BELLAMYBUDIMAN

We all agree that the new external antenna design of the iPhone 4 is groundbreaking, but at the same time it became a bag of worms to Apple because of that antenna “bridging” problem for left-handed users. It is also surprising why this issue escaped Apple’s product testing prior to the launch, and why they did not coat the antennas with non-conductive materials (as stated by AnandTech). Personally, this has not been a much issue for me, as I always put my iPhones in a case. But this is not what I’m going to talk about here. What I’m going to talk about is how people cannot make coherent comments about this matter, especially when they are relating the issue with how cheap Apple are paying to make these phones.

Some people commented that Apple made a lot of profit by manufacturing the iPhone for $188 a pop, and then selling it for several hundred bucks. These people probably never had the terms “R&D”, “marketing” or “manufacturing cost” crossing in their minds. If you idiots want Apple to sell these for $180 each then how are they (as well as other normal businesses) supposed to run their business?

Take Microsoft, for instance. How did you think they do their business so that they raked up humongous amount of money? Do you think they sell Windows for 10 cents each? Maybe you thought so because you live in Indonesia where you can buy a pirated copy for 25,000 rupiahs. They are selling Windows for at least $100 each. Now why don’t you go to them and complain that they should just charge people as much as they were copying the DVDs? I don’t know, like a buck each?

Let me put it this way. You people buy cars, right? In fact, some of you are probably lucky enough to be able to purchase European cars. Do you have the slightest idea how much they spend on manufacturing those cars? It’s probably half of what you paid for, if not less. Do you complain? No. You freaking know that Audis here cost more than they do in Europe, but you keep buying them. Do you know how much restaurants spend to make a soup that they sold for a severa thousand rupiahs? It’s probably just mere cents. Do you complain? No. Do you go barging into the kitchen demanding that they should’ve sold it as much as the production cost? No.

Apple is a premium product, and by being a premium product—despite of all its weaknesses (you dumbasses should also start to realize that nothing is perfect and even Ferraris have flaws)—They will not give a damn to those who doesn’t want to buy their products. As simple as that. It’s not fanboyism, but it is a simple fact. That is their product positioning, and it will be like that whether you like it or not.

So if you constantly whine on how Apple should do their business and that they need to lower their prices, then you can simply just ignore their products. Big deal, maybe their products were not meant for you. Now go buy an Acer or something and stop acting like a 10-year old, or you can probably try whining to Lexus that they should sell their cars as cheap as a Chery QQ. Hey, who knows? Maybe you can convince them.

Telkomsel proved to the Indonesian market today that they are probably the greatest irony that ever happened in the country. Here are the facts on why I came to this conclusion:

• Telkomsel is the largest cellular provider in this country, and with the widest coverage.
• Telkomsel is Apple’s exclusive partner that sells bundled iPhones in this country.
• As far as I know, the iPad 3G is the only device available right now (including here, despite it’s not officially imported) that uses a micro SIM.

So given those facts, Telkomsel should be able to steal the competition by supplying micro SIMs for Indonesian iPad 3G owners, right? No. We have to cut them ourselves instead, AND, instead of them, XL is pioneering the move. Ironic? Yes. But then again, Telkomsel’s 3G coverage (or stability) is not entirely that spectacular anyway.

Now, let’s see how long would it take for them to bring the iPhone 4 here, and how long would it take for them to sell them appropriately or competitively. But the way I see it, Apple should’ve ditched the partnership from the beginning and sell factory-unlocked iPhones through Indonesian authorized resellers instead. I’m pretty sure that this would work better in terms of sales.

So maybe, by the time the iPhone 4 is here, and we ask Telkomsel on whether we can get an official micro SIM card or not, this is the reply that you would probably get: “Mohon informasikan nomor telepon dan lokasi, tim kami yang akan menindaklanjuti.”

Sorry, just had to let that out :)

Since we just bought the new Mac Mini for the office, I am selling my old iMac G5 20-inch (ALS). I bought it on September 2005, and it have served me well for the past few years. Asking price is IDR 7.200.000, call me (+62 813 16201888) for details if you’re interested.

Either you want to pick this up yourself at my place, or you want to pay cash on delivery, it’s your choice. However, I won’t be shipping this to other towns other than Jabodetabek, because of distance issues and there is no way that I’m going to ship this with a cargo service.

If you need to know the specs, it is available to see here: http://support.apple.com/kb/SP45. See the specs for the order number M9845.

As you can see from the photos below, everything is still in an almost-perfect condition and white as new. All the accessories, software, packaging, documentation books and cables are also still intact and complete. It has been upgraded to the maximum 2GB of RAM, and I’m giving away a free Mini-DVI to VGA adapter, as well as the silicone keyboard protector.

