A Good Day's Work
13/03/10 22:01 Filed in: Sport
A few minutes into the
match today, I got the impression that Ireland were
going to win without too much difficulty. They picked
off a Welsh lineout with ease, and shortly afterwards
turned them over at a ruck. And from then on,
steadily, they took complete control of the match.
When scoring opportunities arose they took them -
three absolute peaches of tries. None of them were
easy five-metre run-ins. Both Keith Earls and Tomás
O’Leary had to get through goal line tackles in order
to ground the ball.
There were several areas of the game that brought great satisfaction. We owned the lineout. Our defence was excellent. We showed great commitment at the breakdown and won some very useful ball there. This was despite referee Craig Joubert’s attempts to impose the rules of rugby league on our tacklers. On the debit side, some of our kicking was wayward, with a few touchfinders going out on the full. The scrum was ropy as usual. Also, the Anointed One’s record with the placed ball was unimpressive today. He missed a penalty and all three conversions. The media will overlook this and instead focus on the late drop goal he scored. But he left nine points on the table. If that was ROG, he would be mauled by the press.
The Championship finishes next week when Scotland come to Dublin for the last Six Nations match at Croke Park. Next season, the new Aviva Stadium at Lansdowne Road will be open. If we beat Scotland next Saturday, our Six Nations Croke Park record will be P10 W8 D0 L2. Not bad at all.
There were several areas of the game that brought great satisfaction. We owned the lineout. Our defence was excellent. We showed great commitment at the breakdown and won some very useful ball there. This was despite referee Craig Joubert’s attempts to impose the rules of rugby league on our tacklers. On the debit side, some of our kicking was wayward, with a few touchfinders going out on the full. The scrum was ropy as usual. Also, the Anointed One’s record with the placed ball was unimpressive today. He missed a penalty and all three conversions. The media will overlook this and instead focus on the late drop goal he scored. But he left nine points on the table. If that was ROG, he would be mauled by the press.
The Championship finishes next week when Scotland come to Dublin for the last Six Nations match at Croke Park. Next season, the new Aviva Stadium at Lansdowne Road will be open. If we beat Scotland next Saturday, our Six Nations Croke Park record will be P10 W8 D0 L2. Not bad at all.
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The Taffies Are Coming
12/03/10 23:07 Filed in: Sport
Six Nations is back
again this weekend, and for Ireland this means the
visit of Wales to Croke Park. One comment often made
of the Six Nations these days is that any of the top
four could beat any of the others on any given day,
and this is especially true of Ireland and Wales.
Last season’s encounter in Cardiff was the Grand Slam
decider for Ireland, and if Stephen Jones’s last
minute penalty had taken even a slightly different
trajectory, we would still be waiting for the elusive
Grand Slam.
Wales claim to have no fear of Croke Park, having won the only other time the sides met at GAA HQ. That was on the way to their second Grand Slam in four years.
Ireland come into this the more settled of the two sides. They start the game with the same side that started against England. Wales are missing their captain Ryan Jones, as well as prop Gethin Jenkins. That said, there is some serious quality in this Welsh side, with the likes of Martyn Williams, Shane Williams and Jamie Roberts all starting. The outhalf battle between the seasoned Stephen Jones and the up and coming Jonathan Sexton and will be interesting to watch as well.
We should win tomorrow, as it’s a home tie and we have a more settled side. It could all go wrong though, as the Welsh are good at upsetting the applecart. However, I’m calling a narrow home win.
One thing that disappointed me all week was the lack of inflammatory remarks from Warren Gatland. Instead it was all about how great BOD was, getting his 100th cap, etc. Come on Wazza, we need a few of your verbal hand grenades, just to get the blood fired up, like.
In the meantime, you may have heard Jonathan Davies on the Last Word call BOD one of the best British players of the last decade. If you missed it, you can download the clip here.
Wales claim to have no fear of Croke Park, having won the only other time the sides met at GAA HQ. That was on the way to their second Grand Slam in four years.
Ireland come into this the more settled of the two sides. They start the game with the same side that started against England. Wales are missing their captain Ryan Jones, as well as prop Gethin Jenkins. That said, there is some serious quality in this Welsh side, with the likes of Martyn Williams, Shane Williams and Jamie Roberts all starting. The outhalf battle between the seasoned Stephen Jones and the up and coming Jonathan Sexton and will be interesting to watch as well.
We should win tomorrow, as it’s a home tie and we have a more settled side. It could all go wrong though, as the Welsh are good at upsetting the applecart. However, I’m calling a narrow home win.
