OS X Fanatics

Apple Tablet Is Not The eBook Reader You Wanted

Matt Hartley — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:33:23 +0000

The grand idea of the Apple Tablet becoming the next big eBook reader might not happen the way many of us thought according to this piece. Apparently this is simply not a market in which Apple wishes to spend much time with.

At the same time, with the video and music market already having Apple’s boot print firmly established, why would the company break what is already working so well for it? Are eBooks really that profitable? I would say yes, but it depends on the distribution.

In the end, the only one that comes out a loser are those hoping to see Apple embrace the written word anytime soon. But who really cares? The iPhone already has the Kindle application. So would it not stand to reason that we would already see the same thing thing for the Apple Tablet? There, problem solved.

No Wifi For You!

Matt Hartley — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:33:11 +0000

Honestly feeling bad for the Chinese consumers who are excited at the prospect of finally having access to the iPhone. Why? Because it is going to be lacking a big feature. No Wifi.

I cannot even wrap my head around not having access to wifi with my iPhone. I say this as the 3G access on it is a total joke, despite AT&T whining about how much usage they already give their users.

It’s highly likely that here in the near future, we will see this change. In the meantime however, the Chinese had better get used to using whatever level of service that is provided by Unicom. Hopefully it will be enough to meet their needs.

Apple Ad Guy Still Here!

Matt Hartley — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:31:45 +0000

The person who is largely behind the successful Apple ads over the years is not going anywhere. No really, the rumors beating about the web stating that he is somehow moving on from Apple advertising efforts is simply not true.

Apparently there was some confusion when word got out that his company was doing some personal shifting. But according to this piece, it seems that everything is set to be just fine. So all of the concern that somehow Apple ads were going to suddenly go south was a lot of worry for nothing.

No, the real question is what type of advertising does the marketing genius have for us next. Despite finding a number of holes in the claims made in the advertising sometimes, I find the ads themselves to be nothing short of brilliant.

Android, iPhone And Windows Mobile Considered

Matt Hartley — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:10:06 +0000

Android is not nor will it likely ever be a threat to the iPhone. This being said, I do see it as a significant threat to Windows Mobile. See, enterprise users that want a true Enterprise level phone are likely either going to use the BlackBerry or setup an iPhone with as many enterprise ready apps as possible.

So this really leaves the consumer market looking at the only “real” iPhone alternative being something running Android. After all, who in their right mind is going to exclaim that Windows Mobile is a consumer mobile OS. It’s clearly best set for business users. And even then, it is not able to have the “wow” factor it once did.

In the end, despite all of its shortcomings, the iPhone will remain largely untouched. Marketing and innovation clearly goes beyond stable and expected. So even though the phone is a giant memory leak most days, the iPhone has won the minds of users everywhere much to the dismay of other mobile providers.

It’s About The Applications

Matt Hartley — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:09:29 +0000

I rarely agree with Scoble much on tech issues. However this article illustrates one instance where I believe he is spot on. These days, it is the most used applications that win the mobile game. Clearly for more and more people, this means the iPhone.

Take the Amazon Kindle app for instance. Until the Kindle comes to Android, my wife will never have the slightest interest in switching. What about the ability to order and view blockbuster movies on the Android? While Amazon provides access to music, I believe you are out of luck with an iTunes experience for movies at this point.

So perhaps if Android can finally catch up, then we will start seeing greater adoption. Until then, I think it will be a lot less than what it could be. But that is just my perspective.

Not A Netbook

Matt Hartley — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:55:26 +0000

Okay, so clearly a Tablet computer is definitely in Apple’s future. With all of the speculation rolling around, Apple would be foolish not to act on all of the hype by this point. There is just so much opportunity out there.

Now the question is what it is to be used for? Is this to be Apple’s approach at the popularity of netbooks, but without actually labeling the device as such? Or instead, is Apple merely looking to suck up some of that great mojo that has gone on with the iPhone instead?

Speaking for myself personally, I don’t think it matters as it will likely not do as badly as say, the Apple Newton. I simply do not think it will do anything but pick up a small amount of the lost Mac sales going on to netbooks. Even though Apple will always deny this as “netbooks are stupid” according to them.

Poor Mans Mac Server

Matt Hartley — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:39:42 +0000

To be honest, I have a number of mixed feelings on the idea of a Mini Server edition. I mean, the Mini was always best targeted to the new Apple users who did not wish to drop $1000+ on a new computer first time in.

But with the changing economy, comes the need for a cost effective server that can be purchased for under a grand. This is where the Mac Mini could very well find itself with a brand new base of users.

With the CPU and RAM provided, it is safe to say that tech enthusiasts looking to get their hands on a low end Mac server will be all over this deal. Not going to impress the casual users too much, but tech enthusiasts will appreciate it greatly.

Airport And Time Capsule Upgrades

Matt Hartley — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:39:07 +0000

Honestly have never been too impressed with the AirPort Extreme or the Time Capsule. This being said, the improvements being described here sound like they are long overdue.

