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Copyright Apple 2010

Apple has a problem. It’s a problem they’ve created for themselves.  They wanted full control over all the content on their portable devices – and now they have it – warts and all.

They’ve decided to ban “some” apps from their iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad App Store and leave “some” other, similar ones there for everyone to purchase.  We’re talking about programs that show women in various states of undress – mostly shots of women wearing bathing suits or underwear.

The catch here is that key word “some”. It seems that if small companies make “interactive” apps that allow the user to, say, wipe clean a dirty window only to reveal a woman in a skimpy bikini – then that app has been removed from Apple’s App Store.  Same for the app that lets the user unscramble a jumbled photo of a similarly clothed actress.

On the other hand, if a large corporation produces an app for the annual Sports Illustrated “Swimsuit Issue” showing women in various poses wearing skimpy bikinis – then those kinds of apps stay.

Apple might be able to say that the banned app is slightly “interactive”  in other words you have to do something to actually see the semi-naked lady while all you have to do with the Sports Illustrated app is “turn some pages” to see many semi-naked women. 

You get the point?   They don’t want to offend Time Inc!

The man in charge of this or, at least, the guy taking the heat is Phil Schiller, Apple’s Worldwide Product Manager – one of the names that always pop-up when there’s a discussion of Apple execs who would be in-line to take over if and when Steve Jobs steps down.

The New York Times quotes Mr. Schiller in saying that Apple now believes a small number of app developers have submitted work with “objectionable content.”  He said Apple was getting an increasing number of customer complaints from women and parents.

The NY Times also quotes Schiller as saying that the Sports Illustrated app was different because it comes from a “well known company, was previously published material available broadly in a well-accepted format.”  Not sure I would have taken that tact or used the term “broadly”.

This is a dangerous tightrope that Apple now has to navigate.  I understand they have to make their App Store products “friendly” for everyone but, at the same time, not exclude large portions of the app buying public.

This is the same Apple which, through their iTunes store, sells TV and gazillions of movies and videos to watch on their devices. Some of those offerings include late-night cable shows such as “Californication”, “Tell Me You Love Me” and lots more.   Then again, how about some of that “music” Apple sells which could never be played over the radio?  How does Apple justify that when they’re banning some apps with pictures of women in swimsuits?

Apple says they have parental controls in place that should keep youngsters from being able to buy and download any App Store content deems inappropriate.  And, if that system doesn’t work Apple should fix it now.  All of these apps in question, including those like the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit app, could all be restricted to buyers of an appropriate age.

But, I also want to know what about the parents’ role in all of this?  If they’ve given their youngsters an iPhone or iPod Touch or plan to give them an iPad then they have a responsibility to know what their kids are doing with those devices. They should not be able to put all the blame on Apple.  If you wouldn’t let your child buy inappropriate items from a local store then why would you let them do so online?

If women or anyone else, for that matter, finds these apps offensive they shouldn’t buy them either.

Google seems to be taking a slightly different approach with their applications “Market” apps. At least, at this point, Google is taking a “hands-off” approach with developers. Google doesn’t screen apps beforehand but will remove offenders if they violate corporate policies. It’s a similar system to YouTube’s.

It should be very interesting to see how Apple continues to handle their ambiguous app policy – and customer feedback – going forward.

My friend, the freelance Kindle tester/expert, is at it again.

When last we read about his exploits, my friend (let’s call him Mr. Kindle) was frustrated by the fact that he was on his third Kindle within a few short months.  At least, that third device seems to have done the trick (so far).

Then, there was the music-and-text-at-the-same-time problem.  Despite being told by Kindle customer support that he could do so – our intrepid tester couldn’t get his to play music while he was reading from the device.  It just wouldn’t work for him.

Undaunted, our hero refused to take “maybe” for an answer.

He asked those who would listen (and a bunch of people who wouldn’t) until he came up with what turns out to be a deceptively simple solution:

“So when last we traded notes electronically, I told you about my Kindle woes.

Remember the part about figuring out a way to play MP3 tunes on the Kindle?

I wanted to be able to listen to Tchaikovsky while reading Tolstoy.

I asked the Kindle support people for help. The first guy said, “Sure, you can do that”, but his solution didn’t really work. And then the second guy, on the overseas help desk, said “I’m sorry Mr. Robert, but you can not play MP3’s on your Kindle.”

