Apple's massive 1 billion dollar North Carolina data center has been the subject of much speculation since it was first announced in June 2009. The new data center was detailed as occupying 500,000 square feet and roughly five times the size of the company's existing center in Newark, California.
Here is aerial footage of the data center from February, 2010:
During today's financial conference call, Apple revealed that the data center will be complete by the end of the year and they will begin using it then. Due to the massive size of the new data center, many have speculated that it will represent Apple's push into cloud computing. iTunes streaming as well as wireless iPad/iPhone syncing have been listed amongst the possibilities.
Research firm iSuppli today announced a significant boost to its iPad estimates through the end of 2012, pushing its total estimates for the first three years of product availability to nearly 100 million units.
iSuppli pegs 2010 sales at 12.9 million units, up significantly from an initial "conservative" estimate of 7.1 million issued at the device's initial launch in early April and on pace to capture an astounding 84% share of the tablet market for the year. Over the slightly longer term, the firm has pushed 2011 estimates from 14.4 million to 36.5 million and 2012 estimates from 20.1 million to 50.4 million.
"The iPad is shaping up to be the 'Tickle Me Elmo' of the 2010 holiday season, with product demand expected to vastly exceed available supply," said Rhoda Alexander, director of monitor research for iSuppli. "Apple has hiked its iPad manufacturing goals to suppliers across Asia. As iSuppli stated in its initial forecast, the key to continuing success will be how quickly Apple responds to issues as they arise and whether the company can align suppliers to meet demand needs. Apple's acceleration of its component demand indicates that the company has raised its iPad production target for 2010. Our latest research indicates there is much higher production than previously expected for two key components: LCD panels and NAND flash."
The report notes that manufacturing production is essentially the primary limitation on iPad sales at the moment, with the company struggling to meet strong demand for the new device. Apple is expected to continue to increase production capacity, however, with increases in both production capacity and yield rates for the device's touchscreen particularly helping to ease the supply crunch.
iSuppli predicts that Apple will revamp the iPad in April 2011 to match the yearly upgrade cycle seen on Apple's iPhone and iPod touch devices. The firm predicts that the next revision will see the addition of a camera, which would appear to be highly likely given Apple's apparent plans to roll out FaceTime video calling to other iOS devices beyond the iPhone, as well as possible new models in various sizes as has been rumored.
Apple today announced financial results for the second calendar quarter and third fiscal quarter of 2010. For the quarter, Apple posted revenue of $15.7 billion and net quarterly profit of $3.25 billion, or $3.51 per diluted share, compared to revenue of $9.73 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.83 billion, or $2.01 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 39.1 percent, compared to 40.9 percent in the year-ago quarter, and international sales accounted for 52 percent of the quarter's revenue.
Apple shipped 3.47 million Macintosh computers during the quarter, a unit increase of 33 percent over the year-ago quarter. Quarterly iPhone unit sales reached 8.4 million, up 61 percent from the year-ago quarter, and the company also sold 9.41 million iPods during the quarter, representing 8 percent unit decline over the year-ago quarter. The company also sold 3.27 million iPads during the product's launch quarter.
"It was a phenomenal quarter that exceeded our expectations all around, including the most successful product launch in Apple's history with iPhone 4," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "iPad is off to a terrific start, more people are buying Macs than ever before, and we have amazing new products still to come this year."
Apple's guidance for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010 includes expected revenue of $18 billion and earnings per diluted share of $3.44.
Apple will provide live streaming of its Q3 2010 financial results conference call at 2:00 PM Pacific, and MacRumors will update this story with coverage of the conference call highlights.
