...since I posted here. Mainly because I didn't end up doing the book project that I had planned, so blogging about nothing is pretty pointless [doesn't mean people don't do it.]
But I'm compelled to write today because Apple just loosened their development rules for iOS. This is widely read to mean that Adobe's Flash conversion/authoring tool would now be acceptable for authoring iOS apps. Neat! Adobe had previously announced that they had stopped development of their Flash conversion tool; will they turn around and restart it? and if so, how long until they get a product out the door?
And if they don't, who will be entering the iOS authoring space? REAL Software seems to be interested...
It's certainly an interesting "development."
A few weeks back there was word that Apple would be announcing a new version of iLife, and it would have a "mystery application." At the time I was wondering if it might not be some kind of end-user tool for creating iPhone/iPad apps; something along the lines of HyperCard.
It seemed a logical thing for Apple to consider, given that they already have word processing (Pages), presentations (Keynote), music (GarageBand), video (iMovie) and Web authoring (iWeb).
And maybe they will.
But if they don't plan on doing something like that, at least now they've made it possible for other developers to do so.
Now we just have to wait a bit longer...
REAL Software: iOS Development in REAL Studio
AppleInsider: 64-bit iLife '11 said to arrive in August with a 'mystery' application
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
The pain of the early adopter
I took the iPad on a trip down to New York this weekend, and it was an interesting adventure. I took the bus down, and interestingly Bolt has wi-fi on board. I connected up without incident [this is what is known as foreshadowing – Ed] and managed to surf the web as we zoomed down I-95. We watched a movie on it, and it worked very well.
I used the NPR app to listen to some of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, but of course, without muti-tasking, I was kind of stuck not being able to do something else at the same time. I ended up switching to the iPhone version of the app, and using that to listen while doing other things on the iPad. Can't wait for 4.0
There was no tray table so it had to be held or rested on knees. It’s not that heavy/uncomfortable to hold. A couple of hours is no problem, but maybe hours of holding it would become painful.
One other thing; fingerprints! In bright light, you really notice the fingerprints, and spend a lot of time wiping down the screen!
At New York our hotel offered Wi-Fi. Except that this time, when I connected, a terms and conditions window appeared – with no Accept button. And I couldn’t get past it. I have no idea if they are using Flash or Java to do the Accept button, but whatever it was, it didn’t work for the iPad.
Fortunately, I was only there for one evening.
We did watch another movie that evening, with the screen leaning against a pillow and using the internal speakers. It worked well for two people.
I really like the small size/weight of the thing. It didn’t fill the backpack the way a laptop would.
I also spent a lot of time actually reading(!) a book on the iPad. This is - I think - the first electronic book I’ve really read on an electronic device. I’m probably wrong, but if I ever read a book before on a computer, it was a long time ago! it's actually not a bad way to read; though in the evening I had turned the brightness way down, and did notice a slight un-evenness in illumination. It was not enough to detract from reading, but it was noticeable.
I found that – depending on sitting position – I sometimes held it vertically, and sometimes horizontally. In the somewhat cramped space of the bus, it was just easier to hold the device horizontally.
On the way back there was one more blow; the bus also had an accept-terms screen, and it ALSO didn’t let me accept it. So no wi-fi on the trip home.
But then I had my iPhone, so it wasn’t really a problem.
I used the NPR app to listen to some of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, but of course, without muti-tasking, I was kind of stuck not being able to do something else at the same time. I ended up switching to the iPhone version of the app, and using that to listen while doing other things on the iPad. Can't wait for 4.0
There was no tray table so it had to be held or rested on knees. It’s not that heavy/uncomfortable to hold. A couple of hours is no problem, but maybe hours of holding it would become painful.
One other thing; fingerprints! In bright light, you really notice the fingerprints, and spend a lot of time wiping down the screen!
At New York our hotel offered Wi-Fi. Except that this time, when I connected, a terms and conditions window appeared – with no Accept button. And I couldn’t get past it. I have no idea if they are using Flash or Java to do the Accept button, but whatever it was, it didn’t work for the iPad.
Fortunately, I was only there for one evening.
We did watch another movie that evening, with the screen leaning against a pillow and using the internal speakers. It worked well for two people.
I really like the small size/weight of the thing. It didn’t fill the backpack the way a laptop would.
I also spent a lot of time actually reading(!) a book on the iPad. This is - I think - the first electronic book I’ve really read on an electronic device. I’m probably wrong, but if I ever read a book before on a computer, it was a long time ago! it's actually not a bad way to read; though in the evening I had turned the brightness way down, and did notice a slight un-evenness in illumination. It was not enough to detract from reading, but it was noticeable.
I found that – depending on sitting position – I sometimes held it vertically, and sometimes horizontally. In the somewhat cramped space of the bus, it was just easier to hold the device horizontally.
On the way back there was one more blow; the bus also had an accept-terms screen, and it ALSO didn’t let me accept it. So no wi-fi on the trip home.
But then I had my iPhone, so it wasn’t really a problem.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Scripting with the iPad
Stu Maschwitz at ProLost has written a post about his experience with the iPad for the past week. In particular he looks at viewing PDFs (of scripts) as well as writing scripts on the iPad.
He seems to like the document reader ReaddleDocs for viewing PDFs.
He also talks about script writing tools; there's a couple of iPhone script tools, but there's no iPad specific application, yet. But there is always Pages, and Joke and Biagio have created a template that works in Pages.
Note that if you have the Mac version of Pages, it comes with a script format template and I have transferred that across to the iPad and it seems to work okay.
He seems to like the document reader ReaddleDocs for viewing PDFs.
He also talks about script writing tools; there's a couple of iPhone script tools, but there's no iPad specific application, yet. But there is always Pages, and Joke and Biagio have created a template that works in Pages.
Note that if you have the Mac version of Pages, it comes with a script format template and I have transferred that across to the iPad and it seems to work okay.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
iPhone OS 4.0
Apple just previewed OS 4.0. Two exciting things stand out for me:
Multi-tasking: I've had an iPhone for almost two years now, and I can't say I've missed multi-tasking. It really hasn't been an issue (but then I listen to audio through the iPod, not Pandora, and don't use Skype, so maybe I am an oddity)
BUT within a day of having the iPad I realized that I really wanted multi-tasking, if nothing else so I could leave the IM app running.
iBooks: they are bringing iBooks to the iPhone, and they talked about "Platforms." iBooks will be on the Mac (and PC) pretty soon.
The BAD news: OS 4 won't be on the iPad until the fall.
Multi-tasking: I've had an iPhone for almost two years now, and I can't say I've missed multi-tasking. It really hasn't been an issue (but then I listen to audio through the iPod, not Pandora, and don't use Skype, so maybe I am an oddity)
BUT within a day of having the iPad I realized that I really wanted multi-tasking, if nothing else so I could leave the IM app running.
iBooks: they are bringing iBooks to the iPhone, and they talked about "Platforms." iBooks will be on the Mac (and PC) pretty soon.
The BAD news: OS 4 won't be on the iPad until the fall.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Give thanks for desktop systems
MacWorld reviews the iWork suite for the iPad and gives it a generally positive review, though notes many limitations compared to the "full" iWorks suite, and also complains about the File Sharing feature.
But funniest of all is the complaint about the lack of proofreading tools found in the desktop version:
Perhaps the article was edited on the iPad?
But funniest of all is the complaint about the lack of proofreading tools found in the desktop version:
Monday, April 5, 2010
PDFs and File Sharing
I've been looking at how PDFs are handled on the iPad. If you open a PDF from within Mail, it's opened in a Preview-like panel that simply lets you zoom in and out and scroll through the PDFs. Interestingly, I haven't found a way to save PDFs attached to a mail document "locally" on the iPad.
I also downloaded the third-party application iPDF viewer, which doesn't seem to do much more, except that it has an interface that lets you search online for PDFs and then download them and view them. It's unclear how the search works - is it using Google? - and the results are presented cryptically as a list of names with no information about what the files really are (where they are located, how big they are, etc.) A preview gives you what appears to be a simple text document, and that's rather misleading too, as the format makes you think that's part of the PDF document, which isn't the case. It's simply some arbitrary summary text.
Once you download the PDF file, you can scroll through in almost exactly the same way as you do in the Apple preview. There's there didn't seem to be any bookmarking capability.
The only other PDF viewer I looked at briefly (I didn't buy, just reviewed the screen shots) didn't impress me a whole lot either. I'm hoping someone comes up with a PDF viewer that lets you page through PDFs, as well as supporting bookmarks and notation.
One thing I did stumble upon while reviewing the notes for PDF viewers is the iPad File Sharing capability, which I hadn't previously been aware of. It's used to copy files to and from the iPad, and is supported by Pages, Numbers and Keynote.
File Sharing
Some applications support file "sharing" through the iTunes app. To be clear, it's really a transfer mechanism rather than a file sharing mechanism.
The only apps I have at the moment that do support this function are the three iWork apps. With the iPad connected, go to the Apps tab and scroll down to the section: File Sharing. Apps that support this function are listed there. Click on an App and you can see files (if any) that are available for sharing. You can load in files from your computer (for example, I Added a .doc file to Pages: see below) and you can download files that the iPad apps have exported.
In Pages, clicking on the folder icon in the My Documents section presents the list of documents that have been shared, and you can select and import a file. The file will then be converted to Pages format and saved in Pages own file area.
To send a document back to the File Sharing area, choose the Send/Export icon and choose Export, and then pick the format you want to export the file in (in the case of Pages, it's Pages, PDF and .doc format.) Obviously, you have to sync the iPad with your iTunes computer to get the exported file into the File Sharing area.
While the import/export feature is welcomed, it's a lot more convoluted than I think it should be. Not that I'm certain how to improve it. One solution might be a folder on the iTunes host computer that is designated as the "Shared" folder and iTunes automatically loads these files into the iPad and transfers exported files back as well. iTunes would probably need to remind you that it transferred files when it updates something. This would suggest a shared "sharing area" i.e. any iPad app that can import a file would see all the files that have been uploaded, but that could be a benefit; why should your two word processing apps not be able to see the same files?
I also downloaded the third-party application iPDF viewer, which doesn't seem to do much more, except that it has an interface that lets you search online for PDFs and then download them and view them. It's unclear how the search works - is it using Google? - and the results are presented cryptically as a list of names with no information about what the files really are (where they are located, how big they are, etc.) A preview gives you what appears to be a simple text document, and that's rather misleading too, as the format makes you think that's part of the PDF document, which isn't the case. It's simply some arbitrary summary text.
Once you download the PDF file, you can scroll through in almost exactly the same way as you do in the Apple preview. There's there didn't seem to be any bookmarking capability.
The only other PDF viewer I looked at briefly (I didn't buy, just reviewed the screen shots) didn't impress me a whole lot either. I'm hoping someone comes up with a PDF viewer that lets you page through PDFs, as well as supporting bookmarks and notation.
One thing I did stumble upon while reviewing the notes for PDF viewers is the iPad File Sharing capability, which I hadn't previously been aware of. It's used to copy files to and from the iPad, and is supported by Pages, Numbers and Keynote.
File Sharing
Some applications support file "sharing" through the iTunes app. To be clear, it's really a transfer mechanism rather than a file sharing mechanism.
The only apps I have at the moment that do support this function are the three iWork apps. With the iPad connected, go to the Apps tab and scroll down to the section: File Sharing. Apps that support this function are listed there. Click on an App and you can see files (if any) that are available for sharing. You can load in files from your computer (for example, I Added a .doc file to Pages: see below) and you can download files that the iPad apps have exported.
In Pages, clicking on the folder icon in the My Documents section presents the list of documents that have been shared, and you can select and import a file. The file will then be converted to Pages format and saved in Pages own file area.
To send a document back to the File Sharing area, choose the Send/Export icon and choose Export, and then pick the format you want to export the file in (in the case of Pages, it's Pages, PDF and .doc format.) Obviously, you have to sync the iPad with your iTunes computer to get the exported file into the File Sharing area.
