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Now that Ars has said it publicly, I feel like it's OK to admit that several people in the know told me at WWDC that a new iPod touch would be released in September. Also coming in September: the first major revision of the iPhone 2.0 OS and the MobileMe push API for developers.
People like me who were a bit nonplussed by the iPhone 3G announcement (What, no video conferencing? No voice dial? Not even any Bluetooth syncing? Sheesh!) now have September to look forward to.
Apologies to Green Day.
In an email to the Enterprise Irregulars list, Dennis Howlett wrote
ZDN is planning a Gates farewell splurge of posts. Compilation of incisive thoughts from this merry band?
Here's my response.
Personally, I find it a bit sad that the larger-than-life figures that defined the PC industry are moving on, with such giants as Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, and Scott McNealy following the likes of Phillipe Kahn, Rod Canion, and Mitch Kapor into the sunset. Of course Michael Dell and Steve Jobs are both at the helms of the companies they founded (interestingly, both in their second acts) but obviously even they won't be around forever.
That being said, I'm glad that the industry hasn't become so staid that there's no room for oversized personalities like Steve Ballmer, Leo Apotheker, and Marc Benioff. When the big tech companies all start to look like HP and IBM with their exceedingly competent but forgettable chief executives, it will mark the end of an era.
I think it's clear that Bill Gates will join the pantheon of corporate titans that includes Henry Ford, Alfred P. Sloan, and Thomas Edison (not to mention John D. Rockefeller, JP Morgan, and Andrew Carnegie)—and rightly so. I hope I get the chance to shake his hand one day.
I'm at SFO waiting for my flight back to Austin and have some time to reflect on the last few days. While I would love to one day see a Stevenote in person, I'm glad I decided to skip the conference proper (which was happening across the street from my hotel) but still attend the peripheral events.
I got to put lots of faces with names, including those of a bunch of people on the Sync Services team. I also got to visit Apple HQ in Cupertino, have lunch with a buddy at Caffé Macs, and buy a t-shirt and a coffee mug at the Apple Company Store. I was very glad to meet some of the luminaries of the indie Mac developer community too, including Brent Simmons, Mike Lee, Gus Mueller, and many others.
Finally, I got to learn a ton of off-the-record, internal-only, not-for-discussion information that I doubt I would ever have gotten over email. One conversation in particular probably justified the cost of the whole trip.
Now, back to Austin to finish up Spanning Sync v2.0 and start working on my new iPhone app!
Spanning Sync just hit 20,000 paid subscribers. Thanks to everyone for their support!
We're hard at work on the next major version and making exciting progress every day. Yes, even today on a Sunday. And tomorrow—on a Stevenote Day! :-)
It's clear to me that iPhone is a compromise device, while iPod Touch isn't. iPhone is essentially iPod Touch plus a bolted-on radio that makes it backward-compatible with existing GSM wireless voice networks. It's like a Mac with one of those MacCharlie things that essentially included an IBM PC.
Two months ago I wondered aloud, Will iPod Touch Get GPS? Now I wonder why everyone is so fascinated by the prospect of 3G (yep, it's faster) and so indifferent to the iPhone's potentially much more disruptive sibling, iPod Touch.
iPod Touch is a pure device—data-only. It's $100 cheaper up front for the customer, and more importantly, doesn't require any expensive, long-term commitment to a wireless carrier—by customers or by Apple. (However, if Apple managed to slip 3G data support into the Touch I'd be thrilled.)
So will iPod Touch get GPS? I'd bet so. Location-based services are set to explode, and Apple is forecast to sell 10x as many iPod Touches as iPhones next year. What else will find its way into the unheralded flagship product of the Touch platform? I can't wait to find out.
Update: As it's been pointed out in the comments, an ala carte wireless data plan would mean that maps for the GPS functionality wouldn't have to be stored on the device. But remember, mapping is only one of many possible location-based services.
Update: Wow, talk about wrong. No updates to the Touch today, and with the iPhone's price drop, the cheapest (8GB) Touch costs the same as the most expensive (16GB) iPhone 3g (ignoring for a moment the $1,440+ you'll pay to AT&T over the course of your mandatory wireless plan). Of course Apple could introduce new iPod Touch models after today (like they might do with the rumored new MacBook Pro models) but it looks like for now Apple has decided to double down on iPhone and leave iPod Touch out in the cold.
Since I'll be out in the Bay Area for WWDC next week, I have the opportunity to attend SVASE's Launch: Silicon Valley 2008 event on Tuesday (and, of course, the pre-party in Palo Alto Monday evening before Buzz Andersen's WWDC party up in the city).
I suspect that by being at the Microsoft campus in Mountain View while WWDC is going on in San Francisco I'll be permanently barred from the Steve Jobs' Gulfstream, but that's just a risk I'll have to take.
I look forward to hearing pitches from the valley's up and comers and catching up with fellow Enterprise Irregulars Zoli Erdos and Jeff Nolan. Here's the list of who else is coming. See you there!
I've done my share of complaining about PayPal's problems, so I feel like I should publicly give them their due when they do something really right. I just got a call (yes, on the phone) from my account rep at PayPal letting me know about some scheduled downtime coming up next week (Tue June 10 at 11:00pm PDT, FYI).
I appreciate the proactive support, the advance notice, and the personal contact. Thanks, Al. Nicely done.
