Just like most Apple products, Apple Music isn’t the first of its kind in the market. Apps like Pandora, Spotify, iHeart Radio and many more have been dominating the music streaming market.

Jimmy Iovine took the stage for the first time as an Apple employee during the WWDC keynote event and shared details about Apple’s upcoming music streaming service. Apple Music will allow users to stream unlimited music, offer 24×7 global radio station and include social media integration for artists to connect with their fans.

Apple Music will recommend songs based on the music you own and offer hand-picked playlists that match your taste in music. This will allow users to discover great tracks that otherwise could go undiscovered.

Beats 1 will be integrated into the default Music app on iOS 9 and will mark Apple’s entry into the world of radio stations as it will offer a global 24×7 channel for the latest music, interviews and culture.

Another feature as a part of the new music streaming service is Connect. It’s where artists will be able to share unreleased demo tracks, acoustic version of the latest hit, video shot in the studio and much more.

Apple Music will be publicly available on June 30 on iOS and Android. The service will offer a generous three-month trial and post that it will cost $9.99 a month for an individual user and $14.99 a month for family plan.

We have a number of strategies in progress to increase loyalty and attract more customers, including our announcement today that we will begin offering Apple products later this year. By further strengthening our device portfolio, we’ll give consumers another great reason to switch to U.S. Cellular, and enable our existing customers to choose from an even wider variety of iconic smartphones, and enjoy the outstanding U.S. Cellular customer experiences they deserve.

The carrier announced that its smartphone penetration is at “43 percent of core market customers and growing quickly”. It is in Apple’s best interest to make its smartphones and tablets to more local carriers in the US and globally. The Cupertino, Calif., based company has been facing intense competition from Samsung. Increasing the availability of Apple’s devices on more carriers would help in gaining more market share and customer satisfaction.

Apple is known to ask carriers to commit purchase of certain number of iPhones and most carriers have been happy to strike deal with the iPhone maker. Major carriers like AT&T and Verizon have been reporting iPhone as a popular smartphone and accounts for a large portion of their activations.

{via MacRumors}

According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple Inc. (AAPL) is looking to increase sales of its products in India, which is quickly becoming one of the larger markets in the world. The report notes that AAPL is ‘making moves’ to increase sales, meaning that the company is starting to build a larger presence by increasing the number of employees and is going around wireless carriers to control majority of its marketing efforts. Recently, Apple launched the iTunes Store in India, followed by the Apple TV earlier this month.

Apple is sidestepping wireless carriers to seize greater control over marketing in India and offering no-interest loans to lure lower-income consumers. The company has also boosted staff in India by 30% to 170 employees in the past six months. And it is ramping up the introduction of other products, with the Apple TV video-streaming gadget expected to reach stores in coming weeks, people familiar with the matter say.

The result is that Apple shipped more than 252,000 iPhones to India in the quarter through December, more than triple the number in the previous three months, according to research firm Canalys.

Many reports have even suggested that Apple is looking into bringing its retail stores to the subcontinent, and is likely laying the groundwork to do so. India is ideal for Apple’s entrance into emerging markets, with recent reports suggesting that Apple is looking into building a cheaper iPhone. Samsung, which has become a major competitor for Apple has seen success with its line of Galaxy S devices, as well as cheaper Android devices that sell for around $100.

If Apple were to introduce a cheaper iPhone, it would make sense to introduce it in India, where demand for the company’s products is increasing and where smartphones are not subsidized and operate on prepaid plans. With retail stores in India coupled with the online store, Apple would be able to sell more units of its products and as a result, increase its revenue in the region. China has become one of Apple’s largest sources of revenue, so it is not surprising that India is also beginning to see a demand for Apple products.

Earlier this month, Apple Inc. (AAPL) withdrew its products from being certified by the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), which certifies over 95% of electronics in the U.S by a requirement by the government. AAPL’s 39 products under EPEAT’s were pulled without question, however, the company has now taken steps to address the media and the public on the parameters of its decision by issuing a letter.