While the import/export feature is welcomed, it's a lot more convoluted than I think it should be. Not that I'm certain how to improve it. One solution might be a folder on the iTunes host computer that is designated as the "Shared" folder and iTunes automatically loads these files into the iPad and transfers exported files back as well. iTunes would probably need to remind you that it transferred files when it updates something. This would suggest a shared "sharing area" i.e. any iPad app that can import a file would see all the files that have been uploaded, but that could be a benefit; why should your two word processing apps not be able to see the same files?
iTunes File Sharing section
Saturday, April 3, 2010
And here it is
I'm actually writing this on the iPad, and so far it's pretty amazing. I can type pretty well with it on my knees and typing on the virtual keyboard and it works - though I find it easier to use horizontally rather than vertically. I'd say it's better than I expected in that respect. Yes, I wouldn't want to be typing all day like this, but it's not too bad!
Waiting....
My iPad left the U.P.S. East Boston location at 8:08AM.
Meanwhile a friend is down at the Boston store waiting in line. He got there at 8:00am, and there was about 20 people in front of him (in the pre-order line) with 60 in the non-reserved line.
Meanwhile a friend is down at the Boston store waiting in line. He got there at 8:00am, and there was about 20 people in front of him (in the pre-order line) with 60 in the non-reserved line.
Kindle app
The Kindle app was released yesterday afternoon too. This is almost a surprise, given that Apple has in the past rejected apps that "replicate functionality" of their own apps (like the browser.)
It will be really interesting to see how the Kindle app compares to iBooks.
It will be really interesting to see how the Kindle app compares to iBooks.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
iPad apps are available now
Apple has released iPad apps in the iTunes store. There's already hundreds of apps. I paged through them (a little disorienting, because the order of the apps seemed to keep changing each time I went to the next page) but you should find a few interesting ones.
I bought the three Apple apps; Pages, Numbers and Keynotes, and Flight Control HD (because I love the game.) I looked at some To Do programs, but couldn't decided which one to go for. I'm going to hope some reviews come out over the next week or two. I also downloaded some free apps; AIM, Twitterific and Epicurious. I'm sure I'll get a few more.
I had thought there was talk that the iBookstore would be an app that you have to download, but there's no sign of it at the moment.
Finally, I notice that the iTunes Apps section now has three app sections;
I bought the three Apple apps; Pages, Numbers and Keynotes, and Flight Control HD (because I love the game.) I looked at some To Do programs, but couldn't decided which one to go for. I'm going to hope some reviews come out over the next week or two. I also downloaded some free apps; AIM, Twitterific and Epicurious. I'm sure I'll get a few more.
I had thought there was talk that the iBookstore would be an app that you have to download, but there's no sign of it at the moment.
Finally, I notice that the iTunes Apps section now has three app sections;
- iPhone, iPod touch and iPad Apps
- iPhone and iPod touch Apps
- iPad Apps
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
The Countdown begins...
And Walt Mossberg gets to play with all the good toys before the cool kids. In his review:
After spending hours and hours with it, I believe this beautiful new touch-screen device from Apple has the potential to change portable computing profoundly, and to challenge the primacy of the laptop.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Lulu self-publishing to iBooks
According to DigitalBeat, Lulu has also told it's authors (or some of them) that they will be able to publish to the Apple iBookstore on April 3rd.
More on publishing on the iPad
MacWorld has a follow-up on the reports of Smashword's agreement with Apple for publishing to the iBookstore. Interestingly, thought Smashwords sent out an email to some of it's authors, it refused to comment when contacted by Apple.
MacWorld: Getting your novel on the iPad for free
MacWorld: Getting your novel on the iPad for free
Which Keyboard?
I'm not really sure whether I need a real keyboard for the iPad or not. Do I plan to do a lot of typing while using it? I'm not sure. I am planning to get the Pages application (and probably Keynote and Numbers) but I'm not sure how much serious work I'll do with it.
Still, Apple has a kayboard/doc combination that will be out in mid April, and I was thinking that might be worth getting to have here at work...though maybe I'm deluding myself.
Watching the Apple demo video's yesterday, a comment about the iPad working with a Bluetooth (wireless) keyboard intrigued me, and I went and checked Apple's website:
I guess I'll wait and see what it's like using the iPad; see how I use it, and also wait for the keyboard/dock to appear in stores so I can try it out and see how that works. Maybe I'll have to get both...
Amazon: Apple Wireless Keyboard
Still, Apple has a kayboard/doc combination that will be out in mid April, and I was thinking that might be worth getting to have here at work...though maybe I'm deluding myself.
Watching the Apple demo video's yesterday, a comment about the iPad working with a Bluetooth (wireless) keyboard intrigued me, and I went and checked Apple's website:
Apple Wireless KeyboardNow I'm wondering if the Bluetooth keyboard might not be a more useful tool. Interestingly, they both list for $69 and though you'd need some kind of stand for the iPad (or long knees) I think it would offer more flexibility.
The completely cable-free Apple Wireless Keyboard uses Bluetooth technology to connect with your Mac or iPad.
I guess I'll wait and see what it's like using the iPad; see how I use it, and also wait for the keyboard/dock to appear in stores so I can try it out and see how that works. Maybe I'll have to get both...
Amazon: Apple Wireless Keyboard
Monday, March 29, 2010
Self-publishing on the iBookstore
Looks like self-publishers will be able to get into the iBookstore through Smashwords. According to DigitalBeat:
DigitalBeat: Self-published e-books to make it to Apple’s iPad for almost no cost
Smashwords, a site where writers can publish their own e-books, said today it has signed a distribution deal with Apple to put its books into the iPad iBookstore. Mark Coker, chief executive of Smashwords, said in an email to authors that his company has been working on the deal ever since the iPad was announced. And, yes, this means that unpublished authors can sell their work on the Apple iPad at virtually no cost
DigitalBeat: Self-published e-books to make it to Apple’s iPad for almost no cost
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Apple bookstore loads up on public domain books
Apple has reportedly filled up its upcoming iBook Store for iPad with a wide variety of free ebook titles curated by Project Gutenberg, heading off any attempts by third parties to profiteer on literature in the public domain.
Source: Appleinsider/AppAdvice.com
Source: Appleinsider/AppAdvice.com
The excitement mounts...
As we get closer to release date, all kinds of things have been bubbling up....CBS is testing HTML 5 iPad video, the Wall Street Journal is rumored to be considering a price of $17.99 a month (ouch!) and Random House is evidently wary of getting it's toe in the iPad world. Something to do with price wars and lower prices...
My friend who reserved a 32GB WiFi iPad (the same model I ordered) is having second thoughts and wonders if he should get the 64GB model. I wonder if I should get the 3G model, but am pretty confident I made the right decision.
The iPad case I ordered is still expected to ship April 3rd (despite reports that there's now a delay on those.) I'm told it's a cheap and nasty thing (despite costing $40) but all of the other cases I've seen cost way more, or don't really appeal to me, so I guess I'll just live with it.
It's an exciting time; and yet we really still know so little. But in a little over a week, we'll know a lot more!
My friend who reserved a 32GB WiFi iPad (the same model I ordered) is having second thoughts and wonders if he should get the 64GB model. I wonder if I should get the 3G model, but am pretty confident I made the right decision.
The iPad case I ordered is still expected to ship April 3rd (despite reports that there's now a delay on those.) I'm told it's a cheap and nasty thing (despite costing $40) but all of the other cases I've seen cost way more, or don't really appeal to me, so I guess I'll just live with it.
It's an exciting time; and yet we really still know so little. But in a little over a week, we'll know a lot more!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Kindle for iPad
Amazon is hard at work creating a Kindle for iPad application. As long as Apple approves it (which will be interesting, because in the past they have rejected iPhone apps that mimic existing features i.e. web browsers) then this will be a good thing for users.
Competition will provide more choices (and better prices!) for consumers.
Competition will provide more choices (and better prices!) for consumers.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Apple accepting iPad apps
Apple is now accepting applications to the approval process for iPad apps.
But no word on how you get books into the iBooks store...
But no word on how you get books into the iBooks store...
Kindle for the Mac
I downloaded the Kindle reader for the Mac beta yesterday to try it out, and was immediately reminded of why I don’t read books on my computer.
Installation was simple enough, and then you hit a button and it opens a web browser page at Amazon where you can buy books (I bought a free book; the Complete Sherlock Holmes.) A few seconds after purchase the book appeared back in the Kindle app, and I could open it.
The page looks pretty much as you’d expect (see screen shot.) You can adjust the width of the page, as well as the font sizes. You can move from page to page by clicking on left and right arrows, or you can drag up and down and scroll through the pages. I found the later very disorienting.
In fact, I found going from page to page a bit disorienting no matter what method I used. There didn’t seem to be an obvious indication of being on a specific page as you changed pages; you sort of had to take it on faith that the next page followed the previous one. This was particularly so with the scrolling, where I completely felt like I had no idea where I was jumping to.
It’s surprising how tiny little details can have a huge impact on user experience.
I do read a lot of stuff on the screen (on web pages, and when I’m writing) so I think I can read a book on screen. This just didn’t make me want to do it.
I don’t know if the iPad will make me feel differently. I’ve been hoping it will, but I’m actually having second thoughts now.
Installation was simple enough, and then you hit a button and it opens a web browser page at Amazon where you can buy books (I bought a free book; the Complete Sherlock Holmes.) A few seconds after purchase the book appeared back in the Kindle app, and I could open it.
The page looks pretty much as you’d expect (see screen shot.) You can adjust the width of the page, as well as the font sizes. You can move from page to page by clicking on left and right arrows, or you can drag up and down and scroll through the pages. I found the later very disorienting.
In fact, I found going from page to page a bit disorienting no matter what method I used. There didn’t seem to be an obvious indication of being on a specific page as you changed pages; you sort of had to take it on faith that the next page followed the previous one. This was particularly so with the scrolling, where I completely felt like I had no idea where I was jumping to.
It’s surprising how tiny little details can have a huge impact on user experience.
I do read a lot of stuff on the screen (on web pages, and when I’m writing) so I think I can read a book on screen. This just didn’t make me want to do it.
I don’t know if the iPad will make me feel differently. I’ve been hoping it will, but I’m actually having second thoughts now.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
How to make an eBook for the iPad
A recent post on the Lulublog covers producing ePub format books: How to Make an eBook Anyone Can Read with ePub. The article explains the basics of ePub and it's file structure from a brass tacks point of view, but assumes you'll use something like Text Edit or Notepad, rather than a more friendly tool.
But over at The Quiet One blog, Amy Less writes about her initial experiments with ePub: ePub-ing for an iPad. She looks at eCub and Calibre and decides Calibre is the one for her
But over at The Quiet One blog, Amy Less writes about her initial experiments with ePub: ePub-ing for an iPad. She looks at eCub and Calibre and decides Calibre is the one for her
The lack of Flash
As we anxiously await the arrival of the shinny new toy, some of our time is spent in speculation: will all my iPhone apps work on the iPad? Should I have ordered the 3G model? Will it be easier to best my high score in Flight Control with a larger screen or will my hands get sore having to draw larger flight paths? How much of a drag will it be not to have Flash?
No one knows. But there are signs that the lack of Flash may not be such a big problem. Apple might have enough clout that most sites will produce versions of their sites that are iPad friendly. NPR and The Wall Street Journal are reportedly already working on versions of their sites that will be iPad friendly.
It will be interesting to see how many others do the same thing; and whether we will miss Flash.
MediaMemo: For NPR, the iPad Means a New App–And a New Web Site
No one knows. But there are signs that the lack of Flash may not be such a big problem. Apple might have enough clout that most sites will produce versions of their sites that are iPad friendly. NPR and The Wall Street Journal are reportedly already working on versions of their sites that will be iPad friendly.
It will be interesting to see how many others do the same thing; and whether we will miss Flash.
MediaMemo: For NPR, the iPad Means a New App–And a New Web Site
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Delays, and other things
AppleInsider reports that there are delays on the Keyboard dock and the 10W USB power adapter to sometimes in April. They also report that the iPad soft case, which was supposed to ship on April 3, has been delayed until mid-April.
I just checked the status of my order, and at least at the moment, the case is still listed as "Ships: BY APRIL 3RD" so I wonder if they are now just back-ordered on the cases?
I'm curious about the keyboard dock; but decided to wait until I can see and try one in a store before risking buying one of those...
