解剖我腦: June 2008

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Apple's bait: Application developers swarm to iPhone

By John Boudreau
Mercury News Article Launched: 06/16/2008 01:32:33 AM PDT

Call it the iPhone economy.
Apple's soon-to-open online App Store has triggered a scramble among software developers to write business plans aimed at making money off Apple's iPhone, a mini-computer that doubles as a phone.
"I'm seeing an excitement among mobile developers that I've never seen before," said Sam Altman, chief executive and co-founder of Mountain View-based Loopt, a location-based social networking service. "People who said they'd never start a mobile (applications) company because they didn't want to rely on the carriers are now starting companies focused only on the iPhone."

Apple recently provided the tools engineers need to create applications for its popular mobile device. The Cupertino company said some 250,000 iPhone software development kits have been downloaded. The App Store Web site, where applications will be sold or given away, is expected to launch soon, perhaps July 11 when the faster next-generation iPhone goes on sale.
Apple could be creating a billion-dollar industry built around the iPhone, said Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. In a recent note to investors, Munster wrote that the App Store could create a $1 billion-plus iPhone ecosystem by the end of 2009.
Last week, 5,200 software developers packed San Francisco's Moscone Center for Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference. For the first time, mobile software writers were invited. Apple offered a taste of the types of services iPhone owners could experience very soon, including near real-time updates and video from Major League Baseball, sophisticated location-based social networking that allows people to find friends, and video games in which users play by tilting the iPhone.
Munster said the applications were "more powerful and attractive" than anything he'd seen on a mobile device before.
What excites many developers are the iPhone's capabilities and its "stable" software platform, which makes writing programs for it relatively easy and quick.

The iPhone "puts the Internet in your pocket, whether it's e-mail, whether it's Web browsing, whether's it's YouTube," Apple vice president Greg Joswiak said. "The entire Internet is in your pocket."

The iPhone's capabilities are sure to become even greater after Apple rolls out its newest version, dubbed 3G for "third generation," which company CEO Steve Jobs says will operate twice as fast as the inaugural device, released just a year ago.
Mobile phone operators and analysts say iPhone users have a huge appetite for data.

M:Metrics, a mobile research firm, reported in spring that 31 percent of iPhone owners watched mobile TV or video vs. a mere 4.6 percent market average. Fifty percent of iPhone users also reported using their gadget to access a social-networking site, about 12 times more than the industry average.
"We are going to see things that create totally new behavior, just like the Internet created usage patterns and behavior we hadn't seen before," said Matt Murphy, a partner with venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
Murphy manages a $100 million iFund that backs start-ups creating applications for the iPhone. So far, more than 2,000 business plans have been submitted, and three companies have been funded, he said, adding that more money could be added to the fund.

Apple's App Store is expected to be modeled after iTunes, the successful online outlet for digital music and video that helped make the iPod a must-have device. It launched an iPod accessories industry, from high-end speakers to fashionable cases. Apple has sold about 150 million iPods, while the iPhone, at about 6 million in sales, remains something of a novelty item.
"This is the iTunes Store for the iPhone," Munster said of the App Store. "If you build an application that is compelling, people will pay $10, $20 for it."

The iPhone just might be the device that finally kick-starts mobile phone advertising in the United States, said Ujjal Kohli, CEO of Rhythm NewMedia, a Mountain View start-up. Its mobile service, called vSnax, provides free video on a range of topics - including news, sports and weather - and attaches ads to them. IPhone users interested in an advertised product, such as an automobile, can press the screen and be directed to a dealer.

"The iPhone collapses time and space for advertising," Kohli said. "No other media has done this."

Another appealing aspect of Apple's iPhone offer is the company's fee structure, which allows developers to keep 70 percent of the revenue from their applications, said Daren Tsui, CEO and co-founder of mobile entertainment start-up mSpot in Palo Alto. When they sell applications through other devices, carriers demand 40 percent to 60 percent of the revenue, he said.
Still, Tsui said he'd like to see Apple's take drop 15 percent or 10 percent, which is what Japanese mobile carriers charge to encourage aggressive applications development.

Apple is still something of a minnow in the mobile phone market. Nokia sells more phones in a week than Apple sold in 10 months. Many analysts do not expect the company to dominate the mobile phone market the way its iPod owns the digital music player industry - at least not any time soon. Still, its move into the smart-phone market is forcing all the big players to rethink how their devices are designed.

Jobs announced last week Apple would lower the price for the latest iPhone model to $199 for its 8-gigabyte model. Analysts expect the company will have little trouble meeting its goal of selling 10 million iPhones this year. And Jobs said the device will be sold in 70 countries by the end of the year.

"As more vendors gather around the iPhone, the more lucrative it becomes," said Richard Stern, senior vice president at SpinVox, which provides a program that allows people to read transcriptions of voice mail on mobile devices. "When 6 million people get the iPhone, it's worth 'X.' When 50 million people get them, it's a whole different situation."

