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Apple just can’t win really

By on April 24, 2013 in Apple

From a hatchet piece on Apple’s earnings on Breakingnews.ie

Jan Dawson, an analyst at research firm Ovum, said Apple had beaten financial analysts’ estimates and its own guidance – something which could cause it problems in the long term.

“In some ways, beating guidance was the worst thing Apple could have done, after it had said last quarter that it would provide more realistic guidance and aim to hit rather than beat it,” she said.

“A large part of the problem with Apple’s share price is that it has trained analysts to expect two things: ever-increasing revenues and profits, and that it will beat its own guidance consistently.

So, if Apple does better than expected, it’s doing bad, but if it hadn’t done as well as expected the analysts would also be predicting doom. Just like they have been for the past few months. Analysts don’t care what’s good for Apple as a company, all they care about is what Apple can do for Wall Street. They treat it like a financial company, which of course is bullshit, because it’s not.

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Tim Cook: Apple Has ‘Lots of Surprises’ in Store for This Fall and 2014

By on April 24, 2013 in Apple

In other words, no new products until the fall. This will be the longest time Apple has gone without a new product introduction that I remember. I can understand the reasoning – they want to do annual releases and the fall is the best time to do it. I do wonder though how that’s going to play out over time. Will it affect traffic numbers at the stores for the rest of the year? It could of course be just a blip as they re-organise some things internally. Interesting, none the less.

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The Technology Geek’s Top 10 Wishes for iOS 7

By on April 22, 2013 in Apple, iOS

typing on iPad

We know it’s coming and we know it will have Jonny Ive’s design stamp on it, but feature wise, I don’t think anyone has had any solid rumours of what might be in Apple’s next version of iOS. Lots of people have speculated and suggested, and so the Technology Geek wants in on that action. So here’s my list of ten features I’d love to see in iOS 7.

1. Inter-app communication.

I believe this is something most users and developers would be happy to see. Something along the lines of what Android does would be nice. Of course, something better would be even nicer. Even if they opened up the share sheets to third party developers, that would be a start.

2. The ability to change the default apps.

OS-X can do it, so there’s no reason they can’t let you do it on iOS. I would love to be able to set the default camera to Instagram, so when I use the lock screen button it goes to Instagram. It would be nice to change the default browser to chrome (if one was so inclined – personally, I’m not) and so on.

3. A better keyboard, especially on the iPad.

A way to move more easily between characters would be really nice. The standard “tap and hold with the zoom bubble” is a real pain, especially if you’ve just made a simple mistake. I know Steve Jobs hated arrow keys, but there’s a reason they’re still on most (physical) keyboards. iA Writer has a great keyboard. Something like that would be nice.

4. The ability to quickly access device settings without having to dig through menus.

Android has a great solution to this problem, and there are dozens or really good mock-ups out there that would also work well. The current method is a real pain and is starting to make iOS look a little long in the tooth.

5. The ability to select only raw or only jpeg files when importing photos using the camera connection kit.

I know this isn’t a big deal for most people, but as a photographer, it actually stops me from using the iPad more. At the moment, importing whole card full of Raw+Jpeg images takes ages, frequently crashes out, and uses up tonnes of space. Many photographers shoot Raw + Jpeg, and use iPads, but often, all you want to do is check the images on your iPad and will use the raw files later on your main computer.

7. Fix the wifi reliability.

Considering the ubiquity of iPads, the fact that it still has issues with public wi-fi hot spots is a pain. If you have never had any issues, good for you. But I have, everyone I know has, and loads of people on the inter-webs have, so, accept it and move on.

8. Widgets in the notification centre.

The Apple ones are nice, but I’ve no interest in seeing Apple’s stock price every day, and I suspect a lot of people don’t so give us the option to put something more useful in there.

9. More customisation and information on the lock screen.

One of the features many people really like about Android, and in fact, it is one of the reasons many people switch, is that you can put lots of useful information on the lock screen. It doesn’t need to be much, but give us something Apple. Even the weather forecast would be a step up.

