Apple introduces iOS 4.1
First up, Apple started with the formal announcement of the first major iOS 4 update, iOS 4.1. What’s new? Quite a lot actually. First there are bug fixes for some of the user reported problems related to the proximity sensor, Bluetooth and iPhone 3G users upgrading to iOs 4. There’s also support for Gamecenter, announced at the WWDC and a cool new feature called HDR for the iPhone 4 camera. HDR essentially takes three pictures, an overexposed an underexposed and mid range and combines them so that highlights are captured properly. There’s a few apps out there that do this now but it’s great to see this integrated into the iPhone experience directly. It will be available next week and the price is free for all supported devices. In a slightly unusual move also announced iOS 4.2 that will bring iOS to the iPad in November along with new features for printing as well as a new media sharing feature called AirPlay. That release will also be available for the iPhone and iPod touch thus unifying the platform.

Apple Refreshes iPod Line
Fall is when Apple typically refreshes the iPod line and this year is no exception with the first time for new designs in the entire line in Sept. The lineup has been changed up and down and it’s a pretty impressive array of products. For those thinking that the iPod has neared and end of life, they couldn’t be more wrong.

iPod shuffle – The shuffle lives in a new design that combines some of the best features of the last two generations. Back are the buttons from the second generation along with the VoiceOver and playlist features from the most recent design. It’s basic but with a price of $49 for 2gb it’s the most affordable iPod yet and still packs an impressive 15 hours of battery life. This years models come in five colors and they’re amazing, the orange is especially nice IMHO. Slightly more pastel in nature they show and attention to detail. This might be Apple’s cheapest iPod but there is nothing cheap about it.

iPod nano – The first time I saw an iPod nano live I recall laughing at how small it was and I couldn’t believe what was holding was a real product. What a difference a few years make. The iPod Nano, now in generation six is amazing. Apple’s made a tiny Multi-Touch screen so there’s no click wheel, just tiny Multi-Touch goodness. There’s no video, camera or games this time around and that makes sense. The screen is just too small to deliver on that experience. This is about music and photos and it has to be seen to be believed. It’s also got 24 hours of battery life and comes in 8gb for $149 and 16gb for $179. I think this one’s going to be a big hit for those looking for the state of the art music device.

iPod touch – According to Apple the touch is now the most popular iPod and it gets even better in this generation. First, as hard as this to imagine, it’s now actually thinner. I mean crazy super model thin. Of course, that’s not all. Ipod touch now has a retina display like the iPhone 4 along with the Gyroscope, the A4 and two cameras front and back. Yep, there’s FaceTime support. The rear camera will do 720p HD video but it’s not a multi-mega pixel for stills. More for casual snapshots appropriate for Facebook and the like. Apple now leads the market in mobile gaming and this new generation will push that lead further. There are three models 8gb for $229, 16gb for $299 and 64gb for $399. Considering the technology that’s in there, that’s very aggressive pricing.

iTunes 10 – Of course it’s not an iPod update without a new version of iTunes. iTunes 10 looks a lot like the prior generation with some more refined views, especially with list view. What’s really new is Apple has built a social networking service called Ping as part of the iTunes experience, centered around music. Users can follow other users and as well as artists. Apple’s starting with about a dozen artists who can post a variety of content. I can see what others are listening, share my music, find out what concerts are happening and let others know they will be there. I can invite others via email or connect to Facebook. There’s also a new Ping button that is activated in iOS so I can also get the whole Ping experience out and about. It’s an important direction for Apple and it sets the stage for a whole new set of services and functions down the road. This might be one of the most important pieces of news longterm from today’s announcements.