Can the iPad make it as an e-textbook reader?
While Apple has already announced deals with several publishers, mainly of bestsellers, and with The New York Times for its iBookstore, the business model for publishing digital textbooks hasn’t really emerged for most e-readers and tablets. “Overall, I’m unimpressed with the value proposition for textbooks on e-readers,” said Carl Howe, an analyst at Yankee Group Research Inc.
Source: MacWorld
VIV's Living Magazine for the iPad Combines Magazines and Movies
[The] video shows you how the spread, which is an article about five common sex fears, would look and behave when viewed on the iPad. The video below shows how they made it, including shooting the models with the RED camera and creating all of the environments to stick them in.
Source: Gizmodo
I just checked the status of my order, and at least at the moment, the case is still listed as "Ships: BY APRIL 3RD" so I wonder if they are now just back-ordered on the cases?
I'm curious about the keyboard dock; but decided to wait until I can see and try one in a store before risking buying one of those...
Can the iPad make it as an e-textbook reader?
While Apple has already announced deals with several publishers, mainly of bestsellers, and with The New York Times for its iBookstore, the business model for publishing digital textbooks hasn’t really emerged for most e-readers and tablets. “Overall, I’m unimpressed with the value proposition for textbooks on e-readers,” said Carl Howe, an analyst at Yankee Group Research Inc.
Source: MacWorld
VIV's Living Magazine for the iPad Combines Magazines and Movies
[The] video shows you how the spread, which is an article about five common sex fears, would look and behave when viewed on the iPad. The video below shows how they made it, including shooting the models with the RED camera and creating all of the environments to stick them in.
Source: Gizmodo
Monday, March 15, 2010
Dissecting the Numbers
People are guessing at what the pre-sales are for the iPad, and coming to different conclusions from the same guesses.
Over at AppleInsider, their article frames the order numbers as falling: excitement is estimated to have dropped considerably on days two and three and that no more than a half-million preorders and reservations will be taken before the April 3 launch.
Over at Engadget, they look at the same numbers (taken from Daniel Tello) and come up with: For those keeping track, it took the original iPhone 74 days to hit 1 million. Quite an accomplishment if these numbers pan out (and that's a big if!)
So from the same numbers, and two different articles, you could infer that either things are going quite well, or not that well.
Note that it appears these numbers are based on actual pre-orders, and not on reservations.
Over at AppleInsider, their article frames the order numbers as falling: excitement is estimated to have dropped considerably on days two and three and that no more than a half-million preorders and reservations will be taken before the April 3 launch.
Over at Engadget, they look at the same numbers (taken from Daniel Tello) and come up with: For those keeping track, it took the original iPhone 74 days to hit 1 million. Quite an accomplishment if these numbers pan out (and that's a big if!)
So from the same numbers, and two different articles, you could infer that either things are going quite well, or not that well.
Note that it appears these numbers are based on actual pre-orders, and not on reservations.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
iPad battery replacement
I'd been wondering what the story on battery replacement for the iPad was, and now Apple has announced that for $99 you can send in your iPad, and they will send you a replacement one (not necessarily new..)
Interestingly, the gadget sites Engadget and Gizmodo have two different takes on it. Gizmodo seems to think it's a good deal:
You should never send or take in a computer for repair without backing up your data, and you should always assume the data could be lost or destroyed.
It's just the way it is. Often - particularly with hardware problems - the memory can get corrupted/swapped out/reformatted while the repair/diagnostics is being performed. And given that the iPad has to be dissembled and reassembled, I can see why Apple might want to save some time in the process by just sending out a replacement immediately.
Interestingly, the gadget sites Engadget and Gizmodo have two different takes on it. Gizmodo seems to think it's a good deal:
The Battery Replacement Service FAQ on Apple's site outlines their policy for handling iPads with diminished battery capacity, and its surprisingly generous: for a $99 service fee, they'll send you a brand new iPad.while Engadget isn't so happy:
Whoa, Nelly! Isn't this something? Apple has just posted details on its iPad battery replacement service, which is really not a battery replacement service at all.The odd thing is what has their noses out of joint is that your data won't be preserved, and Apple says you should use iTunes to backup before sending the device in.
you'll be waving goodbye to every morsel of personal data on the device that you send in -- unless you backup beforehand, of courseNow if you've had your iPad engraved or otherwise personalized, then I can understand being upset about not getting back the one you sent. But complaining about the data not being on the computer when it comes back is a little misguided.
You should never send or take in a computer for repair without backing up your data, and you should always assume the data could be lost or destroyed.
It's just the way it is. Often - particularly with hardware problems - the memory can get corrupted/swapped out/reformatted while the repair/diagnostics is being performed. And given that the iPad has to be dissembled and reassembled, I can see why Apple might want to save some time in the process by just sending out a replacement immediately.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Reserving an iPad
A friend has gone the reserve-at-a-store route.
He picked the store he wanted to pick it up at, and - with his Apple account - was able to reserve one. It doesn't appear that a credit card was specifically asked for (as it was when I ordered mine from the Apple Store) though many people do have a credit card attached to their Apple account.
He said that they told him he has until 3pm on Saturday to pick it up; after which that it will be released to the general public; so there's no grantee that there will be one available after 3p.m.
Now we are in a competition; will he get down to the store and pick his up before mine is delivered?
I hope he doesn't get a free goodie and I miss out :(
Meanwhile, Philip Elmer-DeWitt at Fortune estimates that Apple sold 50,000 iPads in two hours.
He picked the store he wanted to pick it up at, and - with his Apple account - was able to reserve one. It doesn't appear that a credit card was specifically asked for (as it was when I ordered mine from the Apple Store) though many people do have a credit card attached to their Apple account.
He said that they told him he has until 3pm on Saturday to pick it up; after which that it will be released to the general public; so there's no grantee that there will be one available after 3p.m.
Now we are in a competition; will he get down to the store and pick his up before mine is delivered?
I hope he doesn't get a free goodie and I miss out :(
Meanwhile, Philip Elmer-DeWitt at Fortune estimates that Apple sold 50,000 iPads in two hours.
No ePub support in Pages
It was a tiny, tiny hope of mine that Pages would be able to save to ePub format, but the information page at Apple.com makes no mention of it, so I guess it's official. Okay, I know that Pages doesn't have any sort of HTML export either, but still...
More on iBooks
The iBooks page at Apple.com has a few more details about the app:
So clearly there's going to be an iTunes update (since I don't think you can put ePub into the current version of iTunes.)
- It appears you will have to download it from the store.
- You can add your own ePub titles to iTunes and then sync them to the iPad.
So clearly there's going to be an iTunes update (since I don't think you can put ePub into the current version of iTunes.)
No notice...
Interestingly, when Apple announced the iPad and put up information about it on their website, they had a "Notify Me" button (since they weren't taking orders at thee time.)
Here we are, an hour after they started taking orders, and not a peep from Apple in my mailbox....so that was useful.
[UPDATE] 9:38 Got an email from Apple that iPad is coming. The email has a "Reserve Now" button too so you can reserve to pick up at an Apple Store.
Here we are, an hour after they started taking orders, and not a peep from Apple in my mailbox....so that was useful.
[UPDATE] 9:38 Got an email from Apple that iPad is coming. The email has a "Reserve Now" button too so you can reserve to pick up at an Apple Store.
Just ordered...
Just as was reported, the Apple store went down this morning, and came back up at 8:30am EST. I ordered a 32GB Wi-Fi model.
There was no option (that I could find) to pick it up at a local Apple store, though it said that (at least based on my address) it would be delivered on 4/3 (signature required.)
The iPad Case I ordered is listed as shipping by April 3rd.
Also, while some accessories were offered, there was nothing about iWork....which confused me for several moments, and then it occurred to me that I'll have to buy that through the App store!
There was no option (that I could find) to pick it up at a local Apple store, though it said that (at least based on my address) it would be delivered on 4/3 (signature required.)
The iPad Case I ordered is listed as shipping by April 3rd.
Also, while some accessories were offered, there was nothing about iWork....which confused me for several moments, and then it occurred to me that I'll have to buy that through the App store!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
iPad orders start at 8:30am (EST)?!!!
From LoopInSight:
And I still haven't made up my mind which model to get!
Apple on Friday will begin accepting pre-orders for the Wi-Fi iPad on Friday morning at 5:30 am Pacific Time. You can get more details in an email Apple is sending out to those that signed up to be notified of pre-order news.But I haven't received any email from Apple yet!!
And I still haven't made up my mind which model to get!
News
eBooks: B&N eReader for iPad Coming Soon
Designed specifically for the iPad, our new B&N eReader will give our customers access to more than one million eBooks, magazines and newspapers in the Barnes & Noble eBookstore, as well as the existing content in their Barnes & Noble digital library. (That includes eBooks and content customers have downloaded to their nook™ eBook reader.)
Source: B&N Community
Behind The Scenes Of Apple's iPad Launch
...behind the veil that obscures all Apple product debuts, the company is making last-minute changes to its book-selling categories and its process for certifying iPhone applications to work on the new, larger device, says mobile media research firm Busted Loop.
Source: Forbes
Apple's iPhone 4.0 software to deliver multitasking support
People with a proven track record in predicting Apple's technological advances tell AppleInsider that the Cupertino-based company has developed a "full-on solution" to multitasking on the iPhone OS but offered no specifics on how the technology would optimize resource conservation and battery life -- two of the most critical issues surrounding the matter, alongside security.
Source: AppleInsider
“E-book ISBN Mess Needs Sorting Out,” Say UK Publishers
On March 3, a group of publishers focused their minds on the challenge at a meeting in London organized by the UK Publisher’s Association and tried to answer the following question: Should publishers assign a different ISBN to each e-book format, or will a single ISBN suffice?
Source: Publishing Perspectives
Designed specifically for the iPad, our new B&N eReader will give our customers access to more than one million eBooks, magazines and newspapers in the Barnes & Noble eBookstore, as well as the existing content in their Barnes & Noble digital library. (That includes eBooks and content customers have downloaded to their nook™ eBook reader.)
Source: B&N Community
Behind The Scenes Of Apple's iPad Launch
...behind the veil that obscures all Apple product debuts, the company is making last-minute changes to its book-selling categories and its process for certifying iPhone applications to work on the new, larger device, says mobile media research firm Busted Loop.
Source: Forbes
Apple's iPhone 4.0 software to deliver multitasking support
People with a proven track record in predicting Apple's technological advances tell AppleInsider that the Cupertino-based company has developed a "full-on solution" to multitasking on the iPhone OS but offered no specifics on how the technology would optimize resource conservation and battery life -- two of the most critical issues surrounding the matter, alongside security.
Source: AppleInsider
“E-book ISBN Mess Needs Sorting Out,” Say UK Publishers
On March 3, a group of publishers focused their minds on the challenge at a meeting in London organized by the UK Publisher’s Association and tried to answer the following question: Should publishers assign a different ISBN to each e-book format, or will a single ISBN suffice?
Source: Publishing Perspectives
To buy or not to buy
Over at ZDNet Blogs Matthew Miller is wondering if he should get an iPad, and he comes to the same conclusion about which model to get as I have:
Of course, how will this translate into sales trends?
If I was to buy one I would go for the 32GB (16GB doesn’t give you enough room for media content) WiFi only model (I have multiple ways of tethering it via mobile WiFi hotspots) that would cost me $599 plus $60 in sales tax.But he's still not convinced, and I can understand his hesitation. If I wasn't so interested in producing for the platform, I probably wouldn't be chomping at the bit to pre-order as well.
Of course, how will this translate into sales trends?
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Gizmodo on eBook formats
Summary: Everyone uses ePub except for Amazon, Apple's using it's own DRM, the buyers will get screwed.
Oh, and PDF is cool!
Giz Explains: How You're Gonna Get Screwed By Ebook Formats
Oh, and PDF is cool!
Giz Explains: How You're Gonna Get Screwed By Ebook Formats
Apple iTunes LP format a failure?
Paul Bonanos at GigaOm reports that the iTunes LP format has been a bit of a dud:
partly because I'm a fan, partly because I was curious, and partly because it was one of the albums featured at Apple's big unveiling, so I figured it would be one of the better ones.
