Apple iPhone 4.0 and Video Calling - FaceTime sets the standard

And they say that a hero can save us

I’m not going to stand here and wait

I’ll hold on to the wings of the eagles

Watch as it all flies away

Excerpt from the song Hero by the group Nickelback soundtrack for the movie “Spiderman”

CEO Steve Jobs, in jeans and guzzling bottles of water in-between his words preached in his Sermon on the Mount to his audience of Disciples [read Developers] at the WWDC (Worldwide Developer Conference) 2010 does strike the imposing balance of a hero, Apps Developers for the Apple iPad and now the newly minted Apple iPhone 4.0 merely along for the US$1 billion ride as stated in the Video CNET Loaded Afternoon Edition aired Monday June 7^th 2010, by Natalie Del Conte, Senior Editor, CNET News.

Aside from the additional details of the conference as well as the improvements to the backside camera, which has moved from 3 Megapixels to 5 Megapixels without loss of color intensity by maintaining the size of the CCD (Charge Couple Device) at 1.58 microns, an issue with most smart phones.

There were a few noteworthy things, such as the new circularly polarized external loop antenna design (circa WWII, for the history buffs) which was the metal band defining the Apple iPhone 4.0’s dimensions, which allows for better reception and hopefully less dropped Calling and bad 3G coverage issues on the newly Developer christened Apple iPhone 4.0.

Other details, such as the new iPhone OS 4.0 which finally:

1.      Supports their unique take on multitasking

2.      Folders (finally)

3.      A new Apple advertising platform called Apple iAd

4.      A Game Social Network called Game Center, similar to that of Microsoft Xbox 360

5.      iBook, similar to the iBookStore App on the Apple iPad with a free complimentary book Winnie the Pooh (first thing Apple has ever given away for free!!)

This as hinted in the article “Will iPhone 4.0 derail Microsoft's phone plans?”, published April 9, 2010 10:24 AM PDT by Ina Fried, CNET News - Beyond Binary.

This is confirmed in the Video “CNET The AppleByte” aired April 8 2010 by Brian Senior Editor, CNET News  are already well known and as such is expected to be a hit, clawing back some of the lost smart phone market share from the disorganized Google Android OS camp.

Apple iPhone OS 4.0, despite being rated third behind the disorganized encampment of Google Android OS, according to a study done by ComScore that showed that Google had posted a 5.2% increase in its subscriber percentage of the smart phone OS market within the period November 2009 to February 2010 as stated in the article “Google Android growth outpacing the industry” published April 5, 2010 2:36 PM PDT by Tom Krazit CNET News - Relevant Results.

 A fact now confirmed by statistics by NPD as stated in “CNET Buzz Report”, aired May 13 2010 by Brian Cooley, CNET News (CBS), is still on a high.

Apple’s confidence is apparent in its recent announcements to ship an additional twenty four million (24,000,000) Apple iPhone 4.0 after having sold nearly fifty million (50,000,000) Apple iPhones since its debut in 2007 as stated in the article “Report: Apple readying 24 million units of next iPhone”, published May 17, 2010 10:25 AM PDT by Erica Ogg, CNET News - Circuit Breaker.

Apple is projected to sell nearly one million (1,000,000) Apple iPads in twenty eight (28) days since the debut of the device on the weekend of Saturday April 3^rd and Sunday April 4^th 2010 as stated in the article “Apple sells 1 million iPads”, published May 3, 2010 6:16 AM PDT by Jim Dalrymple, CNET News – Apple.

After the Apple iPad Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) had exceeded the three hundred thousand (300,000) mark as tabulated by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster as stated in the article “iPad 3G sales estimated at 300,000 for launch weekend”, published May 3, 2010 4:13 AM PDT by John Paczkowski, CNET News – AllThingsD.

A device that Natalie Del Conte, a CNET Reporter, was able to, quote, “touch with these hands” two (2) days before it official launch as stated in the Video by Natali Del Conte in CNET Loaded, aired Friday April 1^st 2010, by Natalie del Conte, CNET News (CBS) and confirmed by Tom Merritt, sitting in for Molly Wood on the CNET Buzz Report, aired Friday April 1^st 2010, by Tom Merritt, CNET News (CBS). Apple is on a roll………..

But of interest to me, the highlight in my eyes and the focus of this article and possibly the show stealer is Apple’s take on its permanently built in Video Calling Platform called FaceTime as stated in the Video CNET Buzz Report, aired Thursday June 10^th 2010, by Molly Wood, Executive Editor, CNET News.

