Apple has just released their newest line of iPods right on time. Obviously, like every other blog out there I have to get my point of view across.

Firstly, there's the new iPod Nano which is actually nano this time around. Unfortunately they have replaced the click wheel with a multi-touch screen which can fit four icons on it. In my opinion it seems kind of gimmicky but I am sure Apple will prove me wrong with this being the next must have gift. The new Ipod Touch, as predicted will include all the new features of the iPhone 4 except for the phone, making it just an "i". As well this there is a new iPod shuffle which has the same button arrangement as the first gen shuffle but it is in the shape of a square. I guess they realised that a buttonless design was just plain stupid.

UPDATE: You may notice the bad photoshop job when you look at the apple logo in the reflection of the iPod Touch

There is a new iTunes version out. It seems like iTunes 9 just came out yesterday but here is iTunes 10. They have released a ping feature which lets you "socialise" with your favourite artists. So another 90MB download awaits you when you finish reading this post.

On top of this, a new Apple TV is on its way which is actually tiny. It basically lets you rent HD movies (NOT buy). for a low price which is sure to inflate for international markets.

Enjoy the pictures!!!

Whoops, almost forgot the iPod Classic, just like Apple did. There are NO improvements whatsoever.

One of the largest technology companies on this planet is Apple. They are the creators of many of the products we use in our everyday lives such as the iPod and the iPhone. Whenever Apple releases a new product, they have a lot of market hype. Every technology blog, including this one, has to report on Apple's latest product. They were the ones who made having a lowercase "i" in front of a product name cool. On top of this, I notice a large traffic increase whenever a new Apple product has been released. Apple's Macs are far from the worlds most popular computers, this title goes to Dell. But for some reason, every time a new Apple product is released there is more hype surrounding it than any other product. People wait in nerve wracking anticipation when Steve Jobs hosts another keynote and journalists from around the world wait to be one of the first to hear about Apple's latest product. Whenever Apple does release a new product, you want to buy it. often it has its limitations but you still want to buy it. It just looks so cool. You merely have to a take a trip to your local Apple store to experience this feeling. But what is the reason for people's fascination with Apple, so much so that no matter what product Apple releases, you can guarantee a line will stretch for miles and it will be sold out in every store within a couple of days.

Take a look at the iPhone 4. It has had a few issues such as introducing video calling which is so limited that it is almost useless, and the dreaded antenna problems. By the time these issues had been found, many people in the US had already bought them and were upset over the antenna issue. You would think that on its worldwide release, the new iPhone's sales will suffer incredibly. This was not the case though, just take a look at the headline on The Sydney Morning Herald on the day of release:

"iPhone 4 Sold Out Around the Country"

"A Stronger than Expected Reception for iPhone 4"

As you can see, the antenna problems bothered no one. The phone was still selling like hotcakes. Apple's fan base is so dedicated that they are willing to accept Apple's band-aid solution in order to get their hand on the next big thing. Then, we look at the iPad. So many other companies have tried and failed in releasing their own version of the tablet. Often, more powerful but less user friendly than the iPad. Apple on the other hand managed to create a whole new segment of the market and convince people to buy a device they previously didn't need. Instead of telling people to replace their laptop, they should use the iPad to complement their laptop. On top of this, they managed to get above their expected sales and have basically made the tablet the next must have device. Something which other companies have been trying to do since the year 2000. They managed to bust the myth that e-readers must have an e-ink screen in order to compete. Despite the critics of the product, it sold more than anyone expected.

So what gives Apple this degree of control over their consumers? How can they convince someone to buy a product they don't really need and get them to buy something which has a lot less features than a cheaper alternative?

