Future of this Blog

As you’ve noticed, I’ve totally neglected this blog. This is because I have found it too difficult to keep up a blog solely about Apple news. Instead, I have recently opted to make a blog about my life in general.

You can find it at http://thejameswilson.com

So what does this mean for this blog? Well, I’m going to use it for one purpose only. I will use this blog after each and every Apple event or announcement. Between those events, don’t expect anything new to be posted. If something is posted, be very surprised! So don’t be sad! I’ll be posting soon after WWDC! In the mean time, get your daily dose of me here.

James

Get Ready for WWDC 2009

WWDC is coming up next monday! How exciting! I can’t wait to see the new iPhone.

Here is this year’s banner and slogan! “WWDC: One Year Later, Light Years Ahead”

Photo: adamjackson1984 On Flickr (Licensed under CC)

MacWorld Keynote: Final Thoughts

The Future

This year is not going to be an easy year for any company, what ever their industry. With the economic downturn (take a drink) affecting everyone and everything, Apple has had to adjust itself accordingly.

What we saw today was Apple’s response to what is happening with the rest of the market. Things are slowing down and now is not the time to be bringing out anything revolutionary and financially risky. What we saw today were improvements on existing products and upgrades that had already been planned and organized long before the global meltdown (take another drink). What we saw was Apple’s last keynote at MacWorld, a move to save money as well as to control their media cycle.

For example, Apple would not be planning to make a niche device like the Apple TV any time in the near future. The products we see now are the same products we will see for a while to come. This is not saying that they will not be upgraded, that’s a given, it just means that no brand new products will come along for a while unless they had already been planned and matured before the economy took a tumble (drink).

It’s not a major claim, but I think we will see Apple work on it’s core products and that’s about it. We’ll have to wait to see if I’m wrong.

The Coverage

I was slightly disappointed by the coverage of the keynote this year. Things seamed to just grind to a halt half way through the presentation.

It started with the MacRumors live blog being shut down after hackers broke in and started planting porn all over it. That was early on in the coverage and was very disappointing because MacRumors had the best implementation of all the major blog sites. They had auto updating feeds (not just a page that refreshed every 30 seconds) which would have been fantastic throughout the keynote.

Gdgt and Gizmodo has auto refreshing pages which would have been fine in the place of MacRumors. But it was not to be the case. Gizmodo started tripping over itself and crashing, no good. Then everyone rushed to Gdgt, causing that to crash. As time went on Gdgt’s auto refresh inteval got longer, changing from 30 seconds to 60 seconds until it eventually decided that it wasn’t going to auto refresh. Oh well.

My frantic search for information brought me to two Ustream feeds, which were closed down half way through the presentation. All of this happened less than half way through the keynote. My only saving grace turned out to be Twitter. @jalada made this incredibly useful website devoted to the #macworld and #mwsf09 Twitter hash tags. The page was auto updating in front of my eyes with comments from people left, right and center. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked.

So, where do you turn to when all the traditional forms of online media (that’s an oxymoron) crash? Twitter!

MacWorld Keynote: One More Thing…

I’ve just finished checking out all the coverage from Phil Schiller’s keynote and I have to say, I’m satisfied. Let’s take a look.

It’s the ‘One more thing’ that we’ve been waiting for for a long time. iTunes is finally going DRM free! That’s right, Apple seduced the record industry into giving up their strangle hold on what people were stealing anyway!

This is a big achievement for Apple. If you didn’t know, all the record lables hated Apple’s monopoly over the music retail industry and for a long time wouldn’t give them DRM free music to put on iTunes. I know there must be some sort of catch for Apple and it will be interesting to see in the coming weeks what they agreed to in order to get DRM free music from all for major labels.

Let’s step back a moment. For those who don’t know, DRM stand for Digital Right Management. It is what the record industry forced Apple to put on most of the music in the iTunes store in order to stop people copying it and distributing it. DRM severely limits what you can and cant do with music. For example, you can’t use DRM music in applications that don’t have the sam DRM programed in, making music previously bought on iTunes unusable with Windows Movie Maker (God forbid!). DRM = Bad. DRM free = Good! Now that DRM is gone, you can use you newly purchased music for whatever you like, with anything you like!

