Reference Auto

After dominating the market with its iPad, iPhone and iPod, Apple is now aiming for the sky: its CEO Steve Jobs is rolling out a service called iCloud, which he hopes will help Apple make major inroads into cyberspace.

This announcement marks Apple’s entry into online music, and as a start, it seems Apple wants to be a dominant player in the online music space and could be ready to pump in big bucks into the venture.

Apple has charted licensing pacts with three of the four top music companies - EMI Music, Warner Music and Sony Music. There is also buzz that Apple is in talks with Universal Music, the largest of the major record companies, for a possible alliance.

If Apple manages to strike the right alliance (chord!), it could give Apple rights to online music. Apple will, however, need publishing rights to offer a fully-operational cloud music service.

What would it mean if such a service is launched? You will no more have to store your music in a gadget. Your songs will be stored in a server (probably a few thousand miles away from your home) and you can listen to music from a litany of devices without having to worry about storing them.

But it is not yet clear if the iCloud service will offer only music or will the ambit of the service be wider, that is, to include storage as well.

So, the online space could prove to be a marketing boon for Apple because this would jack up its fan following manifold. Apple will, however, have to jostle with the likes of Google, Yahoo, Amazon and other giants.

Even though Apple’s online iTunes and App stores became popular, Apple’s Internet foray as a whole has failed to take off.

For instance, Mobile Me, which is an amalgamation of Apple’s data back-up and personal services, has seen few takers because of the company’s subscription pricing policy. Similar services online come for free.

Actually, details of the iCloud service will emerge within a week, and only by knowing what the internet-based media and storage product is all about, can a detailed analysis be made as to whether Apple can turn the new venture into money spinner or not.

So, Apple’s success in the Internet space will largely depend on the choice it offers and the pricing. If priced too steeply, Apple’s iCloud may not find many takers but with a wide variety of services, which should include more than just music, and intelligent pricing, Apple may actually see its online venture take off.

Well, Apple’s iPhone 5c and 5s sales figures have blazed a trail, and this time, the numbers in the first weekend stand at a whopping nine million compared to the previous record when the Apple iPhone 5 sold about five million handsets in the first week. This is a surge of a mind blowing 80 per cent.

The numbers for the iPhone 5c and 5s include that of China, which has been considered in Apple’s iPhone first phase launch for the first time ever.

But the iPhone 5s and 5c have already hit India’s grey market and come for a whopping Rs 65,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively.

In the first phase, the iPhone 5s as well as the iPhone 5c will roll out in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, Singapore, the UK besides the US.

The demand has come as a surprise to Apple and many online orders will only see deliveries delayed to the forthcoming weeks.

Another reason for the high sales is that, this time, the new iPhones are offered in two handsets – the 5c and 5s – which give buyers the impression that there is much more on offer now. The 5c is the cheaper option buyers have but the top-end 5s model seems to have become more popular in the American market.

Like the iPhone 5, the 5c and 5s have a touchscreen measuring 10 cm diagonally, with a resolution of 326 pixels per inch. This is more enhanced than the pixel density of Apple's iPads, though they fall short when compared to the Samsung Galaxy S IV.

The iPhone 5c sports a brand new hard-coated polycarbonate casing but comes with almost the same internals as the iPhone 5, including the ditto A6 chip, 4 inch Retina display with a resolution of 640x1136 pixels and an 8 MP rear camera. 

However, the new handset comes with a bigger battery, an enhanced front-facing camera and improved 4G/ LTE support.

The iPhone 5s also comes with a number of refurbishments, including a new A7 chip that supports 64 bit computing, a swifter graphics processor, M7 co-processor for tracking data from the different sensors of the handset, fingerprint scanner on the Home button along with an upgraded camera that offers support for a burst mode and slow motion video capture, in addition to a dual LED flash.

The iPhone 5 and 5s have the same size and weight, while the 5c is a tad bigger and heavier.

And, here’s a judicious move on part of Apple so far as pricing goes: The iPhone 5s carries the same price as the iPhone 5 (when it was rolled out a year ago) but the 5c is $100 cheaper.

