Telstra and Apple to bring iPhone 3G to Australia on 11 July

MELBOURNE, Australia—30 June 2008—Telstra, Australia’s leading telecommunications and information services company, and Apple today announced that the highly anticipated iPhone 3G will be available to Telstra’s over 9 million Australian customers on 11 July. iPhone 3G combines all the revolutionary features of iPhone with 3G networking that is twice as fast* as the first generation iPhone, built-in GPS for expanded location based mobile services, and iPhone 2.0 software which includes support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and runs the hundreds of third party applications already built with the recently released iPhone SDK.

The future of the Macbook Air, and why you shouldn’t buy one…yet

Section: Mac + Computers, Laptops, MacBook Air, OriginalsIf you’re in need of a new notebook and are considering the Macbook Air, then you should probably consider some key points first. Is the Air worth spending your money on? Should you go for a cheaper alternative such as the Macbook? And just what could the future bring for the Macbook Air? The Macbook Air is the newest addition to Apple’s notebook line, and it’s arguably the best looking, but there are many reasons why a Macbook Air probably isn’t right for you...yet. Weighing in at just three pounds and sporting the “thinnest notebook ever” tag makes the Macbook Air undeniably irresistible, but only for those reasons alone. The Macbook Air is the slowest computer that Apple currently manufactures, and one of the most expensive. I guess that tag-line comes at a price. Can you justify paying $1,799 for something that is less powerful than a Mac Mini ($599)? Okay, that’s obviously not a great comparison since the Mini is a desktop machine, but from a power point of view, surely you catch my drift. Marketed as an extremely portable machine, the air doesn’t exactly come up trumps here, either. 13” is a little on the large side for an ultra-portable, as its foot-print is the same as a Macbook. And what do you get for almost twice the price of the lovable Macbook? Well, half the height certainly, but also half the storage, half the USB ports and half the power, not to mention the lack of a disc drive and any upgradability. So, the Air might not be such a great buy as it stands, but that’s not to say Apple should discontinue it. It’s what lies in the future for the Air that’s really interesting. Here are some of the things that might make the Air a little more attractive (obviously, not aesthetically speaking): Price. This has got to be a big issue for a lot of “wannabe” Macbook Air owners. As prices of components drop, so will the Air. O,r instead, Apple will give the Air little boostsin the form of periodic upgrades. If you’re really not desperate for the Air right now, then you’ll certainly get more for your money the longer you wait. Memory. 80GB is okay, but that’s for the slow P-ATA drive. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like the sound of one of those oh-so-reliable iPod hard disks storing my data. The 64GB SSD is fast, but too small, and way too expensive. The price is understandable, since large solid state drives are relatively new, but this won’t always be the case. SSD prices will drop, and I’m confident that the P-ATA option will, in the future, cease to exist. Power. Been looking at some of the Macbook Air/Pro comparison benchmarks that make the Air look not all that bad? Sure, the Air can probably power through many tasks, such as duplicating files and encoding an MP3, but opening multiple pro applications at one time probably isn’t so smooth. Since the Air is arguably more portable than the Macbook, I’m guessing lack of power may just be one of those sacrifices you have to live with. But a slight power-boost (perhaps a 2.0GHz processor option) certainly wouldn’t go a miss, and perhaps make that price a little easier to swallow. For now, if you use a lot of CPU intensive applications such as Photoshop and Aperture, the Macbook could probably do a better job. Anything 3D, and you’re definitely going to need the Pro. Whether the Air will remain targeted at an extremely niche market or make its way into a mass market, only time will tell. What do you think lies in the future for the Air? What will it take for you to consider one? Full Story » | Written by Steve Embleton for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