10. Ability to calibrate the screen.

Lovely and all as the retina display is, there is still a wide variation in the calibration of displays, and as with all screens, the colour can shift over time. I’ve read story after story of people returning iPads and iPhones because of the screen calibration. I’ve even done this myself, as my second attempt at getting an iPad three was practically purple. With so many professionals and designers using iPad, we really need the ability to properly calibrate the screen. I’m sure the likes of pantone and x-rite would love to make iOS calibration devices too.

I’m sure lots of people have their own priorities for what they would like in iOS 7 and these are just mine. Feel free to add your own suggestions below, but try to keep it to things Apple might realistically do.

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Why iOS Should Have Display Calibration

By on April 15, 2013 in Apple, Software

IMG 2528

As both a designer and a photographer, I’m particularly sensitive to viewing accurate colours. It’s kind of an obsession that has been drilled in to me by years of working with fussy clients. I suspect I’m not alone in that either. When it comes to Apple’s iOS devices, especially the iPad, the retina display equipped tablet has been a great addition to the average imaging professional’s toolkit. Despite the technological advances of Apple’s displays however, they can still present the same problem for anyone who needs accurate colour: inaccurate calibration.

All modern screens have variations in their white balance. No matter how good the manufacturing, this is still an issue. And it’s been an issue for many of us fussy people since the iPad came out. Personally, I had big problems with my iPad 3. It took me 3 attempts to get one that was acceptable, and even then, I wasn’t entirely happy with it. Many people have posted about having to deal with the same problem. In my case my screen was distinctly pink. The calibration wasn’t just a little off, but it was way off. It’s not just designers and photographers either who notice this. I’ve read stories of people returning iPads ten and eleven times before getting one without flaws. While there have been many other issues too (dirt under the screen etc) the number one issue with iPad and iPhone displays seems to be caused by badly calibrated screens.

These returns must be costing Apple a fortune. While it clearly can afford it, at the end of the day, most of these problems could be solved if Apple simply allowed the display on iOS devices to be calibrated by the user. It could be simple as a colour temperature slider, or as sophisticated as adding an SDK to allow third parties to develop proper calibration hardware that connects to the lightning port. If you’re thinking that, perhaps the hardware isn’t capable of handling this type of calibration, you’d be wrong. There’s already a software tool for calibrating the display of iOS devices on Cydia if you jailbreak your device. I don’t want to jailbreak my iPad though, and I suspect many others don’t either.

The iPad in particular has been a great tool for designers and photographers. This might seem like a minor issue, and it certainly doesn’t affect usability (except when the calibration is really off. )
A simple software calibration option would make a huge difference, especially if you’ve been unlucky enough to get an iPad or iPhone which as less than optimal calibration from the factory. In the post-pc era more and more people are using tablets as their primary or secondary computing device, or will do in the future. For imaging professionals, a correctly calibrated display is more of a necessity than a luxury. At the end of the day, a simple software fix could save Apple money in the long run. I just hope Apple will realise this sooner rather than later.

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Chinese man steals iPhone from bicyclist using chopsticks

By on April 15, 2013 in Apple

Yes, you read that right.

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US Mac Sales Data All Over The Place

By on April 11, 2013 in Apple
Market tracker IDC says Apple’s Q1 Mac shipments in the US fell 7.5 percent year-on-year, while rival company Gartner says they increased 7.4 percent in the same period. Meantime, the NPD Group – which measures sales rather than shipments – says those are up 14 percent …
From 9-5 Mac

Oh dear. No one really knows, do they. And these companies get paid a lot of money for their Analysis.

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App Gratis CEO details the events surrounding his App being pulled from the App Store

By on April 11, 2013 in Apple

A very detailed blog post from Simon Dawlat, the CEO of the much publicised App Gratis which was pulled from the App store last week. While it’s only one side of the story, he documents everything pretty well, and it’s hard to see this as anything but a backdoor policy shift on these kinds of apps by apple. Simon Dawlat is pretty pissed one way or the other.

