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Oonagh Reidy

iT’s A Sell Out! iPhone 4S Smash ALL Records

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After months of waiting, Apple’s iPhone 4S is finally in town. Approaching the iPhone fanatics lined up outside Apple’s Store in Sydney George St yesterday evening at 6pm for yet another overnight vigil (some have been queuing since mid-week). They seemed in good spirits with less than 12 hours to go to the holy grail that is iPhone 4S, released today in Australia.


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iPhone fans at the top of the queue yesterday evening.

But it wasn’t just in Sydney where madness was building – Melbourne’s Bourke St appeared also to have a gathering: “quite a crowd building at Melbourne’s Telstra Bourke St store,” one Telstra exec tweeted this morning.

All 13 Apple Stores opened at the earlier time of 8am and a crowd had also buit at Sydney’s Chadstone Store.

So, what is all the fuss about, since it appears to not be a major departure from iPhone 4?

iPhone 4S runs iOS 5, has an 8MP HD video camera, faster dual-core A5 processor, improved antenna and voice activated Siri personal assistant.

And it appears to be going down a treat, so far: “Ahh, the best phone AND the best coverage RT,” one newly endowned iPhone 4S owner tweeted.

But the 4S doesn’t come cheap – costing $799 (16GB), $899 (32GB) model and $999 for the new 64GB model.

It already sold one million units on pre-order worldwide (the biggest ever for an Apple device) with telcos here including Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and Virgin Mobile all vying for lucrative iPhone customer dollars.

Just moments ago, it emerged Telstra has already sold out all stock – just five hours after the Apple smartphone went on sale, said to be one of the fastest sell out’s ever for an Apple device.

“64GB models were the first to sell out, followed by 32GB,” said a Telstra spokesperson.

“Online sales have surpassed all Telstra records reflecting the both the huge demand for iPhone 4S and a growing trend among Australians to buy online.”

Read Telco iPhone 4S comparo here

But even Apple co-founder had to line up for the iPhone like everyone else. Steve Wozniack, Steve Jobs Apple co-founder, lined up at 1.20 US local time.

“The long wait begins. I’m first in line. The guy ahead was on the wrong side and he’s pissed,” he tweeted. 

Teenage kicks

No showers, cramped conditions, sleepless nights. Welcome to the bizarre world of iPhone 4S campers.

 

The iPhone 4S teenage campers in Sydney clearly had the money (and the time) to camp for days on end.
The teenage duo I spoke to, Tom and Wil, were at the very top of the queue at 6pm yesterday and couldn’t have been more than 16 years old.

“Why?”, I asked. “Because we want to,” they replied. One of the teens, Tom, was buying the handset for himself and a mate, while Wil just couldn’t face not being the first to get their mitts on the cult-like handset, it appears.

However, the line up at Apple Store was far less than I anticipated and didn’t even clog the street or go around the corner, yesterday evening at least.

How were the Apple devotees coping food wise, I wondered or was this an Apple-only  fast? Pedestrians were offering queuers food and many stopped to chat, curious as to why they were lining up.

iYum: Telstra iPhone 4S cake.

Telstra, who along with the Apple Store and most other telcos opened their doors at earlier time of 8am to deal with the anticipated iPhone scrum reported at 8:35am this morning: “Heaps of people lined up early to be among the first to purchase a new iPhone 4S.”

Telstra, who even baked an icake to celebrate the event, were also offering home delivery of the 4S as were Vodafone. 

However, another Telstra customer was less pleased: “Still waiting for @Telstra to confirm my #Telstra4S order has shipped. Can’t get through on phone. Have submitted form.”

Another more content fan tweeted: “I have two iPhone 4S handsets on my person right now. I am a mugging waiting to happen.”

 

Down the road from Apple Store on Sydney’s George St at the Samsung ‘pop-up shop’ there was a similar size queue formed to get their hands on $2 Galaxy SII smartphone to the first ten strore entrants every day this week.


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Its Live! NBN Hits More Tassies

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Triabunna, Sorrell, and Kingston Beach now connected to high-speed broadband service.


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Almost 4000 more Tassie residents can now receive super fast broadband of “up to” 100 Mbps following the completion of the latest phase of NBN rollout.

The $36bn National Broadband Network is scheduled to hit a total of 12,800 Tas premises in total in the coming weeks, NBN Co said today.

At a ceremony in Launceston today, the NBN fibre broadband was formally switched on in Deloraine, Triabunna, and Sorrell and Kingston Beach near Hobart.

This comes as three Councils in Victoria have rejected NBN Co tower applications in the past few weeks – the latest in Moorabool Shire following objections by locals following visual impact concerns.