10,000+ Canadians petition for lower iPhone 3G rates from Rogers

Section: Apple News, Steve Jobs, iPhone + Communications, Carriers, iPhone The iPhone is finally making its way to Canada on July 11, 2008 and Canadians aren’t as happy about it as they should be due to voice and data rates from one of the only two carriers that will be offering the new iPhone 3G in Canada, Rogers Communications. On Friday, Rogers announced the details of its voice and data plans for the upcoming iPhone 3G, which struck some would-be customers as unreasonably high and unnecessarily restrictive, especially when compared with those in other countries in which the iPhone 3G will be offered, such as the U.S. and the U.K. Thousands of angry Canadians (10,000 and counting when this was written) have made their feelings about Rogers’ ridiculous rates known on various websites and blogs. However, the largest protest that has come into effect is a petition (whose original name was unprintable, but has now been renamed to Ruined iPhone). Its stated goal was to gather 10,000 names in the form of a petition by July 11th, which was accompanied by to an open letter to Steve Jobs. By Sunday evening, the petition had already gathered more than 13,000 names, more than its initial goal. The open letter can be found at ruinediphone.com, and is reprinted below. Dear Steve, My name is James and I would like to thank you for creating the wonderful iPhone device. We really think that you will change the world with it, just as you changed the world with the iPod. We were so happy to learn that on July 11th, we would finally be able to buy the iPhone and legally use it in Canada. To our great disappointment, Rogers Communications Inc. has announced VERY unfair rates in comparison to AT&T in the United States and to other authorized wireless service providers around the world. As a result, a consumer movement was born yesterday (June 27th) in protest against these rates. Nearly 6,000 people have signed an online petition to help make a difference and the list is growing rapidly. In the last 48 hours, the website has had 40,000 unique visitors from around the world supporting Canadian consumers. There are a vast number of Canadians that would take the opportunity to buy an iPhone at $199CAD but these new plans have put it out of reach for many. I would like to invite you to take a look at all these disappointed people at http://www.ruinediphone.com. I was going to buy an iPhone for me, my girlfriend and my family. Now, sadly, I cannot afford the plan. I hope you can do something Steve; we are loyal customers and trust that you will. We don’t want to lose faith in Apple. Thank you, James Hallen What exactly is wrong with Rogers’ iPhone 3G rate plan? Firstly, it comes with a mandatory 3-year contract, such as with AT&T in the United States. Many other carriers in other countries offer a lower mandatory contract, such as in the U.K. where carrier O2 offers an 18-month contract and throws in the iPhone for free. Although both AT&T and Rogers offer calling, data and text messaging for $75 a month, Rogers gives Canadians a third less calling time, half as many text messages, and puts a 750MB cap on 3G data usage for that same price, which also includes steep fees for users who happen to go over their monthly limit. The most controversial and unreasonable element of Rogers’ rates is the limit it has put on data usage, an element very important for the iPhone as one of its main features is making websurfing and multimedia downloading effortless, activities which can quickly use up a lot of megabytes of data usage. Rogers claims that its top data plan, which is 2GB per month for $115, is enough to view 16,000 webpages, but many users have pointed out that a single Facebook page can account for 1.2 MB of data usage, which reduces potential browsing from 16,000 pages per month to 1,600. Petitioners are asking Steve Jobs to pressure Rogers into offering a better plan for the iPhone 3G, or to cut a deal with another carrier that will. I urge all Canadian readers to sign the online petition and support your fellow Canadian iPhone fans in the fight against Rogers’ unfair rates. Below, you can view the current rates set by Rogers for the upcoming 3G iPhone: Via [Fortune] Full Story » | Written by Patrick Lutz for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Real embraces Apple's iPod with new Rhapsody MP3 service

RealNetworks said Monday it's switching gears in its quest for a larger slice of the legal music download market with the launch a DRM-free a la carte MP3 store that will cater to iPod owners directly rather than through unauthorized hacks of the pas...

New and old AT&T iPhone plans compared, cost increases detailed

With AT&T increasing data costs while simultaneously cutting text messages from its iPhone 3G plans, individual iPhone users upgrading to the 3G model will find themselves paying between 12.5% and 25% more to maintain the same level of service while ...

Mac OS X Snow Leopard: Apple's secret business weapon?

InfoWorld says the next version of Mac OS X will be aimed squarely at business and enterprise users, signaling a formal push by Apple to take Windows head on outside the consumer and education markets.