25. Of course, if you were in BoingBoing’s IRC channel, you got all the news much faster than you would have hitting refresh on FriendFeed. Or you could have listened to the live audio stream of the keynote that someone managed to get running on Ustream.

    But hey – never let an opportunity to plug your latest obsession go to waste Robert đŸ™‚

    Like

  26. Of course, if you were in BoingBoing’s IRC channel, you got all the news much faster than you would have hitting refresh on FriendFeed. Or you could have listened to the live audio stream of the keynote that someone managed to get running on Ustream.

    But hey – never let an opportunity to plug your latest obsession go to waste Robert đŸ™‚

    Like

  27. Of course, if you were in BoingBoing’s IRC channel, you got all the news much faster than you would have hitting refresh on FriendFeed. Or you could have listened to the live audio stream of the keynote that someone managed to get running on Ustream.

    But hey – never let an opportunity to plug your latest obsession go to waste Robert đŸ™‚

    Like

  28. Of course, if you were in BoingBoing’s IRC channel, you got all the news much faster than you would have hitting refresh on FriendFeed. Or you could have listened to the live audio stream of the keynote that someone managed to get running on Ustream.

    But hey – never let an opportunity to plug your latest obsession go to waste Robert đŸ™‚

    Like

  29. Of course, if you were in BoingBoing’s IRC channel, you got all the news much faster than you would have hitting refresh on FriendFeed. Or you could have listened to the live audio stream of the keynote that someone managed to get running on Ustream.

    But hey – never let an opportunity to plug your latest obsession go to waste Robert đŸ™‚

    Like

  30. Of course, if you were in BoingBoing’s IRC channel, you got all the news much faster than you would have hitting refresh on FriendFeed. Or you could have listened to the live audio stream of the keynote that someone managed to get running on Ustream.

    But hey – never let an opportunity to plug your latest obsession go to waste Robert đŸ™‚

    Like

  31. Of course, if you were in BoingBoing’s IRC channel, you got all the news much faster than you would have hitting refresh on FriendFeed. Or you could have listened to the live audio stream of the keynote that someone managed to get running on Ustream.

    But hey – never let an opportunity to plug your latest obsession go to waste Robert đŸ™‚

    Like

  32. Of course, if you were in BoingBoing’s IRC channel, you got all the news much faster than you would have hitting refresh on FriendFeed. Or you could have listened to the live audio stream of the keynote that someone managed to get running on Ustream.

    But hey – never let an opportunity to plug your latest obsession go to waste Robert đŸ™‚

    Like

  33. Of course, if you were in BoingBoing’s IRC channel, you got all the news much faster than you would have hitting refresh on FriendFeed. Or you could have listened to the live audio stream of the keynote that someone managed to get running on Ustream.

    But hey – never let an opportunity to plug your latest obsession go to waste Robert đŸ™‚

    Like

  34. Also the mobileme.com services have an applicable charge which I am guessing is more money out of the consumers’ pocket. Correct?

    Like

  35. Also the mobileme.com services have an applicable charge which I am guessing is more money out of the consumers’ pocket. Correct?

    Like

  36. It was subsidized, they could have still charged an arm and leg for the phone too and still required a 2 year contract hell. Phone cheaper, yes, overall ROI? Most likely more. Marketing gimmick really, Apple makes great stuff, but get out the credit cards, not sure why this is news. It’s a cult that you have to continually pay for, pay to be “cool”.

    Like

  37. It was subsidized, they could have still charged an arm and leg for the phone too and still required a 2 year contract hell. Phone cheaper, yes, overall ROI? Most likely more. Marketing gimmick really, Apple makes great stuff, but get out the credit cards, not sure why this is news. It’s a cult that you have to continually pay for, pay to be “cool”.

    Like

  38. It was subsidized, they could have still charged an arm and leg for the phone too and still required a 2 year contract hell. Phone cheaper, yes, overall ROI? Most likely more. Marketing gimmick really, Apple makes great stuff, but get out the credit cards, not sure why this is news. It’s a cult that you have to continually pay for, pay to be “cool”.

    Like

  39. It was subsidized, they could have still charged an arm and leg for the phone too and still required a 2 year contract hell. Phone cheaper, yes, overall ROI? Most likely more. Marketing gimmick really, Apple makes great stuff, but get out the credit cards, not sure why this is news. It’s a cult that you have to continually pay for, pay to be “cool”.

    Like

  40. It was subsidized, they could have still charged an arm and leg for the phone too and still required a 2 year contract hell. Phone cheaper, yes, overall ROI? Most likely more. Marketing gimmick really, Apple makes great stuff, but get out the credit cards, not sure why this is news. It’s a cult that you have to continually pay for, pay to be “cool”.