One thing that disappointed me all week was the lack of inflammatory remarks from Warren Gatland. Instead it was all about how great BOD was, getting his 100th cap, etc. Come on Wazza, we need a few of your verbal hand grenades, just to get the blood fired up, like.
In the meantime, you may have heard Jonathan Davies on the Last Word call BOD one of the best British players of the last decade. If you missed it, you can download the clip here.
Bowe Brace Seals It For Ireland
27/02/10 22:32 Filed in: Sport
Back in the day when I
was living in England, the Monday after an
Ireland-England Five Nations match was usually a day
to keep the head down. Back then, the Chariot was in
its pomp, and it was a rare occasion where we managed
to stop its progress. These days though, it’s
different. We go into this tie as favourites, and
have won six of the last seven.
We won today despite several factors. We won despite the fact that England had the ball for most of the game. We won despite the fact that the ref was in hometown mode, and we got shag all off him for the whole game. We won despite the fact that we lost our talismanic captain to an incident of friendly fire on the 70th minute. We won despite the fact that Sexton had a mare with the boot.
But whatever the possession and territory stats show, the important stats were those that showed we scored three tries to one, and ended the game four points to the good. Possession and territory count for very little if you don’t have anything to show for it at the end of the day. We were there for the taking for long periods of the game, but we weren’t taken. However, when our chances came, we pounced on them. Our three tries came from our wing men, and Tommy Bowe’s second one in particular will live long in the memory. O’Connell claims it from the lineout, down to O’Leary, out to Bowe, who runs an exquisite line to get in under the posts.
I’m still struggling to understand just how England managed to have their try awarded. There is a convention relating to TMO decisions whereby if you can’t see it, you can’t give it. No replay showed a clearcut grounding of the ball by an English hand, and even the ref (who probably had the best view of all) was surprised when the TMO came back to recommend awarding the try.
After today, we are third in the table, with two wins from three. Our points difference is inferior to England, so they stay ahead of us for now. Assuming France beat them in Paris (and I honestly can’t see otherwise), we should finish second, providing we can do the business over Wales and Scotland at home. We are the only ones left who can win the Triple Crown (not that it means much these days anyway.)
The company I work for now has an office in London. I’ll try to resist being smug in my emails on Monday. That resistance could be futile.
We won today despite several factors. We won despite the fact that England had the ball for most of the game. We won despite the fact that the ref was in hometown mode, and we got shag all off him for the whole game. We won despite the fact that we lost our talismanic captain to an incident of friendly fire on the 70th minute. We won despite the fact that Sexton had a mare with the boot.
But whatever the possession and territory stats show, the important stats were those that showed we scored three tries to one, and ended the game four points to the good. Possession and territory count for very little if you don’t have anything to show for it at the end of the day. We were there for the taking for long periods of the game, but we weren’t taken. However, when our chances came, we pounced on them. Our three tries came from our wing men, and Tommy Bowe’s second one in particular will live long in the memory. O’Connell claims it from the lineout, down to O’Leary, out to Bowe, who runs an exquisite line to get in under the posts.
I’m still struggling to understand just how England managed to have their try awarded. There is a convention relating to TMO decisions whereby if you can’t see it, you can’t give it. No replay showed a clearcut grounding of the ball by an English hand, and even the ref (who probably had the best view of all) was surprised when the TMO came back to recommend awarding the try.
After today, we are third in the table, with two wins from three. Our points difference is inferior to England, so they stay ahead of us for now. Assuming France beat them in Paris (and I honestly can’t see otherwise), we should finish second, providing we can do the business over Wales and Scotland at home. We are the only ones left who can win the Triple Crown (not that it means much these days anyway.)
The company I work for now has an office in London. I’ll try to resist being smug in my emails on Monday. That resistance could be futile.
Twickers
26/02/10 22:28 Filed in: Sport
After the
disappointment of Paris two weeks ago, Ireland look
to get their Six Nations campaign back on track
against England in Twickenham tomorrow.
Our record against England has been very good in recent years, and we have only lost to them once in the six times the teams have met since England won the World Cup in 2003. Two of those wins have been at Twickenham.
Neither team has gotten off to a great start in this year’s Championship. Our first outing, against Italy in Croke Park, was over as a contest by half time, and Ireland just stopped playing in the second half. Then we were slaughtered by France in the next match. England have won both of their matches so far, but have looked far from convincing.