In a letter from SVP of Hardware Engineering Bob Mansfield, the company revealed that they are putting all eligible products back on EPEAT. Apple defended their decision to withdraw a few days ago, pointing out that withdrawing from EPEAT did not change the environmental credibility of their products. In a report from The Loop, Apple defended their decision and made their comments public.

Apple takes a comprehensive approach to measuring our environmental impact and all of our products meet the strictest energy efficiency standards backed by the US government, Energy Star 5.2. We also lead the industry by reporting each product’s greenhouse gas emissions on our website, and Apple products are superior in other important environmental areas not measured by EPEAT, such as removal of toxic materials.

In the letter, Mansfield addressed the company’s decision to withdraw from EPEAT certification and said that it “was a mistake” to do so. Mansfield also mentioned in the report that “all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT”.

We’ve recently heard from many loyal Apple customers who were disappointed to learn that we had removed our products from the EPEAT rating system. I recognize that this was a mistake. Starting today, all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT.

It’s important to know that our commitment to protecting the environment has never changed, and today it is as strong as ever. Apple makes the most environmentally responsible products in our industry. In fact, our engineering teams have worked incredibly hard over the years to make our products even more environmentally friendly, and much of our progress has come in areas not yet measured by EPEAT.

This means that products that meet a standard of disassembly can be certified by EPEAT, and as a result, Apple’s new Retina MacBook Pro might not qualify. It is interesting to note Apple’s approach in issuing a statement through Mansfield as opposed to one from CEO Tim Cook, likely to assure the public that the right steps were being taken to rectify the company’s products under EPEAT.

{via 9to5Mac}

Apple Inc. (AAPL) acquired rights to LiquidMetal Technologies to use in their products back in 2010, but did not utilize the company, except to make a small SIM removal tool for the iPhone 3G. A number of reports have people speculating that AAPL would be redesigning the next generation iPhone 5 with LiquidMetal technology.

However, in a report published by Business Insider, one of the inventors of LiquidMetal alloy, Atakan Peker revealed that Apple will not be using the futuristic metal for at least another two to four years. Peker also mentioned that Apple may use the metal in some smaller aspects of its products, as they did with the SIM removal tool.

Q: I’ve heard rumors that future MacBooks from Apple could use Liquidmetal casing, what would that be like? Is it likely to happen?

A: Given the size of MacBook and scale of Apple products, I think it’s unlikely that Liquidmetal casing will be used in MacBooks in the near term. It’s more likely in the form of small component such as a hinge or bracket. A MacBook casing, such as a unibody, will take two to four more years to implement.

If Apple is to utilize this new technology and decides to use it in one of their major products, they might first use it in smaller consumer products such as the iPod Shuffle, or perhaps the Nano, then move onto larger and more high demand products such as the iPhone and iPad. It’s important to note that Peker does not have actually have any solid references when suggesting this delay in LiquidMetal usage.

However, Peker does believe that Apple will revolutionize some of its products with the metal, utilizing its strength and durability to match the solid feel of some of its unibody products, such as the MacBook Pro.

{via MacRumors}

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has experienced major growth in revenue and profit in international markets over the last few months, and continues to grow in promising markets such as Asia, and the United Kingdom. However, Apple’s (AAPL) increasing influence in South America, more specifically, Brazil has led to a very promising outlook for Apple.

Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that Brazil appears to be a future growth area, also mentioning that, “I think there’s a huge opportunity for us there, and we’ve more than begun to go deeper into Brazil”. Cook, although talking positively about growth in Brazil, was quick to mention that retail was not one of Apple’s goals at this point, saying, “But I don’t want to signal that that means that Apple retail will be there, because I don’t envision that occurring in the near term”.

Brazil is home to almost 200 million people and has one of the best economies in South America. Brazil’s Per capita income, while not as strong as the United States competes directly with China for the number two spot, and shows that the country is economically strong enough to support retail presence from big companies such as Apple.

Customers in Brazil currently pay the most for Apple products in the world, with an unsubsidized 16 GB iPhone 4S coming in around US$1,400 in Brazil. While these high prices can be a result of Brazil’s high import duties, Apple is going to have to market and match prices for their products accordingly with the rest of the world in order to make a reasonable profit from the South American country.

