When Apple took the lid off of iOS 6 at WWDC 2012 two weeks ago, they showed off several new and exciting features. When iOS 6 launches in the fall it will include a brand new Maps app with turn-by-turn navigation, major improvements to Siri, Facebook integration, and more. One of these new features is a pair of buttons in Notification Center that allow you to quickly post to Twitter or Facebook.
For the moment, though, those of us without access to the iOS 6 beta release are forced to admire these new goodies from afar. While some of them are available as Jailbreak tweaks, users who aren’t willing to jailbreak their phones are still out of luck. Fortunately, one app developer found a nice workaround that lets you get your hands on one of iOS 6’s new features right now.
Launched shortly after iOS 5 brought Twitter integration to the iPhone, iQuick Tweet is a very simple Twitter app that does exactly what the name says (and not much else): it lets you tweet quickly and easily. And now it lets you tweet from the Notification Center, too. No jailbreak required.
How is this wonder accomplished, you ask? Simple. Whenever you close iQuick Tweet, it generates a notification. When you tap that notification in the Notification Center, it takes you to the app. Since tweeting is pretty much all the app does, the notification becomes a de facto “Tap to Tweet” button:
Now, the astute observer will notice that my Notification Center doesn’t quite look like yours. That’s because my phone is jailbroken (the tweaks you’re seeing are NCSettings and Zeppelin, which lets you customize your carrier logo). But again, iQuick Tweet doesn’t require you to jailbreak your phone. It’s a perfectly legitimate App Store app. It also works on an iPad (which isn’t jailbroken):
iQuick Tweet is a universal iOS app. It’s available in the iOS App Store for $0.99.
Last week in Alpharetta, Georgia, a young woman of Iranian descent was denied the purchase of an iPad by an Apple employee due to the fact that she was from Iran. A US citizen, Sahar Sabet felt humiliated and betrayed when the Apple employee came back and told her that it is company policy to not sell to people from Iran, due to bad relations between the United States and Iran.
She was at the store with her uncle who was there visiting from Iran when the purchase was denied. This was made clear to the Apple employee before he came back and said they couldn’t buy the iPad. Common sense tells me that the employee thought that while the girl was buying it, the iPad was for her uncle who would then try to take it back to Iran.
When the channel 2 action news team in Atlanta found out about the story, they sent a reporter to the Apple store in question to talk to the manager. The manager showed the reporter Apple’s policy. It said “the exportation, sale or supply from the U.S. to Iran of any Apple goods is strictly prohibited without authorization by the U.S. government.” The manager also told the reporter they have to rely on customers to be honest. He reiterated (the policy) always will be to not sell to anyone from Iran.
This is a touchy situation because while it is against the law to discriminate based on country of origin. It is also illegal to travel to Iran with laptops or satellite cellphones without U.S. authorization said a representative for the U.S. State Department.
Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), claimed there were other incidents in California and Virginia but he did not give any details about the incidents. “These are legal residents, on American soil,” he told FoxNews.com. “As Americans we are outraged, and every American would be outraged.”
While the Council on American-Islamic Relations is appalled at this, there is an Islamic group that is ok with what happened. The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans supports Apple’s take on the Alpharetta incident, concluding that Apple’s refusal to sell the product was not based on discrimination. The company is legal obliged to prevent sales if a product’s ultimate destination is Iran.
CAIR disagrees, saying in a statement: “We understand that Apple’s official company policy … is almost verbatim taken from the Iranian Transaction Regulations (ITR), specifically 31 C.F.R. § 560.204, and is in line with U.S. economic sanctions targeting Iran. However, at issue here is the correct application of that policy by Apple’s employees.”
Apple is in a tough place. They are trying to follow the Iranian Transaction Regulations laws, but the only way they can actually do that is to break the discrimination laws. Almost a no win situation for them.
After the impressiveJelly Beanpresentation, Google is not done. The company has switched gears to Google+ and the future of their social network. The first major announcement is that Google+ is launching a native app on tablets today.
Google pushed out a redesigned Google+ app for iOS and Android over the past few weeks. Google said that many users complained about the lack of a native tablet app. A native Android tablet app will launch today to hopefully fix that complaint.
The major improvements to the tablet app are a redesigned photo stream that puts Google+’s impressive photos front and center. The tablet app also pretty much replicates the desktop Hangout experience with all the features that people have come to expect from Google+’s signature feature.