Conference Call Highlights - CFO Peter Oppenheimer going over quarterly results: highest quarterly revenue ever, surpassing most recent holiday quarter. - Driven by iPad launch, as well as strong iPhone and Mac sales. - Detailing Mac sales: Record of 3.47 million beats last holiday quarter by over 100,000; outgrew market in both desktop and portable segments. - iPod sales down slightly, but iPod touch up 48% year-over-year. MP3 player market share still over 70%. - iTunes Store revenue over $1 billion in revenue this quarter. - iPhone: Over 1.7 million iPhone 4s sold in five launch countries, iPhone average selling price of $595. - Passed cumulative sales of 100 million iOS device sales during the quarter. - 3.27 million iPads sold in 10 countries during the quarter, average selling price of $640. - Retail revenue up 73%. Mac sales units up 38%, half sold to new-to-Mac customers. Opened four U.S. stores, 2 in Australia, and 1 in Canada during the quarter. Record 60.5 million customers served. - Gross margin of 39.1, well above guidance. Strong performance due in part to smaller-than-anticipated effect of iPad and iPhone margins. - Cash and marketable securities up to $45.8 billion.
Q&A Q: Enterprise adoption of Mac, iPhone, and iPad? A: iPhone at 80% of Fortune 100 companies. 60% of Fortune 500. 400 educational institutions have approved iPhone for usage by faculty/staff/students. Macs still principally to consumer and education, but definite interest from corporate. iPad at 50% of Fortune 100 companies.
Q: More details on gross margin performance? A: Higher iPhone and accessory sales than expected enhanced gross margin.
Q: Supply-demand for each product line? Any constraints? A: On Mac and iPod, no supply-demand issues during quarter or currently. iPad and iPhone are backlogged. Selling as fast as we can make them...quoting longer lead times than we'd like. Working around the clock to get things balanced. iPad supply constrained by our initial "bold" assumption of 1 million per month for sales. We're already selling at that level and trying to increase capacity to support demand beyond that. iPhone 4 still ramping...no specific constraint there, just getting up to speed.
Q: Adjustments to gross margin related to iPhone? A: We had some adjustments in our iPhone supply chain that benefited us in this quarter, but now fully into iPhone 4 with a higher cost structure will impact future margins.
Q: Dynamics of iPhone shipments at the transition? A: Greatly reduced shipments of old 3GS around start of WWDC. Significant vacuum between June 7th and June 24th launch of iPhone 4...90% lower sales during that window than last year. Complete channel restructuring to switch to iPhone 4. We drew down inventory by 250,000 over the quarter with the new quarter.
Q: iPhone shortages...shouldn't you be prepared for the demand? A: We do not purposely create shortages for buzz. Demand for iPhone 4 is absolutely stunning. Working very hard to catch up, but I can't predict when that will occur.
Q: Any changes in iPhone 4 demand since antenna issues? A: Let me be very clear: We are selling every unit we can make.
Q: More clarification on effect of antenna issues? More complaints and returns? A: My phone is ringing off the hook with people asking for more demand. So hard to say. Returns are less than for iPhone 3GS, and the ones for this specific issue are extremely small.
Q: When might we see supply-demand balance for iPad? A: We honestly don't know. We have been pleasantly surprised at how fast this product as gotten out of the chute. Not following typical early-adopter market followed by gradual shift to mainstream...iPad went mainstream right away.
Q: Surprised at demand for 3G iPad? Balance with Wi-Fi models? A: We won't disclose split between 3G and Wi-Fi-only. But all models selling extremely well. Overall average selling price at about $640.
Q: Updated thoughts on how iPad might cannibalize other product lines down the road? A: Very good question and one we talk about internally. Real answer is that it's too early to tell. But we're thrilled that we had our best-ever Mac quarter during the same time we launched iPad. It's a jaw-dropper.
Q: iAds performance? A: Just launched in early July. Building for the future, so no specifics today.
Q: North Carolina data center? A: Everything is on schedule. Expect to complete it by the end of the year and begin to use it.
Q: What kind of impact did iPad have on gross margin? A: Things were about what we thought they'd be. Most of the improvement over guidance was due to iPhone and accessory sales mix.
Q: Channel inventory of 16 GB and 32 GB iPhone 3GS? A: We had about 1.4 million at the end of the quarter. We currently have materially less than that. Most of those are being sold in countries where we haven't launched iPhone 4 yet.
Q: Average selling price of iPods dropped sequentially. iPod touch being cannibalized by iPad? A: Actually due to start of back-to-school promotion and stronger U.S. dollar.
Q: Will iPad margins increase over time? A: We were purposely aggressive with pricing at launch. We always do everything we can to ride down the cost curves over time, and I don't see the iPad being any different.
