Kicking The Google Habit: iPhone 5, iOS 6 To Drop YouTube Support

iphone 5 and iOS 6 with no youtube supportIn the wake of Apple dropping Google Maps from iOS 6 and replacing it with its own in-house technology, new news that YouTube native support will be dropped as well. Will iOS be Google-free by 2013?

News broke yesterday that the native YouTube app for iOS 6 will be going the way of the do-do. The statement from Apple was posted originally on The Verge: “Our license to include the YouTube app in iOS has ended, customers can use YouTube in the Safari browser and Google is working on a new YouTube app to be on the App Store.”

For iOS 5 device users who love the YouTube app (which seem to be few and far between), it appears that the loss of the native support will only be for iOS 6 devices, and that older devices will be grandfathered in: “Engadget has also heard from Apple and learned that while iOS 6 devices will lose the stock YouTube app, iOS 5 devices will not. It seems that either Google’s licensing agreement permits it to stay on the older OS, Apple didn’t want to go to the trouble to push out a point update that takes away a feature, or some combination of both.”

To clarify, Google and YouTube won’t be going completely away from iOS — Google has explicitly stated that it will develop an app for their streaming video service, giving iOS users the option of adding the feature back into their mobile computing experience.

The general perception of the native YouTube support on iOS is that it stinks — there isn’t a great deal of heartache on the part of iPhone and iPad users over the loss of the YouTube app. But perhaps the reason why this is a big story worth thinking about is that the dropping of YouTube from iOS 6 and beyond is yet another example of how Apple appears to be scrubbing YouTube services out of their products.

The dropping of YouTube begs the question: will we see an Apple version of YouTube — perhaps through iTunes — sometime in the near future, in a bid to compete with Google’s services? We’ve already seen the replacement of the poorly-supported Google Maps with what promises to be an impressive Apple Maps interface. Now, with the eventual dropping of YouTube, Apple appears to feel as though they can offer their users some kind of replacement down the line.

I have also written more than once about what I believe to be Apple’s semi-clandestine attempt to someday compete against Google search with Siri. Evidence such as its heavy reliance on search engine Wolfram Alpha and its vast repository of data centers suggests that Apple is already in the search business, and offering Siri users a different kind of search engine that leverages stored data, as opposed to Google Search’s indexing of web pages across the internet.

I now wonder if it is possible to imagine that 2013 iOS devices could see the dropping of Google Search as well? The further development of Siri on iOS 6 will perhaps give us a better sense of how close something like that could be.

Post Script: Hard Times For Google

You may not know it, but Google is having a bit of a rough patch right now with its revenues. The losses are coming as a direct result of the degradation of its AdWords business (the ads that appear on this blog as well as in Google Search, YouTube, Maps, and other Google services). This, from Slashdot, really lays out Google’s recent decline:

“Rebecca Greenfield writes that during their recent earnings call, Google reported a 16 percent decline in Cost-per-Click (CPC), meaning the value of each advertisement clicked has gone down. This follows a 12 percent drop last quarter and 8 percent the quarter before that showing an unfortunate reality of online advertising.”

I would not be shocked if Wall Street has a big October surprise in the fall over Google’s earnings.

The cause of Google’s drop in ad revenues has a lot to do with search engine optimization, or SEO as it is commonly known, which is being used by small online businesses in place of Google “pay-per-click” (PPC) ads. Whatever the case, Apple might see this opportunity to jump into the ad game for itself in the upcoming years — since there is no other ad system that currently competes with AdWords — as well as an opportunity to really stick it to Google. Imagine for a moment how fewer ad impressions Google’s AdWords will receive once Maps, YouTube, and maybe even Search is gone from iOS devices.