Google didn’t show off all the redesign but they said that they have completely revamped how people interact with Google+ on tablets. The company also announced that they are working on a native iPad app that should launch soon. The app will take advantage of the new iPad’s retina display.
Google also announced that all the new features for Google+ on tablets will be coming to Android smartphones today. It will hit the iPhone at a later date, probably alongside the iPad app. Once again, both Android apps will be available today.
Google kept the Google+ party train rolling by announcing Google+ Events. We heard some rumors on this a few weeks ago when Google+ had some source code that hinted at the application. Google+ Events promises to be more intimate than anything else because it’s only available to those who were invited.
Unlike other Events applications, Google+ adds something interesting called Party Mode. This is Google+ Events during the actual party where people opt in. When they take pictures at the event, they will be notified after the event to upload those photos to the event. This will allow everybody who was at the party to see all the photos that were taken during the event. The post-party event will then arrange the photos by popularity and tags.
With events, Google+ is getting the last big feature that many fans have wanted since launch. It remains to be seen if it will be a major contender with Facebook, but it’s looking more optimistic for now. Remember to grab the new Google+ app for tablets on Google Play.
Apple has really been pushing education for the past few years with the iPad. They even held a huge event earlier this year that was entirely focused on education and the arrival of interactive textbooks on the iPad. Schools are starting to buy into the craze by buying all of their students iPads for learning and work. Some would say it’s working, while the initiative still has some naysayers. One of the biggest naysayers is apparently Bill Gates.
In a recent interview with Bill Gates, The Chronicle questions the Microsoft founder’s views on education and ways to improve it. It’s a fascinating talk that’s worth a read, but there’s one really interesting part near the middle where he comments on the use of tablets in the classrooms.
The interviewer asks Gates what he thinks about the use of tablets in the classroom. With the recent announcement of the Surface, it would be safe to assume that he would praise the Microsoft tablet as the next innovation in education. It’s surprising then when he says that tablets aren’t the right fit. He feels that low-cost PCs, like the Raspberry Pi, will be driving education in the future.
Just giving people devices has a really horrible track record. You really have to change the curriculum and the teacher. And it’s never going to work on a device where you don’t have a keyboard-type input. Students aren’t there just to read things. They’re actually supposed to be able to write and communicate. And so it’s going to be more in the PC realm—it’s going to be a low-cost PC that lets them be highly interactive.
Gates goes on to say that we need to fix education itself first before we start throwing tablets and PCs at students.
But the device is not the key limiting factor at this point, at least in most countries. If we ever get the curriculum to be super, super good, then the access piece, which is the most expensive part, will be challenging, requiring special policies to let people get access. The device, you’ll be able to check out of the library a portable PC, so I don’t see that as the key thing right now.
At first glance, it looks like Gates is just trying to say that the PC is relevant when Apple says we’re in a post-PC world. In a way that’s true, but I think that Gates is onto something even bigger here. Tablets are for consumption and they always will be. They’re not great for creation and a good education consists of equal parts consumption and creation.
As technology moves forward, tablets may no longer be the big thing. We may come full circle back to the PC or move on to even greater heights. The point that Gates is trying to make is that the device doesn’t matter as much as the means. While he definitely thinks a PC is better for education than an iPad, an iPad can be a powerful learning tool in the right hands. Unfortunately, the current thinking seems to be that handing a kid a tablet will automatically turn them into a star pupil without any input from the teacher themselves.
Here’s a video of the interview where Gates talks about tablets in the classroom:
There’s nothing more fun on a lovely summer afternoon than a trip to the DMV, right? Right? Okay, not so much. In fact, if you’ve ever had to visit the DMV to get your license or registration renewed, you know it can be a pretty awful experience, especially early or late in the month. If you have to make a trip to the DMV anytime between the 25th of one month and the 5th or 6th of the next, you’d better plan on being there for awhile. Bringing a pillow and a snack might not be a bad idea.
If you hate going to the DMV, the government of Tennessee feels your pain (shockingly, those lines aren’t any more pleasant for the people that work at the DMV than they are for you). To try and improve the experience, they’re bringing iPads to 26 DMVs across the state. Before you get your hopes up, they’re not passing them out so you can play Angry Birds while you wait. Fun as that would be, that’s what your own smartphone or tablet (or even a newspaper, magazine, or book) is for.
