| rss2email.ru | На что подписаться? | Управление подпиской |
 |  TheAppleBlogTheAppleBlog, published by and for the day-to-day Apple user, is a prominent source for news, reviews, walkthroughs, and real life application of all Apple products. http://theappleblog.com рекомендовать друзьям >> |
- The iPhone: What Didn't They Patent?
When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone at the 2007 Worldwide Developer’s Conference, he made a point of letting the world know how seriously Apple would protect its intellectual property. Of course, he did it in inimitable Steve Jobs style, quipping “…and boy have we patented it!”
Of the more-than 200 features for which Apple applied for patents, the latest approved patent has been unearthed recently by Cell Passion. And this one isn’t for the iPhone, but for the packaging it comes in!
One of many diagrams in the Patent
Of the 17 designers named in the patent, “Ive; Jonathan P. (San Francisco, CA)” and “Jobs; Steve (Palo Alto, CA)” stand out.
You can view the full patent file, including many more diagrams, here.
Market research you can use: Keep informed about Cloud Computing and IT Infrastructure. Learn more »
Переслать - Chinese Case Makers Jump the Gun
It just wouldn’t be a normal news week without the rumor-mill churning out more “proof” of unannounced products. For a change, this rumor is not about the fabled tablet device, but instead, it’s about the next-generation iPods touch and Nano — specifically, their happy-snappy new camera functionality.
According to a report on Cult of Mac, the features and dimensions of the next versions of the iPod touch and iPod Nano, while officially a secret in America, are China’s worst-kept secret. Apparently, manufacturers in China have started producing cases for the devices, and CoM offers dozens of photos of them in all their silicon glory.
If they’re genuine, there are no big surprises, save for the fact that the iPod touch camera is located in the top center of the device, not in one corner, as one would find in its iPhone cousin. Also noted, the Nano’s screen will get wider, making its click wheel smaller.
No word on camera resolution, or whether the Nano will be able to record video, though the assumption is made that the iPod touch will.
The revised iPod models are due in September, when Apple usually refreshes that product line.
Переслать - Does Apple Have a "91 Percent" Share of the High-End?
A lot of stories like this one are circulating about how NPD is saying Apple has a 91 percent market share of all PCs sold over $1,000. They give that impression by claiming something like “a 91 percent share”, or “91 percent of the market”.
Truth be told, if NPD really stated this as market share, I’d say they were wrong. It’s hard to believe 9.1 out of 10 PCs over $1K are Apple’s. Come on, people, there are many non-Mac users who spend money, too. Whether for quality, style, or higher-end components, not everyone who gets a PC is a Laptop Hunter. I’ve never bought a Windows machine for under $1K in my life, and I’ve had many.
It doesn’t take much to refute the market share angle. I don’t agree with the article using just Best Buy as a point of comparison, but it’s still not hard to believe there’s no such ratio of Macs to PCs at the high-end.
But if not market share, what is NPD talking about? Let’s look at this as reported by Joe Wilcox (with a headline as misleading as the others):
According to NPD, in June, nine out of 10 dollars spent on computers costing $1,000 or more went to Apple.
Nine out of 10 dollars went to Apple? That’s a different beast than market share. It’s revenue share, and a lot more believable.
Consider the example where two people go to a Best Buy. One buys a PC for $1,045, the other a Mac for $1,455. At this point the Mac and PC market share is equal (one each, 50 percent). But now let’s look at the “dollars spent on computers costing $1,000 or more”, which total $500. PC got $45 (9 percent), while Mac got $455 (91 percent).
Is it believable that Macs, with an Average Selling Price of $1,400 in June, could hold that kind of ratio against PCs with an ASP of $515 the same month? I believe so.
Honestly, though, this is one of those statistics that sounds cool, but doesn’t really tell us much. By picking an arbitrary cutoff ($1K) it’s statistical juggling. What if the Mac cost $1,200 to make, and the PC $800? Apple would have that flashy 91 percent number, but only net 10 more bucks than the PC from the deal.
Which brings me to what matters. Ultimately, it’s about profits. Units sold, share of this category or that, supposed web usage figures by tracking browsers, etc., all make for interesting headlines. But where is the money? Microsoft and PC vendors have made plenty in the past despite their lower ASPs. They simply sell a lot more boxes (Apple is still under 4 percent globally). That’s why, to me, the real story this week is Apple’s stellar earnings report from Wednesday compared to Microsoft’s dismal results from Thursday. That's more revealing than a 91 percent share of anything.
