So Apple is suing HTC for copyright infringement. And that's a cloak for Apple suing Google, really. So this is a suit between the big boys now. As Apple makes clear on its website, "Apple actively and aggressively enforces its intellectual property rights to the fullest extent of the law."

Aggressive. It  certainly is.

Apple alleges that HTC "knowingly induce(s) users of accused HTC Android products" to infringe on a number of Apple's patents, some dating back to the mid-1990s. They cover user interface processes and other software and hardware components.

As I have repeatedly said here, every time a rival tries to come up with an iPhone killer, it fails miserably anyway. Competitors should play their own game, and not try to take Apple on directly. Don't try to play Apple at its own game: create a new game in town instead.

Competitors want desperately, in particular, to reproduce the iPhone experience.

The problem is that the iPhone experience is a pretty much unique one and its uniqueness is based on the touch screen experience itself.

Apple, quite rightly, will protect that touch screen experience (and the patent rings surrounding it) like a lioness protecting its cubs.

While HTC have done a great job of producing competing cheaper full screen, touch-screen-control phones, the mistake was to try to re-create the iPhone experience - that was bound to end up in the courts.

The pinch-and-stretch facility, in particular, is simply banged-to-rights Apple's intellectual property and at the heart of the iPhone/iPod touch offer. To try to reproduce this and get away with it is just naive.

According to Forbes, HTC were making ground an taking some of Apple's market share in the last quarter of 2009, so they can hardly noty have seen this coming. The iPhone held a 14.4 percent smartphone market share in 2009, according to research group Gartner. Phones running Android comprised only 3.9 percent of the market, but were growing fast. Apple lost some share to Android phones in the fourth quarter.

HTC shares yesterday lost 1.4 percent in Taipei in a broader market up 0.4 percent. The stock had fallen as much as 3 percent in early trade.

HTC are on to a loser here and their stock should be avoided in the short term at least.

John Clancy
Media Futures Analyst
mediafuturesalert.com
Visiting Lecturer in Media, University of Birmingham Business School
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Walmart has just gone back into digital with the acquisistion of Vudu, the digital movie download business.

While it's been here before, in a failed attempt to compete with physical DVD rental provider Netflix, it's back again in competition with Netflix, who are already the market leader in digital movie downloads (Blockbuster, Time-Warner Cable and Amazon being the other big players) .

What make foray significant is that Wal-Mart are obviously now going to tie this to hardware sales of Internet-Ready TVs in its stores. Vertigal integration here would seem to make sense and providing the full package of TV sale with Download subscription/service will attempt to make the download process seamless. No computer needed, just your WiFi Broadband/Cable.

This is what I call the STS (Straight to Screen) process. The fewer steps in the chain to make the download seem as straioghtforward as changing channel, the more likely the techo-reluctant consumer will buy into it.

If Wal-Mart is in the business of marketing its TVs as 'Internet TVs' then (as predicted here again and again) that's what consumers will start asking for everywhere.

"Is it HD Ready?", "Is it Plasma, LED or LCD?" will become history as prime question. What consumers will start enquiring is, "Is it an Internet TV?"

Essentially the Internet TV will be  WiFi enabled to talk directly with the router. That's all: the 'TV' will do the rest, and connect directly to Wal-Mart's digital download site.

Netflix has real competition competition this time and its price ($64.35, -$0.92,-1.41%, today) may well come under pressure.

John Clancy
Visting Lecturer in Media, University of Birmingham Business School
Media Futures Analyst
mediafuturesalert.com
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It would appear that claims for OLED TV screens as the future may be wide of the mark. While some manufacturers (e.g. LG) are sticking with and buying into the technology, others are dumping it (e.g Kodak). At least for TV-size units.

It could be that handheld phones an gaming devices may be its saviour, though. The HTC Desire Nexus 1-based phone, which has caused a big stir, is an 'AM' OLED device.

Here comes the science: that's an active matrix organic light emitting diode. In this process OLED pixels are deposited or integrated onto a thin film transistor (TFT) array to form a matrix of pixels that generate light upon electrical activation. This provides a higher refresh rate than their passive-matrix OLED counterparts, and they consume significantly less power.

The thinness of the 'Organic Light Emitting Diode'  TV screen was the big selling point and, indeed, the low energy usage. According to Reuters, Sony has pulled the plug on OLED TV sales in Japan due to poor sales. And costs are not yet coming down as expected.

The initial investment at manufacture stage is still massive.

My judgement, though,  is that it will still win out in the end, but some way into post-recovery, not in the immediate future. The low energy-use will, I believe, become the significant issue.

Consequently LG's confidence should be welcomed and a good sign of LG's judgement.


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We called this here 8 months ago and were pretty much up to the mark here: Is it an iPhone? Is it a Netbook? Is it an iPad? It's an iTab.

But the most immediate impact is the price. The basic model (wifi model, 16gig and no 3g) is only $500 (£310) - which is pretty much in the zone of new contract iPhones in the UK. Now that is a surprise.

