Google has fought back yet again as it enters another battle with the undefeated technology giant, Apple. Many have entered the selection of markets that are now under Apple’s dominance, aiming to knock them clean off the top spot, but have left with little success. However Google are refusing to give up and have set their sights on a new industry currently dominated by Apple, the online music sharing market. The aim is to steal Apple’s crown in audio entertainment distribution and Google is pulling out all of the stops to try and play catch—up with its formidable rivals. The main players in this market that all have different levels of integrated music are Facebook, Amazon, Spotify and of course Apples iTunes store.

Google Music is a new store within the Android market and is currently only available in the US, it will be getting released to Europe soon, however there are currently no confirmed dates. Google automatically syncs the entirety of your music library up with all of your devices. There are more than 13 million tracks available to the users, from artists from Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, EMI and the global independent rights agency Merlin and over 1000 independent labels. However for any Prince and Led Zeppelin fans there is some bad news, Warner are not backing Google in this launch and therefore they cannot get any artists tracks under this label. It is the same purchasing system as Apple operates on iTunes, where you can purchase it straight from your phone or computer on to your Google music library. Google+ then gives you the availability to share your music with friends. It is around the same price as iTunes as they are not using this to compete; the ease of sharing music via your personal social network account is going to be the main pull for customers.

Sharing music is a great way to aim at a target audience, with everyone liking at least one genre of music and wanting to listen, learn and share with friends around the clock, this is the perfect way for Google to break in to the industry and become part of the true essence of social networking. Song choice creates friendships and social circles as it brings people together from the most varied origins and backgrounds. What social networking is always trying to achieve is the easiness of connecting people and staying in touch through finding a common interest, friendship or group that a selection of people can all appreciate and enjoy. Adding music in to the mix will create the perfect common grounds for the basis of those friendships and acquaintances and therefore the foundation of social networking.

Blackberry has always been a worrying competitor for Apple, especially in the smartphone industry, and so it was quite obvious that their big break into music would come soon enough and rest assured it has. BBM Music is expected to launch next week and again is trying to offer their current and potential customers much more for their money. BBM Music is giving its customers a choice of 50 tracks for just £4.99 a month, much cheaper than its rivals charging in the region of 45p to 99p per track! Apples iTunes is going to be a tough competitor to bring down as everybody associates this with music and it has become very well established very quickly, also they can offer every song imaginable. However if Google offers a more convenient way to share music with friends, all the music lovers will more than likely give it a try, Google need to impress first time as there is a strong alternative in iTunes, in this industry there is very little room for error.

Analysts, bloggers and reporters flocked from around the globe yesterday to attend Apple’s ‘Let’s Talk iPhone’ event where the speculation surrounding the new smartphone was finalised. The news that there will not be an iPhone 5 with a new design and 4G connectivity was hard to swallow for the many iPhone fans, who had eagerly anticipated the new phone they had all hyped up in their minds. Disappointment seems to be the general feeling after the intense build-up that has been circulating over the last few months. It is unfortunate that the public’s prediction of Apple’s next move was wrong and that the dissatisfaction may mean that people won’t be all rushing to the shops to trade in their iPhone 4 for the 4S.

The iPhone 4S does have some impressive additional features, and although it is not what most people expected the technology is pretty amazing. So let’s talk about what it does have rather than what it doesn’t and the reasons why Apple are still giants in the technology market …

Siri
Siri is a new feature exclusive to the iPhone 4S, it is designed to deliver information and follow commands that you give it. Siri provides a complete personal organisation system and comes in the form of a robotic female voice that you can change. You can use it for many things like checking the weather; asking for contacts addresses, asking irrelevant trivia, getting directions and setting reminders. The clever voice recognition system brings you your own personal assistant fully operational from your mobile phone. This technology is predicted to be the new sought after feature as Google are currently working on their version, watch the space on this one it looks like it could be the new function in the smartphone battlefield.

The Camera
The new 8 megapixel camera with flash and autofocus brings a new innovative way to take photos from your mobile. It is a whopping 33% faster than the iPhone 4 and you can snap away with the speedy “click” after each photo is taken. The Camera now also features 1080p video, image stabilisation and noise reduction.

Antenna and Speed
Both have massive improvements on the iPhone 4S, with dual antennas data speed is increased, this is the first smartphone that will be able to switch between antennas to transmit and receive data, improving both speed and quality. The HSDPA speed rockets from 7.2 Mbps to 14.4 Mbps. The iPhone 4S has Apple’s A5 dual-core 1GHz processor along with a dual-core CPU; the chipset will make it twice as fast and offer better graphics performance.

