Posts tagged with "iPad"

The iPad Hasn’t Saved Magazines, Magazines Haven’t Saved Themselves

Last year, when the “Apple tablet” rumors started to grow louder and become more persistent on the Internet, many speculated such a device would be the savior of the digital publishing industry. Magazines and newspapers could finally find a new home on the rumored Apple device that was meant for reading. The iPad came out, the big names dropped their guns and released not-so-great magazine apps, the iPad didn’t save them from low sales numbers at all. According to data from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the iPad has failed at “saving” the digital publishing industry.

To make it simple, the numbers have been a disappointment: the Wired app sold 24,000 copies in its first 24 hours in the App Store, reached 100,000 downloads in June but then fell back to 31,000 monthly downloads between July and September and 23,000 in November. That’s a rapid decline indeed. Want more numbers? Vanity Fair sold 8,700 copies in November, Glamour went down to 2,775 downloads. GQ? Only 11,000 sales in November. Men’s Health has the worst performances with 2,000 copies sold in September and October.

Sure, the iPad hasn’t saved magazines if you look at the big picture. But let me tell you one thing: magazines haven’t done anything in their power to stand out on this new platform either. Developers of these magazine apps did, at best, optimize old PDF versions of a publication for the tablet’s screen, ignoring Apple’s user interface guidelines and people’s request for easier sharing options on Facebook and Twitter. Heck, they didn’t even make sure text was selectable in their apps. And it’s not that Apple has weird policies or “too much control” on apps: people, users, actually care about well-realized software. When they see something that’s been quickly converted or squeezed into a 10-inch screen, they don’t download. Or they stop buying. That’s what happened with the Wired app.

I understand big publications would rather have a single “tablet version” to use on a variety of devices such as the iPad or other Android tablets. I also understand that the lack of monthly subscriptions gets in the way with selling updates to App Store users. But a good app? That should always be the starting point.

Short URLS Suck, OS X & iOS Malware To Become More “Sophisticated” According To McAfee

McAfee Logo

McAfee Logo

When short URLs first arrived on the scene, I was rather excited at the prospect of simply using a good looking “designer” URL to vainly share links on Twitter. Short URLs provide brand reassurance: MacStories, Engadget, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, and other sites now sport custom short URLs that verify the links we share lead back to our site. However, links from Bit.ly, CloudApp cl.ly links, and Twitter’s t.co links have become nothing more than a nuisance. If I use a service like TinyGrab, I know their short URLs will most likely lead to a snapshot someone has taken of their material. With more anonymous (everything) URL shorteners, there’s no way to verify its trust without using software that allows you to preview the long URL before you click through. We’ve seen their validity ruined plenty of times on Twitter through various attacks such as the cross-site request forgery attack that amused us for a few hours earlier this year, but I’ve simply lost trust in these “brands.”

While I didn’t need McAfee to be skeptical of weird Twitter users asking me if I want a free iPad, they predict short URLs will continue to annoy the tech savvy as the computer-illiterate continue to click through short URLs to whatever tomfoolery exists on the other side. McAfee’s other big claim: OS X could be the next target for malware kiddies.

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#MacStoriesDeals - Tuesday

Is your wallet surviving all the holidays? Here’s some great deals for today on iOS & Mac apps that are on sale for a limited time, so get ‘em while they’re hot! iOS apps price drops are starting to show up again too!

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iPad-controlled Yacht Is Cutting-Edge Luxury

The Solemates superyacht lets you control stuff on board with an iPad. This $600,000 yacht, in fact, comes with built-in technologies that allow passengers, staff and the captain to control the entertainment and climate systems, adjust lights and close the blindings in their cabins – or just call a crewmember to get a cocktail. Yes, this whole thing is for rich people who happen to have an iPad and are willing to step aboard a superyacht with people who bring you cocktails.

Or, if you have the money but haven’t thought about getting an iPad, the captain will give you one as you enter the Solemates.

The interior, designed by Glade Johnson, blends elegant, rich woods and textures with contemporary sleek lines in a soothing palette of earth tones. The main and upper deck salons are awash with natural light and offer impressive spaces for formal dining or casual dining and entertaining. The sun deck features a dining area and a sun lounge wrapped around the Jacuzzi forward. A disco sound and lighting system turns it into an al fresco nightclub at nightfall.

I don’t want to think about the functionalities the iPad can gain at night on the Solemates. Maybe it’s got nightclub integration, who knows. [9to5mac via JamesList]

iPad 2 Rumors: Three Different Versions, Kindle-like Display

Digitimes has more iPad 2 speculation to share this morning. According to the publication, Apple is getting ready to launch three different version of the next generation iPad (dubbed iPad 2) in 2011 with a combination of WiFi, CDMA and UMTS chips. According to Digitimes, production will start in the second half of January 2011, with around 500,000 ready to be shipped to channels.

The sources pointed out that about 60-65% of current iPad shipments are 3G models, indicating that consumers prefer models that are able to connect to the Internet all the time, therefore Apple is aiming to work even more closely with telecom carriers by offering more wireless solutions for iPad 2 to satisfy market demand.

It is no surprise that the 3G model, even if it didn’t come out in April as the original WiFi-only iPad, is the favorite amongst users. It provides a way to stay always connected thanks to the built-in SIM thus eliminating the need of portable hotspots or jailbroken iPhones running software like MyWi for wireless tethering.

Digitimes is also reporting that Apple has been working in making the next gen iPad display similar to Amazon’s Kindle one:

In addition to wireless functions, Apple is also working on strengthening the iPad 2’s anti-smudge and anti-reflective treatments in order to compete against Kindle and attract more consumers, the sources noted.

iPad 2 shipments should reach 40 million units in 2011. Yesterday, Japanese blog Macotakara reported that the iPad 2 will come with an updated design similar to the curent generation iPod touch.

iPad 2 To Look Like an iPod touch?

When the iPad was announced, many quickly dismissed it as a “giant iPod touch”. According to the information posted by Japanese blog Macotakara, it looks like the next generation iPad will indeed look more similar to an iPod touch than it does in its current version. Basically, Macotakara analyzed the iPad 2 cases that have been floating around these weeks and concluded that they are designed for a device with a flat back and “tapered sides”, as reported by MacRumors. The new sides and back will presumably force Apple to relocate the speaker and adjust the position of the volume buttons as well.

The volume buttons on the side of the next-generation iPad appear to be of the split style with an oblong form factor as seen on the current iPod touch, as opposed to the rocker buttons used on the current iPad and the round split buttons used on the iPhone 4.

The current iPad 1st gen comes with a curved back and flat sides. The next gen one might be the exact opposite, although I don’t know much a flat back design would make it comfortable for users to pick up the device from a table or desk.

Macotakara also seems to think the iPad 2 will offer a rear camera as big as the iPhone 4’s one, capable of snapping high-resolution pictures. It is still unknown, however, whether these cases that have been posted on the internet are produced by people actually in the know of the next gen iPad 2 or just to generate traffic towards the promo websites.

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