shownotes_20100717

Opening
  Opening Music
    Music is "Say Anything" by Manda and the Marbles
    Band's MySpace page
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News
  Apple iPhone 4 press event
    Invited select members of the press to it's campus
    Speculation was rampant
      Full recall of the iPhone 4
      $30 credit or free iPhone Bumpers
      Verizon iPhone in January (really?!!! ever hopeful I guess). Would be after the Summer of Droid.
    The State of Antennagate prior to announcement
      Consumer Reports said it couldn't recommend the iPhone 4 because of the antenna issues.
        Later said that a bumper "fixes" the issue.
      Bloomberg reports that Ruben Caballero, a senior engineer and antenna expert at Apple warned executives of potential antenna issue due to the design.
        Apple categorically denies the Bloomberg claim.
    Rodman Renshaw analyst Ashok Kumar claiming that Apple has developed an "internal bumper" insulator to isolate the iPhone 4’s antenna connection.
    So what did Steve say:
      The iPhone 4 antenna song. Set the tone for what was going to happen next.
      It was a about "scope".
        Scope of the negative coverage
        Scope of the users having actual issues.
      Not just us
        Showed other phones losing signal with "death grip"
      Yes we did testing
        Spends 100 million dollars in testing
        Show images of how they test.
      Consumers are satisfied
        Only 0.55% of customers are calling Applecare with antenna issues
        1/3 the return rate of the iPhone 3 GS
        More dropped calls than the 3GS, but less than 1% more
      Countered with a lot of data
        Apple.com/antenna
      What is Apple going to do
        iOS 4.0.1 update. Bar formula fix and Exchange Bug fix
        Free bumper case, partner case or refund of bumper case. Through September 30th.
        30 days for a full refund. No restocking fees.
          In Q&A asked bout AT&T contract refunds and Jobs said he believes so.
    Other odds and ends
      Working on proximity sensor fix
        No word about some of the reported BT issues. People on the receiving end reporting bad or distant sound.
        One listener reports the BT issue goes away if he picks up the call on the iPhone first and then switches to BT.
      White iPhone shipping end of July. Limited quantities.
      Launching in 17 other countries on July 30th.
    My thoughts on the event
      What I expected Apple to do.
      In totally agreement with him on the "scope" angle.
      Not sure they clearly separated the 3 issues
        Bar issue. Remapped signal strengths.
          Anandtech has looked at the numbers.
          bottom cut off has been extended from -113db to -121db.
          5th bar still starts at -51db, but now bottoms at -75db instead of -91db
          all other ranges have been extended.
        Attenuation.
          This is what other phones (incl. iPhone 3GS) also suffer from.
        De-tuning
          This is what the case resolves. Or tape, and is unique to the iPhone 4 design.
          This is the "flaw" they don't share with other devices
        Sent some mixed messages
          Made a big deal about the superior design of the iPhone 4 antenna at the launch event (remember the slide), now shows that there antenna has the same flaws as the competition.
          Never should have touted the antenna design as superior and this argument would be more believable to the non-technical consumer.
      Speculate that there is a hardware fix. September 30th date is time for existing customers to take advantage of free case.
        In Q&A Apple said they are NOT re-designing the antenna.
        Doesn't rule out modifications to minimize the detuning effect.
        If you get a new iPhone for in the next week or so please let me know if you can drop a call due to detuning.
      They could have gone further to admit a design flaw, but they wouldn't.
        Made the right corporate decision and saved PR face.
        May or may not appease the media, we'll see. Most will probably blow over.
        There never really was a large customer issue (beyond the bad PR), and the free case will likely resolve that for a majority of buyers.
        Some are saying Apple should just admit the design issue, that they are fixing it and will exchange customers phones in September
          Make no sense if Apple's customer data shows less than 1% complaining about the issue.
          Your talking about 3 million phones with likely millions more out by September.
          Full recall costs were estimated at 1.5 to 1.9 billion
          They can just replace that 1% on a case by case basis. Saves them lots of money and they don't publicly admit a design flaw.
    My experience
      Using the iPhone 4 normally as a would have my 3GS. I have no issues and the iPhone 4 is a better phone.
      I can now drop calls, but I have to make it happen and before iOS 4.0.1 I couldn't drop.
      Death grip does seem to lower data rates, but seems inconsistent
      Case resolves the de-tuning drops.
      If there does turn out to be a hardware fix I will want my iPhone replaced even though
  iOS 4.1 update hits devs. 4.0.1 maybe hits the streets
    Apple released 4.1 Beta to devs on Wednesday
      Has new "bars" reception formula and "taller" bars at the low-end of the scale for easier reading.
      Better display of signal drop off in poor reception areas.
    A Greek iPhone sites claims 4.0.1 will be released publicly today
      Claim 4.1 is for a September release
  iOS 3.2.1 Software Update for the iPad.
    Improved Wi-Fi connectivity
    Fixed an issue that stops the copy/paste of single-page PDFs in Mail
    Addressed issues that causes video playback to freeze
    Improved reliability involving the video-out using the iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter
    Added Bing to Safari's search option
  US Mac sales continue growth
    Gartner put Apple in fourth for U.S. computer shipments, showing 9.8% market share and unit growth of 24.7% over the second quarter last year.
    Gartner showed overall US PC shipments up 16% year over year, so Apple is outpacing the industry.
    IDC has similar, but more conservative numbers reporting Apple’s second quarter U.S. market share at 8.8% with a unit increase of 15.4% from a year-ago.
    IDC reports the overall PC industry growth at 12.6%
  Some say smaller iPads are on the way
    From Digitimes (again)
    5.6-inch and 7-inch OLED displays
    Targeting eBook reader market.