Well, there is no simple answer to this but I am going to give it a go. Apple's dominance of the market started with the release of the iPod in 2001. They had changed the market completely with a simple, easy to use media player providing a better alternative than most players out there in that day and age. Then they released a second generation model and expanded the line to fit new market segments. This made it the most popular mp3 player in the world and as you moved on to newer generations, more followed the iPod trend because of its coolness. Everyone had to have one and through this, people feel the need to upgrade to newer models and become first time owners of the iPod. From this, Apple got their loyal fan base with people always wanting a new model of iPod coming out much like people anticipate the release of a new operating system. Once someone has an iPod, they are likely to stick with the iPod and when a new model comes out, rather than consider an alternative, they will buy another iPod. Then, with the release of the iPhone, they combined the phone with the iPod and a completely revolutionary interface. People had been dreaming of having an iPod like interface on their phone, something which was easy to sue and brought the iPod to popularity in the first place. This is probably what boosted the sales of the iPhone in the first place. Then as each subsequent version came out, people felt the need to upgrade. This consumerism is what led to Apple developing a following behind the iPhone.

Apple's Mac was selling nowhere near as much as the iPod and so Apple took this opportunity, with a large following behind Apple and many people with iTunes on their computers, to convince people to go the whole hog and convert to a Mac. They reinvented it and made it support Windows. This left no excuse for anyone not to switch to Mac. As its popularity grew, they made it cool to own one. So through the aesthetics of the product, Apple has managed to win fans of its products. They get people to associate the Apple logo with quality devices and something which will make you look cool to be seen with. Through this brand recognition, they have made the younger generation look at Macs differently. They want to buy one to show their friends. How many times have seen someone with an iPhone and asked them if you can play around with it? Or when you go to the shops, how many times have you rushed to have a go on the iPad? This is how Apple's marketing technique works. They have no need to advertise on TV, it is all done through the  logo and Apple stores. They have made their product appeal to the younger generation and the older people who want to feel younger. When Apple introduces their own product, it will be even more popular because people just look at it and buy it because of the Apple logo.

Other companies have not built up the same reputation for their brand. They have not put in the time and effort into making their product look good and still have excellent build quality. This makes Apple the only company which has done this, making them unique and this is why people are so fascinated by Apple and their products.

Introduction

There has been a lot of hype surrounding Apple's new iPhone 4 but has it really lived up to it?

Pros

• The screen is awesome
• The interface is good, as usual
• battery life has improved
• Fast

Cons

• Facetime is useless
• Glass makes it feel too delicate
• Not really revolutionary

Design

Well, if you don't know what Apple's iPhone looks like, then you must have been living under a rock for the past few months. Anyway, it feels nice in the hand and noticeably slimmer. It also feels quite solid. I, however, was a bit nervous, the glass looked good but it made the phone feel like it could scratch easily. I was also scared of dropping it in case the glass cracked. I did find a nice case to put it in, but phones always look better when they are out of the case.

Performance

When, I first turned the phone on, I noticed the bright screen. The display was crisp and vibrant and it looked really good. I watched a few YouTube videos on it and they also looked really crisp. The phone's screen also felt a lot more responsive than the older iPhone 3G although it did feel a little sticky which was weird. The interface looked the same as it has done on all iPhones since the first one so there is nothing new worth mentioning. However, when comparing performance between the 3G and the 4, there was a huge difference. This could have just been because the 3G was running iOS 4 which made it sluggish. I looked at iBooks and there was no delays on the iPhone 4 while on the 3G, it took a while to even turn the page.

Logically, the next step would have been to explore the new camera and it feels really cool. The photos came out quite well and the addition of a flash makes a huge difference to the photos. Personally, I liked the tap to focus feature which was really useful and I thought it made it easier to focus than a conventional compact camera. The fact that the phone can also capture video is cool as is the ability to switch between the two cameras to take photos of yourself, if that's what you're into. This brings me onto one of the most hyped features of the phone, Facetime. Facetime is essentially video calling, except worse. Instead of being able to call anyone who has a phone capable of video calling, you can only call other iPhone 4s. On top of this, both of you have to be on WiFi. So essentially the feature is useless.

There have also been a lot of complaints about the reception of the phone but when I used it, I found no such issue. This could have been because the phone is on Telstra, one of the best networks which has really good coverage. I never noticed any drop in signal strength no matter how I held the phone. Call clarity was also really good throughout and I had no call drops. Again, this could have just been because of the network. I have heard AT&T is quite crap so this could have been why signal was lost so quickly.