    Like

  41. It was subsidized, they could have still charged an arm and leg for the phone too and still required a 2 year contract hell. Phone cheaper, yes, overall ROI? Most likely more. Marketing gimmick really, Apple makes great stuff, but get out the credit cards, not sure why this is news. It’s a cult that you have to continually pay for, pay to be “cool”.

    Like

  42. It was subsidized, they could have still charged an arm and leg for the phone too and still required a 2 year contract hell. Phone cheaper, yes, overall ROI? Most likely more. Marketing gimmick really, Apple makes great stuff, but get out the credit cards, not sure why this is news. It’s a cult that you have to continually pay for, pay to be “cool”.

    Like

  43. It was subsidized, they could have still charged an arm and leg for the phone too and still required a 2 year contract hell. Phone cheaper, yes, overall ROI? Most likely more. Marketing gimmick really, Apple makes great stuff, but get out the credit cards, not sure why this is news. It’s a cult that you have to continually pay for, pay to be “cool”.

    Like

  44. It was subsidized, they could have still charged an arm and leg for the phone too and still required a 2 year contract hell. Phone cheaper, yes, overall ROI? Most likely more. Marketing gimmick really, Apple makes great stuff, but get out the credit cards, not sure why this is news. It’s a cult that you have to continually pay for, pay to be “cool”.

    Like

  45. It was subsidized, they could have still charged an arm and leg for the phone too and still required a 2 year contract hell. Phone cheaper, yes, overall ROI? Most likely more. Marketing gimmick really, Apple makes great stuff, but get out the credit cards, not sure why this is news. It’s a cult that you have to continually pay for, pay to be “cool”.

    Like

  46. It was subsidized, they could have still charged an arm and leg for the phone too and still required a 2 year contract hell. Phone cheaper, yes, overall ROI? Most likely more. Marketing gimmick really, Apple makes great stuff, but get out the credit cards, not sure why this is news. It’s a cult that you have to continually pay for, pay to be “cool”.

    Like

  47. And the $9.99 apps from appstore ? đŸ™‚ This is going to be one heavy investment. Which is why I’ve decided to hold on to my old iphone for now. I think I can live without the 3G and GPS.
    I guess the revenue separation happened because Apple wouldn’t share its revenues from the app store with ATT. ATT doesn’t seem to have any bargaining power at all in this relationship.

    Like

  48. And the $9.99 apps from appstore ? đŸ™‚ This is going to be one heavy investment. Which is why I’ve decided to hold on to my old iphone for now. I think I can live without the 3G and GPS.
    I guess the revenue separation happened because Apple wouldn’t share its revenues from the app store with ATT. ATT doesn’t seem to have any bargaining power at all in this relationship.

    Like

  49. And the $9.99 apps from appstore ? đŸ™‚ This is going to be one heavy investment. Which is why I’ve decided to hold on to my old iphone for now. I think I can live without the 3G and GPS.
    I guess the revenue separation happened because Apple wouldn’t share its revenues from the app store with ATT. ATT doesn’t seem to have any bargaining power at all in this relationship.

    Like

  50. And the $9.99 apps from appstore ? đŸ™‚ This is going to be one heavy investment. Which is why I’ve decided to hold on to my old iphone for now. I think I can live without the 3G and GPS.
    I guess the revenue separation happened because Apple wouldn’t share its revenues from the app store with ATT. ATT doesn’t seem to have any bargaining power at all in this relationship.

    Like

  51. And the $9.99 apps from appstore ? đŸ™‚ This is going to be one heavy investment. Which is why I’ve decided to hold on to my old iphone for now. I think I can live without the 3G and GPS.
    I guess the revenue separation happened because Apple wouldn’t share its revenues from the app store with ATT. ATT doesn’t seem to have any bargaining power at all in this relationship.

    Like

  52. And the $9.99 apps from appstore ? đŸ™‚ This is going to be one heavy investment. Which is why I’ve decided to hold on to my old iphone for now. I think I can live without the 3G and GPS.
    I guess the revenue separation happened because Apple wouldn’t share its revenues from the app store with ATT. ATT doesn’t seem to have any bargaining power at all in this relationship.

    Like

  53. And the $9.99 apps from appstore ? đŸ™‚ This is going to be one heavy investment. Which is why I’ve decided to hold on to my old iphone for now. I think I can live without the 3G and GPS.
    I guess the revenue separation happened because Apple wouldn’t share its revenues from the app store with ATT. ATT doesn’t seem to have any bargaining power at all in this relationship.

