América Móvil To Bring iPhone To Latin America

América Móvil has signed with Apple to bring the iPhone to Latin America bringing the iPhone to Mexico and other Latin Caribbean countries this year.

The company said it plans to bring the iPhone to all of its Latin American operations, but didn't say whether it would be the exclusive iPhone provider in the targeted countries.

The deal mark's Apple's fourth international distribution deal for the iPhone in recent weeks; in addition to the Vodafone deal in Europe, it has also announced a separate arrangement with Telecom Italia and Canada's Rogers Communications. The new distribution deals could be important for the future of Apple's iPhone product as it moves the line forward.

So far, Apple has sold about 5.5 million iPhones; the company has a goal of selling 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008. A new 3G version of the iPhone is expected in North American markets and possibly overseas by mid-year.

At the end of March, América Móvil had 159.2 million subscribers in 16 countries. The company operates in the USA, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico and Uruguay.

References:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aJsxrJg.xNpg

External Battery Pack For iPhone

If you are a busy person and you spent almost half a day talking on your iPhone, or If you travel a lot, and do not always have a place to recharge your iPhone, there s a solution for you. Mophie created a very useful external battery pack for your iPhone called “Juice Pack“.

By the help of a “Juice Pack“your iPhone will get additional 250 hours of standby, 24 hours of audio playback, 8 hours of talk time, 7 hours of video and 6 hours of internet browsing. Shortly it doubles your iPhones battery life.

The Juice Pack is a rechargeable lithium polymer battery in the form of a non-slip, soft grip case.

The new product, offered by Mophie costs $99.95, and can be purchased from Mophie store.

References:

http://www.mophie.com/pages/iphone-details/

Bike Mount Holder For iPhone By USB Fever

USB Fever, offers iPhone consumers new portable gadget for bicycles - The iPhone Bike Mount.

One can mount iPhone Bike on a steering wheel, and enjoy a good movie, browse internet or check emails while riding the bike.

Be aware not to front-brake too hard, and protect your iPhone from the elements. iPhone Bike Mount costs only $14.99 and you can order it on the USB Fever Website.

First step to order an item on the USB Fever is to register on the website the system is developed for all major browsers (e.g. Firefox, IE...), then find items if you know the exact address, you may simply type it and go and the last step you should do is just to click the icon "Buy". After making the payment, you will receive an order confirmation email from USB Fever .com and PayPal for reference.

How and when do orders to be shipped? To receive your order (by Standard International Air Mail):

• For US/Canada, it usually takes 2-3 weeks;
• For Europe and other countries, it usually takes 2-3 weeks;
• For Italy, Spain and Portugal, it usually takes 2-4 weeks;
• For South America, it usually takes 2-6 weeks;
• For South East Asia countries, it usually takes 10~14 days;
• For other destinations, it usually takes from 2 - 6 weeks;
• During Peak seasons (e.g. Christmas, New Year, and Easter) or some special occasions ... it may take 1-2 weeks longer.

Security after ordering and paying for an item is important, regardless if you use credit, debit or PayPal none of your information is stored with usbfever.com. All transactions go through PayPal.

References:

http://www.slipperybrick.com/2008/04/iphone-bike-mount-watch-movies-from-your
-ambulance/

http://www.usbfever.com/index_topic.php?did=5&didpath=/5

Goldstriker Launched 24ct Gold iPhone "Solar Star" Edition

Goldstriker International launched the new 24ct Gold iPhone "Solar Star" edition. This phone belongs to the "Elite Choice" collection by Stuart Hughes.

With the front bezel and rear logo in Gold, this beautiful phone matches Lamborghini Gallardo's Balloon white in color.

The white-and-gold color scheme looks good to the touch and it comes with updated firmware 1.1.4 as well as is unlocked for worldwide GSM use.

The Solar Star iPhone is priced up at £749.95.

Goldstriker International operates as a family run business, specializing in precious metal plating. Except from many different services Goldstriker also offers consumers a unique service of adorning items in any precious metal of their choice.

See also about Shiny iPhone here

References:

http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2008/04/iphone_solar_star_edition_from
_goldstriker.html

Apple's iPhone VS Canadian Market

Apple's iPhone is expected to enter Canadian market. Unfortunatly exact date is not announced but it seems to be nice when service get wider. So do Rogers Communications Inc..

Ted Rogers, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rogers Communications Inc. on tuesday issued the following statement: “We're thrilled to announce that we have a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Canada later this year. We can't tell you any more about it right now, but stay tuned.”