Granted Apple have offered an advanced iPhone, but have they done enough to sway people to buy it? Are the new additions something that maybe people will agree are brilliant but never really need to use and would there be any point paying any more money for a phone that looks the same as the last one? There is talk of the iPhone 5 coming out in June next year where there may be a complete redesign and even more artificial intelligence. The excitement and high expectations that have been put in peoples minds about the new product have not done Apple any favours; it seems people were expecting more in the time that Apple took to get it here.

So is it worth the risk? June is a long time off and we cannot really rely on Apples schedule, so if you are interested in the new features you might as well take the chance because with the technology market today, there is always something bigger and better just around the corner.

With every version of a tablet falling at the heels of the iPad, Amazon is being brave to enter their tablet in to the competitive industry. Apple has completely annihilated every other effort by successful companies to introduce a new tablet but Amazon seems to think they have what it takes. Their success with the Kindle Reader gives them the confidence to battle against the iPad giant. The Kindle reader went head to head with Sony’s Librie, it had e-books available and a USB internet connection, the Kindle came up trumps with its wireless connection and 88,000 e-books available to download more than four times the amount of Sony’s e-book range, along with the back up of Amazons 65 million online shoppers it reduced Sony’s online store to a ghost town. With this said, maybe Amazon do have the potential to take on Apple, or are they seriously underestimating their competition? Although Amazon took on Sony and won hands down, Apple have taken on every technology giant in the business and have not yet been pushed of the number one spot. Customers like Apple, they believe in it, and they trust it, and above all it holds a stigma of style and luxury that Amazon needs to seriously consider.

The price is the outstanding factor in this recent battle; we may all look at the iPad and revel in its amazing features, fascinating technology and beautiful simplicity, however we can’t all afford to have such elite piece of arm candy. The iPad is very expensive bit of equipment; the prestige of having a tablet with Apples branding on the back does not come cheap, whereas the online shopping retailer can afford to reduce the prices making it more available for the consumers. This creates problems for Apple because they cannot compete with the price that Amazon are offering, selling it at half the price of the iPad, when you think about what the general public will use a tablet for, they will be more than happy with one from Amazon that they can get for a fraction of the price.

With all of its attributes, loyal kindle readers, a one-click access to buying music downloads, movies, e-books and its own Android app store, Amazon is going to be a formidable competitor in this fast moving market. They go into the industry with the same view that every company has, to dominate the tablet market, however they have also gone in with the same downfall that plagues every tablet in the business; they are simply not an iPad. However, it is now time to for Apple to really be tested and the loyalty of their customers to be scrutinised. The merging of the massive Amazon brand name, the success of the Kindle and the progress of the Android, all being moulded in to one product and put on the market at a very forgiving price, they may just be on the road to shaking Apples position and compromising the iPads dominance in the tablet market. Although Apple continues to fascinate with its constant product development and its effortless designs, there always seems to be this niggling feeling that we want someone else to come and interrupt their reigning success. Watch this space, they may not want to get too complacent with this one; Amazon is definitely ready for the war.

Get ready for battle to commence in 2012 when the new Windows 8 explodes on to the tablet market. Apple has remained to stay on top despite the introduction of competitors like BlackBerry and Android introducing their versions of the tablet; no one has yet been successful in bringing down the technology giant as no other tablet has outdone the iPad. However there is speculation that the Windows 8 Tablet could finally erode their hold on the business market. The tablet has functions that may be more appealing to the business customers; it has the ability to connect to a keyboard and dual monitor, turning the tablet into an impromptu workstation, compatibility with existing Windows apps and connectivity with Windows. These features will appeal mainly to business users, who are Microsoft’s main demographic. This could be their immediate launch in to the tablet market, making them an instant threat to the well established iPads.

However, although Microsoft is offering the correct product and the correct hardware, many other companies have tried to take on Apple in the tablet war and have been unsuccessful. RIM is still trying to push the necessity for a BlackBerry Playbook, but everyone still wants the iPad. Somehow Apple have kept the novelty of this piece of technology and kept up momentum with the introduction of the iPad 2. There is a much higher status around the iPad and Apple cannot be faulted in this sense. They have successfully introduced a unique, compact and functional range of products that bring efficiency and fun into people’s lives.