    Like

  54. And the $9.99 apps from appstore ? đŸ™‚ This is going to be one heavy investment. Which is why I’ve decided to hold on to my old iphone for now. I think I can live without the 3G and GPS.
    I guess the revenue separation happened because Apple wouldn’t share its revenues from the app store with ATT. ATT doesn’t seem to have any bargaining power at all in this relationship.

    Like

  55. And the $9.99 apps from appstore ? đŸ™‚ This is going to be one heavy investment. Which is why I’ve decided to hold on to my old iphone for now. I think I can live without the 3G and GPS.
    I guess the revenue separation happened because Apple wouldn’t share its revenues from the app store with ATT. ATT doesn’t seem to have any bargaining power at all in this relationship.

    Like

  56. And the $9.99 apps from appstore ? đŸ™‚ This is going to be one heavy investment. Which is why I’ve decided to hold on to my old iphone for now. I think I can live without the 3G and GPS.
    I guess the revenue separation happened because Apple wouldn’t share its revenues from the app store with ATT. ATT doesn’t seem to have any bargaining power at all in this relationship.

    Like

  57. And the $9.99 apps from appstore ? đŸ™‚ This is going to be one heavy investment. Which is why I’ve decided to hold on to my old iphone for now. I think I can live without the 3G and GPS.
    I guess the revenue separation happened because Apple wouldn’t share its revenues from the app store with ATT. ATT doesn’t seem to have any bargaining power at all in this relationship.

    Like

  58. Does anyone know what will happen to the existing iphone at&t plan when they start selling the new iphone? I was trying to do the math if I should pick up an iphone on ebay (which will have the same capabilities except 3g and GPS) or wait for the new 3G model.

    Like

  59. Does anyone know what will happen to the existing iphone at&t plan when they start selling the new iphone? I was trying to do the math if I should pick up an iphone on ebay (which will have the same capabilities except 3g and GPS) or wait for the new 3G model.

    Like

  60. Does anyone know what will happen to the existing iphone at&t plan when they start selling the new iphone? I was trying to do the math if I should pick up an iphone on ebay (which will have the same capabilities except 3g and GPS) or wait for the new 3G model.

    Like

  61. Does anyone know what will happen to the existing iphone at&t plan when they start selling the new iphone? I was trying to do the math if I should pick up an iphone on ebay (which will have the same capabilities except 3g and GPS) or wait for the new 3G model.

    Like

  62. Does anyone know what will happen to the existing iphone at&t plan when they start selling the new iphone? I was trying to do the math if I should pick up an iphone on ebay (which will have the same capabilities except 3g and GPS) or wait for the new 3G model.

    Like

  63. Does anyone know what will happen to the existing iphone at&t plan when they start selling the new iphone? I was trying to do the math if I should pick up an iphone on ebay (which will have the same capabilities except 3g and GPS) or wait for the new 3G model.

    Like

  64. Does anyone know what will happen to the existing iphone at&t plan when they start selling the new iphone? I was trying to do the math if I should pick up an iphone on ebay (which will have the same capabilities except 3g and GPS) or wait for the new 3G model.

    Like

  65. Does anyone know what will happen to the existing iphone at&t plan when they start selling the new iphone? I was trying to do the math if I should pick up an iphone on ebay (which will have the same capabilities except 3g and GPS) or wait for the new 3G model.

    Like

  66. Does anyone know what will happen to the existing iphone at&t plan when they start selling the new iphone? I was trying to do the math if I should pick up an iphone on ebay (which will have the same capabilities except 3g and GPS) or wait for the new 3G model.

    Like

  67. Does anyone know what will happen to the existing iphone at&t plan when they start selling the new iphone? I was trying to do the math if I should pick up an iphone on ebay (which will have the same capabilities except 3g and GPS) or wait for the new 3G model.

    Like

  68. Does anyone know what will happen to the existing iphone at&t plan when they start selling the new iphone? I was trying to do the math if I should pick up an iphone on ebay (which will have the same capabilities except 3g and GPS) or wait for the new 3G model.

    Like

  69. why be upset with Apple? they are running a business and selling products/services that people want. I have no problem with them coming out with a new generation and better product offering and charging more over the life of ownership. It doesn’t make sense to not do that and to market it exactly how they are marketing it. It is the only incentive to keep innovating.

    smart business move. great products. solid strategy. smart pricing.

    Like

  70. why be upset with Apple? they are running a business and selling products/services that people want. I have no problem with them coming out with a new generation and better product offering and charging more over the life of ownership. It doesn’t make sense to not do that and to market it exactly how they are marketing it. It is the only incentive to keep innovating.

    smart business move. great products. solid strategy. smart pricing.

    Like

  71. why be upset with Apple? they are running a business and selling products/services that people want. I have no problem with them coming out with a new generation and better product offering and charging more over the life of ownership. It doesn’t make sense to not do that and to market it exactly how they are marketing it. It is the only incentive to keep innovating.

    smart business move. great products. solid strategy. smart pricing.

