iParadise Lost

So we're up for two physical ipod changes and a prices drop for the touch and a RIP for the shuffle perhaps

Tapping this on an iPhone while in a plenary on narrative thinking on stories and fiction in Copenhagen.I got to wondering how we actually think and speak about technology,how it changes us and frustrates us, makes us more curious and more complex.Recently pulling a deadline I took some 3 or 4 am tea break to log onto the Washington post and watch all the US nominee presentations,very cool I thought very now. And it struck me that perhaps it was time to break through the mesh of complications and unnecessary techical details and see how we interact with these tools and make our work or lives more productive and help us understand our own purposes. Well this is just a snippit of what I think but feel perhaps an iPhone tap entry for this may not be most appropriate.

Ps check back tonight for the skinny on the new iPods

With what is fast becoming an annual event somewhere in San Francisco we should expect a whole rafter of remakes and upgrades to the current iPod line up next week. The event will be held at 6 pm UK time and many pundits are asking well - what more can you do with the iPod and will it be just a bit of new colour, new storage space and maybe a better screen roll out.

Perhaps a more interesting development is that future iTunes releases will mean full multi-media content comes with each new album -artwork videos and even some like Snow Patrol soon to be released A Hundred Million Suns will have it's own iPhone/iPod touch application to direct you to a sweet rafter of full and exclusive multimedia content and that may mean a few more nails in the coffin of the CD.

There's no doubt that Apple knows what business they are in. With consumer product successes of the iMac, iPod and iPhone they really have become a powerhouse for computing change and innovative design with often easy to use functions. And with the surge in smart phone market share and credits to creating a whole new era of mobile platform development they may be poised to enter the enterprise market with a whole line of products.

A number of analysts have tracked a current 4.5% Mac OS X share in use in businesses up from a paltry 1.2 % back at the beginning of 2007. Much of this success must be linked to massive sales of the iPod in the last 3 years. Interesting business areas such as hotel, cruise liners were mentioned as large and substantial new customers for Apple, with their chic easy to use machines being popular with their new boutique clients as they seek to upgrade room and cabin in their own businesses.

But countering this knock on effect of sales into business is the fact Apple has never really gone full out to attach this market at all.With the cost cutting strategies of Dell and HP still putting Mac out of that competition (though with $18 billion cash in the bank can see why a 10% drop in prices might be on the card) it seems that what Apple really needs is to open up is software business in terms of support and work with business on making sure their key software works on the Mac.

So that really bring us back to the iPhone, with close to 8 million units already out there, a passable security (well save last week's flaw allowing you to access code locked phones!) base, this simple black slab with its special edtion of OSX make be the way to build up from the inisde out with a whole new rafter of products. Linking phone, to new touch screen laptops, slim dockable work pods that can morph into what ever task we need them for. It makes this a fascinating time to be in the computer business and so much is still unknown but a shape and form to new mobile computing might be set for good over the next 5 years and Apple must be close to taking the driving seat in this area.

So if you have Mac's in your workplace I would love to hear from you on what you think are challenges that Apple needs to meet in the next few years or so.