Ireland have four changes in the starting XV from the side that lost to France. Jerry Flannery is out due to suspension and Rob Kearney is injured, so they are replaced by Rory Best and Geordan Murphy respectively. ROG makes way for Jonathan Sexton (I don’t buy this bullshit that ROG was ‘dropped’ - Kidney has to invest in Sexton so that he has two competent out-halves for the World Cup), and Donncha O’Callaghan replaces Leo Cullen in the second row. There has been some media commentary suggesting that Cullen had done enough in the first two games to retain his place. Cullen is a good player, and is of course the captain of the current Heineken Cup champions. His lineout work was very good in the two games he played, and he nicked a good few opposition throws. But Donners is a better option in the loose, at the breakdown and just being a menace to the opposition.
If we can get quality possession and get the backs moving, it should be a good day for Ireland. If their forwards frustrate us, it could end up as a terrible game, all pullin’ and dhraggin’.
Tomorrow also marks a magnificent achievement by one of Ireland’s greatest servants over the last decade. John Hayes will make his 100th Test appearance for Ireland,
which is a
phenomenal record for a prop. You know those great
lineout steals that Paul O’Connell does, where he
soars majestically into the air and comes away with
the opposition ball? That’s as much about John Hayes
as it is about Paul O’Connell, as he is the man
lifting O’Connell. In the picture here (courtesy
of Willie Joe) he’s hoisting Leo Cullen at
the lineout by himself. Cullen is 111kg, or 17st
6lb in the old money. Remember Jean de Villiers’s
try for Munster against Perpignan in the away
game? That wouldn’t have happened if John Hayes
hadn’t hit that ruck and turned the ball over.
John Hayes operates under the radar. He’s never
won a Man of the Match award, and would probably
be mortified if he did. He doesn’t seek the
limelight. He wasn’t even at the reception in
Dublin last year to welcome home the Grand Slam
winning team. He will hate all the attention he
gets tomorrow, and would probably prefer if his
100th cap was treated exactly the same as the 99
that came before it.
So, let’s call it. Yes we should, and I believe that we will. Not by much, but a win all the same.
Our record against England has been very good in recent years, and we have only lost to them once in the six times the teams have met since England won the World Cup in 2003. Two of those wins have been at Twickenham.
Neither team has gotten off to a great start in this year’s Championship. Our first outing, against Italy in Croke Park, was over as a contest by half time, and Ireland just stopped playing in the second half. Then we were slaughtered by France in the next match. England have won both of their matches so far, but have looked far from convincing.
Ireland have four changes in the starting XV from the side that lost to France. Jerry Flannery is out due to suspension and Rob Kearney is injured, so they are replaced by Rory Best and Geordan Murphy respectively. ROG makes way for Jonathan Sexton (I don’t buy this bullshit that ROG was ‘dropped’ - Kidney has to invest in Sexton so that he has two competent out-halves for the World Cup), and Donncha O’Callaghan replaces Leo Cullen in the second row. There has been some media commentary suggesting that Cullen had done enough in the first two games to retain his place. Cullen is a good player, and is of course the captain of the current Heineken Cup champions. His lineout work was very good in the two games he played, and he nicked a good few opposition throws. But Donners is a better option in the loose, at the breakdown and just being a menace to the opposition.
If we can get quality possession and get the backs moving, it should be a good day for Ireland. If their forwards frustrate us, it could end up as a terrible game, all pullin’ and dhraggin’.
Tomorrow also marks a magnificent achievement by one of Ireland’s greatest servants over the last decade. John Hayes will make his 100th Test appearance for Ireland,
So, let’s call it. Yes we should, and I believe that we will. Not by much, but a win all the same.
Slam Dunk
15/02/10 23:23 Filed in: Sport
As has often been the
case before, Ireland’s ambitions for glory have been
buried in a French graveyard. We can’t have any
complaints. France were just imperious on Saturday,
and as much as we may hate losing to them, we just
gotta take it on the chin and move on.
There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth in the aftermath of this match. Some seem to think that we are back to the wilderness days as a result. We lost one game, our first in fifteen months. Granted, we were stuffed 33-10, but the way France played on Saturday, any team facing them would have come away with a similar hiding.
All too often we have taken some serious punishment in Paris. Having beaten them there in 2000 and again back in Dublin in 2001, they crushed us 44-5 in 2002. In 2006, they were out of sight by half time, and were leading 43-3 when Ireland eventually realised that they had a game to play. We came back with four unanswered tries, but still ended up 12 points short. Two years ago, it was a closer affair, but we still lost 26-21.