    Like

  72. why be upset with Apple? they are running a business and selling products/services that people want. I have no problem with them coming out with a new generation and better product offering and charging more over the life of ownership. It doesn’t make sense to not do that and to market it exactly how they are marketing it. It is the only incentive to keep innovating.

    smart business move. great products. solid strategy. smart pricing.

    Like

  73. why be upset with Apple? they are running a business and selling products/services that people want. I have no problem with them coming out with a new generation and better product offering and charging more over the life of ownership. It doesn’t make sense to not do that and to market it exactly how they are marketing it. It is the only incentive to keep innovating.

    smart business move. great products. solid strategy. smart pricing.

    Like

  74. why be upset with Apple? they are running a business and selling products/services that people want. I have no problem with them coming out with a new generation and better product offering and charging more over the life of ownership. It doesn’t make sense to not do that and to market it exactly how they are marketing it. It is the only incentive to keep innovating.

    smart business move. great products. solid strategy. smart pricing.

    Like

  75. why be upset with Apple? they are running a business and selling products/services that people want. I have no problem with them coming out with a new generation and better product offering and charging more over the life of ownership. It doesn’t make sense to not do that and to market it exactly how they are marketing it. It is the only incentive to keep innovating.

    smart business move. great products. solid strategy. smart pricing.

    Like

  76. why be upset with Apple? they are running a business and selling products/services that people want. I have no problem with them coming out with a new generation and better product offering and charging more over the life of ownership. It doesn’t make sense to not do that and to market it exactly how they are marketing it. It is the only incentive to keep innovating.

    smart business move. great products. solid strategy. smart pricing.

    Like

  77. why be upset with Apple? they are running a business and selling products/services that people want. I have no problem with them coming out with a new generation and better product offering and charging more over the life of ownership. It doesn’t make sense to not do that and to market it exactly how they are marketing it. It is the only incentive to keep innovating.

    smart business move. great products. solid strategy. smart pricing.

    Like

  78. why be upset with Apple? they are running a business and selling products/services that people want. I have no problem with them coming out with a new generation and better product offering and charging more over the life of ownership. It doesn’t make sense to not do that and to market it exactly how they are marketing it. It is the only incentive to keep innovating.

    smart business move. great products. solid strategy. smart pricing.

    Like

  79. why be upset with Apple? they are running a business and selling products/services that people want. I have no problem with them coming out with a new generation and better product offering and charging more over the life of ownership. It doesn’t make sense to not do that and to market it exactly how they are marketing it. It is the only incentive to keep innovating.

    smart business move. great products. solid strategy. smart pricing.

    Like

  80. > Video? Not a word. Steve Jobs usually makes a big deal of things when he has them, especially sexy things like video. Nokia is safe for another generation because of this one feature alone.

    Nope. Video recording is already possible with a jailbroken 1st gen iPhone via a third-party app. I’ve used it myself and it works pretty well. The only thing required for iPhone 3G video recording is software, so I’m sure something will be available whether it’s part of the base iPhone software or in the App Store.

    Like

  81. > Video? Not a word. Steve Jobs usually makes a big deal of things when he has them, especially sexy things like video. Nokia is safe for another generation because of this one feature alone.

    Nope. Video recording is already possible with a jailbroken 1st gen iPhone via a third-party app. I’ve used it myself and it works pretty well. The only thing required for iPhone 3G video recording is software, so I’m sure something will be available whether it’s part of the base iPhone software or in the App Store.

    Like

  82. > Video? Not a word. Steve Jobs usually makes a big deal of things when he has them, especially sexy things like video. Nokia is safe for another generation because of this one feature alone.

    Nope. Video recording is already possible with a jailbroken 1st gen iPhone via a third-party app. I’ve used it myself and it works pretty well. The only thing required for iPhone 3G video recording is software, so I’m sure something will be available whether it’s part of the base iPhone software or in the App Store.

    Like

  83. > Video? Not a word. Steve Jobs usually makes a big deal of things when he has them, especially sexy things like video. Nokia is safe for another generation because of this one feature alone.

    Nope. Video recording is already possible with a jailbroken 1st gen iPhone via a third-party app. I’ve used it myself and it works pretty well. The only thing required for iPhone 3G video recording is software, so I’m sure something will be available whether it’s part of the base iPhone software or in the App Store.

    Like

  84. > Video? Not a word. Steve Jobs usually makes a big deal of things when he has them, especially sexy things like video. Nokia is safe for another generation because of this one feature alone.

