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Apple to make iTunes more like Pandora?
I heart Pandora. No doubt about it. It is slick, easy to use, ultra personal, and will sit there quietly (or as loud as I want) and do its job; serve me up music. No muss, no fuss. By contrast I have thousands of songs in my music library that I rarely listen to because they are never on the hard drive near me, not sorted properly, not tagged, you get the point. It is often times easier to simply ignore them and stream.
Apple is toying with a solution to this. Make iTunes a cloud service. It would allow unlimited downloads to iPads, iPhones, or desktops via any internet connection. I say hallelujah. All of my music, anywhere, anytime. Computer problems and a hard drive craps out? No worries, it is all on their servers. Music made easy.
Nothing official is out yet and won’t likely be out for a few more months but a move like this would be huge.
Low tech creativity in action
In a world full of iPhones, tablets,HTML5, web 2.0, etc etc, it is nice to see someone though smaller of the problem and not bigger. This is really an amazing piece…
Cel phones and your brain
This is a hard topic for us. Everyone has a cel phone and most are on it non-stop. No one has come out yet with significant proof that we are all slowly dying of brain tumors so, we continue to talk. Keep in mind though that until about 60 years ago we all though smoking cigarettes was actually healthy. (check this out).
Unfortunately this study won’t actually answer any of your questions either but it does get us talking. Essentially it states that test subject’s brains were in fact sensitive to the low levels of radiation emitted from cel phones. Hooray. I can certainly sleep better now for sure.
Test continue to pop up saying nothing at all happens. This test say something is in fact happening but emphatically states that there can be no conclusions drawn at this time.
The study can be found here. In the end though I fear that no one, myself included, really is poised at this point to make any behavior modifications based on this. Who knows, maybe someday we will see our courts littered with litigation by cel phone users. Meanwhile, I can’t wait for the iPhone 5.
Using iPads to sell you more stuff
One thing that is nearly un-arguable at this point is the fact that people really enjoy the iPad. It presents information is an incredibly sexy way. What’s not to like? Retailers have also started to realize this and have begun to test this in several locations.
We too have worked with a retailers to apply sales tools for the iPad. Our experience is in-line with others online; retailers are excited about this for sure. In general it is a no-brainer if you think about it. You can make a store experience that has access to far more information than any sales associate could ever have. You can give a sexy interface to control it and, probably the best part, they can take it with them or download it on their own outside the store.
Some have argued that a website does this as well. It really doesn’t though. iPads, iPhones, and Android enabled devices sit in your pocket, purse, or bag. In other words, stores can speak to their target customers directly, anywhere. Add to this the fact that the mobile devices don’t have to be “websites” and you can now have a much more tailored shopping experience for your users. When viewing next to physical products, this can be a very powerful motivator for purchasing. For on-the-fence shoppers, having your iPhone remind you of a product you looked at could swing the vote after the fact and push an online sale.
The possibilities are certainly endless and are ramping up as we speak. We will keep tabs on the cooler stories as they progress.
Apple opens up its biggest store in China; Shanghai
Report after report shows us that China is on fire. While most people know that China makes a lot of the gadgets that the rest of the world uses, many don’t know that China is on track to be a major player in terms or actually purchasing goods as well. The estimates have China, as an example, accounting for as much as 25% of the world’s luxury purchasing in the upcoming years. This is not insignificant.
Apple is clearly someone who gets this as well. They are planning a major store opening in Shanghai which is going to be tremendous; the store that is. It will be the biggest in China. It has to be. Reports say that as many as 40,000 folks walk themselves into Apple stores in China each day. By contrast, USA does about 10,000 per day.
China has an almost insatiable appetite for Apple’s products so it is nice to see the message has been sent and Apple is responding in kind. Original estimates had Apple opening 25 new stores in China. That number is said to be under reassessment based on the sheer size of Shanghai but with the iPad 2 coming out soon there, followed by the iPhone 5 at some point this year, those estimates could re-up in short order.
