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Luminaries Talk 'State of Apple' at Macworld Industry Forum
One of the new features at Macworld 2011 this year was a day (Wednesday, to be exact) set aside before the show floor opens for an Industry Forum where various Apple luminaries were invited to deliver their own “State of the Union” about where the market is headed. The quality of presentations varied, with some speakers providing a rehash of what we already know, but there were a few standouts that managed to convey some truly interesting ideas. Here are some highlights.

Bill Atkinson

Member of the original Macintosh team at Apple Computer; photographer; app developer

Trends in Human-Computer Interface

Bill Atkinson, a legend in the Mac community for his work on the original Macintosh team, used his time to talk about the future of human-computer interaction. His basic premise is that future interfaces will evolve from the standards set by smartphone interface design. In particular, Bill focused on earpiece-based interface design. Where they now include audio and touch controls, future earpieces will incorporate video as well to capture what is going on around you and store that in the cloud through your connected smartphone. Bill’s idea of a “memory prosthesis” is certainly future looking. One of the better presentations of the day.

Jason Snell

VP & Editorial Director, Mac Publishing, LLC (Macworld magazine)

How Apple Does “It”

Jason was another good speaker. He focused on a few elements that make Apple successful. One of the qualities he appreciates in Apple is the ability to self-edit and leave things out of the product until they are ready (floppies, Bluetooth, and other technologies for the Mac and cut-and-paste on the iPhone are good examples). Being ready doesn’t mean just solving the technical challenges, but solving the user experience. Another quality Jason sees in Apple is a lack of sentimentality about products that aren’t working. One anecdote about Steve Jobs is that when confronted with a collection of old Apple computers at a company party celebrating their anniversary, his response was to ship all that “junk” off to Stanford. “You can’t look back in this industry,” Steve said.

Colin Crawford

CEO, Media7; former Macworld magazine contributor

What You Need to Know: Tablet Publishing Models

My favorite line from Colin Crawford‘s talk: “Publishers depend on volume to create audiences that can be packaged up for marketers.” This view of the publishing business drives his opinion regarding what is coming for digital publication. An opinionated personality, Colin saved some of his most scathing criticisms for magazine apps that require an instruction manual to use. “If that’s the solution, we are headed in the wrong direction.”

John Gruber

Writer/publisher, Daring Fireball; developer

Apple and the Open Web: A Love Story

John recycled his talk from Web 2.0 in October to make the argument that Apple, while not a web company in the sense of delivering products and services exclusively through a consumer-facing website (like Google or Facebook), is very much a web company in the sense of being dependent on HTTP to deliver content and services to its devices. A big part of John’s argument, and one I agree with, is that iOS and the web are not mutually exclusive. Native apps and web apps coexist quite nicely, and the App Store and the web aren’t at war with each other.

John Welch

Head of IT, The Zimmerman Agency; Macworld magazine contributor

Apple and the Enterprise

John Welch is a frequent contributor to Macworld magazine on the subject of Enterprise IT. In what amounted to a rant about people who complain that the Mac doesn’t fit with existing corporate IT, John repeatedly explained that the Mac fits in quite nicely. His strongest point was that even if Apple doesn’t lead the way in providing IT infrastructure solutions, the Mac and iOS devices play well with others that do provide that infrastructure.

Mike Lawrence

Executive Director, Computer-Using Educators (CUE)

Apple’s Role in Ubiquitous Learning

Mike talked about the future of education, which he described as being available anywhere and anytime, adapted to your learning style, and social. Apple devices are well positioned to provide a digital platform for not just textbooks that have been repurposed to the digital era, but also to new types of interactive learning content.

Alex Lindsay

CFO, Pixel Corps

The Here and Now, There and Tomorrow of Digital Video

Alex, known for his work on MacBreak, wrapped up the day talking about the future of video. He expanded on Mike’s talk about education by suggesting the human brain is wired to learn through watching someone else, that the modern habit of literacy and book-learning is only a recent development, and that people will turn to video as a return to the imitation method of learning once the distribution problem is solved. Of course, Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and other such devices are perfectly suited to deliver video to people wherever they happen to be.