Q: iPhone 4 bumpers impact? A: We will need to defer revenue for iPhone 4s we sell where we haven't delivered bumpers or heard from the customers. That should be about $175 million in the September quarter, and that should show up as revenue in December quarter. We will expense cost of bumpers when we ship them to customers.
Q: Android shipments increasing and seeing lots of press. Thoughts on that? A: I haven't seen the results since June, but iPhone sales were up 61% in the June quarter. That's against overall smartphone market sales in high 30s.
Q: Sustainability of iPad demand after early adopters? With subsidized 3G tablets coming this fall, how does that affect iPad? A: We're selling every one we can. Anecdotally, it seems to me we're beyond an early-adopter stage already. It's the fastest for any product I've ever seen or been involved with. We don't know what others will do, but we're extremely happy with our competitive position. Users seems to desire low-cost, no-committment data plans, so we're not sure people will want another expensive data contract to subsidize device cost.
Q: App Store approval rules have been criticized as being arbitrary. Has anything changed? A: We're thrilled to have recently passed $1 billion paid to developers with over 225,000 apps in the App Store. We care deeply about our developers and our success is unparalleled. The vast majority of apps are approved within 7 days of their submission, and many of the non-approvals are related to bugs that are fixed, resubmitted, and then approved. We value the input of every developer and modify our programs when appropriate.
Q: Desktop Mac trend is usually up between second and third quarters. Despite overall market trend, anything more to the drop this year than that? A: Based very much on our product cycles, on top of general market trends.
Q: International growth exceeding domestic. Thoughts? A: Not running up against a barrier domestically, but international sales just stellar. Still extraordinary opportunity left in all markets. In Asia-Pacific, Mac sales up 73%...China and Korea up nearly 200%. In iPhone space, doing well in all key markets. As far as expansion, we're moving Spain from exclusive carrier to three carriers. Still other countries to expand into as well. Biggest challenge is to decide which expansion ideas to pursue.
Q: Thoughts on possible iPad halo effect? A: Outside observers concerned about cannibalization, but you're right, we see it from the opposite perspective. When iPod took off, Mac followed. Can that happen with iPhone and iPad? I don't want to predict, but the Mac has outgrown the market for 17 straight quarters. But market share still low, and thus tremendous opportunity still there. If iPad cannibalized PCs, that's fantastic for us, because there are a lot of PCs out there.
Q: Impact of possible wage hikes for manufacturing sub-contractors? A: We don't want to get into our commercial agreements.
Q: Do you need to expand iPhone carrier relationships in U.S. to tap market expansion? A: Don't want to get into it too much. We've been very happy with AT&T and they've really been a pioneer with smartphones in the U.S.
Q: Cost structure of iPhone 4 and relation to gross margin? A: Don't put a lot of credence in third-party parts cost teardowns. iPhone 4 has higher cost structure than its predecessor, but I don't want to get into it more than that.
Nearly a month ago, federal lawmakers Edward Markey and Joe Barton wrote a letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs expressing concern over and seeking clarification on recent changes to the company's privacy policy as it relates to collection of real-time location data for users of its mobile devices.
As noted by the Los Angeles Times yesterday, the congressmen have published Apple's 13-page response (full-text PDF) submitted last week and explaining the company's policies.
In its response, Apple points out that users have the ability to turn off location services entirely and that users are required to provide explicit authorization to each application that wishes to access their location information. Responding to questions about the information Apple is collecting, the response notes that, in addition to user-initiated location sharing, iOS devices automatically collect information on nearby cell towers and Wi-Fi access points along with GPS locations, batching and encrypting the data before sending it on to Apple via Wi-Fi every twelve hours in order to assist with refinements to Apple's database of fixed access point locations.
Apple also discloses its usage of location information for administering its iAd platform, where GPS coordinates are immediately translated into zip codes for the purposes of serving ads. This information is not, however, passed along to advertisers, and Apple plans to maintain the zip code data on its servers for up to six months to assist with administration of and improvements to the iAd program before aggregating the data for administrative use.