Apps in iTunes via Flash and how a developer feels about it
Unless you migrated here from the planet formerly known as Pluto, you are no doubt aware of the previous battle waged between Apple and, well anyone who didn’t know Objective C and wanted to make an app. Apple has since released its strangle hold on that and allowed for developers to use Flash to create their iPad and iPhone apps.
So what does this mean? Well likely game developers will be incredibly happy with this. There is no doubt this significantly helps them out.
If you are a designer by nature and have a thin grasp on Flash but want to make apps, this also definitely helps you out tremendously.
If you, as a general rule, don’t want to learn a completely new programming language, this also helps you out. The frustration of spending years learning Actionscript just to be slapped in the face with needing to learn Objective C is quite understandable.
In the end however I cannot help but to disagree with backlash towards Apple on this one. I absolutely think Apple is guilty of quite a lot of things but in this particular point, I don’t think so. After a healthy dose of articles and speaking with colleagues alike, it would seem the two primary reasons for arguing in favor of Flash are quite simply twofold: we have been using it for years and the tools are mature and robust, it only makes sense to allow us to use Flash; and second, “it just looks prettier”.
I have to say I argue both. Let’s start with the later. As a designer I don’t disagree that Flash can be more amusing, more polished, and yes, prettier. However, as someone who deals in function I could not disagree more with using this as an argument. While it might look better some of the worst designed, most terribly “thought out” websites on the internet happen to be in Flash. As many of my students have displayed over the years, when given the opportunity to make something slide, rotate, fade, blip, beep, or bop, they do, in excess, to the detriment of intelligent design.
Arguing the former is almost equally absurd. Simply because a toolset exists, and has for a long time, is not an argument to crowbar it in to another output. Yes, there are a plethora of tools available for Flash but in the end, good old fashioned Ob C has come through for us time and time again.
It should be noted that we were without question not an Objective C shop prior to the advent of iPhones and iPads. Not even close. It took us quite a bit of research and development time to polish up our chops, figure out the new toy, and start applying this knowledge to our client’s work.
It should also be noted that we still use Flash for client work and will continue to do so until the need no longer exists. That being said, we segment the two according to best use. Sometimes there is not, or should not, be a shortcut.
PC users rejoice; you now have an iMac-ish
For a long time we have had friendly wars of words with our PC friends everywhere. One sentiment that has been repeated however time and time again is that most would buy an Apple product if it didn’t have Apple’s OS on it. Well now you can, sort of.
In a world where creativity is dwindling by the minute, we have Lenovo coming along and gripping some sizable market share out of Apple’s cash-filled hands. Apple is not estimated to loose their death grip on the “all in one” market but it is certainly now having to swat Lenovo away with a stick. Competition though is very good for everyone.
The device itself looks, well, just like an iMac almost. Not quite but clearly “inspired” by Apple for sure. I suppose if you can’t beat ‘em, make a copy of them and slap Windows on it.
iPad 2 had a killer weekend
While nothing has been officially released the estimates out on the street range from 400k – 600k sold in the first weekend. By contrast, and to compare, those numbers are higher than the original did in a week on Earth. Not too shabby. Also not surprising. This go around had it being sold everywhere and not just at the Apple Store. Essentially though, whatever stores had them, now don’t. Waiting lines now are huge.
As someone who was there for the first iPad on its first day, I was very surprised to see the massive lines at the store. I considered it a foregone conclusion long ago that cool gadgets and I would have a lifelong relationship so I fully expected to be in that line. The real good news here for Apple though is that a lot of folks buying it are doing so for the first time. One firm polled around 200 people in lines waiting to buy the iPad 2 and found out that most of the respondents were first-timers. For Apple to be able to convert newbies to the iOS platform is a huge move for securing future sales.