It also means higher quality audio, as the flavor of iTunes DRM free music has a higher bit rate than DRM music, meaning you get clearer, crisper sounding songs.

I really don’t know why the record labels make this bold move but I’m not complaining. In Australia there is no viable alternative to iTunes meaning that all my music has DRM on it. In the US, it will be interesting to see what effect this has on Amazon, who have captured the wallets of nerds who know what DRM actually is and wouldn’t buy iTunes music because of it. Now that DRM is gone, I wonder if they will all return to the largest music retailer in the world.

In any case, this marks a huge leap forward for the record industry. It can now be said that the majority of music sold worldwide will now be DRM free. Our next goal, DRM free movies!

Are you OMGing over DRM free music? Leave a comment!

MacWorld Keynote: 17-inch MacBook Pro

I’ve just finished checking out all the coverage from Phil Schiller’s keynote and I have to say, I’m satisfied. Let’s take a look.

We all knew it was coming so here it is. The unibody 17-inch MacBook Pro.

It’s what you’d expect really, so I’m not going to bother with all the specs. Think 15-inch MacBook Pro but better.

The only ‘Wow’ feature in the new device is the amazing battery life. Apple claim that the specially designed batter will last up to 8 hours a charge and last 3 times longer than other laptops. Once again, Apple has been pushing the ‘green’ angle of the device which I couldn’t care less about (I just like the ads). All I know is that it’s hell expensive ($2799) and has no removable battery.

Bitching about the battery? Don’t, but leave a comment!

MacWorld Keynote: iWork.com

I’ve just finished checking out all the coverage from Phil Schiller’s keynote and I have to say, I’m satisfied. Let’s take a look.

For those not familiar with the topic, Cloud Computing is a mixture of computer software and internet services. It allows you to do tasks on the internet that were once only doable on the desktop. There is already a strong number of examples of cloud computing: Google Docs, Google Gears, Windows Live Mesh and MobileMe (to an extent).

Here enters Apple once again, this time with iWork.com

iWork.com is a new service that will let iWork users to publish their work up to iWork.com. The idea is collaberation, helping you and your collegues/friends work together on a document. You can add in-line comments to either Numbers, Pages or Keynote documents, share ideas and thoughts all from your web browser.

This is fantastic because it makes iWork cross platform with no discrimination between operating systems. To drive this point home, Apple have done something very clever. When you upload your document, iWork.com transfers it into three file types: the default iWork file type, Microsoft Office format and also to PDF. Everyone’s happy! You can even view and manage your documents to see if any have unread comments.

The service is being release in beta today but Apple say the service will become a paid one in the future. I am hoping that it will also bundled with MobileMe, which seams sensible. This leaves people two options of paying for the service: stand alone and with MobileMe.

Looking forward to iWork.com? Leave a comment.

MacWorld Keynote: iWork ’09

I’ve just finished checking out all the coverage from Phil Schiller’s keynote and I have to say, I’m satisfied. Let’s take a look.

iWork

Like with iLife, iWork has received some new features but hasn’t done anything huge. It’s hard to know whether it’s worth getting, but I’m considering it strongly.

Pages. Pages has easily become my favorite word processor. It’s simple and easy to use and I make all my friends annoyed when I show up with a fantastic, professional looking assignment complete with cover sheet and all.

• Full screen mode. As an easily distracted, I can appreciate this new distraction free feature in Pages. Something tells me I will be using it a lot.
• Outline mode. Apple are called it ‘Dynamic Outline’ but it looks like their answer to what Microsoft Office:Mac has to offer in it’s Notebook mode. I liked this feature in Office:Mac and am glad that I will see it in iWork.
• More templates. Finally! I never thought that there were enough of these in iWork ’08 and there were many template types that Pages never offered which, as a student, I could have made use of. There are over 40 new templates in Pages ’09
• Support for MathType and Endnote. I’ll be honest, I’m sure this feature is useful to someone but it isn’t to me. Look it up yourself I have no idea what it is. kthx

Keynote. I got so bored of the hell boring look and feel of powerpoint presentations. When I switched to Keynote, I was over the moon with how fresh and new my presentations looked! The new Keynote just makes this even better.

