Pete Mortensen is a design strategist for consulting firm Jump Associates and the co-author of Wired to Care: How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy, a book and blog that are significantly more interesting than you might initially think. Pete's particular Apple avocations are both around design--interface and industrial. Follow him on Twitter!
The accelerometer is the technology of the moment, featuring in the Wii and iPhone, both of the era’s biggest breakout technologies. Jason Kottke, always provocative dares to ask: Do their sensors measure up to those built into babies? The answer may shock you.
So while the Wiimote’s accelerometer may be more sensitive, the psychological pressure exerted on the parent while lowering a sleeping baby slowly and smoothly enough so as not to wake them with the Moro reflex and thereby squandering 40 minutes of walking-the-baby-to-sleep time is beyond intense and so much greater than any stress one might feel serving for the match in tennis or getting that final strike in bowling.
If you’re wondering where to hang your hat tomorrow morning as Steve Jobs takes the wraps off a new bunch of iPod products (oh, c’mon. Do you really think he would just introduce a leather case and a speaker set? That never happens!), feast your eyes to our colleagues at Wired’s Gadget Lab. They’ll be down in sunny Cupertino, typing like madmen to bring us all the freshest information. If iPhone Socks get announced, you’ll see it there first! The fun begins at 10 Pacific sharp. We’ll see you there.
Predicting the future of any technology is a risky proposition. Weird, unexpected things happen that no one can anticipate. Lest any of us forget, for a brief moment in 1998, many assumed that DVD-Audio would replace the CD before something called Napster totally changed the game.
But predictions of the future are fun (why else is speculation about Apple so fascinating?), and everyone gets in on the act at some point. The latest to try to imagine what comes after the iPod is Rick Rubin, the bearded producer who launched the career of the Beastie Boys and revived those of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Johnny Cash. He’s legitimately credited with helping to break hip hop worldwide, but I hardly think his abilities to accurately read the new sound 20 years ago has anything to do with his ability to guess how we’ll get our music.
“You’d pay, say, $19.95 a month, and the music will come anywhere you’d like. In this new world, there will be a virtual library that will be accessible from your car, from your cellphone, from your computer, from your television. Anywhere. The iPod will be obsolete, but there would be a Walkman-like device you could plug into speakers at home.”
You want to know what I love about this quote? That it’s actually stating the complete obvious, but it also anticipates a future where people treat music differently than they do now. First, yes, the iPod will be obsolete at some point in the future. And then Apple will release a new one, including one that works in speakers at home (Oh, wait, that’s been around for years). People are obsessed with the current solution instead of thinking about the needs that it meets.
The bigger question is why anyone thinks subscription music will suddenly take off, however, I can’t guess. Subscription music has never been big, dating to the Columbia Record Club. We’re probably only a year or two from a time when we can put our entire iTunes libraries into a cloud we can access from anywhere, but I want it to be my library, not every song ever. I want to have access to the whole library and choose a song to download, but I want to add things to my library, not have glorified radio going on.
But you heard it here first folks: Sometimes, technology gets obsoleted!
Sunday, I caught a cab with some friends over to a favorite bar in the lower Haight. By complete chance, we got the most Mac-loving cabbie in the entire city. He was blasting music on his iPhone through the stereo, and he fixed his 4g iPod while he drove by slapping it around a bunch. Most impressively, he announced plans to sell off a recently acquired Titanitum PowerBook G4 for parts on ebay. He was a consummate wheeler-dealer.
To cap it all off, as we arrived at our destination, he pulled out his iPhone, scrolled through his video list and produced the intro movie for Leopard, which I hadn’t even seen yet. Needless to say, it was gorgeous on the iPhone. Enjoy the visuals, courtesy of San Francisco’s finest. Apple’s really embracing that supernova look, eh?
Apple® today announced that it will not be selling NBC television shows for the upcoming television season on its online iTunes® Store (www.itunes.com). The move follows NBC’s decision to not renew its agreement with iTunes after Apple declined to pay more than double the wholesale price for each NBC TV episode, which would have resulted in the retail price to consumers increasing to $4.99 per episode from the current $1.99. ABC, CBS, FOX and The CW, along with more than 50 cable networks, are signed up to sell TV shows from their upcoming season on iTunes at $1.99 per episode.
Incredible. NBC has benefited from iTunes more than anyone else, and they’re throwing out crazy price increases. I mean, that would have made Friday Night Lights Season 1 cost $110! NBC is selling the DVD for less than $20 brand-new with more special features! If this is any indication of Hulu’s pricing scheme, it’s screwed out of the gate.
