Apple Quietly Discontinues iPhone Bluetooth Headset

It's not like there aren't a huge number of possible models of Bluetooth headsets to use with your iPhone, or any phone, but it's interesting that Apple has apparently discontinued the iPhone Bluetooth headset it introduced with the original iPhone, as noted at their store (above).

Of course, it's been two years, and that's a long time for a Bluetooth headset. It wasn't exactly all that well-received, either. Praised for its looks, it only received 3 out of 5 stars in reviews on the site.

In reality, Bluetooth headsets are a pain, meaning it often takes several tries to find one that works "just right" with a particular phone. It can be as a result of the phone, the headset, or it can even be that the headset just "doesn't fit right."

If Apple is planning to introduce a new iPhone sometime later this year, a refresh of the iPhone Bluetooth headset would be a natural addition to that announcement.

$500 Apple Tax Buys You a Logo: Ballmer

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has frequently commented on the so-called "Apple Tax," which is what is referred to as the premium people pay to buy Apple products. On Thursday, at the McGraw-Hill Companies' 2009 Media Summit 2009 in New York, Ballmer told people just what exactly that premium gets a consumer.

NPD noted that Apple retail sales fell 16% in February, with NPD analyst Steve Baker asserting that the higher prices associated with Apple products are hurting sales in these recessionary times.

It should be noted that these are retail sales (thus including Apple retail stores), but do not include data from direct sales.

So what does Ballmer say the "Apple Tax" gets you? He said:

"Apple gained about one point, but now I think the tide has really turned back the other direction. The economy is helpful. Paying an extra $500 for a computer in this environment -- same piece of hardware -- paying $500 more to get a logo on it? I think that's a more challenging proposition for the average person than it used to be."

Well, that's a bit of hyperbole there. Obviously, you could create a Windows box with pretty much the same hardware as a Mac, but to say that the only difference is the logo is a bit too much.

There's no doubt the higher prices are hurting Apple, though, and that same NPD report stated that, helped by netbooks, Windows PC sales rose 22% in the same period.

New iPhone to Have Video Recording Capabilities?

There was no mention of video recording at the iPhone OS 3.0 event, so if you want to be able record video on your iPhone, it looks like you are still stuck jailbreaking your iPhone. Or are you?

According to a report by AppleInsider, a "person who's proven extremely reliable" has told them the next generation iPhone will finally introduce video recording capabilities.

Heck, that's something that's I've been speculating about for some time. In fact, the discovery of strings for both "iPhone2,1" and "iPhone3,1" in the iPhone OS 3.0 beta firmware leads to speculation that Apple might be introducting more than one phone this summer, perhaps a lower-priced nano version, or more likely, an upscale higher-priced premium version.

Adding to the speculation over video recording capabilities was the discovery of a MobileMe setting that specified "Publish Video." If that capability existed, it could make good use of the rumored faster 3G on the new iPhone as well.

Heavy sigh. Looks like Apple's yearly refresh of iPhone hardware is set to continue. It makes the fact that AT&T signs us up for two-year contracts very annoying, even if the rumored trade-in program is real.

One thing, however. Even simple cellphones have video recording functionality. Apple may not feel that the iPhone as it currently exists offers the "optimal" video recording experience, but if a simple candy bar phone can have it, why can't the iPhone?

It shows how a closed system such as the App Store, with only approved apps being available for download / sale to iPhone users, actually encourages people to jailbreak.

Honestly, I might buy a new iPhone, if it comes this summer. But I might not. If not, I will at least consider jailbreaking it, to get that missing functionality (video recording, and more). Of course, Apple considers jailbreaking illegal, so I may not.

Jailbreakers Begin Work on iPhone OS 3.0; OS is "Breakable"

With the announcement of the iPhone OS 3.0 on Tuesday came the obvious question for many: can the new OS be jailbroken?

Since developers could grab a beta version of the SDK right away, the iPhone Dev-Team jumped right on it and has already stated in a blog post that indeed the iPhone OS 3.0 can be jailbroken.