{via TUAW}

Before updating you were met with Apple’s new Software License Agreement, which I’m sure all of you were quick to accept. I was lucky enough to grab a GM copy of iOS 4 last week and updated when iTunes 9.2 was released for Windows. Yesterday afternoon I accessed the App Store from my iPhone to download a game, the new Terms and Conditions appeared for me to accept, a whopping 42 pages on my iPhone that I wasn’t interested in reading.

Perhaps if I were to read over some of those pages I would have found what The Las Angeles Times did. The LA Times points out a change in Apple’s privacy policy included in the iOS 4 revised iTunes Store terms which specifies that Apple may collect “precise,” “real-time geographic location” data for users of its products. Under the updated privacy policy, the data may be used by Apple and unspecified “partners and licensees” in order to improve services and advertising.

Apple claims, “The data is anonymous and does not personally identify users.” Analysts have shown otherwise, that large, specific sets of data can be used to identify people based on behavioral patterns. The report notes that the new privacy policy does not specify which third parties may receive access to the collected data, nor does it mention how long Apple may keep the data. The report also quotes the relevant passage of the updated terms, “To provide location-based services on Apple products, Apple and our partners and licensees may collect, use, and share precise location data, including the real-time geographic location of your Apple computer or device. This location data is collected anonymously in a form that does not personally identify you and is used by Apple and our partners and licensees to provide and improve location-based products and services. For example, we may share geographic location with application providers when you opt in to their location services.”

Apple has since launched an official page that allows iOS device users to opt out of personal data collection, such as information regarding downloads and purchases, for its iAds mobile advertising service. Users can visit oo.apple.com on any device running iOS 4 and Apple will allow the user to opt out of data collection for iAds. Apple said that users who opt out may see the same ads as before, but they may be less relevant because they will not be based on their interests. Ads can also be related to the content in an application, or any other non-personal information.

Now, how do you feel about all this? Do you care that Apple and “partners and licensees” are keeping tabs on your real-time geological location, or could you care less? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Earlier this week we reported on rumors about Apple introducing new iPhone 4G / HD in white and black color options. A Taiwanese website had managed to get hold of spare parts of the iPhone 4G prototype and published images of the white color front panel of the new iPhone.

There have many reports which state that the fourth gen iPhone leak by Gizmodo has proved to be a major loss for Apple in terms of iPhone 3GS sales however, it is worth noting that almost every year around WWDC speculation about Apple’s new products and services reach a new high. So, the actual impact of fourth gen iPhone leak would probably have little or no impact on actual sales. Any person who follows or has studied Apple’s yearly product timelines would wait for the Worldwide Developers Conference official announcements. When David Pogue questioned Phil Schiller about Apple’s withdrawal from Macworld Expo in 2009 he noted:

He noted that Apple marches to certain annual product cycles: the holiday season (Novemberish), the educational buying season (late summer), the iPod product cycle (October), the iLife development cycle (usually March), the iPhone cycle (June).

We have seen many fancy concept pictures of Apple products in the past but this time the details about iPhone 4G are clearly perceptible. Italian website iSpazio recently published their concept pictures of the white color iPhone 4G (or HD) and it certainly looks stunning.

Do you like the white color iPhone HD or would you like to see more color options? Let us know in the comments section.

White iPhone HD (Concept Pictures)

So was it worth the wait? It seems not, many Apple fans and potential new customers were very unhappy with the price structure. It seems they were dismayed at the higher price structure compared to the US. Many consumers were so taken back by the prices that they have bombarded Steve Jobs with emails of complaints. Steve jobs reply was simple he told them:

Please educate yourself. UK prices must by law include VAT, which is around 18%. US prices do not include tax.

MacRumours goes on to report:

Value added tax (VAT) is similar to the sales tax that is familiar to most residents of the United States, but is applied uniformly throughout the country for a given type of item and is included in the advertised pricing. Sales tax in the United States is not included in advertised pricing, as it varies significantly by region, even down to the municipality level.