So where do we go from here? Well, to Twickenham, of course - hopefully to get our campaign back on track. Our chances of winning the Championship are remote now, as France are in the driving seat and look like going all the way to a Grand Slam. I reckon that this defeat gives Declan Kidney an opportunity to do some forward planning. The World Cup is a little over 18 months away, and several of our first-choice players are the wrong side of thirty. Now is the time to start developing a bit more depth to the squad, and bringing lads in from the fringes in order to give them some big match experience. You’d never know, we might end up winning the rest of the matches anyway.
Not even the most wide-eyed follower of Ireland could have expected the wins to keep on coming ad infinitum. While it was disappointing to lose on Saturday, it could have been worse, like if Stephen Jones had converted that last minute penalty in Croke Park last season to pull the Grand Slam from under our noses. Whatever happens now, we can look back at 2009 and see an unbeaten Irish team with a Grand Slam won. No-one can take that achievement from us, not even the French.
There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth in the aftermath of this match. Some seem to think that we are back to the wilderness days as a result. We lost one game, our first in fifteen months. Granted, we were stuffed 33-10, but the way France played on Saturday, any team facing them would have come away with a similar hiding.
All too often we have taken some serious punishment in Paris. Having beaten them there in 2000 and again back in Dublin in 2001, they crushed us 44-5 in 2002. In 2006, they were out of sight by half time, and were leading 43-3 when Ireland eventually realised that they had a game to play. We came back with four unanswered tries, but still ended up 12 points short. Two years ago, it was a closer affair, but we still lost 26-21.
So where do we go from here? Well, to Twickenham, of course - hopefully to get our campaign back on track. Our chances of winning the Championship are remote now, as France are in the driving seat and look like going all the way to a Grand Slam. I reckon that this defeat gives Declan Kidney an opportunity to do some forward planning. The World Cup is a little over 18 months away, and several of our first-choice players are the wrong side of thirty. Now is the time to start developing a bit more depth to the squad, and bringing lads in from the fringes in order to give them some big match experience. You’d never know, we might end up winning the rest of the matches anyway.
Not even the most wide-eyed follower of Ireland could have expected the wins to keep on coming ad infinitum. While it was disappointing to lose on Saturday, it could have been worse, like if Stephen Jones had converted that last minute penalty in Croke Park last season to pull the Grand Slam from under our noses. Whatever happens now, we can look back at 2009 and see an unbeaten Irish team with a Grand Slam won. No-one can take that achievement from us, not even the French.
Best Of Luck, Aoife and Claire
12/02/10 23:00 Filed in: Sport
The Winter Olympics
kick off tonight in Vancouver, and the opening
ceremony will be of special interest to us here in
Portarlington. Local woman Aoife Hoey will be the
flagbearer for the Irish team at the ceremony.
Aoife and her bobsleigh partner Claire Bergin have been the subject of much controversy this week, as they had to contend with two challenges to their rightful place at the Games. First the Australian team tried to take their place (despite having finished below the Irish women in qualifying) because they were the only representatives from Oceania, and therefore were entitled to a place. The Court of Arbitration for Sport decided that they should be allowed compete, but not at the expense of the Irish. Then Brazil stuck their necks out and said they should be allowed compete too - again in place of the Irish team. No decision has been made yet, but it is expected that this will be thrown out.
After all they have been through, Aoife and Claire deserve our wholehearted support. Hopefully there will be a decent-sized Irish contingent in Vancouver to cheer them on.
Coverage of the opening ceremony starts at 01.45, on BBC2.
Aoife and her bobsleigh partner Claire Bergin have been the subject of much controversy this week, as they had to contend with two challenges to their rightful place at the Games. First the Australian team tried to take their place (despite having finished below the Irish women in qualifying) because they were the only representatives from Oceania, and therefore were entitled to a place. The Court of Arbitration for Sport decided that they should be allowed compete, but not at the expense of the Irish. Then Brazil stuck their necks out and said they should be allowed compete too - again in place of the Irish team. No decision has been made yet, but it is expected that this will be thrown out.
After all they have been through, Aoife and Claire deserve our wholehearted support. Hopefully there will be a decent-sized Irish contingent in Vancouver to cheer them on.
Coverage of the opening ceremony starts at 01.45, on BBC2.
Six Nations 2010
06/02/10 22:38 Filed in: Sport
I normally do a preview
of the Six Nations every year, but with the new
little fella making his debut last weekend, I didn’t
get a chance this time around.