However, they warned that those using the yellowsn0w software unlock to unlock your iPhone for any carrier need to hold off on trying to update to 3.0 as that will modify the baseband radio and destroy the ability for yellowsn0w to unlock the phone.

I know of at least one person who was considering jailbreaking his iPhone prior to the iPhone OS 3.0 announcement, mostly because of missing apps. Of course, the new OS didn't add all those apps that are missing, but it filled in many gaps.

On the other hand, there are still a significant number of applications that are only available for jailbroken phones. So for those interested in access to those apps, this is great news. Of course, you can expect some period of time after the iPhone OS 3.0 launches before a successful jailbreak occurs.

New iPhone to Have Faster 3G?

A report in the Silicon Alley Insider cites a "plugged-in source in the mobile industry," and states that the next generation iPhone will have faster "Internet" access.

Rumors until now have centered on CPU and video procssing improvement.

Note that the report uses the term "Internet," not 3G or wi-fi. This leads to speculation as to what the source really meant (what, they didn't ask for clarification?).

AT&T's 4G (LTE) network won't be ready for a year or more, so that's out. It could mean 802.11n rather than the 802.11g that the current iPhone supports.

However, Electronista believes that the change could be in the 3G chipset for the iPhone, using the chipset Infineon introduced last year that supports HSPA rather than the older HSDPA hardware. This could mean download speeds as fast as 7.2Mbps while the current iPhone 3G is tops out at 3.6Mbps.

They add that AT&T has been trialling 7.2 Mbps and can make the change to its cell towers via software.

Here's my take: I prefer stability over speed. It was bad, really bad, when the iPhone 3G first came out. If this new chipset is going to lead to that sort of nightmare again, I'd rather not have it.

And hey, you would think Apple might rethink its decision to use Infineon chipsets after that last debacle.

Pic above from what is rumored to be a leaked photo of the new iPhone.

iPhone 3.0 Beta OS Points to New iPhone, iPod Touch Models

Because Apple puts model information in files in its firmware, every release will be poked over with a fine-toothed comb looking for info. And a look at the iPhone OS 3.0 files shows there may be at least one, maybe two new iPhones as well as new iPod Touches coming.

The file, /System/Library/AppleUSBDevice/USBDeviceConfiguration.plist, lists details about the USB configuration of the device models, as well as the device ID and names. In iPhone OS 3.0, the following are listed:

The original iPhone (iPhone1,1), iPhone 3G (iPhone1,2), and first- and second-gen iPod touches (iPod1,1 and iPod2,1 respectively). It also lists an unknown iPhone model, iPhone2,1, which we noted in the 2.2.1 version of the OS.

New to version 3.0 beta are iPhone3,1; iPod3,1; iFPGA; and iProd0,1. Why an iPhone 3,1 and an iPhone 2,1? Perhaps the 2,1 model is simply a revamped iPhone 3G with the same form factor but upgraded CPU, video, camera, RAM, while the 3,1 model is the nano we keep hearing about? Or perhaps there will be two models, one with premium features (sigh: video recording?) and one similar to what we currently have.

I mean, I would expect at some time Apple to move to more than one iPhone model.

And what the heck is iProd0,1? Perhaps the rumored tablet, while iFPGA could mean ... just about anything, though FPGA is a chip-industry term for a "field-programmable gate array" chip.

I'm waiting for the summer release of the iPhone OS 3.0 software (and new iPhones?) with bated breath.

No-Commitment iPhone 3G Pricing Coming, But at a High Cost

According to internal documents obtained by BGR, AT&T is set to offer no-commitment pricing for the iPhone 3G (meaning no activation, no contact) starting March 26th. While this further gives credence to the "new iPhone" rumors, it's also true those new offerings will be quite pricey.

The new no-commit pricing will be $599 for the 8GB model and $699 for the 16GB model. Only existing customers can buy, and only one device per line, though the documents say there's really no way to tell if a customer has already purchased one.

Don't think you will get away cheap; if you activate on AT&T's network you will have to add a data plan.

While that gives you the opportunity to get a device with no contract, it's not unlocked, so I don't see much of an attraction. Personally, if I were in the market, I would just hang tight until the announcement of the new phone.

Will they sell? We'll see.