James Blog

iPhone 5 Rumours Ramping Up

    There are more rumours doing the rounds again about the imminent release of the iPhone 5. At least that is what we all think it may be called, but given Apple's latest label for the iPad 3, actually referring to it as "The New iPad" it is a little more difficult to know what they might name the new iPhone.

    The latest talk is around Apple placing substantial orders for 4" displays with their suppliers of screens. Naturally this indicates the new iPhone will offer a larger 4" display, up from the 3.5" used since the iPhone was first introduced back in 2007.

    Given end users are using their mobile phones for more than making calls and SMS, and are taking advantage of the "Apps" available for social media and games, watching videos and photography with the higher specced cameras included in todays smart phones.... it only seems right that the next iPhone boasts a larger display. Especially to stay current with the latest crop of large screen displays from manufacturers such as Samsung, HTC, Sony and even the chinese brands

    Who knows? The iPhone may even sport a Retina display like the new iPad, to help Apple push their Smart Phone ahead of the pack again. This could well be a smart ploy by Apple, given that Samsung Smart Phones now outsell the Apple iPhone.

    Whatever Apple does with the new iPhone, we can be sure this next device will be the step up Apple fans have been waiting for, after being some-what disappointed with the minor upgrades of the iPhone 4S.

    Maybe the iPhone 4 will move to Pre-paid as well with the release of a new iPhone later this year. Although I am sure the price will be high for Pre-Paid, there is a market out there willing to pay a premium for Apple products.

Time will tell.      Are you an Apple fan? Do you have an iPhone?

 

iPad 3, iPad 3, iPad 3

    It seems that all the tech media talk in recent weeks was the imminent release of the Apple iPad 3. Such a lot of media and consumer attention for such a small change in design. 
    I am not saying the iPad 3 is not a good piece of kit, but it is not a quantum leap that encourages consumers to upgrade from the iPad 2. Only if you feel the absolute need for higher resolution graphics does it make any sense. In ordinary use day by day, I do not believe the higher res screen will make much difference when using the iPad 3 to access the web, or even watching YouTube. 
    Maybe there is enough graphics grunt to make movie watching a little more pleasurable, but this really is a personal thing given the size of the screen and the unlikeliness of a family sitting around their much lauded iPad 3 in the lounge room watching Ice Age 4. 
    What all this hype does show is that Apple have managed to create more than a user friendly tablet and smart phone (iPhone). They have pulled the ultimate marketing coup... creating buying frenzies and media attention around the world, all talking about the next release device from Apple. Even going so far as to encourage rumours about upcoming product upgrades, what might or might not be included or improved on. Talk about controlling a market. 
    I am even guilty of joining in the hype, discussing the Apple iPad 3 here or even the iPhone in earlier blog posts.
Those that know me know that I am a fan of Android, but even the best competitor against the iPad 3, Samsung's beautiful Galaxy Tab 10.1 leaves me feeling a little under whelmed. Don't get me wrong. I love my Samsung tablet, lighter than the iPad, thin, bright screen and all. But why did Samsung remove the advantages they had over the iPad by using a propriety connector in stead of micro USB? Why did they remove the ability to upgrade memory via micro SD card slot.     These were the things that made Samsung competitive with the original Galaxy Tab 7.
 

It's not all about the iPhone!

    I was lucky enough to spend 10 days in Japan recently. In fact this was my second trip to Japan. The first time was a skiing holiday, and I have to say, the powder skiing in Japan is as good as they say.

    So, this time in Japan was for my Nephews wedding. He and his fiance are both Australian and live here in Australia but have had the opportunity to work in Japan for a few months and obviously love it. That's why about 40 family and friends made the trek to Japan for their tradional Japanese style wedding. What an experience!

    Naturally, I couldn't help myself and had to check out the mobile phone scene in Japan. The first thing that struck me whilst travelling on the excellent Japanese rail system was that just about all the younger generation are glued to their mobile phones, staring at the screen sending text, surfing the web, watching film clips, or something. The next thing I noticed was the considerable lack of the Apple iPhone. Honestly, I think I saw about 4, and I saw thousands of Mobiles whilst on the train, bus or even on the street.

    So I decided that this needed further investigation. I went to the 2 main Mobile Carriers in Japan, JP DoCoMo and Softbank to check out their range and offers. This was no easy task, as I have next to no Japanese language skills and the very polite and attentive sales staff at these shops had about as much English. The above photos are taken from a very comprehensive catalogue I picked up and show typical handsets on offer. Flip and slide phones are very popular, as is Android based Smart Phones. No iPhone in the catalogue, although one store had a sign out the front stating the iPhone was available on a 24 month contract for 6000 YEN per month (about AU$85). Smart phones are the rage, and Android leads in Japan. There are many brands available, including the popular ones we know like Motorola, HTC, LG and Samsung, but there are also plenty of very good looking smart phones from Sharp, Pantech, Toshiba, and Casio.  