周日話題﹕我的蘋果沉溺之路

(明報) 06月 15日星期日 05:10AM

【明報專訊】今年Apple WWDC的Keynote演講過後（全寫是Worldwide Developers Conference），網上熱話竟然跟Steve Jobs的健康狀攸關。6月9日的他在台上，顯然消瘦了，不及往年的神氣。Keynote演講有相當部分由他的副手負責也教人意外——每年這個WWDC的開幕詞，有非官方的別號叫「Stevenote」，本是這個演說家每年一度、為Apple新產品掀序幕的個人秀。
The Wall Street Journal率先報道，說Jobs曾有患癌的前科（早陣子Jobs還被揭發故意向董事局隱瞞病情），擔心這是舊患復發。Apple很快發表回應，說Jobs先生這幾星期受「普通病菌」（common bug）感染，正服用抗生素，但他堅持出席WWDC，並在6月9日主講Keynote，所以帶點疲態，但並非大問題。Steve Jobs貴為Apple的主席及CEO，他的健康狀會令網民、股民及Apple狂迷憂心忡忡。無他，大家明白，沒有了「Steve Jobs」的Apple，一定不會是現在的Apple。

如果你有看今年WWDC的演講，你會明白網民的憂慮不是沒道理的。Apple另外兩個出場的SVP一肥一瘦，也許都有美國企業領導的隨和作風，但論領袖的魅力跟Jobs相去卻遠矣（Jobs其實還蠻俊俏的）。Steve Jobs自1997年回Apple後，先後推出了iPod、OSX作業系統、iMac以至iPhone等大受歡迎的產品，他有份成立的Pixar也開了動畫製作先河。Apple的產品設計出色、在個人電腦及數碼影音產業上獨佔鰲頭。Steve Jobs成功把Apple打造成一家最有型有款的電腦公司（他總說要有culture及taste），令競爭對手望其項背。很簡單，我可以坦白告訴你，我刻下正用Macbook寫作，而在我工作的當兒，筆記本電腦背面的Apple徽號，在暗黑中隱隱透發出教人迷的白色光芒。如果我在咖啡館，這團光已足以令我自豪。換了是ThinkPad或Dell的機器，我才不會這樣大言不慚。

就是酷

有人說機器是工具，是value-free的，只聽憑用家指使；Apple的產品卻一再說明，科技產品是真真正正的意識形態。Apple的一切都是跟形象消費有關的，用家或許喜歡它的運算速度或多媒體兼容，但同時也明白用Apple產品背後代表一大堆「時髦」、「酷」的價值。是的，我們都是為了別人投射的目光才購入Apple產品的（誰計較CPU是雙核心還是什麼？）。Apple產品的形象還經常出現在荷李活電影中，不妨到Brandchannel.com找找看，Apple徽號出現率之高，僅次於福特汽車及可口可樂。遠的不說了，iPhone由去年至今一直強勢，至少兩套暑期美片可找到它：《色慾都市》（Sex and the City）及《破天．荒》（The Happening）。前者故然是作為聲色犬馬的潮人符徵；後者可算軟性推銷iPhone的視像功能：畫面是iPhone屏幕大特寫，播放獅子吃人的畫面。Internet及YouTube 上隨時官能刺激，《破》告訴我們iPhone在災難中也可靠。

還有無數的美國電影中，有型有款的主角以Mac機上網、工作的鏡頭，這幾年連電影預告片都看到Apple的徽號。在我們周遭，Apple身影俯拾即是：日本動畫Keroro喜愛高達模型，案頭則放了一座「台燈」型iMac；護膚品FANCL門市以白色機身的iMac襯托那一塵不染的店子；iCable推銷企業服務的電視廣告，最後顧客露出滿意表情，鏡頭瞥見他用的是Apple電腦。打開電腦雜誌，路由器、屏幕保護貼或充電器等廉價周邊產品印刷廣告，怎的也得配上一件Apple產品作點綴（為怕觸犯知識產權條例，廣告往往把Apple徽號抹掉）。連「乖」得很的港台節目《閱讀解碼》，訪問深諳日語的潮人作家健吾，都曉得拍他用Macbook寫作的畫面。如果健吾用Asus的Eee PC創作，還能夠吸引港台攝影師的眼球，成為被電視影像represent的材料？

總之Apple產品就是「潮」、「酷斃」。這本來很諷刺，在生產線上大量複製的產品，談什麼unique或酷斃之有？另現在Apple產品的價格比起別的牌子產品，也稱不上最高階，一般用家早應付有餘。但事實卻證明，Apple這些大量生產、不算非常昂貴的產品滿足了一代又一代用家的欲望，我們甘於購置Apple的產品，希望成為某種形象（「年輕」、「闖蕩」、「朝氣」、「叛逆」……），以產品為自己代言。Apple銷售的形象那麼成功是怎樣得來的？或許可從Steve Jobs的身上找到一鱗半爪。