The new antenna design for the AP Extreme are great to have available for sure, while the bugs plaguing the Time Capsule in the past appears to be missing from the above article. Perhaps due to it largely being seen as a firmware issue? Now resolved, with the speed improvements to the Time Capsule, Apple users can once again backup in style.

Speaking for myself, I tend to trust using both localized and remote backups together, instead of relying on only one solution instead. Call me parnoid, but I would rather keep my wife’s Mac data safe as possible.

iTunes In The EU

Matt Hartley — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:38:54 +0000

Is it just too little, too late? Some people might feel this way when it comes to considering where this leaves Apple’s presence overseas with regard to iTunes. The fact that matter is up until now, those in the EU wanting to purchase from iTunes where largely out of luck.

As with most things legal, bringing something like iTunes into the EU is never easy. But Apple felt strongly that despite the hassles of getting something worked out with the EU, their customers deserve access. And today, it appears that this has come true.

What remains lacking from what I have been reading is the fact that there is a shortage of iTunes video content. Meaning, this deal only appears to help with music, doing next to nothing for those wanting video content.

No More Jailbreaking?

Matt Hartley — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 04:35:35 +0000

Seems like Apple is really out to stop jailbreaking no matter how many people it may tick off. Then again, it is their device, they make it very clear that it is NOT open in any way. So blocking jailbreaking should not shock many.

What will eventually happen is enough people will find this unacceptable and likely give yet another push to Android devices. At the same time, Apple fans both of the non-tech enthusiast and tech enthusiast sort will stick with it for the provided functionality.

Speaking for myself, I could careless about my iPhone being able to be jailbroken, it is simply not a priority for me personally. At the same time however, one could point out that it’s not an issue for 95% of the current iPhone owners out there today. Totally speculating, but I am willing to bet this is where Apple is coming from.

Mac Sales Still Going Strong

Matt Hartley — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 04:35:07 +0000

Despite the fact that we are still very much in a troubled economy, ripe with job loss, Apple is seeing Mac sales doing quite well everything considered. And to that end, computer sales overall, appear to have recovered greatly despite the continued economic troubles felt by other industries.

With the upcoming release of the Windows 7 product coming up just around the corner, there is even more speculation that Mac sales will once again spike during this period.

I on the other hand, am skeptical about that. I think that Windows 7 will do vastly better than Vista, even though I do not think it will touch Mac sales in its own right. No, I see the two platforms remaining very much separated from one another. But in any case, it’s great to see computers as a collective whole, selling well these days.

Trillian Waits For Apple To Catch Up

Matt Hartley — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:36:15 +0000

Trillian is ready with their own IM client for iPhone users. And yet as usual, we see Apple dragging their feet with the release of the Trillian app for the iPhone even though it sure seems like Trillian has done everything right on their end?

Sure, there are already plenty of instant messengers for the iPhone available. So what is one more? Well, in the interest of fairness, it might be nice to let the casual iPhone user decide of Trillian is right for them before Apple decides to take their sweet time allowing it to pass!

Sixty days. Seriously Apple? Honestly can say that these days, if I was a developer, I might be tempted to just skip this platform altogether as its a real crap shoot as to whether anything will even appear in the already crowded app list. But perhaps I am just cynical?

Snow Leopard Is Really On The Spot

Matt Hartley — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:15:28 +0000

Wow, according to this article is looks like Apple is finally looking into the data loss (or misplacement) issue that the Internet has been abuzz about lately. This is a good thing. It’s actually rather sad, as it does seem like Snow Leopard was filled with entirely too much yellow snow in its initial release. Not quite Apple’s version of Vista, but close if you don’t consider its speed.

Will this news have any relation to people holding back on upgrading the OS? Possibly so, yes. But I think that most people will ignore any given bugs and continue using Snow Leopard regardless.

Speaking for my own family, no, we still have the unopened package as of yet. I’d like to see more time pass before I upgrade my wife’s Mac. This is not so much a poke at OS X as it is my approach to upgrading any OS. Give it time to cool after coming out of the oven.

Apple Sales Go Up With Windows Releases

Matt Hartley — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:14:10 +0000

Word on the street is that Apple’s Mac sales actually do better than Microsoft opts to release a new version of Windows. Honesty, not being a fan of either, I am fairly comfortable with either in a state of new release and I was skeptical about this news.

Still, as the link demonstrates above, clearly it is difficult to argue with the raw data. So will we see this Vista related trend take place once again when Windows7 is released? In these economic times, it is doubtful unless the user is looking to purchase brand new computers. If the user is in a financial spot where upgrading, not replacing is the area their family is in, Apple will not reap the rewards here.

Honestly, I suspect we will see existing Mac owners upgrading their operating systems and the same with many current XP owners. I do not however, see the two overlapping this time around though.

Getting Beyond The iPhone With The Storm 2?