Demand for Apple's iPhone is very hight not only in canada I mean worldwide. Russia makes it fashionable and phone appears trendy the latest must-have for Russia's elite, numbering about 500,000 in all in the country already. This is despite the US$700 price that iPhones sell for in that country. Of course, this is nothing compared to the $1,800 it sold for when it was first launched in the US.

I see Apple's iPhone does not gives up. Repid market share and hight distribution lives it’s results - people like it so much. So we have to be patient and wait for the next announcement but may be iPhone already brouhgt to canada. Who knows? Even Ted Rogers keeps silent.

Reference:

http://your.rogers.com/aboutrogers/newsroom/wirelessmediainfo/wireless_news_releases.asp

Apple Has Signed Up 200,000 developers For iPhone

Apple has revealed that over 200,000 iPhone developers have downloaded Software Development Kit (SDk) so far. Apple also announced that in mid-March, the iPhone SDK had been downloaded 100,000 times. According to Apple CFO Oppenheimer Apple is signing up more developers each week.

Oppenheimer called the response to the SDK "tremendous" and said that interest in developing enterprise applications for the iPhone is also going well. More than 400 higher educations are now creating applications for the iPhone, and more than one-third of Fortune 500 companies are actively creating software for the iPhone as well.

Apple plans to deliver a free update to the software that runs the iPhone -called iPhone 2.0 in late June. That update will introduce the App Store, a new feature that will enable iPhone users to purchase, download and install third-party application software for the device. Apple also plans to release a similar update to the iPod touch delivered for a nominal fee that will enable iPod touch users to access the App Store as well.

Apple has sold 1.7 million iPhones in the quarter and is now selling phones in Austria and Ireland. Apple's COO, Tim Cook, reiterated to analysts who questioned him after Oppenheimer's preamble that Apple is on track to sell 10 million iPhones by the end of the year.

References:

http://www.macworld.com/article/133146/2008/04/iphonedevs.html

AT&T Profits Rose Mainly By iPhone Sales

AT&T the largest communications holding company in the world (by revenue) has unveiled their quarterly results. Their first quarter results rose by 22%. According to AT&T such profits were in part driven by gains in its wireless business. And of course the main reason of it is the iPhone, which doubled the average revenue per subscriber that AT&T gets from other wireless customers.

The company said it gained 1.3 million net wireless subscribers for the quarter, the majority of which were new iPhone subscribers.

AT&T announced that net income jumped to $3.46 billion, or 57 cents a share, from $2.85 billion, or 45 cents, a year earlier.

AT&T didn’t break out the numbers of iPhone additions as earlier. The number could still be around 1.5 million because other carriers besides AT&T are selling it internationally, and about 30 percent are unlocked. By the end of last year, AT&T had activated two million iPhones. Here are the iPhone details AT&T provided:

iPhone continues to be very popular with customers, feedback is very good. ARPUs are in the mid to upper 90s across the base. We continue to see customers adopting iPhone. Over 40% are new to us. Continued, solid growth. Through Q1 stable.

References:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/04/22/apple-shares-slump-as-att-gives
-vague-details-on-iphone-growth/

http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/4/att_q1_solid_waiting_on_guidance_t

Shiny Iphone

If you are gold or dimond addicted you should apply for Goldstriker to get specially established gold iPhone - most expensive I have ever seen.

It is for the true connoisseur of iPhone fans. It is elegantly lined with 24ct gold on the iPhone’s front bezel. Parts adourned in gold inc front full surround and 3/4 of the rear revealing a total mirror finish.The back of the phone is painted in a custom black paint.









The back of the iPhone also sees a 24ct gold Apple logo. The phone itself is the 16GB model. This beautifully crafted iPhone can be had for GBP699.95 ($1384).

Goldstriker International operate as a family run business, specialising in precious metal plating.

Sure, shiny Iphone makes you different!

But how different is the sum you are ready to pay for it?

Reference:

http://www.goldstriker.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=156

Apple And Orange Negotiating About Lowering The Cost Of The French iPhone

Apple is currently in negotiations with French wireless carrier Orage about lowering the cost of the French iPhone, according to a report from French business daily Les Echos.

As reported in the French paper, iPhones in France are currently priced at €399 ($629). However the difference would be that Orange would begin subsidising the handset based upon the monthly cost of the contract users would take out, which up until now - and contrary to practices in other European countries where the iPhone is sold - they have not done.