The four new sites switched on today cover 3900 premises in addition to the 4000 already live in the test sites of Smithton, Scottsdale and Midway Point.

Rollout to the rest of Oz won’t be complete until 2015.

The activation of the network in George Town and St Helens is to take place in the coming weeks, adding a further 4900 homes and businesses to the NBN footprint.

Chairman of NBN Tasmania, Mr. Greg McCann, said: “Tasmanians were the first in the nation to take advantage of the improved broadband access that the NBN will eventually deliver to every Australian.

“I’m delighted that from today many more will be able to benefit from this essential upgrade to Australia’s decades-old telecommunications infrastructure.”

 

Tasmania will become the first state in Australia to complete NBN rollout. The fibre optic broadband network will cover around 200,000 premises in all.

NBN Co also announced today that it had begun plans to deliver its fixed wireless broadband to around 32,000 premises on the island state not covered by fibre.

Construction in the new sites was carried out by Lend Lease Infrastructure Services working with NBN Co agent Aurora.To get connected to the network, homes in the new rollout locations need to contact one of the internet service providers offering NBN retail packages.

Telstra D-Day Tuesday: Vote On $11B NBN Deal

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1.4 million shareholders will decide the fate of Telstra tomorrow as the vote on the NBN ‘Proposed Transaction’ worth $11 billion, comes to pass. The vote follows Telstra signing of ‘definitive agreements’ with the NBN and government in June on the proposed break up of Telstra and the signing over “long term access” of dark fibre links, pits and ducts infrastructure to NBN Co.The controversial deal means Telstra would be pressing the ‘disconnect’ button on copper network and HFC cable network (except for the delivery of Pay TV services) although would still provide broadband service to areas but only where NBN fibre has not been deployed.

The $11bn handshake also means the mighty dog Telstra would no longer be the dominant force in fixed line wholesale services, depending now on NBN Co fibre network, and will instead focus on wireless services.

It would also change the shape of Australian telco regulatory environment and see NBN Co as the new dominant force in broadband forever and separate Telstra’s retail and wholesale arm and migrate millions of customers to NBN fibre network.

The agreement is “materially superior to any other option realistically available to Telstra under government policy,” according to Telstra Explanatory memorandum to shareholders.In fact, Telstra is also dangling the fact that the ‘next best option’ to NBN agreement would be a difference of $4.7 billion before its shareholders.

To break the $11bn sum down – $4b goes to disconnection payments, $5b infrastructure access payments, $0.3b housing estate provision responsibilities, $0.7bn on TUSMA and $1b on ‘other’ includes retaining Telstra staff and migration os customers over to NBN.

Chief Executive David Thodey also recently said, if passed, Telstra would release a capital expenditure’ grand plan next year on how it intends to spend the windfall although it is unclear if shareholders will get a slice of the action.

 

“Our cashflows do increase over the next three to five years and the question is what do we do with that excess cash.

“We’ve always said that if we haven’t got a use for it, we’ll give it back to shareholders, but we’ve not declared that.

“What we’ve said to shareholders is that early next year, we will come out with a capital management strategy that will give clarity to what we plan.”

In the memo, Directors are calling on shareholder to “unanimously recommend” the proposals as it will give the Telco a “better overall financial outcome”, “free cash flow” and help it focus on “key areas of growth.”

Read Yes: Telstra Shareholders Hard Nod $11B NBN Deal

The Australian Shareholders Association, which has about $150m stake in Telstra or 10,000 proxy votes is already calling on shareholders to approve the plan saying it is the best deal available, saying “we can only assume…management negotiated hard for it.”

“We believe that it is important that all shareholders express their support for this transaction and the board by voting ‘for’ and thus give the board some bargaining power if it should be required in future negotiations with government,” the ASA members report stated last week.

And Telstra need no longer worry about rebel investors Future Fund, once its biggest shareholder who turned against it at every turn over the uncertainty surrounding the NBN and Telstra deal because it now holds just less than 1% share, in total.

However, one issued bugging shareholders is that Telstra’s structural separation undertaking has not yet been approved by ACCC, who already idenfiied several holes in the Telstra-NBN deal although did not think the issues were insurmountable.

However, it is not known what would happen if the deal was rejected by shareholders, however unlikely.

The NBN deal expires in December so a fierce scramble to renegotiate would be on the cards or scrap it altogether. However, if this was to be the case, it would hold up the entire NBN roll-out and upset Telstra’s grand plans.

 

Telstra AGM which takes place tomorrow 18 October 2011 10:00 AM at Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour.