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iPhone 5 Display Report Complicates September 12th Announcement

Some tech media heavyweights have given the nod to the September 12th iPhone 5 announcement as being the real deal. But does a report today from Reuters regarding iPhone 5 display shipments call that date into question?
On Tuesday, Charles Moore outlined a new rumor that Apple is gearing up for an iPhone 5 announcement on September 12th, which was later supported by other tech media outlets. I had a chance to run the date by Sam Levin of App Minute and our correspondent for covering Apple events, and he seemed to believe as much, saying, “already on the Sept event trail, dude!” Between the release date and design being seemingly agreed upon, there doesn’t seem much left to do but twiddle our thumbs and wait.
But a report today from Reuters manage to raise a few eyebrows regarding iPhone 5 production, and whether a mide=-September announcement and late-September launch is indeed feasible.
The article reports that:

“Japan’s Sharp Corp. will start shipping screens destined for a new Apple iPhone that is widely expected to be released in October ahead of the pre-Christmas shopping season. ‘Shipments will start in August,’ Sharp’s new president, Takashi Okuda, said at a press briefing in Tokyo on Thursday after the company released its latest quarterly earnings. He declined to give a more specific date for shipments beyond this month.”
From a production standpoint, it’s great news, as this kind of evidence typically comes as the new iPhone nears completion. But the question remains: is roughly two months enough time for Apple to produce enough iPhone 5 units for the big launch?

The answer is difficult to arrive at, since no one really knows what the production process or schedule looks like, and where the displays fit into the mix. However, considering that we’ve purportedly gotten multiple looks at the iPhone 5 from different websites, and that iPhone 5 parts are allegedly flowing liberally out of places like Foxconn, it begs the question: is there another display provider who has already been supplying Apple with screens? Otherwise, are these rumored devices prototypes or actual production models?
Whatever the case, we know from experience that Apple can produce iPhones at quite a clip. A report on September 8th last year from Charles noted that Foxconn was producing 150,000 units a day. That was just about a month before the announcement. We reported the day about reports that the iPhone 4S had been in production for two months prior

Based on these reports from last year, we know what Apple is capable of. The big consideration this year is that they are working with a completely new form factor, which undoubtedly must complicate production to some degree.

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“We Don’t Need Your Stinkin’ 19-Pin!” New Rumors Of An 8-Pin iPhone 5 Dock Connector

If the unbridled joy and fervor of the 30-pin dock connector being reduced to the newfangled 19-pin variety, then get ready for an even tinier, 8-pin dock connector for the iPhone 5. Or so the rumor mill tells us.

For the remainder of this rumor cycle, I’m going to have to write about the dock connector with a little bit of mirth, since it seems like we’ve already spent far too much time discerning about the iPhone 5′s dock connector. Sure, a new dock connector will have implications, but fretting over butt-end of the iPhone 5 seems like an exercise in futility.
Of course, exercises in futility are the iPhone 5 rumor mill’s specialty.

The report originated by Jeremy Horwitz over at iLounge, who said:
“According to two sources, Apple’s new Dock Connector features only 8 pins, seemingly contradicting claims of “16-pin” and “19-pin” connectors. Although the original Dock Connector contained 30 pins, reports of 16- or 19-pin connectors seemed hard to square with the port’s small size and Apple’s actual need for additional pins beyond what USB/Micro-USB offer.”

If you’re looking for photos or schematics that corroborate Horwitz’s sources’ claims, I’m sorry to say that none are forthcoming. It seems that Horwitz has substantiated what he has heard with the photos of the purported iPhone 5 we’ve seen sprouting up across the rumor mill (which, by the way, my consumer electronics accessory executive source has confirmed is the iPhone 5 — they are already tooling cases for it). Looking at the photo of the dock connector, indeed it looks more like the size of a micro USB port, and could very well support the notion of a smaller dock connector.

Horwitz did update his post by adding: “Update: A source chimes in to confirm and explain the second detail: the male connector has 8 pins on each side, while the female connector has only 8 pins on one side. This enables the iPhone/iPod/iPad (with female port) to connect to either side of a male cable or docking plug.”