My reaction was one of disappointment. You can read my thoughts here: iTunes LP – Is that all there is? And I haven't bothered seeking out any more iTunes LP content, though I did appreciate the extra tracks included with the package.
Six months later, however, iTunes LP doesn’t prompt much consumer recognition, and none of the industry sources with whom I spoke said they viewed it as being anywhere close to game-changing from a format perspective. Rather, it’s considered more of a curiosity.I can't say I'm surprised. After it was announced, I was very curious about this format, and I actually purchased the Dave Matthews Band's Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King
partly because I'm a fan, partly because I was curious, and partly because it was one of the albums featured at Apple's big unveiling, so I figured it would be one of the better ones.My reaction was one of disappointment. You can read my thoughts here: iTunes LP – Is that all there is? And I haven't bothered seeking out any more iTunes LP content, though I did appreciate the extra tracks included with the package.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Books in the age of the iPad
Craig Mod takes a look at the iPad and wonders about the future of book design, and whether the iPad will be better at Definite Content (content with a well defined form) than Formless Content (i.e. novels.)
It's an interesting discussion, though really it's just the beginning of the discussion, and we don't know enough about the tools Apple is supplying. If the ePub format is the only thing Apple is promoting, and it's standard ePub, then it's not going to do Definite Content very well - composing graphics within text is going to be hit or miss.
Unless you use PDF. Or you use your own content viewer. Using PDF is still limiting, and we don't even know if Apple's iBookStore will support it; and making your own content viewer means that buyers have to find you in the app store, not the book store.
I think we have to wait a couple of weeks before we can really have a meaningful discussion...
It's an interesting discussion, though really it's just the beginning of the discussion, and we don't know enough about the tools Apple is supplying. If the ePub format is the only thing Apple is promoting, and it's standard ePub, then it's not going to do Definite Content very well - composing graphics within text is going to be hit or miss.
Unless you use PDF. Or you use your own content viewer. Using PDF is still limiting, and we don't even know if Apple's iBookStore will support it; and making your own content viewer means that buyers have to find you in the app store, not the book store.
I think we have to wait a couple of weeks before we can really have a meaningful discussion...
Monday, March 8, 2010
News
Apple's Ipad delay is down to a software problem
John Gruber at Daring Fireball claims the software has taken longer to finish than they'd hoped. The problem apparently is in the timing of turning out the software. Obviously on a scale with Duke Nukem on one hand and being on time on the other, a couple of weeks is nothing.
and don't miss the finishing snark:
...if you buy this low-powered, overpriced Ipod Touch you sacrifice any credibility you might have as someone who knows technology and your mind is out to lunch with some pathetic bloke who twitters his abject worship of Steve Jobs at the Oscars.
Source: The Inguirer
Apple iPad: Did Play.com just accidentally leak the UK price?
ElectricPig reported that a search of Google Products showed Play listing the iPad - and while clicking through just led to placeholder pages, the Google page showed Play listing prices of £499 for the 16GB WiFi-only version, and £699 for the 64GB model.
Source: Metro.co.uk
Oscars Ad Hints at How Apple Will Position the iPad
Instead of the stark white void in which all iPhone ads are based, this iPad lives in a house. Specifically, on a sofa in a house, in a kitchen, at a breakfast table -- and definitely not in a home office. That's a much different pitch to consumers than if, say, a business traveler had been pictured checking his email from an aisle seat, or kids playing a game from the back of a minivan.
Source: Newsweek
The Fall of the Internet and the Rise of the 'Splinternet'
If the last ten years were a heyday for open content on the Web, the next ten years could be the age of platforms. Today to reach the universe of new mobile browsers, you can't assume that your audience is using only a laptop to access the same version of your content. So it won't be enough to have just a magazine website. Instead you'll need a website and a Kindle App and an iPhone/iPad app and another app for another device that has a distinct audience and requires a specific template.
Source: The Atlantic
John Gruber at Daring Fireball claims the software has taken longer to finish than they'd hoped. The problem apparently is in the timing of turning out the software. Obviously on a scale with Duke Nukem on one hand and being on time on the other, a couple of weeks is nothing.
and don't miss the finishing snark:
...if you buy this low-powered, overpriced Ipod Touch you sacrifice any credibility you might have as someone who knows technology and your mind is out to lunch with some pathetic bloke who twitters his abject worship of Steve Jobs at the Oscars.
Source: The Inguirer
Apple iPad: Did Play.com just accidentally leak the UK price?
ElectricPig reported that a search of Google Products showed Play listing the iPad - and while clicking through just led to placeholder pages, the Google page showed Play listing prices of £499 for the 16GB WiFi-only version, and £699 for the 64GB model.
Source: Metro.co.uk
Oscars Ad Hints at How Apple Will Position the iPad
Instead of the stark white void in which all iPhone ads are based, this iPad lives in a house. Specifically, on a sofa in a house, in a kitchen, at a breakfast table -- and definitely not in a home office. That's a much different pitch to consumers than if, say, a business traveler had been pictured checking his email from an aisle seat, or kids playing a game from the back of a minivan.
Source: Newsweek
The Fall of the Internet and the Rise of the 'Splinternet'
If the last ten years were a heyday for open content on the Web, the next ten years could be the age of platforms. Today to reach the universe of new mobile browsers, you can't assume that your audience is using only a laptop to access the same version of your content. So it won't be enough to have just a magazine website. Instead you'll need a website and a Kindle App and an iPhone/iPad app and another app for another device that has a distinct audience and requires a specific template.
Source: The Atlantic
3G second thoughts
I realize that I'm probably going to change my mind about twenty times before I actually order an iPad.
But I really thought I'd come to a clear decision, and then yesterday I was out at a meeting, and I was sitting there checking email with my iPhone and I realized I wouldn't be able to do that with the iPad (as there was no Wi-Fi.)
Now the reality is, I could do it quite fine on the iPhone, and since I'm in this situation maybe only once a month, for me it doesn't make much sense (do I really want to spend $15 a month to check email on the larger device?)
Still...
But I really thought I'd come to a clear decision, and then yesterday I was out at a meeting, and I was sitting there checking email with my iPhone and I realized I wouldn't be able to do that with the iPad (as there was no Wi-Fi.)
Now the reality is, I could do it quite fine on the iPhone, and since I'm in this situation maybe only once a month, for me it doesn't make much sense (do I really want to spend $15 a month to check email on the larger device?)
Still...
Apple Ad
Apple unveiled a new ad that was shown during the Oscars. Nothing really "new" revealed that I could see, though I did notice something I'd missed in other reports: the animation/presentation of multiple emails in the mail program. The video shows selecting multiple messages and the three images sliding out and forming a "stack"
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Which iPad?
With iPad ordering just a week away, I guess it's time to figure out which model to get.
The 16GB models don't make much sense to me; I have a 16GB iPhone, and I have already had to switch to manually managing the music on it because my iTunes library got too big. I'm not really sure that I want or need to put my iTunes library on the iPad (I'll still have the iPhone, and I'm assuming I'll still use that for music most of the time.) But, I suspect that I'll put more video on the iPad - like the complete collection of Top Gear episodes - and video really sucks up the GB.
On the other hand, even though the 64GB version is only $100 more than the 32GB, the reality is that I'll never have enough space for everything. It might take me a little longer, but the 64GB version will get just as full as the 32GB one. So to save a bit of money, I'm thinking the 32GB version is a good compromise.
And when it comes to 3G or not 3G, well, as I already said, I have an iPhone, and though the built-in 3G could be handy, I don't think it will be imperative. So I'll save another $130, and get the 32GB Wi-Fi version.
Of course, I know that I could be wrong, and that extra 64GB might be the difference between having my entire iTunes library, and having to manually manage music. And I might find that the 3G could be damn useful for all kinds of tasks when out and about with the iPad. I just don't know.
But I'm never going to know the answers to those questions until I've had the thing for a month or two, and I have to make a decision now. With limited information.
So I'm going to go with the 32GB Wi-Fi version and see how it works. There's always eBay. Alternatively, I'll just wait for the next version and give this one to my daughter.
On the other hand, even though the 64GB version is only $100 more than the 32GB, the reality is that I'll never have enough space for everything. It might take me a little longer, but the 64GB version will get just as full as the 32GB one. So to save a bit of money, I'm thinking the 32GB version is a good compromise.
And when it comes to 3G or not 3G, well, as I already said, I have an iPhone, and though the built-in 3G could be handy, I don't think it will be imperative. So I'll save another $130, and get the 32GB Wi-Fi version.
Of course, I know that I could be wrong, and that extra 64GB might be the difference between having my entire iTunes library, and having to manually manage music. And I might find that the 3G could be damn useful for all kinds of tasks when out and about with the iPad. I just don't know.
But I'm never going to know the answers to those questions until I've had the thing for a month or two, and I have to make a decision now. With limited information.
So I'm going to go with the 32GB Wi-Fi version and see how it works. There's always eBay. Alternatively, I'll just wait for the next version and give this one to my daughter.
No Tethering - this is news?
Someone sent Steve Jobs an email asking if the iPad could be tethered to an iPhone, and he sent back an email with a five word answer, and four of them were "Sent from my iPhone." The other one was - No. And now a bunch of sites are reporting on it; which makes me wonder why they bothered? Is that news? Isn't it a bit like sending him an email asking if you can get the iPad with an e ink screen? I mean, it's an interesting question, but don't we already know the answer to that as well - No?!
Yes, Apple added the technical capability for tethering back when the 3.0 OS came out, but AT&T hasn't offered a tethering plan (and with them having network problems in certain cities as it is, they probably aren't going to do it any time soon.) So right now, you can't tether an iPhone to anything.
And whatever you think of AT&T/Apple and their inability/unwillingness to provide the service, if you can't tether an iPhone to any other device, why did anyone think you'd be able to tether it to an iPad?!
Okay, I get it....we're all desperate for something to write about while we sit here waiting for the iPad to be released, but don't we have to draw the line somewhere?
AppleInsider, Engadget
Yes, Apple added the technical capability for tethering back when the 3.0 OS came out, but AT&T hasn't offered a tethering plan (and with them having network problems in certain cities as it is, they probably aren't going to do it any time soon.) So right now, you can't tether an iPhone to anything.
And whatever you think of AT&T/Apple and their inability/unwillingness to provide the service, if you can't tether an iPhone to any other device, why did anyone think you'd be able to tether it to an iPad?!
Okay, I get it....we're all desperate for something to write about while we sit here waiting for the iPad to be released, but don't we have to draw the line somewhere?
AppleInsider, Engadget
Friday, March 5, 2010
eReader buyers giving serious thought to the iPad
According to AppleInsider, a study by ChangeWave reports that some 40 percent of people who are considering buying an e-reader in the next 90 days will buy an iPad. The Kindle trailed with 28 percent.
This would be a significant change, as the study points out, because at the moment 68 percent of respondents who already own an e-reader, own a Kindle.
Even more interesting; we still know so little about what the iPad will really be like as an e-reader. Other than the intro demo, and some pictures, there's so little information out there about what the reader interface is really like, about how big the book store is going to be, etc., that's it's almost amazing that the number is that high!
Source: AppleInsider
This would be a significant change, as the study points out, because at the moment 68 percent of respondents who already own an e-reader, own a Kindle.
Even more interesting; we still know so little about what the iPad will really be like as an e-reader. Other than the intro demo, and some pictures, there's so little information out there about what the reader interface is really like, about how big the book store is going to be, etc., that's it's almost amazing that the number is that high!
Source: AppleInsider
And yet...
It's interesting that now we know the release date and the ordering date, but there's no more information from Apple about the iBookStore or how they are using the ePub format.
iPad launch on April 3rd!!
Pre-orders on March 12th!
Once again, the rumors were wrong; the iPad is coming out a week (and a day) later than had been predicted.
Once again, the rumors were wrong; the iPad is coming out a week (and a day) later than had been predicted.
News
Ro Ye at the CU Blog takes a whack at the "things we don't know about the iPad" list, so here's my take on some of the questions he raises:
Ten hours of battery life, Really?
Yep! But then, do any estimates of battery life translate to your own experience? It never has for mine...the iPad will be just the same.