The Industry Forum is a welcome addition to the Macworld schedule, and definitely proved to be an interesting way to spend a day. Follow the links above for more from any of the speakers whose thoughts sparked your interest, or share you own thoughts in the comments.

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Majek Pictures Talks iOS as a Production/Distribution Platform
With Apple itself not in attendance, the focus of Macworld has shifted, and is now more about how the Apple user community is applying the company’s technologies than about the technologies themselves. There’s no better example of that kind of application in action than what Majek Pictures is doing.

When Majek Pictures, one of this year’s Featured Artists at Macworld, released Apple of My Eye — a short film shot and edited on an iPhone 4 – back in June 2010, that was just the beginning. Since then, the studio hass been hard at work on Goldilocks, a series shot entirely on iPhone 4 and iPod touch devices, and distributed via an app in the App Store. We had a chance to catch up with the inspirational force behind the Majek – Michael Koerbel and Anna Elizabeth James – to get a sense of where they hope the creation and distribution of media on Apple’s mobile platforms is heading.

Majek Pictures co-owners Michael Koerbel and Anna Elizabeth James

TheAppleBlog: Watching the behind the scenes footage, you obviously know how to prepare professional-grade camera rigging. What challenges did you face, and what opportunities opened up to you once you made the decision to film entirely on iPhone 4 and iPod touch?

Michael Koerbel: Filming Goldilocks presented a number of challenges, but the opportunities were incredible. Everything has to be shot with a fixed or wide-angle lens; the quality is significantly lower than that of your more “traditional” HD cameras like the RED. Exposure, focus, and white balance are controlled via touching a screen, [so] we were pioneering iPhone filmmaking when we made Goldilocks. A lot of times when you’re making films, simply because of the camera and lighting, you require a crew of 25-plus people. While filming Goldilocks, we were able to move quickly, focusing more on additional coverage and performance. What we discovered was a new way of making movies: one that was very affordable, and in a positive way forced us to be very creative with composition of the picture and movement of the camera.

Anna Elizabeth James: Before we began writing the back-story for Goldilocks, we brainstormed all the places only an iPhone could go with the intention of incorporating as many of these places into our story. Placing the iPhone 4 in a wine glass or on a remote control car was the fun part. We were never sure what we'd end up with, so a lot of it was trial and error to get those shots right. The biggest opportunity shooting with a common device is being able to blend in with the crowd. One time, when we were shooting in public area, we looked around and noticed a dozen other video cameras recording and had to chuckle. Someone near you could be making a movie and you might never know it.

TAB: Editing the short Apple of My Eye entirely on a single iPhone 4 was obviously a painstaking task that only one person at a time could perform. What production and organizational challenges did it pose when editing the short, and why did you decide to break from this novelty when producing Goldilocks?

MK: Filming and editing on one device required a lot of planning and work. We had two iPhone 4s — one specifically for the film, and one specifically for the making of. The editing on Apple of My Eye took much longer than anticipated, but we knew it was important to complete the first film solely within the app. For Goldilocks, we shot much more footage, as well as using multiple iPhone 4s. We knew with the style in which we were shooting Goldilocks, it would be much more efficient to be able to review footage on a larger screen, make multiple edits, as well as saving at various points along the way.

AJ: Editing is about finding the best performances then building around that. Editing a short film on the iPhone is doable, but something like Goldilocks is not. The footage we ended up with on Goldilocks was enormous. Thankfully, we have great editors who are willing to sit through every take and find those golden moments. We originally wanted to shoot and edit on the same device, but then realized it wasn’t worth our time just prove a point.

TAB: While you distribute Goldilocks via iOS app, it isn’t the only option you’ve chosen. You also distribute online through Vimeo and YouTube. Which distribution platform has been the most successful for you?

MK: The bulk of our views have been via the Majek app. The Majek app pulls content from the Vimeo servers, just as it does when you view it via their website. We initially chose Vimeo over YouTube, as the quality was much more superior when it came to streaming across mobile devices. With an action series such as Goldilocks, the quality of the motion of the image was very important. We ran tests on both, and ultimately decided on Vimeo. The downside of choosing Vimeo is that YouTube has a much larger community.

AJ: YouTube streams fast, but Vimeo is catching up. The greatest thing about Vimeo is they take great pride in all of their artists. The entire experience is different and satisfying as a filmmaker and viewer.