Apple Refreshes Apple TV in a BIG way
It’s been around for awhile but Apple TV has never been a runaway hit. Apple’s CEO calls it a “hobby” but the TV is too important for Apple to ignore. The latest version of Apple TV is about a quarter of the size of previous models and it works in a totally different way. It’s designed to deliver and optimized streaming experience to users. It’s totally built around a rental model, not a purchase model although you can still connect to your computer and your iTunes library and stream any content that’s there. Movies rent for $4.99 for first run HiDef and there’s now a TV rental option for $0.99 a show. First networks to join in are ABC and FOX, with the usual suspects expected to join in over time. In addition to YouTube, Flickr and MobileMe there’s also a Netflix client built in. Frankly, it’s the best and nicest implementation I’ve ever seen and that feature alone is worth the price of admission. The price of the new box is $99 making it affordable. Ports include Ethernet, HDMI, USB, optical audio and no power brick. of course there’s also WiFi and it’s powered by an A4. Overall, I like Apple’s approach. By not attempting to include DVR functionality Apple sidesteps the battle for input one on the TV set. It’s a very different approach that Google is taking and I suspect Apple’s approach will likely have more appeal to mainstream consumers. I also expect there’s going to be some questions of a TV device with no apps. While I think an app eco system for TVs can make sense, like the iPhone before it, Apple needs to educate the market on on a paradigm shift. This Apple TV is a reset in many ways and the TV a device with very entrenched habits and behaviors. Before consumers can make a shift to that model, Apple needs to establish a position in the living room. There’s also a lot of issues in terms of user experience, command and control and content rights that need to be figured out. I expect over time we’ll see more here as this product evolves.

Bottom line? This is Apple’s most impressive fall lineup that I’ve seen. Apple’s reset the iPod line making the different products scale well both in terms of features and price. With the addition to the new social network Ping, Apple further reinforces their position as the leaders in digital music and drives the eco system forward. With the new Apple TV, Apple’s managed to keep the best features of the last generation of devices that should keep existing users happy while driving the product forward with more appeal for the mass market. Overall, it’s an important refresh to the lineup and at the same time sets the stage for a number of interesting directions for the future.

This is an important announcement as it establishes Facebook immediately as not only a credible player in this space but arguably the most important player. I’ve argued in the past the features such as “check in” are more of a feature than a standalone service and therefore the idea of integrating this directly into Facebook, already a key hub of social activity makes sense. The fact that Facebook is also offering an API for others to tap into means that there’s now a good foundation and framework in place that sets the stage for Facebook to bring both brands and local retailers in very quickly.

While the meme of “_____ is dead” has become popular in recent days on the internet, Facebook’s entry doesn’t mean the immediate death of other location based services. It will, however, put much more pressure on them to evolve, differentiate in meaningful ways to offer value to users. Even with that, it’s likely we’re going to see some consolidation in this space over the next 12 months.

The intersection of mobile and social networks is having a transformative effect in a year where almost everything is in the process of evolving in the mobile space. It’s therefore no surprise to see Facebook making the necessary investments needed to stay at the center of users social network experiences. With the ability to leverage their 500 million plus user base, Facebook has gained instant credibility in what was becoming a crowded market and reinforcing their leadership position as the core social network for users.

The last ten years have been a decade of innovation and change. Unlike in the past, so many of the products and technologies introduced have become a core part of the way we live, work and play. It’s almost hard to imagine that we lived without some of this stuff just a short time ago. What are the emerging technologies you see today that will become the next mass market, life changing ones of tomorrow?

Rather than focus on Apple, antenna design, and attenuation, Apple’s competitors in the smartphone business should be telling more compelling stories about why their devices and platforms are best-of-breed. That’s the only argument that will ultimately win the hearts and minds of users, period. Bashing Apple’s devices simply won’t work. If Greek mythology has taught us anything, it’s just how dangerous hubris can be. I’d argue schadenfreude is right up on the list of traits to be avoided at all cost. The market is not a zero-sum game. Apple need not fail for others to succeed and compete effectively.

When the iPhone was introduced in 2007, RIM refocused efforts on the business user while Apple targeted the mass market. The first iPhone clearly could not meet business needs. Over time, however, both Apple and Google, while wooing the mass market, have made huge strides in adding more business-required support, positioning themselves to capture the hearts and minds of both the business user and the consumer, who in many cases are one and the same. RIM’s challenge now is to keep delivering on the needs of the enterprise while at the same time packing the BlackBerry with the sexiest features that will truly drive end-user interest. If it doesn’t do this well, RIM is likely to lose share and ultimately become no more than a footnote in the mobile market that it helped create and define a decade ago.

‘m not sure where the conspiracy theories come from but we know their subjects aren’t limited to technology companies and industry figures. Whether it’s an alleged secret iPhone recall or two competitors releasing new products at the same time to ruin the other’s plans, there are always people who seem to expect the worst in human behavior. Some of it is probably post hoc ergo propter hoc thinking — people often imagine if one thing follows another, one thing caused the other — and sometimes it’s just imagination run amok. Of course, it’s hard to prove a negative, so the stories keep churning. Perhaps one day Jamie and Adam will tackle tech industry myths and put some of these to bed on Mythbusters. In the meantime, what’s your favorite urban technology myth or conspiracy theory?