Talk time has got a fillip on the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s, as well as Internet use over LTE connections. 

There is no change with regard to video playback and Internet use over Wi-Fi.

Like all older versions of the phone, batteries on the two new phones can be replaced only by the official Apple servicemen. This remains a hindrance, especially when the launch takes place in developing markets like India.

Meanwhile, the 5c comes in five colours and uses plastic instead of aluminum and glass as casing.

“This is our best iPhone roll out yet and a new record for first weekend sales,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.

“Demand for the new iPhones is mind blowing, and while we’ve sold out of our initial supply of iPhone 5s, stores continue to get order for new iPhones. We appreciate everyone’s patience and are working hard to building enough new iPhones for everyone,” the CEO averred.

So, will Apple iPhone 5c and 5s also blaze a trail in the Indian market as there are some grey areas like battery replacement by Apple servicemen only and Samsung’s litany of launches (with competitive prices) which the American giant has to contend with?

The long wait for the iPad is finally over with Apple rolling out the tablet in the Indian market and the starting price of Rs 27,990 for the base model (16 GB Wi-Fi) is not as steep as was anticipated.

There are six variants of the iPad which come with 16, 32 or 64 GB memory and there is also a choice between a Wi-Fi and a 3G compatible Wi-Fi Plus version.

In the Wi-Fi type, the base price is Rs 27,900 for the 16GB model, Rs 32,900 for the 32GB and Rs 37,900 for the 64GB.

In the Wi-Fi plus models which are 3G compliant, the base price is Rs 34,900 for the 16GB, Rs 39,900 for the 32GB and Rs 44,900 for the high-end 64 GB.

iPad is the fastest selling gadget ever and registered sales of 15 million in even less than a year, mopping up nearly $10 billion for Apple. The iPad was unveiled in the US on January 27, 2010, but hit the market around April.

The iPad was launched in Singapore and Hong Kong in July 2010 and took six months more to reach India. Unlike the iPhone launch, Apple seems to have done some homework before bringing in the iPad to India, pricing it reasonably.

In the case of the 3G variant iPads, which most buyers would like to pick up, the pricing is a tad on the higher side. But the initial response indicates that this may not be a deterrent.

Before its entry into India, the iPad was doing well in the country’s grey market, notching sales of 40,000 and the base model itself carried a price tag of Rs 30,000.

Apple is also planning to shore up its presence in the country by bringing in the iPad2 in the next few months. The iPad2 comprises hi-tech features like dual cameras, a higher resolution retina display and a processor with an even higher speed.

The iPad will not have it easy in the Indian market and will contend with the likes of Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Olive pad, which have already made their mark in the country. Samsung has already whittled down the price of its Galaxy Tab from Rs 36,499 to Rs 29,500 to vie with the iPad.

But the craze for the iPad seems to have caught on. For instance, store owners in Bangalore have seen hordes of prospective buyers make a beeline to enquire about the tablet.

This euphoria immediately after the iPad launch in India is likely to prevail and Apple could also see a record of sorts so far as sales of the iPad in India are concerned.

Speculation is rife that Apple CEO Steve Jobs is terminally ill with pancreatic cancer and has only weeks to live, setting the stage for an uncertain future for Apple, especially in the wake of an intense slugfest with peers such as Microsoft and others like Dell and Samsung.

Fears of Jobs being diagnosed with cancer surfaced when he was photographed outside the Stanford Cancer Center. It was here that late actor, Patrick Swayze, who was also diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, spent his final days.

Jobs publicly revealed about his battle with surgery for pancreatic cancer way back in 2004.

Jobs is in his second stint at Apple. In 1984, he had to quit Apple after a tiff with the board when he formed a company by the name NeXT, engaged in computer platform and specialising in higher education and business markets.

In his first innings with Apple, Jobs became a game changer and put Apple at the forefront in global technology. He was the first to realise the potential of the mouse and also paved the way for the creation of the Macintosh.

In 1996, Apple said it would buy NeXT for a whopping $429 million.