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Ron Johnson “Leaves” his Position As CEO of JC Penny

By on April 9, 2013 in Apple, General

Not surprising considering JC Penny’s performance since he took over, but, as others have pointed out, they didn’t really give him time to turn things around. Still, his former position at Apple is still open. Just sayin’

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RUMOR: Apple to announce replacement for Mac Pro soon

By on April 9, 2013 in Apple, Rumors

Here’s hoping. I only bought a Mac Pro before Christmas, but I would really like to see an updated line. The technology inside the current ones is getting very long in the tooth. According to Mac Daily News their source has been reliable in the past, so you never know. Please Apple….Please :-)

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iPad Death Watch – From 2010 !

By on April 4, 2013 in Apple

On the third anniversary of the release of the iPad, Asymco rewinds the clock back to the weeks following the introduction and looks at the numerous analysts comments predicting the iPads certain failure. Some gems there in hindsight.

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Apple Apologies over China Warrantee Confusion, Publishes Open Letter from Tim Cook

By on April 1, 2013 in Apple

In a rare move (although, becoming increasingly less rare) Apple has bowed to public pressure in China and published a letter from tim cook on apple’s china website setting out some changes to the repair of iPhones and apologising for the confusion over it’s previous policies.

What remains to be seen is whether or not it will be enough to stem the very public criticism from the Chinese media.

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Apple Launching Pre NAB Campaign to Promote FCPX

By on March 28, 2013 in Apple

FCPX has actually come a long way since its initial version, but there is still a long way to go. There was a time not so long ago, when video professionals eagerly awaited NAB to see what new features Apple would release in their usual update, which they often timed to coincide with the annual conference. Now all they get is an ad campaign?

So Apple, if you’re listening, I know you’ve addressed some of the big missing features, but If you want to win back Pros, you need to fix the rest of it. You can start with the god awful “project” and “event” library set up and go back to proper projects. I want FCPX to survive. I want it to thrive. I want apple to look like it’s giving a crap about pro markets again, but it’s going to take more than an ad campaign. And this is just FCPX. There’s a whole bunch of Aperture and Logic users out there wondering what, if any future their favourite software might have.

[update] I stand corrected! They did release an update! - it’s pretty minor though. Mostly bug fixes and support for some new formats.

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Frustrated with iCloud, Apple’s developer community speaks up en masse

By on March 28, 2013 in Apple

Good piece from Ars Technica. This is a situation that’s been bubbling away under the surface for the last year or so. I know many developers who have been growing increasingly frustrated by this, and I’m amazed they kept quite for so long. Their frustrations are completely justified too. Apple made a dogs dinner of this when they moved away from mobile me and they haven’t been very forthcoming or helpful to developers since either. Between this and the sandboxing issue, Apple’s arrogance and seeming unwillingness to address or even acknowledge developers concerns around these issues is very troubling (but not really surprising)

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Clever Somersby Cider Ad: The Somersby Store

By on March 28, 2013 in Advertising, Apple

You’ve probably seen this already as it’s all over the internet today, but I just had to re-post it because it’s o very clever. It’s a great parody on the Apple Stores and Apple product launches without being nasty (>cough<, Samsung, >cough<) about it. Very well done. I especially love the last line!

 

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Apple and The 4K Television

By on March 28, 2013 in Apple, Rumors, Technology

Most of the mac web ran stories yesterday based on the rumour coming out of Digitimes that Apple was planning on releasing a 4K UHD TV set either later this year or early next year. Needless to say this set the rumour mill into a tizzy. I don’t know whether this will be true or not, Apple may well release a 4K TV set, although I doubt it. Why? Apple generally doesn’t adopt technologies that aren’t mature, and 4K tv is far from mature. I know you’re probably thinking, but what about the iPad, iPhone etc? The innovations in the products might have been new, and the combination of technology might have been new, but they were all based on technologies Apple could mass market. You can’t mass market 4K. Not yet. So the way I see it, 4K tv will be like blu-ray as far as Apple is concerned. There just isn’t a big enough market for 4K yet Apple to go down that route. Sure I could be wrong, but based on Apple’s moves in the past, it really seems unlikely. 

The one thing I am sure of though is that people really should stop giving so much weight to Digitimes rumours. They’re constantly throwing Apple related tid-bits against the wall in the hope that some of them stick. I’m sure someone will be happy to point out the few occasions when they’ve been right, but you know the old phrase, a stopped clock is right twice a day.

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