For their part, Markey and Barton seem pleased with Apple's response and approach to user consent and privacy policies, although they continue to express general concern over possible privacy implications for the expanding cloud-based mobile data-driven lifestyle, as well as ever-expanding privacy policy documents that can make it difficult for consumers to understand how their information is being used.
Fayette Mall store in Lexington, Kentucky under wraps (Source: ifoAppleStore)
Apple has announced grand openings for two new retail stores set for this Saturday, July 24th, bringing new locations to Columbus, Ohio and Lexington, Kentucky. Both locations will see media previews taking place at 9:00 AM with the stores opening to the public at 10:00 AM.
The new Polaris Fashion Place store in Columbus marks Apple's second location in the Columbus area and is just ten miles from the company's existing Easton Town Center location.
Apple's Fayette Mall store in Lexington is the company's first in that metropolitan area and second in the state of Kentucky, joining the Oxmoor store in Louisville about 70 miles away.
Responding to Amazon's addition of support for embedded audio and video in Kindle eBooks late last month, Apple yesterday updated its iBooks application for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch yesterday to add similar functionality, as well as several other enhancements.
- Double-tap an image within a book to view it in greater detail. - Experience books that include audio and video. - Enjoy substantial performance improvements when reading PDFs. - Look-up definitions to English words inside books without a specified language. - Addresses an issue that may have caused some book downloads to not complete. - Includes many stability and performance improvements.
The iBooks update comes alongside iTunes 9.2.1, which brought several minor enhancements to the company's media management, playing, and syncing application.
View, edit and search your FileMaker Pro records on your iPhone with FileMaker Go. Whether youre checking inventory in the warehouse, managing event registration on-site, or updating project status while traveling, you can do it all while youre on the go.
The companion app allows users of Filemaker and Filemaker Pro to access and modify their databases on the go. Here's a walkthrough video:
Released in 1984 with the Mac, it is fondly remembered not only by those who used it, but also by computer scientists for numerous first-of-a-kind innovations. Those who spend a lot of time using Adobe Photoshop constantly use such features as the lasso tool for selecting non-rectangular shapes, and the paint bucket for filling closed areas with a pattern, and later, color. Both first appeared in MacPaint. The program was unique at the time for its ability to create graphics that could then be used in other applications.
MacPaint was part of the original Macintosh launch back in 1984 and was featured prominently in its advertising. The screenshot above was from an 18 page advertising brochure that was circulated with Time and Newsweek in December, 1983. The ad introduced the concept of using a mouse to click on the screen, and MacPaint was featured as an example application utilize the windows/mouse interface.
The MacPaint source code is now available and clocks in at 5,822 lines of Pascal and 3,583 lines of 68000 assembly. Apple's early QuickDraw library was also released as 17,101 lines of 68000 assembly.
Apple has released a maintenance update for iTunes today. The new version is available via Apple's Software Update and provides a number of bug fixes:
- Disables older versions of some incompatible third-party plug-ins - Addresses minor issues with dragging and dropping items - Addresses a performance issue when first syncing to some devices with iTunes 9.2 - Addresses an issue upgrading to iOS 4 on an iPhone or iPod touch with encrypted back-ups - Addresses other issues that improve stability and performance
The software is also available for download direct from Apple's site.
Hardmac reports that Apple may be preparing to roll-out a new high-end video codec to compete against the existing H.264 standard of which it has been a staunch proponent.
First, a transition towards better codec, dropping the efficient but CPU-consuming encoding codec H.264 for adopting Wavelet transform-type of codec which will allow even better compression rate while offering better efficiency. This type of compression was already used for the JPEG 2000 format. If we did not get confirmation yet, we can suspect that Apple will be using a format evolving or directly originating from Dirac.
The Dirac codec was initially developed by the BBC, but is notable for being royalty-free with a commitment from the developers to steer clear of infringement of any third-party patents. Dirac's performance, however, seems to leave much to be desired, and while it is still an immature standard that Apple would obviously be working to considerably enhance, it remains unclear whether it would be Apple to displace H.264 as a first-choice web standard for video compression.