The deal was charted in 1996 and brought Jobs back to Apple, the company he co-founded. He became Apple interim CEO and the incumbent CEO at that time, Gil Amelio, was shown the door.

In his second stint, Jobs has had a slew a successes, putting for instance, Apple right at the top in mobile aps. Apple apparently sold apps worth $1.8 billion last year, which accounts for 84% of the global market share. So, just how many companies have that kind of a market share?

Also, Apple more than doubled its sales volume from $769 million in 2009. Even though competitors are witnessing sales growth, they don’t seem to get anywhere closer to Apple.

So, what would it be for Apple if Steve Jobs were to not remain the CEO for ill health? Apple will surely miss Steve’s innovation. When Apple invented the iPod, it brought in a revolution similar to what Sony did with the walkman in the 1980s.

Moreover, from iPhone just a few years ago, now Apple is ready with the iPhone4 in such a short time, giving no legroom to its competitors. There is constant innovation at Apple under Steve Jobs.

Apple needs Steve Jobs more than ever before, and without him at the helm, there is a big threat from rivals like Google and Android which are making big inroads into the market and could be a potential threat to Apple even in the near future.

Steve Job’s death has created a huge sympathy wave, and in order to pay their respects to the tech genius, consumers have lapped up 40 lakh units of the new iPhone 4S during the first week of its launch.

The iPhone 4S has the iOS 5, which is the world’s most advanced mobile operating system.

The iOS 5 has over 200 new features, including a notification centre, a new messaging service that allows you to send text messages, photos and videos among all iOS 5 users.

The iOS 5 will also be available as a free software in iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS handsets.

The iPhone 4S is the highest selling in the iPhone series. Of course, sales didn’t hinge totally on the death of the tech guru but also to recognize Apple’s technology edge, which it brings about whenever a new product (the i series products it often rolls out, such as iPad, iPhone and iPod) is launched.

Till date, over 2.5 crore persons have downloaded iOS 5 to their iPhones, iPads and iPods in just five days since the release of the operating system.

The story doesn’t end there. Over two crore persons have signed up for iCloud, Apple’s free service that synchronises data like calendars, contacts and photos wirelessly across a user’s computer and portable Apple gadgets. The service was rolled out along with the iPhone 4S.

Apple’s Jobs has literally been a one-man army, and even though Apple has a host of very senior employees, Jobs’ reputation has cast a shadow on all of them.

And, after his death, his fan following seems to have burgeoned and how better to judge this than recent data which shows iPhone 4S sales were double that of iPhone 4 in the first four days itself.

The iPhone 4S had not impressed critics at its launch around a fortnight ago, a few days prior to Jobs death.

The iPhone 4S sells for about $200 to $600, looks nearly the same as iPhone 4, but it comes with upgraded hardware with a dual-core A5 chip (like that found in iPad 2) and a new 8-MP camera that can shoot up to 1080p high-definition video.

The new iPhone 4S comes for $199 for the 16 GB, $299 for the 32 GB and $399 for the 64 GB handset along with a two-year contract.

So far, the iPhone 4S is selling in the US, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Japan and Britain.

Apple has said that it will be available in 22 more countries (possibly India also) from the end of this month and in more than 70 countries by December.

Steve Jobs has made Apple the world’s top gadget maker, and will this leadership position be maintained by his successors at Apple, amid threat from a host gadget makers such as Samsung, BlackBerry and Motorola, among others?

Samsung is slowly becoming a potential threat to Apple’s iPad and iPhone and this has probably prompted Apple to take the South Korean major to court by claiming that the Samsung Galaxy series of mobile phones and tablets are “slavishly” copying iPhone and iPad.

It is believed Apple’s devices will dominate the market for the next two-three years after which the share of Apple could fall below 50 per cent.

This suit could be an attempt by Apple, which still has over 80 per cent of the tablet market under grips, to spread some kind of apprehension among Samsung and other rivals so that they go slow on their product launches, especially products that are similar.

If Apple does not try to thwart the growth of other companies in the tablet and smartphones market, it will face serious competition for its products.

