9to5 Staff

 Development of a Sony PSP-like games controller for the iPhone is underway, and while it’s currently only compatible with jailbroken devices, it’s no stretch of imagination to see its release for all iPhones, if the technology driving it is permitted under the iPhone SDK.

iControlpad is a peripheral device which connects to the dock connector on the iPhone (or the iPod touch). It binds the device within a controller that’s of similar shape to the Sony PSP, including dedicated control buttons with which to play games on the handheld.

“Your iPhone just slides in and locks in to place, there are no modifications needed and you can remove it at any time,” the developers explain, adding, “The iControlPad is already supported by some of the biggest iPhone devs (including ZodTTD – PSX, GBA emu etc.) and we are sending out units to several others.”

The first prototype controller has been assembled, slightly smaller than the PSP the iPhone slots securely into place – the developers are also assembling a version for the iPod touch, they said.

There’s a caveat, at least for the present – not all the buttons are fully-functional just yet, but the move does suggest the emergence of a new category of ancillary peripherals for iPhone beckons.

 The iPhone will become the ultimate remote control, capable of interfacing with all-manner of domestic systems, with news that the venture capital company managing the $100 million ‘iFund’ has taken a position in developers building an application called iControl.

iControl is one of two applications named as securing funding from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. The other application is a location-based service from Pelago called Whrrl. One more unnamed developer has also secured funding, with an additional ten “under consideration”, a report claims. In excess of 1,700 applications for funding have been made so far, the report reveals.

Whrrl links the mapping and location-sensing features of the iPhone with the ability to find information about places where you, your friends, or anyone has been. It’s kind of like an active social network for travel information that lets users select between recommendations by their direct contacts and overall ratings by users of the network. That’s an interesting marriage of geo-tagging, location-aware services and the internet.

As revealed in a recent poll in which we asked what would make a good product from Apple, there’s some demand for an uber-remote control of some kind. 21 per cent of 2,286 people who voted in that poll expressed a preferences for iPhone-controlled home automation systems, with an additional 6 per cent stating an interest in a universal remote. That’s where iControl steps in. This solution offers iPhone users remote control over common household systems, including things like air conditioners, lighting, window shades, and more.

The software also offers remote home monitoring and control functionality – you can use your iPhone to check what’s happening at home using the Safari browser, so in the event of a burglary, for example, you’ll be able to alert the authorities and despatch images of the miscreants at the scene of the crime – your home. Unruly children can also be micro-managed remotely using this system.

iControl already faces one competing surveillance system, Mobiscope. This isn’t as well-featured as iControl, but as previously supported offers video surveillance of your office or home.

 The latest unconfirmed iPhone rumour is upon us, and it once again claims the next-generation device will be available in three colours, well, that, or it confirms there’s a lot of rabid iPhone fans prepared to spend a little time creating Photoshop fakes of potential Apple ads…

We’re not sure how much weight to give this latest rumour, which we’re publishing here because rumour’s like this seem set to keep the iPhone world turning as we inch our way toward June 9.

iPhone Hellas reports (this link seems non-functional) the next-gen device will be slimmer than its predecessor, and available in three colours; white, black and (erm) red..

There have been continued mumblings that iPhone may be made available in multiple different models. Whether we’re going to see them all appear next month is open to question. These rumours got a shot in the arm last month when Piper Jaffray said: "We continue to expect Apple to offer a family of iPhones (2-3 separate models) in the first half of 2009, including lower priced ($200-$300) models. Just as the company slowly diversified the iPod lineup and entered lower price points with every new version of the iPod, we expect Apple to launch new models of the iPhone at lower price points in CY09. This expectation, along with the expectation for lower price points, and world wide availability of the phone, is critical to our CY09 iPhone estimate of 45m units.”

Consumers purchasing iPods, iPhones, Macs and an array of similar consumer electronic devices, including VHS and DVD recorders, may soon be required to pay a Europe-wide levy on every sale.

Led by music industry groups, rights-holders in Europe have been pressing local lawmakers and consumer electronic device makers to agree to such a tax. They want money raised through this levy to be distributed to rights-holders.

Today’s news is that consumer electronic companies – after stiff resistance to such proposals – may now be willing to declare a truce in these negotiations, in order to find a mutually satisfactory solution.