      Does that mean much lower price point?
      OLED is typically more expensive
  An Air of a new Air
    Digitimes is reporting that component suppliers tell them Apple has plans for a new Macbook Air
      11.6-inch screen
      Intel Core i-series ultra-low voltage processor
    Also reporting a new A4 based iPod Touch with a 3 MP camera for stills and video capture.
  MacPro, iMacs maybe getting faster ports
    USB 3.0 ports in both new iMacs and Mac Pros. Up to 5Gbps.
    Firewire 1600 or 3200 connections in the Mac Pro with up to 3.2Gbps for FW 3200 connections
    Apple is still planning Intel Lightpeak, but might not show up in systems until next year.
  Apple eyed Palm,but lost to HP
    Silicon Alley Insider on Thursday reported that Apple was in the race to buy Palm, along with Google and Research in Motion.
    Apple looking to get their patent and IP library
    Also may have been interested in continuing their keyboard based phones to compete with RIM.
    HP ultimately purchased them for 1.2 Billion. Most speculate for their WebOS.
    Seems like a bargain to me.
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Feedback, Comments and Commentary
  Correction on resolving iPhone dupes
    I explained how to recover from iPhone duplicates if you enabled iTunes sync and Mobile Me sync.
    Step two I said you could "keep" the data on the device. You want say OK to delete it.
    The correct steps should be:
      Turn off syncing of contacts and calendar for the device in iTunes Info tab.
      Then turn off Mobile Me sync by going to Settings -> Mail, Contacts, Calendars, then tap your account, and slide to Off.
      When prompted, select Delete from My iPhone/iPod touch.
      Now you need to re-enable syncing:
      Choose Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars, then tap your account to slide the data type on.
      When prompted, select Merge with MobileMe
  Accessory not supported message
    Play comment from Claude
    "This accessory is not made to work with iPhone".
    iPhone not supporting some iPod Accessories
      Despite using the same 30-pin connector some iPod audio accessories will give you a warning about interference and offer to let you go into Airplane mode.
        I noticed on my iPhone 4 that I now get a "The accessory is not "optimized" for this iPhone" instead of not supported.
        May experience noise and decreased cellular signal strength
        In Airplane mode you can't get cellular data. Can turn back on Wi-Fi though.
    Check the connections on both the accessory and your iPhone. No debris also seated properly. Some cases can just slightly block a complete connection.
    Contact the accessory manufacturer.
    Make sure software is up to date.
    Do a full restore.
    "Made for iPod" vs. "Works with iPhone" logos.
      Watch out for accessors that just say the are iPhone compatible, but don't carry a "Works with iPhone" logo
    "Charging not supported" is another message.
      Scoche IFWA (PassPORT) - For the iPod nano (Gen 4), iPod touch (Gen 2), iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. Not sure about iPhone 4
  Review: Thoughtout Stabile
    4 lbs steel stand in black or silver finish. Silver a little more "grey" than the aluminum on the iMac or Macbook Pro.
    "butterfly" style cradle with 4 padded fingers. 2 at bottom for the edge of the iPad and 2 behind the device
      55 degree set viewing angle and low center of gravity
      Lives up to it's name
      Works in portrait or landscape orientation on any side, almost
        One of the holding fingers lines up with the volume rocker in 1 landscape orientation
        Both fingers line up perfectly with the sleep/wake button and headphone jack in the "upside down" portrait orientation
        Can compensate by shifting things off center a bit, so not a huge deal.
    Base matches the styling of the iMac base
    Slot in back for iPad cable management
    Works with or without a case
      I can even operate my Apple iPad case cover while it's in the stand or fold behind
    Made in the USA
    USD $59.99 for the Black and $69.99 for the silver.
  Create iOS Notes with Helvetica
    Yes you can rid your iOS device notes of Marker Felt without a "hack" or "jailbreak"
    Settings-->General-->Keyboard-->International Keyboard-->Add New Keyboard…
      Add one of the Japanese keyboards
    Go to the Notes app and create your new note
      Press the "globe" icon to switch to the Japanese Keyboard
      Type any character and then click Done.
    Now click to edit the note again, but switch back to your usual keyboard.
      Delete the Japanese character and start typing
      Your note will now be in Helvetica instead of Marker Felt
    Only bummer is you have to do this each time you start a new Note
    There is an app called Helvetinote for iPad
  Rate your iTunes Tracks
    To rate a track
      Select a track in iTunes
      File-->Rating-->Select 0 to 5 stars
    To see the ratings in the views
      If it's not already visible, Control+Click (Right+Click) the column header area and check on the 'Rating' column.
      You can then drag it to reorient it in your list view.
      You can also now click an drag over that column for a track to set it's rating.
    Set rating from the Info window
      Select the track and choose File-->Get info (Command+I)
      Click the 'Options' tab and you can set the rating there.
    Once you have ratings set you can use those as criteria for smart playlists
      Get 25 random 4 star or better rock songs.
    Hack to enable "half" ratings
      In the Terminal:
        Quit iTunes if open
        type: defaults write com.apple.iTunes allow-half-stars -bool TRUE
        Hit enter and open iTunes. Now you can set half ratings
        To remove type the same command, but replace the word TRUE with FALSE
      Or use my favorite plist hacking System Preference Pane, Secrets.
Closing
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  New Music
    "iPhone Antenna Song" by Johnathan Mann
    Buy the track here
    Other music available on iTunes
  EOL: Squeeze Plays iPad on Fallon
    A YouTube video of the UK band Squeeze's pianist playing the iPad durning a recent appearance on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The app is Pianist by MooCowMusic