"Almost all" iPhone apps?
Well, "almost all" iPhone apps work on the iPod Touch, so, you know, the same applies.
Magazines on the iPad?
Are coming.
AT&T? Really?
Why not? I know, we all love to hate the carriers. But even AT&T thinks people will mainly use the iPad with WiFi (which i'm not sure if that's wishful thinking on AT&T's part, or they have some good information on that. Maybe they're just hoping that iPad users in New York will stick to WiFi.
How much for those accessories?
Way too much. That's why God invented third party manufacturers.
Why no Webcam?
Version 2!
How comfortable is the typing?
Pretty awful. Don't go writing War and Peace on it. But for web surfing and stuff, should be fine. Blogging? hmmmm.
Having more than one program open at a time?
Nope, nope, and nope. Live with it a little while longer.
Source: ComputerUser
How Apple's iPad Can Help The New York Times
Below we explain the importance of the online advertising division for New York Times, and how Apple’s iPad could increase unique visitors to nytimes.com in the future.
Source: Seeking Alhpa
Pearson sees future in Apple's iPad, e-readers
The iPad, is being touted as an educational tool by many including Apple. In recent years, Pearson has introduced range of digital learning products including eCollege, Power-School, MyLabs and Edustructures, many of which are likely to be ported and developed for Apple's iPad, which goes on sale later this month.
Source: The Industry Standard
Ten hours of battery life, Really?
Yep! But then, do any estimates of battery life translate to your own experience? It never has for mine...the iPad will be just the same.
"Almost all" iPhone apps?
Well, "almost all" iPhone apps work on the iPod Touch, so, you know, the same applies.
Magazines on the iPad?
Are coming.
AT&T? Really?
Why not? I know, we all love to hate the carriers. But even AT&T thinks people will mainly use the iPad with WiFi (which i'm not sure if that's wishful thinking on AT&T's part, or they have some good information on that. Maybe they're just hoping that iPad users in New York will stick to WiFi.
How much for those accessories?
Way too much. That's why God invented third party manufacturers.
Why no Webcam?
Version 2!
How comfortable is the typing?
Pretty awful. Don't go writing War and Peace on it. But for web surfing and stuff, should be fine. Blogging? hmmmm.
Having more than one program open at a time?
Nope, nope, and nope. Live with it a little while longer.
Source: ComputerUser
How Apple's iPad Can Help The New York Times
Below we explain the importance of the online advertising division for New York Times, and how Apple’s iPad could increase unique visitors to nytimes.com in the future.
Source: Seeking Alhpa
Pearson sees future in Apple's iPad, e-readers
The iPad, is being touted as an educational tool by many including Apple. In recent years, Pearson has introduced range of digital learning products including eCollege, Power-School, MyLabs and Edustructures, many of which are likely to be ported and developed for Apple's iPad, which goes on sale later this month.
Source: The Industry Standard
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Minor delays?
AppleInsider reports that there is a delay in iPad production:
Apple iPad delay rumours possibly confirmed by Foxconn suppliers?
Although news reports suggest that Foxconn, the parent company of Hon Hai Precision, has claimed that “supplies are on schedule”, the numbers of iPads due looks set to be higher than analyst Misek’s claim of only 300,000 iPads, but less than Apple’s target of 1,000,000 in March – so is there lower production or not?
Source: ITWire
The second report in a week claiming Apple has experienced iPad production delays surfaced Thursday, with the latest suggesting the company is currently able to produce between 200,000 and 250,000 devices per month.Source: AppleInsider
Apple iPad delay rumours possibly confirmed by Foxconn suppliers?
Although news reports suggest that Foxconn, the parent company of Hon Hai Precision, has claimed that “supplies are on schedule”, the numbers of iPads due looks set to be higher than analyst Misek’s claim of only 300,000 iPads, but less than Apple’s target of 1,000,000 in March – so is there lower production or not?
Source: ITWire
revMobile: another iPhone development environment
They're got an Alpha program going (which will set you back $799) and according to the FAQ, it won't be publicly available until November (and will then cost $999).
revMobile will be the fastest way to develop mobile applications. it will be a cross-device product, so you will be able to use the same code to deploy to multiple mobile platforms, while still providing a native experience on each device.
The article "revMobile for the iPhone: the pre-alpha is here!" provides an overview of working with revMobile, taking you through implementing multitouch support in an application.
News
The Apple iPad Isn't Going to Revolutionize the Display Industry
...the choice of LCD technology also means that, in spite of the vast library of e-books that will be available for the iPad, this device is no e-book reader. While I’m not an e-book convert myself, the folks I know who carry Kindles everywhere read them outdoors as much as in, often in sunlight, and that just won’t be possible with the iPad’s LCD screen.
Source: IEEE.org
The Electronic Display of the Future
Kindle, iPad, Droid—these compact mobile devices are essentially all display. But the screens aren't all we'd like them to be. Yet.
Source: IEEE.org
Apple iPad May Overtake Amazon Kindle
A recent survey of e-book reader owners and intenders shows that prior to the release of the iPad, Apple ranks just behind Amazon in the US and UK in terms of preferred brand; and if the iPad provides a compelling eReader experience, it may overtake Amazon’s Kindle.
Source: iPhone Developers Journal
If it provides a more compelling eReader experience, then the rankings probably don't matter. The real issue is that the Kindle has less functionality than the iPad, so it will have to compete on price (or it has to rely on the fact that the iPad isn't as easy to read in direct sunlight, but most buyers won't really factor that into their buying decision unless Amazon mounts a huge campaign about it.)
Can Apple's iPad succeed? Just ask Nintendo's Wii
What the Wii does manage to do rather well is wipe the floor with the Xbox and PS3 when it comes to selling game consoles. Nintendo sells roughly twice as many consoles as either Sony or Microsoft and has consistently outsold its competitors since the Wii's launch. Games consoles for non-traditional gamers are spearheading console sales - the market has been turned on its head. So much then for 'serious gaming'.
Source: Silicon.com
Functionality, by itself, isn't the issue. A Windows netbook is bound to be more functional - able to do more things - than an iPad. But if it's easier - and more fun! - to use for what people are typically doing, then it could succeed.
Apple iPad Is Too Late to Save Print Publishing
The notion behind putting magazine articles on an iPad is that, assuming people are willing to pay, publications can still afford to produce quality material without taking a financial bath. But the question is, are people willing to pay? Does quality matter? Or have we passed the point of no return, where fast and cheap trumps fast and good, and everything else be damned?
Source: PCWorld
His argument that people are so used to crappy content on the web that's free, and that they aren't willing to pay for it is semi-compelling. But people are willing to pay -maybe a little - for some content, and if publishers start making money doing some things, some of the free content wells might dry up.
Rupert Murdoch confirms WSJ for iPad
Rupert Murdoch has confirmed, in a Q & A following his announcement of a New York 'metro' section for the Wall Street Journal, that an app for the iPad is under development
Source: TUAW
...the choice of LCD technology also means that, in spite of the vast library of e-books that will be available for the iPad, this device is no e-book reader. While I’m not an e-book convert myself, the folks I know who carry Kindles everywhere read them outdoors as much as in, often in sunlight, and that just won’t be possible with the iPad’s LCD screen.
Source: IEEE.org
The Electronic Display of the Future
Kindle, iPad, Droid—these compact mobile devices are essentially all display. But the screens aren't all we'd like them to be. Yet.
Source: IEEE.org
Apple iPad May Overtake Amazon Kindle
A recent survey of e-book reader owners and intenders shows that prior to the release of the iPad, Apple ranks just behind Amazon in the US and UK in terms of preferred brand; and if the iPad provides a compelling eReader experience, it may overtake Amazon’s Kindle.
Source: iPhone Developers Journal
If it provides a more compelling eReader experience, then the rankings probably don't matter. The real issue is that the Kindle has less functionality than the iPad, so it will have to compete on price (or it has to rely on the fact that the iPad isn't as easy to read in direct sunlight, but most buyers won't really factor that into their buying decision unless Amazon mounts a huge campaign about it.)
Can Apple's iPad succeed? Just ask Nintendo's Wii
What the Wii does manage to do rather well is wipe the floor with the Xbox and PS3 when it comes to selling game consoles. Nintendo sells roughly twice as many consoles as either Sony or Microsoft and has consistently outsold its competitors since the Wii's launch. Games consoles for non-traditional gamers are spearheading console sales - the market has been turned on its head. So much then for 'serious gaming'.
Source: Silicon.com
Functionality, by itself, isn't the issue. A Windows netbook is bound to be more functional - able to do more things - than an iPad. But if it's easier - and more fun! - to use for what people are typically doing, then it could succeed.
Apple iPad Is Too Late to Save Print Publishing
The notion behind putting magazine articles on an iPad is that, assuming people are willing to pay, publications can still afford to produce quality material without taking a financial bath. But the question is, are people willing to pay? Does quality matter? Or have we passed the point of no return, where fast and cheap trumps fast and good, and everything else be damned?
Source: PCWorld
His argument that people are so used to crappy content on the web that's free, and that they aren't willing to pay for it is semi-compelling. But people are willing to pay -maybe a little - for some content, and if publishers start making money doing some things, some of the free content wells might dry up.
Rupert Murdoch confirms WSJ for iPad
Rupert Murdoch has confirmed, in a Q & A following his announcement of a New York 'metro' section for the Wall Street Journal, that an app for the iPad is under development
Source: TUAW
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
First Look: How Penguin Will Reinvent Books With iPad
“We will be embedding audio, video and streaming in to everything we do. The .epub format, which is the standard for ebooks at the present, is designed to support traditional narrative text, but not this cool stuff that we’re now talking about.
“So for the time being at least we’ll be creating a lot of our content as applications, for sale on app stores and HTML, rather than in ebooks. The definition of the book itself is up for grabs."
Check it out to see a video demo.
Source: paidContent.org
“So for the time being at least we’ll be creating a lot of our content as applications, for sale on app stores and HTML, rather than in ebooks. The definition of the book itself is up for grabs."
Check it out to see a video demo.
Source: paidContent.org
No iPad delay, on course for March 26 release?
According to Chinese newspaper digitimes, Hon Hai Precision's suppliers have revealed that the manufacturer is on course to deliver 600k - 700k iPads this month, followed by a further one million units in April.
The figures contradict recent reports that suggested only 300k units would be available in March...
Source: Hexus
The figures contradict recent reports that suggested only 300k units would be available in March...
Source: Hexus
AT&T CEO sees iPad mostly used on Wi-Fi
Reuters has an article with a quote from AT&T's Chief Executive, who doesn't seem to think the iPad will drive a lot of business their way:
"My expectation is that there's not going to be a lot of people out there looking for another subscription," he said during a webcast of an investor conference, adding that the device would be a mainly "Wi-Fi driven product."Source: Reuters
News
iBooks, iPad Apps, Kindle, E-Ink: An Intro for the Perplexed
...will the iPad really save the publishing industry? And more importantly, are companies really clear on the baffling new lexicon of digital print – the iBooks, E-Ink, ePub, and eReader App world they are now forced to come to grips with? Where should publishers focus their efforts – An iBooks App? A customised iPad Native App? A Kindle App? Or even an ePub or proprietary Kindle/Nook format release?
And perhaps most importantly – which content format is appropriate for each new platform?
Source: Entropy Digital
E-Book Piracy on the iPad: Some Thoughts
Finally, and here's why book piracy both disturbs and intrigues me on some bizarre, visceral level—it's just text. The most low-bandwidth medium of all. If, in a few years, we get to the point where we have the equivalent of a premium torrent site for books, one could download an author’s entire life work formatted for their preferred e-reader for free in literally seconds, rather than minutes or hours for audiovisual content. Combine this with a publishing industry that’s learned nothing from the RIAA/MPAA’s mistakes and we have an environment where a culture of book piracy could mature exponentially faster than we’ve seen before.
Source: Apple Matters
Comparison of e-book readers
A features table comparing the iPad, Nook, Kindle 2, Kindle DX (but no Sony Reader?!)
Source: Social Compare
Apple trying to store your video in the cloud
Apple has told the studios that under the plan, iTunes users will access video from various Internet-connected devices. Apple would, of course, prefer that users access video from the iPad, the company's upcoming tablet computer, the sources said.
