Apple event - news

Steve just presented a few new things. I followed it on the Engadget site. Check it out, as it has some nice pics to show off the new stuff. To sum it up, this is all news:

• You can now create ring tones with iTunes, for $0.99
  
• New colours for the Shuffles.
• New iPod nano. It is the fat one we have seen pics of before. This is a really well done device: new form factor and new interface.
  
• Renewed iPod Classic. It has lots of memory and the same interface as the new Nano. Too much memory if you ask me, for the screen size it has.
  
• New iPod Touch. Basically it is an iPhone without the phone features and a little thinner. It has wifi and the Safari browser too. The addition to this, though, is the iTunes wifi music store: you can buy straight from the iPod - they will also make this available to the iPhone.
• Not sure I should mention this, but they have entered into some strange deal with Starbucks. When you come close to a Starbucks you can see what music they are playing and download it - accessing its wifi network.
  
• 8GB iPhone will start to sell at $399 (versus the $299 for the 8 GB iPod Touch).
  

Music store integration

The iTunes software and iPhone is a good duo: The integration works perfect and allows the user to add things to the phone easily, while it allows Apple an easy way to add features, upgrade software, and sell optional goodies, be it future software, games, ring tones, etc. No other phone manufacturer has achieved this sort of integration, and it looks like it is difficult to achieve.

Sony and its Walkman brand had a music store but after little more than 3 years, Sony Connect will be closed in the near future - mainly due to lack of success. It offered a rather closed system to a small audience, and it eventually did not reach the tipping point.

At the same time, we are hearing news of Nokia opening a door called Ovi. Supposedly it is the gateway to "a new Internet service for Nokia users to access music, games, maps, guides, synchronize information and network with friends using their devices and/or the PC", according to Gizmodo. I think I like to sound of it. An N95 with 8Gb of memory looks like a great companion to this new initiative from Nokia.

As I said, it is not easy to achieve something that Apple has. Nokia has a large user base, it has capital and ideas. Just maybe this thing can take off. I hope so ... competition is good.

Nokia is still alive...

With all that talk about the iPhone, it is easy to forget about the other mobile phone manufacturers. After all, it is clear that at this moment in time, and for the foreseeable future, Apple seems to have the upperhand in terms of UI design and platform integration.

The following article, though, shows that Nokia is certainly still alive. The closed business model Apple is relying on in the US will give them good revenue streams there, but I doubt that it will work that well in the growing markets of China and India. Moreover, Nokia's wider product range enables them to better meet different needs.

Of course, comparing the iPhone with Nokia, is like comparing apples and oranges.