The report claims that the goal would be for Apple to support delivery of up to 4K resolution video of 4096x2304, as recently embraced by YouTube. But while the report says that Apple would thus be targeting high-end applications initially, it remains unclear exactly what deployment strategy would be and whether it will even see the project through to a public release.
Due to the sketchy details and seemingly questionable nature of the rumor, we are publishing it on Page 2 for the time being for interest and discussion.
Diagram showing location of FCC label on presumed "Magic Touchpad"
Engadget reports that a new Apple product has appeared in the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's online database, and while it is not possible to positively identify the product from the filings published on the FCC's site, it does in fact appear to be the "Magic Trackpad" or "Magic Slate" device that has been the subject of rumors since last year and appeared in photos just last month.
A device known only by its model number A1339 is the culprit here, described as a "Bluetooth Device" used in conjunction with a MacBook without any associated filings for WiFi or WWAN networks. The ultra-rough label location diagram is definitely the right shape for the accessory, and what's interesting is that the test report was completed way back in October of 2009.
A close look at one of the purported images of the Magic Trackpad published last month does appear to show the device carrying model number A1339, suggesting that Engadget has correctly identified the product in the FCC filing.
Previously-posted "Magic Trackpad" image appearing to show model "A1339" designation (click for larger)
The FCC documents reveal that the testing report on the device was completed in October 2009, shortly before rumors of such a "trackpad gadget" surfaced from Daring Fireball's John Gruber. Apple's FCC submission was made alongside a request for confidentiality of certain materials in February of this year, with publication of the non-confidential material occurring today.
A release date for the product is unknown, but could be imminent given the timing of previous FCC approvals for other devices.
ZDNet reports on a new feature article in the August 2010 issue of Wired discussing the relationship between Apple and AT&T and how the success of the iPhone has enabled the partnership to continue despite each company's faults. While the full article is not yet available online, ZDNet's summary provides some interesting details.
Apple and AT&T fell in love and quickly got hitched. Then after the honeymoon was over they started noticing each other's faults. Apple was staunch and unwilling to restrict the iPhone's Internet access, AT&T couldn't build its network out fast enough to accomodate them. Then came the finger pointing. But the two couldn't divorce, for the the sake of the kids. So they ended up tolerating each other, for the time being.
The report points to Apple's choice of Infineon for the cellular communication hardware in the original iPhone as an example of the tensions between the two companies. Infineon had traditionally been focused on the European market where cellular towers are located more closely together than they typically are in the U.S. But when AT&T asked Apple to work together on making Infineon's hardware in the iPhone work better with AT&T's U.S.-style cell site configurations, Apple reportedly declined, saying "No, you resolve them. They're not our problem. They're your problem."
An Apple source also indicated to Wired that Apple CEO Steve Jobs has suggested at a least half a dozen times that the company consider dropping AT&T for another carrier. Apple's team went as far as visiting Qualcomm's facilities in late 2007 to investigate the possibility of switching the iPhone over to Verizon's network, but size difference between the chips used for the different carrier technologies would have meant a significant redesign for the iPhone, something the company was unwilling to undertake given other possible issues with the move.
Apple also heavily considered switching to Verizon numerous times. Around the end of 2007, at Jobs' behest, Apple engineers (including Scott Forstall) visited the headquarters of Qualcomm - the primary supplier of the chips in Verizon's phones. It concluded that switching to Verizon would be too complicated and expensive because the chips were different sizes and would necessitate rebuilding the iPhone from scratch. Apple also wasn't convinced that Verizon's network would fare much better and let's not forget the nasty lawsuit that voiding its exclusive pact with AT&T would invite.
Interestingly, the Wired article also suggests that a hybrid chip from Qualcomm capable of running on both Verizon's CDMA2000 network and the UMTS network of existing iPhone carrier partners previously rumored for the iPhone is the result of a partnership seeing Qualcomm working with Apple on the chip.
The most recent rumor regarding a Verizon iPhone comes from Bloomberg, which late last month cited sources claiming a January 2011 launch for the device.
Engadget summarizes reports in the Chinese-language media claiming that the delays experienced by the white iPhone 4 are due to issues with the paint application process for the device's glass front and back panels. In particular, the company behind the production process, Lens Technology, is working out kinks in its screen printing process to achieve proper paint thickness and color consistency.
