Sprint exec criticizes AT&T 3G; Palm CEO talks iPod, Apple
In promoting Sprint's upcoming 4G network, a Sprint executive has cited AT&T's 3G troubles as an example of what not to do; and Palm's CEO discusses his time at Apple, including the creation of the iPod.
Sprint: AT&T's 3G "virtually useless"
Speaking at the 4G World Conference in Chicago, Sprint president of corporate initiatives and CDMA, Keith Cowan, took the opportunity to promote his company's 4G network. The company will provide WiMAX service over the Clearwire network to 80 cities by the end of 2010.
In rolling out its new high-speed data network, Cowan said Sprint hopes to avoid a situation like the on AT&T currently finds itself in, according to PCWorld.
"As our friends at AT&T are learning, it doesn't matter to consumers if they have the coolest device, if the network is so jammed up that it is virtually useless," Cowan said.
As criticism of AT&T's network, particularly among iPhone users, has grown, the company has essentially been forced to admit its shortcomings, while it plans to invest billions of dollars in its network to boost coverage. But as the network has struggled to meet capacity, particularly since the launch of the iPhone 3GS, perception of the AT&T brand has diminished.
The new iPhone 3GS has support for 7.2Mbps high speed packet access. AT&T plans to roll out HSPA in six U.S cities this year, and plans to have service available in 25 of the nation's 30 largest markets by the end of 2010. The nation's second-largest carrier intends to begin rollout of 4G LTE -- its next-generation wireless broadband WiMAX competitor -- in 2011.
Rubenstein talks Apple, iPod
Palm's CEO, Jon Rubinstein, was the first guest on the new The Engadget Show this week. In 1990, Rubinstein joined Apple CEO Steve Jobs at the company NeXT, who later brought him to Apple as senior vice president of hardware engineering. In his time there, he was instrumental in the creation of the iPod.
In the interview, Rubinstein talked about his time at Apple and his influence on the iPod. He said Jobs invited him to come to Apple in 1997 to help the then-strugling company.
"At the time, Apple was in terrible, terrible shape," Rubinstein said. "So I decided that it was a really interesting opportunity."
He explained that the iTunes project was originally kicked off with the intent of creating a CD burning application.
"HP was kicking our butt because of CD burners," he said.
As work began on iTunes, Apple began looking at current MP3 players available on the market, which Rubinstein said were all "terrible." It was during this time that he took a trip to Japan to see what new technologies vendors had to offer, and he discovered the 1.8-inch hard drive. From there, he said, it was a convergence of new technology that allowed the iPod to come to be.
In 2007, Rubinstein joined Palm Inc. where he oversaw the development of the WebOS platform and the Palm Pre. This June, just after the launch of the Pre, Rubinstein was named CEO of Palm.
Palm announced Thursday that it sold 823,000 smartphones last quarter, a year-over-year decrease of 30 percent.
Sprint: AT&T's 3G "virtually useless"
Speaking at the 4G World Conference in Chicago, Sprint president of corporate initiatives and CDMA, Keith Cowan, took the opportunity to promote his company's 4G network. The company will provide WiMAX service over the Clearwire network to 80 cities by the end of 2010.
In rolling out its new high-speed data network, Cowan said Sprint hopes to avoid a situation like the on AT&T currently finds itself in, according to PCWorld.
"As our friends at AT&T are learning, it doesn't matter to consumers if they have the coolest device, if the network is so jammed up that it is virtually useless," Cowan said.
As criticism of AT&T's network, particularly among iPhone users, has grown, the company has essentially been forced to admit its shortcomings, while it plans to invest billions of dollars in its network to boost coverage. But as the network has struggled to meet capacity, particularly since the launch of the iPhone 3GS, perception of the AT&T brand has diminished.
The new iPhone 3GS has support for 7.2Mbps high speed packet access. AT&T plans to roll out HSPA in six U.S cities this year, and plans to have service available in 25 of the nation's 30 largest markets by the end of 2010. The nation's second-largest carrier intends to begin rollout of 4G LTE -- its next-generation wireless broadband WiMAX competitor -- in 2011.
Rubenstein talks Apple, iPod
Palm's CEO, Jon Rubinstein, was the first guest on the new The Engadget Show this week. In 1990, Rubinstein joined Apple CEO Steve Jobs at the company NeXT, who later brought him to Apple as senior vice president of hardware engineering. In his time there, he was instrumental in the creation of the iPod.
In the interview, Rubinstein talked about his time at Apple and his influence on the iPod. He said Jobs invited him to come to Apple in 1997 to help the then-strugling company.
"At the time, Apple was in terrible, terrible shape," Rubinstein said. "So I decided that it was a really interesting opportunity."
He explained that the iTunes project was originally kicked off with the intent of creating a CD burning application.
"HP was kicking our butt because of CD burners," he said.
As work began on iTunes, Apple began looking at current MP3 players available on the market, which Rubinstein said were all "terrible." It was during this time that he took a trip to Japan to see what new technologies vendors had to offer, and he discovered the 1.8-inch hard drive. From there, he said, it was a convergence of new technology that allowed the iPod to come to be.
In 2007, Rubinstein joined Palm Inc. where he oversaw the development of the WebOS platform and the Palm Pre. This June, just after the launch of the Pre, Rubinstein was named CEO of Palm.
Palm announced Thursday that it sold 823,000 smartphones last quarter, a year-over-year decrease of 30 percent.
Comments
Interesting talk. Goes to show there's more to Apple than Mr. Ego.