The show kicked off this afternoon, with 2009 Grand Slam Champions Ireland facing Italy at Croke Park. Nobody really expected a shock here, and indeed none came. Ireland had it sewn up by half time, but a spirited display by the Azzurri in the second half prevented the match from turning into a rout. In the end Ireland ran out 29-11 winners.
This was followed by England entertaining Wales at Twickenham. Two years ago, Wales won this fixture 26-19, which set them on their way to their second Grand Slam on the decade. It was not to be this time around. After a really desperate, forgettable first half, play opened up after the break. England finished the stronger, winning 30-17. France and Scotland meet in Edinburgh tomorrow.
This year sees Ireland play two away games and the other three at home. To someone unfamiliar with the competition, this might be seem to be a favourable season for Ireland, but of course, it isn’t. The two away games are against France and England. In recent times, we have had a very good record against England, and have only lost once to them since 2004 and beaten them five times. Tellingly though, the last time we were beaten by them was the last time we were in Twickenham.
France is a different story. From 1972 to 1999, we lost every single game against them. We beat them in 2000, 2001 and 2003, and then lost five in a row to them (plus two World Cup games) until we finally got the better of them in Croke Park last year. Our next game is in Paris, and this is the game upon which our Six Nations chances rest. If we can beat them, then I think we have every chance of retaining the title and with it a second Grand Slam.
There will be a lot of criticism of Ireland’s display today, but I’m not too worried at this stage. It was the first match of the tournament, so you can expect that all the moves might not come off. Also we were missing some stalwarts of the first team, notably Marcus Horan and Donncha O’Callaghan. I expected Leo Cullen to have a better game than he did, and Rob Kearney will want to forget today for ever. Also, sometimes inferior opposition just try to close the game down, and that’s what Italy did today. They never looked like being able to create anything,and their try came from an Irish mistake. We will know better how good this Ireland side are once they take to the field in Paris next weekend and face a top class outfit.
So how will we do? As I said, it all depends on next week. If we win, the championship is there for the taking. If we don’t, we might still sneak it (along with a Triple Crown) providing France slip up along the way.
Winning the Grand Slam last year was a superb achievement. Retaining it would be even more so. As well as having to go and win in Paris and London, every other team in the competition will be looking to bring us down a peg or two. If Ireland can retain the title this year, they will truly go down in history as one of the greatest sports teams from this island to have ever taken the field.
Greatness awaits. Let’s hope our men have it within them to grasp it.
The show kicked off this afternoon, with 2009 Grand Slam Champions Ireland facing Italy at Croke Park. Nobody really expected a shock here, and indeed none came. Ireland had it sewn up by half time, but a spirited display by the Azzurri in the second half prevented the match from turning into a rout. In the end Ireland ran out 29-11 winners.
This was followed by England entertaining Wales at Twickenham. Two years ago, Wales won this fixture 26-19, which set them on their way to their second Grand Slam on the decade. It was not to be this time around. After a really desperate, forgettable first half, play opened up after the break. England finished the stronger, winning 30-17. France and Scotland meet in Edinburgh tomorrow.
This year sees Ireland play two away games and the other three at home. To someone unfamiliar with the competition, this might be seem to be a favourable season for Ireland, but of course, it isn’t. The two away games are against France and England. In recent times, we have had a very good record against England, and have only lost once to them since 2004 and beaten them five times. Tellingly though, the last time we were beaten by them was the last time we were in Twickenham.
France is a different story. From 1972 to 1999, we lost every single game against them. We beat them in 2000, 2001 and 2003, and then lost five in a row to them (plus two World Cup games) until we finally got the better of them in Croke Park last year. Our next game is in Paris, and this is the game upon which our Six Nations chances rest. If we can beat them, then I think we have every chance of retaining the title and with it a second Grand Slam.
There will be a lot of criticism of Ireland’s display today, but I’m not too worried at this stage. It was the first match of the tournament, so you can expect that all the moves might not come off. Also we were missing some stalwarts of the first team, notably Marcus Horan and Donncha O’Callaghan. I expected Leo Cullen to have a better game than he did, and Rob Kearney will want to forget today for ever. Also, sometimes inferior opposition just try to close the game down, and that’s what Italy did today. They never looked like being able to create anything,and their try came from an Irish mistake. We will know better how good this Ireland side are once they take to the field in Paris next weekend and face a top class outfit.
So how will we do? As I said, it all depends on next week. If we win, the championship is there for the taking. If we don’t, we might still sneak it (along with a Triple Crown) providing France slip up along the way.