    Nope. Video recording is already possible with a jailbroken 1st gen iPhone via a third-party app. I’ve used it myself and it works pretty well. The only thing required for iPhone 3G video recording is software, so I’m sure something will be available whether it’s part of the base iPhone software or in the App Store.

    Like

  85. > Video? Not a word. Steve Jobs usually makes a big deal of things when he has them, especially sexy things like video. Nokia is safe for another generation because of this one feature alone.

    Nope. Video recording is already possible with a jailbroken 1st gen iPhone via a third-party app. I’ve used it myself and it works pretty well. The only thing required for iPhone 3G video recording is software, so I’m sure something will be available whether it’s part of the base iPhone software or in the App Store.

    Like

  86. > Video? Not a word. Steve Jobs usually makes a big deal of things when he has them, especially sexy things like video. Nokia is safe for another generation because of this one feature alone.

    Nope. Video recording is already possible with a jailbroken 1st gen iPhone via a third-party app. I’ve used it myself and it works pretty well. The only thing required for iPhone 3G video recording is software, so I’m sure something will be available whether it’s part of the base iPhone software or in the App Store.

    Like

  87. > Video? Not a word. Steve Jobs usually makes a big deal of things when he has them, especially sexy things like video. Nokia is safe for another generation because of this one feature alone.

    Nope. Video recording is already possible with a jailbroken 1st gen iPhone via a third-party app. I’ve used it myself and it works pretty well. The only thing required for iPhone 3G video recording is software, so I’m sure something will be available whether it’s part of the base iPhone software or in the App Store.

    Like

  88. > Video? Not a word. Steve Jobs usually makes a big deal of things when he has them, especially sexy things like video. Nokia is safe for another generation because of this one feature alone.

    Nope. Video recording is already possible with a jailbroken 1st gen iPhone via a third-party app. I’ve used it myself and it works pretty well. The only thing required for iPhone 3G video recording is software, so I’m sure something will be available whether it’s part of the base iPhone software or in the App Store.

    Like

  89. > Video? Not a word. Steve Jobs usually makes a big deal of things when he has them, especially sexy things like video. Nokia is safe for another generation because of this one feature alone.

    Nope. Video recording is already possible with a jailbroken 1st gen iPhone via a third-party app. I’ve used it myself and it works pretty well. The only thing required for iPhone 3G video recording is software, so I’m sure something will be available whether it’s part of the base iPhone software or in the App Store.

    Like

  90. > Video? Not a word. Steve Jobs usually makes a big deal of things when he has them, especially sexy things like video. Nokia is safe for another generation because of this one feature alone.

    Nope. Video recording is already possible with a jailbroken 1st gen iPhone via a third-party app. I’ve used it myself and it works pretty well. The only thing required for iPhone 3G video recording is software, so I’m sure something will be available whether it’s part of the base iPhone software or in the App Store.

    Like

  91. Besides what Lou Paglia said, Apple is the wrong target for disappointment or anger over pricing. It’s been widely reported that Apple will no longer be sharing revenue from the service, so *they* aren’t taking more money from you over the life of the contract. It’s AT&T getting that extra $10, and it’s AT&T requiring the 2-year contract (which is understandable if they’re the ones taking the hit for the price reduction).

    Like

  92. Besides what Lou Paglia said, Apple is the wrong target for disappointment or anger over pricing. It’s been widely reported that Apple will no longer be sharing revenue from the service, so *they* aren’t taking more money from you over the life of the contract. It’s AT&T getting that extra $10, and it’s AT&T requiring the 2-year contract (which is understandable if they’re the ones taking the hit for the price reduction).

    Like

  93. Besides what Lou Paglia said, Apple is the wrong target for disappointment or anger over pricing. It’s been widely reported that Apple will no longer be sharing revenue from the service, so *they* aren’t taking more money from you over the life of the contract. It’s AT&T getting that extra $10, and it’s AT&T requiring the 2-year contract (which is understandable if they’re the ones taking the hit for the price reduction).

    Like

  94. Besides what Lou Paglia said, Apple is the wrong target for disappointment or anger over pricing. It’s been widely reported that Apple will no longer be sharing revenue from the service, so *they* aren’t taking more money from you over the life of the contract. It’s AT&T getting that extra $10, and it’s AT&T requiring the 2-year contract (which is understandable if they’re the ones taking the hit for the price reduction).

    Like

  95. Besides what Lou Paglia said, Apple is the wrong target for disappointment or anger over pricing. It’s been widely reported that Apple will no longer be sharing revenue from the service, so *they* aren’t taking more money from you over the life of the contract. It’s AT&T getting that extra $10, and it’s AT&T requiring the 2-year contract (which is understandable if they’re the ones taking the hit for the price reduction).

