Posts tagged “apple”
I tweaked Pete Warden's iPhoneTracker to remove the deliberate grid aggregation, revealing the full granularity of the creepy location data your iPhone has been silently collecting. The results are striking, if not entirely accurate. Download my extra-creepy version if you trust me with your Mac.
Apple's ban on intermediate platforms kills our hopes of building iPhone apps with web technologies. It's shortsighted: the web is the world's biggest development platform. Native apps are better now, but that won't last. The web always wins eventually. Until then, learn Objective-C.
I have a crazy theory: what if the iTablet isn't a standalone device, but a Wacom-style peripheral that mirrors your Mac's screen, accepts gestures and touch input, and doubles as an ultra-portable document carrier? It would justify the tablet's existence without just being a bathroom web browser.
PPK says iPhone devs should build web apps to avoid App Store gatekeeping, then walks it back due to missing APIs and no easy payment option. He's right that some apps could go web-based, but Apple's real power is their mobile payment solution. They should open that up independently.
The App Store is broken and won't scale. Three easy fixes: allow installation from anywhere via a new link protocol, separate payment registration from app approval, and charge for store listings to fund more reviewers. The hard fix: lock down private API access at the compiler level so manual review becomes optional.
iTunes started as a simple, elegant music player. Now it's a bloated monstrosity handling everything from phone activation to app stores. These features have nothing to do with each other, and Apple is even using iTunes as a Trojan horse for unrelated software like Safari. Time to break it up.
Fake Steve Jobs eviscerates a CNET columnist for lazy Dell analysis. Hilarious and mostly right, though CNET isn't doomed so much as permanently mediocre. Hard to blame their journalistic standards when they never really had any.
I predicted a box combining DVD, video iPod dock, and wireless internet, and exactly that was just announced at CES. Called it.
Apple dropped the iPhone price $200 after just three months. Ouch. But hey, the new 160GB iPod Classic will finally hold my entire music library, and my birthday is coming up. More Apple purchases seem like the obvious cure for Apple purchase regret.
The iPhone keyboard is really very good. I'm faster with it than I ever was at T9. Landscape mode in the browser makes it excellent. Autocorrect handles most punctuation needs. The web experience is so good I find myself using it as a third screen.
My iPhone wishlist: landscape keyboard everywhere, cut-and-paste, better SMS options (send to many, resend, character count), a Windows-compatible calendar app, and a live weather icon. Also finally sorted my wi-fi issue -- turns out HEX and ASCII passwords aren't interchangeable, apparently.
Just got my iPhone and I'm blown away. Tabbed web browsing on a phone nearly broke my brain. The wifi is flaky, the headphones suck, and selfies are basically impossible, but as a portable internet device it's incredible. Worth every penny, maybe twice that.
Camping out for an iPhone today. Currently 76th in line at the Burlingame Apple store (smarter than fighting the SF crowds). Got one! Impressions to follow.
Apple intentionally kept the iPhone camera mediocre to leave room for the iCamera: a photo-focused device with a big screen, intuitive touch interface, and seamless syncing. Cameras need a usability revolution, and Apple is positioned to deliver it.
Safari on Windows is odd -- likely motivated by an easy port and a desire to boost market share. iPhone web apps are interesting but raise security questions. The new Apple.com is slick but busy, and every clueless CEO will soon be demanding their site look the same.
The iPhone blew my mind. It's OS X in a phone, with multi-touch, wireless internet, camera, and widescreen iPod built in. It's going to crush Motorola, Samsung, and SonyEricsson, and possibly Blackberry too. Nokia is the only real contender. 2007 just got very interesting for mobile.
Four years ago I blogged about a cute geek from an Apple Switch ad, convinced he was gay. He denied it. Turns out I was right -- he came out last year. Great news, except I was apparently one of the creepy guys who made that period harder for him. Sorry, Jeremiah.
Took my repeatedly broken iPod to the Apple Store ready for battle, armed with Sale of Goods Act printouts. Five minutes with a tired but friendly Genius later, they upgraded me from a 40GB to a 60GB colour iPod. Sometimes being calm works better than being the Loud Angry Customer.
Apple knocked it out of the park at Macworld. The Mac Mini is a genius gateway drug for PC users, and the iPod shuffle is basically bling-bling for the chav market. Both will sell like crazy. I'm buying a Mini come June.
Getting an iPod. Can't wait.
I found the cute geek from Apple's Switch ads. His name is Jeremiah Cohick, and I'm convinced he's gay. He emailed to deny it, but I'm skeptical. Awkwardly, he may still be reading this.