According to Les Echos, Apple is disappointed with sales figures for the cellphone in France, 100,000 handsets of which have been sold since it went on sale there. Takeup of the iPhone generally in Europe has been less enthusiastic than in the US, perhaps because 3G networks (and the handsets to take advantage of them) are more common and to some degree expected among European users.

As a result, Apple are encouraging all carriers to further subsidise the initial cost of the handset to boost sales, which some are seeing as a way to clear first-generation iPhones before the 3G version’s imminent launch.

Orange, however, is content with the current pricing, telling the paper that there is “‘no question of changing the business model of the iPhone” and that “everything is going well”, revealing that the carrier obviously had lower sales expectations than the manufacturer did.

The 8GB iPhone has recently seen its price slashed in the UK, from £269 to £269.

References:

http://ilounge.com/index.php/news/comments/apple-orange-negotiating-iphone-price-cut/

http://www.lesechos.fr/info/hightec/4716763.htm

iHome To Launch iP99 Clock Radio For The iPhone

iHome is set to launch the new iP99 iPhone-compatible dual alarm clock radio at Brookstone specialty retail stores on June 1.

According to Brookstone, the iP99 iPhone clock radio can still receive calls while docked because engineers eliminated the shielding that normally interferes with cell signals. It also has a specialized adapter to accommodate for both the iPhone and all versions of the iPod, allowing it to dock, charge and play from every one of Apple’s audio players.

There are other clock radios on the market that will work with the iPod, but none of them today have allowed the iPhone to receive calls while playing music.

The iHome iP99 iPhone Clock Radio will go on sale on June 1 for $149.95. It features10-watt Reson8 speakers, an integrated AM/FM radio, an alarm buzzer and a remote control.

Customers can already start to order the iHome iP99 iPhone clock radio through 1 june and receive free shipping, by visiting any one of Brookstone’s 314 stores in the USA or at www.brookstone.com.

Brookstone, Inc. was founded in 1965 as a small New England catalog company. Brookstone, Inc., today is a USA based product developer and multi-channel retailer that generates annual sales of approximately half a billion dollars.

Brookstone operates 308 branded stores, located primarily in high-end shopping malls and lifestyle centers throughout the United States and in Puerto Rico.

References:

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/
story/04-15-2008/0004792627&EDATE

https://www.brookstone.com/store/product.asp?product_code=595702

New HybridShell And VideoShell Cases For The iPhone

Digital Lifestyle Outfitters has announced the release of two new cases - the HybridShell and the VideoShell for the iPhone. They’re available for $24.99 and $19.99 respectively from the DLO store.

The HybridShell is a fusion of crystal-clear polycarbonate plus gripable silicone, combined to provide a strong layer of protection for the iPhone. The new shield also has black rubber dots above the surface that makes it easy to grip. In the front it has DLO Surface Shield, which adds transparent protective layer, which allows you to use all the touch screen functions, and still have your device protected.

The VideoShell integrates a kickstand which allows you to comfortably place iPhone on flat surface and enjoy a movie, or any other video content. It provides you with access to the headphone port, hold switch, side controls and dock connector. It also includes a Surface Shield.

DLO Surface Shields are also available separately for $14.99. The pack contains five anti-glare films for protection against dust and smudges. Because they work with static adhesion, Surface Shields are easy to apply, re-adjust if necessary, and remove without leaving behind any sticky residue.

References:

http://www.dlo.com/Products/Hshell_iPhone_Prod.tpl?command=showpage&cart=
12079838911395131

16GB IPhone - Top Selling Item

I4U have published the report about 10 selling products in the online apple store. It says that the 16GB iPhone was the top selling item during last week. As part of a weekly report on top selling Apple Store items, they claim that the largest capacity iPhone tool the lead in sales and items sold.

Not surprisingly, the 8GB iPhone followed in second place. At this rate, Apple might still stand a chance of reaching their 10 million mark.

References:

http://www.i4u.com/article16076.html

Refurbished iPhone For $249

AT&T has already begun selling refurbished models of the 8GB iPhone for $249, a savings of $150 off a new iPhone.

The offer requires a 2-year plan that must be ordered during the activation process. Limit is one per customer. Standard AT&T rates and plans apply. A quick check of the Apple Store online also reveals the availability of the same 8GB iPhone for $249. Apple also offers AppleCare for $69 which extends repair coverage for 2 years.

Not a bad proposal for those who have to make some savings!

