We're Busy Preparing for Our Own Coverage of 'iDay' this Friday,
So Here's What Others are Calling Up in Regard to the iPhone

by Joe Leo, Columnist

SPECIAL REPORT: News (6.26.07)-- We're working on two stories for you this week that you'll have to come back for in order to read it. So today, we're doing like our colleague Charles W. Moore does on a daily basis on another website he works for, and went around the web to find iPhone-related coverage... except these ones touch base on things we've covered here already (or will be covering as well).

The Hollywood and Media Factor

If you read the commentary on these pages from Friday in regard to what Apple Inc. might be endeavoring to achieve as a company in its current incarnation (position its assets on a global scale), maybe the big guys are looking into the crystal ball of the little guys as inspiration for their stories? Instead of vice versa?

The New York Times "aired" a piece yesterday about the Hollywood factor and how that form of big media is reacting to the iPhone's impact on the industry as a whole. Laura M. Holson, author of the piece says:

"...consumers demand more and better access to media and care less about how they get it. For years, mobile phone carriers like AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Sprint have closely controlled what cellphone users watch, when they watch it, and on what kind of screen they watch it -- much the way the networks did with television before new technologies loosened their grip. Many in Hollywood and Silicon Valley hope the iPhone's multimedia features will make it easier for any mobile-crazed consumer to do the same things they do on the Web: watch their favorite television shows, download maps, send e-mail messages to friends and swap videos."

The article seems to touch base and corroborate the points made in the commentary piece that was based on a research study done by PriceWaterhouseCoopers on trends in the industry, both related to media, spending by business and consumers, and where it's heading in the next five years. [SEE RELATED ARTICLE]

Writer Justin Berka of the Mac-related news website "Infinite Loop" on arstechnica.com says himself that, "...it's also worth taking a step back and taking a longer-term look, as the New York Times did, at how the iPhone will shake things up in both the media and mobile phone industries."

PBCentral.com, specifically yours truly, said it here first.

Before you 'Sprint' Down to Your Apple and AT&T Stores...

One of the two stories being worked on this week revolves around Sprint in an opinion piece as to why Apple didn't choose them (or some other carrier, for that matter) for its partnership with the iPhone-- as opposed to AT&T. It was a piece planned earlier on in the year, but due to this columnist's primary occupation, it kept being pushed aside. (And when there was time, a "breaking news" story would take its place).

Interestingly enough, with that piece being planned for this week anyway, yesterday it was reported by Mac Daily News that Sprint has a "battle plan" (to quote another site) to compete with Apple and AT&T's rollout of the iPhone this Friday. There's a even a guide/document being given out to Sprint employees in order to do so.

The "talking points" provided to Sprint employees on ways to compete with Apple and AT&T do provide some good arguments in relation to being able to compete with the iPhone underneath the surface. Why? Well, we won't get detailed here and save it for the opinion piece.

Also...? This columnist is a long-time Sprint customer and current one. (No room for opinions on this page... come back tomorrow for that!).

Ad: Compare iPhone prices at MacPrices. Prices, calling plans, resellers, and coupons. All available starting June 29th! Current promotion: $50 off iPhones!

go to: next page