Posted April 2nd, 2008
by Ryu
at 2:12 am in Updates.
Sorry for the long hiatus. There really hasn’t been much news-worthy Mac news to report, and I am also currently working on a new project that I hope will be ready soon.
On the international front, more news about our favorite Jesus phone. Besides the obvious Singtel news flooding the international Mac news headlines a while back, the latest news have been about the 3G iPhone. Speculation have been rife about Hon Hai, Apple’s biggest manufacturing partner, getting the contract to build the 3G iPhone. The second coming of the Jesus phone is expected in the 2nd half of 2008.
Great news, which I believed helped the stock price quite a bit. ^_^
Local front, really nothing much to report, or anything that I know of. The only significant event happening in April will be the submission of bids for the NUS/NTU Mac tender, which, as usual, I would not be surprised if the same people won.
One general comment though, about the current tender (which will expire in June 2008), no one really wants to buy a MacBook White priced at 2.7K SGD bundled with expensive software that most students either do not use, or if they do, will just pirate the damn thing. These are poor students you are talking about, and face it, most students are not going to pay 300 SGD for Microsoft Office for Mac.
And do not forget to include the Air in the bid. Or seriously the Mac tender this year will just be a big April’s Fool joke.
Posted March 19th, 2008
by Ryu
at 11:34 pm in iPhone.
As from our earlier rumors, Singtel is indeed the official iPhone carrier in Singapore. They have apparently clinched the deal after agreeing to a revenue sharing deal with Apple. Expect more news to be out soon. As for now, the word is that we will see the iPhone here in September 2008, the 8GB model only, and it will retail for S$690.
Posted March 3rd, 2008
by Ryu
at 8:51 pm in Institutions.
According to a very reliable source, all the local polytechnics this year are finally opening up their notebook tender to Apple resellers, with one little catch – Windows is required. Apparently their aim is to only allow Windows machines to join their wireless networks. So why allow the Apple tender in the first place? The local polytechnics will just be filled with jokers/posers running mac hardware with no souls in them.
Posted February 26th, 2008
by Ryu
at 5:13 am in iPhone.
We all know what the main hurdles to having an official iPhone launch in Singapore are.
1. Setting up an iTunes Store for Singapore
2. Breaking the local laws on locking handphones to a single provider
Well, seems that the hurdles are too high a barrier for Apple to break in order to sell iPhones officially to this small country.
According to a relatively reliable source, the local telcos are reportedly unhappy with Apple trying to get too huge a share of the profits and after looking at the number of unofficial iPhones already existing on their networks, the local telcos might have already given up trying for an official launch. Apple, on the other hand, have both found the possible profits (or the lack of) from having an official iPhone in Singapore unworthy of spending their time and resources here.
According to yet another source, Apple Singapore refuses to even give any unofficial comments as to if there will be an official launch in Singapore.
Looks like Singaporeans will have to resort to using the better iPhone, the unlocked one.
Posted February 23rd, 2008
by Ryu
at 4:06 am in MacBook Air.
This link features a bunch of Japanese engineers whining about how bad the internal designs of the MacBook Air is. Their complaints?
1. Too much screws resulting in “great increase” in cost
2. Argued that there are alternatives to the MacBook Air’s design which will lower the cost, but they themselves could not provide any examples of alternative designs
3. Stated that if they submitted such a design to their company heads, their company heads will never approve it (Now you know why Japanese are no longer revered for their designs, the people at the top are idiots)
4. Believed that if Apple gave them the design for manufacturing, they will NOT follow the designs, instead try and cut costs by changing the design to use lesser components (This sounds like the exact reason why certain old buildings in Singapore used to collapse without a reason, like the one that collapsed in 1983)
If you ask me, these Japanese are just sore and pissed that;
1. the Taiwanese get the manufacturing contract and not them
2. they themselves have no idea how to come up with such a design.
Seriously speaking, sometimes I really think these Japanese companies are a big joke. They love to kill their own talented workers by claiming that “they don’t fit in with the rest” (how do you expect geniuses to fit in with idiots?) and then they get red-eyed when Apple or non-Japanese companies beat them at introducing better design and technology.
Posted February 23rd, 2008
by Ryu
at 2:49 am in MacBook Air.
According to a very dependable source, Apple Singapore is not allowing any of the local resellers to mass order the Air despite very high demand for the ultra-portable Mac notebook. According to Apple Singapore’s Channel Manager, they are only giving 2 to 3 machines to resellers who have expressed wishes to order more than 20 machines, without offering any official explanation for the shortage in delivery.
While it is highly possible that the MacBook Air is only found in limited quantities due to supply issues, Apple is not capitalizing fast enough on the impulse buying triggered by such a product. Many people whom I know who have placed orders for the MacBook Air are now canceling their orders simply because they are fed up with waiting, or they get dissuaded by family and friends simply because Apple allowed the long lag in time between the announcement and the actual product delivery.
I myself am contemplating canceling my own order for an Air.
Posted February 5th, 2008
by Ryu
at 7:46 pm in Uncategorized.
Just as I declare on my MSN nick ever since yesterday, new iPhones will be announced around 9pm Singapore time tonight.
It’s 8pm. And the Apple Store is down.
Posted January 26th, 2008
by Ryu
at 1:26 pm in Podcasts.
How can one push adoption of podcasts in an Asian country? Any suggestions?
Posted January 24th, 2008
by Ryu
at 11:37 am in Uncategorized.
Photo courtesy of onebear.
Posted January 24th, 2008
by Ryu
at 12:29 am in MacBook Air.
Before the release of the MacBook Air at Macworld Expo 2008, the various rumors surrounding the MacBook Air were using various facts as their evidence that the MacBook Air actually exists. One of these “evidences” was the registration of MacBookAir.com. Macrumors forums had numerous threads about how the domain was actually registered days before the MacBook Air name was suggested/rumored to be true, and with as many other threads about the Air rumors, the hordes of disbelievers who tried to discredit the claim that MacBookAir.com was registered by Apple.
So now that we know the MacBook Air exists, does anyone know if MacBookAir.com was really registered by Apple?
Find out for yourself.
MacBookAir.com