Consumer electronics companies including Nokia, Apple and Sony have contacted regulators at the European Commission to that effect.

Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, chief executive of Nokia, and Greg Brown, chief executive of Motorola, are among the signatories of a letter to the European Commission saying that they are willing to “explore new ways forward” in a dispute that has been in deadlock since the 1960s, reports the Financial Times.

The levy is intended to compensate content creators for losses they face as a result of private copying of their material. Apple, Nokia and Motorola now reportedly say they would be willing to accept such surcharges, so long as they are set at the same level across Europe. Differing levels of levy are applied on sales of such devices across the majority of the European Union states.

More here.

Apple Store #1 in the Southern Hemisphere is dropping very soon according to the Sydney Morning Herald.  Apple has placed a huge Bondi (Beach) Blue sign reading: "Drop in soon. Apple Store, Sydney".  The temporary sign marks the first official acknowledgement that Apple will be opening one of its flagship stores in downtown Sydney.

The 77 King Street address store will cover three levels and each floor will contain 445 square metres of retail space. 

According to ifoAppleStore, the Sydney flagship store is expected to open its doors on June 19th (in time for a Australian 3G iPhone rollout?)

Two other Apple stores are slated to open in Australia..One in the posh North Shore  suburb of Chatswood (what?! Nothing in Double Pay?), the other in Melbourne’s Chadstone shopping centre.

For those not in the know, Sydney and Melbourne have something of a little city rivalry going not dissimilar to the New York and Boston thing.  Apple seems to be covering the bases by spreading the store love across both cities.

Apple has taken delivery of 188 ocean containers carrying a mysterious new class of product, “electric computers”, a product description never seen on an Apple or Quanta shipment before.

These huge deliveries have given rise to speculation the boxes may contain next-gen iPhones, new breeds of MacBook or even the much speculated upon and never yet confirmed Mac tablet. 

We’re not certain on these claims, they’re being propogated by a website called ImportGenius, which claims to have analysed “thousands of US customs records” for Apple’s US imports, through which they identified major imports of the new product type.

“They have never before reported this product on their customs declarations,” says Ryan Petersen of ImportGenius.com. On March 19 Quanta delivered 20 ocean containers of merchandise under the new description. Shipments followed on March 27, April 28, May 6 and May 17, the report claims, adding that shipments of the products described as “desktop computers” did not fall off in this time, suggesting the company’s importing stocks of a new product.

Of course, it’s all speculation, Apple and its partners may simply changed what they put on the bill of lading. Still, this rumour is bound to generate yet more excitement as expectation builds toward a new 3G iPhone and potentially other new Apple products making their debut in June. And, let’s face it, whatever products Apple plans to sell need to be imported into its various territories somehow…

 iPods, iPhones, laptops and other digital devices could be seized by customs officials worldwide under a new top-secret copyright policing deal being worked out between the G8 nations, reports claim.

Nations including Canada, the US and various European states (including the UK, which sits on the G8) are secretly agreeing a new pan-global state police deal in which information held on iPods and other devices could be subject to investigation by customs officials tasked with a new role, as copyright police.

Dubbed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), signatory nations will form an international coalition against copyright infringement.

The deal’s up for discussion at the next G8 meeting in Tokyo in July, It creates rules and regulations to govern private copying and copyright laws, and posits the founding of an international regulator, “that would turn border guards and other public security personnel into copyright police,” reports Ottawa Citizen, the National Post and other Canadian media outlets.

These copyright police would be given the job of checking laptops, iPods, iPhones and other personal devices for content that “infringes” on copyright laws, “including ripped CDs and DVDs”. To make this Stalinist proposition even more annoying, front line security staff will be empowered to decide what content infringes on copyright laws. And also makes any content copied from DVD or a digital video recorder open to scrutiny by officials.

It’s likely these lunatic new proposals are being drawn up in secret in order to outflank any outcry by privacy advocates or any true intellectual discussion as to whether such protectionism should be applied in favour of content creation firms.