Переслать - Weekly App Store Picks: July 25, 2009
A turbulent week of Apple news comes to a close, but with a selection of new app’s available for iPhone, it’s not quite over yet — it’s time to take a look at this week’s recommendations.
Hold up one moment though as, before we run through this week’s picks from the App Store, we should take one last cursory glance back at the week that was on TheAppleBlog.
The week opened with the admittedly amusing allegation that Apple are in bed with the Mafia. Apple has allegedly, and I use the word allegedly with the full weight of its meaning, colluded with the Mafia in an effort to send death threats to a gentleman named Gregory McKenna. The best bit though is that Mr. McKenna claims that the threats were sent to him via his iPod Shuffle, “This is the voice of Steve Jobs, I’m watching you. Boom!”
After such a bizarre opening to the week, news took a decidedly pedestrian turn with further rumors concerning Apple’s maybe-but-maybe-not forthcoming tablet. This time round, the claim is that the device will be subsidized by Verizon, a deal that would certainly make sense if the tablet ships with 3G straight out-the-box.
Taking a step away from tablet rumors and downright weird allegations, our own Andrew Bednarz produced a gargantuan rundown of 27 Bluetooth-enabled multiplayer iPhone games. There’s a diverse range of genres represented in the article, certainly something for everyone. My pick from the list would be Flight Control. It seems to be a cute implementation of a deliciously moreish single player game.
Rather than go with Palm’s approach, hacking a workaround into the Pre so that it syncs with iTunes, RIM is going it alone and producing an official BlackBerry desktop application. The application, due out in September, will handle contact and calendar management, alongside App Store-style software installs.
TheAppleBlog’s Clayton Lai posted a wonderful write up on how to build yourself a poor man’s iPhone 3GS. Essentially it’s an iPhone 3G, upgraded to OS 3.0, jailbroken and then loaded with a few device-enhancing apps. With Clayton’s quick and easy guide, you can have video recording and voice control on your iPhone 3G in no time.
And finally, we’ve got yet another Apple hardware rumor: there’s apparently a new iPod touch, with camera and mic, already in production. The move to integrate the extra features would take the iPod touch even closer to replacing ultra-portable netbooks, a subject which Mark Crump also wrote about earlier this week.
Moving on to the picks, this week I’ve been looking at Photo Forge, Layers, Puzzling and Salad Fingers.
Photo Forge ($1.99)
There’s a very easy way to sum-up Photo Forge: this app is Photoshop on the iPhone. Although it’s essentially rolling in the various features that I’ve seen in simple apps in to one über-app, Photo Forge feels like a real leap forward for image editing and processing on the iPhone. Regular tools like the paint brush are there, but there’s also cropping (including various aspect ratio auto-crops), smudging and even a usable clone tool. The app also packs an impressive array of adjustments and filters, including Simulated HDR, Blur, Auto Exposure and — a great one for quickly processing iPhone camera images — Lomo. Incredibly good value for the money, Photo Forge is an essential pick for designers and photographers.Layers ($4.99)
If you’re a budding iPhone artist then Layers could be the app for you. It’s a finger painting app, somewhat similar to Brushes, the iPhone app used to paint the cover of a recent edition of The New Yorker. As the name would suggest though, the special feature for this app are the separate layers, within each image, that you can paint on to. Five separate layers means that you can add greater depth to your paintings before — and here’s the best bit — exporting them as a JPG, or even layered PSD. It’s a tough choice between Layers and Brushes, but if you need something with Illustrator-esque layers functionality, this is the app for you.Puzzlings ($2.99)
Last summer I played a fair amount of DS games, usurped by the iPhone more recently, my Nintendo device has been gathered dust at the back of the old gadgets cupboard. Back then, one of the games that was the cause of shape-laden puzzle-solving dreams was Puzzle League, a simple game of matching three-shapes on a touch-screen grid. Puzzlings clones the gameplay style of Puzzle League but then takes it up a notch, setting the game in a land of cute creatures with you as a clay doll. By solving certain puzzles within each level, you’re able to unlock items and apparel for your clay doll, playing a sort of glam goth dress up game as you advance. Well worth three bucks, the only thing that’s missing is a head-to-head Bluetooth multiplayer mode.Salad Fingers (99 cents)
Opening the week’s news with the utterly bizarre case of Apple’s alleged Mafia association and subsequent harassment of an ex-male model via his iPod Shuffle, put me in just the right mood for some Salad Fingers, perhaps some of the most darkly surreal cartoons on the internet. Lucky for me, Salad Fingers hit the iPhone earlier this week as a fully fledged video app. Containing all eight episodes, alongside written commentary for each one, the app is well worth a buck. For fans of electronic and ambient, the soundtrack to the series is also notable, containing classics from Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works and Boards of Canada too. Weird, wonderful and frequently very wrong.That’s all the picks for this week. I’ll be back in seven days with more news from the week and picks from the App Store.