The standard VAT rate in the UK is 17.5%, meaning that the £429 base price for the 16 GB Wi-Fi iPad in the UK is actually only £365 in “pre-tax” pricing. At current exchange rates, this corresponds to approximately $540 in the United States, or an approximately $40 premium for U.K. customers. While the price difference is not insignificant, it is considerably smaller than it might appear at first glance.

Apple products have always been considerably higher than in the US and most recently even more so in Germany. Again Jobs reply to this was short and sweet:

Blame your government. Germany just added a new copyright levy for computers

According to reports on MacRumours iPad prices in Germany are about 15 euros higher than in France and Italy.

Even after the emails from Jobs it seems that many consumers are still unhappy about the cost and on many social network sites like twitter and on many forum discussions have been made about how to get an iPad for as little as possible. With mentions of shipping over from the US or even looking on auction sites such as eBay.

Now that we have seen the iPad prices will you still be buying one? Will you be paying the full price or looking for a cheaper alternative? Let us know in the comments below.

[MacRumors] ]]> https://touchreviews.net/steve-jobs-email-international-ipad-price/feed/ 2 https://touchreviews.net/apple-ipad-unboxing-first-impressions/ https://touchreviews.net/apple-ipad-unboxing-first-impressions/#comments Sat, 03 Apr 2010 19:07:11 +0000 https://touchreviews.net/?p=5894 Read More]]>

Is there anyone that doesn’t know what an iPad is or that it’s released today? Well actually there is as when I texted and tweeted my family this morning to let them know that I was at home waiting for the delivery at least 3 of them asked “What’s an iPad”. However, for the rest of the world and certainly those of you reading this you know that Apple’s latest “magical” device has hit the road via UPS and has been landing on people’s doorsteps all morning.

I woke early this morning, part anticipation of the impending arrival of my iPads, (yes plural, one for me and one for my wife), and part because Man Utd v Chelsea was kicking off at 6.45am.

With most Apple products that I’ve brought I’m always a little disappointed with the size of the box that it comes in as it’s never big enough, big equals exciting but with Apple’s wonderful packaging there is never any wasted space. That disappointment is short lived however as after gently rippling through the protective plastic covering and lifting the top off of the box the iPad is immediatley displayed in all it’s glory for you to see.

After having seen so many videos, pictures and write ups of the iPad already most people opening up their iPads this morning are not going to be too surprised with what they find as they take the device out of it’s packaging but even so holding it for the first time allows me to experience it all for myself and it’s a great experience. The device is not too heavy and can easily be held in a single hand allowing the other one free for using it. As you would expect the build quality of it is wonderful too. The sleek contours of the device sit comfortably against your hand and look beautiful too while divisions between the casing and the screen are smooth and fitted perfectly.

There are 4 physical buttons in total on the device, the volume and lock buttons are location on the side of the case in the top right hand side while on the top the is the sleep button. The final button is the regulation iDevice ‘Home’ button located as you would expect front and centre at the bottom of the screen.

My first activity was to plug the iPad into my Windows 7 laptop, I had already downloaded a few iPad applications. After agreeing to yet another set of Terms & Conditions and signing into my Apple account the device started syncing as you would expect with any other iDevice. Despite my ability to sync my iPad the driver installation failed and my iPad still states that it’s not charging despite being connected to my laptop. Whether this is because the iPad will only charge from the mains or was due to the failure of the driver to install it remains to be seen. The iPad came with a full charge so I’ll have to investigate that later.

My next task was to set up and connect to my wireless network so that I could synchronise my Gmail, Contacts and Calendar. The settings tab is going to be familiar with anyone that already as an iPhone or iPod Touch but the extra screen space allows for the menu of options to appear on the left while the details of each tab appears on the right. This is already a great feature and makes using the iPad much easier. Within seconds I had connected to my wireless network and a couple of minutes later my Gmail, Contacts and Calender was also synchronised.