Officials will be able to levy fines or seize goods even in the absence of any complaints by rights holders. And searches will be allowed even without a lawyer present. And ISPs will be forced to hand over personal information on any alleged copyright infringers – no actual proof will be required. And, to make it even more Orwellian, ACTA will be unaccountable to any existing trade organisation, effectively meaning the RIAA and other such bodies will run a public/private international police force with the right to search, fine and confiscate property without any accountability. Local Canadian privacy advocates point out that governments have been privately negotiating these new proposals without consultation, and that the proposals revealed yesterday only surfaced due to the application of freedom of information type laws.

The European Commission has now published a "fact sheet" concerning this legislation, while not disclosing the measures confirmed by major Canadian media as being under discussion, you can read this document online here.

 The future of Photoshop includes GPU and physics acceleration, with Adobe CS4 set to ship this October, a report claims.

The company is currently developing its creative applications for release with Adobe Creative Suite 4, and while not a great deal’s known about these yet, some features are emerging, with Adobe preparing for more public revelations soon, we think. The new GPU and physics acceleration features for Photoshop were demonstrated by Nvidia to TG Daily this week. And the website says progress on the move is “simply stunning”.

What the application (allegedly code-named ‘Stonehenge’) now does is use the power of a computer’s graphics processing unit to accelerate certain image editing functions, generating tangible improvements TG Daily calls “more effective than anything else we have seen before in our experience using Photoshop over the past 14 years”.

“Changes made through image zoom and through a new rotate canvas tool were applied almost instantly.” Harnessing the GPU in this way has signnificantly speeded-up even the most intensive Photoshop operations, the report claims, stating Adobe CS4 will ship around 1 October.

UPDATE: Adobe has since informed the public that claims as to an October launch for the software are "made up", according to John Nack. In related news, Adobe shipped beta versions of three upcoming CS4 applications today, May 27, Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Soundbooth.

Apple shares took a dive yesterday on strength of “rumours of a rumour” claiming the 3G iPhone release has been delayed.

SeekingAlpha reports the rumour of such rumours. True or false, we’d like to observe these stock-damaging remarks may actually reflect the release of iPhone Software 2.0, which isn’t due to ship until the end of June.

That this software won’t ship until then could suggest that the 3G iPhone will also not ship in quantity until toward the end of June, though it may be announced in advance of that at Apple’s WWDC event next month. Sure, we’ve reported claims the device will ship on keynote day, June 9, in the past, but it remains possible actual physical availability will be for later that month. If that’s true, then we suggest the current “delay” rumour is no more than Wall Street insiders tipping others off to expect the device a few weeks later than originally thought.

Meanwhile, consider these statements from AT&T CFO, Rick Linder, who told a Reuters summit: “There’s not been a product announcement. There hasn’t been any pricing decisions made. That’s yet to come.”

 Apple’s forthcoming 3G iPhone seems set to offer insanely great data transfer speeds, putting the device on par with some broadband connections.

Well, that’s according to an executive from one of Apple’s Australian networks, who told local publication ChannelNews: “We know what is coming. We have seen the new device and it will be available on our network as soon as it is launched in the USA.”

Oh, but it gets better. The exec reveals: “By Christmas, this phone will be capable of 42Mbps, making it faster than a lot of broadband offerings and the fastest iPhone on any network in the world.”

Why? Well, essentially its because the network offers support for 3G standard, HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access). Capable of 14.4Mbps right now, the network has already committed to support for speeds of 21Mbps by the end of the year, and 42Mbps for phones compatible with HSPA+ (also known as Evolved HSPA or  HSPA Evolution) by 2009. 

"We believe that this will be a major driver for many peope to invest in a new smart phone it will will also create a big buzz as many vendors plan to launch new smart phones at the same time" the loose-lipped Telstra exec also added.

This clearly suggests iPhone will support that wireless standard, and hints Australian users can expect that higher speed to be supported on any compatible device sooner than originally promised.

 A leading US electronics retailer has decided to end sales of Microsoft’s Zune player due to insufficient demand.

US video game retailer GameStop has thus applied yet another slap across the face of Microsoft’s attempt to produce an ‘iPod-killer’. Zune has sold two million units since launch, proving itself an unwanted minnow in the sea of Apple competitors.

"’We have decided to exit the Zune category because it just did not have the appeal we had anticipated,’ said a GameStop spokesperson," Priya Ganapati reports for TheStreet.com.

The retailer has hundreds of stores across the US. Apple has sold 85 million iPods in the same time period, outselling Microsoft by a factor of 42.5 to 1.

