The first Macworld/iWorld Expo since the passing of Steve Jobs recently took place in San Francisco.  Now in its 27^th year, it was held at the Moscone Convention Center.  Apart from being filled with iPhones, iPads, and cool new gadgets and gizmos, the expo ended with something that really went back to basics – a drum circle led by guru Arthur Hull from the Village Music Drum Circles.  He claimed that the circle group was “ancient futurists. We're using this technology to connect with community.  Remember that who's on the other side of this technology has heart, spirit, eyes, fingers, and is sharing.”

But for those who still wanted something new and exciting from the modern technological world, the Alljack diamond-studded speakers were certainly drawing a lot of attention.  Priced at a mere $68,000 and fresh from the CES, they are probably somewhat beyond the financial capacity of most viewers but still, it was a great way for Alljack to show off its skills. And indeed, while the diamonds probably do not make the speakers sound any better or louder, they certainly add to their beauty and glamor!

For those who felt like they didn’t get quite what they wanted over Christmas, there might still be some items worth waiting for in the New Year.  If you are one of those, look out for a good price on the new Apple TV (once it’s out).  This really is worth having for those who feel the need to have it all, or even those who just love to be in control of their TVs and not the other way round.  It was the late Steve Jobs who first introduced the concept of controlling everything on the TV with the Apple TV, so what is the new one set to do? 

The Apple HDTV is said to be a totally independent entity in that it will be a standalone, high definition TV.  Different sizes will be available, and it will integrate with every other Apple device one owns.  It will be controllable through the iPhone and the iPad and maybe even via Siri.

But rumor has it, that before it hits the stores, iCloud access along with Apple TV software needs to be constructed into new iMacs.  Its establishment will also enable Apple to gently make a presence in the whole world of TV.

Nice Gadget, Nice Price

First of all, what might tip the Kindle Fire over the scales in temptation value is its nice price.  In America, the iPad sells for close to $800 and in Britain, it is around $700.  Both of these are quite hefty figures when you then take a look for the anticipated Kindle Fire price of around $300.  So the question being asked though is if the Kindle Fire is such a cool gadget, on a par with the iPad, how can it be sold for so much less money?  Apparently this is because there is a good chance that Amazon will be making a loss of around $50 on each device it sells, as according to a recent article in the British newspaper, The Telegraph, it “sees the Fire simply as a means to the end of selling digital music, films, apps and games.”  On the other side of the spectrum is the Apple company which, according to analyst Gene Muster, is “monetising the hardware up front with a 30pc-plus gross margin on the iPad.”

Kindle Fire: The Edge

The next question being asked is, what edge does the Kindle Fire have?  According to Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s chief executive, the Kindle Fire is more than just a tablet, it is “an end to end ecosystem” which enables users to buy extremely large amounts of content.  Well, whatever it is, it must be doing something right since on the first day orders were being taken, according to eDataSource, a staggering 95,000 were made.  Although that is less than the 300,000 iPad orders made on its first day of going to market, it is still a force with which to be reckoned especially given the fact that those making the order knew that shipping will not being for another six weeks.  This fact leads one to believe that the first day ordering figure would have been higher if customers knew they were getting it straight away. In other words, it is thus likely that way more orders will be made between now and November 15 (the expected shipping day) which will in a sense count as first day shipping numbers.

It seems Steve Jobs may just have to think of a counter product to the Kindle Fire, or at least a counter price.