Mobile Marketing Blog by Punchkick Interactive

Punchkick Interactive has officially been approved by Apple to become part of the Apple iPhone Developer Program, and we are curious as to the number of other developers who were also approved—so, we decided to start a tally.

If you have been approved by Apple to participate in the iPhone Developer Program, then leave a comment. We will update the tally here daily.

1 developer has been approved.

As a bit of background, U.S. applicants rejected received an e-mail stating: “Dear Registered iPhone Developer, Thank you for expressing interest in the iPhone Developer Program. We have received your enrollment request. As this time, the iPhone Developer Program is available to a limited number of developers and we plan to expand during the beta period. We will contact you again regarding your enrollment status at the appropriate time. Thank you for applying.”

Applicants outside the United States received an e-mail stating: “Dear Registered iPhone Developer, Thank you for expressing interest in the iPhone Developer Program. We have received your enrollment request. At this time, the iPhone Developer Program is only available in the US and will expand to other countries during the beta period. We will contact you again regarding your enrollment status at the appropriate time. Thank you for applying.”

Learn more about Punchkick Interactive’s iPhone software development capabilities.

Adobe’s CEO, Shantanu Narayen, said Tuesday that Adobe has officially started development of a Flash player suitable for use on Apple’s iPhone and hopes to finish development by June.

Narayen made the comments during a conference call with investors, explaining that Apple’s recent release of an iPhone software developers kit (SDK) has afforded his company the necessary tools to finally begin work an iPhone version of Flash Player.

“We believe Flash is synonymous with the Internet experience, and we are committed to bringing Flash to the iPhone,” he said. “We have evaluated (the software developer tools) and we think we can develop an iPhone Flash player ourselves.”

Adobe hopes to deliver their missing product via Apple’s new App Store, set to open in June alongside the release of iPhone software version 2.0.

So much for Jobs’ comments about the iPhone not being able to support Flash because of a limitation with the Flash player. It seems ridiculous that Apple’s position is a limitation in the Flash Player given that the Flash Player works perfectly on the Nokia 810, countless other portable devices, the Skyfire browser, Pocket IE, and Opera Mobile 9.5. I am very happy to hear about Adobe’s new position on the issue.

Source: Apple Insider, Wall Street Journal

Learn more about Punchkick Interactive’s iPhone software development capabilities.

Every once in a while—perhaps as often as the solar equinox or emergence of the breeding cicadas—I open my mouth and say something I later regret. And when I do so, I feel it is my duty to own up to my mistake. So, with my sneaker on my plate, I apologize to all of you about my July 5th rant, Why a True Apple Fan Would Never Buy an iPhone.

Why, you ask? Allow me to explain.

I decided that I needed a smart phone with true email capabilities about two months ago. Looking around at the options out there, I wasn’t particularly blown away by any of the smart phones I played around with at the Verizon store. On second look, the iPhone started to seem like a phone I could (*ahem) learn to live with.

Fast forward two months.

My iPhone and I are best friends, and in some countries, possibly married. I absolutely cannot live without it. The email software is incredible and syncs perfectly with my .Mac account and IMAP business account. The camera is beautiful and I find myself constantly taking pictures with my phone—something I’ve never done in the 11+ years I’ve been a cell phone user. I use the iPhone religiously for iPod purposes, and my video podcasts have never looked better. And the Safari browser has proven to be a mid-argument-dispute-resolution miracle on more than one occasion.

Sure, the iPhone has some problems. Edge isn’t too quick, and 8 gigs just isn’t enough memory. But the goods FAR outweigh the bad. Software updates have even fixed a number of the issues I once complained about. Reading through my previous post, I’ve had to ask myself: Am I so jaded that a technical marvel like the iPhone can elicit a complaint from me?

Mr. Jobs, if you’re reading this, please accept my apology. Please continue to deliver me gadgets like the iPhone. And please forgive us tech-geeks when we are overly critical. We don’t mean it.

*Sometimes.

Learn more about Punchkick Interactive’s iPhone software development capabilities.

Interesting story for all you Apple lovers out there. PC World reports that MS Windows Vista runs faster on a Mac laptop than any other laptop period.

“The fastest Windows Vista notebook we’ve tested this year—or for that matter, ever—is a Mac. Not a Dell, not a Toshiba, not even an Alienware”

Read the story

It’s been called the Second Coming—a gadget so revolutionary that people literally fall to their knees in praise of its magnificence. And why shouldn’t they? It’s from Apple, the same company that heroically unshackled us from the misery that is Windows. Apple opened our eyes to a whole new world of computing, one where fantastic design and seamless integration rule above all else. Macs taught us how easy managing a digital photo album could be, and were the de facto force behind our extensive (and legal) digital music libraries.

So why am I, a die-hard-Mac-fanatic, not purchasing Jobs’ brand new marvel? For a number of reasons, all of which are tied to one unfortunate reality: The iPhone is many, many things, but it sure ain’t no Apple.

