Published: Sunday, July 4, 2010
Technology notebook: IPhone 4 a moneymaker
Apple Inc.'s new iPhone 4 costs almost $20 more to make than its predecessor, the iPhone 3GS, but the device will still help the company continue to rack up high profits, the research group iSuppli said.
The iPhone 4 went on sale June 24. After taking this latest Apple gadget apart and identifying the components, iSuppli estimated the cost of the parts totals $187.51. That's more than the $170.80 iSuppli estimates for the cost of the materials inside the iPhone 3GS, Apple's last-generation smart phone.
The estimates released this week don't include manufacturing, software, marketing and other costs.
The priciest part of the iPhone 4 is the new, higher-resolution LCD screen, which iSuppli estimates carries a cost of $28.50. Flash memory, which has been in short supply, costs $27. Apple's processor, which was manufactured by Samsung, according to iSuppli, costs $10.75, and the capacitive touch screen costs $10.
Apple's iPhones cost consumers $199 or $299 with a two-year wireless contract in the U.S., but such low prices as those are heavily subsidized by the wireless carriers. The full retail prices are $599 and $699, depending on the amount of storage.
Despite the major design overhaul Apple gave the iPhone, the gadget maker “will be able to maintain the prodigious margins that have allowed it to build up a colossal cash reserve,” said Kevin Keller, an iSuppli analyst, in a statement.
Google tweaks its news service
Google Inc. is giving its users the chance to tailor the news to fit their interests.
As part of a new look unveiled Wednesday, the English-language version of Google's online news section is offering tools that will enable readers to specify what kinds of stories interest them.
For instance, a reader can ask Google to highlight broad topics such as sports, entertainment or business. Readers can also choose something more specific, such as the Los Angeles Lakers. The news section will automatically show customized summaries, as long as the user is logged in.
Users also can ask Google to exclude reports from newspapers, broadcasters and blogs that they don't like, although the company says some coverage from the ostracized media may still slip in. Google curates news from more than 50,000 online outlets.
The left side of the redesigned news section highlights news topics that are attracting a lot of media attention. The right side is devoted to the local weather and stories tied to where a reader lives or works; the location is determined based on the computer's numeric Internet address or a ZIP code the user types in.
Associated Press
The iPhone 4 went on sale June 24. After taking this latest Apple gadget apart and identifying the components, iSuppli estimated the cost of the parts totals $187.51. That's more than the $170.80 iSuppli estimates for the cost of the materials inside the iPhone 3GS, Apple's last-generation smart phone.
The estimates released this week don't include manufacturing, software, marketing and other costs.
The priciest part of the iPhone 4 is the new, higher-resolution LCD screen, which iSuppli estimates carries a cost of $28.50. Flash memory, which has been in short supply, costs $27. Apple's processor, which was manufactured by Samsung, according to iSuppli, costs $10.75, and the capacitive touch screen costs $10.
Apple's iPhones cost consumers $199 or $299 with a two-year wireless contract in the U.S., but such low prices as those are heavily subsidized by the wireless carriers. The full retail prices are $599 and $699, depending on the amount of storage.
Despite the major design overhaul Apple gave the iPhone, the gadget maker “will be able to maintain the prodigious margins that have allowed it to build up a colossal cash reserve,” said Kevin Keller, an iSuppli analyst, in a statement.
Google tweaks its news service
Google Inc. is giving its users the chance to tailor the news to fit their interests.
As part of a new look unveiled Wednesday, the English-language version of Google's online news section is offering tools that will enable readers to specify what kinds of stories interest them.
For instance, a reader can ask Google to highlight broad topics such as sports, entertainment or business. Readers can also choose something more specific, such as the Los Angeles Lakers. The news section will automatically show customized summaries, as long as the user is logged in.
Users also can ask Google to exclude reports from newspapers, broadcasters and blogs that they don't like, although the company says some coverage from the ostracized media may still slip in. Google curates news from more than 50,000 online outlets.
The left side of the redesigned news section highlights news topics that are attracting a lot of media attention. The right side is devoted to the local weather and stories tied to where a reader lives or works; the location is determined based on the computer's numeric Internet address or a ZIP code the user types in.
Associated Press
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