According to RIM, this is the best BlackBerry ever and I don’t dispute that. Users who require a Blackberry for work standards will find the Torch the object of their desire. The question is, will the Torch be bright enough to lure users away from the latest and greatest Android devices, iPhone 4 and a newly re-invigorated Microsoft Windows Phone 7? At the moment, if you’re a diehard BlackBerry user, there’s a lot to love but in terms of the state of the art, RIM hasn’t quite caught up to the leaders of the pack in terms of either device or platform. Was this the right move for RIM? I think it was the move RIM needed to make to at least be on par with most of the features we’ve seen in modern mobile platforms, even if they weren’t the first ones there. With the foundations in place, what RIM needs to do now is move quickly to raise the bar even further with more compelling hardware and software features; not merely be satisfied following the leaders but once again taking the pole position.

While the analog look is both welcoming and familiar, it’s a trend I hope doesn’t continue. If I want to use a moleskine notebook, a yellow legal pad or an ornate wooden compass, I will. Let’s let digital be digital and keep the analog stuff where it belongs — outside in the physical world.

Someday technology will advance and 3D will be integrated into every screen. Standards will be deployed and the bulky and costly glasses will disappear. Content providers will figure out how to tell better stories with 3D that wouldn’t have been possible before. And if that happens before I do my holiday shopping this year, I’ll be on board. Given the low probability of that scenario, I’m going to pass for now. I expect many other consumers will as well.

From time to time I like to think about the idea of disconnecting from the digital world for an extended period and what I’d miss as a result. In the end, I came up with five gadgets that changed the world for me, products the descendents of which I’d rather not be without on a regular basis. What’s interesting is that for me, the PC didn’t make the list. Perhaps it’s an uber-gadget that just goes without saying or it’s just not that important to me personally anymore.

A lot of end users are finding Android devices such as the HTC Incredible and EVO 4G captivating, but the only device out there right now that’s running 2.2 is the Nexus One. IT departments need to get the word out to users that their Android devices won’t be considered for enterprise support until they are upgraded to 2.2. Unfortunately, for most devices, that won’t happen until much later this year. To make matters more complicated, Google promises at least one more operating system release (known as Gingerbread) before the end of the year. There are likely to be further enterprise enhancements in that release. Another re-evaluation may be warranted then.

Microsoft’s efforts have been re-boot of the mobile platform, called Windows Phone 7 and it’s due later this year. There’s already been some criticism of the phone over the last week (from folks who haven’t actually used the OS hands on). I’ve held back responding as for the last week or so, I’ve been testing a pre-release build of Windows Phone 7. My embargo lifts this morning so here’s my thoughts.

First the hardware. Usually, when I talk about a phone, the combination of hardware and software is important. In this case, I’m not going to go into the hardware at all. The reason is Microsoft’s provided Samsung devices that I’ve been assured are hardware test designs that will never come to market. I can say they run Snapdragon processors and appear to have AMOLED screens. Most importantly, the OS ran well even in pre-release form with excellent fluidity and no slowdowns or lags. That’s a pretty good sign. There’s dedicated home, search and back buttons which make navigation easy and are likely to part of final hardware designs.

What I can discuss is the overall experience of the OS. Microsoft’s done a very good job with a revamped user experience that’s not like anything on the market. Taking a lot of UI cues from Zune HD, the OS is heavy on the visual, using fonts, color and an interesting use of space to make for a solid experience that’s both easy to learn and pleasing to look at. The UI can be customized with light or dark backgrounds (dark is the default with white on black text). Certain apps change though no matter what setting is picked. For example, the inbox always shows black text on white. The home screen can be customized with different applications or hubs, some of which are semi animated and updated live and others which are static. Swiping to the right shows a list of all apps. At the moment, there’s no way to configure this list and I can imagine it might get unwieldy with a large number of apps installed.

Some of the more important differentiated services such as Xbox Live integration and a new set of online services are not finished so they couldn’t be tested. (I had no problem integrating with Xbox gamer tags but other than displaying my avatar, there’s not a lot that’s hardwired just yet). That said, most of the core services are in place and work well. I had no problem setting up several Google accounts (which were automatically recognized to be able to sync not only email but calendars and contacts as well) and Live services. On the social side there’s currently support for Facebook (but not Twitter). One of the key UI elements of WP7 is the concept of hubs for things such as people and pictures. People for example presents not only a contact list sync but also social media updates for supported services. (one downside was all my contacts both from Googe and Facebook were now part of one large contact list, I’d like see better ways of segregating my views of people). Pictures likewise not only presents photos on the devices but photos shared by friends (in this case Facebook). I like the integrated experiences and the different views of information. It works well in practice and it will be interesting to see other apps and services that plug into the core hubs.