Thanks to MacDailyNews for the picture.

 Kick back and relax while you wait with this musical interlude, music provided by Coldplay in Apple’s latest TV ad. Enjoy…

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIy9TV4F39g&hl=en]

Apple’s searching for a Product Design Engineer for the iPhone – and the ad suggests GPS support’s just around the corner for the device.

That’s logical, as we already know the latest iPhone Software 2.0 pre-release build offers location-aware services that let you tag images with your location as you take images, if you like. And while the Skyhook system’s impressively effective, it’s no great leap to think GPS is on the road-map.

Apple’s recruitment advertisment says: “As a member of a cross-functional design team at Apple, you will help to create the next generation of the world’s finest handheld devices. You will conceive, design, and bring into production products that will re-define the music experience. You will work closely with many different cross functional teams including Industrial Design, Packaging, Safety, Hardware Engineering, EMC, and Marketing.”

The applicant needs the highest qualifications and extensive experience, along with 3D CAD design skills, handheld/portable device experience, and must be able to integrate wireless antenna into the product. “Integration of wireless antenna (GSM, GPS, Wifi) into mechanical enclosures a big plus,” the ad declares.

Oh yes, it’s also helpful if the applicant possesses Mandarin or Japanese language skills. And be prepared to travel. Still – at least this product designer will know where they are as they test those GPS-enabled ‘Phones.

Apple’s dead serious about exploring next-generation wireless technologies, including WiMax, UWB and GPS solutions. How do we know? Because the company  has been searching for an insanely great wireless and WiMax expert since November 2007. That individual will help the company develop new products that work with these next-generation wireless technologies.

This news shows Apple’s getting even more serious about WiMax and networking. In fact, the company is now looking extremely hard at all available wireless technologies, but (as we’ve been saying for some time now), the company wants to make WiMax for Macs. Why do we know this? Because Apple’s advertising for a senior RF Systems Engineer, a full time role based in Santa Clara valley. 

“The Senior Wireless system Engineer will be responsible for designing/integrating Apple wireless products, and exploring new wireless technologies. He/she will work in a technology group on next generation wireless communications products as well as the integration of wireless technology within Apple products,” the ad states.

The role demands someone to work “proactively with other cross-functional engineering groups such as industrial design, product design, EMC, antenna design, software design and test, and all of the computer system project teams.”

It’s not just WiMax, of course, its most any wireless standard. They must be familiar with RF fundamentals and test equipment, and must have knowledge about, “Bluetooth, 3G, UWB, WiMAX, GPS, Mobile TV and similar wireless technologies.”  

We know that WiMax is due wide-scale deployment worldwide this year, with wireless deployments set for Russia, Malaysia and many other countries. And while phone operators decry the standard, which they see as threatening to their colossal 3G investments, WiMax is increasingly emerging as a viable choice to bring some kind of connectivity to large land masses that lack other forms of network deployment.

Apple’s main pitch here isn’t the standards, but on the development of wireless-enabled products – and the vacancy confirms the company’s interest in all wireless standards. Specificaly, though, Apple thinks a candidate with “experience with wireless module integration into PC system or consumer products is a strong plus.”

This is a big deal job, “Additionally, the engineer must be able to interact closely with offshore engineering development and manufacturing partners. International and domestic travel is likely.”

We’re looking forward to seeing what new breeds of wireless product Apple comes up with next. 

By the way, if this is the perfect job for you, you’ll find more information about it right here…

Here’s the link in full, in case this one stops working, http://jobs.apple.com/index.ajs?BID=1&method=mExternal.showJob&RID=11829&CurrentPage=1

 France Telecom’s Orange brand will retain the exclusive distribution rights for the iPhone in France, a head honcho at the company said today.

"It will remain an exclusive contract in France,"  Chief Financial Officer Gervais Pellissier told the Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms summit in Paris this morning.

This confirms that in all three European markets in which Apple chose exclusive partnerships with operators in order to bring iPhone to those countries will retain exclusivity. O2 in the UK and Deutsche Telekom in Germany have all indicated they’ll keep hold of that exclusive deal, even while Apple chooses to offer the next-generation device through multiple operators in other key countries, including Switzerland, Australia, Egypt, India and Italy. (We have a list of currently confirmed iPhone carrier deals right here). The only significant change known of so far is in Austria, where Deutsche Telekom recently lost exclusivity on news that Orange will also sell the device there.