References:

http://www.slickdeals.net/?permadeal=11952#direct_deal_11952

http://www.att.com/Common/merger/files/pdf/iphone_att_network_fs.pdf

iPhone Consumers - Active Users Of The Web

A new study from measurement firm M:Metrics confirms, that iPhone users are tend to check the web more often than the users of other mobile devices.

After charting the habits of more than 10,000 adults for six months after the iPhone's U.S. launch, M:Metrics concludes that nearly 84.8% of iPhone purchasers regularly use their handheld device to access news and other content on the web.

The study found that 58.6% of iPhone users visited a search engine on their phone, compared to 37% of smartphone users and 6.1% of mobile phone users. 30.9% of iPhone owners watched mobile TV or video, versus a 4.6 market average, and more than double the rate for all smartphone users.

Finally, 74.1% of iPhone users listen to music on their iTunes-equipped devices. Only 27.9% of smartphone users listen to music on their phones and 6.7% of the overall mobile-phone-toting public listens to music on their mobile devices.

"Two featured widgets, YouTube and Google Maps are extremely popular among iPhone users: 30.4% accessed YouTube and 36% used Google Maps," - said senior analyst for M:Metrics, Mark Donovan.

Social networking is also popular among iPhone users: 49.7% accessed a social networking site in 2008 January, nearly twelve times the market average. 20% of iPhone owners accessed Facebook, one of the first Web properties to customize its content for the iPhone, versus 1.5 percent of the total mobile market.

"The iPhone has certainly delivered on its hype. Beyond a doubt, this device is compelling consumers to interact with the mobile Web, delivering off-the-charts usage from everything to text messaging to mobile video." - said Mark Donovan.

The study showed that iPhone owners, like other smartphone owners, tend to be male, aged 25-34, earn more than US$100K and have a college degree.

References:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/18/iphone-users-are-mobile-web-junkies/

Japanese VS. Iphone

Japanese analysts are doubtful whether the iPhone will catch on in markets like Japan, where consumers favor smaller and sleeker multifunctional handsets. They also question whether Japanese carriers will accept ceding to Apple's tight control over handset design and agree to its demand for a certain share of subscription fees.

“Most Japanese consumers are more likely to remain content with what they already have” - said Nahoko Mitsuyama, a telecom analyst at Gartner Japan who attended the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, in February.

However, Japanese analysts are doubtful. Current iPhones won't work in Japan, where the faster third-generation network has become the mainstream. Industry watchers believe 3G iPhones will be released in the latter half of this year.

Apple hopes to reach an agreement with a Japanese mobile phone operator to achieve its goal of selling 10 million iPhones worldwide by the end of 2008. It sold some 3.7 million iPhones throughout the world in 2007.

"Most of the world's Internet users via mobile phone are Japanese, so success in mobile services here can be applied to other markets."- said Noritaka Kobayashi, an information and communications consultant at Nomura Research Institute in Tokyo.

Japanese consumers are amazed by the iPod, which controls 54.5 percent of Japan's digital portable music player market - well above Sony's Walkman with 26.2 percent, according to market research firm BCN. The iPhone could benefit from an emotional attachment to Apple among Japanese.

"Japanese like anything new and trendy, so the thing is how many customers Apple can attract beyond Apple fans," - Gartner's Mitsuyama said, noting that Japanese on average change their handsets every two years.

Still, Japan is expected to be a difficult market. Here, mobile phone carriers control the release of new handsets and dictate specific features and functions of new cell phones to satisfy consumers who are picky about product usability, design and quality. Foreign makers account for only about 10 percent of the roughly 50 million handsets sold annually in Japan, although their market share is on the rise, according to Yano Research Institute.

Solar Technology Unveiled Solar Charger For iPhone and iPod Touch

UK-based Solar Technology unveiled amazing and portable Solar Charger product, the Freeloader 8.0 for iPhone, iPod Touch and other devices, such as mp3 Players, digital cameras, PSP’s, Nintendo DS Lite etc.

FreeLoader 8.0 Portable Solar Charger is a compact smart looking device that absorbs solar energy and converts it to power for your iPhones or any gadget that you might be using.

According to the makers:

“Freeloader takes power from its solar panels or via a supplied charge cable that plugs into a computers’ USB. Once charged, Freeloaders internal battery can power an iPod for 18hours, a mobile phone for 44 hours, PSP for 2.5 hours a PDA for 22 hours and much much more.”

It doesn’t matter if you are in a car or traveling, this new device can charge your iPhones, camera’s or any hand held device easily.