A lot of mystery remains about Apple’s big iPod event next week. Will we see widescreen touch iPods (what were known as “true” video iPods before the iPhone showed up)? Nanos with video? A shuffle that can scramble your brain?
What is certain is that, for once, Steve Jobs won’t demonstrate a new iPod video with a clip from “The Office,” as NBC Universal has announced its withdrawal from the iTunes Music Store as of December, according to the New York Times. While it’s possible that existing content will remain or that NBC will offer new content on an as-chosen basis like Universal Music has, it’s more likely that NBC is packing up its toys for Hulu.com, the bizarre commercial video service that NBC and News Corp. promise to launch “real soon now.”
This is a huge blow — NBC makes up 40 percent of all video sales, and I can’t think of a recent iTunes event that didn’t feature an NBC show, which really says something, given Steve Jobs’s close ties to Disney and ABC. Not a sign of doom, but a clear sign that Apple isn’t as secure in video as it has been in music.
Just got the chance to watch this absolutely hysterical video that demonstrates the iPhone as rendered by Microsoft. It savages the company every which way for some typical and not-so-typical flaws that show up in MS products. It’s so spot-on, in fact, that it reminds me of the notorious “Microsoft iPod” commercial from a few years back.
Of course, that spot turned out to be generated by Microsoft itself, so it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that this is of similar origin. It’s the kind of video you watch yourself to remember what not to do, you know? Especially since the user who uploaded it has no other videos on YouTube…
Leopard isn’t even here yet, but the first big Easter Egg has already turned up. All icons for the new version of Mac OS X are resolution independent (basically, they can scale to be freaking HUGE), which provides all kinds of room for mischief. Apple has already taken advantage, printing the full text of the first “Think Different” commercial (Also known as “Steve’s back in town, boys!”). Ah, memories
Italian site Macity turned up the thing, which makes them responsible for my tears. I’m not crying, though. I was just cutting onions — making a lasagna.
Next Wednesday’s Apple event will likely see the announcement of the next evolution of iPod, dubbed the iPod Touch. Which is a little bit weird, because the iPhone is obviously the next evolution, what with its revolutionary multitouch interface and the widescreen and the like. So this week, we’re all sort of praying for an iPod with a big hard drive, multitouch, and maybe iTunes purchasing via WiFi. A hard-working country mouse to iPhone’s city slicker.
But in really thinking about where Apple might go (and in the spirit of free-wheeling rumor-mongering), I must admit that a possibility I haven’t seen much of anywhere is that the new iPod would carry over the breakthrough Internet browsing device piece of the iPhone puzzle. As much as I would love an iPhone, its storage capacity is far too small for my iTunes library, and my phone is fine as a phone. I just want awesome multitouch web-browsing and e-mail. If Apple is going to the trouble of building WiFi into the next iPod, it would be a complete waste not to put in real Internet capabilities — even if it steals some iPhone thunder.
All of which leads me to think that the new iPods will remain free of wireless connectivity. Apple isn’t one to give away the farm, and the iPhone is clearly designed to one day completely replace the iPod line. They cannibalize up, not down.
What do you think the next iPod will be (let’s leave the hideous iPod nano phat out of the conversation for the time being)? Widescreen evolution or iPhone web browsing revolution without all those pesky phone calls?
There are many measures of Apple fandom. Some people hoard old machines and keep them in pristine running condition. Others get tattoos and unfortunate haircuts.
Once upon a time, way back in 1984, the Mac was new. Let us travel back to the past for another look into the amazing first issue of MacWorld, which I acquired two weeks ago at a family reunion.
This week, let’s turn to “Polishing the Mac,” an extraordinarily long interview by David Bunnell (almost 4,000 words) with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates that is basically just about the Mac’s greatness. I’ll tease with a choice quote, then click through for some more of Chairman Bill’s still-prescient (and now hilarious and ironic) praise for the Mac. Also, dig the hair and glasses. Could he look more like his Anthony Michael Hall doppelganger if he tried?
On the Mac’s Ease of Use: “The Mac heralds a major change in how people view and interact with application programs. That’s why I’m so excited about it. There’s no question that I’ll let my mom try it out.”
In response to a story I posted about a fixed Mac getting repeatedly shipped all over San Francisco, including to a CompUSA, reader Jonathan has produced quite possibly the most appalling story ever, from his attempts to fix an iMac with Apple New Zealand. It’s unbelievable.