No, these iPads are going to be installed as ASSETs (Automatic Self-Service Electronic Terminals, because if there’s one thing governments love, it’s a good acronym), terminals where you can conduct your business quickly and with minimal waiting or human interaction. The terminals allow drivers to perform a number of license-related operations, including renewal, replacement for a lost license, change your address, or apply to have your license reinstated. Once you’re done at the kiosk, your license should be ready in just a few minutes.
The state has installed 72 of these ASSETs in 26 driver service departments across the state. For those playing the home game, that’s three kiosks each for 20 departments, and two each for the remaining six. According to the state’s press release, the kiosks should be active now. According to the state’s list of locations (PDF), the kiosks are concentrated in Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Memphis, which account for twelve of the 26 locations. Other locations are distributed among the state’s other larger cities, including Clarksville, Murfreesboro, and others.
Apple has succeeded in securing a ban on Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 in U.S. stores. Late yesterday afternoon Judge Lucy Koh granted Apple’s request for a preliminary injunction on Samsung’s tablet. She declared that Apple had offered enough evidence to prove that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 infringes on some of Apple’s design patents. On those grounds, she said, “denial of an injunction would cause Apple irreparable harm,” and that “any further delay of the injunction is not justified.”
This ruling overturns a previous denial of the same request. The court previously ruled that although Apple had met most of the requirements necessary to justify an injunction, the design patent in question was invalid. A Federal Circuit Court overturned that portion of the ruling, clearing the way for this injunction to be issued.
In her ruling, Judge Koh says that Apple “has presented a strong case on the merits,” and that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is “substantially similar” to the design patent in question. To put it simply: Judge Koh is pretty sure that Samsung copied Apple with the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Samsung, of course, wasted no time in responding. In what has to be some sort of record, it took them a mere five hours to file a notice that they planned to appeal the ruling.
It’s not clear when the injunction will go into effect – that is to say, when Galaxy Tabs will start being pulled from U.S. shelves. You can read Judge Koh’s ruling below:
Apple has released the second beta version of iOS 6 to developers today. The update went live less than an hour ago. Developers with iOS 6 beta 1 installed on their devices can download the update over the air directly to their devices.
It’s not clear what has been changed with the new beta version. All Apple says is that it includes bug fixes and improvements. The update is 322MB in size. Apple has not yet updated the developer site with further details on the new beta.
The first beta of iOS 6 was released shortly after the WWDC 2012 keynote two weeks ago. According to early reports the new features were generally great, but the system tended to be fairly buggy and unstable. This release presumably fixes some of the instabilities of the previous version. It’s also possible that it adds new features, but we’ll have to wait until the developers start digging around in it to know for certain.
The final version of iOS 6 is scheduled to release sometime in the fall. Though Apple didn’t say so during the keynote, iOS 6 will release at the same time as the new iPhone, which has been widely rumored to be coming in October.
Earlier this month we brought you a report about the future of the iPad’s impact on the computer market. According to Wall Street projections about the remainder of 2012 and 2013, the the PC market will stagnate as tablets take over. That data predicted the PC market to grow a mere 1.4% in 2013, while the tablet market will grow by 62%. That, of course, is bad news for PC makers, who will see their devices – especially notebooks – increasingly supplanted by tablets like the iPad.
Nevertheless, PC makers remain generally optimistic about the future, according to a recent report from DigiTimes. Citing various sources they say that computer companies like Acer, Asus, and Samsung are optimistic about the future of the notebook market. Others, like HP and Dell, remain neutral. Factors like Intel’s new Ivy Bridge processors and the launch of Windows 8 this fall are expected to contribute to a revived demand for notebooks toward the end of this year and into next year.
Since the launch of the first iPad in 2010, the iPad (and other tablets, to a lesser degree) have steadily replaced the desktop computer as the go-to device for users’ web browsing and content consumption needs.
Writing about the Obama campaign’s new organizing app, Dashboard, there was something blindingly apparent to me: the President’s campaign staff really has a jones for all things Apple.
In another sign that Apple has triumphantly branded itself as the Company of Cool, the computing devices featured on the Dashboard homepage are slightly modified devices resembling the unmistakable design of Apple’s Mac:
Here is the promotion photo from Apple’s Mac page:
Dead ringer, eh?
But it doesn’t stop there. If you’re gonna hit the campaign trail, take your White House-endorsed iOS device with you:
Coincidentally, the only image I could find of the iPad and iPhone propped up against each other in a similar arrangement was from the page for the official iOS apps for the Democratic Party:
For somebody that plays down his cool factor by frequently citing what a dorky dad he is on the talk show circuit, Obama’s campaign staff’s use of images of products by Apple, the Company of Cool, certainly isn’t playing along with that message.