Winning the Grand Slam last year was a superb achievement. Retaining it would be even more so. As well as having to go and win in Paris and London, every other team in the competition will be looking to bring us down a peg or two. If Ireland can retain the title this year, they will truly go down in history as one of the greatest sports teams from this island to have ever taken the field.
Greatness awaits. Let’s hope our men have it within them to grasp it.
Start Them Young
In my piece about the
forthcoming Apple Tablet last night, I mentioned the
intuitive nature of the iPhone/iPod touch. It really
is so simple, a child could master it, and I can
testify to that.
My iPod touch has become the in-car entertainment device for Aoife, our three-year-old. I have loaded up a pile of cartoons, movies, games and other little bits and bobs that she likes, and now whenever she and I are in the car, the call comes out: “Can I play on your iPod, Daddy?” When I give it to her, I don’t even have to turn it on for her. She knows that the button on the bottom turns it on and then to slide the unlock arrow. Within seconds, she’s watching Bob the Builder, or playing the piano or Preschool Adventure [both iTunes Store links.]
The other day, we were in my sister’s house and Aoife was showing her older cousins a new game I had downloaded for her. They were amazed as she whizzed through the screens to find the icon of the game and launch it.
My geeky heart swelled with pride.
My iPod touch has become the in-car entertainment device for Aoife, our three-year-old. I have loaded up a pile of cartoons, movies, games and other little bits and bobs that she likes, and now whenever she and I are in the car, the call comes out: “Can I play on your iPod, Daddy?” When I give it to her, I don’t even have to turn it on for her. She knows that the button on the bottom turns it on and then to slide the unlock arrow. Within seconds, she’s watching Bob the Builder, or playing the piano or Preschool Adventure [both iTunes Store links.]
The other day, we were in my sister’s house and Aoife was showing her older cousins a new game I had downloaded for her. They were amazed as she whizzed through the screens to find the icon of the game and launch it.
My geeky heart swelled with pride.
The Tablet
It’s both the best-kept
and the worst-kept secret in the tech world. No-one
expects anything but a tablet or slate-type device to
be unveiled by Apple supremo Steve Jobs on Wednesday,
but no-one outside a small and tightly controlled
group of people know what it looks like or what it
will do. There has been a huge amount of idle
speculation about the mythical device on the internet
and in the mainstream media, but that’s what it is -
speculation. A few hundred words from me on the
subject isn’t going to add anything to what’s already
known, but I’m not going to let that stop me.
The first question is “Why would Apple want to release a device like this?” The sub-notebook sector of the market is already quite crowded, what with ebook readers, netbooks, and of course, existing slate-type devices. This is true, but there were plenty of smartphones on the market before the iPhone, and the iPod wasn’t the first MP3 player. And it is to these two devices we should look in order to get an answer to that question.
The two runaway successes for Apple in the last decade have been the iPod and the iPhone. When the iPod was released in 2001, Apple was just a computer and software business. Music players - that was a game dominated by Sony, Philips, Toshiba and several others. But Apple came along and changed the game. The iPod offered features that none of the other manufacturers did - an intuitive user interface, and a superb desktop application to manage your music library and sync your iPod with ease. Then along came the iTunes Music Store (later renamed the iTunes Store) and growth went vertical. Not only were you buying your device from Apple, but chances are you were also buying content for it from Apple too. By the time the competition managed to wake up to what was going on, Apple and the iPod were out of sight. The device has become a generic name for MP3 player, just as Hoover is a generic name for vacuum cleaners.
It’s hard to believe that before 2007, Apple hadn’t sold a single mobile phone. Like with the debut of the iPod, Apple were entering a new market. But this was different. In 2001, MP3 players weren’t a big sector in the overall consumer electronics market. In 2007, the mobile phone sector was enormous, with most markets saturated. However, no-one had come up with a really good smartphone, that combined phone, internet device and media player. And then Apple just came along and did it. Looking back on the first release of the iPhone, it looks primitive, with no 3G, a 2MP still camera, 4GB of storage and no MMS. But the killer features made all the difference - a simple to use interface, a really good browser and some serious eye candy when it came to media handling. If Apple had left it at that and just upgraded the hardware and tweaked the software every now and then, the iPhone would be forgotten by now. What Apple did next was a stroke of genius - the App Store. Developers were invited to develop applications for the iPhone, distribute them through an Apple-owned store, and get a nice share of the price if they were paid-for apps. Two years later, there are over 100,000 apps available for the iPhone and over 3 billion downloads have taken place.