Well, that could have been the end of it. Until my cousin heard about the problem.  He’s a freshman at Rutgers.

All you need is a CD, iTunes 9.0 and a Kindle.

Here’s the solution:

1.   Insert the CD into the disc drive
2.   Have your computer “Show songs using iTunes”
3.   At the bottom of the iTunes screen, there should be a button labeled “Import Settings…” Click on the button.
4.   Make sure that iTunes is using the “mp3 encoder” instead of the “AAC encoder.” This is the important part.
5.   Press OK and import the CD
6.   When the CD has finished importing, find the songs in your Library.
7.   Right click on one of the songs, and select “Show in Explorer” or whatever the Mac equivalent is.
8.   Focus will now move to a folder containing the CD you just downloaded.
9.   Plug in your Kindle and copy/paste the files into the “music” folder
10. Enjoy!So I did it.  And it works.  And I have Mozart on my Kindle!
Eine Kleine Kindlemusik.

Now why couldn’t Kindle tech support tell me this?”

Why indeed!  This just proves that even questions with simple answers are sometimes way too tough for “experts” at a customer support desk.

For the record, this fix should work with any CD/music software as long as you save your files as MP3’s.

I want to know why Amazon.com wouldn’t include Apple’s super-popular iTunes-standard, AAC-encoded music file support on their devices?   Maybe that’s just one of the reasons that Apple decided to take on Amazon’s Kindle with their upcoming iPad device.

Another problem solved.  More news as it happens….

Is there enough wireless spectrum to go around?

Do you care?  You should.  We’re running out of “airwaves” to broadcast everything including cell phone traffic.  Unless we figure out a way to fix that – or conserve- we’re going to be in trouble.

Just a few short years ago, cell phones worked better than they do today.  Sure there were dropped calls, but far fewer than today and, for the most part, all of the cellular connectivity we wanted was there for the asking.

Previous cell phone technology – which we now call 2G/2.5G – handled communications much more efficiently than today’s “advanced” networks.  Remember when cell phone battery life was measured in multiple days between charging sessions and not hours?

A few years ago, when 3G was in its infancy, Mike Lazaridis, CEO of Research in Motion told me that they were in no rush to switch BlackBerries to 3G.  He said that even though 3G was “newer” and “faster” it also drained battery life.

But now we’re heavily entrenched in a 3G (soon to be 4G) world. Cellular carriers have been forced to spend incredible amounts of money to buy more frequencies from the U.S. Government (even some which used to be our analog television channels 2-13) to provide fast, new services.  2.5G has been relegated to inexpensive phones and the like.

The problem is after spending billions on 3G networks cellular carriers need much more space.  If not, we’ll all be experiencing more and more problems like iPhone users have been dealing with.

What’s worse, 4G is coming!  That means carriers will have to build an entirely new, expensive wireless network to handle those even faster speeds.  In addition to the billions of dollars that will cost them (and, in turn, you) carriers will begin to retire those efficient 2G services and even begin to slow the upgrading of current 3G networks.  If you had to make their the decision for them would you spend more money on old science – or shift resources to newer technologies?

So, as more and more buyers decide on 21^st Century smartphones – with more elaborate, resource-sucking data features – crowded 3G networks won’t be getting much more reliable while 4G services will be overwhelmed right from the start.

What’s the answer?  I wish there was a simple one.  Maybe smartphone users should begin to depend on Wi-fi networks whenever they’re indoors.  Maybe 3G networks and handsets could be improved to handle the load more efficiently.  Maybe 4G access should be used only for premium services until it’s robust enough to deal with future demands.

All of this makes something I read online all the more disturbing.  It’s a blog entry (from gizmodo.com) which takes Mike Lazaridis to task for this quote:

“Manufacturers had better start building more efficient applications and more efficient services.  There is no real way to get around this.  If we don’t start conserving that bandwidth, in the next few years we are going to run into a capacity crunch.  You are already experiencing the capacity crunch in the United States.”

The blogger basically answered back by saying RIM was making excuses and iPhones rule.  Since modern smartphones are capable of amazing feats that there’s no way the public wants to go back to slower, more basic services.