Any time you make a purchase, it’s always good to know what extra costs will come with it. After all, every purchase comes with its own little (and sometimes not so little) hidden extras. Stuff you’ll have to pay for to make the initial purchase worth it. Buying a car comes with a whole host of extra expenses: maintenance, gas (which is a big deal, what with gas being about a zillion dollars these days), pink fuzzy dice for the rear view mirror, that sort of thing. It’s the same with gadgets. If you buy an iPad, for example, you’ll probably want a case, then you’ll want a screen protector, then you’ll have to spring for some decent apps from the App Store (which can add up in a great big hurry). All in all, buying the cheapest new iPad available will run you $500 (plus tax and AppleCare, if you want it), but all the extras tack another $40-50 onto the price, at least.
But there’s another extra cost, one that people don’t usually think about: electricity. Any device you buy has to have electricity. Without it that iPad becomes an oddly shaped (and ridiculously overpriced) frisbee. Or a clipboard (without the clip), or a Clint Eastwood-style bulletproof plate under your tunic during a gunfight (I don’t recommend trying that one). What’s more, unless you’re using a really high-quality solar charger, that electricity costs money.
So that raises an interesting question: just how much money does it cost you to charge up that fancy new iPad? Well, according to data released by the Electric Power Research Institute, the answer is $1.36 per year. That’s right. If you’re diligent and attentive enough, you could conceivably pay for your iPad’s electricity needs with change you find on the ground. EPRI conducted the study at their labs in Knoxville, Tennessee. There they found that fully charging the iPad every other day will use a total of about 12 kilowatt hours of electricity in a year. To put that in perspective, that shiny 42-inch plasma TV hanging on your wall will burn through 358 kilowatt hours in the same amount of time.
Of course, the actual cost of the electricity used will vary depending on where you live. Those twelve kilowatt hours may cost you a few cents more here or a few cents less there. Whatever the actual number in your market, though, it’s not going to be high. In other words, while the cost of gas might make you think twice about buying that ginormous SUV, the cost of electricity shouldn’t give you any second thoughts about buying an iPad.
Tablets are a tricky thing to price. People want to make sure they’re getting the absolute best value out of the product, but don’t want to pay an arm and a leg just to get their mobile computing on. Apple’s iPad may be the best and worst example of tablet pricing by costing said arm and leg, but offering a customized software experience that seemingly pays for itself in time.
Microsoft’s Surface will now have to do the pricing tango as it nears its launch with Windows 8. The company didn’t announce a price for the Surface when it was unveiled which means that they still might be debating its cost. Recent rumors from Digitimes suggest that the tablet may be more expensive than many had hoped.
Digitimes’s sources found that Microsoft will be outsourcing the manufacturing of the Surface to Pegatron Technology. They also found that the price for the tablet might be a little steep for some. At current estimates, the Windows 8 Pro-based Surface will be priced at $799 or above. The Windows RT-based model running on an ARM processor will be at least $599 or above.
Let’s take a look at the Windows RT model first as it will ship with Windows 8 and act as direct competitor with the iPad. The Windows RT Surface will come in 32GB or 64GB variations so let’s assume that the 32GB will be at least $599. A 32GB iPad will run you the same amount at $599, but you can also choose to buy the 16GB for $499. While hardcore users would definitely want the extra storage, regular tablet users would just be fine with 16GB and opt for the iPad in this case.
As for the Windows 8 Pro version of Surface, it’s going to be more in line with Ultrabooks. The latest Ultrabook that can compare to the Intel Core i5 processor that’s powering the Surface will cost anywhere between $799 and $1,000. The Windows 8 Pro version of Surface will be the better value because it’s the most powerful tablet on the market, while being far more portable than the already portable Ultrabook.
With both models, Microsoft will have to prove that they can pull an Apple by convincing people that the software will make up for the hardware’s initial price. Unfortunately, that was the main problem with Microsoft’s Surface conference – they showed no software. Apple always shows software alongside their hardware announcement to build the hype up. Until Microsoft can hype up the Surface with exciting software, it will be hard to see its value against the iPad.
Apple’s march toward global application domination continues. Last week during Apple’s WWDC 2012 keynote, CEO Tim Cook promised that the App Store would be coming to 32 more countries around the world. An email from Apple to iOS and OS X developers today has confirmed the expansion, which goes live today.