It's entry level and, as effectively a gadget (not a computing replacement), that is a real steal. It's worth buying it as an extra, I'd say, and consequently I'd call this as becoming an affordable buy. No contract 3g (in the States) is also very attractive.

I think they're not expecting this as a new big investment for the consumer - it's definitely an add-on, not a replacement. I think that works.

Wi-Fionly:
16GB $500
32GB $600
64GB $700

Wi-Fi +3G:
16GB $630
32GB $740
64GB $830

It’ll be shipping in 60 days; 90 days for 3G models.

Not yet seen a bit of flash working on it, though! This is a worry.

It's really much thinner than I expected (half inch) and is wider, it weighs a pound and a half.

Many mockups anticipated the shape of a big iPod touch/iPhone it's wider - perhaps to accomodate the shape of a newspaper or book?

There's a physical keyboard attachment - as predicted here. This could allow the flexibility of those wanting simple app-based computing, not needing the big mainframe or laptop if they don't want. Haven't seen a stand yet, though? It'll come!  New Apps specifically for the iPad - a new goldrush there then? Will you be able to work more than one app at a time? That will be crucial? No sign of that yet.

We might start to see the App as the basic working utility unit of our future computing?

Best to leave judgement for 48 hours, but initial thoughts are guided by the price, for me - it's genuinely entry level and the real clincher.  I think it'll make it a winner.

John Clancy
Media Futures Analyst
mediafuturesalert.com

        

Apple have acquired the advertising company Quattro Wireless.

It's an indication that for both the iPhone and the iSlate that advertising within Apps is going to be very significant.

While we might be used to advertising within web pages, perhaps it's a further step to have it within programs or applications running, especially when offline?

Specifically, though, we are not used to full page advertising online while browsing on a full screen. The screenshots on Quattro's site (right) would indicate that the future is full screen mobile adverts.

Quattro seems to have been at the forefront of propagating advertising and, indeed, the very idea of advertising on mobile platforms since 2006 to a very sceptical market; challenging sceptical responses from both advertisers and advertisers' clients.

It would indicate that mobile advertising is very much going to be a feature of the next decade, in spite of initial widespread mistrust and scepticism.

With the GPS locked into most mobile devices now, highly geographically-targeted advertising, even at street level will become more of a path for marketers.

Quattro says that it is "the leading global mobile advertising company,empowering advertisers and publishers to reach and engage their targetaudiences across mobile web, application and video platforms withunrivaled precision, transparency and ROI.

"Employing Q Elevation dynamictargeting technology to optimize every impression, our ad serving,tracking and analytics platform and global network of sites andapplications (many exclusive) deliver superior results."

It's as much an enabling and tracking/analysis advertising system which Apple is buying into as much as a pure advertsing company. Link this to its App Store and you can see where this is going.

I'd look at mobile advertising stocks across the board, and the companies that are in the business of enabling it. I, too, was initially sceptical of mobile marketing. Steve Jobs isn't.

Apple's (AAPL) at $214.40; it was $188.90 just 3 weeks ago.

John Clancy

Media Futures analyst

mediafuturesalert.com

Visiting Lecturer in Media, University of Birmingham

        

The iSlate is rumoured to be the Apple Tablet's name. I've been predicting its arrival since last May.

It's slated to be annouced at the end of January 2010 and may have something to do with Archos and JooJoo having got their retaliation in first, although JooJoo better get its slate skates on, as it might not be with us in time for  the rumoured launch expected at an event on 26 January in San Francisco.

MacRumours.com revealed that Apple had bought the rights to the iSlate.com domain name. iGuide may also be an associated trade name to appear within the system.

The rumours sent Apple's stock soaring now at $209.10, and, I think, with some justification. It will be the must-have consumer sales item of 2010 and will benefit other tablet makers.

It will also be the death knell for the short-lived, swift-burn phenomenon of the Netbook; nevertheless the netbook essentially spawned the re-birth of the tablet, so it's place in tech history, however brief, is still assured.

Netbooks - so 2009!


John Clancy
Media Futures Analyst
mediafuturesalert.com
Visiting Lecturer in Media,
University of Birmingham Business School

The pictures here were produced as imaginations for macworld magazine by Adam Benton at  Kromecat.

        

The new Archos 9  tablet pc is now with usat £399. A 9-inchscreen at 1024x600 and runnning Windows 7 starter(which bafflingly doesn't as yet have tablet functionality!). It's 17mmthick and weighs 800 grammes and has Wifi full internet connectivity.It can connect to the internet on the move with bluetooth connected toa cell phone or a standard modem USB stick. It is a full functionnetbook computer in the form of a tablet.

Archos is a mediaplatform company moving into the the tablet PC market, as ironicallyboth fragmentation and convergence forces again reset the corporateboundaries. Here's Archos's video pitch.

