Details of the O2 Ireland iPhone Launch

It has been confirmed that on March 14, the iPhone will be available through O2 and Carphone Warehouse in Ireland. iPhone will be offered in an 8GB model for Eur 399 (inc VAT) and a 16GB model for Eur 499 (inc VAT) and will work with either a Mac or PC. Three new iPhone tariffs will be available from O2, starting at Eur 45, all of which will include anytime minutes, texts and a 1GB data bundle.

Danuta Gray, O2 Ireland CEO, said, “The iPhone is changing the way people use their mobiles forever, and we’re thrilled to offer it to O2 customers in Ireland. Our strategy in Ireland continues to be to bring our customers the very best innovations and experiences in mobile communications.”

Activation is simple; the SIM is activated immediately in-store. At home, customers have only to sync the device to their Mac or PC and download the latest version of iTunes, following simple-to-use activation instructions, and the iPhone will be ready to go.

After the phone is activated, users will be easily able to sync all of their phone numbers and other contact information, email accounts, web browser bookmarks, calendars, music, photos, podcasts and TV shows, the way they do when they sync their iPods with iTunes. And best of all, they will have an iPhone.

Time Capsule Arrives

Announced during January’s MacWorld Expo, Apple’s Time Capsule is the new wireless hard-drive backup which you can use to backup data on multiple Macs, using Time Machine in Mac OS X Leopard. It is now shipping. “Notifications of the shipments began reaching customers that pre-ordered the device early this morning,” reports Jim Dalrymple for Macworld._

Combining a full-featured 802.11n Wi-Fi base station, offering a network access point and a hard disk drive, Time Capsule also features dual-band antennas for 2.4GHz or 5GHz frequencies. It offers a USB 2.0, one Gigabit Ethernet, and three Gigabit LAN ports. Connect your DSL or cable modem to Time Capsule, and a new wireless network is immediately created. Or, you can extend an existing AirPort-based network. Time Capsule also has a built-in power supply and can connect in order to wirelessly print from a USB printer.

Time Capsule provides either 500GB or 1TB of hard-drive space, and offers plenty of capacity for all your backup needs. You are also protected with a built-in firewall and industry-standard encryption technologies with include WPA/WPA2 and 128-bit WEP.

And, as with all Apple devices, Time Capsule works perfectly with Apple TV, iPhone, iPod Touch, and all other Wi-Fi devices which use the 802.11a/b/g and 802.11n draft 2.0 wireless standards.

Time Capsule’s 500GB Hard Drive sells for £199.00 . The 1TB Hard Drive sells for
£329.00

iPhone launching in Ireland on March 14th?

It is rumored the iPhone will be launched in Ireland on March 14th, according to Pocket-lint. Prices are €399 (including VAT) for the 8GB and €499 for the 16GB. iPhone will be sold in Ireland through O2 and Carphone Warehouse retail stores. Three iPhone tariffs will be available from O2, starting at €45, all of which will include anytime minutes, texts and a 1GB data bundle.

Click here to learn more.

Why Are Macs Getting More Love?

Diann Daniel of CIO.com talks about the way that Mac usage has been spreading, especially on college campuses. She lists some of the most obvious reasons why.

Yes, they have always inspired loyalty; and there is a long-time base of Apple loyalists. Now, add to that the growing number of those who are discovering the high quality of Apple products for the first time, and assume their loyalty as well. J.P. Gownder, an analyst at Forrester Research, points to Apple’s primary focus, which is to create products for individual users. What he speaks of, perhaps, is the ease and intuitive quality of use in the Mac. Yes, of course. But what else?

Daniel points to four areas which she believes increase Mac popularity. The first is PC compatibility. With Parallels and Boot Camp, Macs are enabled to operate Windows. Although Daniels doesn’t mention it, VMWare Fusion is also a program which allows for ease of Windows use on a Mac. It allows the machine to work in both, and to move back and forward between the systems with ease.

Then there is the operating system. It has been called the best operating system ever by many experts, and it is undeniably stable. Much more can be said about OS X and the superiority of the Leopard operating system over anything that Microsoft has offered in years.

Daniel also points to the very successful marketing campaign of “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC”.
“Those ads brought personification and mass appeal to a subject that only geeks could love previously. Using layman’s terms and appealing to the “cool” factor, the ads build a case for choosing a Mac over a PC.” Besides, they are extremely funny.

The issue of support is the fourth pillar of Daniel’s construct. Now that Macs have a Unix base, they are easier to use. Becoming accustomed to operating a Mac goes smoothly.

It appears that Daniel is missing some of the most obvious reasons for Apple’s line of computers growth in popularity. They are dependable; they hold their value and continue to function excellently for years beyond their purchase date. They are not paralyzed by virus problems, spyware and the other invasions to which PCs frequently fall victim. Apple continually updates and upgrades its product line and its software, so that users find themselves consistently on the cutting edge of technology research and practice. The design of an Apple product is beautiful; and the importance of excellent design is part of the Apple ethos.

So, why are Macs getting more love? Because more and more people are becoming aware of the overall excellence that Apple offers its customers in every product it creates.

Loving the Apple iPhone

Hugh Scott, who is Vice President of IS for the wholesale business unit of Direct Energy (a retail energy provider), used to call himself a “dyed in the wool BlackBerry user”. But he admits to being one of the earliest purchasers of the iPhone. He now uses both. He cites areas where he finds the iPhone to be superior.

“The size of the device is impressive; much thinner than my BlackBerry. I carry the BlackBerry in a holster, but I can just slip my iPhone into my pocket without any discomfort or awkwardness. That means I can carry both without having to resort to multiple holsters or deal with overpacked pockets.”

What does he like best about the iPhone? Its touch screen-based user interface, the Wi-Fi support, and the high-quality media player, which means that carrying a separate iPod is no longer necessary.

“Apple did a fabulous job building an intuitive and simple to employ user interface. The iPhone’s touch screen is easy to get used to and fun, and though I can’t dash out e-mails on my iPhone in the quick-fire way that I can on the BlackBerry, I can navigate through various Web pages and access applications in a way I never thought possible.”

Scott wishes for three things, however, “If I could change three things about my iPhone, I’d make it a 3G device and I’d add a cut and paste function and a video recorder.” Give it time, Mr. Scott.

Would he still call himself a “dyed in the wool BlackBerry user”? Yes, and no. “I continue to use my BlackBerry as a business phone, but the iPhone is now my personal phone. I don’t use it for business though I do use the media player during work-related transit. The two devices cater to two different parts of my life: work and home.” Is he saying that the iPhone wouldn’t be a successful phone in a business environment? No. He simply doesn’t have the option to use the iPhone exclusively, since his own company’s network supports only BlackBerrys. His company, like many others, have invested a significant amount of money into their BlackBerry systems.
What is interesting here is that Mr. Scott, despite the fact that his business network dictates the use of a BlackBerry, also purchased an iPhone for his own personal enjoyment and use. This may be a more significant piece of information than Mr. Scott himself indicates. How many people are there who purchase BlackBerrys for personal enjoyment? I’d wager, not many.

Buy the Apple iPhone here:
Apple UK
O2
Carphone Warehouse

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