In the meantime, what apps have you been using this week?
Переслать - Microsoft Backs Down After Apple Legal Threats, Changes Ad
After so brazenly bragging about Apple’s legal department’s request that one of Microsoft’s ads be pulled last week, Redmond has quietly made changes to the ad in question to make sure that it accurately reflects reality, which is what Apple wanted in the first place. Kind of puts a damper on Microsoft COO Kevin Turner’s bubbly enthusiasm, I’d imagine.
Last week, he basically did a little dance for joy when he received the call from Apple legal, and trumpeted the news to the masses to make sure everyone knew that Microsoft had indeed scored a direct hit, even going so far as to call it “the greatest single phone call” he’s ever taken. The ads in question are the Laptop Hunter series, in which Microsoft gives random people a sum of money and challenges them to find their perfect laptop, at which point they get it for free. The ads were created by Crispin Porter & Bogusky.
The specific ad Apple took issue with is the “Lauren” ad (not that “Lauren” ad, the other one), in which Lauren and her mother are shopping for a computer under $1,700. At one point, they comment on the MacBook Pro’s $2,000 price tag, asking “Why would you pay twice the price?” As of the latest notebook lineup refresh, Apple’s top-of-the-line MacBook Pro no longer costs $2,000, coming in instead at a much easier to swallow $1,700. Which, coincidentally, is actually within Lauren and mom’s budget.
Microsoft, for its part, is saying the minor change doesn’t change “the focus of the campaign,” according to AdAge.com, so it’s clearly still counting this as a win. I’m willing to bet Microsoft’s legal department has been in contact with Apple on quite a few occasions, yet COO Tim Cook doesn’t break out the noisemakers and party hat every time that goes down.
Переслать - Thanks to TheAppleBlog Sponsors!
We’d like to say thanks to this month’s sponsor of TheAppleBlog:
- Mozy: Back up your photos, music, and files with Mozy for as low as $4.34 per month.
Переслать - Ballmer: How Wrong Can One Man Be?
Allow me to set the scene. It’s January 2007. The iPhone has just been announced and the tech world is going crazy. CNBC interviews Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
CNBC: "Let me ask you about the iPhone [...] What was your first reaction when you saw that?"
Ballmer (laughs): "Five hundred dollars?!! Fully subsidized?!! With a plan?!! I said if that isn't the most expensive phone in the world… and it doesn't appeal to business customers because it doesn't have a keyboard, which makes it not a very good email machine. Now, it may sell very well…"
And sell very well it did — the estimated total is now 37 million and counting. OK, so Ballmer was never going to clap his hands and rave about the iPhone, but while laughing dismissively might have irked Apple enthusiasts, it likely reassured Microsoft's shareholders. Ballmer, after all, must answer to them.
Culture
In another interview, this time with USA Today in April 2007, Ballmer said, of becoming CEO of Microsoft:
"…the CEO in a lot of ways becomes the icon for many things in the business. The CEO establishes culture."
This from the man who heaved himself, sweating and scarlet-faced, across a stage screaming with unbridled joy over Microsoft. Well, you can't fault him for being passionate. Sadly, it's a passion he doesn't seem to want to celebrate or promote amongst Microsoft's customers.
"USA Today: People get passionate when Apple comes out with something new[...]. Is that something that you’d want them to feel about Microsoft?