It will also be broadcasting live to venues in Melbourne and Brisbane, and to T-Box customers using its Electronic Program Guide (EPG), or via channel 919.

Dump Your TV (The Right Way)

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Forget dumping the telly outside your door – there now a legit way to ditch the box.


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DHL has been approved as the first organisation ever to offer Oz households and small businesses free collection and recycling services for TV’s, computers, printers and computer products.

The services are being provided under the government’s National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme.

Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water, Senator Don Farrell, announced DHL had won the contract, today.

DHL will also sign up TV and computer manufacturers and importers, and collect and recycle products on their behalf.

It is also responsible for ensuring the new arrangement meets the scheme’s recycling targets – of 80% by 2020-21- up from a paltry 17% in 2010.

Services under the new scheme are due to kick off mid 2012, and expanding across Australia by the end of 2013.

Senator Farrell said the approval of DHL is an important next step for the industry-run recycling scheme.

“Televisions and computers contain valuable non-renewable resources including gold and other precious metals as well as hazardous materials including lead, bromine, mercury and zinc,” he said.

“By recycling them, we can recover useful materials and at the same time reduce health and environmental risks.

 

“Having a variety of providers is expected to lead to more options, both for the community in how they dispose of unwanted televisions and computers and for manufacturers and importers in terms of which provider they join.”

“It is vital to the scheme’s success that organisations applying to establish a co-regulatory arrangement are able to demonstrate that they can meet the scheme’s strict operating criteria, and I congratulate DHL for doing just that.”

Audio Products Nab Elan, Aton & Sunfire

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The Audio Products Group will be the new distributors of the Elan, Aton and Sunfire ranges, dealers have been told today.


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Previously distributed by Hi-Fi and Video Marketing who shut up shop this week, Audio Products MD Ken Dwyer informed dealers of the move in an email sent earlier today.

The mail seen by SmartHouse, stated “the APG has acquired these brands over the past few years” as part of a consolidation strategy of its parent US company, AVC.

Dwyer also firmly denied his company was a ‘brand collector’ or “predatory” in chasing rivals brands.

“We are of course aware that Hi Fi & Video Marketing (HFVM) has previously distributed Elan, Aton and Sunfire in Australia. 

And he moved to reassure dealers the transition would be bump free.

“APG is working with HFVM to ensure an orderly transition of distribution with minimum disruption to Dealers.”
 
“This acquisition is somewhat coincidental probably due to our 16 year relationship with AVC’s other brand, Niles.”
 

“Obviously the addition of these brands strengthens APG’s portfolio in the CI market which is good for us and hopefully our ‘Integrator and installed sound’ customers.”

The AVC Group has acquired the brands over the past few years and decided to consolidate under one distributor in international markets, which includes Australia.


The official date for the transfer over of the brands to APG is 1 October.

REVEALED: How Apple Dodge $2.4 BILLION Of Tax

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Apple is in hot water once again. But this time its not over its China sweat shops – it the tax havens allowing it to dodge billion dollar tax bill from the US government and others.


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Just last week, the iPhone king announced yet another record breaking profit, which rose to an astonishing 94% to US$11.6 billion. Its massive cash reserve has also risen to $104 bn, Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO declared last week.

So the question is how?

The wild state of Nevada just a few hundred miles east of California, which has a zero tax rate, is how.

Oh and other well known tax havens including Ireland, British Virgin Islands and Holland where Cupertino, along with many other tech giants including Google, Facebook and LinkedIn, pay as little as 2.5% tax rate, compared to California’s rate of 8.84%.

These questionable tax practices, known as ‘Double Irish’ and ‘Dutch Sandwich,’ are methods Apple pioneered, according to New York Times report. The companies channel their billion dollar profits through foreign subsidiaries allowing it to pay minimum tax. 

Read: Cheers Ireland: Why Google Oz Send Revenue To Greener Pastures

70% of all Apple tax is paid outside the US despite the fact a large proportion of its business is still conducted within its home country.

It seems these creative accounting methods have allowed the iPhone maker to dodge more than $2.4bn in tax over the past number of years, a US Treasury economist believes.

Setting up an Apple base in Reno, Nevada and elsewhere has allowed Apple to dodge millions in tax it would otherwise have to pay to the state of California, where its Cupertino HQ is located, and 20 other states according to The Times.

And in many cases, the tech giant plonks “little more than a letterbox or an anonymous office” in some far flung state, whose authorities are delighted to have a stalwart like Apple locate a base there.

This is not the first time the tech giants suspiciously low tax bills have come under the spotlight.

