Apple’s journey towards wireless services (USA)
Recent rumours doing the rounds show strong indication of US giant Apple moving towards offering wireless services to its iPad and iPhone users. According to a report by Gigaom, Apple will provide wireless service directly to its iPad and iPhone customers. First, Apple will sell data packages bundled with iPads. Then it will sell data and international roaming plans to iPhone customers through the iTunes Store. And in time Apple will strike wholesale deals with several mobile operators so that Apple can provide wireless service directly to its customers, as Apple Mobile.
With Apple’s increasing dominance in the smartphone arena, mobile operators are less likely to disagree with the company. As per the report, operators are less likely to refuse a deal offered by the iPhone maker out of fear that the same may be sold to a rival.
As revealed in the report, Apple filed a patent for “Dynamic Carrier Selection” on October 10, 2006, just a few months before Apple announced the first iPhone. The diagram in the patent application portrayed Apple as the wireless service provider connecting to multiple carriers. This would allow Apple to make wholesale cellular agreements with and connect to multiple carriers so it could offer its customers choices in carriers, plans and services. Apple has clearly put a lot of thought into its dynamic carrier selection architecture.
Further, Apple recently has been fighting with other handset vendors, including Nokia, over a new, smaller-sized SIM card for GSM and LTE handsets. According to some, such a SIM would allow Apple to bypass carriers entirely, and activate a new customer through the iTunes Store. Whether it uses the NanoSIM, virtual SIM or other variant, Apple could have the ability to activate and sell voice, data, messaging and roaming subscription plans before the ink dries on a carrier wholesale agreement.
Apple has all of the pieces necessary to offer wireless service directly to customers. They have the world’s leading brand, a loyal following who will pay a premium for Apple’s products and services, and 363 retail stores around the world, growing to 400 by the end of the year. And with iTunes, it has the digital content and billing platform to offer service with one-click simplicity. The infrastructure is in place today, with the patented architecture ready for Apple’s next big move.
iPhone customers typically spend as much as twice or more the U.S. national average monthly wireless bill, which was about $44 in the last year. So these are high value customers. And they buy apps and content – music, videos, TV shows and movies – through Apple today. By offering mobile service with iPhones and iPads, the company could provide the full Apple experience to its users.
Apple may be looking to launch its own mobile data service (USA)
US giant Apple may be planning another surprise for its iPhone and iPad users. According to a report by Slashgear, Apple may be planning to offer mobile data services across the USA for the likes of the iPhone and iPad.
As per the report, Apple currently has more than a massive 250 million credit card numbers on file through iTunes, and iTunes has the ability to take payments just as easily as any mobile carrier in the United States today. The difference is that groups like Verizon and T-Mobile own their own spectrum. Apple would have to either have plans in place to purchase spectrum or would have had to already have purchased spectrum to make this work inside 2012 – and that’s not news you can easily keep under wraps.
Etisalat launches new UniTalk promotion for the youth segment (UAE)
UAE’s leading mobile operator Etisalat has launched a new UniTalk promotion plan aimed at students in universities and the overall youth segment. According to the company, on subscribing to UniTalk, the consumers are automatically entered into the UniTalk mega draw where they can win some really cool prizes.
Further, users can enhance their chances of winning by referring friends to UniTalk; the higher the conversion rate, the higher the chances of winning. Under the promotion, Etisalat offers a car, vacation or a cash prize worth $35,400 as the first prize, an Apple set consisting of MacBook, iPad and iPhone worth $4,084 as the second prize, and a valuable shopping voucher worth $1,362 as the third prize.
Android gets Mashreq’s mobile banking app (USA, Middle East)
Leading financial institution Mashreq has announced the launch of its Mobile Banking for Google Android devices. Mashreq’s mobile app is also accessible through smartphones and devices such as iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Java OS Mobile phones.
The mobile banking application is a fully integrated transactional service offering customers to check their accounts’, make payments to Mashreq Credit Cards and transfer funds anywhere in the world through their mobile phones at anytime, from anywhere.
Furthermore, recharge Etisalat, du, Salik and make other bill payments such as DEWA, SEWA, ADDC through its safe, secure and customer friendly interface. Customers using this service enjoy easy access to their bank accounts through their mobile phones 24/7, from any GPRS / 3G / wireless (Wi-Fi) network, anywhere in the world, as per a press release.
Aref Al Ramli, Head of Alternate Channels at Mashreq commented that they are continuously working towards offering various distinctive platforms for customers to carry out their banking transactions. As technology evolves, so does their online banking services. They are proud of their multi-faced Mobile banking system, which is now available across all systems to reach out to further customers extending a hassle free banking service and help them save time.
For iPhone and Android, the app is to be downloaded from AppStore and Google Play (Android Market). Once installed, Mobile Banking app is ready for use completely free of charges from the bank.