I understand the blogger’s frustration but this was not a call for going backwards.  It was a call for going forward and pushing the envelope forward – but with a purpose.  Whether 3G, 4G or 5G at some point we will have to take the laws of physics into account and be smart about how we use the wireless spectrum we’re given.

Like our planet’s water and air supplies there is a finite amount of natural resources – and wireless spectrum - to go around.   If we don’t find a way to conserve and use it properly we’re all going to suffer.

Today, industry giant Microsoft announced a top-to-bottom revision of their cellular phone operating system now being called Windows Phone.

The new Version 7 was announced by Microsoft Chief Steve Ballmer in his keynote speech at the Mobile World Congress confab in Barcelona, Spain.

From all the coverage I’ve seen Microsoft seems to have done wonders. As legend has it, Windows Phone 7 is a complete re-write of previous (and now woefully outdated versions of the OS. It looks great. And if you can believe the fan-boys blogging from the show it’s pretty amazing as well.

WinPho7 looks a lot like the logical extension of their current Zune music player operating system. That’s a good thing. Current Zunes have big block lettering, bold graphics and an easy to master touch-screen, on-screen directory system. WinPho 7 adds big block icons on the home screen.  The picture shows that it looks like no other smartphone OS. That’s a good thing.

The Windows Phone 7 manufacturing rules are a giant departure for Microsoft. In the past Microsoft produced a mobile OS and then handset manufacturers were allowed to build phones that loosely incorporated older WinMo features. Now, with version 7 Microsoft has laid down the law, Apple-style. “Here is the OS. You may now produce phones that run it exactly as we say.”

That’s currently one of the most annoying problems with Android phones. There’s an OS (actually there are a bunch of current versions in use) and manufacturers can (and do) ask Google for help in making each different phone do things differently from other Android phones. Some even change the way Android looks and operates. You’ll never see that with iPhones, BlackBerries, Palm WebOS devices and now Windows Phones.

As with previous versions, these Windows mobile phone devices are going to be warmly embraced by users who need access to their corporate Microsoft Exchange e-mail servers.

Windows Mobile phones always worked best with Exchange servers just like RIM BlackBerry phones worked best with BlackBerry Enterprise e-mail systems. Add to that Apple who want you to use mac.com features and Google’s g-mail which syncs and works best with Android phones. Those lines are blurring slightly these days but, for the most part those are facts of life for smartphone users.

With the advent of WinPho7, these new mobile devices will also have access to Xbox Live. Gaming – especially live, multi-user competition, is one area where Microsoft has a giant leg up on the competition. This level of gaming integration should appeal to the legions of Xbox junkies. It’s a good selling point for Microsoft if handled correctly.

Taking all of this into consideration, WinPho7 devices are probably going to have their work cut out for them. They’re years behind iPhones and Androids. Months behind new Palm smartphones. I’m not sure being fourth in with work for Microsoft – no matter how innovative this new OS really turns out to be.

We’ll see. Actually, we’ll have to wait and see. Manufacturer HTC says their first WinPhoi7 smartphone will be ready in the fourth quarter of 2010. That’s at least eight months away. And a few months after the fourth generation iPhone hits the market. 

A few days ago I received an email from Research in Motion.

RIM is pleased to invite you to participate in a limited preview of an upcoming application for BlackBerry smartphones. We’re offering you and a few other select BlackBerry and Twitter fans the chance to be the first to try a beta version of Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones.

You’ll have about a month to play with the app and share your thoughts on the BlackBerry Support Forums and in BlackBerry App World before it’s available to everyone else.

The application requires activation with data plan with Internet service browsing capabilities, a BlackBerry smartphone with at least 64-MB of built in memory (with at least 750KB available) and BlackBerry Device Software v4.5 or higher.

As you might expect I jumped at the chance.

Once I received the instructions and the secret password download and installation on my Storm2 test handset was a snap. I was up and running within two minutes.

After putting this beta software through its paces, my first impressions are very, very positive. I couldn’t wait to share my thoughts with you.

I know you can access Twitter on any browser – but this new BlackBerry app integrates Twitter into the smartphone’s entire operating system. That means if you’re inside your BlackBerry’s e-mail you now have the option to send a Twitter Tweet or Direct Message from your e-mail queue. That’s in addition to being able to IM or send a post to your Facebook account from your handset’s e-mail software.