The speed of this market can also not be underestimated. According to a forecast by HIS Inc, 60 million tablets will have been shipped by the end of 2011. By 2015, that number is expected to rise to 275.3 million mainly to global consumers. Considering that the tablet became a phenomenon in 2010 when Apple’s iPad was first launched, the market will get to a point of mass reach in 3-5 years. The market is therefore still extremely young; however it is maturing much quicker than any other market. Therefore if Microsoft delays, customers will have established their product and will be set in their ways by the time the Windows 8 is introduced. Apples products also tie in with each other so effortlessly, they have the laptop, the iPhone and then the tablet, which can all be linked with iTunes and the App Store, consumers have everything where they need it so why would they change?

The tablet wars are surely going to heat up when the Microsoft 8 is shipped next year, maybe Apple is working on something to up their game in the tablet market to make sure they are not outdone by their major rivals. However for years Microsoft has been relied on by many business users, and there are businesses and individuals in the world who have never switched from the trusted company. Now they are about to introduce the much awaited tablet that Microsoft users have craved it may be successful. Microsoft was going to have to jump on the tablet train at some point with the growing success of the market and shifting consumer needs. But the stakes are high for Windows, if they do not give their consumers what they want they could face an epic fail in the market they always used to dominate, however if this is a success for Microsoft, it will open lots of doors for massive potential and opportunity.

Looking at reviews of the iPhone 4, from both consumers and writers on technology websites, it’s hard to find any that don’t give it a very high review. For example if you type ‘top ten smartphones’ in to Google, the iPhone 4 is listed as number one in seven of the first ten relevant results. This shows that the iPhone is regarded as one of the very best and most advanced smartphones on the market.

Admittedly, the choice of smartphone is all down to opinion and iPhones are not without their critics. It is often criticised for its ‘closed’ system in the App Store, where all apps are vetted by Apple before being allowed in the store. This is the opposite of its main competitor, the Android operating system, which has an ‘open’ system. This means that there are no restrictions on the content that can be created, but this has led to apps being potentially virus ridden, whereas the Apple app store is a safer alternative. The iPhone 4 was also heavily criticised for its reception problems, which meant that some phones required a rubber ‘bumper’ to improve the signal.

Opinion aside, the iPhone’s sales figures are very impressive. The iPhone 4 sold an estimated 13.5 million handsets in the 3rd quarter of 2010. The Android operating system has sold 20 million in the same quarter, but this is spread across dozens of handsets with varying features and power. The iPhone 4, as the name suggests, is only the fourth handset from Apple and one of only two still in production. No single handset has come close to selling the same amount as the iPhone 4.

The major breakthroughs and selling points of the original iPhone have become a standard feature expected on any high-end smartphone bought today. The most recent offerings from Samsung (Galaxy S2), HTC (Sensation) and LG (Optimus 2X) can match an iPhone 4 for performance and the majority of features available. The three phones, all running on the Android operating system 2.3, called Gingerbread, have been met with very positive reviews. All three phones use a dual-core processor, which increases the processing capabilities of the phones and the Samsung Galaxy S2, according to official specifications, is a full 0.7mm thinner than the iPhone 4.

There are a number of exciting new phones and new innovations that will make the competition even fiercer. The Windows Phone 7 operating system, while still in its infancy, has been met with positive reviews. Windows Phone 7 has also recently announced a partnership with Nokia, who are still the market leader in the overall mobile phone market. There is also a 3D offering from LG just a matter of weeks away. We must also remember that the current iPhone is now a year old and even though potential features of the new model are under wraps, we can expect considerable improvements when it is finally released.

The arguments over the best smartphone will rage on and it’s all about opinion and what features you look for in a phone. It may be smarter to ask whether we will see a smartphone that can offer something that will tempt the fiercely loyal Apple consumer away from the lure of a new iPhone. These are exciting times in the world of smartphones. However, the iPhone 4 reigns supreme in the battle for sales, at least for the time being.

Apple’s long-awaited white iPhone 4 has been released this week, but perhaps the biggest related story is the way that Apple broke the news.

With a single word – “Finally” – Apple displayed a self-deprecating humility that many feel has been distinctly absent from the way the company usually presents itself. It was a bold decision to go with this, as it represents Apple holding its hands up and admitting it has made a mistake.

We wrote on Green Notes back in October 2010 that the white iPhone 4 delay showed an unexpected vulnerability from Apple, and mused that it could have a wider impact on the way that the company was perceived in the future.

In the mere six months or so that has passed since we published that article, Apple has released the second generation of the tablet platform-defining iPad, achieving record sales figures and typical hype. The original black iPhone 4 has continued to sell well globally, bringing on board a second network carrier in the US and impressive new capabilities through an OS update. Just this week a report claimed that the company’s phenomenal cash reserve could support the whole operation until 2018, even if it didn’t make another penny from now on. The Cupertino juggernaut hasn’t slowed down, despite the white iPhone 4’s continued elusiveness.