Wednesday, day 8. I phone up at lunchtime, hows my Mac doing? Huh? What? The technician is just installing the parts right now and the MAc should be ready some time thisafternoon, but we’re still waiting on the replacement mouse? WTF?
later that day Apple call back. Your iMac is ready to be picked up. What about the mouse? No we’re still witing on that. Can I have my old mouse back in the interim? No, we have to keep that to send back when we get the replacemnet Mosue.
And that’s just the part about the mouse — Jonathan took it in because of a broken SuperDrive. You simply must read on in…
I am surprised to see the refurb discount be so deep — this suggests that Apple has had to replace a lot of iPhones here in the early going. Who’s sent theirs back? Go ahead, you can tell us. No need to be shy.
Great (and totally horrifying) story of customer service gone awry up at SFist yesterday. The writer in question had a PowerBook completely melt down and went to the San Francisco Apple Store only to be awarded a free MacBook Pro — which was shipped to CompUSA. No, really.
Yet, somehow we knew there would be at least one more hurdle before our computer woes had been resolved. Thank you, Fed Ex, for mistaking the number 760 Market (our s.o.’s office building — stalkers take note) for 750 Market, which happens to be CompUSA. Luckily, we were able to track down the package and obtain it from Scott, the sales manager at CompUSA, who not-so-subtly scolded us for not buying the computer through CompUSA.
Wow. That totally puts my worst Genius Bar story to shame, which was getting a free hard drive replacement in a PowerBook, but then having the video cable get crimped in the process, leading to spontaneous black-outs — and then losing the computer temporarily.
Anyone else had bad experiences with Apple Customer Care to balance all the good ones we’ve all had?
Very cool post up at Apple 2.0 right now about the connection between press attention and Apple’s marketing efforts. Essentially, as Leander has argued before, the company lays off the advertising a little bit when interest is high. Phil at Apple 2.0 decided to see if Apple then pumps it back up again when things tail off. None-too-surprisingly, press hits about the iPhone are way down from two months ago. Last week, after the company rolled out “All These Years” and “All the Parts,” the volume of iPhone stories went up again.
Apple’s new iMac has one of the coolest, thinnest keyboards ever released. How does it stack up to where the company came from? Blake Patterson set to find out, shooting a fascinating set of other keyboards next to it for comparison, including the Newton, the Lisa (seen above) and the NeXT keyboards.
Apple killed iMovie. That’s all there is to say about it. While most of the upgrades to iLife and, especially, iWork 08 have been warmly welcomed, the once-venerable consumer application landed with a resounding thud.
You might expect, given the numbering, that iMovie 08 might be an upgrade to iMovie 06 HD, which was a very mature digital video editing suite with fantastic soundtrack capabilities, brilliant iDVD integration and an intuitive timeline for keeping track of overall progress.
But no, it’s actually a completely new application, and it throws virtually all of the great mindshare iMovie once had away. Someone at Apple decided it would be cool to make video editing more like photo library management. Which might be true. What this means in practice is that the program is great at insanely rapid video editing. Find your clips, make a sequence, go.
Which is fine, if speed is your main concern. Otherwise, it’s a significant downgrade. David Pogue probably has the best round-up of what’s wrong with the new program, but it’s too big a list to capture here. Essentially, they got rid of everything, even black-and-white video. Or even the ability to import iMovie 06 projects intact. For very good reason, the older version is still available as a free download. Incredibly, the new program has much higher system requirements than its (nominal) predecessor.
What do you think? Is anyone really enjoying iMovie 08?
Oh, Woz. We could forgive all the Segway polo. And the US Festivals. Even the interviews hyping iWoz. But dating Kathy Griffin? Really?
While I’m sure the stand-up comic and star of “My Life on the D-List” has a hidden interesting side that she’s never shown in any of her acting or comedy, she just doesn’t seem like your type. Then again, since I hear you met her after one of her shows, you must share a sense of humor. If you leverage that into a new Bay Area dial-a-joke service like you had back in the day, maybe all will be forgiven.
Gather ’round, children. And let me tell you of a time before the consumer Internet. Before the iPod. And, if you can believe it, even before the iPhone. Yes, I speak of 1984. When the original Mac was the state of the art, and my favorite TV show was Sesame Street (not that this has changed).
I recently managed to acquire the very first issue of MacWorld magazine, published in February 1984. Though it sells on eBay for up to $100 a copy, I’ll be bringing you hilarious content from Mac fandom past for free. It features many wonders, including an art gallery of MacPaint creations, an interview with Bill Gates where he calls the Mac a classic, and even a feature on the incredible WYSIWIG technology that will allow print-outs on the Apple ImageWriter to look just like the screen output (you must see that one to believe it).