What I like about the iLounge rumor is that it makes some logical sense. If the current connector has 30 pins, then a 19-pin connector wouldn’t be nearly as small as the recent photos have suggested; the 8-pin design would fit the mold. Also, we’ve been told that one of the reason for Apple retooling the dock connector is so that they can slim down their mobile devices. If this is the case, then a dramatically smaller dock connector would fit the bill.

We’re also hearing rumors that the connector will be a MagSafe-style connector. To me, this is a no-brainer for the iPhone 5 and future iPads — anyone who has a MacBook has had the MagSafe save them from drop page disaster at least once. At the very least, it’s just a quicker, more secure way of making a connection. In the past, the application of MagSafe n the iPhone and iPad may have been limited by the necessity of transferring both power and data.

But with Apple utilizing OTA updates, maybe we’re moving in the direction of no hardware connections at all for charging and data transfer (particularly with 4G LTE coming to the iPhone 5). We’ve already heard that the iPhone 5 could have wireless, inductive charging. Could the iPhone 6 have wireless charging and data transfer?
Possibly.
In the meantime, it looks like we’re getting a smaller dock connector. Ok, rumor mill — we got it. What’s it going to be next week — 4-pin?

(I can’t believe I just tried to crack a “pin” joke.”)

<< Read Now >>

With The iPhone 5 Features And Release Date Fully Exposed, Is There Anything Left To Speculate On

Apple’s future iPhone releases used to be the closest-held secrets in the consumer technology sector. But this year, the tech media claims to have all the
answers for what the iPhone 5 will look like and when it will be released. Is cagey Apple and its secretive iPhone release a thing of the past?

If you listen to the iPhone 5 rumor mill these days, it would appear that the new iPhone has been figured out: we know exactly what it will look like, the
dimensions of the display, the new 19-pin dock connector, and now — the announcement date. In spite of the fact that it isn’t even August yet, sources

now claim that September 12th has been circled on the calendar by Cupertino execs for the big iPhone 5 exposé.
According to Jonny Evans roundup article over at Computerworld, this date has been confirmed not by only one tech media outlet, but several:

All Things Digital, The Loop and others are all making claims of this September 12 event, and while most are not categorically stating this will see the
introduction of the new device, the date does seem to match existing speculation claiming a Fall release of the new smartphone. Recent reports claimed

iPhone 5 production to have already begun. The device should then ship around September 21/22, we’re told.

What’s particularly interesting is that Jim Dalrymple’s The Loop is counted among the tech blogs claiming September 12th as the date, considering that

Jim has proven to have some deep sources within Cupertino; he usually acts as an accurate barometer for whether audacious claims about future Apple

products pass the smell test. He seems to be buying into the notion that September 12th could be the day.
Dalrymple is pretty definitive:
iphone 5 announcement on September 12th from The Loop
However, it’s important to note that the announcement and release dates for the iPhone 5 — September 12th and 21st/22nd, respectively — was

originally championed by iMore, as explored in Charles’ post yesterday.
It would be easy to act incredulous toward all of these bold claims — after all, Apple has a much longer track record of keeping secrets close to the vest.

Add to this Tim Cook’s promise of “doubling down” on security, and how could we ever believe that we’re seeing the iPhone 5 and getting the exact date

of its release fourty-some days before its announcement?
It is possible that more accurate leaks are a part of Apple’s new strategy under Tim Cook.

There’s no denying that the secretive, buzz-building wielding of the rumor mills was a deliberate strategy of Steve Jobs. But it remains to be seen if Apple

is still playing from Jobs’ playbook when it comes to dealing with new products. Earlier in the week, we heard Tim Cook give a very careful, measure

response to the possibility that the speculation surrounding the new iPhone could be hurting current sales, with Cook referring only to an amorphous

“future product.” That style of elusive banter seems like vintage Steve Jobs.
At the same time, you’ll recall that, for the first time, the tech rumor mills did a rather good job of getting the New iPad right. With the exception of its

name, late-breaking and even some not-so-late-breaking reports accurately reported the retina display, slightly thicker dimensions, same form factor,

and A5X processor.
The earlier, more accurate leaks could indeed be coming from Asia, where Apple’s ability to control security among its component producers and
assemblers may be more restricted than that of its own campus at 1 infinite loop. But in recent years, we’ve seen companies like Foxconn, and even the
Chinese government, work closely with Apple to ensure security on future products, and even come down hard on those who leak information out of Asia.