Ballmer: It’s sort of a funny question. Would I trade 96 percent of the market for 4 percent of the market? (Laughter.) [...] There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance. It’s a $500 subsidized item. They may make a lot of money. But if you actually take a look at the 1.3 billion phones that get sold, I’d prefer to have our software in 60 percent or 70 percent or 80 percent of them, than I would to have 2 percent or 3 percent, which is what Apple might get."
Let me take off my Apple Hat for a moment and consider his answer more carefully.
"It's sort of a funny question." Steve, how is it a funny question? It's a very simple question. Would you like your customers to be as passionate, loyal and fanatical about your products as Apple's customer base is to its?
If I were a Microsoft shareholder, sure, I want to hear you reinforce the fact that 80 percent market share is more attractive than 3 percent. But I also want to hear you acknowledge that customer enthusiasm — particularly of the Apple Fanboy variety — is at least desirable. I want to know that you're pushing the boundaries everywhere, not just in the corporate world. You don't seem to mind whooping and skipping when you want to share your passion for Microsoft. So why is it a "funny" question to ask if you want to engender that same passion in your customers?
Furthermore, according to Gartner, this is how worldwide Smartphone Sales by Operating System looked, first in 2007, the same year Ballmer dismissed the iPhone, and then again 12 months later.
When a Bad Economy is a Good Thing
In March, at the McGraw-Hill Companies' 2009 Media Summit, Ballmer said of a slight downturn in Apple sales:
“The economy is helpful. Paying an extra $500 for a computer in this environment — same piece of hardware — paying $500 more to get a logo on it? I think that’s a more challenging proposition for the average person than it used to be.”
Superficially, this sounds like common sense. I mean, a laptop is a laptop, right? Whether it's wrapped in plastic or aluminum, you're talking a chip (probably Intel), a few gigs of RAM, a keyboard and a screen. To the blissfully unaware, to the Lauren's of this world…the difference is little more than a glowing fruit on the lid.
What Ballmer is really saying here is distasteful, not just in what it implies but also because he didn’t even try to make the point subtly. He's suggesting Apple's sales dipped because customers are struggling financially, not due to any special marketing strategy or other efforts on Microsoft's part. To hang a lantern on it and tacitly state "The economy is helpful" is crass and insensitive. I wonder how the marketing team in Redmond felt when they heard their boss say that?
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Fast forward to this week. Apple announced its latest quarterly earnings. In Apple's own words, its "best non-holiday quarter ever." So much for Ballmer's 'helpful' recession. Also, the Wall Street Journal reported that despite accounting for less than 3 percent of the global smartphone market, Apple's iPhone has taken 20 percent of that market's operating profits. Predictions from Deutsche Bank for year's end point to Apple and RIM sharing 5 percent of the smartphone market and taking almost 60 percent of its profit.
Ballmer's assertion that it's better to have massive market share suddenly deserves scrutiny. Apple and RIM don't command 60 percent of the market (yet) but they're soon going to command 60 percent of its profits.
The iTunes store continues to perform superbly (8 billion songs downloaded as of June 2009), while the App Store is a smash hit. Mac sales have remained strong despite the crippling economy Ballmer relies upon to keep the competition in check.
I’m Not Taking Shots
This article isn't about taking an easy shot at Microsoft, or gloating about Apple's recent successes. I know, so far it reads that way, and I won't deny there's a certain satisfaction to be had basking in Apple's glow. I've brought you on this journey to make a serious point that's more about leadership and vision than smartphones, laptops or market share. (But those facts are crucial to placing these final thoughts in the right context.)
At the Media Summit Ballmer was asked if he used any Apple products. “No, none. I don’t, my sons don’t, my wife doesn’t.”
Imagine you are a Microsoft shareholder with a vested financial interest in Microsoft's success. Certainly you don't want the CEO to promote the competition, but you do want him to demonstrate he's in touch with the real world.
Surely the right answer should have been, "Yes, I have an iPod. I also have a Zune, of course, and a Zen. I have them all. It's important to see how they work — see what choices our customers have. I want to experience first-hand where these products succeed, and where they fail. So, sure, I have an iPod. I have all the other music players, too!"
But, no. Instead we got Ballmer's typical, speaks-before-he-thinks derision.