This filing of suits in the telecom industry is not new. For instance, Nokia had earlier taken Apple to court over allegations that the American company infringed on patents in products like the iPad and iPhone.

Samsung Galaxy series uses the popular Android operating system of Google and this is a direct competitor to the software Apple uses for its mobile devices.

However, Apple’s claims against Samsung focus on Galaxy’s design features, such as look of its screen icons, the lawsuit said. According to the lawsuit, Samsung infringed upon Apple’s patents and trademarks.

Apple will serve 16 claims against Samsung that include “unjust enrichment, trademark infringement and 10 patent claims.”

Samsung’s tablet and smartphones are almost a lookalike of Apple’s iPad and iPhone and customers may think they are in for a bargain when they compare, say both the iPad and the Galaxy tablet, and choose the Galaxy instead, thinking they are getting a similar product cheaper.

It is true that Samsung hasn’t come up with any original brand such as Sony’s Walkman for instance.

The Korean major has been adept at actually launching similar products of its peers like Apple.

Samsung has identified this lucrative market of tablets and smartphones and is not keen to see Apple walk away with a large chunk of the market.

The global smartphones market could grow by 70 per cent in the next few years and Android phones could capture almost half this space.

Apple has been buying semi-conductors from Samsung and contributed substantially to the South Korean major’s sales.

So, it is unlikely that Samsung will take an aggressive stance, and in fact, the Apple iPad and iPhone “copying” tiff could be sorted out of court for a sum agreed upon by the two gadget giants.

Apple seems to be getting better by the day (in terms of technology as well as sales) with every iPhone launch and the latest iPhone 5 has scaled unprecedented heights after the order book showed a whopping two million bookings just within 24 hours of its launch, and this way, sales could touch 10 million in this month itself.

The previous iPhone, the iPhone 4S, had sold just half that figure during pre-bookings.

Apple iPhone 5 is rich in features: It will come in two colour choices: Black and Slate and White and Silver and offer models with three different capacities – 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB.

Price of the 16 GB will be $199, while the 32 GB will cost $299 and the 64 GB $399. The new iPhone has the following dimensions: height: 12.38 cm, width: 5.86 cm and it weighs 110 grams.

iPhone 5 will not support the micro SIM card, and so, users will need to buy a Nano card to use it.

The new iPhone will be offered in two GSM models and one CDMA version. It will also have bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology.

The new iPhone will come with a four-inch screen and retina display. It also supports multiple languages and characters. It will have a finger resistant coating in the front.

The gadget comes with a powerful 8 megapixel isight camera. HD videos are also possible. The iPhone 5 has auto focus and LED flash and images can be captured from video also.

In battery life, the iPhone 5 has talk time of up to 8 hours on 3G and standby time of 225 hours. Internet use time is up to 8 hours on 3G, 8 hours on 4G LTE and 10 hours on Wi-Fi. Video playback is up to 10 hours and audio playback 40 hours.

Philip Schiller, senior vice-president of Apple (worldwide marketing), dubbed the response as “phenomenal” during launch.

According to website CNET, potential buyers were standing in long queues with coats and sleeping bags outside a retail outlet in New York. There were similar queues in London’s Regent Street as well.

Although Apple has come up with the best product in cellphones, it is being challenged by Korean electronics giant Samsung, which often offers bigger screens on its handsets and prices them judiciously. In fact, Galaxy has posed a challenge for the iPhone with the latest flagship of Samsung, the Galaxy S III, achieving a feat by overtaking iPhone 4S sales.

But any analysis of the iPhone 5 is futile in the wake of the overwhelming response. Apple is slated to make 70-80 per cent profit on every iPhone sold. So, with such unprecedented sales and profit, Apple would surely fulfill the dreams of its late CEO Steve Jobs and cast a shadow on the Galaxy S III, at least in the near term.

Apple is reaching out to the common man in India against its previous marketing strategy where it targeted only the high-end customer (similar to BlackBerry) and this time is set to woo the middle class segment by its game-changing strategy, slashing the iPhone 4’s price by Rs 11,000 to Rs 15,000 from the current rate of Rs 26,000.

