Who is Michael Cote and how does he know Apple sold 3 Million iPhones?

Something doesn't add up.

Fortune posted a story by Scott Moritz (who has helped spread rumors of iPhone numbers before) on Monday claiming Apple has already sold 3 Million iPhones. This number doesn't seem too far fetched. The iPhone 3G is available in many more countries than the original phone and is still sold out in many states here in the US. What is interesting is where this figure comes from:

One month after its debut, Apple's new iPhone has hit the 3 million sold mark, according to analyst Michael Cote of the Cote Collaborative.

Michael Cote, 'eh? Cote Collaborative? Fine. I haven't heard of every analyst out there, so that's no big deal. It goes on:

"They are seeing unprecedented demand," says Cote, adding that there appears to be no signs of a let up yet. Cote, a former T-Mobile executive, has been extremely accurate with wireless predictions in the past.

Okay, now you've caught my interest a bit. He has been extremely accurate with wireless predictions in the past? Searching Google for "Cote Collaborative" returns mostly results for the recent iPhone story as well as a link to cotecollaborative.com which is a page that is currently parked by GoDaddy. Interesting.

Searching Google for "Michael Cote" brings back 21,000 results, the top of which include: Michael Cote Music, Michael Cote from Grandbury, Texas, and Michael Cote of Redmonk. Towards the bottom of the first page of results we see results related to the Fortune story. Searching Google News doesn't turn up much besides the Fortune story either.

Searching for "Michael Cote T-Mobile" did turn up the following information:

Michael Cote is an Independent Telecommunications Consultant. He specializes in enterprise mobility, sales and distribution strategy, online strategy, smart phones, and customer care and billing. Mr. Cote has over 15 years of sales, marketing, and operational experience in the telecommunications industry.

Apparently he worked at T-Mobile as a VP of Business Sales and Operations from 2001-2005 and since then has been an Independent Consultant. So we know he was in fact employed with T-Mobile, but what about these other predictions that he has been so accurate with? I haven't found any evidence of those so far. He gave a presentation on Feb. 8, 2007 on "iPhone's Impact on All Things Wireless", but there is little information about the specifics in that presentation.

Results also turned up that a team lead by Mr. Cote while he was at T-Mobile was nominated for an American Business Award:

Michael Cote began his career at T-Mobile in 2001 as VP of Wireless Data Sales and Operations. Michael successfully built out Channel Management (focused on wireless data), Technical Sales and NSA (focused on enterprise business) and expanded his role to include General Business (focused on small to mid-sized business), when promoted to Vice President of Direct Sales in 2002.

Nice, but still no evidence of previous predictions or how he would have knowledge of Apple sales. I have also not found any evidence of Cote Collaborative other than the parked page. While I have just started my searching, this is somewhat interesting. Has anyone else been able to find anything significant that I'm missing? Let me know in the comments.

I don't doubt that he has knowledge of the wireless industry, but why would Scott Moritz use this guy's claim? It seems to have come from nowhere with no real evidence or explanation (other than it's popular). In fact, I think Apple has sold 4 Million iPhone 3G's! Someone contact me for a story. Something about this just seems strange, but what do I know?

Also interesting (although not solely related I'm sure) is that Apple stock is up more than $7 since the news broke that Apple had sold 3 Million phones.

Thoughts?

iPhone App Review: MotionX Poker ($4.99)

RoccoVersion™: ★★★★★'s; Amazing attention to detail; Secondary goals other than winning a hand; Keeps track of statistics.

Full Version: Apple touts more than 1,000 applications on the App Store. Unfortunately many think that most of those apps are crap. For the most part I agree.

One of the gems to bubble to the top is MotionX Poker (iTS link). The attention to detail, both visually and audibly, is outstanding. The description given by the developer is minimal compared to the rich feature set of the game. Simply put, you shake the phone to roll your dice. Select your hand and shake again. But it is much more than this.