Also, in addition to application’s large, blue “t” icon (which you can move onto your home screen) there’s also a tiny, little Twitter logo at the top of the screen telling you how many new tweets have arrived in your Twitter account since you last checked.

The BlackBerry Twitter app allows you to do many of the groovy things you’re able to do in your computer’s Web browser. According to RIM you can reply to tweets and also re-tweet, post a link from your BlackBerry Browser, take a funny picture and upload it (serious pictures too) and, of course, follow friends and search for popular topics.

This new app makes my Storm2 a very worthy tweeting platform and could broaden the appeal of BlackBerries for the general cell phone buying public. This new Twitter interface is clean, clear and easy to master. Integration with other BlackBerry messaging functions is a major plus.

The only fault I could find is the overall speed of the program. Not that any Blackberry software title is as speedy as similar titles on many other phones (especially devices – like the Google Nexus One – which boast Snapdragon processors inside).

This is not especially a fault of the Twitter software per se. I’ll bet that if and when RIM begins using more modern processors capable of super-speeds that their apps will benefit from the overall boost in speed.

Then again, BlackBerries are the favorite communications tool of big business, Wall Street and even the President of the United States for one reason: secure e-mail.

I’m pretty sure those power users won’t be standing around measuring the ultimate speed of their tweets. They do care about getting e-mail quickly and safely.  That’s really what made BlackBerry a major force in mobile devices. in the first place

These are the best small speakers I’ve ever heard.

They’re so good they’re actually some of the best speakers I’ve ever heard regardless of size or price.

Sterling Broadcast’s LS3/5a’s have a long history behind them.  In the mid-1970’s the BBC created official, technical specifications for a number of loudspeaker designs they were interested in using. The BBC didn’t want to actually manufacture these speakers but insisted that the companies making them would adhere to their specs.

For mobile recordings, the Beeb designed a small, nearfield monitor which they officially dubbed the LS3/5a (designating size of the box, etc.)  It was a simple design with a small tweeter, a small woofer and a very intricate crossover.  The size, shape and construction of the wooden box was also critical to the sound.

Upon their release, word got out that these were very special loudspeakers. LS3/5a’s became an instant hit with audiophiles and music lovers alike. Their small size turned out to be a perfect fit in typical British listening rooms. Best of all, the speakers were able to recreate the illusion of real music being performed.  Rock, classical?  Didn’t matter.  LS3/5a’s just sounded real – and much larger than their small physical dimensions.   Their cult status was assured.

Over the years, a number of manufacturers were awarded BBC licenses to make LS3/5a’s.  Rogers, Harbeth, Spendor, Chartwell, Audiomaster, KEF, Goodmans and Richard Allen for instance.

In the 90’s, when KEF decided to end production of the woofers and tweeters most people worried that meant the end of the line for the legendary loudspeaker. Luckily, a few years later, Doug Stirling of Stirling Broadcast decided to see what he could do to remedy the situation,

Doug, and a number of past LS3/5a manufacturing gurus redesigned the speaker around currently available woofers and tweeters from other manufacturers.  They decided to use the original BBC thin-walled cabinet design which used wood screws.  They spent thousands of hours listening to and tweaking the very important internal crossover circuitry.

The result?   A new 12-inch tall speaker that sounds nearly indistinguishable from many of the original models.  Don’t forget there were a lot of companies making these speakers and they all sounded very slightly different from each other even though they all (allegedly) “strictly adhered” to BBC specifications.

I find it difficult to describe the sound of a Stirling Broadcast LS3/5a V2 except to say it is a wonderful experience.  These speakers sound like music and are capable of amazing feats.

Despite their relatively small size, the Stirlings produce what crazy audiophiles call a huge “soundstage” or the illusion of music being performed in the original-sized recording environment. Stirling LS3/5a’s can actually place an instrument or a voice right near – of above, below, behind, in front of and to the left or right of the speakers. I know it is an illusion – but it’s a pretty amazing one.

Compared to the originals, the Sterling seem to reproduce high/treble sounds (like cymbals) better than many of the original surviving LS3/5as I’ve heard.  They also seem to extend a little deeper into the bass realm.  Even though the Sterling have been engineered to employ a LS3/5a “bass hump” like the originals (to help with the perception of deep bass coming from a tiny box) some of my recordings with super deep bass sound amazingly great.