Now, a worker from Lens' quality control department has allegedly admitted that the company's screen-printing workshop may currently be dealing with some issues with the white iPhone 4 covers. Specifically, the factory's still working out the perfect combination of paint thickness and opacity -- the former to ensure the next sub-contractor has enough clearance for the digitizer overlay, and the latter for the absolute whiteness that Jony Ive and co. strive for. As we pointed out before, the prototype white covers we acquired appeared a touch darker than the iPhone 4 dock, so here's hoping that we'll see a better result when the official white phone comes out later this month.
The report seems to corroborate a claim made by a Gizmodo reader back in June when Apple announced that the white iPhone 4 models would be delayed until the second half of July.
I cannot say who I am as Apple does have a non-disclosure in effect for this, but: The color specifications for the white on the new iPhones are just crazy. The tolerances they are trying to achieve with the white really is the cause of the delay. As screen printing goes, it is somewhat controllable, doesn't have the tolerance that Apple is wanting to hold the color specification of the white too. Talk about anal...
Apple CEO Steve Jobs confirmed at last Friday's press conference that white iPhone 4 models will begin shipping in limited quantities at the end of this month.
Apple today issued a media alert announcing details for tomorrow's release of its financial results for the third fiscal quarter and second calendar quarter of 2010. The results will be released after the close of tomorrow's trading at approximately 4:30 PM Eastern / 1:30 PM Pacific. Apple's conference call discussing the results will follow at 2:00 PM Pacific and will be available via a live audio webcast. MacRumors will provide running coverage of the conference call highlights.
Apple's third fiscal quarter saw a number of significant product introductions, beginning with the iPad very early in the quarter to begin a multi-stage roll-out across a number of countries. The company followed with revised MacBook Pros just ten days after the initial iPad launch and a MacBook update in mid-May. A redesigned Mac mini made its appearance in mid-June near the end of the quarter, with the iPhone 4 launching in several countries just three days before the end of the quarter. The company did announce, however, that it sold over 1.7 million iPhone 4s in those three days.
For the quarter, analysts are predicting net earnings of $3.10 per share on revenue of $14.74 billion, above Apple's guidance of $2.28-$2.39 profit on $13.0-$13.4 billion of revenue. Apple's year-ago results for the third fiscal quarter of 2009 initially included net earnings of $1.35 per share on revenue of $8.34 billion. Those calculations were based, however, on earlier accounting methods that utilized "subscription accounting" for iPhone and Apple TV revenue. Apple adopted revised accounting standards at the beginning of fiscal 2010, and after retrospective application (PDF) of the new standards, the year-ago quarter yielded net earnings of $2.01 per share on revenue of $9.73 billion.
Apple today announced that the next round of international iPad launches will take place this Friday, July 23rd. All iPad models will be available at launch, with pricing information available through Apple's country-specific sites and stores.
Apple today announced that iPad will be available in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore this Friday, July 23.
The company notes that the iPad will be made available in "many more" countries later this year, with launch dates and pricing being announced close to those launches.
Apple first launched Wi-Fi-only iPad models in the United States in early April, with 3G-capable models following later that month. The first round of international iPad launches, encompassing nine countries, occurred in late May and today's announcement marks the second round of such international launches.
On Friday, Apple held a press conference where they defended the iPhone 4's antenna design and presented data suggesting the issue was blown out of proportion. During a portion of their presentation, they demonstrated signal loss in other major phone manufacturers including devices made by RIM And Nokia.
Apple's attempt to draw RIM into Apple's self-made debacle is unacceptable. Apple's claims about RIM products appear to be deliberate attempts to distort the public's understanding of an antenna design issue and to deflect attention from Apple's difficult situation.
RIM claims Apple made design decisions they should stand by rather than pointing the finger.
In general, antenna performance of a mobile device/phone may be affected with a tight grip, depending on how the device is held. Thats why Nokia designs our phones to ensure acceptable performance in all real life cases, for example when the phone is held in either hand. Nokia has invested thousands of man hours in studying how people hold their phones and allows for this in designs, for example by having antennas both at the top and bottom of the phone and by careful selection of materials and their use in the mechanical design.