It can come with a wifi keyboard to quickly turn the device into the feelof a netbook PC if the onscreen touch keyboard is not to your liking.This is sensible. One of the most stupid aspects of the iPhone/iPodtouch has been the failure to be able to use a mini or standardbluetooth keyboard or wifi with it.

Archos proclaims that that the Archos9  runs in silence. Good point in competition with a netbook.

Obviously it's an HD media and gaming device which happens to have the alternatefunctionality of a tablet PC. Or is it the other way round?

Is it a big iPod touch, essentially?

I still see this as the drift for 2010. Apple should enter the market and bat the others away with the iTablet.

Early 2010 (8-10 weeks away) the competitor JooJoowill launch at $499 to give Archos an early run for its money. It looksa lot more stylish and iTablet killer-y to me at first glance. SeeWired's opening glimpse here.

Allof these devices have the capacity to look and feel like an e-bookreader as well and may be part of that 2010 revolution in itself.




So, Apple. Step up to the tablet plate?

        

There is rumoured to be a planned foray by Apple back into the TV market via set-top boxes. We might even hear about it today at Apple's annual September announcement show (usually they concentrate on the iPod in September).

Apple TV itself was a bit of a flop, but perhaps its time came too early. Whatever the piece of kit under the television is that allows internet access, iTunes and  the viewing of Youtube, Hulu, iPlayer, Skyplayer, Arqiva etc is an important development.

Apple may have spotted the opportunity to see it as perfectly normal to switch on your television set and use iTunes and Apps as a normal lounge event; even a shared event with other human beings, perhaps family apps!

I still think that wifi TVs and internet access-enabled TVs will be the 2010 event technology. People may not even want the box of tricks underneath.

I reported on earlier rumours of a big iPhone becoming a stand-uppable, but removable tablet earlier this year. I wouldn't discount an announcement today on that.

Apple would do well to cut out the end man and simply make their iPod touches and iPhones bigger.  They just need to double or treble up the size while they're at it and kill two birds with one stone.


A 42-inch iPhone in your lounge that takes HDMI and a digital aerial would do the trick nicely! (My own artists's impression is here, left!) All that it would need is the same wifi technology that links your mini iPhone to your wifi router would be an easy line to produce. The big iPhone could have an kangaroo-like 'iPouch' in which to dock your mini iPhone or iPod touch. The house phone could link wirelessly to the big iPhone set for outgoing and incoming calls.

Monster iPod touches could touchdown soon.....?

        

There's been a lot of coverage this last week of the WItricity concept of electrically powering products, especially media products through the air without wires. As in the Hoover, Witricity may have also found a holy grail where a company name comes an everyday noun.

Witricity's technology, is known as resonant energy. It apparently enables the devices to exchange energy via magnetism, and, so they say, avoids thepotential safety hazards and inefficiency often associated withradiated electro-magnetic energy.

Here comes the science: witricity involves running a high-frequency, alternating current into one magnetic coil and tuning anearby coil to the exact same frequency. This allows the coils tocouple their magnetic fields and share power.They also inform us that it's carbon neutral!

The concept has been trailed for the last year or so but excitement exists at the convergence of this technology with the other low energy media equipment of the moment: the OLED thin screens. It also converges with the general trend towards low current short distance wireless technology for transferring media content to screens.

The most immediate benefit which I believe will drive the convergences here is that combining witricty and other wireless transfer of digital media will mean that you can 'Hang and Go' large screens on walls without ripping up and out large sections of wall and plaster and/or adding wire trunking and conduits. No plug to worry about, no wires from the media player to the screen. Just like that - through the wonder of Witricity!

I'm sure that the building industry as well as the media industry will welcome this, although plasterers and electricians may not.

OLED and other very large low energy screens which through witricity are 'ready to hang' will impact significantly on sales of the products themselves but also on Witricity as a stock. Very much a stock to watch.

John Clancy
Media Futures Analyst
mediafuturesalert.com
Visting Lecturer in Media
University of Birmingham Business School.

        

You heard it here first. In my predictions for the year ahead at the beginning of January 2009 I predicted that the Netbook would be the killer kit and would be the king of the year.

I'm happy to be proved right, of course. The final confirmation comes today from Sony. The are launching a Sony Vaio netbook, having seemed initially to leave the market to others. It will start to sell for around 60,000 yen ($629) in Japan in August.

They are trying to upgrade the netbook concept, though. Although the new Sony netbook (as with most others) comes with Windows XP, it will have Intel Corp's Atom processor and will have an LCDdisplay with a resolution of 1,366-by-768 pixels, compared with the1,024-by-600-pixel displays that are widely used in other netbooks.

The recession has clearly had an impact on Sony's thinking. Consumers are, of course, trading down or taking longer 'refresh cycles'. But there is also a recognition that the portability and connectivity with other kit intrinsically requires the netbook at the heart of the modern computing/media experience, regardless of the recession.

Welcome to 2009, Sony!

John Clancy
Media Futures Analyst
mediafuturesalert.com
Visting Lecturer in Media
University of Birmingham Business School.