• Slide transitions. Yeah sounds boring I know but just wait until you see it. Imagine dynamic slide transitions, where objects change location, scale, opacity, and rotation automatically. This gives the effect of looking as if you haven’t even changed slide. Ok, it’s hard to explain. Head over to Apple.com to have a look.
• Brand new themes, text and object transitions, 3D charts and transitions. Explain themselves don’t they?
• iPhone App. Ever wanted a keynote presenter application or one of those wireless remotes that cost $150? You don’t need one if you have an iPhone! Apple are introducing a new iPhone app that does all of this for you!

Numbers has humanized chart and graphing applications. If you are scared of Microsoft Excel (as everyone is) then Numbers is you answer. I found this so easy to use the minute I gave it a go.

• More advanced. I didn’t know how to explain it! Simply put, Apple is trying to give professionals a reason to use Numbers. With the addition of formulas, formula list view, advanced charts and table categories, Apple hope to bring Numbers to a stage where it can compete with Excel. I am happy to say that it looks like this hasn’t impacted it’s ease of use. The new features don’t get in the way of the rest of the application, allowing me to make… super interesting tables without accidentally doing algebra.
• Themes. Yep, new themes. What?

Love or loath the new iWork? Leave a comment!

MacWorld Keynote: iLife ’09

I’ve just finished checking out all the coverage from Phil Schiller’s keynote and I have to say, I’m satisfied. Let’s take a look.

iLife ’09

From what I heard on Twitter, people aren’t that excited about the new iLife, saying that “There’s not much new!” but the iLife updates are never that revolutionary on their own (ignore iMovie ’08). What you see is the evolution of an amazing suite of products, each getting that bit better with every update. What I see from the new iLife are features that are a must have for some people, and feature that some people wouldn’t pay $79, its all personal choice.

First, iPhoto.

• Face recognition in every photo. This looks very cool, iPhoto finds faces and ask you who’s they are then ads it to every photo containing that person. Something like this allows you to collate albums of just your family and the like.
• Geo Tagging. This is something you don’t normally see on low price consumer software, so I am impressed that Apple did it. Some cameras and phones (iPhone for example) have GPS built in, allows the device to know where each photo was taken. iPhote ’09 uses this information and ads it to your photos. Google maps is used to show you exactly where you took these photos.
• New slideshow themes and settings.
• Travel books can now have maps. Why the hell would I want this? I don’t want a Google map in my expensive glossy photo book. Talk about tacky!

Onto iMovie. Unlike many other people, I really like the direction Apple headed with iMovie ’08. Now, they have addressed people’s complaints and added those much demanded feature back into iMovie ’09. Side note: iMovie was introduced right as MacRumors was hacked with porn and as Gdgt started to crack under the strain, so my info on iMovie may not be complete.

• New themes and video effects. This was something I missed in iMovie ’08. Video effects such as sepia and video slow down are useful in some situations. I would have loved to have had them for a wedding movie I am making. Pity I can’t hold off on doing it for a month.
• Image stabilization. Self explanitory yet ohhhh so desired. Back to this wedding video, I didn’t have a tripod for the camera. Yeah, you know what happened. Shaky!! Hopefully, the new iMovie ’09 will fix up all my bad camerawork.
• Timeline. From what I could make out the traditional way of editing movies is making some sort of comeback. I think Apple are calling it “Precision Editing”. What ever!

GarageBand. This is truely the dark horse of the iLife suite. The power and potential on GarageBand is not to be underestimated. I mean, it is the application that got me full marks in a music composition assessment. I chose to use GarageBand over the incredibly expensive Cuebase and Sibelius because it is so much user friendly. Very true to Apple form.

• Learn To Play. If making music wasn’t enough, GarageBand can now teach you how to play an instrument. There are even lessons from famous artists like John Fogerty, Colbie Caillat, Patrick Stump, Sting, Sara McLaughlin, Ryan Tedder, Norah Jones where they teach you how to play their songs! You have to admit, this is pretty awesome. Each lesson will only cost $5, that a hell of a lot cheaper than what I pay for music tuition. I really want to try this out.

