Apple said Monday that Steve Jobs would deliver the keynote at the upcoming WWDC. That news may top today’s App Industry Roundup, but what Jobs will say tops the Web buzz. Also, an Android e-reader comes to Barnes & Noble in June.
Jobs to deliver keynote at WWDC conference
Apple Inc. announced this morning that Steve Jobs will give the keynote address on Monday June 7 to open the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference. While Apple typically provided no guidance regarding Jobs’ address, most people believe he will officially remove the beer goggles that have shrouded the fourth-generation iPhone. The conference will also be Apple’s first to hold iPad development sessions and workshops for the coming upgrade to the iPhone platform.
Jobs did drop a few hints this weekend that Apple’s news won’t be overshadowed by Google’s recent announcements. Last week, during a conference for Android development, Google’s Vic Gundotra took aim at Apple, saying that consumers faced “a Draconian future” controlled by one choice and one device, unless they embraced Android’s more open standards.
In response, Jobs replied to emails over the weekend asking about Google’s progress, and whether the company has “leapfrogged” Apple. Jobs’ response, according to this Gizmodo posting, was “not a chance.” Meanwhile, a note that appears to have more authenticity, comes from a MacRumors reader, who asked if Apple would be releasing new products in response to Google’s new offerings — including a zippy Android update and a new TV service. Job’s replied: “You won’t be disappointed.”
We shall see. If nothing else, the brewing war between Google and Apple makes for entertaining reading. But the real upshot is this: better stuff. With two tech titans going head to head to offer innovative products, tech-loving consumers should benefit from competitive prices.
Speaking of competitive prices…
Gear: New e-reader from digital frame maker
One of Android’s advantages over Apple may be its willingness to let other gadget makers use the software. (Of course, this has been Microsoft’s bread-and-butter plan since the 1980s, but few people put Google’s approach in the same basket. Whatever.)
Pandigital, which makes digital photo frames, is one of those companies introducing an Android-based product. This one is called the Novel e-reader and it will be offered in June by Barnes & Noble for $200. The color e-reader, with a 7-inch display, will use Wi-Fi to download books through Barnes & Noble’s electronic bookstore.
The other interesting aspect is that this device will compete with Barnes & Noble’s own Nook e-reader, which has a black and white screen and sells for $259. When asked about this potential conflict, Mary Ellen Keating, a spokeswoman for the bookseller, told CNET’s Crave Blog that “Barnes & Noble’s strategy is to offer our content on multiple platforms, so we’re happy to power this new device and others. Nook is a dedicated eReading device with key design, reading and in-store features that are innovative, immersive and exciting for our customers. We don’t believe our continued work with third-party partners will have any effect on our continued strong Nook sales.”
Verizon customers would buy 7 to 8 million iPhones
Finally, despite Verizon’s array of top-notch Android phones — the HTC Incredible, the Droid and the Motorola Devour — nearly one-fifth of its customers want an iPhone. Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty believes that if Verizon sold the iPhone, the carrier would sell about 7 million to 8 million iPhones annually.