TAB: Let’s talk about promotion. Have social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook contributed to your success, or have you found other means to build a fan base?

MK: Apple of My Eye and Goldilocks wouldn’t exist without social media. Sure, we have our family and friends base, but even that relies upon social media. It’s amazing how fast word travels. We’ve continued asking our fanbase to spread the word about Goldilocks. Features are living and dying based on 140 character reviews on Twitter, and web series or TV pilots are no different. Now, more than ever, the viewer has the ability to immediately share with the world their opinion on politics, sports, and absolutely entertainment.

TAB: What percentage of your fan base are Apple users?

MK: A large percentage of our fan base are Apple users. We can view devices and operating systems via the stats on Vimeo and YouTube, and over 85% of views are coming from Apple hardware and operating systems. I think also the nature of it being shot on an iPhone contributes to this specific Apple fan base.

TAB: What one feature or product would you love to see Apple produce or fix that would make the process of telling stories using video on the iOS platform that much easier?

MK: I would love to see the iMovie app on the iPhone/iPod have multiple audio tracks. We had to do some export and re-import in iTunes with Apple of My Eye to get multiple tracks into the finished video. This was definitely part of our decision in choosing to edit Goldilocks in a traditional movie-making workflow.

AJ: If the post experience could become more tactile, like in Minority Report … If we could use our fingertips to arrange and put things in place, upload or download seamlessly, edit and watch footage by a touch here or there, that would be amazing.

While Majek Pictures is certainly among the first to use Apple mobile platforms for the entire lifecycle of film-making, from pre-production to distribution, they won’t be the last. Who else is making waves in the world of mobile movie making, and how would you like to see Apple’s products change to further support their efforts?

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The Unlikely Story of the iPad, One Year In
Jan. 27 marks one year since Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad at a special event held at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco. At the event, Jobs repeatedly referred to the device as both magical and revolutionary. It seemed hyperbolic at the time, but does it still, after a year of living with the iPad?

For me, the answer is no. The iPad has changed every aspect of my life, from how I do my job to how I communicate with others, and it accomplished all of that in a way that was so natural it left me virtually unaware it was even happening. Some of us may have moved on to greener (only as it pertains to the logo, of course) Android pastures, but those alternatives wouldn't be there if it wasn't for the success of Apple's original, so let's take a moment to look back at the year that was for the iPad.

Jan. 27, 2010: The iPad is announced at a special event by none other than Steve Jobs himself, after years of speculation about the existence of an Apple tablet. Consumers will have to wait to get their hands on the device, however, as the Wi-Fi versions are expected to ship within 60 days in the U.S., and the 3G version will come later, with a 90 day release window. Many wonder about whether or not the iPad would take off, myself included.

Mar. 12, 2010: iPad pre-ordering begins from Apple.com for U.S. residents. Much debate ensues about which model to order, and many probably changed their minds more than a few times before finally making a commitment. I still regret not opting for more storage (I have the 16 GB 3G-capable model). The iPad did very well in pre-order sales, but still no one predicts the level of success it will ultimately achieve.

April 3, 2010: The first iPads arrive at customer doors. Being based in Canada, I wasn't lucky enough to get in on launch-day action, but Dave Greenbaum, who provides an envy-inspiring unboxing video, was. The lucky few who'd pre-ordered well in advance spend the day setting up the iPad, or comparing native iPad apps to scaled versions of iPhone ones . But the real winner is Apple, which reportedly sold roughly 300,000 iPads on launch day alone.

Apr. 30, 2010: The Wi-FI + 3G iPad goes on sale in the U.S., with service initially available only from AT&T. While the 3G-capable iPad originally gets off to a slower start than its cheaper, Wi-Fi-only relative, it now seems to be the more popular version, according to some recent surveys. Shortly after the 3G version's introduction, the iPad begins to show hints of its impact on mobile OS market share, even before its international release.

May 28, 2010: International iPad sales begin, nearly two months after the device's initial U.S. launch. Countries that introduced iPad sales on May 28 include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K. The launch was delayed by one month after the initial U.S. response overwhelmed Apple's supply chain. Just prior to the international launch, analysts estimated that weekly iPad sales began to outpace those of the Mac.

