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Mix: AAPL, Privacy, IDC, White iPhone 4
Apple will announce its third quarter 2010 earnings later today. As it has done in the past, the company also plans to conduct a conference call to discuss its third fiscal quarter results; the call will begin at 2:00 p.m. PST and will be available as an audio webcast.
Apple has responded to an inquiry from the House of Representatives into its location data collection techniques. According to Cnet, the 13-page letter explains that Apple previously shared information with Google and Skyhook, but now keeps its database of call tower locations, Wi-Fi access points, and anonymous GPS coordinates to itself. It does not collect any personally identifying data, such as SSIDs or data.
According to the latest data from IDC, 66% of current iPhone owners will delay their purchase of the iPhone 4 because of the handset’s well-documented antenna and reception issues. Macworld UK reports that despite the low numbers among current owners, 74% of those who don’t own an iPhone and plan to purchase one said the ongoing issues would not delay their plans. ““It looks like a perfect example of the difference between behavioral economics and market economics,” said Will Stofega, a mobile device analyst for IDC. “The iPhone 4 clearly isn’t working as it should, Apple’s saying that ‘We’ll give you a Bumper,’ but people seem committed to the iPhone. Many of them see this as overblown, and that Apple will fix it.”
Apple’s need to initially delay shipments of white iPhone 4 units was due to problems at Lens Technology, a small Chinese company responsible for transforming fine raw glass into the final iPhone glass panel. Engadget reports that the company’s factory is still working on the right combination of paint thickness and opacity to allow for attachment of the digitizer while keeping the panel the correct color of white. The report goes on to state that Lens can currently only match half of Apple’s demand, posing a bottleneck to the supply chain.
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“Apple previously shared information with Google and Skyhook, but now keeps its database of call tower locations, Wi-Fi access points, and anonymous GPS coordinates to itself.”
I didn’t think Apple played a direct role in passing location data to and from Skyhook’s database of access points vs. location. But now they’re stating that they will no longer share this information anymore, so that implies that they have been involved up until now. Just curious what, if anything, this means for location services for the Touch.
Posted by rockmyplimsoul on July 20, 2010 at 11:40 AM (PDT)