Source: CNet
...will the iPad really save the publishing industry? And more importantly, are companies really clear on the baffling new lexicon of digital print – the iBooks, E-Ink, ePub, and eReader App world they are now forced to come to grips with? Where should publishers focus their efforts – An iBooks App? A customised iPad Native App? A Kindle App? Or even an ePub or proprietary Kindle/Nook format release?
And perhaps most importantly – which content format is appropriate for each new platform?
Source: Entropy Digital
E-Book Piracy on the iPad: Some Thoughts
Finally, and here's why book piracy both disturbs and intrigues me on some bizarre, visceral level—it's just text. The most low-bandwidth medium of all. If, in a few years, we get to the point where we have the equivalent of a premium torrent site for books, one could download an author’s entire life work formatted for their preferred e-reader for free in literally seconds, rather than minutes or hours for audiovisual content. Combine this with a publishing industry that’s learned nothing from the RIAA/MPAA’s mistakes and we have an environment where a culture of book piracy could mature exponentially faster than we’ve seen before.
Source: Apple Matters
Comparison of e-book readers
A features table comparing the iPad, Nook, Kindle 2, Kindle DX (but no Sony Reader?!)
Source: Social Compare
Apple trying to store your video in the cloud
Apple has told the studios that under the plan, iTunes users will access video from various Internet-connected devices. Apple would, of course, prefer that users access video from the iPad, the company's upcoming tablet computer, the sources said.
Source: CNet
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Sales to start March 26?
AppleInsider says March 26th is the probable release date of the iPad, though it's only described as "very likely."
There's also mention of a "special gift" for those that camp out for the iPad. Camp? Really? Or just turn up on the day? My guess is that if it's anything, it's a T-shirt...or a coupon for a free electronic book...
There's also mention of a "special gift" for those that camp out for the iPad. Camp? Really? Or just turn up on the day? My guess is that if it's anything, it's a T-shirt...or a coupon for a free electronic book...
The other shoe
In his column "15 iPad mysteries remain" article Mike Elgan asked: Will free Internet content cost money on the iPad? and noted:
Hulu may be planning to charge for content, but that's not an iPad issue. That's the reality that content publishers are all trying to figure out how to make money from the stuff they are currently giving away. And they'll have to either charge for it on the "free" internet as well, or provide some kind of added-value on the iPad.
Well, another shoe has dropped. The New York Times reports that Viacom will that The Daily Show and The Colbert Report of Hulu.
Publishing companies such as Hulu and a wide range of media companies are apparently mulling the idea of charging for content delivered to iPads that they give away on the Internet.My response was:
Hulu may be planning to charge for content, but that's not an iPad issue. That's the reality that content publishers are all trying to figure out how to make money from the stuff they are currently giving away. And they'll have to either charge for it on the "free" internet as well, or provide some kind of added-value on the iPad.
Well, another shoe has dropped. The New York Times reports that Viacom will that The Daily Show and The Colbert Report of Hulu.
Unable to make the digital media dollars add up to their liking, Viacom will remove “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” “The Colbert Report” and other Comedy Central television shows from Hulu next week.Source: The New York Times
News
The Problem With iBooks – The Platform Is Very Limited
Paul Colligan makes a big leap in his column: The Problem With iBooks:
If Apple doesn't announce some kind of support for the iBookstore content to those on Macs and PCs when their Bookstore opens, look for it to happen soon after; Apple isn't going to leave all that business to Amazon. it just doesn't make sense.
iBookstore and the Format of eBooks
Others are wondering about whether to use ePub or standalone apps for dealing "printed" material [Hey! What happened to PDF?! -Ed]
Publishers Ready for iPad, Worry about Apple-Adobe Flash Support
While it's clear that digital magazine applications for the iPad and iPhone will be exclusive for the platform, versions developed using Adobe Air or Flash would work on tablets running Microsoft Windows, such as the HP Slate introduced in January. However, interest in tablets running Windows is not as high as the buzz the iPad has generated.
Source: Yahoo/PC World
Apple iPad lassos AP, Conde Nast for special apps
Now two more major outlets, the Associated Press and Conde Nast, have said they will target users of the iPad and other e-reading devices. In a statement released today, the Associated Press unveiled AP Gateway, which will allow the wire service to sell articles and videos directly to reader
Source: Christian Science Monitor
Apple iPad 'to cost £389'
The Geeky Gadgets website reports that the entry-level iPad, which has Wi-Fi and 16GB of flash memory, will cost £389. The 32GB version will cost £439, while the 64GB version will cost £489. The rumoured UK prices are significantly more expensive than Apple's US iPad prices – there, the entry-level model costs $499 (£326), the 32GB version costs $599 (£392) and the 64GB model is $699 (£457).
Source: Telegraph.co.uk
What the iPad might mean for libraries
The critical question for me right now is whether, given a choice, without a nurtured bias for paper books, children would select a traditional, printed volume or a digitally enriched electronic version. Not what we would select, but what our students would choose.
Source: School Library Journalk
Paul Colligan makes a big leap in his column: The Problem With iBooks:
iBooks only works on the iPad. Kindle products work on the iPad, the iPhone, PCs (Macs coming soon), and Blackberries.I don't know where he got any specific statement that iBooks will only work on the iPad, but I just can't imagine it's true. That Apple wouldn't make iBooks available on Macs (and PCs as well) through iTunes is inconceivable. The iTunes store, and all the Macs and PC users that access it, is one of Apple's biggest assets. The idea that they wouldn't want to exploit it is nonsensical. The iPad may be Apple's first eBook platform, but it's not the only equipment they have that can be used to read electronic books.
If Apple doesn't announce some kind of support for the iBookstore content to those on Macs and PCs when their Bookstore opens, look for it to happen soon after; Apple isn't going to leave all that business to Amazon. it just doesn't make sense.
iBookstore and the Format of eBooks
Others are wondering about whether to use ePub or standalone apps for dealing "printed" material [Hey! What happened to PDF?! -Ed]
I think its becoming increasingly clear that the ePub format is not going to work equally well across all the many devices that the eBook proponents want it to travel. Part of the reason for this is that the standard file format was designed to solve a problem of how to make 'reasonably straightforward chapter based' books flow and reflow across multiple screen-based systems. The original specification did not allow for the fact that scores of different and somewhat incompatible reading engines would be implemented so that the same text looks so different across different platforms.Source: Exact Editions Blog
Publishers Ready for iPad, Worry about Apple-Adobe Flash Support
While it's clear that digital magazine applications for the iPad and iPhone will be exclusive for the platform, versions developed using Adobe Air or Flash would work on tablets running Microsoft Windows, such as the HP Slate introduced in January. However, interest in tablets running Windows is not as high as the buzz the iPad has generated.
Source: Yahoo/PC World
Apple iPad lassos AP, Conde Nast for special apps
Now two more major outlets, the Associated Press and Conde Nast, have said they will target users of the iPad and other e-reading devices. In a statement released today, the Associated Press unveiled AP Gateway, which will allow the wire service to sell articles and videos directly to reader
Source: Christian Science Monitor
Apple iPad 'to cost £389'
The Geeky Gadgets website reports that the entry-level iPad, which has Wi-Fi and 16GB of flash memory, will cost £389. The 32GB version will cost £439, while the 64GB version will cost £489. The rumoured UK prices are significantly more expensive than Apple's US iPad prices – there, the entry-level model costs $499 (£326), the 32GB version costs $599 (£392) and the 64GB model is $699 (£457).
Source: Telegraph.co.uk
What the iPad might mean for libraries
The critical question for me right now is whether, given a choice, without a nurtured bias for paper books, children would select a traditional, printed volume or a digitally enriched electronic version. Not what we would select, but what our students would choose.
Source: School Library Journalk
Monday, March 1, 2010
E-book cost breakdown
The New York Times has a comparison of the economics of producing a book. It suggests that publishers make $4.05 on a typical $26.00 hardback book and $4.56-5.54 on a $12.99 eBook.
Interestingly, the authors make less on an eBook, while the publishers make more? That seems a bit odd! And do most authors really get $3.90 per book?
A quick search turned up some different rates, but seemed to be between 5 and 10% of the cover price, which suggests an author royalty on a $26 book is more likely to be around $2.60, and maybe even less (my own experience with trade paperbacks suggest it's less.)
This suggests that publishers are making more like $5.35. Not that I think publishers are having an easy time of it.
Interestingly, the authors make less on an eBook, while the publishers make more? That seems a bit odd! And do most authors really get $3.90 per book?
A quick search turned up some different rates, but seemed to be between 5 and 10% of the cover price, which suggests an author royalty on a $26 book is more likely to be around $2.60, and maybe even less (my own experience with trade paperbacks suggest it's less.)
This suggests that publishers are making more like $5.35. Not that I think publishers are having an easy time of it.
iPad manufacturing bottleneck?
AppleInsider reports that analyst Peter Misek with Canaccord Adams has sited an unspecified production problem that will limit availability of the iPad, and may even delay it's release (maybe that's why they haven't started taking orders?)
"An unspecified production problem at the iPad's manufacturer, Hon Hai Precision, will likely limit the launch region to the US and the number of units available to roughly 300K in the month of march, far lower than the company's initial estimate of 1,000K units."
"The delay in production ramp will likely impact Apple's April unit estimate of 800K as well. It is also possible that, given the limited number of units available in March, the launch will be delayed for a month."
15 iPad mysteries
Mike Elgan has written a "15 iPad mysteries remain" article, and I think he's stretching a bit. Here's my response to some questions I don't think are really mysteries:
2) When can you pre-order one?
My guess is a little under 30 days prior to when they know they can ship them. If they don't start in the next two weeks, then either they have changed their minds and aren't going to accept pre-orders, OR there's a delay in release. (which is his first question; When can you buy one?)
3) Will AT&T delay the 3G version?
No. His example of tethering being delayed is a different technical/billing issue. If the iPad 3G is delayed, it's more likely a hardware/manufacturing issue, than because AT&T gets cold feet about all that new business.
4) Where will the missing iPhone apps show up?
I'm betting they haven't been rewritten - that's why they didn't make an appearance at the demo - so they'll run as they currently do. Of course, maybe they will have been rewritten to be full-screen apps, but I'm thinking that's unlikely. When you look at these apps, they aren't doing that much; scale them up to full size apps would almost cry out for more functionality, and I can't see why Apple would want to expend effort on that.
His suggestion that the Weather and Stock apps might be available on the 3G version but not the wi-fi only version ignores the fact that those apps are on both the iPhone and the iPod Touch.
5) Will there be new 'gestures' we don't yet know about?
No. While there will be some new gestures we aren't familiar with (I suspect there will be gestures in iWork for selecting multiple things, etc., which we haven't encountered before) I don't think there will be many new gestures for the "mundane" tasks he mentions.
7) Will Apple censor TV, movies and magazines?
8) Will Apple stop censoring apps?
9) Will Apple set up strong parental filters for the iPad?
That's the same question, written three different ways. But he probably didn't want to make this the 13 iPad mysteries.
Clearly, Apple needs to do something about adult material, even if it's just the "R" rated stuff. There have already been reports of Apple putting an Explicit category in iTunes (and then removing it) which suggests Apple is "experimenting" with this issue. But this may not happen at the time the iPad is released; It's an ongoing issue that Apple is wrestling with which is exacerbated - but not created - by the iPad.
11) Will iPhone apps run side-by-side on iPad?
No. This is multi-tasking, and Apple would have made a big thing of that functionality if they were going to support it.
12) Will the iPad have free-floating windows?
No. The way this is written makes it sound like an app can run in it's own window; but why do that? It makes very little sense unless you have multi-tasking. The iPad isn't going to do it. Multiple windows in an app makes sense, but not windows holding the entire app; not unless they add multi-tasking.
13) Will iPad crash the mobile Internet?
Translation: will it bring AT&T's network to it's knees? New York and San Francisco are already so iPhone saturated, even a little boost from iPad traffic will only make things much worse. But for the majority of the country, I suspect a lot of that extra iPad traffic will go through the wi-fi network.
But this is a question we really have to wait and see, because no one really knows how people will be using the iPad.