最佳代言

Steve Jobs的打扮，這些年來一直沒有改變。他頭髮半禿，近年他一直維持清爽的花白短髮，偶蓄鬚子，架上幼細的眼鏡，使年過五十的他一副智者的模樣。他在Apple的公開演說場合，從不見西裝及領帶，從不穿卡其褲及淺色襯衣這些典型的IT裝束，他甚至沒有外套。他永遠的形象，都是黑色長袖St.Croix樽領衛衣，Levi's 501牛仔褲及New Balance運動鞋，手上拿控制投影片的小遙控，跟素色的舞台設計、Mac簡約的風格配合得宜。作為一家擁有2萬多員工企業的CEO，看上去他很隨和很有品味，沒有老闆架子。Steve Jobs的演說不算聲情並茂，他的幽默感也不算很強，但說話跟圖片及demo的節拍總見精準，說服力強讓人留下深刻印象。他的Keynote演說，其實正是Apple旗下演說軟件「Keynote」最精彩的演示。提起「PowerPoint」，我會想起學校老師那些動畫亂飛、濫用廉價clip art的課堂投影片，十分壞品味。提起Keynote，我會想到Steve Jobs這個role model，他的decency就是Apple的最佳代言人。

X是PC Y是Mac

還是到了最近我才知道，有人把希拉里比喻作PC或Dell，而把奧巴馬比喻為Mac。網上甚至有人惡搞1984年Apple仿拍奧威爾《1984》的經典廣告，以希拉里的特寫替代廣告中的「老大哥」造型，藉Apple當年廣告宣揚突破創新、不墨守成規的概念比作年輕可為的奧巴馬——惡搞廣告的最後標語是「And you'll see why 2008 won't be like 『1984』」，1984年共和黨的列根連任成功，並大比數跑贏民主黨的蒙代爾（Walter Mondale），延續八十年代Reagan Era。有人說Steve Jobs是充滿創意及帶領潮流的嬉皮士，諷刺其貌不揚的Bill Gates為電車男。Apple近年的一系列廣告，也以把Mac及PC擬人化。在廣告全白的背景襯托下，PC是身穿啡色西裝、肚滿腸肥、拘謹及體弱多病的老套中年人，Mac則是一身casual wear、健康健談、滿不在乎的潮流青年Justin Long。

固然一定有人不滿這種二分，因為世上最少還有Linux這些開放資源的作業系統，不一定要像Mac及PC般不住的申請專利及大幅膨脹才能造福人群。但Mac及PC的二分是不是更便於我們這類不求甚解的人去認識世界？「秋天的童話」是PC，「我的最愛」是Mac？「John Woo」是PC，「Wong Kar Wai」是Mac？「許冠文」是PC，「周星馳」是Mac？「Time」是PC，「Monocle」是Mac？「馬德鐘」是PC，「馬國明」是Mac？「陳慧嫻」是PC，「王菀之」是Mac？「Harrison Ford」是PC，「Robert Downey Jr.」是Mac？「Hotmail」是PC，「GMail」是Mac？「民主黨」是PC，「公民黨」是Mac？「林瑞麟」是PC，「陳智遠」是Mac？「香港仔魚蛋」是PC，「長洲脆薯塔」是Mac？「仙跡岩」是PC，「輕鬆飲」是Mac？「六四」是PC，「京奧」是Mac？「母語教學」是PC，「英中」、「英班」是Mac？「我的前半生」是PC，「我的低能之道」是Mac？「敬業樂業」是PC，「炒股炒樓」是Mac？「香港」是PC，「上海」、「北京」是Mac？如果世界就這麼簡單多美好，我們毫不猶疑已經可以take side。

慚愧

關於Apple或Mac，我是義無反顧的，由2002年開始喜歡這個蘋果咬一口的嘜頭。我也從來不justify這種喜好，不跟你來理性的，就是喜歡它夠「潮」、「酷」、（相對地）非主流，把產品弄到手便如願。消費主義嗎？我承認，家裏便有4台不同年代的iPod，有的可用有的已半死，早日淪為可怕的電子垃圾。至於iPhone，這還用說嗎？大學時期我向電腦及電郵說不，九十年代末我還一度蔑視手機的存在。今天我拿可能是世上最advanced的手機之一，時時刻刻在檢查電郵，閱讀Digg.com最人氣的文章，更新facebook及twitter的狀態，聽聽「何超」的新碟，以Google Map找出上環生記粥品專家的準確位置（蔡瀾節目剛介紹），在地鐵車廂重溫基阿魯斯達米的地震電影《春風吹又生》，為月底的放映準備……

我當然喜歡那部警世良言短片The Story of Stuff，遇上Born Lo這些對高科技嗤之以鼻的朋友又覺得分外慚愧。還是別往回看好了，不是說嗎？各有前因莫羨人。