Table stakes features such as personal information management worked as expected with no surprises. Unfortunately, there’s no universal inbox nor are there threaded message views, something I’ve gotten accustomed to on other platforms. Microsoft’s updated the web browser and I found it both fast and functional. As expected, there’s no support for Flash. The application marketplace works but there’s only a few simple test apps available for things such as stocks and weather. Long term, how well that space gets filled in will determine success or failure. WP7 does have an important set of apps, namely mobile version of Office that work quite well. One Note in particular is quite cool and syncs online to Live services as well. It’s a key feature that’s nicely differentiated.

On the media side, there’s a full Zune client onboard that gives you full access to your Zune pass account. In addition to syncing over USB, it can also sync over WiFi to your PC. It’s very similar in function to the Zune HD experience and that’s a good thing IMHO.

Summing up, Microsoft’s doing the right things here with Windows Phone 7. It’s visibly differentiated from the competition but the challenge that comes with that will be explaining to the market why that difference is better than what we’ve seen before.

I like the concept of hubs a lot moving beyond silo apps into integrated services. A key here will be teaching users the new UI and getting app developers to buy into the eco system. Xbox Live and and Zune are also important and respectively drive greater use of Zune as well as give Microsoft instant credibility in mobile gaming out of the gate.

There’s a lot of questions that still need to be answered about Windows Phone 7. What will application support look like? Lack of apps for things such as Twitter or RSS reading make it hard to fairly judge the OS at this point. Likewise, final hardware and carrier partners, marketing and messaging all will help decide just how well Microsoft has done here with their efforts. That said, I like what I see so far and it looks like Windows Phone 7 has what it takes to silence many of Microsoft’s mobile critics. Windows Phone 7 has the potential to keep Microsoft in the race for relevance in the mobile platform space and drive other services and initiatives forward as well. As more services, features and apps come online, I’ll continue to update progress as we move closer to final code and launch.

For every VHS, it seems there’s also a Betamax — a gadgets or standard that just didn’t live up to the expectations of the mass market at the time. Despite being loved by niche audiences, these folks just didn’t have what it took to make it to the big time. Here I celebrate some of my favorite gadgets and technologies that just couldn’t catch on with the populace at large.

Both carriers also load the phone with a lot of extra stuff. It’s a matter of taste but I think T-Mobile’s choices for Slacker and Kindle are better and more useful than the stuff ATT loads. (T-Mobile also tosses in the full version of Avatar on micro-SD. I hate the movie but it looks gorgeous on the Samsung screen). The phone has been described as the PC in your pocket and it looks like that analogy is correct. The phone’s now also getting loaded with a lot of crapware. Worse, unlike a PC, there’s no easy way to flatten the phone or remove the carrier added services. In this case, the T-Mobile additions, while not overly welcome, add more value that I’m likely to use and therefore not find offensive. For that reason alone, I’d pick the Vibrant over the Captivate. Worse ATT continues to lock down their handsets so they can’t use apps that don’t come through marketplace. That alone is a deal breaker for me.

For GSM Android use though, my device of preference would still be the soon to be discontinued Nexus One. First of all, it’s unlocked so it will work on any GSM network (although in the US you’ll need to pick your carrier version for proper 3G support). It’s also not loaded with anything but stock Android. No crap applications, full Google widgets and best of all, it’s the first device that’s capable of running FroYo today officially. That’s important to me. While almost all handset vendors have said that FroYo updates are coming, I personally don’t want to wait. I suspect that before some of those devices get FroYo updates, Gingerbread will already be on the market.

There’s a lot to like about the Galaxy S series (I’d love to see a stock device at some point with no carrier mods to compare.) for ATT, it’s probably the best Android device they offer but unless carrier branding was important, I’d go with the Nexus One on ATT or the Vibrant or Nexus One on T-Mobile.