It has become a very risky proposition to do so, what with China’s famously draconian “justice” system, which has already prosecuted leakers in the past.
We have also seen Apple themselves push back hard against errant leaks, such as the famous iPhone 4 incident, with Apple pressing authorities to

charge Jason Chen of Gizmodo. Remember that?
This time around, Apple seems to be doing nothing over all of these purported leaks. And that could suggest two things: either Apple is at the heart of

these leaks (the conspiracy theory angle), or that everything we’re seeing and hearing is completely bogus, and Apple is content to let the misinformation

set us up for a big surprise in the fall.
I do not believe that Apple would leak a fake iPhone 5 to the public, for fear of creating a possible let-down: it would be a risky proposition for Apple to

release a fake product that people could come to love and anticipate, only to have its actual iPhone 5 disappoint. I also cannot imagine that Apple’s
security could have really gotten this bad.
In my opinion, either this iPhone 5 is the real thing and Apple has been complicit in letting it get out in the open, or it is a complete fabrication that Apple

has nothing to do with. Either way, we’re still guaranteed silence from Cupertino on the matter until the big day finally comes.

<< Read Now >>

Apple Mulls Stake In Twitter

Twitter and AppleIf there’s anything Apple has not been good at, it’s social media. While Google finally seems to have figured out in own place in the

social media niche with the highly Google Search-oriented Google+, Apple has struggled to craft its own branded social media experience. Building off of

iTunes, Cupertino hoped that Ping could be their answer. But for as popular as Apple’s on-demand music e-commerce platform may be, it has not proven

to be well-suited for a social media integration like Ping.

Now, however, it appears as if Apple might forgo an attempt at building its own social networking platform and instead buy a stake in Twitter.

According to the New York Times:

Apple has considered an investment in the hundreds of millions of dollars, one that could value Twitter at more than $10 billion, up from an $8.4 billion

valuation last year, these people said. They declined to be named because the discussions were private.

To be sure, it isn’t a lot of money for Apple, which is reported to have $117 billion in liquid assets at its disposal. However, it is a make departure from

Apple’s usual model of market development, which usually features an acquisition of a small start-up company that can then be shaped in Apple’s image

and likeness, or Apple’s own in-house development of a product and service.

The Times points out that “Twitter and Apple have already been working together. Recently, Apple has tightly sewn Twitter features into its software for

phones, tablets and computers, while, behind the scenes, Twitter has put more resources into managing its relationship with Apple.” We’ve also seen

with the new iOS 6 build that Apple is moving to further integrate with Facebook as well, after the awkward meltdown of the proposed Apple/Facebook

integration with Ping.

Still, it’s difficult to see what Apple — and Twitter’s angle would be in letting Cupertino become a major stakeholder in the Twitter empire. Although

Apple is a much larger company, Twitter has also managed to stash plenty of cash away — their war chest is reported to be $600 million. That isn’t all

that much when compared to Apple’s stack, but it demonstrates that Twitter is indeed a thriving company. In fact, it still remains more growth-oriented

than even Facebook, which has seen a slide in interest, as well as its disastrous public stock offering this year.

Speaking of public stock offerings, Apple’s possible investment into Twitter could have a lot to do with a Twitter IPO, since “Twitter is widely expected to

pursue a public offering within the next couple of years, whether or not it agrees to deals with investors like Apple.” For as much as Twitter might have

plenty of cash in the bank, they will need to be much further capitalized if they choose to become a public offering, since we have already seen how

destructive a poorly-managed IPO can be for even a wealthy company like Facebook. Apple’s stake in Twitter could be about reaping a major windfall in

a Twitter IPO.
Further Twitter Integration On iOS?