During this time I was extremely impressed with the responsiveness of the touch screen. Scrolling between the pages was effortless and scrolling through my emails was also smooth. For testing purposes I sent off a couple of emails to show off the fact that I was emailing from my iPad and to test the on screen keyboard. Having used multiple devices, not just Apple, that use touch screen keyboards using the iPads larger keyboard is nice to use. Don’t get me wrong using a full size physical keyboard is always going to be my preferred choice but in it’s absence I feel that I would easily be able to write decent length articles on the iPad.

Web surfing is going to be one of the many activities that my iPad gets used for so I immediately attempted some of my favourite web sites. I was immediately disappointed with the first site I went to which was the BBC iPlayer site that I was hoping that I would be able to use to watch BBC shows on a larger screen that I currently can on the iPod Touch. However that was not to be the case as neither the full or mobile version of the iPlayer was compatible with the iPad. Hopefully that will change in the near future.

Testing some of the official iPad ready websites though was a different matter with the pages rendering fast, crisp and clear and watching the the video’s play in the page quickly and smoothly is a real pleasure. Hopefully more and more websites will be fully iPad compatible soon and take full advantage of HTML5 which clearly Apple and Steve Jobs are relying on.

I’ll be spending some more time with some applications later including reviews of some brand new iPad applications but initially I wanted to see how well some of the 150,000 existing applications work on the iPad. Unfortunately my initial thoughts are not great. They certainly work and at 1x they look good but a small app sitting in the centre of the screen doesn’t look great and using the 2x option results in a pretty graining display. This was only with a couple of apps though so some apps may work better than others.

The one new iPad app that I did try immediately was Tweetdeck which I was very pleased with. The extra real estate of the iPad allows for multiple columns in both landscape and portrait mode and as I have come to expect it’s responsive and great looking.

For now I am extremely pleased with my investment and I’ve only just begun delving into to what it has to offer. Next up for me is to test out some of the brand new iPad dedicated apps and of course bring my thoughts on them all to you.

For those of you that have picked up your iPads today what do you think so far? Does it live up to the hype or have you been disappointed? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

iPad Unboxing Pictures

Now that the dust has settled on the beginning of the iPad presales period, some interesting facts have started to come out about the initial draw of the device. Regardless of your opinion of the iPad and its future success as a consumer device, you have to admit that the numbers that have come to light are very telling.

Before we talk about some raw statistics, it is interesting to note this one thing: any sales Apple does between now and general availability of the device are completely site unseen. All of these sales are based on the presentation skills of Steve Jobs, a commercial that started airing at the Oscars, and the wall to wall media coverage that started in January. No review units in the media, no press junkets to play with the device. It is a marketing tactic completely unprecedented in the world of modern computing. Would you buy a new car without driving it? Would you buy a house without seeing it? Of course not. What this does speak to however is the trust the computing public who are already predisposed to buying an Apple device have in the quality of Apple products. We may not have seen an iPad for ourselves but we have seen MacBooks, iMacs, iPods, and iPhones and they are good. What do we have to lead us to believe the iPad would be otherwise? Nothing.

The real story is the numbers though. Stan Shroeder, in an article on Mashable, reports that some estimates are saying Apple sold 150,000 iPad’s in the first 60 hours of presale availability. A 100,000 of those were sold in the first 10 hours. Even if everyone only bought the $499 base WiFi version, simple math tells you that’s $74,850,000 USD in Apple’s pocket after 60 hours. And surely not everyone bought the base version. Although I can’t speak to verifiable facts, I would dare say that is probably one of the highest initial presales in history.

But you may be unimpressed with that number so let me use another number to put that into perspective for you.

Google’s much vaunted “super phone”, the Nexus One, had only sold 135,000 units after the first 74 days of availability. Yes, you read that right. Not the first 74 hours of availability.

A wise man once told me people generally vote with their wallets. In the case of the iPad, I think the buzz and demand around the presales period speaks for itself. It will be interesting to see how many have been sold before the first one sees the light of day on April 3rd. If the initial orders are any indication, Apple has another winner on their hands.

What do you think? Will all the people who preordered be crushed with disappointment on April 3rd? Will the iPad be an oversold flop or the most successful personal computing device of all time. Leave us a comment and let us know.