    Like

  96. Besides what Lou Paglia said, Apple is the wrong target for disappointment or anger over pricing. It’s been widely reported that Apple will no longer be sharing revenue from the service, so *they* aren’t taking more money from you over the life of the contract. It’s AT&T getting that extra $10, and it’s AT&T requiring the 2-year contract (which is understandable if they’re the ones taking the hit for the price reduction).

    Like

  97. Besides what Lou Paglia said, Apple is the wrong target for disappointment or anger over pricing. It’s been widely reported that Apple will no longer be sharing revenue from the service, so *they* aren’t taking more money from you over the life of the contract. It’s AT&T getting that extra $10, and it’s AT&T requiring the 2-year contract (which is understandable if they’re the ones taking the hit for the price reduction).

    Like

  98. Besides what Lou Paglia said, Apple is the wrong target for disappointment or anger over pricing. It’s been widely reported that Apple will no longer be sharing revenue from the service, so *they* aren’t taking more money from you over the life of the contract. It’s AT&T getting that extra $10, and it’s AT&T requiring the 2-year contract (which is understandable if they’re the ones taking the hit for the price reduction).

    Like

  99. Besides what Lou Paglia said, Apple is the wrong target for disappointment or anger over pricing. It’s been widely reported that Apple will no longer be sharing revenue from the service, so *they* aren’t taking more money from you over the life of the contract. It’s AT&T getting that extra $10, and it’s AT&T requiring the 2-year contract (which is understandable if they’re the ones taking the hit for the price reduction).

    Like

  100. Besides what Lou Paglia said, Apple is the wrong target for disappointment or anger over pricing. It’s been widely reported that Apple will no longer be sharing revenue from the service, so *they* aren’t taking more money from you over the life of the contract. It’s AT&T getting that extra $10, and it’s AT&T requiring the 2-year contract (which is understandable if they’re the ones taking the hit for the price reduction).

    Like

  101. Besides what Lou Paglia said, Apple is the wrong target for disappointment or anger over pricing. It’s been widely reported that Apple will no longer be sharing revenue from the service, so *they* aren’t taking more money from you over the life of the contract. It’s AT&T getting that extra $10, and it’s AT&T requiring the 2-year contract (which is understandable if they’re the ones taking the hit for the price reduction).

    Like

  102. To play a little devil’s advocate… I only did one thing during the keynote – refreshed the Engadget feed every few minutes. I got all the same news you did, and was able to do other work at the same time. The consensus that FF was the best was most likely derived from the fact that all the people in the conversation were all FF-lovers! And frankly, how many of them are experts in mobile tech, gadgetry, consumers, or any other domain-relevant topic? No offense to FF or its users, but I’m much more interested in reading Ryan’s commentary than I am hearing about the iPhone market from a “random technologist”…

    Like

  103. To play a little devil’s advocate… I only did one thing during the keynote – refreshed the Engadget feed every few minutes. I got all the same news you did, and was able to do other work at the same time. The consensus that FF was the best was most likely derived from the fact that all the people in the conversation were all FF-lovers! And frankly, how many of them are experts in mobile tech, gadgetry, consumers, or any other domain-relevant topic? No offense to FF or its users, but I’m much more interested in reading Ryan’s commentary than I am hearing about the iPhone market from a “random technologist”…

    Like

  104. I had to be at a car appointment, so I was watching on a phone. The easiest site for that? Engadget. Until it got so big that the phone I was using started crashing. Then I just watched twitter.

    The iPhone 3G really isn’t a second gen iPhone — it’s just a refresh of the current iPhone. I mean, iPhone +3G+GPS + 2 year contract plus $10/mo isn’t really all that compelling. In particular, I’m still making due with a GoPhone plan that works great with both my N95 and my iPhone. Oh well.

    So when’s the iPhone 2 coming out?

    Like

  105. I had to be at a car appointment, so I was watching on a phone. The easiest site for that? Engadget. Until it got so big that the phone I was using started crashing. Then I just watched twitter.

    The iPhone 3G really isn’t a second gen iPhone — it’s just a refresh of the current iPhone. I mean, iPhone +3G+GPS + 2 year contract plus $10/mo isn’t really all that compelling. In particular, I’m still making due with a GoPhone plan that works great with both my N95 and my iPhone. Oh well.

    So when’s the iPhone 2 coming out?

    Like

  106. Come on you guys, the iPhone was $399 for 8gb when it first came out and that was with a 2 or 3 year contract with AT&T. Every phone on the market is advertised this way.

    The bottom line is you go to an Apple Store, you buy the phone for $199 and you unlock it via ziphone or ijailbreak. That’s what millions of people have been doing for months, and thats what I will do again, with the new iPhone.