Let me explain:

1. Got a .Mac account? I do. And I couldn’t imagine life any other way. Syncing my emails between different computers is no longer an option for me—it’s a requirement, and I have only Apple to blame for my expectations. The iPhone? It won’t be doing that.
2. Speaking of email, how could Apple drop the ball on such an important feature of the iPhone? Noticeable delays between the reading and deleting of emails? Manual deletion of emails one at a time with no option to delete a selected grouping? No BCC option? Yikes.
3. On my Mac, Safari is the most dependable browser I’ve ever used. Not on the iPhone. Call me crazy, but surfing the internet sans Flash and Java just doesn’t feel like a true Web experience to me.
4. The Edge Network. Can this actually be faster than dial up?
5. 8 gigs is just too meager for the iPhone. One of my favorite things about using a Mac and iPod together is the ease with which I download music and sync them. The iPhone’s memory limitations require users to manually manage music and photos—something Apple liberated us from, a loooong time ago. Looks like you’ll have to carry around your iPod and a bigger phone in your pockets now.
6. In case I haven’t already made it abundantly clear, syncing is vital to a true Mac user. So why does the iPhone’s Calendar app have so many problems syncing events with a desktop?

Look, I know there are a ton of other problems ($85.95 for a new battery after 300–400 charges?!) with the iPhone. I also know that in many ways, the iPhone rocks. But when Apple creates something unique, and invites me to make it a part of my life, I expect that device to bring it. Maybe my expectations are too high, but Jobs and Co. has taught me to expect only the best out of my gadgets. Ultimately, the iPhone is a jack of many trades, but a master of none. It delivers the internet, serves as an iPod, and provides portable access to iCal and iPhoto—but requests that you enjoy them in an undeniably diminished way.

For a true Apple fan, this is just simply too much to ask.

Learn more about Punchkick Interactive’s iPhone software development capabilities.

Via Bloomberg, “Shoppers may have bought as many as 700,000 units over the weekend, Goldman Sachs Inc. analyst David Bailey said, twice his projection of 350,000. Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster pegged sales at about 500,000, more than twice his original 200,000 estimate.”

“Jobs says he aims to sell 10 million of the phones in 2008, capturing 1 percent of the global market for handsets. He expects consumers will buy 1 billion mobile phones next year, which would be almost four times the number of personal computers sold.”

Now the math…
First weekend: 700,000 * $499 (conservative estimate) = Gross $349,300,000
Lifetime: 10,000,000 * $499 (conservative estimate) = Gross $4,990,000,000

I have a feeling that Jobs is doing his happy-dance.

Learn more about Punchkick Interactive’s iPhone software development capabilities.

Get ready to dig deep. Business 2.0 has a nice guess on how much the iPhone’s data and voice plan is going to cost. They are estimating based on current BlackBerry fees.

Figure between $34.99 and $79.99 for data and $39.99 to $99.99 for voice. If your on the lowest plan, thats $80/month before fees and tax. With that you would roughly be at 450 phone minutes, but unlimited data and either unlimited or 2000 text messages (source, engadget).

In the end, if you last the entire two years, you’re going to wind up at $2,420 before tax. ($80/month plus 4GB model).

Source, gizmodo

Learn more about Punchkick Interactive’s iPhone software development capabilities.

Via macdailynews.com, YouTuber “benjamin1272” has posted a video of one of, if not the, very first Chinese knock-off of Apple’s iPhone. Other phones trying to be iPhones are around, but this is the first classic Chinese knock-off that macdailynews.com has seen stealing the Apple logo, icons, etc.

Meet the “tPhone” complete with a stylus:

Learn more about Punchkick Interactive’s iPhone software development capabilities.

Gizmodo.com is giving away an iPhone for free (sort of). Eureka, the show on Sci-Fi, is helping them deliver Apple’s newest toy to one Gizmodo reader.

Here’s what you have to do to win: Create or design an original invention (emphasis on original - no recycled projects please) and send in a sketch, render, mockup, blueprint or some kind of image plus a description detailing your invention to contests@gizmodo.com with “Made in Eureka” as the subject. The better it is, the better your chances are of winning.

Contest ends July 10, so get moving!

 
Did Apple shrink the iPhone just days before its release? No—but it certainly looks like they tried to. boingboing.net noticed that Apple has changed the size of the hand that holds the iPhone in their ads. With a quick comparison of the official Apple photos, you will see what all the fuss is about.

My view has always been that the iPhone is a bit on the large side. Sure, as a true PDA replacement the size is not so bad. But a replacement for my compact RAZR, no. Perhaps if they started with the bigger hand in the first place I could have been convinced. For now, it is still huge.

Sources at WWDC are reporting that there is officially no Flash support on the iPhone. Apparently, in the State of the Media address yesterday, the announcement was made that: “There will be no Flash support at the moment on the iPhone.” Developers are being told not to serve video via Flash, as there simply isn’t a player built for the phone yet.

Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Are you ready to lay down $600 on the new iPhone? The iPhone is yours on June 29th at AT&T. Start the countdown.

Via: Engadget Mobile.