Apple is now set to roll out iCloud, its cloud-based platform that will offer a choice of instantly-pushed services across all its products.

It will come for free and access to iCloud will pave the way for users to buy App Store and iBookstore items prior to downloading them at no extra cost to all compatible Apple devices.

“Today it is a real hassle and very frustrating to keep all your information and content up-to-date across all your devices,” said CEO Steve Jobs, while unveiling the iCloud.

He added, “iCloud keeps important information and content up to date across all devices. All of this takes place automatically and wirelessly. Since it’s integrated into our apps, you don’t need to think about it, it just kind of works.”

Former MobileMe services such as Contacts, Calendar and Mail (5GB ceiling) have been re-architected and rewritten so that they seamlessly integrate with iCloud. This will let users share calendars with friends and family, while Mail is ad-free and has been hosted by me.com.

Apple has given a shot in the arm to data security also. iCloud uses Wi-Fi to automatically and securely back up music, apps, books, photos, images and device settings purchased from any Apple device while they are connected for charging.

Now, iCloud is available in beta version while the final one will be available in a few months from now alongside iOS 5. It will be compatible with iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Mac systems running on Mac OS X Lion.

As use of smartphones and tablets with limited storage are burgeoning, demand for cloud-based services are on the rise. In fact, technology firms such as Amazon and Zynga are already scurrying to stake their claim on the cloud market.

Apple’s iCloud is a game changer. For instance, Apple’s new iTunes Match service will scan hard drives of users and automatically make songs available on the iCloud. Compare this to Google and Amazon cloud-based storage service where users will have to upload every song all by themselves.

Apple, while launching the iCloud, has already incorporated a technology that is futuristic and it is to be seen how other companies follow the bellwether (Apple) in rolling out similar services.

But Apple has managed to make its iCloud compatible with all its devices and this will not only boost iCloud usage but also give a fillip to sales of Apple’s products.

Apple, in spite of ruling 85% of the tablet market, has launched the iPad2 in San Francisco with prices unchanged compared to the iPad and the new iPad also comes with more features.

With prices starting from $499 for the 16 GB model, the iPad2 runs on a new and faster A5 processor. It will not only help double the speed and but also make graphics display faster by almost nine fold. The premium 64 GB model with WiFi and 3G will come for $899.

Despite being on leave owing to ill health, a gaunt Apple CEO Steve Jobs launched the device to a packed conference hall, where he said, “We’ve been working on it for a while now and I just didn’t want to miss the launch.”

Jobs added that the iPad2 will have five models priced below $799.

Apple, while keeping the prices unchanged, heeded to consumer demand that price is the most important factor in determining whether to buy the product or not.

Pricing products according to customer needs has off late become Apple’s forte and this will definitely help the iPad2 scale popularity charts again. Apple is also offloading models of the current iPad for $100 till supplies last.

The iPad2 has two cameras at back and front for video conferencing, a HDMI port, a smart microfiber case-cum-stand and comes in both black and white colours.

The iPad2 is 33 per cent thinner than the first iPad and 15 per cent lighter. The new iPad comes with a 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD display and is powered by the iOS 4.3.

The iPad2 will start selling in 26 countries around April, and again, it is likely to take almost a year before being shipped to India. In the US, AT and T and Verizon will retail it.

Upbeat on the launch, Jobs averred, “With over 15 million iPads already sold, the tablet has defined a new category of mobile devices. While others have been scurrying to copy the first generation iPad, we’re two steps ahead, launching the second version. This moves the benchmark far ahead of competition and will likely force them (competitors) to go back to the drawing boards again.”

You don’t need to be a soothsayer to predict astronomical sales for the iPad2. In fact, Apple could touch three million unit sales in the first quarter and the figure could shore up to 12 million in the next three months.

The pricing strategy of iPad2 and its eclectic features have made it the favourite of buyers and this will not only help Apple’s earnings skyrocket but also dent the prospects of rivals, who are still grappling to match with the speed with which Apple is changing the technology of its products.