    Like

  107. Come on you guys, the iPhone was $399 for 8gb when it first came out and that was with a 2 or 3 year contract with AT&T. Every phone on the market is advertised this way.

    The bottom line is you go to an Apple Store, you buy the phone for $199 and you unlock it via ziphone or ijailbreak. That’s what millions of people have been doing for months, and thats what I will do again, with the new iPhone.

    Like

  108. It’s not like Steve Jobs to cut prices out of the goodness of his heart.

    Combine yesterday’s mostly non-announcement with the rumors about upgraded cameras and video capabilities, and you get a nice picture of “negative space” in the iPhone lineup.

    Knowing full well that the Scobles of the world will happily spend $500 on a new phone with the latest bells and whistles, I expect a video-centric iPhone upgrade by the end of the year — it’ll be an extra $10 a month for service, but come with unlimited video streaming from two cameras — a high-quality one on the back, and a lower-quality one behind the screen for face-to-face conferencing.

    Like

  109. It’s not like Steve Jobs to cut prices out of the goodness of his heart.

    Combine yesterday’s mostly non-announcement with the rumors about upgraded cameras and video capabilities, and you get a nice picture of “negative space” in the iPhone lineup.

    Knowing full well that the Scobles of the world will happily spend $500 on a new phone with the latest bells and whistles, I expect a video-centric iPhone upgrade by the end of the year — it’ll be an extra $10 a month for service, but come with unlimited video streaming from two cameras — a high-quality one on the back, and a lower-quality one behind the screen for face-to-face conferencing.

    Like

  110. Scoble,

    I’m really getting tired of the snark factor in a lot of the blogs coverage of the Apple keynotes. It’s like going to a movie and siting behind someone who throws snide remarks all thru the movie.
    TAUW was terrible, gizmodo’s younger blogger started out insulting some of the guests, Engadget was o so bored(they had great pics tho).

    They’re all trying to be Jon Stewert, but failing miserably.
    Ars and macworld were good ,cause they kept their attempts at snark to a minimum.

    They were kinda funny a couple of years ago, but now they have all jumped the snark.

    For the Apple keynotes from now on, I’m gonna wait a couple of hours and watch it w/out the juvenile snark bait.

    Like

  111. Scoble,

    I’m really getting tired of the snark factor in a lot of the blogs coverage of the Apple keynotes. It’s like going to a movie and siting behind someone who throws snide remarks all thru the movie.
    TAUW was terrible, gizmodo’s younger blogger started out insulting some of the guests, Engadget was o so bored(they had great pics tho).

    They’re all trying to be Jon Stewert, but failing miserably.
    Ars and macworld were good ,cause they kept their attempts at snark to a minimum.

    They were kinda funny a couple of years ago, but now they have all jumped the snark.

    For the Apple keynotes from now on, I’m gonna wait a couple of hours and watch it w/out the juvenile snark bait.

    Like

  112. So, what did you LEARN? I read it, and I didn’t learn anything, except that you have friends who run something called FriendFeed and felt the need to pimp it.

    Waste of time. Thanks!

    Like

  113. So, what did you LEARN? I read it, and I didn’t learn anything, except that you have friends who run something called FriendFeed and felt the need to pimp it.

    Waste of time. Thanks!

    Like

  114. A pretty astute post. I have to admit that I’d like to like it more than I do, but I do think that the application development possibilities are pretty remarkable. Folks at Scroll Motion put together a video to that effect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irXCMdRprfw
    Now if only you could SHOOT a video with your iPhone – then it’d make a lot more sense for everyone.

    Like

  115. A pretty astute post. I have to admit that I’d like to like it more than I do, but I do think that the application development possibilities are pretty remarkable. Folks at Scroll Motion put together a video to that effect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irXCMdRprfw
    Now if only you could SHOOT a video with your iPhone – then it’d make a lot more sense for everyone.

    Like

  116. “Most of the time I learned about the latest Steve Jobs announcement on FriendFeed 45 seconds before I saw it pop up on MacRumorsLive”

    The real world benefit of that “advantage” is hard to see for us mere mortals. If I may translate, so that you can get a feeling for how others may perceive that comment…

    “Most of the time the latest Steve Jobs announcement on FriendFeed was in 11 point type, whereas MacRumorsLive was using 10.5 point type”

    Like

  117. “Most of the time I learned about the latest Steve Jobs announcement on FriendFeed 45 seconds before I saw it pop up on MacRumorsLive”

    The real world benefit of that “advantage” is hard to see for us mere mortals. If I may translate, so that you can get a feeling for how others may perceive that comment…

    “Most of the time the latest Steve Jobs announcement on FriendFeed was in 11 point type, whereas MacRumorsLive was using 10.5 point type”

    Like

  118. The funny thing is that those who are saying its no cheaper due to TCO were the ones who were saying the iPhone was too expensive a week ago. TCO of the original iPhone was generally a decent price. you jut paid more up front and had a slightly cheaper data plan.