Apple to offer refund for iPad to Australian consumers (USA, Australia)
Apple has offered to refund Australian consumers who purchased the iPad 3 as it is not compatible with the nations 4G network. As per reports, the consumers alleged that the US giant had provided misleading information by promoting 4G capabilities in the new iPad.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) issued a statement claiming that Apple had represented to Australian consumers that the product ‘iPad with WiFi + 4G’ can, with a sim card, connect to a 4G mobile data network in Australia, when this is not the case.
A report by the guardian reveals that Apple admitted that the new iPad does not work on the country’s network. Telstra does offer 4G services to users in Australia, however the new iPad connects to 4G on the 700MHz and 2100Mhz frequencies, neither of which is used by Telstra.
As per the report, Apple has said that it will issue a statement and send emails to consumers offering them a refund if the iPad was bought under the misconception of compatibility with the nation’s 4G network.
Samsung to supply the touch screen for Apple’s latest iPad (USA, South Korea)
South Korean manufacturer Samsung Electronics Co. will supply the touch screen for Apple’s new iPad, as LG Display Co. and Sharp Corp. were unable to uphold the quality standards, as reported by BN.
As per the report, Samsung is the sole provider for the 9.7 inch device, which will be sold from 16 March. Apart from the display screen, Samsung also provides Apple with the chips that power the iPhone and iPad.
The reason for this move is being said to be the demand for very high resolution in the new iPad’s display specifications. Further, achieving this high resolution without compromising on the power consumption and brightness and maintaining Apple’s quality standards are supposedly proving to be a challenge for LG Display and Sharp.
Industry analysts believe that Apple will be looking for other suppliers as well, owing to the number of legal disputes that the two are involved in.
The companies are yet to make an official statement about the same.
Apple overturns German online sales ban by Motorola (USA, Germany)
iPhone maker Apple Inc. has managed to overturn a ruling by the German court which imposed a ban on the sale of some of its products in the country. According to reports, Motorola Mobility had won the legal case and forced Apple to remove some of its iPhone and iPad models from the online store in Germany.
As per sources, a statement by Apple claims that all iPad and iPhone models will be back on sale through Apple’s online store in Germany shortly. Further, Apple appealed this ruling because Motorola repeatedly refuses to license this patent to Apple on reasonable terms, despite having declared it an industry standard patent seven years ago.
In response to this Motorola issued a statement saying that they are pleased that the Mannheim court has recognized the importance of their intellectual property and granted an enforceable injunction in Germany against Apple Sales International. However, although the enforcement of the injunction has been temporarily suspended, Motorola Mobility will continue to pursue its claims against Apple.
Samsung wins legal case against Apple in Netherlands (Europe)
South Korean handset maker Samsun has emerged victorious once again after a Dutch court rejected rival Apple Inc’s plea from banning the distribution of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the Netherlands. According to reports, the court has ruled in favour of Samsung, citing that the Galaxy Tab had some similarities to the design registered in 2004 but not to Apple’s iPad released in 2010.
As per sources, Apple had filed a legal suit against Samsung claiming patent infringement on its design, hardware and user interface among others. However, the ruling enables the Korean firm to sell its tablet computer in the Netherlands and throughout the European Union.
Reports reveal that the US giant had said that it was no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging. Further, this kind of blatant copying is wrong and they need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal their ideas.
Apple launches iBooks 2 for iPad replacing regular textbooks (USA)
US giant Apple Inc has launched iBooks 2 for iPad, featuring iBooks textbooks, an entirely new kind of textbook that’s dynamic, engaging and truly interactive. iBooks textbooks offer iPad users fullscreen textbooks with interactive animations, diagrams, photos, videos, unrivaled navigation and much more.
Acording to company reports, iBooks textbooks can be kept up to date, don’t weigh down a backpack and never have to be returned. Leading education services companies including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill and Pearson will deliver educational titles on the iBookstore with most priced at $14.99 or less, and with the new iBooks Author, a free authoring tool available today, anyone with a Mac can create stunning iBooks textbooks.
Philip Schiller, senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, Apple, has said that education is deep in Apple’s DNA and iPad may be their most exciting education product yet. With 1.5 million iPads already in use in education institutions, including over 1,000 one-to-one deployments, iPad is rapidly being adopted by schools across the US and around the world. Further, with iBooks 2 for iPad, students have a more dynamic, engaging and truly interactive way to read and learn, using the device they already love.
The new iBooks 2 app is available as a free download from the App Store. With its fast, fluid navigation, easy highlighting and note-taking, searching and definitions, plus lesson reviews and study cards, the new iBooks 2 app lets students study and learn in more efficient and effective ways than ever before.
iBooks Author is also available as a free download from the Mac App Store and lets anyone with a Mac create stunning iBooks textbooks, cookbooks, history books, picture books and more, and publish them to Apple’s iBookstore.