The Sterling, like most high quality audio gear, need an extended break-in time before they sound their best.  Most LS3/5a owners will tell you their 20 and 30-year old examples are still breaking-in.  I found that it took nearly six months before this particular pair began to sound their best and I thank Doug Sterling for graciously allowing me so much time to live with his product.

These speakers need a pair of good quality speaker stands to sound their best. Do not think about plopping them down on a shelf and hearing anything like I heard.  I also found that they need to be placed away from nearby walls for optimal sound.

LS3/5a’s also need a good quality amplifier.  Actually, the better the amplifier the better the speakers will sound.  They can perform terrifically with transistor amps (you have to hear them with my up-to-spec Quad 303 or a Sugden Class A model) and simply heavenly with the right tube amplifier (a Dyna Stereo 70, for instance).  You only need about 20-50 watts-per-channel.  Too much power and you might actually harm the speakers

BBC licensed LS3/5a V2s sell for 800-850 pounds Sterling (depending on the wood finish), plus shipping taxes, import duties, directly from Stirling Broadcast.  Here in this country, importer Acoustic Sounds handles all sales and warranties.  Expect to pay between $1,795 to $1,845.

So much money for a small speaker?  Worth every penny. Especially when you see what “classic” LS3/5a’s sell for.  And you never know what you’re getting with a used, 20-year old speaker. At least this way you’re buying a modern speaker with a real 5-year warranty.  You could spend a lot more and get a lot less speaker.

If you’re listening room is on the small size – or you and your “significant other” want to minimize the profile of your hi-fi in the room, Stirling LS3/5a’s are the ticket.

I listen to classic Quad ESL-57’s in my main listening room. They have a very low WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) because they look like bronze room heaters. If and when I move to small quarters I won’t hesitate to switch from my Quads to a pair of Doug Stirling’s modern-day marvels. They are that good.

The Palm Pre Plus is a whole lot like the Palm Pre – only a little more so. Let me explain.

The Palm Pre was the first smartphone to come from the newly reincarnated Palm company. After depending on the ancient, original Palm OS for way too long the newest phones runs on the company’s new, modern-day WebOS software.

The Palm Pre was (and still is) exclusive to Sprint. The Palm Pre Plus is a slightly updated version of the Pre. It is exclusive to Verizon Wireless.

There are a few small differences between the two models aside from the carrier’s network they run on. The Pre Plus gets rid of the small button beneath the screen and gives you more room to slide your finger back and forth. That also gives the Plus a sleeker look.

With the Pre Plus, Palm has doubled the memory inside (16GB). That means more operating system juice as well as lots more storage. Like the iPhone, the Pre does not support user-swappable microSD memory cards.

Supposedly, Palm has improved the hardware keyboard. That may be true but in side-by-side testing (by yours truly as well as a number of staunch Palm Pre fans) we detect little or no difference. The sharp edge around the Pre’s keyboard from the Sprint model remains a minus on the Verizon phone. I still prefer the Palm Pixi’s smaller but easier to use (at least for me) keyboard.

Same for the overall audio volume. Can’t Palm figure out a way to make the phone louder? Just listen to any Nokia phone ring when a call comes in – or an iPhone – or most Androids (except for Google’s Nexus One). You get the idea.

The Plus also comes with their special back cover. It’s really an inductive device – part of Palm’s “Touchstone” magnetic recharging dock system. That special phone cover costs extra with Sprint’s Pre. The actual Touchstone dock is optional for both phones at extra cost ($80 but currently on sale for $64 on Palm’s Website).

Arguably, the Pre is one of the best-looking smartphones ever made. It’s small, lightweight, shiny, smooth, sleek and shaped like a stone (as in skipping a stone on the surface of a lake.) Please don’t try this with your phone. It feels great in your hand or in your pocket.

Pre also has a terrific screen. Great color, sharp pictures and text and even looks good in bright sunlight (at least in winter sun conditions).

Back to the software. In its own way WebOS is revolutionary. Everything is handled by a flick of the finger except for typing – which is handled via a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It takes a few minutes to get used to the WebOS system – but after that you’re hooked: it’s difficult to go back to any other smartphone and not slide your finger backwards to go back a screen or flick your finger up to stop a running program.

Speaking of programs – the Palm Pre/WebOS can multitask. That means it can handle running more than one program at a time. It’s a neat trick that all the other smartphone companies should be emulating.