Though Cook didn’t say which countries, the email does. Most of the new markets are in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Here’s the complete list: Albania, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo, Fiji, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Micronesia, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Sao Tome e Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, the Solomon Islands, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Turmkenistan, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe.
The addition of 32 new countries/territories brings the total to 155. According to 9to5Mac, developers who want to sell their paid apps in the App Store in these new territories have to agree to new sales contracts before the apps can go up for sale.
It was announced a while ago that Zynga and Hasbro had entered into a partnership to bring some of Zynga’s more famous games to life via board games and toys. Many people thought that the partnership would go both ways with Zynga making games based on established Hasbro franchises. Turns out that was not the case with Gameloft announcing their own partnership today.
Gameloft announced today that they have entered into an agreement with Hasbro to create games based on the company’s Littlest Pet Shop and My Little Pony brands. The games will be out before the end of the year and will be hitting all the major mobile platforms like Android, iPhone and iPad.
“Creating highly inventive and accessible digital play experiences based on our world-class brands continues to be at the core of Hasbro’s mission and we envision Gameloft to be a key player in the ongoing execution of that global strategy,” said Mark Blecher, Senior Vice President of Digital Media and Marketing at Hasbro. “This agreement brings together Hasbro’s powerhouse girls’ brands with one of the industry’s preeminent mobile game developers which will take My Little Pony and Littlest Pet Shop play to an entirely new level of fun.”
A Gameloft representative confirmed with us that the developer’s My Little Pony game will be based off of the runaway success that has been My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. That news alone should be enough to get the little girls (and bronies) everywhere excited about the possibilities of games based on their favorite franchise.
As Gameloft is gearing up on game development for these franchises, might I suggest a few fan-made games that they should draw inspiration from.
My Little Pony: Fighting Is Magic
PonyKart
My Little Investigations
See Gameloft, the fan base has already done your work for you. You could release any of these on any platform and they would probably sell at least a few hundred thousand in a day. If the Bronycon Kickstarter can reach its goal in a day, Gameloft can make bank on any potential My Little Pony game if it respects the franchise and the fan base.
It looks like the summer of 2012 is a good time to work for Apple. According to reports today Apple Store employees are being given better discounts on Apple products, and some are receiving raises as high as 25-30%. The discount program is the fulfillment of a promise made back in January by Tim Cook, while the raises appear to be at least partly in response to anonymous complaints that employees were underpaid.
According to 9to5Mac, as of today Apple Store employees can get $500 off Macs (except the retina display MacBook Pro) and $250 off iPads when purchasing through their employee web portal. Employees already got 25% off of every Apple product. These discounts are in addition to that. Which means that if you work in an Apple Store, as of today you could get the most expensive iPad – 64GB with cellular, normally $829 – for $371.75. That, for those of you playing the home game, is almost $130 cheaper than the cheapest iPad, the 16GB WiFi only, which normally costs $499. Of course, there’s a catch: employees can only use the discounts once every three years.
Now, earlier in the week we brought you news that Apple Store employees would be getting across-the-board raises of about $4 per hour. Later information revealed cast some doubt on that, however. But now it appears that a significant raise really is in the cards for at least some Apple Store employees. According to the Dow Jones Newswire, some Apple Store employees were notified of the raises in meetings as early as last week.
According to the report, the raises – which are merit based – could amount to as much as 25% of an employee’s current salary. It seems that Apple chose to make the move following an internal review, during which one of the employees’ chief complaints was that they were not adequately compensated. It seems that Geniuses and Creatives – tech support and educational employees, respectively – showed the highest levels of frustration with their pay.
Employees who are receiving raises should expect to begin seeing them reflected in their paycheck beginning in late July.
So, to recap: Apple is giving retail employees significant new discounts on Apple products, while also giving many of them extra money with which to pay for those new products (or, you know, to pay the electric bill; whatever floats your boat). All in all, not a bad time to be an Apple employee.
Earlier this month we brought you news that Apple had agreed to pay a AU$2.25 million (US$2.28 million) fine for its marketing of the new iPad as a 4G capable device in Australia. The fine was part of a settlement with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Various Australian news sources are reporting today that the Australian courts have approved the deal.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Apple will pay the AU$2.25 million plus an additional AU$300,000 in court costs, bringing the total payment to AU$2.55 million (US$2.59 million). ACCC Chairman Rod Sims praised the decision and said that he was “delighted” with the fine and with how quickly his agency moved against Apple following the release of the new iPad. In the ruling that approved the settlement and ordered the fine, presiding judge Mordecai Bromberg said that Apple’s transgressions in this case were “not trivial” and that “Apple’s desire for global uniformity was given a greater priority than the need to ensure compliance with the Australian Consumer Law.”