Financially this is clearly a huge win for Apple. They are slated to push 30 million of these suckers in 2011; nearly 6 million to be pushed by the end of March. That is quite a bit more than 2010. If we do a little math here, Apple reported a $26.7 billion take for 2010. 17% reportedly came from iPads. Nearly doubling those figures would be a massive maneuver.
iPad 2; lines, lines, lines
Well even this guy was surprised when I showed up to the mall to get my iPad2. As I was also there on opening day of the first iPad I was without question expecting a line. What I saw there however was, wow. The line spanned the entire length of the mall, wrapped around the end, and started coming back. AT&T in the mall was sold out and Apple could not possibly have had enough for everyone. I called a dozen stores in the area that would have it and all said no. On a whim, I pulled into Best Buy and low and behold there was one left.
Since then everywhere is an iPad ghost town.
Come Monday, it is get-cracking time on installing our apps and playing around more. For now, the camera on the front is killer, the one on the back makes me feel a bit silly holding that big iPad up to take a picture but hey, definitely useful. Thin, yes, which is also very nice. That smart case though I could leave behind. Not a big fan of it to be sure but I can see why some would like it.
Keep posted for the ins and outs as we get to play with it more.
Love ‘em or leave ‘em, gizmos and gadgets are on their way
Technology is quite literally one of our favorite things. I was in the first 100 in line for my iPhone, same with my iPad. I will be for the next iPad as well soon; likely the same with the iPhone. These however appear to be simply laying the framework though for what is to come.
Recent articles all over the web as well as trade shows alike are beginning to display a wide range of gizmos and gadgets designed to use currently available technology in new and productive ways. Even if we disagree on the term “productive” it is exciting nonetheless.
A few things on the horizon:
- The Monkey Robot: This little doodad will run around your house on its own and let mom and dad keep tabs on things vis their iPhone, iPad, or Android. Perhaps gives new meaning to monkey on my back depending on how aggressive this sucker is.
- Mobile enabled pill dispensers that yell at you if you miss a dose. As well, they can deliver what you did eat to a smartphone. Grandpa better watch out because daddy can now snoop on what is, or is not happening.
- Speeding alerts: The next gen of radar detector could absolutely be some type of hacking signal sent to devices that send out alerts when drivers speed. Now cops can actually give speeding tickets from the doughnut shops remotely.
- Speeding may be an issue our kids and grandkids don’t even grasp as driver-less cars are being sorted out now as well in some places. While it would no doubt be very cool to log on to my car via my iPhone to come pick me up somewhere, it would likely put a hole in my plans to do 90mph down the highway.
The biggest problem facing these companies is, for the first time in a while, definitely not the tech. We have plenty of it. It is everywhere. A budding entrepreneur just hast to re-arrange the dots in a pattern that can actually make money.
It is going to be very fun to see what happens next.
Why we won’t be using a computer soon enough
Not too long ago we mentioned here the projected tablet sales; nearly 71 million to hit the streets by the end of 2012. While surfing the web on a tablet is much easier than you iPhone or Android in terms of physical space, many, many more folks actually have smartphones. The newest stat has the world hitting 850 million smartphones by 2015. That is a staggering number that has nearly 1 in 8 people on planet earth holding a smartphone within 4 years. If that is the case, why would anyone need a computer?
As it stands now urban professionals are relying more and more on mobile technologies to run their average work day. In lesser fortunate areas where a high speed cable connection is not financially, or in some cases, physically possible, mobile internet is the only option. Copule that with the ease of communicating on the same device thus eliminating clutter in one’s life, and it is a proverbial soup and a sandwich.
For tech folks device convergence is the holy grail of consumer goods. One device to rule them all as it were. So far, we have seen it come close, but with numbers like these on the horizon, it is hard to imagine software developers and tech manufacturers alike won’t be running a little bit faster towards that goal.
iPad 2 – what oh what will it be?
