Just in case my post yesterday appeared too pro-Apple, let me dish out a little criticism today.  Just because they’ve made some smart marketing, distribution, and product development moves over the past several years doesn’t mean that they aren’t kinda evil.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that the iPhone is now available on Verizon ending the exclusivity between Apple and AT&T.  Pre-sales for existing Verizon customers started on February 3rd and the rest of the world is free to get in on the action today.  Various reports project that that 1 million iPhone 4s will be sold in the first week of availability and 3-4 million will be sold in Q1.

What’s wrong with that, you ask?  Well, Apple is predictable in delivering product upgrades on more-or-less a yearly cycle and a new iPhone has been announced or released every summer since its inception.  Do the math - if it’s now February and we can expect our next iPhone announcement in June, then people who buy this month have just four months to enjoy having that ‘new phone feeling.’

I guess you could blame the consumer here too.  I mean, if you’ve already waited four years for an iPhone to come to Verizon, why not wait just four more months to get in at the top of game?  I digress… 

Of course Apple wanted to get this done as soon as possible in order to exploit the hype and sell a bunch of phones.  They know that they have enough fanboys out there that they’ll be able to sell just as many phones (if not more) when the iPhone 5 launches over the summer… probably to some of the same folks that pick one up this month.

In the end, there are reasons why AAPL is trading around the $350 mark today and is expected to reach $425+ in the near future (iPad 2, new MacBook Pros, iPhone 5)… hint: it isn’t because they care about their customers.  Agree?

I love the movie “Searching for Bobby Fischer” and I think that most who’ve seen it would agree that the best scene in the movie is when young Josh offers his opponent a draw, saying: “You’ve already lost, you just don’t know it yet.”

When it comes to the tablet device game, this might as well be Apple’s slogan. The iPad already reigns supreme in early adoption and while other companies (Motorola, HTC, Samsung, etc.) are rushing to get their own competing devices to market, I don’t know if they realize that they’ve already lost.

Sure, they might compete when it comes to specifications - the Xoom even has the current iPod outmatched with it’s dual-core processor, higher resolution screen, additional memory, better camera, and so-on.  That pretty much concludes the discussion of where current tablets best the iPad, though.

In the technological chess-match currently unfolding, here is where the competition has already lost.

Operating System - While Android has made great leaps and bounds in trying to catch up with iOS, it still isn’t there yet.  Even when it comes to cellphones, an area in which Android outnumbers iOS, it has taken a custom-modded ROM (Cyanogen) to deliver the performance and features and experience that I want from my phone. On paper at least, Android can match what the iPad can do, but the experience is far different.

Apps / Content - First of all, there are just more applications available in the iTunes app store right now.  Because of this, game creators, media outlets, and technology companies are going to create their apps for iOS first.  Second, love it or hate it, the fact that Apple maintains a stringent approval process for applications tends to weed out more of the crap than does Android.  Finally, not only does the iPad offer more applications it also provides seamless access to all sorts of content.  I don’t think that users are going to be satisfied with only hulu, youtube, and manually managing new media on competing devices.

Price - The iPad isn’t cheap, but the fact remains that the entry-level model comes in at $499.  Other options, such as the Samsung Tab, can be found for a lower price point, but not without a $30+ monthly data plan and a two-year commitment.  The Xoom might boast impressive specs, but at $800 I don’t see a compelling case for paying up for it at this point.

Apple has made a bit of noise over the past few months regarding their efforts to buy up supplies of components well in advance.  Not only does this allow them to get parts at a discount, but it means that competing devices are going to have to scramble to find suppliers and pay more for the same stuff when they do.

Availability - This may be the most important reason of all.  The Mororola Xoom or the RIM Playbook sound great and all… but you still can’t buy one!  What happens if Apple announces and releases it’s second generation iPad (which many rumors suggest could happen as early as next month) and the competition still hasn’t gotten their own products to market?  More people who have been waiting to get into the tablet game might go ahead and pull the trigger instead of waiting any longer.  For every person that goes with Apple, that’s one less from the pool of folks that have to be split up by all the rest.

At the end of the day I know that technology companies are going to try and capitalize on any new market, but throwing yourself headfirst into a losing battle just isn’t smart.  Learn a lesson from very recent history: when Apple brought the iPod to market the boom was on.  Companies like iRiver, Sansa, and even Microsoft with its ‘Zune’ tried to get in on the game, but did any of them come close to competing?  Did anyone even turn a profit?

Competition is essential, but rushing a half-baked product to market helps nobody.

Let us know!  What are your thoughts?  Who’s the ultimate winner in your book?

Cisco ūmi or Facetime?  Who will win the battle to own personal video conferencing?  Business video conferencing is easier to solve — with webcams on laptops and instant messaging in place in many enterprises, the laptop is going to be the video conferencing tool of choice.

But in the living room, it’s a harder question.  With Facetime on all Apple laptops and unified in all Apple devices, they’re surely angling towards the set of customers that trusts Apple with their lives, which is growing everyday.

But Cisco’s on to something with ūmi… Executives will love it, I’m sure, for work from home if it can be unified with an enterprise Telepresence system, but that’s a considerably smaller market than Apple users.  ūmi would be perfect for the Grandparent market if it’s easy enough to pick up a call that’s been initiated by someone else.

Maybe I’m only thinking about this because I have a crush on Ellen Page.

Are there any efforts at standardizing video conferencing?

Contrary to popular opinion, I’m not a total Mac hater.  I have a MacBook at home, but I’ve always said that it could never completely replace my PC because the productivity software just isn’t on par with Microsoft Office for the PC.

Well, Microsoft released Office 2011 for Mac on 10/26 and have claimed that it’s more compatible that previous versions of the software.  Also, it seems to have integrated the ‘ribbon’ feature from the 2007 PC version (although it doesn’t look exactly the same).

If this new update for the Mac really does bring the premier productivity suite up to date and on par with it’s PC version, then it could truly represent a game changer for Apple in terms of catering to a larger chunk of consumers who need to either work from home, or work within applications that they’re familiar with using while at the office.  There’s still the whole ‘gaming’ population out there, but we’ll save that for another article.

If you’re a faithful reader who’s had a chance to get their hands dirty with this latest update, let us know.  What’s the skinny on Office 2011 for Mac?

It seems that there are masses of Apple fans out there, who demonstrate their individuality by lining up with all of the other people who want to be individuals, and purchase the latest apple device in droves, because Steve Jobs wears turtle-necks with his jeans.

Well, I’m sure there is more to it, but that is the position taken by many, who ostracize these Apple fans.  

Whether your reason to purchase every apple component is because you feel they are superior to everything manufactured in the free world, or because you simply want to identify with the niche, and prove you are cool is irrelevant, and not the point of this discussion.

What is the point?  The point is that those opposed to all things Apple are going to have another reason to mock you.

Cupidtino has launched its much anticipated beta, and promises to unite Apple Fanboys, and ummm Apple Fangirls?  Female Apple Fanboys?  The site’s mission statement is fairly simple:  “Diehard Mac & Apple fans often have a lot in common - personalities, creative professions, a similar sense of style and aesthetics, taste, and a love for technology.  We believe these are enough fundamental reasons for two people to meet and fall in love.”

The beta site shows lots of female profiles on the main page, but methinks that the actual sign-ups will probably look more like a sausage-fest.  I’m not trying to hate, that’s just typically how technology related topics play out.

My prediction is that the war between Fanboys, and those who hate them is about to heat up.  As soon as the haters figure out that the Fanboys are strengthening their army through dating sites, ergo fornication and repopulation, my next prediction is obvious:  A site dedicated to romance for those who hate Apple Fanboys.