14) Will free Internet content cost money on the iPad?
Hulu may be planning to charge for content, but that's not an iPad issue. That's the reality that content publishers are all trying to figure out how to make money from the stuff they are currently giving away. And they'll have to either charge for it on the "free" internet as well, or provide some kind of added-value on the iPad. People are not going to be happy if they can see something for free on their MacBook, but not on the iPad. The question is; if that were the case, who would they get angry at?
15) Will we see Microsoft Office for iPad?
Not this year. Maybe never. Microsoft would have to put a lot of effort into it, and there's big questions whether people will want to spend big bucks for Office on the iPad. As long as Apple offers apps that can open Office files while users are on the road, that may be enough.
And remember, Microsoft has been a little iffy about the Mac market through the years, so they'd need to be convinced there was a big enough install base.
2) When can you pre-order one?
My guess is a little under 30 days prior to when they know they can ship them. If they don't start in the next two weeks, then either they have changed their minds and aren't going to accept pre-orders, OR there's a delay in release. (which is his first question; When can you buy one?)
3) Will AT&T delay the 3G version?
No. His example of tethering being delayed is a different technical/billing issue. If the iPad 3G is delayed, it's more likely a hardware/manufacturing issue, than because AT&T gets cold feet about all that new business.
4) Where will the missing iPhone apps show up?
I'm betting they haven't been rewritten - that's why they didn't make an appearance at the demo - so they'll run as they currently do. Of course, maybe they will have been rewritten to be full-screen apps, but I'm thinking that's unlikely. When you look at these apps, they aren't doing that much; scale them up to full size apps would almost cry out for more functionality, and I can't see why Apple would want to expend effort on that.
His suggestion that the Weather and Stock apps might be available on the 3G version but not the wi-fi only version ignores the fact that those apps are on both the iPhone and the iPod Touch.
5) Will there be new 'gestures' we don't yet know about?
No. While there will be some new gestures we aren't familiar with (I suspect there will be gestures in iWork for selecting multiple things, etc., which we haven't encountered before) I don't think there will be many new gestures for the "mundane" tasks he mentions.
7) Will Apple censor TV, movies and magazines?
8) Will Apple stop censoring apps?
9) Will Apple set up strong parental filters for the iPad?
That's the same question, written three different ways. But he probably didn't want to make this the 13 iPad mysteries.
Clearly, Apple needs to do something about adult material, even if it's just the "R" rated stuff. There have already been reports of Apple putting an Explicit category in iTunes (and then removing it) which suggests Apple is "experimenting" with this issue. But this may not happen at the time the iPad is released; It's an ongoing issue that Apple is wrestling with which is exacerbated - but not created - by the iPad.
11) Will iPhone apps run side-by-side on iPad?
No. This is multi-tasking, and Apple would have made a big thing of that functionality if they were going to support it.
12) Will the iPad have free-floating windows?
No. The way this is written makes it sound like an app can run in it's own window; but why do that? It makes very little sense unless you have multi-tasking. The iPad isn't going to do it. Multiple windows in an app makes sense, but not windows holding the entire app; not unless they add multi-tasking.
13) Will iPad crash the mobile Internet?
Translation: will it bring AT&T's network to it's knees? New York and San Francisco are already so iPhone saturated, even a little boost from iPad traffic will only make things much worse. But for the majority of the country, I suspect a lot of that extra iPad traffic will go through the wi-fi network.
But this is a question we really have to wait and see, because no one really knows how people will be using the iPad.
14) Will free Internet content cost money on the iPad?
Hulu may be planning to charge for content, but that's not an iPad issue. That's the reality that content publishers are all trying to figure out how to make money from the stuff they are currently giving away. And they'll have to either charge for it on the "free" internet as well, or provide some kind of added-value on the iPad. People are not going to be happy if they can see something for free on their MacBook, but not on the iPad. The question is; if that were the case, who would they get angry at?
15) Will we see Microsoft Office for iPad?
Not this year. Maybe never. Microsoft would have to put a lot of effort into it, and there's big questions whether people will want to spend big bucks for Office on the iPad. As long as Apple offers apps that can open Office files while users are on the road, that may be enough.
And remember, Microsoft has been a little iffy about the Mac market through the years, so they'd need to be convinced there was a big enough install base.
To 3G or not 3G
Apple Sky has a discussion of the question; get the 3G, or don't? The article does a pretty good job of summing up the issues. One question they raised - and maybe glossed over - is something I hadn't considered:
At this point, it is assumed that since you are buying the device contract free, that it will also be an unlocked device. This would mean that as other companies all over the world announce their plans, you should be able to also purchase micro-SIMs for networks all over the world, and hopefully they will also have monthly plans.Interestingly, the ultimate conclusion - for that writer - is to get the non 3G version. I'm actually leaning strongly in the same direction, for similar reasons; I mainly plan to use this at home or where there will be wi-fi, I already have an iPhone, so the times I'm "mobile" I have that, and finally, though the $130 price difference seems reasonable, and the $14.99 a month price isn't bad, I'm actually worried that I'll end up using it more than I plan to just because of the convenience. And that $15 a month can quickly add up!
The iPad A4 processor
[...]perhaps most likely reason behind Apple's silence, is that the A4 just isn't anything to write home about—and on this second point, I actually know a thing or two. If Apple were to tell you what's in the A4, most of the focus would be on what the chip is not, rather than on what the iPad is.
[...]
But it turns out that the the A4 is a 1GHz custom SoC with a single Cortex A8 core and a PowerVR SGX GPU. The fact that A4 uses a single A8 core hasn't been made public, but I've heard from multiple sources who are certain for different reasons that this is indeed the case. (I wish I could be more specific, but I can't.)
Source: Ars Technica
[...]
But it turns out that the the A4 is a 1GHz custom SoC with a single Cortex A8 core and a PowerVR SGX GPU. The fact that A4 uses a single A8 core hasn't been made public, but I've heard from multiple sources who are certain for different reasons that this is indeed the case. (I wish I could be more specific, but I can't.)
Source: Ars Technica
Condé Nast preparing iPad Magazines
The first magazines for which it will create iPad versions are Wired, GQ, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and Glamour, the company plans to announce in an internal memorandum on Monday.
[...]
During the test phase, the company will sell the digital magazines through iTunes.
Source: New York Time
While this is exciting/interesting news, I think that dedicated apps is ultimately the wrong way to go; imagine if rather than having the single iTunes application on your iPhone, you had to launch a separate application for each record company that you had bought albums from? It's okay if you have - for example - a subscription to Wired, but what if you buy single issues of different magazines? You're going to end up with lots of little single apps that you run infrequently.
[...]
During the test phase, the company will sell the digital magazines through iTunes.
Source: New York Time
While this is exciting/interesting news, I think that dedicated apps is ultimately the wrong way to go; imagine if rather than having the single iTunes application on your iPhone, you had to launch a separate application for each record company that you had bought albums from? It's okay if you have - for example - a subscription to Wired, but what if you buy single issues of different magazines? You're going to end up with lots of little single apps that you run infrequently.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
News
When It Comes to Content, Amazon’s Kindle Won’t Be Undersold
On Jan. 27, Steven P. Jobs was still standing on a stage in San Francisco, presenting Apple’s new iPad, when the phones started ringing. Senior managers from Amazon.com were calling newspaper, magazine and book publishers trying to glean any information possible about the deals Apple was offering them to supply content for its new reading device. [...]
Since December, Amazon has been pushing publishers to sign a new round of legal agreements that would guarantee that the Kindle price for their content is always the same or lower than the price on other electronic reading devices, such as the iPad or the Sony Reader.
Source: New York Times
AP takes aim at consumers with new digital unit
The Associated Press is setting up a division to help the news cooperative, newspapers and broadcasters sell digital products directly to readers on the next wave of Internet-connected devices such as Apple's iPad. [...]
AP Gateway will focus on expanding such products as the AP Mobile news service for cell phones and the kinds of online platforms that the AP developed for the Winter Olympics and Copenhagen climate talks. Some services might be supported by advertising revenue, while others might require readers to pay subscriptions, Curley said.
Source: Associated Press
The fuss about ePub
But Pacheco conceded that he isn't crazy about how ePub files look on most e-readers. It's more like reading a blog through an RSS reader as opposed to reading the content on the originating Web site, he said.
That said, "I have a feeling that Apple will push the International Digital Publishing Forum to extend the capabilities of ePub over time and make it more visual and interactive," he said. "Apple and publishers together have an opportunity here to lead the evolution of a standard for rich, offline handheld content."
Source: News & Tech
Scribd Spreads the Words From PCs to Mobile Devices
Document-sharing site Scribd.com launched a new feature Wednesday allowing users to easily transfer many of the site's 10 million books, magazines and documents to mobile devices, including Amazon's (Nasdaq: AMZN) Kindle, the Nook e-reader and the Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone.
It's part of the San Francisco-based tech company's effort to plant its hooks in the growing e-publishing business by making it especially easy for people who don't yet have e-readers -- which is to say most of us -- to behave as though we do.
Source: E Commerce Times
My Kid’s an Honor Student at iPad University: Apple on the Rebound in Edu
With Apple (AAPL) inking multiyear Mac contracts with a number of school districts, it’s growth in edu is on the rebound. And now, with the iPad and its promise of hand-held education just a few weeks from market, Apple could be poised to see significant growth in higher ed.
Source: Digital Daily
Mobile E-learning Publishing: iPad, iPhone, or Kindle – Which do iChoose?
While there are some who feel e-reading on mobile devices is not ready for mass adoption, Kindle’s popularity has laid that discussion to rest. Timothy Egan, a writer for the NY Times blog, iCountry, sees the acceleration of e-book reader adoption as a step towards preserving “book culture” and believes that a key part of ensuring this movement is equitable is to hold the gatekeepers accountable.
Source: Electronic Papyrus
My Notes from an Interview on Ebooks
Publishers are looking for better margins and retail prices from ebooks in general. While the agency model has been held up as a tool to enable better prices and margins, it's not clear that enabling publishers to set their own prices via the agency model is going to support prices and margins in the long run that much better than the retail/wholesale model.
Source: ContentBlogger
On Jan. 27, Steven P. Jobs was still standing on a stage in San Francisco, presenting Apple’s new iPad, when the phones started ringing. Senior managers from Amazon.com were calling newspaper, magazine and book publishers trying to glean any information possible about the deals Apple was offering them to supply content for its new reading device. [...]
Since December, Amazon has been pushing publishers to sign a new round of legal agreements that would guarantee that the Kindle price for their content is always the same or lower than the price on other electronic reading devices, such as the iPad or the Sony Reader.
Source: New York Times
AP takes aim at consumers with new digital unit
The Associated Press is setting up a division to help the news cooperative, newspapers and broadcasters sell digital products directly to readers on the next wave of Internet-connected devices such as Apple's iPad. [...]
AP Gateway will focus on expanding such products as the AP Mobile news service for cell phones and the kinds of online platforms that the AP developed for the Winter Olympics and Copenhagen climate talks. Some services might be supported by advertising revenue, while others might require readers to pay subscriptions, Curley said.
Source: Associated Press
The fuss about ePub
But Pacheco conceded that he isn't crazy about how ePub files look on most e-readers. It's more like reading a blog through an RSS reader as opposed to reading the content on the originating Web site, he said.
That said, "I have a feeling that Apple will push the International Digital Publishing Forum to extend the capabilities of ePub over time and make it more visual and interactive," he said. "Apple and publishers together have an opportunity here to lead the evolution of a standard for rich, offline handheld content."
Source: News & Tech
Scribd Spreads the Words From PCs to Mobile Devices
Document-sharing site Scribd.com launched a new feature Wednesday allowing users to easily transfer many of the site's 10 million books, magazines and documents to mobile devices, including Amazon's (Nasdaq: AMZN) Kindle, the Nook e-reader and the Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone.
It's part of the San Francisco-based tech company's effort to plant its hooks in the growing e-publishing business by making it especially easy for people who don't yet have e-readers -- which is to say most of us -- to behave as though we do.