Matt Hartley — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:11:57 +0000

As most of us remember, the Blackberry Storm 1 sucked fairly badly. So when I heard about the release of a Blackberry 2 phone being called an iPhone killer yet again. Frankly, I am beyond doubtful. This is not to say that the new Blackberry is not worth taking a look at, simply the fact that it is going to lack the functionality must as did its first attempt.

Perhaps I am wrong though, maybe we can see RIM save face this time around. After all, at least this time the phone will have wifi enabled along with other things that needed to be removed like the mechanical click-down touchscreen function.

As the above linked article points out, this time Verizon has lessened the restrictions some. But despite this, even with the problems using AT&T with the iPhone, the Storm 2 is just not a real contender against the iPhone. Considering the lack of apps and obvious lack of market share, I am not convinced a lot of success is going to be seen here.

iPhone Is The Winner

Matt Hartley — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:26:02 +0000

Lately I have NOT been in love with my iPhone’s constant memory leaks or the given network available for us in the U.S. Regardless, the folks over at J.D. Power have shown that smartphone owners are happier people.

The areas in which the iPhone was specifically awarded high marks generally seemed accurate. However in the section where it gives marks for the operating system, clearly they must have been paying someone as the OS while okay, is not worth four stars.

Don’t misunderstand me, I would give it higher marks than other smart phone OS’. But it is not “perfect” in this area as the countless forums filled with frustrated users would indicate. Good, certainly. Great, not so much. But that is just the opinion of this user.

Hi, I Am A Mac Erasing Your Data

Matt Hartley — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:16:30 +0000

Something early on told me not to use my wife’s new Snow Leopard upgrade. Clearly, I was spot-on with waiting it seems. According to the linked article, there is a NASTY OS X bug that has Snow Leopard users scrambling to make sure their backups are recent ones.

Luckily there have been reports of a method to restore the “lost” home directory, but the fact that a bug this significant is let out of the box with this Apple release has to have Windows users laughing hysterically. After all, this sounds like something they might deal with. But what do I know, I do not use either OS myself.

No, I suspect that eventually Apple will patch this. Hopefully sooner rather than later. Again, this is not to say that you should avoid using Snow Leopard, rather let it serve to remind to back up your data REGARDLESS of which operating system you happen to use.

TomTom Kit For the iPhone Is Back

Matt Hartley — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:06:32 +0000

The idea seems fairly straight forward. Provide an iPhone compatible GPS solution, using one of the most popular smart phones available today. But there are a couple of issues, as pointed out in this short article.

First of all, the iPhone application is not included with the TomTom kit for the iPhone. Not really a big deal, considering the fact the means of software delivery used by the Apple enabled phone, I don’t see problem with this at all. That said, there is one small hitch with this. Cost.

How much you ask? Well previously, the TomTom app from the iPhone was available for a whopping 99 pounds. Today, I just looked and it is still available for $99 USD. So to wrap this up, to use TomTom UK on your iPhone 3G or 3G S, you are coughing up cash for both the hardware and the software. You know, something tells me no one in the right mind is going to buy this. Call it a hunch…yikes.

I Want Whatever Ballmer Is Drinking

Matt Hartley — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:41:24 +0000

Sometimes Ballmer is so out of touch it hurts. This is clearly one of those moments. According to the Microsoft CEO, your desktop or notebook is all the eBook reader you should ever need. Uh, then why is my wife using her Kindle app for the iPhone like it was dispensing candy then? Simple, because people are interested in mobile solutions for reading digital documents.

Sadly for Microsoft though, this world where people are making eBooks successful apparently does not exist and my wife is clearly, faking her $30 a month in eBook purchases. Yes, it is all a lie and Ballmer is totally right.

To make things even more hilarity for this sad situation, Ballmer mentioned that he would be interested in seeing Amazon working with Microsoft to bring more eBooks to the PC. Now stop for a minute and let this sink in. eBooks, PDFs and Exe’s, are already totally accessible to the PC. Not to mention the fact that Amazon already makes their eBooks pretty accessible to the Windows platform as it is. Perhaps he is talking about a Kindle app for Windows. Yes, that is just what people need. A way to kill their backs crouched in from of their personal computers…now clearly that is the future of eBooks! Not. I think that Apple and Amazon will both be quite safe in this market as Microsoft has no clue here.

Redundant MapQuest Comes To iPhone

Matt Hartley — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:41:04 +0000

It’s something that has been bugging me a bit. Is adding MapQuest to the iPhone merely redundant or instead are we going to see added functionality? Based on what I can see, it looks like a lot of cool functionality is being added.

But all of the cool new features in the world means little if the map providing capability is not up to snuff. Well that and the Google street view is difficult for others to others to even touch. Still, the feature list with MapQuest’s app is impressive.

At the end of the day, it will likely come down to who prefers what over the other. I like Google Maps, it’s what I am used to. Bundle this with having bad experiences with both Google and MapQuest in the past and clearly, this is a very interpretive issue.

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