Conclusion

Overall, the phone is quite good. it is fast, responsive and the retina display is really crisp and vibrant. The phone feels nice in the hand and is incredibly solid. The new features that were promised all worked well. However, i don't think the phone is really worth upgrading to if you have the 3GS. It has a few new features but nothing revolutionary. If you have the 3G though, it is a worthwhile upgrade as you get a better camera and compass functionality. On top of this you also get a much speedier phone and a better screen.

There has been a lot of talk everywhere about Apple's iPhone 4 and its antenna problems. One of the highlights is Apple's conference tomorrow or tonight (depending on where you live). This got me thinking. How badly has this incident affected Apple's reputation. After this incident have you changed your mind about buying an iPhone 4 or any other Apple product?

Let me know in the poll below.

In light of what has become a PR nightmare over the faulty reception issues of Apple's iPhone 4, could the tech giant be considering a recall? PR experts say it'd better.

In a recent Cult of Mac post, PR experts outline the dangers of Apple continuing to skirt the recent accusations of a bad antenna design, especially after yesterday's news of Consumer Reports magazine claiming it is unable to recommend the iPhone 4 after recent tests found too many faults with the phone's hardware. “Apple will be forced to do a recall of this product,” Matthew Seeger, an expert in crisis communication, told Cult of Mac. “It's critically important. The brand image is the most important thing Apple has. This is potentially devastating.” [Source: Techland]

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Apple's iPhone 4 seemed like a pretty cool device when it first came out but now it seems like Apple's image as a company which prides itself on the quality of its products is in tatters. The iPhone 4 has a serious design flaw with its antenna and the problem is not the design fault itself, as many great companies have released a product with a flaw in it, but the fact that Apple is not admitting to the mistake. In fact they are blaming the consumer by saying that they are holding it the wrong way. It is this arrogance which could lead to the failure of the product.

Sorry about not updating the blog in ages. I have been extremely busy. So, I thought what better time to make a new post than on the introduction of a new Apple product. Quite frankly, I thought the iPad was a bit of a disappointment to me personally and I have to say that i was expecting big things of the iPhone 4. However, I believe this new product is just trying to play catchup with its Android counterparts for this generation. Yes, Apple has added over 100 new features to iOS 4 but none of them are truly revolutionary.

Take this quote for example of Apple's website:

"People have been dreaming about video calling for decades"

My first reaction to seeing this on Apple's website was to burst out laughing. You have to have been living under a rock for the last 6 years to not have noticed that most new phones have video calling capabilities. As well as this, FaceTime can only be used on WiFi between two iPhone 4s. The chances of the person you want to call being on a WiFi network with an iPhone 4 is astronomically low. Why wouldn't you just use Skype? Other features such as multi tasking, folders and an all new processor do not better its competitors such as the HTC Evo. They only just manage to match them. The A4 processor matches the Snapdragon 1GHz processor in many of the latest Android smartphones. Yet still, the iPhone is lacking in many areas. Apple didn't even take the opportunity to use 4G on their phone. It may be in its early stages but seeing as Apple only release one phone per year, they have to do something to stop it from becoming outdated in this year.

One thing I was impressed by was the retina display which has a really high resolution and the colours are well reproduced. As well as this the iPhone does look stunning and it looks like a high-end, well built device. But despite this, I could not imagine reading a whole, or even part of a book on an iPhone screen. It will cause too much eye strain due to the small screen and backlight. Although i think Apple have implemented the iBooks app really well. On top of this, I like the camera which the phone has and the photos it produces look quite good. Putting iMovie on an iPhone was also a really good idea but maybe they could have given it for free.

These are my first impressions of the iPhone 4. I should have a full review once it comes out in Australia in July. I shall leave you with this quote I found on a forum which is pretty true in my opinion:

"I can now replace my 2004 Nokia because the iPhone is finally catching up"

What do you think?