The Freeloader comes in silver and pink, and features two small sold-away solar panels that can charge the internal battery within 5 hours. Solar Technology is selling the Freeloader 8.0 for £29.99; as of now, it is available only in the UK.

In addition to charging the iPod, the Freeloader comes with several adapters for Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and LG phones. Nintendo DS Lite and PSP users will also be able to use the charger, and it includes several generic USB connections for other devices that can charge through USB.

Solar Technology also sells the enlarged Supercharger solar panels that reduce the Freeloader's charge time by 50-percent, which it sells for £20 (~$40).

References:

http://www.solartechnology.co.uk/products/solar_chargers/freeloader.asp

http://www.letsgomobile.org/en/3094/apple-iphone-solar-charger/

Call Your iPhone Contacts Via PhotoDial 1.0

Makyama Software has released PhotoDial 1.0 for the iPhone, which allows you to call your contacts by clicking on desired contacts’ picture. You can also change the order for quick dialing and set the size of the pictures.

The way it works is by having a picture showed for every contact, which you can quickly scroll and click once you found the person you want to call. You can select how many pictures at a time you want to see, and the order which they are displayed.

To get a free tryout, start Installer on your iPhone, press Sources, then Edit, then Add. Next, type http://tinyurl.com/2t8cax; registration is normally US$19.95. If you liked the software, be aware that it costs $14.95 until March, and $19.95 after. So if you like it you should hurry up.

The software works with all languages and all firmwares. It will be available in Apple’s official distribution channel in March and can be downloaded now for “jailbroken” phones. You’ll be automatically notified of free updates via Installer.

The iPhone has either 4 GB or 8 GB of internal flash memory. It cannot be expanded. An increasing number of high-end phones from Motorola, Samsung, LG, Nokia and others have a MicroSD slot that makes it possible to inexpensively add more memory to the device, but the iPhone does not have this capability.

Here comes a question: How much memory do photos take up in the iPhone? It depends on the picture. If it has a lot of color and is very detailed, it will take up more space. If the definition and color is not very vibrant then it will require less space. But don’t worry iPhone give us opportunity to keep a lot of photos there, so we can make lot of calls, as well.

Apple Hits Lowest Level Since June; New iPhone Worries

Apple (AAPL) shares are down sharply to their lowest level since June, as several analyst reports have triggered fresh concerns about the state of demand for iPhones and iPods.

Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst at Bernstein Research, has published the transcript of a recent conference call he held with investors on the subject of unlocked iPhones, what they mean to Apple, and what options the company has to deal with them. In a summary of the call, he contends that, while the iPhone has the potential to drive material earnings growth for Apple, the company faces two “significant challenges”: demand appears to be falling short of expectations, and the incidence of unlocking is much higher than expected.

Sacconaghi admits that the iPhone will be 6% of Apple’s revenues in FY ‘08, but could be nearly a quarter of the total by FY 2012, driving half of the company’s revenue growth over the next four years; and he notes that since the iPhone has a higher gross margin than other Apple products, it could drive 70%-80% of the company’s profit growth.

Sacconaghi says that weekly run-rate sales in the December quarter were about 180,000 units or less than 10 million on an annualized basis in the busiest quarter of the year for consumer electronics sales. That leads him to conclude that the goal of selling 10 million units in 2008 is optimistic, “particularly if Apple insists on carrier revenue-sharing, without significant price cuts or new model introductions.” He says European sales of the iPhone have been “particularly disappointing,” falling short of carriers’ initial expectations. Sacconaghi is projecting 1.45 million units in the December quarter, 6.9 million for the September 2008 fiscal year and 7.9 million for calendar 2008.

Sacconaghi, who kicked off the “missing iPhones” debate in January, pointing out the wide gap between the number of iPhones Apple has sold and the number of iPhone customers AT&T (T) as the exclusive U.S. carrier has signed up, repeats his previous estimate that 25%-30% of iPhones sold to date have been unlocked for use with carriers other than the one authorized by Apple. He notes that, if Apple sold 10 million iPhones this year but 30% were unlicked, the company would be losing out on $1.1 billion-$1.3 billion of revenue and 80-85 cents a share in EPS over the following two years. He also notes, not for the first time, that the unlocked phones pose a strategic issue, limiting the company’s ability to provide a truly exclusive relationship to carriers, and so reducing their willingness to kick back some subscriber revenue to Apple in return for an exclusive deal.