So, aside from the difference in cell phone service provider coverage in your neighborhood, the choice between Pres might come down to price. Verizon is selling the Pre Plus for $150 with a two-year contract. Sprint’s selling their Pre for the same price.

Both companies are selling ’s smaller, candy bar-shaped Pixis for $100 (with contract). Only feature Verizon’s Pixi Plus adds is Wi-fi (missing-in-action in Sprint’s version of the Pixi).

Aside from the changes discussed above the phones are very, very similar. Until a faster processor is added to the mix the choice is really up to you. But make sure you check-out these WebOS phones. They really are great devices – addictive once you start using one.

In case you are on the fence about whether the new Apple iPad is right for you (see below) here are some encouragnign words from some people who know.

(Not that they’re biased, or anything like that…)

I’ve waited until the dust settled a bit before speaking my mind. In the interim, I’ve heard from a large number of people who think Apple’s new iPad is a bad idea.

Aside from the horrible name (yes, also I thought of all the rude possibilities within seconds of the announcement) many readers told me they think the iPad is a big misstep.

Some call it an overgrown iPod Touch, others, not as kind call it the Newton 2. One friend who is heavily invested in Apple computers, phones, iPods and assorted Wi-fi devices and other Apple gear wrote me, almost immediately, to complain:

“Too big to go in a pocket… hard to hold… it’s not an iPhone or a laptop… PLUS it will add more data, including movies and games streaming on the AT&T’s wireless data network. Good idea!!!!!”

OK. I have to agree that I too have some doubts about the iPad as well.

First and foremost, the price. I think that Apple has overpriced these new devices way out of the reach of the masses. Starting at $500 for the Wi-fi only, 16GB model (and no AT&T 3G network connectivity) to a whopping $830 for Wi-fi, AT&T 3G and 64GB of storage. Yes, that’s cheaper than one of Apple’s laptops – but it’s not really a laptop.

Unfortunately, it really does look like it’s a big iPod Touch and that perception problem is going to be a tough one for Apple. Even though Mr. Jobs didn’t dwell much on the subject, during his announcement, the iPad runs on the iPhone operating system. Maybe a new and updated version but a smartphone OS nonetheless.

That means the iPad, while reaping the benefits of many of the iPhone/iPod Touch’s clever features and Apple’s App Store it will also be hampered by the fact that multi-tasking will not be a part of its tricks. That means it really is an oversized PDA.

Probably the most interesting part of the iPad is the processor. Also not discussed much at the unveiling, the iPad runs on a new, Apple 1GHz A4 processor which they call a “custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip”.

It’s the first processor to be added to a product since Apple bought the chip manufacturing company called P.A. Semi in 2008. The chips are updated StrongARM RISC chips. ARM and StrongARM chips were and are used in all versions of the iPhone and also in Apple Newton PDAs.

It seems some of the impetus for the iPad may have been in response to the proliferation of netbook computers and Amazon’s Kindle electronic book reader. Mr. Jobs told the Apple faithful at the iPad introduction that these devices can’t come close to measuring-up to his new iPad. That’s somewhat true.

Netbooks have usable, hardware keyboards and can multitask – and Kindles have a year-plus head start on the iPad and 3G connectivity is free for the life of the device. Plus, they are both a lot less expensive. Yes you can find netbooks and Kindle models selling for nearly $500 – but you can also buy those devices for almost half the iPad’s price.

If Apple wants to be competitive they’re going to have to drop the price of the iPad before they begin shipping in March. Apple overpriced the original iPhone as well – the 8GB phone started life at $599. Apple dropped that price quickly (to $399). Beginning with the second generation models iPhones were priced correctly ($199-$299). That’s when sales went through the roof.

Even though pundits thought the iPad would sell for $1,000 and up Apple seems to have taken the recession into consideration and set somewhat lower prices. They need to be even lower.

Apple also has to figure out a way to make tablet computing cool. Up until now, the idea of buying and using tablets has consistently been rejected by consumers.

On the other hand, except for a number of product missteps in the past (in addition to the Newton do you remember the Cube?) Apple has an amazing track record of creating and selling innovation to the masses. Mr. Jobs might just be right and his iPad might turn out to be a big hit. But, I believe he’s going to have to drop the price – a lot – to start to make that happen.