Finally, this crazy Taiwanese video recreation of the entire "antennagate" incident provides a humorous look (via Gizmodo):
Update: The Wall Street Journal reports that HTC and Samsung, two of Apple's other targets at its press conference, have also responded regarding the situation.
"The reception problems are certainly not common among smartphones," HTC chief financial officer Hui-Meng Cheng said. "They (Apple) apparently didn't give operators enough time to test the phone."
Samsung simply noted that it "hasn't received significant customer feedbacks" regarding signal issues with its Omnia II handset featured by Apple CEO Steve Jobs in his presentation of iPhone competitors also exhibiting signal attenuation when held.
Hours before Apple's iPhone 4 press conference, we pointed to a YouTube video of "The iPhone Antenna Song", a humorous two-minute song written by Jonathan Mann, who has been writing and performing a new song every day for the past year and a half.
Mann's effort received new prominence when Apple opened the press conference by playing the clip, with Steve Jobs noting, "We saw that on YouTube this morning and couldn't help but want to share it."
The Los Angeles Times profiles Mann, an "unabashed Apple fanboy" who uses his iPhone 4 for shooting and editing footage.
"The idea of Steve Jobs doing a little jig to my song, it doesn't get any more amazing than that for me," Mann said in an interview in his rumpled Berkeley apartment.
Mann notes that he wrote the song to express frustration over his perception that the iPhone 4 antenna issue has been blown out of proportion, claiming as he did in the song that he has never dropped a call with the device. He reports that he was contacted by Apple early Friday asking permission to use the clip in its press conference.
"I knew the press conference was happening. I had my own opinions. The media was blowing this thing way out of proportion, so I wrote the song and sent it around to a few blogs," Mann said.
The marketing effort paid off. Apple contacted him early Friday morning to ask permission to play the song at the news conference.
"I created something at a moment that resonated with people in a way that was really positive and meaningful. That's what's so cool about it for me," he said.
According to the report, Mann has received no compensation from Apple for the song's use in the press conference, although he apparently wouldn't say no to a free iPad if Apple were to offer him one.
Earlier today, Apple posted a video of today's press conference addressing antenna issues with the iPhone 4, also adding to its website a section dedicated to antenna design and testing as highlighted during the press conference.
While the new section of Apple's site provides an interesting glimpse into the company's $100 million investment in antenna design and testing labs, Apple went one step further and invited 11 members of the media on a brief tour of the previously-secret labs following today's event. Macworld reports on the tour, which was led by Apple engineer Ruben Caballero, who was the subject of a Bloomberg report yesterday claiming that he had warned Apple CEO Steve Jobs early in the iPhone 4 design process that the antenna design could cause reception problems, a claim Jobs today called a "crock" and "total bullshit".
The point of the tour was clear: to show that Apple takes the testing of wireless issues very seriously, and that suggestions that the company was simply sleeping on the job when it came time to test the iPhone 4 are misguided.
The report highlights the secrecy of the facility, noting that even Apple's PR representatives on the tour had never visited it before and that the lab's workbenches were covered with black cloths, a security procedure followed even when other Apple employees enter the facility.
We toured several different chambers, and they're pretty eerie places. Caballero would occasionally step into a chamber, leading in a few reporters (they're generally far too small to fit more than a handful of people inside), and the moment he entered the chamber his voice became nearly inaudible, due to most of his sound being absorbed by the foam on the chamber's walls. Even the handles of the heavy doors are made of Fiberglas, and the doors are lined with copper to ensure the entire room is a Faraday cage.
Apple's tests, which can take up to 25 hours to run across all frequencies, are conducted in a variety of settings in the company's testing chambers, including positioning the device on styrofoam blocks, in human hands, and in the vicinity of realistic "phantom" mannequin body parts.
Finally, Apple showed off its CT scanner purchased for scanning products for defects without requiring them to be opened and changing their electromagnetic properties, as well as a field-testing van that allows engineers to test reception in real-world settings.
Update: Engadget has also posted a description of the behind-the-scenes tour, offering a similar perspective.