J.P. Morgan’s Bill Shope on Friday wrote that “with relatively slow unit growth in the holiday season” and the recent price cut for the iPod Shuffle, “signs point to iPod saturation and some macro sensitivity.” He says the Shuffle price cut “is likely intended to boost Shuffle momentum and iPod units overall.” In a separate note, Shope also says that Apple “still seems comfortable with Mac momentum, which remains the critical component of the story at these levels.” He says that Apple execs in a recent meeting would not comment on iPod and iPhone demand concerns, but did say that Mac product family is better positioned than in the last economic downturn.

Morgan Stanley noted Friday that MacBook distributor inventories are “near all-time lows” for the third straight week, but that iMac units are above historical average levels. The iPod Touch, they say, is selling well, with low channel inventory, while Shuffle inventory, which had accumulated in recent months, is down sharply ahead of the arrival of recently unveiled 2GB model.

The iPhone is an Internet-enabled multimedia mobile phone designed and marketed by Apple Inc. It has a multi-touch screen with virtual keyboard and buttons. The iPhone's functions include those of a camera phone and a portable media player ("iPod"), in addition to text messaging and visual voicemail. It also offers Internet services including e-mail, web browsing, and local Wi-Fi connectivity. It is a quad-band mobile phone that uses the GSM standard, and hence has international capability. It supports the EDGE data technology.

Following the success of iPods, Apple announced the iPhone in January 2007. The announcement was preceded by rumors and speculations that circulated for several months. The iPhone was introduced, first in the United States on June 29, 2007 with much media frenzy and then in the United Kingdom, Germany and France in November 2007. It was named Time magazine's Invention of the Year in 2007.

Is Apple iPhone the Main Target Behind Microsoft-Yahoo! Pact?

The technology market is afire with news of Microcrosoft acquiring another giant Yahoo! But industry experts find it hard to consider it merely an acquisition bid for just the money coming from advertisements. Besides benefiting from Yahoo’s online capabilities, they believe that ‘Microsoft has had more success with mobile operating systems than in mobilizing its Internet properties; and experts feel that Yahoo! Go platform would work extremely well for Microsoft.

Now, talking of market share, Apple which is said to have shipped nearly 4 million iPhones in 2007 with the target of achieving 10 million sales in 2008 has been one of the prime promoters of the Multitouch technology. Microsoft on the other hand says it will ship around 20 million smartfones in 2008 for Windows Mobile.

While experts consider Apple a much innovative challenger gaining a considerable mindshare over market shares. It regular innovation and up gradation of the iPhone since its launch in mid- 200 7 has been a constant threat to competitors like technology giants like Microsoft.

Therefore, this coming together of Microsoft and Yahoo! is like sending a signal out to Apple iPhones of probable market redistribution. However, Apple is all set to take the challenge, as it launched its 16 GB double storage capacity iPhone model, upgrading from the usual 8GB and that too at attractive prices with the hike of just $100. Now you can buy a 16 GB memory iPhone with just $499 while an 8GB model is available for $399.

It is expected that Apple will leave no stones unturned to maintain the sizable market share it is enjoying, even if the threat of a Microsoft-Yahoo! attempt to take on Apple iPhones. Moreover, Apple is also contemplating expanding iPhones worldwide market share from countries it holds presently – United States, UK, Germany to countries like Italy, Spain and Switzerland in the coming months.

Reports indicate that Apple Inc’s usage share of mobile devices online is rapidly-growing at the rate of 0.17% which is almost triple that of Microsoft’s stagnant rate of 0.06%, which stays affected since the launch of Apple iPhone in June 2007.

New iPhone And iPod Touch Models With Beefed-up Memories And Bumped-up Prices

Apple rolled out new iPhone and iPod Touch models with beefed-up memories and bumped-up prices.

A premium iPhone with 16 gigabytes of memory and a 499 dollar price tag is now the top of that line, ahead of a model with half the memory and a price of 399 dollars.

An iPod Touch with 32 gigabytes of memory costs 499 dollars, relegating the 399 dollar 16-gigabyte model to second position. Apple sells an eight-gigabyte iPod Touch for 299 dollars.

"For some users, there's never enough memory," said Apple vice president for iPod and iPhone marketing, Greg Joswiak.

Apple chief executive, Steve Jobs says the California Company has sold more than four million iPhones, touch-screen mobile devices combining telephone, video, music, and Internet connectivity.

IPod Touch models are essentially iPhones without the mobile telephone capabilities.

Apple's enhancement of memory capacities in its devices comes a month after the company added a movie rental service to its iTunes online entertainment store menu.

IPhone and iPod Touch models can download and present content from iTunes.