Federico Viticci

10804 posts on MacStories since April 2009

Federico is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of MacStories, where he writes about Apple with a focus on apps, developers, iPad, and iOS productivity. He founded MacStories in April 2009 and has been writing about Apple since. Federico is also the co-host of AppStories, a weekly podcast exploring the world of apps, Unwind, a fun exploration of media and more, and NPC: Next Portable Console, a show about portable gaming and the handheld revolution.
@viticci@macstories.net
@viticci.macstories.net
viticci@macstories.net

Thin Air

Steve Jobs, at the iPad announcement in January:

Everybody uses a laptop and a smartphone.

And a question has arisen lately: is there room for a third category of device in the middle? Something that’s between a laptop and a smartphone. And of course we’ve pondered this question for years as well. The bar’s pretty high. In order to really create a new category of devices, those devices are going to have to be far better at doing some key tasks.

Better than a laptop. Better than a smartphone.

Now, some people have thought…that’s a netbook. The problem is, netbooks aren’t better at anything. They’re slow, they have low quality displays and they run clunky old PC software. So, they’re not better than a laptop at anything. They’re just cheaper. They’re just cheap laptops. We don’t think they’re a new category of device.

According to the latest rumors we’re hearing today, Apple is going to announce a new, smaller, thinner MacBook Air on Wednesday. A 11.6-inch MacBook Air. Some people are saying Steve Jobs will revise his position and carry a new shiny netbook on stage. In my opinion, that’s not gonna happen.

By definition, netbooks are small, lightweight and inexpensive laptop computers. By Jobs’ definition, netbooks are slow, low-quality and unusable laptop computers. In Steve Jobs’ mind, inexpensiveness equals cheapness. Lightweight OS equals clunky old software. He doesn’t see the current generation of netbooks as a viable alternative to bigger, more powerful notebooks.

If Apple’s really going to announce a smaller MacBook Air that many people could call “a netbook”, that device is going to be a “smaller, thinner, yet powerful laptop computer” in Jobs’ definition. An even faster, high-quality and lightweight MacBook Air, ultra-portable and super-usable. Something like that.

Apple is not going to release a netbook as we know it. Just like they didn’t release a regular smartphone in 2007. If the rumor’s true, I’m ready to bet on a new way - perhaps more expensive, but classy - to intend small laptop computers.

Noteshelf: A Handwriting App for iPad I Can Actually Use

I remember the iPad launch day. I also remember the grand opening of the iPad App Store - actually, we were the first ones to take a sneak peek inside it. Between the excitement and the geek dreams of a new device that would change the face of computing as we knew it forever, we didn’t really pay attention to the apps that were being submitted for approval. Six months later, it’s very easy to spot one of the best selling categories in the iPad App Store: handwriting apps. Note taking applications that let you write on the iPad’s big screen using your fingers or, if you have one (I do), a stylus. Penultimate was one of the first notable apps to sell zillions of copies.

See, I’m not usually huge on these apps. I’m faster with a keyboard, I never really got myself into a situation where taking notes manually was necessary, most of these apps don’t come with the proper exporting capabilities I need, namely Dropbox, Mail or Evernote. While they’re pretty to look at and cool to show off to your friends, I didn’t really find much value in them besides using them every once in a while to draw some random mockups.

So how on earth do I find Noteshelf worth a look? Read more

The New York Post Figures Out A Way To Offer Subscriptions In Its iPad App

We’ve reported about the issues publishers had to face when selling iPad subscriptions in their magazines and newspaper apps before. Apparently, either Steve Jobs wants to control the market by imposing rules because, you know, he’s just a bad guy, or publishers simply went against Apple’s own SDK, which doesn’t allow developers to implement external subscription models in their apps. The problem is, if the iPad is supposed to change the landscape of digital publishing you would expect Apple to change its rules a little bit and let News Corp. and Time, Inc. do as they want. Didn’t happen. Read more

iPad Gives Special Needs Kids a Boost→

iPad Gives Special Needs Kids a Boost

Before she got an iPad at age two, Caleigh Gray couldn’t respond to yes-or-no questions. Now Caleigh, who has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, uses a $190 software application that speaks the words associated with pictures she touches on Apple Inc.’s device.

“We’re not having to fight to prove to people that she is a smart little girl anymore, because it’s there once they see her using the iPad,” said Caleigh’s mother, Holly Gray, who said her daughter can use the tablet to identify colors or ask to go outside.

Incredible.

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The History Of The iPod

Look at the first iPod released in 2001. Then look at the iPod Touch 4th gen. Then back at the iPod.

How did this happen? How did we go from a white-solid and heavy 5GB iPod to a thin, multitouch and sexy iPod Touch? And what about that new Nano with a tiny square screen and nice icons? The answer is in the timeline below. Times change. Read more

Gestures Coming To Mobile Safari with Cydia Tweak | Cydia Store

Mobile Safari is a great browser, and especially on the iPhone I haven’t managed to find an alternative in the App Store that can live up to Apple’s standards. It’s minimal, fast and does most of the stuff one could ever need - but the jailbreak community is always there to enhance stuff. If you open Cydia and search for “Safari” you’ll find tons of neat tweaks and mods to enhance the functionality of Apple’s mobile browser.

The next great tweak coming soon in Cydia is FullScreen for Safari, developed by the creator of Firewall IP. The tweak (which should be available in a couple of days) will add fullscreen capabilities and gestures to Safari, such as two-finger swipe to switch between tabs and two-finger swipe down to open a new tab. A preview is available on iSpazio (Italian), or you can check out the demo video below. Read more

3G Unrestrictor Updated for iOS 4.1, Jailbreakers Rejoice | Cydia Store

3G Unrestrictor, the popular tweak available in Cydia to trick apps to think they’re on Wifi while you’re using 3G, was updated earlier today to include full support for iOS 4.1. This means that if you’ve jailbroken your device with Geohot’s limera1n or Greenpo1son, you’ll be basically able to have FaceTime calls on 3G again.

I missed FaceTime on 3G, a lot. Italy’s Tre network is pretty powerful (especially in my town) and I was once able to have a FaceTime call on 3G with Robert Scoble, who was in Boulder, Colorado. The quality was great. Now, can enjoy the fixes of iOS 4.1 and have FaceTime on 3G back.

The tweak comes at $3.99 in the Cydia Store. Must-have. Read more