apple

The iPhone will be the best cell phone of all-time

While watching Apple's announcement today about the future of the iPhone and its SDK, I was shocked. As a person who frequently bemoans the issues and crappiness of tech, I was pleasantly surprised by how thorough and downright impressive Apple's presentation was.

From the very beginning where it spoke about the future of its enterprise integration to the end where Jobs allowed a venture capitalist to come on stage and offer a whopping $100 million to developers, the spectacle wasn't comprised of the illusions of grandeur that had marked the company's previous presentations, but showed a side of Apple that for once, conceded that it had made mistakes and was ready and willing to fix them.

And by admitting its failures and fixing them in a way that no one expected, Apple redeemed itself and has positioned its phone to become the best cell phone ever made. Of course, we can't crown it that until June.… Read more

Just when you thought VCs couldn't get any trendier: Kleiner launches the iFund

One of the first questions most venture capitalists ask would-be entrepreneurs is about the size of the target market. Selling into a niche market is generally frowned upon.

That is, of course, unless you're Kleiner Perkins and you want to throw $100 million at startups focused on the BOOMING iPhone applications market. With all of 10 million iPhones projected to be sold by the end of 2008, it's unclear how this is a good idea.

Perhaps the iPhone user demographics are such that an overwhelming majority want to buy applications, but I doubt it. Look at the Mac market. I'm a rabid Mac fan, but if I'm starting an applications company, I'm not going to go public on a Mac-only platform. … Read more

Ballmer on Apple's iPhone announcement

LAS VEGAS--If the jabs from venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki weren't enough, Steve Ballmer took a bunch of no-holds-barred queries from the audience at Mix '08.

He was asked whether, given Apple's iPhone announcement, Microsoft was trying to get Silverlight on the Apple phone.

"Silverlight for the iPhone is, of course, interesting," he said. "I can't say there's been extensive discussion with Guy's old boss."

He also said it was unclear whether Apple's business model, which takes 30 percent of iPhone application revenue, would allow for royalty-free distribution of Silverlight. (Apple … Read more

Apple continues to run the iPhone show

From the moment Apple announced iPhone, predictions were rampant that it would be the cell phone that would change the mobile world forever. As it turns out, the "Jesus phone" predictions were a little overblown, but indeed the iPhone has shaken the U.S. cell phone business to its core. And I'm not talking about the hardware side here; rather, I'm referring to the basic structure of the entire industry.

Thursday at the iPhone SDK event, one attendee asked an intriguing question at the end of the program. "What is the relationship with the carrier? … Read more

Kleiner's iFund to invest in 'Apple entrepreneurs'

John Doerr, the venture capitalist known for his investment in Google and for choking up on stage about the environment, is now showing his love for Apple.

On Thursday, Doerr pledged $100 million to fund "Apple entrepreneurs" who build applications for the iPhone and the iPod Touch, an announcement he delivered personally at Apple's unveiling of a new software development kit. Doerr said his company Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which will manage the so-called iFund, will invest in several new companies that develop software or services on the Apple platform.

Doerr joked at Apple's headquarters … Read more

Chapter II: iPhone turns into an applications platform

When Steve Jobs sneezes, everyone pays attention. On Thursday, he blew out the doors on the iPhone with an array of alliances and applications that make the device less of a phone and more of a powerful computer in the palm of your hand. You can see where the so-called smartphone is heading, and Apple is leading the way in terms of usability. The choice of networks--no 3G as yet--isn't an ideal choice, however.

With more processing power and memory, plus shrinking components and smarter software, you will end up with a supercomputer in your hand. And if Steve … Read more

Live blog from Apple's iPhone SDK announcement

CUPERTINO, Calif.--We're here at Apple's headquarters for the company's announcement of its iPhone software development kit. The event started just after 10 a.m. PT. What follows is a live blog of CEO Steve Jobs' speech, with updates as they come. (Editor's note: To make this blog more readable for posterity, we have since reordered this blog so that updates appear in the order in which they happened.)

10 a.m. PST: Apple's special event today in Cupertino is about to get started, as a couple hundred people are gathered inside Apple's Town … Read more

The iPhone made easy for business customers

Apple has finally granted the wish of business users who have craved the coolness of the iPhone but couldn't live without their push work e-mail.

Until now, iPhone users who wanted to get e-mail on their iPhones had to jump through a series of technical hoops. And as a result, a lot of business users, who would have otherwise bought the iPhone right away, have stood on the sidelines with their BlackBerrys or Windows Mobile phones drooling at the iPhone.

But now these business users will be able to get their work e-mail on an iPhone just as easily … Read more

Round up of iPhone applications

The long-awaited iPhone software development kit, which will be released in June, was finally unveiled Thursday.

And with it came a few applications, developed in a couple weeks by some very high-profile names in tech. Apple demonstrated seven new applications in a variety of categories: business, communications, and games.

Touch FX: Adds Photo Booth-style effects to a photo using your finger on the iPhone touch screen. Pinch or tap to introduce fun-house mirror style effects.

Touch Fighter: The first official game for the iPhone, developed by Apple engineers over two weeks. You fly through space and steer by … Read more