“It’s not likely that Microsoft (or any other vendor) will dominate the mobile platform space they way that Windows dominated the PC industry. While Windows Phone 7 may allow Microsoft to become a strong mobile platform provider, porting applications and services to other platforms can help Redmond become the key provider for core functionality across multiple platforms and devices. As non-PC devices become more important to consumers, this is a perfect opportunity for Microsoft to set the standard for core functionality on every platform and further drive the Microsoft brand into the consumer world. The alternative is to allow others to drive those standards — and rather than embrace and extend, Microsoft’s efforts could be engulfed and devoured.”

“The irony, of course, is that the TV viewer has evolved independently of the TV. While users may not want online content on their TVs, they do seem to embrace TV content on their PCs. Ask a certain demographic to point to their TV consumption device and it will likely have a mouse and keyboard. Services like Netflix tied to devices such as the Xbox 360, Roku and TiVo mean there’s alternatives to what’s being served by cable and satellite companies. Over time, these options will expand and the TV itself will evolve — it’s just a matter of time before the TV and internet finally, finally get together.”

In my opinion, it’s not a question of which is the better phone, but rather, which is the best phone for you. Unlike many opining, i’ve been fortunate to have spent some quality time with both. After carrying both devices simultaneously for a few weeks I came up with a guide to help make the decision. That’s the topic for this week’s SlashGear column. So which (or neither?) do you think might be the best phone for you?

Bottom line? Both phones are state of the art and redefine the top end of the smartphone line. Both phones, though, carry a different design philosophy and where you stand on some of the issues I’ve outlined will lead you down one path or the other. The really fun part? Neither company was a major player in the mobile space just a short time ago. If we were chatting about the mobile market just three years ago, neither Apple nor Google would have been an integral part of the discussion. That velocity of mobile just means we’ll no doubt be having this type of conversation over and over again in the weeks and months ahead, and that’s just fine for me.

There’s a battle going on for mobile platform supremacy, and right now there are simply too many platforms to succeed long term. And the old rules simply don’t apply any more, as the criteria for mobile platform success in mobile reaches beyond simply having a well-stocked app store. It will take much more than an app store to drive success — the key factor between success and irrelevance will increasingly be the cohesive application story each platform provider can tell. Look for the platforms with the out of-the-box and core experiences that also allow developers to best leverage and monetize their apps to make the cut long term. The wise vendors will figure this out sooner, while the others will begin a long slide into irrelevance.

I took a first look at the device when Apple first announced it at their developers conference earlier this month. I’ve now spent some more time with a final production device and my experience largely matches Apple’s claims. Comparing the iPhone 4 with the original is like looking at an iPod touch next to the original—a lot of the heritage is there but it’s a very different and a much better experience. This is what next year’s technology will look like, except it’s at last year’s prices.

The first thing you notice is the design. Taking elements of the first and second generations of the device, Apple has come up with one of the most striking phone designs that has ever come to market. The glass and steel construction begs to be touched and there are few products that have ever come to market with this degree of caressability. Once you get over the design aesthetics it’s hard to miss what Apple calls the iPhone’s “Retina Display.” With a very high resolution and a pixel density well above 300 PPI, it’s going to be very hard for most users to see the individual pixels of the display. The result is the most paper-like display I’ve ever seen on a mobile device. Content that was just too hard to read with my 40+-year-old eyes without zoom is now easy to read without strain.

The second thing that leaps out is performance. Thanks to the A4 chip that powers it, the iPhone 4 feels noticeably snappier than prior devices. Combined with the new OS’s capabilities for multitasking (apps continue to get updated seemingly on an hourly basis) it feels like there’s less and less that this phone can’t handle in terms of tasks. (I personally can’t wait until we start seeing this OS on the iPad).
Third, there are the new features added with iOS 4 which address many of the minor issues that plagued the iPhone from day one. Things like a unified inbox view, the ability accept CAL DAV invites, and support for multiple Exchange accounts make for a much more refined usability experience. New applications like iMovie for iPhone show the powerful possibilities when both hardware and software are tightly integrated into one holistic experience.

Finally, the big show-stopper is FaceTime. Taking advantage of the iPhone 4′s front-facing camera, FaceTime is mobile video conferencing done right. Though it works iPhone 4-to-iPhone 4 only and is restricted to Wi-Fi for 2010, it is undeniably simple. There’s no setup, there’s no configuration, there’s no lag. Audio and video are fully in sync. In short it just works. We knew there might be this sort of capability from some of the leaks, but the truth is, until you see it in action, it’s hard to appreciate. Even cooler, it’s an open standard, so developers can easily add this functionality to their apps. Skype, are you listening? Apple isn’t the first to market with video conferencing on a phone but they’re the first to get it right. It’s not a feature unless the mass market uses it and I expect FaceTime will drive a lot of sales. That said, while I understand the need for Wi-Fi only at this time, it does detract somewhat from the experience to not have the feature everywhere. It also would have been nice to see some integration with the desktop (even at the expense of some added setup) or the ability to send video to non-iPhone 4 users. Hopefully, we’ll start seeing some FaceTime applications that adhere to the protocol for both the desktop and other platforms, solving this issue.