But before I start to dive too far into the issue (which will show up over the course of several days and posts), I will start with the most horrifying ad in MacIntosh history. Click through — if you dare!
The iPhone is already a reasonably mature product. Despite persistent reports of dead zones on screens and lots of requests for the landscape keyboard outside of Safari, the real interest is with what Apple can do in software next.
That’s the genius of the iPhone model. Apple created an endlessly flexible interface that can be updated and modified strictly in software. They’ve also made a mostly menu-free system that keeps iPhone apps relatively flat. It’s quite a paradigm shift from the hierarchies we’re now used to in our PCs.
PhillRyu has done a great job synthesizing his thoughts on where Apple should be headed next with iPhone software. My favorite is above, iMovie for iPhone. I don’t know if I can possibly think of a more perfect concept. Fingers crossed, eh?
Friends, Mac-Heads, Clarismen, lend me your ears; I come to bury AppleWorks, not to praise him; the spreadsheets that men do live after them, the oft-interminable crashes shake down to the bones. So let it be with iWork.
Surprising few who were paying attention, Apple officially killed of its former office suite, AppleWorks, with the introduction of Numbers, a spreadsheet program that completes the new iWork trifecta. The writing’s been on the wall for a long time. iWork was introduced in 2005, and I don’t think AppleWorks has been updated at all since mid-2002. Essentially, they got to Carbon OS X compliance and went no further.
Though it never served as a solid suite for OS X, I do have some affection for AppleWorks, which I first came to know as Clarisworks in about 1993 on my dad’s PowerBook 140. I’m not sure I can count the number of short stories and novels I started and abandoned in that little program, not to mention the dreadful book covers I mocked up in those days.
ClarisWorks was great in the mid-1990s, because it didn’t try to do too much. It was a solid little program that would let you do what you wanted to without trying to make you do things you didn’t. Claris never developed a talking paper clip assistant, for example. The spreadsheet program couldn’t make web pages, and the presentation mode was modest in the extreme.
There’s a lesson there, I’m quite sure. Software has never been more bloated, and Apple itself is as guilty as anyone. Aesthetics are lovely, sure, but when are we going to go about creating programs that strictly make us more functional again? We’ve been at about the same place for years. What’s the next level?
R.I.P. AppleWorks. You served well, and you went as far as you could go and no further. Godspeed.
With Apple on top of the market, it can be easy to forget that Steves Jobs and Wozniak first collaborated on an illegal project, making blue boxes to place illegal long-distance phone calls — phone phreaking. One of their biggest inspirations, according to Woz’s autobiography, “iWoz,” was Joe Engressia, who legally changed his name to Joybubbles.
A student at the University of South Florida in the late 1960s, he was given the nickname “Whistler” due to his ability to place free long-distance phone calls with his whistle. He was disciplined by the University early on, but after graduating his studies in philosophy and moving to Tennessee, law enforcement raided his house; he was charged with malicious mischief and given a suspended sentence and quickly abandoned phreaking, although was able to whistle 2600 hertz throughout his life.
Joybubbles lived a tragic life, as you can read in his Wikipedia entry. Still he had a profound impact on the early days of Apple. This Esquire story, featuring Captain Crunch and Joybubbles, changed consumer electronics history by inspiring the Steves. Rest in peace.
Flickr User vaughn235 shared his loving clay rendering of the iPhone today (including box and dock, after the jump!). This is easily my favorite tribute to the iPhone yet. Way more impressive than a cake. Or maybe just different enough.
It’s a minor triumph of Apple’s that all AT&T plans for the iPhone include unlimited data services. After all, Blackberries and Treos alike have spendy access plans that dramatically increase their cost of use.
But as Justine Ezarik (a designer based in Pittsburgh known as iJustine who is also a “lifecaster” on Justin.tv) learned recently, AT&T still has a very old-world view of billing for data services. The company broke out as a line item every data transfer her iPhone made, including 30,000 texts, most of which come up as a huge series of $0.00 transactions. The total heft to the package? 300 pages. And it shipped in a box, which can’t have been cheap, even leaving aside the environmental impact of a few hundred thousand folks getting extra-big bills printed on paper.
In response, Justine has put up a marvelous iPhone ad parody that you can view above via YouTube. The message is clear: Get eBilling, and someone talk to AT&T about the way they manage billing for data!