July 20, 2010: Apple announces that 3.27 million iPad were sold during Apple's third financial quarter of 2010, the first quarter during which it was available. Consider that Apple sold 3.47 million Macs during the same quarter, and that the iPad wasn't available for the full three month period, and it becomes apparent that at this point the iPad is indeed outselling the Mac.

Aug. 2, 2010: Apple takes third place in global portable computing market share, when the iPad is included. Much of that increased share appears to have been gained at the expense of netbooks.

Aug. 18, 2010: iPad supply finally approaches demand, making device scarcity less of an issue for customers looking to purchase one. Around the same time, the iPad comes to China, reaching a huge new potential market. Apple steps up production to meet the demand incurred by expanding to new markets in an effort to keep supply on pace.

Sep. 1, 2010: Apple announces iOS 4.2 for the iPad, which will finally bring features like multitasking and folders to the device. The long delay between the release of 4.0 for the iPhone and the official announcement of 4.2 for the iPad still strikes me as one of Apple's biggest missteps with the tablet, but it doesn't seem to have hurt sales.

Oct. 4, 2010: The iPad is named the fastest-selling electronics device ever, beating out the DVD player by a wide margin. It will later be beaten out by Microsoft's Kinect, the motion-detecting hands-free Xbox 360 controller, but 3 million units sold in 80 days is still impressive, record-holder or not.

Oct. 18, 2010: Apple sells 4.19 million iPads during its fourth financial quarter of 2010, the first full quarter during which it was available. That brings the total number of iPads sold during 2010 to 7.46 million at that point, and sees iPad revenue eclipse that of the iPod.

Nov. 22, 2010: Apple finally releases iOS 4.2 for iPad and iPhone, bringing folders, multitasking, AirPrint, AirPlay and free Find my iPad to the tablet . The update also changes the function of the physical orientation lock switch, making it a mute toggle, a move that was met with user displeasure.

Jan. 18, 2011: Apple sells 7.33 million iPads during the first quarter of its 2011 financial year, nearly matching sales of the previous two quarters combined and beating most analyst predictions. To say that nearly 8 million iPads is a good first year for a newly-introduced device would be a massive understatement.

Jan. 26, 2011: Apple ranks third overall in global PC sales, if you include the iPad. Whereas previous studies saw it dominating the mobile PC industry, these most recent figures put it ahead in all categories, mobile or otherwise.

With a whole host of Android competitors on the way, is this the high-water mark for the iPad, or can it climb higher still?

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Skype 5 for Mac Now Out of Beta
Skype 5 for Mac left beta today, bringing with it new group video chat features, improvements, and a new design. The development team behind Skype for Mac listened to user concerns and complaints, which were numerous, and made changes to the final version accordingly.

While Kevin found the beta version of Skype 5 released in November of 2010 to be a big improvement, I agreed with many others that Skype 5 brought in a lot of questionable design elements, including too much whitespace. The app felt ungainly and ugly, despite bearing many new elements that helped it look and feel much more like a native Mac app. The new version makes a number of small changes that add up to a better look overall, but it doesn’t go far enough. The app still feels like it’s taking up way too much space for what it needs to accomplish. The Twitter for Mac app is a perfect example of the exact opposite design philosophy, taking up as little space as possible while still doing what it’s supposed to, and doing it well.

Here are the other changes Skype made based on user feedback regarding the beta (all are welcome and much-needed improvements, in my opinion):
- Tweaked instant message display to reduce whitespace, allowing for more conversation to be visible at once
- Relocated contacts monitor to the Window menu to make it easier to find
- Brought back full-screen mode for video calls
- Introduced easier one-click access to show and hide chat while on a call
One change that might not be so welcome, as it moves a feature that was free in the beta to the Premium subscription package. The feature is Group Video calling, which will now cost you either $4.99 for one day, or $8.99 for the month as part of the Premium package, which also includes customer support calls. Skype had indicated that the feature wouldn’t be free forever, and you can still try it out for free for seven days if you’re a new user, so there’s little reason to complain.

What do you think of the new version? Better than the Beta? Better than Skype 2.8?

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