    What about Prepaid? Well, this is interesting. Unlike Australia, or Hong Kong, Canada, USA, UK, etc, Japan has a distinct lack of Prepaid. Softbank offers one handset for 1050 YEN (AU$150) outright with no credit, and credit is another 600 YEN (AU$85). That was about the only Prepaid Mobile I could find. Only available in a phone shop and credit could only be bought there as well from what I could gather. There was certainly no convenience shops, or the equivalent of a newsagency, etc selling any type of Prepaid Mobile.

    When I arrived in Japan I thought I would do the same thing I did in Hong Kong recently, and pick up a Prepaid WiFi to allow me internet access whilst there. Guess what? There is no Prepaid Wifi in Japan! They do offer a Pocket WiFi on 4G. This is very fast at 42 Mps (6 x times our current speed) but is only available on a 24 month contract for 6000 YEN per month (AU$85)

    Seems to me there could be a great opportunity for Prepaid Mobile in Japan, but I am sure many others have considered this and there must be a reason that Prepaid is not popular. Maybe the carriers have more than they need on contracts and with 2 major carriers and some 127 million people, I am sure they are doing just fine.

    On a good note, the mobile service in Japan proved to be very good whilst roaming, and data speeds were excellent. There are a number of Free WiFi spots to be found and the mobile carriers offer their customers WiFi access just about everywhere, including on public transport.

    If you have been to another country and would like to share your expereince, then please do so. I would love to hear about other countries Mobile carriers, service and offers.

 

Tablets Make a Sweet Pill

    Many a word will continue to be written about the impact that Tablets will have on the human race.

    The humble tablet as we refer to them today can maybe be compared to that famous tablet of the late 90's that "kept people up all night".

    Statistics show that tablet usage is on the up, (no pun intended),  and of course we have the iPad from Apple to thank for that, just like we can thank Pfizer for bring the must have tablet for all night performance to market back in 1998. Coincidentally, 1998 is the same year Donna and I started Jenlist Distributors.

    It is estimated that usage of the Smart Phone and Tablet will see more people spending time surfing the Web next year on their personal Tablet or Smart Phone than they do on a traditional PC. It's hard to believe I am today referring to a "tradtional PC"  that in reality has only really been in common use in homes since about 1998, about the same time Pfizer and Jenlist had uplifting moments.

    But enough word play. I think you get my drift by now.

     As per the graph right, the average Android user (and this is the same for users of Apple's iPad and iPhone) spends almost an hour a day interacting with the Web or apps. This just shows that consumers that may have spent this time interacting with friends, watching TV, playing sport, etc has re-assigned their time to spend more of it surfing the web or using applications such as email, game play or social media interaction. So, they still interact with friends then, but on a broader scale with more people in further away places as well as locally.

    So, what is it I am trying to get at here? Simple, I think.

    If you are a retailer and want to be a part of this growth, then I strongly suggest you get involved in retailing products that these consumers are purchasing, get involved with Social Media to "talk" to your consumers, and embrace the future within your business.  An hour a day now will soon turn into 2 hours.

    Your customers will continue to upgrade their devices, and more often than not they will do this in a convenient and comfortable environment. Make sure your retail outlet is a comfortable environment to be in and make sure you offer the latest "smart" devices for them to purchase.

Happy "Up" selling (pun intended)

 

Google Wallet. Is this a good thing?


I love technology and all the things it can do for us in this day and age. Those that know me know that I am always embracing new technologies, whether I need it or not.... BUT !
I can't help but be a bit careful about the latest announcement from Google that they are running their Google Wallet in San Francisco and New York City as test markets. 
What is Google Wallet I hear you say?

This is what is termed as NFC (Near Field Communication) payment systems for smart phones. Essentially, you will be able to have all your credit card details and personal information stored on your mobile smart phone using an App. Just like you can simply "flash" your chipped credit card at a retailer now and the payment is deducted quickly and automatically, NFC via a mobile wallet will take this even further giving the consumer control over a number of credit cards or accounts. This clever technology will eventually mean there will be no reason to carry a wallet full of credit cards or cash, and once again the humble mobile phone becomes even more entwined and entangled into our lives.
No doubt it will be a short period of time before NFC payments is a reality world wide, and I am sure the younger generation will see many advantages have having the one device (their smart phone) doing absolutely everything for them.
Google isn't the only one developing Apps and NFC for payments, as Apple is also rumoured to be developing the same type of technology for their popular iPhone. Naturally, smartphone hardware needs to be capable of NFC, and so far there are only one or two devices able to use NFC, but it won't take long.

What do you think about NFC payments, and eliminating the need for a wallet full of cards and cash? Will we also carry our ID in our smartphones? No need for a driver's licence?
 

iPhone 3GS available on Prepaid
    
    Apple's iPhone 3GS is now available on Optus Prepaid!

    This may be the previous model (prior to iPhone 4) but by updating the software operating system from the Apple web site (via iTunes) you can have a state of the art "Smart Phone" that gives you that Apple iPhone satisfaction without the hassle of a 24 month contract.

    Great value for a great phone from Optus Prepaid and Apple.

Check is out here. 

                                        This phone is "Firm Sale"