And here’s another startling fact – all 71 technology giants on of Standard and Poor (S&P) 500 index reported paying 30% less tax than all the other companies.

But the question is shouldn’t the Cupertino based giant really being paying tax in its own state, even on a moral argument, since it has its base and the vast majority of employees located there, including CEO Tim Cook and Steve Jobs’ family home.

This issue is especially pertinent since the US government is struggling to avoid another recession and could use the tax revenue.

 

Apple insist its practices are all above board, saying it “has conducted all of its business with the highest of ethical standards, complying with applicable laws and accounting rules.”

It also insists it is one of the top payers of tax in the US and its operations generated $5bn in tax for the Government between income tax and other taxes.

The reality is Apple is the now the world’s most valuable company, but at what price?

Ahh My iPhone Is Wet….

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SOS smartphone: phone dead from water damage?A new smart satchel for under $30 created by a Sydney scientist will bring it back to life.

Sydney based RescueTec Distribution have announced a smart satchel with special ingredients that removes water from your mobile.

It will not just save the device but all the data stored on it, especially useful for high end pricey smartphone devices like the iPhone or Samsung’s Galaxy S III.

The satchel is made up of a special smart compound that is 700% more effective than the homemade solution using rice and three times more effective than silica gel.

“The immediate loss of smartphone devices through their contact with water is widespread and RescueTec is responding to this demand, making it easier to revive wet electronic devices and save the content on them,” said David Griffiths, RescueTec Distribution Director.

“RescueTec combines three things, an ultra-smart compound that reduces moisture down to near zero, an exclusive satchel and a unique indicator that tells you when you can restart your device. This indicator is a vital part of the process as if you turn your device on too early it can destroy it permanently.”

Along with the compound, the membrane material used to make the sachet has been engineered specifically to allow for the fast and efficient transit of water and vapour.

So whether you’ve accidentally washed your phone, spilt a drink or just got it wet in the rain, this could save you plenty $$$.

 

Rescuetec’s smart satchel sells for $29.95 from its website, can be express posted and delivered the next day, but is also available from major retailers. 

RescueTec was created by Dr John Waddicor a leading scientist in the field of adsorption chemistry, who has developed several very successful moisture control products for applications ranging from international transportation of electronic goods to medical devices.

Optus, Virgin Take Galaxy Note

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Samsung’s phablet is heading down Optus and Virgin way, according to reports.


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The 5.3″ smartphone/ tablet on Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 will start off on $79 Optus cap from mid-March, according to Ausdroid, while Virgin will also be picking up Note, around the same time.

The Samsung phablet comes with 16GB of internal storage (expandable to 32GB with microSD memory card), stylus pen S Pen, gyroscope, accelerometer and can shoot HD video on 8Mp rear camera (2Mp cam  out front).

Vodafne have already said Galaxy Note is coming “soon” although no confirmation on how soon.

Read: Take Note: Samsung 5″ Phablet Hits Voda  Here

Google Ads ‘Not Deceptive’: High Court

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Google off the hook after the High Court finds it’s not guilty of ‘misleading’ ads after a five year court battle with the consumer watchdog.

The High Court today overturned a decision handed down in April last, finding Google was not responsible for the content of  ads published on behalf of advertisers.

The ACCC first took Google to court back in 2007 in a row over 11 ads or sponsored links, which the watchdog claimed were misleading, and contravened section 52 of the Trade Practices Act 1974.

In April, the Full Federal court unanimously found that Google had itself mislead consumers by displaying four ads related to Harvey World Travel, Honda, Just 4X4 Magazine and Alpha Dog, which appeared to make it difficult for consumers to differentiate between sponsored links and search results.

However, by special leave, Google appealed the decision to the High Court.

The High Court today unanimously allowed the appeal, finding “Google did not engage in conduct that was misleading or deceptive” and “did not create the sponsored links that it published or displayed. “

“Ordinary andreasonable members of the relevant class of consumers who might be affected by the alleged conduct would have understood that sponsored links were advertisements and would not have understood Google to have endorsed or to have been responsible in any meaningful way for the content of those advertisements.”

Some companies have sneakily purchased keywords, known as Google Adwords, of their competitors and linked them back to their own website, meaning a consumer searching for ‘Harvey World Travel’ would click on the link but find themselves staring at STA website instead.

 

Google’s search engine displays two search results “organic search results” and “sponsored links” or related ads to the search request.

“Each sponsored link was created by, or at the direction of, an advertiser, who paid Google to display ad which directed users to a web site of the advertiser’s choosing,” the High Court said.

Google always claimed it was just a publisher of content and not responsible for content of its advertisers.