Ballmer said a CEO "establishes culture." If Microsoft is looking to him for its creative and business leadership, no wonder Windows Mobile 7 is practically vaporware and the company's next operating system is referred to by many not as an incredible new OS but instead as Vista "done right."
Ballmer appears less relevant with each passing year. He’s not a man to respect or fear, despite chair-tossing antics. Rather, he’s becoming a sad and lonely figure, out of touch with the tech industry outside of Microsoft’s dusty old-boy network.
But why should it matter if Microsoft has crummy leadership? We don't care, right? Good riddance to 'em?
It matters because, if Microsoft does a lousy job it will ship lousy products. Apple will therefore face less vigorous competition. In any market, when competition is weak or lackluster, the dominant player becomes complacent. It's hard to justify the R&D costs of constant, breathtaking innovation when the competition isn't doing the same.
We need a creative, innovative Microsoft that today behaves with the same hunger for success it had in the 70’s. As long as we have that, we'll have an Apple that stays one step ahead, delivering products Microsoft can only aspire to produce. We can’t get there with Ballmer in the driving seat. He’s out of his depth, and it doesn’t matter how much he sweats as he screams “Developers! Developers! Developers!”; he simply fails to inspire creativity or confidence — just as he fails to recognize opportunities in new/developing markets, such as mobile media or the rapidly-changing smartphone space.
We need a Microsoft as imaginative and exciting as Apple. If that could happen, just imagine what Apple would do to raise the bar ever-higher. I'll leave you with one more excerpt from that 2007 USA Today interview.
"USA Today: You don’t find you’ve got a problem with people saying, “Sorry, but I really think you’re wrong here”?
Ballmer: That happens all the time. From 10 this morning until I came over here, I got more “Steve, that’s wrongs” than I got “Steve, that’s rights” today. It was two to one, “Steve, that’s wrongs.”
He's just not getting it, is he? Maybe someone’s trying to tell him something…
Переслать - How-To: Move Photos From Aperture to iPhoto
Aperture is a great photo management application, but may not be suitable for everyone. I recently made a decision to move back to iPhoto in order to use some of the features in the latest release. Several of these, such as face recognition, are not present in the current version of Aperture.
This decision posed a problem. How do you move several thousand photos out of Aperture and back into iPhoto, without tearing your hair out in the process? This how-to will outline a few different possibilities, along with the process I found to work best.
Why Move?
Before exploring the different export options, I feel the need to answer the question of why you would want to move away from an advanced application such as Aperture:
- You could be switching to a different workflow, with a different “pro” tool such as Lightroom.
- You may desire the faster performance of iPhoto, which feels much quicker than Aperture on lower specification machines.
- Or, like me, you may want to switch to access iPhoto-specific features.
Although you can access Aperture images in iPhoto, this isn’t the same as moving them all across from one application to another. If you’d just like to access Aperture images, you can do so by clicking File > Show Aperture Library:
Show Aperture Library
A solution is needed for exporting all of your images in a useful folder structure, ready for importing into another application of choice.
Drag-and-Drop
The simplest way to move photos from one application to another is by dragging and dropping them out of Aperture, then back into a new iPhoto event or album. Providing you’ve set Aperture to export full-resolution versions when dragging out, this method can work well.
The problem with this solution is simple: time. If you have a few hundred photo albums, exporting each one separately can be a very long winded process, and take far too long to be practical. A better solution exists for exporting all the photos in your Library with one click.
Bulk Exporting
Fortunately, Aperture comes with a fairly advanced set of export preferences allowing you to specific exactly how a folder structure will be created, along with how files are to be named.
First, select the images to export (this is likely to be all the images in your Library). Click File → Export → Version (or Master, if you’d like the original images). You can then look for the “Subfolder Format” section, and choose “Edit” to define your own export structure.
Edit Folder Structure
This will launch a simple interface for defining a folder structure for export. This is particularly user friendly and easy-to-use.
Export Settings
The options chosen here will reflect how you have chosen to organize your Aperture library. You may have a different Project for each shoot, or prefer to use Folders to structure photos. Either way, you can select from a few of the following:
- Project Name
- Folder Name
- Year/Date/Time (both the current time, and that of shooting)
- Various Custom Numbers/Fields
Using a combination of these options should allow for a flexible export structure, and result in a well organized set of photos on your hard drive.
You can also adjust how files themselves are named using a similar process under the “Name Format” menu.
