There won’t be reduced competition for anyone trying to get an app into the market. If anything, app and content producers should be ecstatic that companies like MS, Apple, Google, Sony, etc, are creating new, enormously capable platforms for their content to get out there.
As long as the apps are platform independent, and content producers don't need to create a different app for each system they should be ecstatic.
But to the extent that a different build of an app is needed for MS, Apple, Google, Sony, etc., and apps increasingly become the way we interact with the web with mobile devices as the traditional web doesn't work with the new input and viewing systems, then we risk going down the road where you have only one or two players in the game, with one player, Apple, dictating not only system software but also hardware.
As long as the apps are platform independent, and content producers don't need to create a different app for each system they should be ecstatic.
But to the extent that a different build of an app is needed for MS, Apple, Google, Sony, etc., and apps increasingly become the way we interact with the web with mobile devices as the traditional web doesn't work with the new input and viewing systems, then we risk going down the road where you have only one or two players in the game, with one player, Apple, dictating not only system software but also hardware.
Were this the case, we’d all be running Java apps on top of a microkernel optimized for our particular hardware. History has not been kind to the idea of write once run anywhere.
Software so abstracted from the hardware that it can run on anything, doesn’t run well or look good or integrate properly on anything.
Maybe you haven’t noticed, but the hardware/os ecosystem is EXPLODING in breadth and depth. There are more choices for internet connected devices, in a multitude of form factors, than we have ever had. And on each and every one of those platforms there exists the opportunity to sell content, sell advertising, sell software, sell services. Those niches will be filled. The long tail theory of doing business on the internet guarantees it.
You don’t even have to look far to see this in action. Microsoft has like 90% of the desktop market - but if you look at the Mac and Linux ecosystems you will find that they are alive and well, people are making lots of money, tons of stuff is being developed and published - within just that 10% space, there are tens of thousands of content producers and application developers catering to the tail.
__________________
-Scott
Last edited by sclitheroe; 05-30-2010 at 10:14 PM.
So I've come to the conclusion that the file sharing for apps like Numbers and Pages built into the iPad and iTunes, in its current incarnation, is junk, a hack, and borderline unusable.
Basically, if you aren't familiar with this, you specify in the sync settings for iTunes, what files, for each app, you want loaded on to the iPad. What it DOESN'T tell you, is its not creating an association between that file on disk on your machine and syncing it, what its really doing is putting a copy in a bucket that will synchronized over.
When the sync is completed, you have to go into the iWork app you are dealing with (Numbers) in this case, and "import" from the bucket to the local storage for the app.
To transfer back to the Mac or PC is EVEN WORSE. You have to export from the iPad app to the bucket, sync the iPad, then copy the file out of the bucket and back to its proper spot in your documents folders.
So many things can go wrong. You can import an old copy from your PC and overwrite the one on the iPad. You can export an old copy from your iPad and overwrite the new copy in the bucket. You can save a bad copy from the bucket and overwrite the good copy on your desktop. Or you can just save it in the wrong spot, and now you have 1 copy on the iPad in local storage, 1 copy in the bucket, 1 copy in the files original location on your desktop, and 1 saved somewhere else by accident. Doing any of these things is basically irreversible, so do it on the road, and you are SCREWED.
This is awful, and Apple needs to have this sorted out in time for OS 4.
It's so bad that they should have just given everyone MobileMe iDisk support and 2 gigs of free storage there just for file handling rather than this.
Also I downloaded some Superman comics today and installed CloudReaders (free .cbr reader) and yeah, this was totally built to read comics.
Man, these screen protectors are the most high margin products since Monster Cable. Sure you should definetely get one but the prices charged for these things are ridiculous just like the ones for iPhone.
I remember trying to get one for my parent's iphone. It was $25 here but wasn't sensitive enough for me on the demo model. Ended up getting one for $1 in Hong Kong that worked even better.
Nice video. Poor Dove, you can see it sitting in his pocket the whole time. I guess it's trained well. I loved how all the tricks were obvious but they did it in one take so it's not bad. They screwed up on the fork when it first appeared as he was already holding it before it came out of the ipad. @ 1:32 and 1:44 he takes too long to lift the ipad up so the sliding animation to simulate his head moving with the screen happens too early.
I concur. It's actually pretty bad. Today was my first dive into the iWork apps. Huge promise, but some absolutely massive problems there.
Yeah, huge, huge problems.
Ah, the joys of being an early adopter (and I mean it...i am loving learning this new platform).
Neat trick found - holding down volume for a second or two snaps to mute, rather than gradually fading the volume and waiting until it goes all the way down to zero. Nice!
I've found joy in not so much a tip, but a work around. I love watching tv in bed, but I'm more comfortable on my side. Orient movie in landscape mode, lock orientation, turn and stand iPad in portrait on nightstand. Now when you lay on your side it looks proper. Win.
I've found joy in not so much a tip, but a work around. I love watching tv in bed, but I'm more comfortable on my side. Orient movie in landscape mode, lock orientation, turn and stand iPad in portrait on nightstand. Now when you lay on your side it looks proper. Win.
i will be doing this whenever i get an iPad. awesome!
Anyone know about the Rogers Radio App? I'm with Rogers for my iPad and I tried searching for it on the App Store, but couldn't find it. Anyone have this app for their iPad???
Absolutely loving Things. Just a little ToDo app that keeps you to do lists organized. There are some quirks (like having to hit a button to sort by due date), but it has the most essential piece which is a "Due Today" area. Keeps my day well organized and is less daunting than a giant list of stuff that needs to get done.
There's something very odd about it looking like a book or a notepad. I had a similar app called Todo on the iPhone and while I enjoyed it I stopped using it after a while. This app on the other hand seems much more manageable because I'm not constantly scrolling or flipping through different pages. Seeing everything at a glance is incredibly important.
The same sort of thing goes for the Maps app I find. I never really used the List view on the iPhone. Despite loving it, I didn't want to navigate away from my map to view it so I never did. Having it overlay in a nice little window is absolutely key. Big thumbs up there.
I also need to find a stylus. I've been using Penultimate to do little chicken scratches and other quick little notes. Works great, but writing with my finger isn't quite ideal. I saw a youtube video on how to make your own stylus, but you need conductive foam (often ships with electronic parts like microchips and such), and I have no foam. Does anybody know if the Apple store has Pogo Stylus?
I also need to find a stylus. I've been using Penultimate to do little chicken scratches and other quick little notes. Works great, but writing with my finger isn't quite ideal. I saw a youtube video on how to make your own stylus, but you need conductive foam (often ships with electronic parts like microchips and such), and I have no foam. Does anybody know if the Apple store has Pogo Stylus?
A pepperoni stick will work in a pinch too...for real!
I also need to find a stylus. I've been using Penultimate to do little chicken scratches and other quick little notes. Works great, but writing with my finger isn't quite ideal. I saw a youtube video on how to make your own stylus, but you need conductive foam (often ships with electronic parts like microchips and such), and I have no foam. Does anybody know if the Apple store has Pogo Stylus?
I went dirt cheap, went to monoprice and they have this package cleaner for $3.50.
It contains:
- a stick that contains cleaning solution and a pad at the end for wiping down the screen.
- a SIM card removing tool
- a stylus
- a microfiber bag that can be used to hold all this stuff OR used to wipe down the screen after applying the cleaning solution
The stylus is obviously cheap, but effective. I've used it for drawing on the white board application that I mentioned in the app thread as being my "need to have app". As a systems designer, me and my colleagues have passed around the stylus and drawn stuff on the iPad during our brainstorming sessions.