Indeed, it appears I must apologize to the techies and internet “trolls” at Gizmodo, whose offices the Apple Task Force had raided after they had stolen the prototype from a supposedly drunken Apple Engineer on a drinking binge.

It appears they were indeed telling the truth as Molly Wood goes to declare with alacrity, appearing much as it did in the prototype proffered by Gizmodo in the Video CNET Buzz Report, aired Thursday April 22 2010, by Molly Wood, Executive Editor, CNET News  and on YouTube – props right their for Gizmodo, as for once the techies and internet “trolls” are right.

It does help that CEO Steve Jobs emphasizes that despite the restrictions imposed on App Developers, strict adherence to the Commandments of the CEO Steve Jobs (whom John Public refers to as Moses, as he has led us to the Promised Land flowing with “milk and honey”) pays handsomely in terms of easier prototyping of Apps for a phone whose dimensions and OS are guaranteed to never change.

A product that guarantees such healthy growth where Developers keep 70% of the retail price derived from the sale of the Apps and 60% from the advertising revenue with iAd despite developer contractual. Like I said, Apple is DEFINITELY on a roll………worth repeating, despite sounding rather cliché.

But FaceTime possibly may be the feature that convinces people to take the plunge into owning a smart phone and dabble with Apple iPhone 4.0’s deathly yet entrancing dance with AT&T, notorious for dropped Calling and spotty 3G connections as per “Verizon's There's a Map for That” advertising series.

It also helps to know that AT&T is really on your side, introducing Capped Data Plans as stated in my blog  article entitled “AT&T and Capped Data Plans - Skype is no longer free” with details of pricing of these Data Plans as stated in my blog  article entitled “Digicel EDGE Modem - Report on the testrun for Digicel Broadband”.

What impresses me about FaceTime as described in the CNET Buzz Report, aired Thursday June 10^th 2010, by Molly Wood, Executive Editor, CNET News is that the Video Calling is exclusively an Apple iPhone 4.0 - to - Apple iPhone 4.0 feature over AT&T’s Free Municipal Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) Networks ONLY as described in the article “AT&T offers Wi-Fi in New York City”, published May 25, 2010 7:04 AM PDT by Marguerite Reardon, CNET News - Signal Strength.

As such is actually a free trial, solving one of the major problems with Video Calling, that being the lack of commonality among smart phones, as obviously a smart phone of a different type cannot call another smart phone with different screen dimensions and software, except if it is via a common VoIP Software Platform such as Skype.

Curiously enough is now being allowed to work on over Telecom Provider AT&T’s 3G Wireless Broadband Network once you pay for the calls and supports Video Calling as stated in the article “Skype for iPhone now support 3G, but free ride's ending”, published June 2 2010,by Ben Patterson, Yahoo! News.

Who says Apple does not give away anything for free? From the screenshots and demos, it appears that the new square-ish Apple iPhone 4.0 is going to be a winner, solely on the basis of this one feature, it is already setting the standard for Video Calling, with the only other competitor in town being HTC Evo 4G on Telecom Provider Sprint 4G Wireless Broadband Network, the first 4G phone in the United States of America.

This is despite Executive Editor Molly Wood poking fun at FaceTimes rendering of the facial proportions of the callers, also a problem on the aforementioned smart phones as shown in the Video CNET Buzz Report, aired Thursday March 23^rd 2010, by Molly Wood, Executive Editor, CNET News.

The recently announced smart phone HTC Droid Incredible 4G on Telecom Provider Verizon 4G Wireless Broadband Network, as stated in the Video CNET Buzz Report, aired Thursday May 6^th 2010, by Molly Wood, Executive Editor, CNET News.

as well as the other alternatives as listed in the article “Top 4 iPhone 4 Alternatives”, published June 8, 2010 6:52 pm, by J.R. Raphael, PC World which are the ONLY other competition in the Magical Kingdom that Silicon Valley built, at least in the “smart” phone Market, (sorry Blackberry is not a “smart” phone to have)……..for now.

CEO Steve Jobs is a hero indeed!!!

On behalf of all Apple App Developers from John Public in the Bushes of Jamaica to all those who attended WWDC 2010 and saw the US$ 1 billions in earning, just for App Developers, I would like to raise a toast with my bottle of Guinness, Official Drink of the World Cup, to our Hero CEO Steve jobs, proof that there is little bit of Greatness in every Man……….

To CEO Steve Jobs! Reach for Greatness during this World Cup 2010 in South Africa!!

Hip, Hip………..hooray!!!!!