 Apple’s iPhone has sparked interest and use of web browsing using smartphones, particularly in the US, where such use has climbed 89 per cent.

Smartphone users (and let’s face it, mobile web usage is  most prevalent among iPhone users) are running to social networking and e-commerce sites, spending an average of four hours and thirty-eight minutes online using their phone every month (in the US) and two and a half hours per month in the UK, research claims.

Recall that January survey of more than 10,000 adults, which revealed 84.8 per cent of iPhone users access news and information from their device? That compares to 13.1 per cent of the overall mobile phone market and 58.2 per cent of total smartphone owners…

The modern day digital obsession, Facebook, is the most visited website from a mobile the UK, while in the US, Craigslist, eBay and MySpace trump that social networking service. UK users explore the 3 portal, Sky TV and the BBC.

All these claims are included within the latest research from M:Metrics, where senior analyst Mark Donovan notes: "People are becoming increasingly engaged in the mobile medium.” Revealing the rate of mobile browsing to have increased 89 per cent year-on-year and page views have climbed 127 per cent, he notes changing consumption patterns.

“It’s evolving from brief transactions such as checking the weather or flight times, to time-intensive interaction with mobile websites – even without an iPhone,” the analyst said.

All these figures make interesting reading, but the killer punch is at the end, where M:Metrics reveals the data to be derived from “actual user behaviors among those with Windows, Symbian and Palm handsets.”

This begs the question: with users of smartphones from those manufacturers becoming increasingly interested in mobile web browsing, just how much pent-up demand will Apple face when it releases it’s next-generation iPhone next month? And with Blackberry recently beginning TV ad campaigns in the UK, are both firms set to profit from the mobile multimedia explosion? 

 Apple has huge plans to stake space in the digital home,  and could introduce a slew of products to this end in the years ahead – at least, that’s what Forrester Research believes.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, new research from Forrester explores the kind of products Apple could introduce in the next five years. And while the report’s packed-full of speculation, there’s elements within it that may be worth pondering.

For example, the researchers believe it’s possible Apple could introduce a range of Mac-enabled digital picture frames. These could, for example, connect to .Mac or other online image galleries to display new images uploaded by friends, or could randomly show images selected from a user’s own iPhoto library. These screens could also include speakers and be capable of playing music or video clips, and could be touch sensitive so viewers can flip to different images at will.

Forrester also predicts an Apple clock radio, once again connected to iTunes. A highly-sophisticated Apple remote control is also speculated upon, equipped with a screen this would let users browse their iTunes collections as they wander round their home, playing music through their selection of iTunes-enabled speakers.

Underpinning all such dreams of a digital dwelling, the researchers also imagine Apple may introduce new services for the home, such as an in-home installation service, in which Genius Bar type operatives would visit people’s homes to design and install the appropriate multimedia set-up.

Sure – all these things are speculation; and Apple’s staying silent on such rumour and conjecture, but what else can we imagine? Home automation systems controlled from an iPhone? Electronic wallets? Small but powerful Wi-Fi-enabled speakers that can be placed around the home, offering direct access to a user’s iTunes collection and controlled by an Apple remote or iPhone? Television sets containing an Apple TV?

Mind boggles. Anything’s possible – but that doesn’t always make it probable.

 Griffin Technology has introduced the world’s first FM transmitter for the iPhone, a variant of its iTrip device.

That’s sure to be a popular gadget, and also suggests more such peripherals will emerge for the device in future, as iPhone generates its own surrounding ecosystem of third-party add-ons, just like iPod.

iTrip AutoPilot plugs directly into the 12V power port in your car while connecting to your iPhone or iPod through the dock connector. Built-in software scans the FM frequencies to find the best one to play music through, and the system supports RDS, meaning you can see what track’s playing on your car radio display.

The device costs £59.99 in the UK, $99.99 in the US.

 All MacBooks released in 2009 will carry LED backlight screens, claims Taiwan’s Economic Daily News, via DigiTimes.