The Times article also points out that “Apple and Twitter are logical partners in some ways. Unlike Facebook or Google, Twitter has no plans to compete

with Apple in the phone business or elsewhere. And as Apple has found, social is just not in its DNA.” It can also be argued that Twitter’s design —

complete with its 140-character limit, streamlined user interface, and geolocation — makes it a more mobile, on-the-go social media experience than

Facebook. As more and more social media websites pop up, a more definitive division exists between platforms like Twitter and Instagram, which offer

users a more immediate, on-demand social media experience, and Facebook and Pinterest, which are more immersive and keep users on their sites.
Apple may see Twitter as an ideal match for the iPhone.

Time will most certainly tell. While we’ll see more Facebook integration on iOS 6, keeping an eye on what Apple does to accommodate Twitter in the

near future — and vice versa — will tell us a lot about where this relationship may be headed.

<< Read Now >>

GS3 Sales Swell, But Is There Really A One-On-One Android Contender For The iPhone?

The tech media has pitted the GS3 against the iPhone 5 all year. But considering its modest sales compared to the iPhone, why are we still having these

GS3 vs. iPhone conversations?

I was recently talking to one of my contacts in the consumer electronics accessories market, and it was interesting to hear why so few custom cases and

accessories exist for even the better-selling Android and Windows smartphones: “they just don’t sell well 0— why would we build cases for them? We

know the iPhone sells.” That makes a lot of sense.

Recently, however, the tech media has really pushed the notion of Samsung’s Galaxy S 3 taking on the eventual iPhone 5 in a head-to-head match-up

that could begin to change the smartphone paradigm. For as much as this theory might seem little more than an easy storyline to maintain, case

designers have actually bought into it — you’re seeing more and more accessories for the GS3, particularly cases.

But for all the fanfare and buzz about the GS3, what kind of sales has it seen so far this year? 10 million.

This according to a recent Reuters article which, thanks to its mainstream appeal, has helped to carry the torch that the GS3 could indeed be an iPhone

killer: “Samsung Electronics Co expects sales of its new Galaxy S III, launched at the end of last month as a main rival to Apple’s iPhone, to top 10 million

during July, making it the South Korean group’s fastest selling smartphone.” Now, 10 million units sold to date is nothing to shake a stick at when it comes

to abstract sales. But when you consider that the iPhone 4S sold more than four times that number in its first weekend of sales**, and that its total sales

after a year will dwarf the GS3's sales, it begs the question: why are we still having this conversation?

“Perhaps part of the reason why there is a persistent desire to match the iPhone 5 up against other single Android devices is the fact that analysts still

see single Android challenges as market changers for the iPhone. Both Apple and Samsung, for example, posted similarly disappointing sales

expectations in late June, caused ostensibly by the continued economic woes. However, analyst spin continues to favor this GS3/iPhone 5 match-up.

According to eWeek:

The iPhone 4S “is a little bit long in the tooth, when compared to other phones with better specs. To put it plainly, consumers are getting a little bit

tired of the look of the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S,” Beijing-based IDC analyst TZ Wong told Reuters.

Wong and other also pointed to devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S III, saying consumers want devices with (very) large displays and cutting-edge

features.”

Has the GS3's 10 million in sales put a dent in potential iPhone 5 sales down the line? Perhaps to an extent. But you’ll also recall that last year, the same

was said about the preemptive GS2, and yet the iPhone 4S went on to be the biggest iPhone success to date in terms of sales.

But it isn’t just the Samsung Galaxy series of mobile gear that gets erroneously stacked up against Apple products.

An article today from Pop Herald takes a similar tack with Google’s upcoming, new Nexus: “Who wants a Nexus 7-like smartphone? I Do, and it looks like

it has a chance against the iPhone 5 based on the tablet’s early success.” The crux of this article is that a cheaper Nexus smartphone will blast the iPhone

5 through a lower price point. What, like how the Kindle Fire has done to the iPad?