I am sure by now everyone knows that the list of folks who panned the iPad early on were, to put it kindly, wrong. They were wrong about it being a “big iPhone”, they were wrong about people wanting to buy it, and they were most certainly wrong about the fact that it would literally change the world; or at least how we interact with it on the mobile side. Since its birth there have been several, and I do mean several, companies scrambling to catch up. In the end though it has bee slow until recently. Now that others have at least put out a product, Apple has to release number two. So what next? The iPad rumor mill never rests.
Baseline: it must be big. There are a few things that have to happen. Top amongst them are cameras, both front and back. Many were disappointed this was not part of “round one” but hey, you have to keep something in your pocket. Not having this would be absurd on several levels. Next in line is the face itself. Many, many iPad users complain about fingerprints and glare. With products like the Kindle using the display to launch an entire commercial on, not having a solution to fingerprints and glare would likely also be an obvious miss.
Next is the processor rumors. Lots here to think about but some highlights include a dual core A4 processor which should significantly boost performance. As well, double the RAM. Finally, and the least reliable but more fun, would be a graphics processor that would allow the retina display to show up on the new iPad.
Finally there is size. As we all know, when it comes to mobile, size absolutely matters. This one is poised to be slimmer and a bit less weighty. Any and all decrease here would be swell.
All fun stuff to ponder, all fun stuff to daydream about, but in the end, no one will know until Wednesday for sure what goes on. Until then, happy conjecture!
Just plain cool
While this is nothing totally new, I never get bored of this technology being used. Recently eBay released a new app that allows sellers to list a geo location of the item. This in turn allows users, or shoppers, to see which eBay items are for sale in their immediate surroundings. I mean how cool is that?
Again, augmented reality apps are hardly new. This latest one however I think underscores how important it is to understand the things that mobile can do well and then capitalize on it. This new app gives an entirely new dimension to the shopping experience, allows for immediate (both because it is mobile and because you can see in your immediate surroundings) access to available data, and encourages end-user interaction. This is a slam dunk recipe for any mobile app. Users want to use this app even if they aren’t shopping for anything. Who knows, they could stumble on something they didn’t even know they needed.
The tablet train has left the building
The latest figures are high; very high. Tablets are out there and on fire. The company International Data recently released a report saying that 70.8 million tablets will be out on the market by 2012. To further punctuate this, they said that the tablet market shot nearly vertical with a 45.1% growth in just the third quarter. For anyone still left wondering about these toys, stop wondering and start making your mobile app.
A few other tidbits of interest. One, an estimated 44.6 million tablets will ship in 2011. This number is constantly growing though so who knows where exactly this will land. The US will hog nearly 40% of those worldwide. After all, we can’t sip our lattes without having an iPad now can we?
In all, these numbers make more clear that which has been pretty clear all along; we have moved to mobile.
Mobile video is almost half of mobile traffic
In 2010 video accounted for 40% of all mobile traffic. That is not insignificant by any measure. It is guessed that in 2011, we are jumping up to 60%. That clearly is even bigger. The interesting part of this is that while it has never been easier to get video on your mobile device, good video nonetheless, only about 10% of us are responsible for these numbers. As it seems, a small portion of folks are monopolizing nearly half our available bandwidth all alone. We have been saying for quite some time now that AT&T majorly dropped the ball with regards to its network. Can you imagine what would have happened if these numbers were off and even 20% of people used video?
Caps and whatnot have been imposed which are which were set to curtail usage but this is clearly an up-and-coming issue. As a user of mobile, I shudder to think what happens if the needle ticks to 15%; our phones will be shooting to a screeching halt. As a creator of mobile apps, many of them are utilizing video components. To this end, we are in the middle of the effort to make more video present and used. Where does this end?
The answer is no one knows right now. The new networks are rolling out now which will certainly help. 4G is a lot “more” network that we have now which is good. However, it is not 100% guaranteed to fix this. For now, the 10% of you out there using up 40% of everyone’s pipe, be happy more of us don’t use video.