The report reveals backlight maker Kenmos Technology last year emerged to be Apple’s leading provider of screens, with the company set to widen its franchise through the company’s computers next uear. Kenmos is expected to ship 1.5 million LEDs this year and already provides the LED screens used in the MacBook Pro and Air computers.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs last year promised to make the switch to LED screens as part of the company’s attempt to become more environmentally responsible, though he declined to say when this switch would take place.

“To eliminate mercury in our displays, we need to transition from fluorescent lamps to light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to illuminate the displays,” he said. “Apple plans to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of mercury by transitioning to LED backlighting for all displays when technically and economically feasible,” he wrote.

We think it possible the LED screens will be deployed in the next generation of MacBook, which is also expected to sport an aluminium chassis, faster Core 2 Duo processors, and 

Recent reports have suggested that the next revision of the consumer-oriented MacBook will undergo a major redesign that converts the portable from plastic to aluminum and should also introduce other technical improvements, such as Intel’s Centrino 2 platform and accompanying faster Core 2 Duo processors. 

 Apple’s Mac sales shot up 50 per cent year-on-year in April, driving a 46 per cent spike in revenue, according to the NPD Group.

NPD also revealed that – far from slowing down – iPod sales also jumped 15 per cent that month. And Lehman Brothers analyst Ben Reitzes reckons new Mac laptops – equipped with MacBook Air-type touch technology – are on the way. (And maybe more).

"Checks are indicating that the attractive look of the Air may make its way into other models in terms of slimmer, metallic designs. We believe these notebooks will be popular for the back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons," the analyst said. Oddly, that’s what we were saying last week…pegging the date as July-ish…(We predicted the iMac intro a month early too, fact fans).

It’s just the latest in a string of industry trend-beating news from Apple Inc. As 9 to 5 Mac reported (before the majority of the Mac web) earlier this week, NPD figures show Apple to be the brand of choice in the high-end laptop market. An astonishing 66 per cent of laptops sold in the US costing $1,000 or more are made by Apple. While Apple’s share falls to just 14 per cent  in the sub-$1,000 bracket, it’s an incredibly significant figure all the same. (And yeah, we know those Windows Fanboys will begin to chunder on about how the only Mac we can buy for under $1,000 is the Mac mini, get over it, those cheap PCs just don’t offer the same degree of utility, usability or features as a Mac, and run a second-rate OS).

Apple’s making market gains through a combination of factors: superior operating system, better-featured and aesthetically-designed Macs, a world-class retail store chain, and the increasingly vapid WIndows market. Apple’s iPod and iPhone have put the corporate brand into consumer minds, meaning that 50 per cent of Macs sold through Apple’s retail stores are going to users new to the platform.

High-tech also counts: I think many experienced industry watchers missed the significance of the MacBook Air when it shipped: but the whole notion of a computer you can put inside an envelope has caught on on the streets, people remember this. Which is why Apple’s recent 10Q noted: “The increases in Mac net sales and unit sales were driven primarily by sales of the new MacBook Air, introduced in January 2008, and higher sales of the iMac and other Mac portable systems.”

Proof of the pudding’s in the eating: Mac unit growth reached 51 per cent and 48 per cent in the second quarter of Q2 and first six months of 2008 respectively – exceeding the industry average.

Apple’s laptop sales climbed 61 per cent, with 2.29 million Macs sold in Q2, 1.433 million of Macs sold were laptops.

Surging Mac sales caused Apple CEO Steve Jobs to reflect last October: “The question is, are we headed for a tipping point, it sometimes feels like that."

IDC claims 23.5 million computers were sold in the first quarter of 2008 in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, which is equivalent to 19 per cent sales growth over Q1 2007. Apple’s overall Mac sales in Europe climbed 45 per cent in the March quarter.

And the effect? Apple accounted for 7.58 per cent of all US Internet users in March, up near 15 per cent, year-on-year. And Apple is now the leading supplier of laptops within the US education markets.

So while those inexpensive PCs may dominate the market share numbers, when it comes to users looking to make a serious computing investment in order to actually, you know, do stuff, Apple’s growing share and dominance in the $1,000-plus category promises great things…

….and isn’t the Mac mini due an upgrade soon? With near $20 billion in the bank, is there any real reason now Apple can’t ramp-up its competitiveness at the lower end of the market? (Not one they’ve traditionally played in, I agree).