Both of these devices succeeded not because they were early to market - they succeeded by changing the game. In 2001, the music industry was in crisis. Illegal downloading and filesharing was threatening the future of music as a commercial commodity. When Apple offered the music companies a paying way onto its hip new music players that all the cool kids were using, they jumped at the chance. Of course, it’s not the only way that you can buy music online or your iPod, but because the iTunes Store is so seamlessly integrated into the iTunes/iPod experience, that for many users it is the default way to buy music online.
In the smartphone market, nearly every new entrant these days has that lovely scrolly touch screen, and most of Apple’s competitors have App Store equivalents with literally tens of apps available. It will be interesting to see if anyone catches up with Apple and the iPhone - perhaps Google and their NexusOne Android phone might give them a run for their money.
So what has all that got to do with the putative slate device? If Apple are going to release a device in this sector, it will have to have a defined function that sets it apart from whatever is there already. It is said that Steve Jobs was initially reluctant to facilitate the development of a tablet as he could see little use for it other than for browsing the web while on the john.
The iPhone, though a great device, has some serious limitations. One, which is common to virtually all smartphones, not just the iPhone is the screen size. It’s fine for very casual browsing, but it is unsuitable for reading a long article or for using as an ebook reader. There is too much pinching and scrolling involved. We don’t read books that measure three and a half inches diagonally. Similarly, if you have photos on your phone that you took with your 10MP camera, you’re not getting the benefit of those extra pixels. If you had an iPhone-like (or more relevantly an iPod touch-like) device with a bigger form factor, this content becomes more useful. Movies are more watchable on a 10” screen than a 3.5” one.
One thing is for sure - it will be gorgeous. Jonathan Ive and his team of designers will deliver when it comes to teh shiny. I’m not even going to begin to speculate on what sort of horsepower will be under the hood, as I haven’t got a clue. There has been some debate as to what OS will run the device. Will it be a fully featured Mac OS X device running Snow Leopard, or will it run the iPhone OS? Or will it be a new OS, built especially for the device? Will iPhone Apps run on it? If not, will a parallel slate App Store exist alongside the iPhone App Store? We won’t know till Wednesday.
A gorgeous device on its own will not cut the mustard, even one with the famous Apple logo on it. What will Apple offer, content-wise, that will change the game and make this device the leading one in its class? There are plenty of rumours doing the rounds, that Apple has been in discussion with publishers and news organisations to see if they would be interested in licensing their content. Apple would be in a very strong position in such negotiations. News organisations and other publishers are looking at dwindling revenues, as the expectation grows that they should distribute their content for free on the internet and fund themselves through advertising. Apple can show them its experience of iTunes and music, and also tempt them with the fact that it owns a database of several hundred million credit card holders who regularly purchase a diverse range of content from its iTunes store. Another strong one is the notion that this will be aimed at the education sector, and will eventually replace textbooks.
One hunch I have is that MobileMe is going to feature somewhere along the line, maybe as an online repository for content or possibly as a method of delivering content through a subscription service.
The other question that is doing the rounds is about price. The Wall Street Journal is suggesting about $1000. My gut feeling is $600 - $800. (Just replace those dollar signs for euros for Ireland.) $1000 means that they will not be able to attract potential purchasers of netbooks, and also it would be the same price as the entry level MacBook.
As I said at the beginning, only a select few know right now what is coming down the track. But by this time next week, we will be sick of reading about it.
The first question is “Why would Apple want to release a device like this?” The sub-notebook sector of the market is already quite crowded, what with ebook readers, netbooks, and of course, existing slate-type devices. This is true, but there were plenty of smartphones on the market before the iPhone, and the iPod wasn’t the first MP3 player. And it is to these two devices we should look in order to get an answer to that question.
The two runaway successes for Apple in the last decade have been the iPod and the iPhone. When the iPod was released in 2001, Apple was just a computer and software business. Music players - that was a game dominated by Sony, Philips, Toshiba and several others. But Apple came along and changed the game. The iPod offered features that none of the other manufacturers did - an intuitive user interface, and a superb desktop application to manage your music library and sync your iPod with ease. Then along came the iTunes Music Store (later renamed the iTunes Store) and growth went vertical. Not only were you buying your device from Apple, but chances are you were also buying content for it from Apple too. By the time the competition managed to wake up to what was going on, Apple and the iPod were out of sight. The device has become a generic name for MP3 player, just as Hoover is a generic name for vacuum cleaners.
