The bloggers over at BlogDNA have compiled a short-list comparison chart of competitors to the iPad from 2011 and what could possibly rival Apple in 2011.  

With the iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tablet already hot sellers on the UK tablet market, 2011 will hold the release of two heavy weight competitors –BlackBerry PlayBook and Notion Ink Adam which are waiting for Q1 release in 2011.

-Via BlogsDNA

While the iPhone has had multitasking and iOS 4 for quite some time, iPad users unfortunately are still stuck with iOS 3. Never the less Apple aren’t going to be releasing this firmware (.ipsw) until November. Ironic time of release possibly as this could be when the other smart tablets are going to be released.

What’s in store for the iPad in iOS 4.2? Well a lot of things have made the transition from the iPhone version, including multitasking, but we didn’t get too many juicy details unfortunately.

-For more information go to the original article source here at Zath

‘Qualcomm sure are going full steam in their mobile CPU research and development division. If you thought that 1.2GHz dual core CPU’s were going to make your phone fast, wait until you can get your hands on the latest Qualcomm 1.5GHz dual core chip, which will no doubt be utilised in an abundance of HTC mobile phones before the year is out.

Scheduled for a Q4 2010 release, smartphone and tablet fans are sure to get a kick out of this one. The Q4 release is looking pretty perfect for that webOS tablet of HP’s by Q1 2011 as well, so keep an eye out for that one!
The question remains, however, do we really need 1.5GHz dual core processors driving our phones? From a common sense point of view, the answer is most probably no at this point in time given more than capable smartphones such as the HTC Desire.’

This obviously seems like a step in the right direction for Qualcomm as us mobile phone users want our iPhones, Blackberries and other devices as fast as possibly so reliability is imperative – the only thing which may need to be worked on is getting the battery to actually retain a decent charge and not giving up at the first sight of two applications being open at the same time.

What I am looking forward to the most is what smart phones, tablets and other tech is going to be out there for us thanks to Qualcomm. Hopefully late 2010 and early 2011 something will be pulled out of the wilderness and then have its time to shine.

Does this news put you off possibly purchasing a new smart phone as something newer may be out next quarter? What about the iPad? – About to purchase one of those? What happens if Apple snap up some Qualcomm products and produce a new smaller and more compact version of the iPad?

-For more information go to the original article source here at Zath

What is it about Apple that means they have such a loyal customer base, it’s something every business desires, it’s hard to get and can’t be bought so how do they do it?

I’m not afraid to admit I’m a bit of a fan of Apple’s products so I’m not completely impartial but I’ll do my best!

Apple Aren’t perfect

Steve Jobs said it himself in the recent press conference called to discuss the flaws in the latest iPhone design. Yes, flaws in an Apple product! The signal problems with the iPhone 4 have been covered extensively in the media recently; here Apple is a victim of its own success. There have been plenty of other phones in the past with signal issues and calls dropping but Apple just can’t get away with it, they are too popular to slip under the radar and people expect more from Apple, when you buy an Apple product isn’t it meant to be perfect?

Apple aren’t doing great in other areas, they are behind in cloud computing, still charging £59 a year for their ‘MobileMe’ service whilst Google offers similar services on a much larger scale for free! There are rumours that Apple will make the service free later this year and perhaps enhance it at the same time but why has it taken so long?

Then there is the other bad press Apple have been getting lately about the number of suicides that have taken place at Foxconn, one of companies Apple uses to manufacturer its products. Is Apple encouraging cheap labour and poor working conditions?

So what are they doing right?

Products and design

Whenever Apple releases a product they tend to be one step ahead of the market, not just with killer features but in the design and right down to the packaging.

When you purchase an Apple product the first thing you notice is the packaging and whilst it might also go right in the bin it’s important to realise this is all part of the Apple experience, you don’t spend a small fortune on a laptop and expect to get it in a cheap paper bag, this ‘unboxing’ experience has an effect on your perception of Apple products even if you don’t realise it.

The importance of the design of Apples products cannot be under-estimated, they have to look, feel and be great, to the extent that it can result in form over function in some cases (iPhone 4 aerial). Apple were the first to turn away from the boring beige PC box which used to live under your desk with the iMac in 1997, this was a evolution in PC design which has evolved to become the frankly stunning iMac which is available today! They were the first to release unibody laptops, again a brilliant piece of design and most recently the iPad.

Customer support

If you’ve ever called Apple’s support line or sought support in one of their iconic Apple shops you’ll know they’ve got this nailed. Apple’s support often comes out top in support reviews. So when you buy an Apple product you have the assurance of after sales service and this is good for repeat business.

Apple even insist on owning the support of their iPhones, most other manufactures (Nokia, Motorola etc) hand off the fault management of their products to the network operator as they don’t see them as their customers. However Apple consider an iPhone owner as one of their customers and will provide the support leaving the network provider to do just the network providing.

Brand perception

Product placement is pretty important and Apple seem to be masters at it, Apple products have featured in many great films and TV shows, including ‘Independence Day’, ‘Fight Club’ and more recently big TV series like ‘24’ and the latest big files like ‘Toy Story 3’ and ‘The Book of Eli’. Apple get their products in the right places and often used by the right people.

Apple don’t just open shops on the high street, they build premises which can be recognised, they are normally bold iconic designs that stand out from the stores around them. Few companies do so much to build an image for themselves, this requires serious investment and as is often the case with brand development and marketing it’s difficult to quantify any return from the original investment.

Apple are notoriously secretive, they like to keep their next big thing under their hats until they decide it’s ready, this results in more hype when a new product launch is due. There are loads of rumour sites dedicated to reporting every rumour and tip off they get about Apples next product launch and even some of the media giants can’t resist reporting on rumours in the days preceding a big launch.

Paying through the nose

It’s true to say Apple products are perceived as costing more, this is partly because some of them do but when a company invests in new product technology and design they have to re-coup that money from somewhere. So when they are first to market with products like the iPad or the Unibody laptop these products will inevitable cost more.

Another reason Apple is perceived to be expensive is because they don’t do ‘budget’ products, even their cheapest laptop or desktop features great design and reasonable performance.

Some of Apples products maybe over priced, the iPhone is very expensive but people buy them so have Apple earned the right to charge more?

Summary

Apple have a loyal following because they have invested in their image, their brand and their products. They have been clever with their marketing and constantly innovate. They put design and quality at the centre of every product (yes, including the iPhone 4) and look after their customers after they buy.

Investing the amount they must have in things which they cannot quantify the return is a brave move which has paid off for Apple; you could argue that Apple have bought peoples’ loyalty contrary to what I said at the start!