Textra Extra

iClone: iPhone for the Masses

I just returned from Beijing, my third time there. But unlike previous trips--which were spent entirely in airports, meetings, working meals, transit, and sleep shorter than a power nap--this trip afforded me a day to spare. So my colleagues/friends spent one morning in the Forbidden City, before spending the afternoon being assaulted by the Forbidden Vendors hawking the Forbidden Products. Pirated everything--branded bags, clothes, cameras, gadget accessories and the subject of this post, the iClone.

Or iPhoney for the more condescending, pronounced derisively as, "Aaaay, phoney!"

My friend, Jim, a proud owner of half a dozen Macs, including the drool-inducing Mac Air, bought an iClone. He says he bought it as a toy, which I believe since, well, he already owns two legitimate iPhones, and is toying with the 3G model (yeah, he has access, even to Steve Jobs himself).

We saw several iClones; some were noticeably narrower; others had more keys/buttons. Jim bought the one that most closely resembled the real thing.

900 renminbi. Or about 120 US dollars.

So I took some shots of the iClone, shown below, and tinkered with it briefly.

                                                                                                                                                                                       

Similar up front

Apple logo reversed!

Power button and volume controls up top

"       No headphone jack

Similar slimness

No side buttons

Similar wallpaper, even the slide bar

Similar menu

Similar dial pad

Different SMS menu, which looks more like Symbian or Windows!

Not a multi-touch screen

No accelerometer

Short tale of the tape
iClone only looks like the iPhone. Functionally, it is not; it is just a regular multimedia phone, with Symbian-like usability.

iPhone outside, kinda Symbian inside.

No multi-touch functionality. No accelerometer. None of the iPhone's bells and whistles.

For iPhone bigots, it's "Inutile Inside".

iPhone for the masses
But for a little over $100, throngs can look like iPhone owners. The masses would be hard-pressed to find a touch-multimedia phone for less, let alone look like an iPhone.

Still, iClone won't fly for a great majority (I sense legions of iPhone snobs collectively sighing in relief), and here's why: the iClone, or the iPhone for that matter, is not the ideal device for heavy texters. iPhone took off in the US because first world markets are callers first, texters a distant second--diametrically opposite emerging markets, and its predominantly prepaid base. That said, I too will only get an iPhone as a second phone. I am a Mac user first, texter second, caller a distant third.

Thankfully, I have no iPhone envy. I have enough gadgets to fill any iPhone freak's mobile gadget appetite. But I will get one someday, well, because admittedly it is a great piece of art and engineering. But I'll wait till the price drops enough, or when the 3G version comes out.

Unless the Mac Air gets me first!

And since my blog is about the mobile industry, let me tell you now: Globe Telecom has decided NOT to distribute and/or subsidize iPhones. That's the word in the mobile circles, anyway. I suppose Apple's requirements were too prohibitive--ludicrous upfront investment, debilitating volume commitment, oppressive revenue share, or worse, all these. In other words, whatever Apple put on the table does not seem viable for mobile operators in low ARPU prepaid markets. Operators from larger markets, like India or China, may be able to afford it, as they may have enough high ARPU subscribers. That said, I don't expect Smart to do otherwise, but one can continue to hope. (I will ping my Smart contacts and see what their iPhone inclinations are, and maybe even fish for Apple's terms.)

Bottomline
Pinoys in the Philippines may have to live with cracked iPhones.

Maybe forever.

 

Apple TV: Take Two

When the original Apple TV was released last year, it piqued my interest. But with an Archos 704 WiFi, video Nano, and SanDisk TakeTV already in my video arsenal, not to mention three Macs and a Wii, why else would I want an Apple TV?

Two weeks ago, Apple finally gave me a reason: high definition.

So last week, I birthday gifted myself with an Apple TV.

Reviews of Apple's "Take Two" version already abound, from MacWorld, Gizmodo, Apple Insider, and others. So I won't belabor their points. Instead, I want to highlight Apple TV's relevance to users living outside the U.S., like me.

Some critics argue for what they deem as better alternatives--Blockbuster, Netflix's LG player, VuDu, et al. But many of these naysayers also live in the U.S.--where their preferences are available. For the rest of us, especially those living in emerging markets, the practical options are fewer. Blu-ray disc selection is limited at best, and there are no neighborhood Blockbusters to rent from. Even if you manage to find and purchase LG, TiVo or VuDu set-top boxes, good luck with repairs should they conk out. At least Apple has authorized service centers in many more countries.

Then there's the issue of cost. How many of us are rarin' to fork over $30 for a high-def movie that we'll only watch once, maybe twice? Apple's $4+ rental make better cents.

Sure, you can argue for Bit Torrent freebies. But IPR aside, not all of us have the time to scour for great seeds, let alone have the patience for a high definition download, which could take days or even weeks! Downloading HD movies on Apple TV is simpler, easier, and faster.

Although Apple TV's HD capabilities won't wow hardcore HD afficionados (I rented Pirates of the Caribbean in HD) , the quality is noticeably better than DVD. HD video podcasts are increasing by the day too. And since my photo galleries are already on .Mac, Apple TV seamlessly embraced those too, not to mention the different audio, video, and photo libraries residing on three Macs in my household.

Overall, I am very pleased with my Apple TV purchase. It is "the best HD media center", given my "busy professional living outside the U.S." context. The only downside to Apple TV--which will be a deal breaker for many--is that iTunes Store accounts are still limited to users living in the U.S., or Apple's other "trusted markets". I have one because of a meager, but serviceable U.S. bank account. But if you do not have an iTunes account, Apple TV's HD rental capability is rendered useless. This limited iTunes Store coverage is what Apple and its licensing partners need to extend, if iTunes and Apple TV are to capture the long tail markets.