I agree. It's also very interesting to find out how something as revolutionary and mainstream as iTunes started out with such a small idea. Seems that a lot of big ideas also start out in this manner.
(if only I could think of one of these ideas
Interesting talk. Goes to show there's more to Apple than Mr. Ego.
:snicker:
The iPhone has certainly shown AT&T's issues, but I remain to be convinced that if it were on Sprint or Verizon it wouldn't have performed a similar hatchet job on their reputations. There's no other phone out right now that generates the sort of network traffic the iPhone does, especially amongst Verizon's line up of crippled junk.
I agree. It's also very interesting to find out how something as revolutionary and mainstream as iTunes started out with such a small idea. Seems that a lot of big ideas also start out in this manner.
(if only I could think of one of these ideas
Ha! Ending... A lot of the best ideas are ones the person who makes them likes or wants themselves. Take me for example. I have been trying to come up with good ideas for ages, and finally the best idea yet comes from a surprising place - it's a Twitter service I wished existed, it didn't so I created it. And the idea, as most of them are is brain-dead simple, pardon the analogy. The idea? How dare you ask me to Spam, twitboy!
And yesterday's headline here that Palm "beat analysts' expectations" makes any sense at all?
This company should be sold ASAP and the money given back to the shareholders . . . if there are any left.
Sprint wants the iPhone. Badly.
They'll get it too. My bet is Apple won't renew their contract with AT&T, and are only spreading this message to get better treatment from them in the meantime. As for different technologies to work on different networks, that's the easy part.
"Palm announced Thursday that it sold 823,000 smartphones last quarter, a year-over-year decrease of 30 percent."
And yesterday's headline here that Palm "beat analysts' expectations" makes any sense at all?
This company should be sold ASAP and the money given back to the shareholders . . . if there are any left.
There was bound to be losses, considering how much money such a small company spent. They'll do alright over time. The iPhone still has the mindshare though.
I'm not sure if I buy in the whole webOS idea, you won't see great 3D games come from this, which is one of the things that makes Apple current product so popular - more powerful.
I agree. It's also very interesting to find out how something as revolutionary and mainstream as iTunes started out with such a small idea. Seems that a lot of big ideas also start out in this manner.
It didn't. It started out by buying a program already invented by Cassady & Green called Soundjam, probably the best purchase Apple ever made.
"Palm announced Thursday that it sold 823,000 smartphones last quarter, a year-over-year decrease of 30 percent."
And yesterday's headline here that Palm "beat analysts' expectations" makes any sense at all?
This company should be sold ASAP and the money given back to the shareholders . . . if there are any left.
Palm did a lot better than you think they did. Look up the facts.
They'll get it too. My bet is Apple won't renew their contract with AT&T, and are only spreading this message to get better treatment from them in the meantime. As for different technologies to work on different networks, that's the easy part.
I'll bet you're wrong. I can't see a single advantage to going to Sprint, and you can't find one.
It didn't. It started out by buying a program already invented by Cassady & Green calll Soundjam probably the best purchase Apple ever made.
I would imagine though, that Apple was working on something before they bought Soundjam, but decided that Soundjam was further along, and so would save them a lot of time. After they bought it, they likely quickly began to integrate their own work into it, as they changed it radically shortly after.
It didn't. It started out by buying a program already invented by Cassady & Green calll Soundjam probably the best purchase Apple ever made.
Umm... the article states that iTunes started off... at the very beginning... as just a CD Burning application. Small idea. Then Jon realized how crappy most MP3 player applications were and went looking to see what was available from third parties. Then discovered the 1.8" hard drive. Etc. Etc. Converging of technologies. Blah blah blah.
In 1990, Rubinstein and Apple CEO Steve Jobs co-founded the company NeXT...
Huh? NeXT was formed in 1985:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeXT
He didn't join NeXT until 1990:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Rub..._Jobs_and_NeXT
You might want to revise that part.
I would imagine though, that Apple was working on something before they bought Soundjam, but decided that Soundjam was further along, and so would save them a lot of time. After they bought it, they likely quickly began to integrate their own work into it, as they changed it radically shortly after.
No so. If you look at the original soundjam it's basically the same. The only change was the addition of the store. Then Apple bought the coverflow technolgy and tacked that on.
It's still basically Soundjam, not radically different.
I still have my original Soundjam OS9 box and discs.
Umm... the article states that iTunes started off... at the very beginning... as just a CD Burning application. Small idea.
That's misleading and re-writing history because iTunes really started off and was released as a way to get music on iPods (improting from CDs) with playlist and listings which were allreadypart of SoundJam. The CD burning part was an extra.
As work began on iTunes, Apple began looking at current MP3 players available on the market, which Rubinstein said were all "terrible." It was during this time that he took a trip to Japan to see what new technologies vendors had to offer, and he discovered the 1.8-inch hard drive. From there, he said, it was a convergence of new technology that allowed the iPod to come to be.
I am sure he had a great deal to do with the iPod, but it sounds a tad self-serving to make it sound like it was all just good hardware. (Even iTunes is dismissed in his interview as merely an attempt to compete in the CD-burning arena).
What made the iPod (and the iPhone) what it is, and differentiated it from everyone else, is the software.
It didn't. It started out by buying a program already invented by Cassady & Green called Soundjam, probably the best purchase Apple ever made.
To think that iTunes comes from Soundjam is plain ignorant of the work Apple put in from iTunes 2 to 9.