But this is the model: Android x will crush iPhone y because it is z. And z can equal any number of things: bigger screen, better camera, or lower price.

But all of these equations, the fact remains that none of the competing Android devices, no matter how much tech enthusiasts seem to think that they

outpace the iPhone in price or spec, Google’s model is still to compete with the iPhone by empowering lots of Android smartphones; not to compete one

-on-one with Apple.

<< Read Now >>

GS3 Sales Swell, But Is There Really A One-On-One Android Contender For The iPhone?

The tech media has pitted the GS3 against the iPhone 5 all year. But considering its modest sales compared to the iPhone, why are we still having these

GS3 vs. iPhone conversations?

I was recently talking to one of my contacts in the consumer electronics accessories market, and it was interesting to hear why so few custom cases and

accessories exist for even the better-selling Android and Windows smartphones: “they just don’t sell well 0— why would we build cases for them? We

know the iPhone sells.” That makes a lot of sense.

Recently, however, the tech media has really pushed the notion of Samsung’s Galaxy S 3 taking on the eventual iPhone 5 in a head-to-head match-up

that could begin to change the smartphone paradigm. For as much as this theory might seem little more than an easy storyline to maintain, case

designers have actually bought into it — you’re seeing more and more accessories for the GS3, particularly cases.

But for all the fanfare and buzz about the GS3, what kind of sales has it seen so far this year? 10 million.

This according to a recent Reuters article which, thanks to its mainstream appeal, has helped to carry the torch that the GS3 could indeed be an iPhone

killer: “Samsung Electronics Co expects sales of its new Galaxy S III, launched at the end of last month as a main rival to Apple’s iPhone, to top 10 million

during July, making it the South Korean group’s fastest selling smartphone.” Now, 10 million units sold to date is nothing to shake a stick at when it comes

to abstract sales. But when you consider that the iPhone 4S sold more than four times that number in its first weekend of sales**, and that its total sales

after a year will dwarf the GS3's sales, it begs the question: why are we still having this conversation?

“Perhaps part of the reason why there is a persistent desire to match the iPhone 5 up against other single Android devices is the fact that analysts still

see single Android challenges as market changers for the iPhone. Both Apple and Samsung, for example, posted similarly disappointing sales

expectations in late June, caused ostensibly by the continued economic woes. However, analyst spin continues to favor this GS3/iPhone 5 match-up.

According to eWeek:

The iPhone 4S “is a little bit long in the tooth, when compared to other phones with better specs. To put it plainly, consumers are getting a little bit

tired of the look of the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S,” Beijing-based IDC analyst TZ Wong told Reuters.

Wong and other also pointed to devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S III, saying consumers want devices with (very) large displays and cutting-edge

features.”

Has the GS3's 10 million in sales put a dent in potential iPhone 5 sales down the line? Perhaps to an extent. But you’ll also recall that last year, the same

was said about the preemptive GS2, and yet the iPhone 4S went on to be the biggest iPhone success to date in terms of sales.

But it isn’t just the Samsung Galaxy series of mobile gear that gets erroneously stacked up against Apple products.

An article today from Pop Herald takes a similar tack with Google’s upcoming, new Nexus: “Who wants a Nexus 7-like smartphone? I Do, and it looks like

it has a chance against the iPhone 5 based on the tablet’s early success.” The crux of this article is that a cheaper Nexus smartphone will blast the iPhone

5 through a lower price point. What, like how the Kindle Fire has done to the iPad?

But this is the model: Android x will crush iPhone y because it is z. And z can equal any number of things: bigger screen, better camera, or lower price.

But all of these equations, the fact remains that none of the competing Android devices, no matter how much tech enthusiasts seem to think that they

outpace the iPhone in price or spec, Google’s model is still to compete with the iPhone by empowering lots of Android smartphones; not to compete one

-on-one with Apple.

<< Read Now >>