Importing into iPhoto should then be as simple as dragging the resulting folders of photos into the application. Appropriately titled events will automatically be created.
Other Solutions
A few other solutions exist for simplifying this process and automating it further. You could try this Automator script which, while a little dated, could do the trick.
It’s also possible to approach the problem with AppleScript, though this is a slightly more advanced solution.
Either way, I hope you no longer feel unduly concerned that you are “locked in” to Aperture. The export process can be fairly simple and, while you may lose some meta data, it isn’t too difficult to move a structured set of images out of the application.
Mobile Startups, Meet The VCs @ Mobilize 09 Join 500 others at GigaOM's Mobilize 2009, led by Om Malik. Register now!
Переслать - Apple Releases New Final Cut Studio and Logic Studio
Today, Apple released a huge update for its Pro series of audio/video editing applications, including both the Final Cut and Logic Studio suites of applications. People (and businesses) who need the extra muscle of Pro applications (as compared with the iLife suite, for example) will be happy to note that with this latest update, Apple has dropped the price for Final Cut Studio by a very respectable $300, from $1,299 to $999 for the full studio package, or $299 for existing users to upgrade.
Final Cut Studio
Final Cut Studio includes Final Cut Pro 7, Motion 4, Soundtrack Pro 3, Color 1.5, Compressor 3.5 and DVD Studio Pro 4. While all of the applications included in the suite received an upgrade, Final Cut Pro bears the most significant changes over its previous iteration.
New features include iChat Theater support, so that you can actually edit collaboratively in real-time while working remotely. It’s a great way for Apple to leverage existing tools in an innovative way to provide a truly useful function for people editing media, since collaborators don’t even need to have Final Cut installed. There are also new Change Speed and Share windows, which give you better control over video speed changes and the ability to preview your content when exporting for web, Blu-ray or Apple devices.
There are also new and improved versions of Apple’s ProRes codec. ProRes 422 (Proxy) helps with offline editing; ProRes 422 (LT) provides broadcast quality at reduced sizes; and ProRes 4444 gives you the highest quality possible for editing.
Motion 4 now allows you to add light sources to cast reflections and shadows on any surface, and offers new text, tilting, and depth of field tools. Color 1.5 should now work with a wider range of effects, and includes native support for RED ONE camera files. Compressor 3.5 now has Job Action features to make it easier to export to open and export a file to various destinations and work with Automator workflows. Finally, Soundtrack Pro 3 brings new tools like Advanced Time Stretch which boasts all-new audio stretch and compress algorithms, and Voice Level Match, which matches volume from the vocals of one clip to another.
Logic Studio
Logic Studio comes in at a respectable $499, and includes both Soundtrack Pro 3 and Compressor 3.5, mentioned above, in addition to Logic Pro 9, MainStage 2, and WaveBurner 1.6. It also ships with all six Apple Jam Pack loop sets and tons of bundled plug-ins, instruments and effects. Current Logic Studio or Logic Pro users can upgrade for $199, while those with Logic Express will have to pay a heftier $299.
Logic Studio brings a lot of new stuff to the table, with over 200 new features. Some highlights include the new Amp Designer amp modeling software, which comes with 25 amps, 25 cabinets, and three mics to allow users to customize the sound of their guitar tone, which was lacking in Guitar Amp Pro, their previous modeling software. Pedalboard works with Amp Designer to bring 30 stompbox effects, which can be arranged on a virtual pedalboard.
Flex Time, a new feature for Logic Pro, allows you to manipulate timing so that if one of your tracks (or part of the track) is slightly off with the others, it’s much easier to drag the affected area to try to correct the timing, and Logic Pro will compress or expand the areas nearby to accommodate the change.
Early impressions from Apple Pro users at Macworld and CNET seem to indicate that many of the changes introduced with the new versions make working with audio and video significantly easier than in previous installments. Apple really has put the focus squarely on usability improvements this time around, and it shows. Both suites are available immediately from Apple’s web site.
Переслать
Об этом говорят! Ссылки на самые горячие темы интернета!
| rss2email.ru | отписаться: http://www.rss2email.ru/unsubscribe.asp?c=6893&u=24004&r=311667163 управлять всей подпиской: http://www.rss2email.ru/manage.asp |