What’s missing? Well, a few things. First, iPhone 4 is still AT&T only here in the US and the new micro-sim makes it even harder to move your SIM from device to device. While Apple talked about the combination of form and function in the device’s new antenna system, I couldn’t see much of a difference in reception or call quality over the iPhone 3GS. Places where I had problems with AT&T were still just as problematic. As much as I like the iPhone, AT&T’s network still leaves lot to be desired. Rumors aside, I don’t expect to see another carrier anytime soon. I’d also like to see a 64GB SKU. In the past, Apple matched the prior year’s iPod touch capacity with iPhone. 32GB just feels a little too cramped for a phone with the capabilities iPhone 4 has. iOS is also starting to look a little dated. Rows of apps or folders feels very 2007. There’s no support for widgets or the kind of glanceable information that has become a standard UI enhancement on Android, Windows Phone 7, and Symbian. In an age of social ubiquity, iOS still treats social networks as discreet entities with little integration between applications such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. While some users might prefer that silo approach, more users are looking for ways to integrate their social graph into a holistic view of their personal, business, and public networks.

Bottom line? Apple has raised the bar for both handset vendors and platform providers with the release of iPhone 4. The tight integration of hardware and software provides a unique experience that once again raises and sets the standard for the rest of the industry. With strong visible differentiation, iPhone 4 is going to capture the hearts and minds of both existing iPhone users and new users entering the purchase funnel for their next phone. Nevertheless, the gap between other vendors and Apple is not nearly as huge as it was as recently as a year ago. Later this year new versions of Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry and Symbian are all expected to come to market, and no vendor is prepared to cede this market to Apple. With a rate and pace of innovation never seen before, expect to see more challengers to the iPhone and vendors who will seek to raise the bar even further. It’s too early to judge how successful those efforts will be, however. For now, iPhone 4 is the gold standard other devices will be measured against.

Update – Special thanks to Bill Fisher for taking the time to edit properly :)

Sadly, folks, it’s time to move on. Apple isn’t building products just for you, and Steve Jobs and Phil Schiller aren’t members of your family. I have no doubt Apple respects and even admires those of you in the tens of thousands who have been long-time supporters. I also know that Apple, like any company, would dump tens of thousands of die-hard fans for tens of millions of happy consumers any day of the week. So while you might bemoan the great unwashed masses who now use Apple products but can’t name five Apple employees beyond Steve Jobs, remember that if it wasn’t for them, that cool new Apple device might not have made it to to market and you just might be using a Windows 7 PC. In the end, that original tagline became a reality. Apple products truly are for “the rest of us,” and will continue to be so as long as Apple continues to deliver and raise the industry bar.

A well-organized BYOPC program can help IT make users happy, no small thing for a department in constant danger of reorganization and outsourcing. Properly done, it can be an easy way to make friends and win internal support. BYOPC programs generally subsidize laptops, with the policy being that users can also make personal use of the machine (which only makes sense, since we all know that users already commingle their business and personal information on their devices). If a lot of your users are now restricted to desktop machines, the change could provide a boost in productivity, since laptop users are more likely to work beyond business hours.

Bottom line? It was a pretty impressive E3, arguably the most interesting show we’ve seen in years. Gamers have some really nice choices ahead of them, and all three major players have a chance to gain some ground over the holidays and pick up some new users. But there’s a wildcard here — Apple’s recently made some big moves into gaming with their iOS platform, which has taken mobile game marketshare from both Sony and Nintendo. Will iOS make it to the TV screen on a new Apple TV, and if it does games come with it? The gaming market might change dramatically if that happens.

I think it’s good that we are seeing some heated competition in the tablet space. Apple’s iPad has set the bar and that functionality is now the table stakes for the industry. Vendors must build devices that at least equal the iPad experience, offer clear differentiation and features or exceed what Apple has delivered. Let’s see who will step up to the game and raise the bar.