    Like

  119. The funny thing is that those who are saying its no cheaper due to TCO were the ones who were saying the iPhone was too expensive a week ago. TCO of the original iPhone was generally a decent price. you jut paid more up front and had a slightly cheaper data plan.

    Like

  120. Well, Damien, you don’t seem to understand technology very well.

    You see, Robert could have waited until the keynote was over, so that he could read a summary from a reputable source like a normal person. But those carefully prepared summaries wouldn’t contain the hastily written, poorly thought out semi-facts of the quickly fired-off Friendfeed tidbits, nor would they contain all of those charming typos and that oh-so-cute lack of punctuation.

    Or, he could have relied solely on one of these other, crappier sites for his “live” reports. But… come on. Those sites were, like, full seconds behind Friendfeed! *Seconds*, man!

    So, Robert used Friendfeed, a service that was created and maintained by Mohamed, Jesus Christ, Buddha and Vishnu. Thanks to this wisest of choices, Robert knew things a full 45 seconds before anyone else in the world, he says! (Except for the many people who were actually there. Or the many people who listened to the direct audio stream.) Why, he was amazed, Robert was!

    With this extra 45 second headstart on most of the rest of the world, Robert was able to do…. well, nothing. But he did manage to waste an hour or so, and attracted a few dozen concerned stares in an Apple Store while he was feverishly refreshing several pages, when reading the full summary a few seconds after the event concluded would have taken him only five minutes.

    You see, savvy users like Robert know that technology is really all about making our less complicated and more efficient. Friendfeed, man — it’ll change your life.

    Like

  121. Well, Damien, you don’t seem to understand technology very well.

    You see, Robert could have waited until the keynote was over, so that he could read a summary from a reputable source like a normal person. But those carefully prepared summaries wouldn’t contain the hastily written, poorly thought out semi-facts of the quickly fired-off Friendfeed tidbits, nor would they contain all of those charming typos and that oh-so-cute lack of punctuation.

    Or, he could have relied solely on one of these other, crappier sites for his “live” reports. But… come on. Those sites were, like, full seconds behind Friendfeed! *Seconds*, man!

    So, Robert used Friendfeed, a service that was created and maintained by Mohamed, Jesus Christ, Buddha and Vishnu. Thanks to this wisest of choices, Robert knew things a full 45 seconds before anyone else in the world, he says! (Except for the many people who were actually there. Or the many people who listened to the direct audio stream.) Why, he was amazed, Robert was!

    With this extra 45 second headstart on most of the rest of the world, Robert was able to do…. well, nothing. But he did manage to waste an hour or so, and attracted a few dozen concerned stares in an Apple Store while he was feverishly refreshing several pages, when reading the full summary a few seconds after the event concluded would have taken him only five minutes.

    You see, savvy users like Robert know that technology is really all about making our less complicated and more efficient. Friendfeed, man — it’ll change your life.

    Like

  122. I agree with L. Paglia and others; the current second-best devices from Motorola/LG/Nokia etc. have yet to even come close to Apple’s innovations in the iPhone. Innovation. Vision. Thought leaders!

    Like

  123. I agree with L. Paglia and others; the current second-best devices from Motorola/LG/Nokia etc. have yet to even come close to Apple’s innovations in the iPhone. Innovation. Vision. Thought leaders!

    Like

  124. Yeah, I looked at Gizmodo during WWDC 08. I remember the picture of Jobs showing the back of the hot new 3G iPhone. I still can’t believe that Apple lowered the price of the iPhone $200! I mean, how’s Apple gonna make any profit? It probably costs $200 just to make the thing!

    So, does that mean Apple is going to lower the price of the iPod Touch $200? If Apple does, I am going to be pretty angry. I got a bargain for one on eBay, $285 to be exact. If Apple does lower the price of the Touch $200, I’m going to be a bit angry!

    Visit ,y blog at thnderbird79.wordpress.com

    Like

  125. Yeah, I looked at Gizmodo during WWDC 08. I remember the picture of Jobs showing the back of the hot new 3G iPhone. I still can’t believe that Apple lowered the price of the iPhone $200! I mean, how’s Apple gonna make any profit? It probably costs $200 just to make the thing!

    So, does that mean Apple is going to lower the price of the iPod Touch $200? If Apple does, I am going to be pretty angry. I got a bargain for one on eBay, $285 to be exact. If Apple does lower the price of the Touch $200, I’m going to be a bit angry!

    Visit ,y blog at thnderbird79.wordpress.com

    Like

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