With this ongoing success in mind, the tone of the ‘Finally’ announcement certainly wasn’t a given. Apple could have comfortably heralded the release as the latest in a long line of wonder products and carried on regardless. But it didn’t. It acknowledged the massive delay, and almost apologetically pushed the white iPhone into the fleeting limelight.

So, while the white iPhone 4 won’t break any sales records, it may well have given Apple a PR lesson that money can’t buy.

This week saw Apple launch the iPad 2, a lighter streamlined and faster model which looks to galvanise the ever evolving tablet market. However the release of the iPad 2 is not the only tablet which will be available to consumers this year, but how have the competing brands tried to tackle the market in an innovative way? The problem that faces many manufacturers is how to create a unique selling point in a consumer market offering in essence similar products. Tablet computers have seen a dramatic increase in popularity with over 80 new products expected to be released to the market this year; it is easy for the consumer to become lost and begin to drown in a sea of processor numbers, model types and software names.

Despite the obvious interest in tablet computers, some consumers are still questioning whether there is much need for the device and if it is worth the money brands are charging. The new iPad 2 is available at the same price as the previous iPad, which sets it up well to compete with the vast array of tablets being released. RIM Blackberry, Samsung, Motorola, and Hewlett Packard have all developed tablet computers which offer slight variations of a similar product. Perhaps the main draw for consumers, is whether they prefer to use the Android operating system, or prefer the Apple iOS, a hotly contested topic which inevitably comes down to individual preference.

Is this Apple’s year for the taking? Or will the Motorola Xoom, Blackberry Playbook or Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 take the market by storm? There are rumours circulating that RIM will be partnering Android for the release of the Playbook, which may give the device a greater level of availability. The tablet computer could be thought of as a luxury, however with necessity. With so much choice and variety of brands, models and software, the consumer may have a difficult choice deciding which one is best for them. This could be the year for tablet computers to even further expand their reach; however it begs the question if there is so much hype and expectation now, what will the following years bring for the tablet industry? It certainly will be an interesting market to watch.

The story of Apple’s almost mythical white iPhone 4 took another twist this week when the company reluctantly admitted that the release date had slipped again, this time to a hesitantly vague ‘Spring 2011’. The announcement was the latest in what has been something of a PR rollercoaster for Apple. The timeline of the product can be pinpointed with highs and lows – the now-infamous stolen prototype, the fever-pitch first weeks of the release, record opening sales, ‘Antennagate’ snowballing, the ‘Antennagate’ explanation press conference and free case program, ‘Antennagate’ losing momentum, more record sales, and now, the news that the white iPhone will be delayed yet again.

The latest white iPhone 4 announcement throws up five questions that go to the heart of Apple’s product philosophy, PR and ultimately brand identity.

1) Why has it been delayed so long?

Apple isn’t saying anything officially further than unspecified “manufacturing difficulties beyond its initial expectations”, but the rumour mill has generated one or two reasonable suggestions.

An early but enduring rumour spoke of rapid discolouration of the white plastic used in the phone. While the iPhone 4 body has a glass front and back which would protect against grubby fingers, surfaces and pockets prematurely aging it from the outside, the rumour spoke of components heating the unit to the point where discolouration occurred from the inside out.

A more recent, and perhaps more feasible suggestion online talks about the white plastic compromising photography performance by allowing excessive light exposure on the lens. Either way, the “difficulties” have obviously proven to be especially difficult, hence the stretched-out delay.

2) Will anyone want one now?

A white iPhone 4 has an immediate visual appeal, with a clear reminiscence of the earliest, most beautiful iPods, so there was a definite market of buyers ready and waiting with open arms.

However, the established product cycle of the iPhone is a clear twelve months, with an early summer release taking place since the very first version. So, with Apple now saying it’s on for a spring launch, the white iPhone 4 will have at the very most three months as a top-of-the-line product. Being unavailable for nine of the twelve months in which it is most desirable is catastrophic. Assuming the pricing stays premium there will be a vastly reduced number of buyers willing to part with the cash to buy one, with a new model just around the corner.

3) Why has Apple got the PR so wrong on this?

Apple’s PR machine, equally respected and derided, is without a doubt one of the most successful media operations going, in any commercial industry. A press event earlier this month, which revealed the relatively modest new MacBook Air models and an incredibly limited preview of next year’s OS update, sent the tech press into speculation meltdown in the seven days between the initial announcement and the event itself. The reason for this is because Apple is a past master of creating buzz, hype and even mystique around the products it creates. Apple events are just that – ‘events’, no matter what they ultimately result in.