How do you like the new iLife? Leave a comment!

iPhone 2.2

It’s time to resurrect my blog. I know I haven’t posted for a loooong time but I should be posting more now that I’m on summer break. – James

Now that the iPhone/iPod touch 2.2 software has been available for a few weeks you probably already know all of the big features. In this post I will tell you of some of the undocumented, minor tweaks and changes to the iPhone that you may or may not have noticed.

 

 

Clicker Improvements

I love the tiny clicker/microphone on the iPhone headphones but I always found it a bit slow to respond to my clicks. With iPhone 2.2, the clicker is much faster to un-pause the song I am listening to.

Calculator Changes

In the 2.0 software update a scientific calculator was added to the iPhone (as you know). The accelerometer is used to change between the basic and the scientific modes. Then, the graphical transition was slow and jittery but with 2.2, the transition is a lot smoother.

Faster Installation

There is no doubt that the thousands of applications available for the iPhone is a major draw card. This in turn makes the whole installation process vital to the overall experience. The speed of which applications were installed was greatly improved in the 2.1 update. Now with 2.2, I have noticed that the installation is even faster (in my experiences anyway).

Improved Installation Behavior

This is a very minor change but one that I am very happy came along. When installing an update to an application you already have on your phone, the iPhone switches to the home screen that the previous version of the application resides on. Nice, simple, clean.

Update All

I’m not sure where this feature went in 2.1 but I’m glad it’s back. The ‘update all’ button is now back in the application, making it easier to update all your applications at once.

Application Store

The application store has had a face lift. You might notice some small graphical changes to the different parts of the store, but more importantly you can now view all the photos associated with an application like you can on the iTunes application store. This comes in handy when you want to see more of an app before you buy it!

So there you have it, all of the minor changes (that I could find). Have you found more? Leave me a comment and I’ll be sure to add it in.

The New MacBook

 

Brand new design, brand new chipsets, brand new MacBooks!

(Side note! Every time I refer to the MacBook, it also applies to the MacBook Pro unless specified)

2 days ago Apple announced a new line of MacBooks and MacBook Pros. They were everything the rumors said they would be! Built using a new production method (Yes, the Brick rumor was right) the MacBook is now aluminum like its big brother the Pro.

In my opinion, they look amazing. The new LED screen, the perfectly contoured edges, the slightly curved lid, everything yells APPLE! If you compared the old MacBook and MacBook Pro with a PC notebook, you would see Apple’s products were years ahead in terms of design. I can’t imagine how many years ahead they look now. Well, a lot at any rate.

On the inside there is some new stuff too! A brand new chipset from Nvidia makes graphics performance 5 time faster than the previous Intel chipset. For the MacBook Pro, there is also a brand new GPU also from Nvidia. Interestingly, Apple put the chipset and the GPU inside the Pro instead of just the GPU. This gives users a choice between the two based on what there current graphics needs are. If you want to save battery life, switch on the chipset. If you want full power, turn on the GPU!. Unfortunately, there isn’t the option to use both at once. Looking to the future, the ability to use both as well as the CPU would be an amazing feature. Especially considering that Apple is considering harnessing the GPU in they computers to handle everyday tasks is the next version of OS X.

I also have to bring something negative up. The price. Not the price in the US, but the price in Australia (this might apply to other countries outside the US) It seams that the recent financial crisis as well as the diminishing Australian dollar mean that the Mac is becoming even less affordable. In Australian dollars, the cheapest model of the new MacBooks cost AU$2100. When the difference is converted into US dollars, we here in Australia have to pay nearly US$200 more than you do in the US! This is the same for the MacBook Pro. The price point of the new lineup might be a turn off for many people. Human psychology is telling me that if the prices started at $1999 and $2999 they would sell a lot more.

All in all, I really like the new Apple notebooks. This marks a momentous occasion for Apple, no more fully plastic computers (Yeah, yeah I know about the Mini but nobody buys that!) If I had a spare AU$3200 lying around, I would pull out my check book and buy one right now! That is, if I had a check book…