Dice and Tables

There are 39 beautifully rendered sets of dice that you can unlock as you play (you unlock dice by getting 5-of-a-kind). Even more impressive is that each set of dice makes a slightly different sound when you roll them. The "Nomad" dice, which appear to be made of wood, sound very different than the "Immortal" dice, presumably made of some type of metal. This attention to detail not only makes me want to continue to play, but also switch between sets of dice.



Along with the 39 sets of dice are five different tables to play on (you start with two playable tables and unlock the next three). Each new table allows you to bet more and in turn win more. They have put great time and effort into the detail of the tables as well. The Rooster table is covered with felt, and the sound reflects this. The dragon table on the other hand is more of a hard porcelain surface and the sound of the dice hitting it reflect that difference.

Gems

Another feature that isn't mentioned in the developer's description is "gems". Gems are acquired by reaching certain milestones such as "Win with every possible five of a kind", "Earn a comeback bonus and a low hand bonus with the same hand", or "Earn a straight bonus and a repeat hand bonus in the same hand".



These gems (there are 14 of them) keep the game interesting the more hours you play. You can even click the info button next to the gem to see how close you are to attaining your gem.



Statistics

Being able to keep track of your stats is a valuable feature in my mind. Keeping track of your win percentage, what your "luckiest" dice are, and how many winning days in a row you've had keep interest high and boredom low.



It is also a remind of how much time you have wasted building up your bankroll. As of this writing I have spent almost 8 hours trying to attain all 14 gems.

Overall

This game has been able to hold my interest more than any other application on the iPhone so far. With goals (other than winning) to strive for and amazing attention to detail this application is a must buy.

★★★★★ in my book.

I Am Rich...er...Stupid

There has been a lot of speculation around yet another application that hit the App Store and was then removed. "I Am Rich" retailed for $999 and did nothing but sit on your phone. Just a pretty little icon. It was a way to "show your wealth".

Gruber and Kottke both have interesting comments on the subject. Kottke:

What I can't understand is: why should Apple pull I Am Rich from the App Store? They have to approve each app but presumably that's to guard against apps which crash iPhones, misrepresent their function, go against Apple's terms of service, or introduce malicious code to the iPhone.

At this point we don't know if it was the author or Apple that pulled the application.

Why would the author pull it? One thought is from all the bad press it was getting. The App Store is still new enough that new applications are being "reviewed" by bloggers that normally wouldn't touch the subject. Armin indicated in his description of I Am Rich that he would (or did) have other applications available for sale. He may have feared his other applications wouldn't sell as well with I Am Rich tainting his reputation.

One could also argue it was because of Apple's refund policy on purchases from the App Store portion of the iTunes Store. Gruber states:

If everyone who “buys” this app is then demanding a refund or credit card chargeback, you can see why Apple, or perhaps its author, Armin Heinrich, would take the app down.

I have not read through the license agreement that application publishers agree to when submitting their application to the store. One might assume that if a refund is given by Apple on an application purchase that Apple keeps their 30% share and the developer must refund the full amount to the customer. If this is the case there is no wonder Armin would want the application removed. One refund and he would be out $300. But, at this point, we don't know if that is how the process works. [UPDATE: Gruber confirms "that with the App Store, developers pay the refund fee."]

This does bring up another interesting question (which may be answered in the iTunes Store EULA): Are all sales final from the App Store? If not, and a refund is issued, would Apple remove the application from your phone (you got your money back, they get their app back)? We already know Apple has method to remove "malicious App Store applications. Could something similar be used for refunds?

While some say it is the price we pay for having the App Store available on the iPhone, I don't like the thought of Apple being able to remove items I have paid for at any time.

Finally, here is a screenshot of a review from a supposed "buyer" of the app:

Really? I call fake. Either that or stupid. It is not Apple's place to decide if an application is worthy of being on the store. They should vet apps for malicious code and content (porn, etc.) and then let customers decide if they are worth paying for.