One of the central features of the new iPad, which came out in March, is its 4G LTE connectivity. As such, that feature was one of the main focuses of Apple’s early marketing of the device. Unfortunately for Apple, though, the new iPad only works on a handful of carriers’ 4G networks, all of which are in North America (the U.S. and Canada, specifically). Though two of Australia’s carriers have 4G LTE networks in place, the new iPad is not compatible with it.
When the iPad launched, the 4G marketing was retained in many countries where there were no compatible 4G networks – including Australia, the UK, Sweden, and others. The ACCC took issue with the iPad’s marketing in Australia, calling it “misleading.” In response, Apple agreed to refund Australian customers who felt they’d been misled and rebranded the 4G-capable iPad as the “iPad WiFi + Celluar” worldwide. Nevertheless, mediation talks between Apple and the ACCC broke down, sending the case on to the courts. Though Apple initially tried to argue its case – claiming that some of Australia’s iPad-compatible cellular networks were 4G even though they weren’t marketed as such – they ultimately agreed to settle.
When Reading Rainbow aired its last episode back in 2006, millions of teens and 20-somethings shed a nostalgic tear for one of their favorite childhood TV shows. Now those same kids-at-heart can relive those childhood memories and interact with them on their iPad.
LeVar Burton, the host and producer of Reading Rainbow, announced this week that the Reading Rainbow app for iPad is now available. The app is designed for children 3-9 years of age, an offers hundreds of children’s book with all-new videos featuring Burton. The apps uses themed “islands” to help children find books suited to their age, reading level, and interests. Each book features an audio storytelling by celebrity actors, including, of course, Burton himself. The books also feature animations and “related activities.”
“I come from a family teachers, and when I was offered the opportunity to host Reading Rainbow in 1983, I recognized immediately the value in using technology to inspire kids to read,” said Burton. “Reading will never go out of style, but the tools used for learning are changing. I am excited to bring Reading Rainbow back so that parents who watched the show can now share that same feel-good experience with their own children but on a platform that resonates with today’s digital kids.”
Similar to his Geordi LaForge character on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Burton has embraced new technologies. He has a prodigious following on Twitter, and has undergone DNA testing to trace his ethnic heritage to the Hausa people of Nigeria. Burton stated that one of the things he and app creators RRKidz, inc. were most cautious of was disappointing existing fans of Reading Rainbow.
“I am really proud to say that I do believe that we have successfully reinvented, from the bottom-up, what was a television show into a multi-dimensional experience about the exploration and discovery of quality children’s literature in a digital environment that kids can lose themselves in – in a good way,” said Burton.
The Reading Rainbow app is free for download in the Apple App store. It currently boasts 150 interactive books and 16 video “field trips,” with the promise of more to come. In addition, the app features customized recommendations for childred as well as a reward program to encourage reading. Take a look at Burton’s announcement and a hands-on demonstration of the app below:
Ever since Apple launched the iPhone 4S with its Siri personal assistant software built it, there has been an expectation that Google would follow suit and put a similar feature into Android. Back in December there were rumors that Google’s Siri competitor – codenamed Majel after Majel Barrett Roddenberry, the actress who voiced the computer on Star Trek – might be out before the end of the year.
Of course, that never happened. A later report said that Google’s Siri competitor would be called Assistant, but didn’t give any time frame for release. Whatever the time frame, though, Google may be trying to speed things up. Citing “people familiar with the matter,” the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google is accelerating the development of Assistant, though again there is no clear time frame.
Naturally, Google hasn’t confirmed whether they’re really stepping up Assistant’s development (a request for comment hasn’t yet been returned). In fact, they haven’t even confirmed that they’re developing such software at all. Nevertheless, it’s a safe bet that they are, and given the changes to iOS that Apple announced at their WWDC 2012 keynote last week – including a revamped, Google-less Maps app and improvements to Siri – Google has every reason to step on the gas.
If Google is planning to launch their own Siri-like software for Android, the most logical way to do it would be to bundle it in to Android 5.0 Jelly Bean, which rumor suggests will be unveiled at the Google I/O conference later this month.