Some people occasionally asked what tools I used on my daily job, so I figured that I write this post just to keep an archive of my current set of tools that I depended the most on:

24″ iMac 2.4 GHz
Except when I’m not in town, perhaps there isn’t a day go by without me using my trusty workstation. It’s an upgrade to the previous 20″ iMac G5 (which is still being used by Disti on the next desk), and it has proven to be worthy for almost 2 years now. It is paired with a Samsung SyncMaster 2033SW as a secondary display, Altec Lansing ATP3 speakers, and a pair of 1TB WD MyBook Studio Edition for a redundant backup system, which is highly important in my line of work. Why not the Mac Pro? The answer to that for me is simply that it is an overkill.

12″ iBook G4
Up to this day, despite of those numerous upgrades Apple has done with the MacBook, I’m still using the last generation iBook when I have to work outside of the office or out of town. But since it’s a G4, and it’s nearing its own end of days, I seldom use it now except for checking emails or browsing.

iPhone 3GS
When I’m outside, this is my next best thing after the iMac, serves the purpose for me entirely. And if you’re wondering why I’m not using that ever-popular BlackBerry, read here.

Canon PowerShot G10
Because I’m not a photographer by occupation, I rarely needed a full-size SLR. That’s why this is my camera of choice, smaller than a DSLR, more powerful than your average joe pocket camera.

An earlier conversation with my Twitter friends earlier today sparked a will in me to write this entry. I think if you ever wondered why a geek like me don’t have this particular interest over BlackBerries, this could answer your curiosity. Please do mind that my opinions here are purely subjective and they contribute to the reason why I use an iPhone.

A Mac User
Well yes, first of all, I’m an avid Mac user, so I needed something that I know truthfully can sync up to my Mac without a hitch. The BlackBerry Desktop Manager was just released recently, and no, that doesn’t give me a slightest consideration on the BlackBerry back there. While syncing the BlackBerry is probably easier for Windows users (I don’t know, and I don’t even care), syncing my contacts, calendar, photos, and music to an iPhone is far more easier.

I Have No Need of BlackBerry Features
If I ever opted for the BlackBerry Bold, then what do I get? A business machine capable of delivering emails right to my fingertips anywhere anytime? Yes. An always-online messenger? Yes. Do I need them? No. Here’s the thing, I’m the kind of guy who likes to keep emails on my desktop computer, and I really hate it when an email forcefully get pushed and delivered to me at that moment when I’m outside the office. It gave me this urge to do other things while at that time, I’m probably occupied with something more important. Even when the iPhone gained itself the Push Notification, I don’t have that huge urge to use it for my emails. I prefer to check them and download them at will.

Second, I don’t chat while I’m outside. When I’m outside, here are the things that I do the most: Driving, meeting with clients, teaching, going out with my girlfriend or friends. I don’t see the necessity of having an always-online messenger there, at least for me. Yes, I occasionally check my Twitter from time to time, but that is when I want to and I don’t necessarily tweet or reply every single time. Besides, if people want to reach me, they can always find me by phone, SMS, or Twitter, if you must. But don’t give me that messaging through BBM is free and easier. Paying IDR 180k each month to even use the service is not exactly “free”. Cheaper maybe, not free.

There Isn’t an App for That on BlackBerry
The iPhone has this huge collection of apps, and I have to admit that some of them are pointless, but I never see any apps on BlackBerry that could aid me with my desktop applications. I use 1Password, Things, ShoveBox, NetNewsWire, and iBank daily on my Mac and I need them to have the same information with the one I carry in my iPhone. Because when I’m outside, my iPhone is the closest thing I have to my iMac. Taking this from a design point-of-view, since I am a designer, I never find the interface design on BlackBerry appealing or intuitive.

No Good Games on a BlackBerry
Okay, this is fairly unimportant for me, but seriously, can you name one game on a BlackBerry that has a comparable experience with the games in an iPhone? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I really don’t think so.

Touchscreen
I like touchscreens. It’s compact, it doesn’t require a stylus, and it lacks the physical hardware that wears over time. Yes, having a physical QWERTY keyboard can be easier for some people, but I have no objections typing on my iPhone’s virtual keyboard. To me, they serve the purpose better than anything similar, be it the Storm, HTC Magic, and don’t get me started with Windows Mobile.

So there we have it, why I don’t use the BlackBerry and why I have no intentions of owning one even until now. So if any of you ever asked me (or even Arleen in this matter), sorry, we’re not going to buy a BlackBerry anytime soon :) Besides, essentially, iPhones and BlackBerries are two different things. They are not comparable, you’d just have to choose which one is the right one for you. As for me, it’s still the iPhone.