It’s hard to believe that before 2007, Apple hadn’t sold a single mobile phone. Like with the debut of the iPod, Apple were entering a new market. But this was different. In 2001, MP3 players weren’t a big sector in the overall consumer electronics market. In 2007, the mobile phone sector was enormous, with most markets saturated. However, no-one had come up with a really good smartphone, that combined phone, internet device and media player. And then Apple just came along and did it. Looking back on the first release of the iPhone, it looks primitive, with no 3G, a 2MP still camera, 4GB of storage and no MMS. But the killer features made all the difference - a simple to use interface, a really good browser and some serious eye candy when it came to media handling. If Apple had left it at that and just upgraded the hardware and tweaked the software every now and then, the iPhone would be forgotten by now. What Apple did next was a stroke of genius - the App Store. Developers were invited to develop applications for the iPhone, distribute them through an Apple-owned store, and get a nice share of the price if they were paid-for apps. Two years later, there are over 100,000 apps available for the iPhone and over 3 billion downloads have taken place.
Both of these devices succeeded not because they were early to market - they succeeded by changing the game. In 2001, the music industry was in crisis. Illegal downloading and filesharing was threatening the future of music as a commercial commodity. When Apple offered the music companies a paying way onto its hip new music players that all the cool kids were using, they jumped at the chance. Of course, it’s not the only way that you can buy music online or your iPod, but because the iTunes Store is so seamlessly integrated into the iTunes/iPod experience, that for many users it is the default way to buy music online.
In the smartphone market, nearly every new entrant these days has that lovely scrolly touch screen, and most of Apple’s competitors have App Store equivalents with literally tens of apps available. It will be interesting to see if anyone catches up with Apple and the iPhone - perhaps Google and their NexusOne Android phone might give them a run for their money.
So what has all that got to do with the putative slate device? If Apple are going to release a device in this sector, it will have to have a defined function that sets it apart from whatever is there already. It is said that Steve Jobs was initially reluctant to facilitate the development of a tablet as he could see little use for it other than for browsing the web while on the john.
The iPhone, though a great device, has some serious limitations. One, which is common to virtually all smartphones, not just the iPhone is the screen size. It’s fine for very casual browsing, but it is unsuitable for reading a long article or for using as an ebook reader. There is too much pinching and scrolling involved. We don’t read books that measure three and a half inches diagonally. Similarly, if you have photos on your phone that you took with your 10MP camera, you’re not getting the benefit of those extra pixels. If you had an iPhone-like (or more relevantly an iPod touch-like) device with a bigger form factor, this content becomes more useful. Movies are more watchable on a 10” screen than a 3.5” one.
One thing is for sure - it will be gorgeous. Jonathan Ive and his team of designers will deliver when it comes to teh shiny. I’m not even going to begin to speculate on what sort of horsepower will be under the hood, as I haven’t got a clue. There has been some debate as to what OS will run the device. Will it be a fully featured Mac OS X device running Snow Leopard, or will it run the iPhone OS? Or will it be a new OS, built especially for the device? Will iPhone Apps run on it? If not, will a parallel slate App Store exist alongside the iPhone App Store? We won’t know till Wednesday.
A gorgeous device on its own will not cut the mustard, even one with the famous Apple logo on it. What will Apple offer, content-wise, that will change the game and make this device the leading one in its class? There are plenty of rumours doing the rounds, that Apple has been in discussion with publishers and news organisations to see if they would be interested in licensing their content. Apple would be in a very strong position in such negotiations. News organisations and other publishers are looking at dwindling revenues, as the expectation grows that they should distribute their content for free on the internet and fund themselves through advertising. Apple can show them its experience of iTunes and music, and also tempt them with the fact that it owns a database of several hundred million credit card holders who regularly purchase a diverse range of content from its iTunes store. Another strong one is the notion that this will be aimed at the education sector, and will eventually replace textbooks.
One hunch I have is that MobileMe is going to feature somewhere along the line, maybe as an online repository for content or possibly as a method of delivering content through a subscription service.
The other question that is doing the rounds is about price. The Wall Street Journal is suggesting about $1000. My gut feeling is $600 - $800. (Just replace those dollar signs for euros for Ireland.) $1000 means that they will not be able to attract potential purchasers of netbooks, and also it would be the same price as the entry level MacBook.
As I said at the beginning, only a select few know right now what is coming down the track. But by this time next week, we will be sick of reading about it.