Microsoft’s big coming-out ball for its new tablet, Surface, dazzled the technology world yesterday afternoon, creating a dervish of reactions throughout the industry from trusted experts to the peanut gallery on Twitter. Would this be another Zune or was this a potential usurper to Apple’s tablet throne? Opinions abound, and while there’s still a lot to be learned about Microsoft Surface, such as what the eventual price will be or how the tablet’s software performs, here’s what some analysts around the web are saying the morning after:
Horace Dediu of Asymco shared some insights with WPN on how Microsoft can compete with Google and Apple, specifically with a mind toward enterprise:
I don’t consider the tablet market to be separate from the PC market (and neither does Microsoft.) What needs to be estimated is the extent to which Surface will slow the erosion of Windows as part of the overall computing market.
If Microsoft attempts to stand alone as the primary supplier of the new form factor within the Windows platform then I fear that they will not be able to deliver the volumes, distribution and support that the core enterprise market needs.
There is an inherent asymmetry between serving consumers and enterprises. Enterprise buyers are not the same as users and those buyers have interests which often contradict users’ needs. Building a platform that tries to reconcile potentially opposing requirements can potentially satisfy neither.
But, yes, Microsoft is trying to do this. They are trying to position the brand to both address consumers and enterprises.
Rocco Pendola at The Street thinks Surface can undermine Apple with one simple yet effective move: no Office for iPad:
Apparently Microsoft has an Office suite ready to roll out for iPad, but it just cannot figure out when to make it available. I hope the hesitation has nothing to do with timing and more to do with a reassessment of the plan in the first place.
I don’t get it. You’re set to finally make a formidable challenge in mobile and you want to provide the one thing that differentiates you from Apple and the rest of the competition to the competition. This defies logic.
Microsoft bills the Surface as a tablet you can actually do work on. It differentiates itself from iPad and most tablets running Android with its unique design, futuristic keyboard and, maybe most importantly, Office.
Endpoint: opening up Office to iOS might have flown in the PC era, but mobile is an entirely different ballgame. Microsoft plays the role of underdog now.
David Pogue of The New York Times speculates that Surface has a chance to compete with iPad, although a long road may lay ahead.
I think that Windows 8 represents some of Microsoft’s best work. Fluid, fast, useful, easily grasped — and different from the old iPhone/Android concept of icons-on-black. I’ve been using a prerelease Windows 8 version on a Samsung tablet, and it works beautifully.
But the iPad’s been around for two years; it’s awfully late for Microsoft to begin its pursuit now. (See also: H.P.’s tablet, BlackBerry tablet, Zune.) To me, the most compelling model is the Intel version; imagine a gorgeous, sleek, thin tablet that can actually run Windows software.
That said, you need the detachable keyboard to get real work done, and no two-piece PC has ever caught on in a big way. (See also: convertible tablets, Motorola docking phones.)
And then there’s the elephant in the room. If you’re going to spend around $1,000 for a tablet with a detachable keyboard, why not just get an ultrabook, which is a more complete PC that weighs about the same?
So I mean no disrespect to Microsoft when I predict that the Surface will have a tough climb ahead.
But this is a week for celebration, not doomsday analysis. Because whether the Surface tablet sinks or swims, it represents competition, choice and some fresh ideas. For those contributions, we should wish it well.
Sarah Rotman Epps of Forrester sees Microsoft at a crossroads where it could successfully parlay its previous success with Xbox as a model for propelling Surface deep within Apple territory, although she does offer some caveats:
Microsoft will be its own worst enemy in this market. More so than Apple or Google, the worst thing that could happen to Microsoft’s Windows RT tablets is Windows 8 on x86. Selling x86-based tablets in the same retail channels as Windows RT tablets will confuse consumers and sow discontent if consumers buy x86 and think they’re getting something like the iPad. Microsoft and its partners need to articulate a compelling strategy for how they will manage consumer expectations in the channel. Consumers aren’t used to thinking about chipsets. Choice is a key tenet of Windows, but too much choice is overwhelming for consumers. Apple gets this, and limits iPad options to connectivity, storage, and black…or white.
Like Microsoft’s “Signature” PCs, a Microsoft-designed tablet sets the standard for other OEMs to follow. But Microsoft won’t abandon its profitable Windows licensing model; there’s little risk that the future of Windows is total vertical integration. This is an experiment emboldened by the Xbox success. But in the game console market, Microsoft doesn’t compete against itself.
