Apple's Spectre Looms Large at MWC 2011

The iPhone Nano > Every Tablet Here, Apparently

Feb 15 2011, 5:39am CST | by Robert Evans

"Did you hear the new iPhone rumor?"

"Apple might actually make an iPhone nano, have you heard?"

"There's a 'free' iPhone coming! Android is screwed!"

Over the last two days I've heard all these lines- and many more, from press and exhibitors at the Mobile World Congress. There are tablets out the wazoo here and more smartphones than you can shake a stick at. Sony Ericsson, HTC, Acer, LG, Samsung- all the biggest names in the industry are here. Yet most of the buzz on the Internet today is, once again, focused around Apple.

If you'll recall, something similar happened last year with the iPad. It seems that Apple has a standing strategy of pushing out rumors just in time to siphon buzz away from major industry events. This is the PR equivalent of a slant-drilling operation. Apple is drinking everybody's milkshake.

Today, the talk swirls around rumors of a free iPhone, possibly the iPhone nano. Despite an utter lack of evidence, people are following this phantom with more interest than they have for, say, the Optimus 3D. Which says something about our industry.

Mobile technology is advancing at an almost unbelievable pace. A few weeks ago, dual-core Tegra 2 processors were the latest and greatest. But now talk of quad-core processors makes them seem dinky and old. The Nexus S was the best phone on earth two months ago...and now it's just another single-core phone lagging a few feet behind the cutting edge.

Not that there isn't reason to be concerned about the potential impact of a subsidized iPhone. The consensus around here seems to be that Android has an enormous amount to fear from such a product. Low-to-mid-range devices have provided much of the fuel for the operating system's explosive growth. But if consumers have the option of a "free" iPhone or a "free" Android phone...

Well, you don't need to be an industry analyst to know how that will shake out. It's looking like Motorola was right to anticipate trouble this quarter. Even with the rest of the industry catching up, Apple still has a commanding lead in public interest. And they will until someone (Samsung?) beats them to the Next Big Thing.

More MWC 2011 News.

Updates

Factual Evidence: Top 5 picks over the past ten years

Source: SB Nation

As you have been reading on here lately, I have been going back in time and really reviewing these past drafts, especially over the past 5 years. Well I was asked by a few followers on Mocking The Draft to go more in depth w ...
Full article at: SB Nation More like this 13 hours ago, 9:27am CDT

TCU offense turns tentative with the wind blowing out

Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram

New Mexico pitchers had 13 strikeouts, including five times when they caught Horned Frogs looking at the third strike, as the Lobos won 5-2 at the Mountain West Conference tournament at Earl E. Wilson Stadium on the campus ...
Full article at: Fort Worth Star-Telegram More like this 20 hours ago, 2:08am CDT

Rivalries replaced: Conference realignment in the FBS

Source: FOX News

Philadelphia, PA – The landscape of the Football Bowl Subdivision is going to have a new look as a handful of universities have already, or plan to switch conference affiliations. Football programs that have been synonymous with th ...
Full article at: FOX News More like this 1 day ago, 12:36pm CDT

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Robert Evans
The excitement about new smartphones, tablets and anything mobile drive Robert to unearth the latest rumors and developments in this fast moving space. He adopted 4G as soon as it become available and knows where the mobile market is going.
Robert can be contacted directly at robert@i4u.com.