So, with such mastery over the art of essentially controlling both press and public opinion, why has Apple’s handling of the white iPhone 4 degenerated in such a way? Well, it’s worth remembering that Apple hasn’t lied. A release date slipping, even to this extent, isn’t exactly unheard of in the consumer electronics industry. The official reason for the delay, despite being infuriatingly hazy, is an indisputable fact – manufacturing difficulties are clearly the cause. The problem, in essence, is that there is seemingly such a high demand for a product that is unavailable to buy. This would still be the case if the company explained the hold-up in more detail, it wouldn’t change the fact that you can’t buy the thing.

Effectively, Apple has fallen victim to its own hype machine.

4) How will it play out?

At this point in time there seems to be two possible outcomes to the white iPhone 4 tale, neither of which will be remotely palatable to Apple. Scenario one; the phone is released next Spring with the hobbled sales potential of a product that appears a few months before its successor. Scenario two; Apple admits defeat and publicly cancels the device. The latter is the more intriguing of the two.

With the ‘Antennagate’ press conference in July, Apple (or more specifically, Steve Jobs) demonstrated how an out of control backlash could be turned into something of a PR win. A public culling of the white iPhone 4 couldn’t possibly have the same potential, so a similar staged ‘performance’ wouldn’t be expected. A more likely outcome in this scenario would be a carefully-phrased press release, perhaps even distributed around the same time as some positive news to dampen any backlash.

5) Will there be a lasting effect on Apple?

Put in perspective, the white iPhone 4 delay is a minor affair. It of course wasn’t the sole model of the iPhone 4. It wasn’t even expected to be the most popular of the two models. Anyone who wants an iPhone 4 can buy one, just not in white – hardly a deal-breaker. Sales figures of over 14m to date tell their own story.

However, the delay may have damaged the brand in some subtle ways.

For a company that prides itself on technological innovation, the fact that simply making a product in white has proven to be such a headache should be highly embarrassing, whatever the reason turns out to be. It’s mildly ironic that the colour white has created a stumbling block for Apple. The modern generation of the company was effectively reborn with the iPod – originally a white device – and white casing has become a signature appearance on the flagship MacBook and iMac computers. White really shouldn’t be such a mystery to Apple at this stage.

The incident may also dent the aura surrounding Apple’s live events and the unquestioning way in which Steve Jobs’ proclamations are received by the public at large. When Apple products are showcased in such a desirable fashion, it naturally leads to urgent demand. Demand that needs supply. If there’s a chance that any future super-devices announced at these events could be delayed in such a way, then the allure of the whole process begins to fade a little. Losing the ‘magic’ of the live events would be the first step to subduing the hype, which Apple can’t really afford to happen.

BlackBerry recently announced the launch of their new touch-screen tablet computer, 7 months after the most popular tablet computer; the Apple iPad was released.  One look at the specifications for the new BlackBerry PlayBook and it is easy to see just who they are trying to match and surpass, Apple.  But do they really appeal to the same consumer market?  BlackBerry has been associated with professionals, where as Apple products are seen as the forefront of modern technology available to the masses.

Is it any surprise that the PlayBook has video conferencing, quick browsing and a dual-core processor, things which can’t be found on the iPad?  The PlayBook is being released before Google and Samsung release their tablet computers, and Apple inevitably releases an updated iPad with some of the features from the iPhone 4.  BlackBerry’s first tablet computer is actually competing with the next iPad, which will more than likely be released around the same time.

BlackBerry claim their tablet to be “the first multiprocessing, multi-tasking, uncompromised browsing, enterprise ready, professional grade tablet”. Everything you want from an item that is called a PlayBook.  The PlayBook offers different options to an iPad and therefore it surely has a different target market.  When the iPad was released it was fresh, innovative and inspirational, browsing on the move, email at the touch of your hands.  Apple like the link between their technology being accessed through your fingertips the iPhone and iPod Touch being prime examples

BlackBerry has always been associated with professionals and businesses, so to release a tablet computer called the PlayBook may be seen as ironic.  However could it be aimed at a different consumer market?  An iPad is very much seen as a young product to have, with the brand’s sleek and stylish layout is a contrast to the organised and business like image BlackBerry.  So why don’t BlackBerry attempt to control the slightly older, professional market?  This would strengthen the brand image of professional technology for professional people.  With the PlayBook, Blackberry appears to have fallen into the trap of trying to beat Apple at its own game, rather than playing to its own considerable strengths and niche market.