Over at CNET, Eric Franklin had a lot of positive reactions to Surface but felt that Microsoft could’ve gone a little further with the demonstrations of what the tablet can actually do (this seemed to be the general consensus among the conference attendees). His conclusion:
Luckily, Surface doesn’t go on sale today. If it did, I would not be in line to buy one (or even purchasing online). That’s not to say I’m not intrigued, nor that I won’t buy one in the future; it’s just too early to tell. I need more information on apps, Xbox integration, pricing, and the expected battery life in order to make a clear decision. That said, I can’t help but walk away looking forward to seeing more.
There’s no doubt at this point that iOS 6 is one of the most feature-packed iOS updates Apple has released. There’s been a lot of attention paid to the big features Apple highlighted at their WWDC 2012 keynote last week – Maps, Siri improvements, Facebook Integration, and so on – and other features have come to light as developers have begun tinkering with the new software.
One interesting new feature that hasn’t gotten much attention is a new addition to iOS’s notification settings. While Notification Center itself got few of the updates that people wanted, Apple has made one important change that has the potential to do a lot of good. It seems that with iOS 6, your iPhone will now notify you of various government alerts. As you can see from the screenshot above, the settings for Amber alerts and emergency alerts can be switched off separately. Of course, “emergency alerts” is a pretty broad term, and it’s not clear exactly what kinds of alerts that will include.
In years past, alerts like this were broadcast through a variety of public channels. Messages would be broadcast via radio and TV. These days, though, even when people are listening to the radio or watching TV, they often aren’t doing so in a way that’s accessible for government broadcasts. Many smartphone and MP3 player owners spend relatively little time in their car listening to an actual radio broadcast, and between cord-cutters who spend most of their time watching Netflix or Hulu and cable subscribers, TV audiences aren’t as accessible either. That being the case, putting alerts like this into iOS is a brilliant move on Apple’s part, since it provides a new means of getting important information to people who need it in emergency situations.
Of course, there are some who see the new features as a potential privacy issue. Nevertheless, these sorts of alerts have the potential to do a whole lot of good.
Yesterday was a big day in the tablet world. In case you missed it, Microsoft unveiled the new Microsoft Surface, a 10-inch Windows 8 tablet that boasts a pretty impressive set of features (including a really nifty Touch Cover keyboard case).
Of course, as impressive as the Surface appears to be – and, Apple fanboy that I am, I have to say it looks pretty darn cool – it has some stiff competition in the tablet market. The tablet market is thoroughly dominated by Apple’s iPad, a fact that doesn’t seem likely to change much in the short term. Just to make sure everyone knows that, a commercial for the iPad began airing last night, right around the time Microsoft was announcing the Surface.
This new ad, titled “Do It All,” emphasizes the new iPad’s versatility. The ad shows off the iPad’s usefulness for both content consumption and for productivity. In other words, this is effectively Apple telling Microsoft “anything you can do I can do better.” Check out the ad for yourself below:
By pretty much any standard you care to look at, Apple has had an amazing year. With the exception of a few hiccups, their stock has remained consistently in the neighborhood of $575-600, with a market cap that has occasionally broken $600 billion (though it currently sits at $547 billion). With new products coming out at regular intervals, and Apple regularly reporting massive quarterly revenues, that doesn’t look likely to change any time soon.
In fact, according to one recent estimate, Apple may be in the midst of the most profitable year ever. Not Apple’s most profitable year ever, mind you. According to Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White, Apple may be on its way to the most profitable year ever had by any publicly traded company ever.
White argued that the $500 billion market cap mark won’t be the kind of barrier for Apple that it has historically been for other companies, who reach that point and find further growth difficult. While other such companies have enjoyed near-monopolies in their areas (e.g., Microsoft’s share of the PC market, Intel’s share of the processor market). Apple doesn’t have anything approaching a monopoly of the smartphone market. The tablet market, meanwhile, is of Apple’s own making and is just two years old, meaning there is plenty of room for further growth.
Based on that, White says, Apple’s potential for growth is huge. Indeed, he claims they could reach a market cap in the trillions, and profits as much as six times that of other tech companies that reached the $500 billion market cap point.
With a new iPad and a refreshed line of MacBook computers – including a new model with retina display – already out, a new iPhone on the way, and maybe even an iPad Mini and iTV coming this year, it’s easy to see White’s point.
