Since its initial release in 2007, Apple's iPhone has truly changed the way people think about mobile phones. Applications, mobile email and the mobile web were all revolutionized by Apple's sleek smartphone. Currently, it is among the most popular devices for consumers, and its appeal to enterprise customers seems to grow every day.
For the first time since its release, though, there appears to be a major problem with the device that has caused some users and personal privacy advocates to worry. On Wednesday, Alasdair Allain and Pete Warden, security researchers, reported the details of their investigation into the iPhone at the Where 2.0 conference in San Francisco. According to the pair, iPhones monitor the latitude and longitude coordinates of the device at all times. In some instances, they found records of a user's location going back as far a year.
According to Allain and Warden, the device can even transmit data to new Apple products when a user upgrades or purchases a new one. This capability, according to Warden and Allain, is evidence enough that the feature is not an accident. At this point, Apple's motivation for tracking location is entirely unknown, but it has not been a feature common among all versions of the iPhone. According to the pair, it has only occurred in iOS 4 and later versions.
At this time, there is no need for iPhone users to worry about this feature, unless they lose their phone. Since the information is stored and unencrypted on the smartphone, anyone can access it. Throughout the week, “iPhone location tracking” has remained a consistently popular topic based on Google Realtime search results, as users and prospective customers alike are concerned about the potential impact of owning an iPhone.
Users can turn the capability off by declining location tracking when installing any application with the feature. Still, both politicians and technology pundits are demanding a response from Apple – namely CEO Steve Jobs. To this point, Jobs has remained silent.
Despite the criticism, Apple has enjoyed a successful week in some regard. Market research firm comScore released a report detailing the popularity of various mobile operation systems. When factoring the number of iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches currently in use, Apple accounts for 16.2 percent of all mobile devices. Google's Android claims 10.2 percent at the moment. While this number represents positive growth for Android, it demonstrates the difficulty its tablets have competing against the iPad.
According to comScore's report, more than 17 percent of iPad users are also Research In Motion BlackBerry smartphone customers. Until this week, BlackBerry users had no RIM tablet alternative. On Monday, though, the BlackBerry PlayBook was released. Throughout the week, “BlackBerry PlayBook” remained a popular social topic according to Google Realtime results, and it was a trending topic on Twitter. However, a substantial portion of the conversation dealt with negative aspects if the device.
The lack of native email and the initial unavailability of synching between BlackBerry smartphones and the device were among the primary criticisms. Still, RBC Capital Markets['] Mike Abramsky reported on Thursday that consumers purchased nearly 50,000 PlayBooks on its first day of availability. The device is currently only available in its Wi-Fi exclusive model. However, Sprint will begin carrying a 4G-enabled PlayBook this summer.
For Sprint, there was little to be happy about this week, as the acquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T appears to have moved further to completion. The Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice must sign off on the $39 billion deal, but most believe it will be granted without many snags.
On the same note, the partnership between Microsoft and Nokia, designed to increase the success of both Nokia handsets and Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 mobile operating systems, became official on Thursday. The companies initially announced the agreement in February and cemented the pact after clearly defining which production elements would fall on each company. For Nokia, the motivation is clear: its internally developed mobile OS, Symbian, simply cannot compete with Appe's iOS, Google's Android or BlackBerry. Therefore, Microsoft's elegant WP7 is an ideal replacement for Symbian. Those loyal to Microsoft and Nokia appear to be excited about the deal, which pairs the premium mobile OS with one of the world's most successful original equipment manufacturers. “Microsoft Nokia” remained a frequent conversation topic on the web on Thursday.
At the moment, the consensus is that the move represents a positive step for both parties, who have become less trendy than some competitors – especially as Apple, Google, Samsung and HTC have replaced them as the premier tech companies.
Apple and Samsung also made waves in the legal world this week, which will likely continue into next week. As the two companies trade lawsuits for patent violations and copyright infringements, the technology world will wait patiently for a decision in their ongoing legal battle.