Source: E Commerce Times
My Kid’s an Honor Student at iPad University: Apple on the Rebound in Edu
With Apple (AAPL) inking multiyear Mac contracts with a number of school districts, it’s growth in edu is on the rebound. And now, with the iPad and its promise of hand-held education just a few weeks from market, Apple could be poised to see significant growth in higher ed.
Source: Digital Daily
Mobile E-learning Publishing: iPad, iPhone, or Kindle – Which do iChoose?
While there are some who feel e-reading on mobile devices is not ready for mass adoption, Kindle’s popularity has laid that discussion to rest. Timothy Egan, a writer for the NY Times blog, iCountry, sees the acceleration of e-book reader adoption as a step towards preserving “book culture” and believes that a key part of ensuring this movement is equitable is to hold the gatekeepers accountable.
Source: Electronic Papyrus
My Notes from an Interview on Ebooks
Publishers are looking for better margins and retail prices from ebooks in general. While the agency model has been held up as a tool to enable better prices and margins, it's not clear that enabling publishers to set their own prices via the agency model is going to support prices and margins in the long run that much better than the retail/wholesale model.
Source: ContentBlogger
Friday, February 26, 2010
News
Scribd Launches Mobile Document Sharing App
Non-copyrighted documents can be sent from a PC to smartphones, Amazon's Kindle, Barnes & Noble's Nook, and the Sony Reader.
Also in March, Scribd plans to release mobile applications for Apple's iPhone, Resarch In Motion's BlackBerry, and smartphones runnning Google's Android operating system. The company also plans to make PDF documents on the site available in the EPUB format, an open document standard that gaining traction in the industry.
Source: InformationWeek
Publishing: The Revolutionary Future
The transition within the book publishing industry from physical inventory stored in a warehouse and trucked to retailers to digital files stored in cyberspace and delivered almost anywhere on earth as quickly and cheaply as e-mail is now underway and irreversible. This historic shift will radically transform worldwide book publishing, the cultures it affects and on which it depends. Meanwhile, for quite different reasons, the genteel book business that I joined more than a half-century ago is already on edge, suffering from a gambler's unbreakable addiction to risky, seasonal best sellers, many of which don't recoup their costs, and the simultaneous deterioration of backlist, the vital annuity on which book publishers had in better days relied for year-to-year stability through bad times and good.
Source: The New York Review of Books
IPad Apps Could Put Apple in Charge of the News
Publishers should think twice before worshipping the iPad as the future platform for magazines and newspapers. That is, if they value their independence from an often-capricious corporate gatekeeper.
The past week’s controversy swirling around Apple’s retroactive ban of sexy apps in the App Store seems trivial, but the implications of Apple’s arbitrariness should be disconcerting to members of the press and those who rely on the media for unbiased information.
Source: Wired
An expert view of unicorns and digital rights management
A video interview with Kirk Biglione, Oxford Media Works.
My impression of the iPad is that it's a magical unicorn that is going to save the world, all of the print industry's problems will be solved.
Source: O'Reilly Tools of Change Publishing
Leaked file might be the first promo list of iPad books
The authors include Stephen King, Timothy Ferris, Malcolm Gladwell, Dubner & Leavitt, Kennedy, Agassi, Palin and Beck. There's bestselling fiction (The Lovely Bones), fact (A History Of Modern Britain) and autobiography (Wishful Drinking). The prices range from $14.99 (for Too Big To Fail) all the way down to the magic of free (Heat Wave). It's an eclectic list... and it might be the first round of books to be highlighted on the iBooks app in a few weeks.
Source: The Unofficial Apple Weblog
Non-copyrighted documents can be sent from a PC to smartphones, Amazon's Kindle, Barnes & Noble's Nook, and the Sony Reader.
Also in March, Scribd plans to release mobile applications for Apple's iPhone, Resarch In Motion's BlackBerry, and smartphones runnning Google's Android operating system. The company also plans to make PDF documents on the site available in the EPUB format, an open document standard that gaining traction in the industry.
Source: InformationWeek
Publishing: The Revolutionary Future
The transition within the book publishing industry from physical inventory stored in a warehouse and trucked to retailers to digital files stored in cyberspace and delivered almost anywhere on earth as quickly and cheaply as e-mail is now underway and irreversible. This historic shift will radically transform worldwide book publishing, the cultures it affects and on which it depends. Meanwhile, for quite different reasons, the genteel book business that I joined more than a half-century ago is already on edge, suffering from a gambler's unbreakable addiction to risky, seasonal best sellers, many of which don't recoup their costs, and the simultaneous deterioration of backlist, the vital annuity on which book publishers had in better days relied for year-to-year stability through bad times and good.
Source: The New York Review of Books
IPad Apps Could Put Apple in Charge of the News
Publishers should think twice before worshipping the iPad as the future platform for magazines and newspapers. That is, if they value their independence from an often-capricious corporate gatekeeper.
The past week’s controversy swirling around Apple’s retroactive ban of sexy apps in the App Store seems trivial, but the implications of Apple’s arbitrariness should be disconcerting to members of the press and those who rely on the media for unbiased information.
Source: Wired
An expert view of unicorns and digital rights management
A video interview with Kirk Biglione, Oxford Media Works.
My impression of the iPad is that it's a magical unicorn that is going to save the world, all of the print industry's problems will be solved.
Source: O'Reilly Tools of Change Publishing
Leaked file might be the first promo list of iPad books
The authors include Stephen King, Timothy Ferris, Malcolm Gladwell, Dubner & Leavitt, Kennedy, Agassi, Palin and Beck. There's bestselling fiction (The Lovely Bones), fact (A History Of Modern Britain) and autobiography (Wishful Drinking). The prices range from $14.99 (for Too Big To Fail) all the way down to the magic of free (Heat Wave). It's an eclectic list... and it might be the first round of books to be highlighted on the iBooks app in a few weeks.
Source: The Unofficial Apple Weblog
No ordering yet
The rumor that Apple would start taking orders on the 25th for the iPad have proved false, but surely they will be doing it soon. The FTC Mail or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule requires that when you advertise a product you must have an expectation of shipping it within 30 days, and if something happens to extend it, then you have to get the customers approval.
So we can understand why Apple didn't take orders on the day of announcement with over two months to go before release, but if they are going to start shipping by the end of March, it would be a good guess that they could start taking orders anytime after the 1st. Of course, they may be running a few days late...
So we can understand why Apple didn't take orders on the day of announcement with over two months to go before release, but if they are going to start shipping by the end of March, it would be a good guess that they could start taking orders anytime after the 1st. Of course, they may be running a few days late...
Thursday, February 25, 2010
News
The eBook Format: Creating Content for the Smart Phone
On the iPhone, I use Amazon's Kindle App and the Stanza reader, which I downloaded when the App Store first appeared here. As the iPhone supports the .epub format, I examined some software that would help me make my own examples. If, as an ordinary user, I can do it, then others can, at little cost, highlighting content and not packaging.
None of the software I have will convert files to this e-book format: Apple should add this to Pages and Text Edit. Instead I looked at Open Source software, focusing on three applications: Sigil, Stanza Desktop and Calibre.
Source: eXtensions
B&N: Nook “Single Best-Selling Product”; CEO Rebuffs iPad Fears
Riggio said sales of Nook, which it described as “strong,” helped boost online sales for the company by 67% in the January ending fiscal Q3. Had the company had more units in stock, that 67% increase would have been higher, argued Riggio.
However, the Nook helped to drag down gross profit by 1 percentage point in the quarter.
Source: Barron's
Apple plans to expand iPhone OS to more platforms
Apple is planning to leverage its work in transforming Mac OS X to work on other devices
[Like that's a surprise -Ed]
Source: Arstechnica
Tools of Change Round-up Day 2
The second day of the Tools of Change conference left me with a notebook and a brain overflowing with ideas, information, and inspiration. It’s almost too much to digest in one day. I feel like a ZIP archive—compressed. And to top it off I went to the New York InDesign User Group meeting and watched Bob Levine and Gabriel Powell present on exporting from InDesign to Dreamweaver and EPUB, respectively. Good times.
Source: InDesignSecrets.com
iPad in Japan: The Ultimate Manga Distribution Platform?
Following on from my recent article iPad as iPad I thought I’d look again at the Japanese market. Since I published that article Apple have taken it upon themselves to become a lot more prudish in the way they maintain the app store and while I agree that heavy handed involvement in the app store has been a necessary part of the success of the iPhone, I wonder how this very American approach to freedom of speech will affect the iPad’s performance in Japan.
Source: Of Rice and Zen
iBooks or Apps? The publishers dilemma
Many publishers have started using the iPhone App Store as a channel to sell book content by packaging e-books as applications. There are currently 18,000 books in the App Store, and books are the fastest growing category of applications in the store.
With the launch of the iPad and the iBookstore Apple have given publishers another option for delivering content. In this post we analyse the pros and cons of both approaches.
Source: The Discovery Blog
Is the price right for e-books?
...after canvassing the views of people who have plunged into the age of electronic reading I've concluded, after an admittedly unscientific poll, that they're buying precious few e-books.
[...]
Now the book trade is going through another upheaval as it tries to work out what readers will pay for e-books. What seems clear at the moment is that prices are too high to persuade more than a dedicated few that digital reading is the way forward.
Source: BBC.co.uk dot.Rory
Three iPad Questions
Does the iPad have MS Exchange support?
Can I put my own EPUB documents on it?
Does book formatting matter to you?
Source: iPhone Nano
On the iPhone, I use Amazon's Kindle App and the Stanza reader, which I downloaded when the App Store first appeared here. As the iPhone supports the .epub format, I examined some software that would help me make my own examples. If, as an ordinary user, I can do it, then others can, at little cost, highlighting content and not packaging.
None of the software I have will convert files to this e-book format: Apple should add this to Pages and Text Edit. Instead I looked at Open Source software, focusing on three applications: Sigil, Stanza Desktop and Calibre.
Source: eXtensions
B&N: Nook “Single Best-Selling Product”; CEO Rebuffs iPad Fears
Riggio said sales of Nook, which it described as “strong,” helped boost online sales for the company by 67% in the January ending fiscal Q3. Had the company had more units in stock, that 67% increase would have been higher, argued Riggio.
However, the Nook helped to drag down gross profit by 1 percentage point in the quarter.
Source: Barron's
Apple plans to expand iPhone OS to more platforms
Apple is planning to leverage its work in transforming Mac OS X to work on other devices
[Like that's a surprise -Ed]
Source: Arstechnica
Tools of Change Round-up Day 2
The second day of the Tools of Change conference left me with a notebook and a brain overflowing with ideas, information, and inspiration. It’s almost too much to digest in one day. I feel like a ZIP archive—compressed. And to top it off I went to the New York InDesign User Group meeting and watched Bob Levine and Gabriel Powell present on exporting from InDesign to Dreamweaver and EPUB, respectively. Good times.
Source: InDesignSecrets.com
iPad in Japan: The Ultimate Manga Distribution Platform?
Following on from my recent article iPad as iPad I thought I’d look again at the Japanese market. Since I published that article Apple have taken it upon themselves to become a lot more prudish in the way they maintain the app store and while I agree that heavy handed involvement in the app store has been a necessary part of the success of the iPhone, I wonder how this very American approach to freedom of speech will affect the iPad’s performance in Japan.
Source: Of Rice and Zen
iBooks or Apps? The publishers dilemma
Many publishers have started using the iPhone App Store as a channel to sell book content by packaging e-books as applications. There are currently 18,000 books in the App Store, and books are the fastest growing category of applications in the store.
With the launch of the iPad and the iBookstore Apple have given publishers another option for delivering content. In this post we analyse the pros and cons of both approaches.
Source: The Discovery Blog
Is the price right for e-books?
...after canvassing the views of people who have plunged into the age of electronic reading I've concluded, after an admittedly unscientific poll, that they're buying precious few e-books.
[...]
Now the book trade is going through another upheaval as it tries to work out what readers will pay for e-books. What seems clear at the moment is that prices are too high to persuade more than a dedicated few that digital reading is the way forward.
Source: BBC.co.uk dot.Rory
Three iPad Questions
Does the iPad have MS Exchange support?
Can I put my own EPUB documents on it?
Does book formatting matter to you?
Source: iPhone Nano
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