iPad + Linode, 1 Year Later→

iPad + Linode, 1 Year Later

Last year, programmer Mark O’Connor decided to swap his MacBook for an iPad and Linode. Foregoing any discussion as to whether the iPad could be considered a PC, Mark simply started doing real work with it. Using Vim as a work environment, O’Connor relied on a combination of Mobile Safari, VNC apps, email, and SSH console to work from anywhere. The article in which he described his experience and workflow took off.

One year later, O’Connor says the experiment is over. But not because he stopped using his iPad as his main device – in fact, he’s using it even more. In a follow-up to last year’s post, O’Connor says that the iPad stopped being an experiment a long time ago – having become a natural part of his setup that has allowed him to work ”on river islands, half-way up trees and on exclusive rooftop terraces”.

The 10-hour battery life, 3G connection and small form-factor of the iPad + wireless keyboard combination frees me from so much; today I can work wherever I can sit.

As he says, however, not everything’s perfect. In noting the deficiencies of Mobile Safari in terms of performances as a full desktop browser replacement (though JavaScript is much improved in iOS 6), O’Connor admits he’d be interested in checking out the Surface, Microsoft’s upcoming tablet effort.

Last but not least, the Metro vibe feels fresh and new and I’m intrigued by Microsoft’s choice to make Javascript + HTML5 a first-class way to develop for the system. I’m already looking forward to hacking my own tiles together to smooth my workflow and simplify my day.

I am no web developer or programmer. From my personal experience, however, I can say that, in the past year, I’ve seen several apps coming out for the iPad that filled some of the most glaring omissions in my workflow. Poster and Posts, two great apps to write for WordPress; OneEdit, for batch processing of images; iStorage, a decent file manager; Diet Coda, to access FTP servers and upload images; Nebulous Notes, to write plain text even faster with macros. And these are just a few examples.

The iPad is still no full Mac replacement for me. But as Apple keeps giving more great tools to developers, I am looking forward to the apps they’ll come up with to enjoy an increasingly more mature platform.

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A Reasonable Take On Apple’s Maps Problem→

A Reasonable Take On Apple’s Maps Problem

Mike Dobson of TeleMapics has published a balanced, reasonable, and informative article on the various technical issues that Apple is facing with the new Maps on iOS 6.

The issue plaguing Apple Maps is not mathematics or algorithms, it is data quality and there can be little doubt about the types of errors that are plaguing the system. What is happening to Apple is that their users are measuring data quality. Users look for familiar places they know on maps and use these as methods of orienting themselves, as well as for testing the goodness of maps. They compare maps with reality to determine their location. They query local businesses to provide local services. When these actions fail, the map has failed and this is the source of Apple’s most significant problems. Apple’s maps are incomplete, illogical, positionally erroneous, out of date, and suffer from thematic inaccuracies.

Alongside his sarcasm-free explanation of many aspects of building a mapping solution, Mike offers some suggestions that are worth considering as well.

It’s a recommended read, which I suggest checking out here.

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Apple Airs First iPhone 5 TV Ads: “Physics”, “Cheese”, “Thumb” - Plus “Ears”

Today, Apple aired the first official iPhone 5 commercials. Available both on YouTube and Apple’s website, the TV ads focus on some of the marquee features of the iPhone 5.

“Physics” focuses on the design of the iPhone. It asks how’s it possible that the iPhone can be bigger, but also smaller – referring to the bigger screen of the device and its thinner form factor.

There are laws to physics, right? So explain this, how can something get bigger, and smaller? There’s more of it, and less of it. Well, I guess the laws of physics are more like, general guidelines.

“Cheese” is about Panorama. The ad shows a man trying to take a picture of a group of kids in costumes, using the iPhone’s Panorama functionality (which is not exclusive to the iPhone 5) to capture the whole group.

Every picture tells a story, of course some stories are bigger than others.

OK, guys here we go, everybody say Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeee…[breathes in]…eeeeeeeessssseee.

Got it!

The last one, “Thumb” is, again, about the iPhone’s screen, but this time from a user’s perspective. It tries to convey the message that, in spite of the taller screen, the iPhone’s display is still usable with one thumb, because Apple used “common sense” to make it bigger, but not too big.

Your thumb, it goes from here, to here. This bigger screen goes from here, to here. Now that’s either a, an amazing coincidence, or b, a dazzling display of common sense. Pretty sure its the common sense thing.

The three ads are available on Apple’s website and YouTube channel. We have embedded the YouTube versions below.

Update: Apple also posted an additional “Ears” ad for the new EarPods. The ad repeats the same message Apple explained at the iPhone 5 keynote – human ears are all different, and headphones should consider these differences.

Ears are weird. I dunno what shape that is, but its not round. So why would headphones be round? They should be shaped like this. Ear shaped. You know, so they fit in your ears.

According to initial speculation on Twitter, it appears the voiceover for the ads was done by Jeff Daniels, currently starring in the HBO show “The Newsroom”.
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Great iPhone 5 Wallpapers

One downside of Apple changing the size of the display on the new iPhone is that all your iPhone wallpapers no longer fit properly without being stretched. Whilst Apple has included some new default wallpapers and made them all in the new iPhone 5 resolution, sometimes you just want a bit more choice. Thankfully quite a few people have already done the work to recreate their wallpapers for the new 1136 x 640 resolution of the iPhone 5. We had a bit of a search and found these collections and individual wallpapers that you might enjoy.

Collections

Individual Wallpapers

If you’ve made some iPhone 5 wallpapers or know of some other great ones we missed, let us know by tweeting us at @macstoriesnet.

#MacStoriesDeals - Friday

Happy iPhone 5 day! iOS 6 was released yesterday, here’s a link to all of our coverage. Here are today’s @MacStoriesDeals on hardware, iOS, and Mac apps that are on sale for a limited time, so get them before they end!
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Some Brief Thoughts on Apple’s New EarPods

Apple's EarPods in their packaging

Apple’s EarPods in their packaging

They’re the most comfortable pair of earbuds I’ve owned. I feel like the EarPods were shaped just for my ears. The buttons on the remote are fatter and have a satisfying click. There’s some bass where there really wasn’t any before. Mids and highs sound balanced, even if detail found in more expensive in-ear headphones is lacking. Comparatively to Apple’s old buds they’re much better. Personally I think they look sharp — it’s like having two tiny spaceships dock with your aural receptors.

The EarPods’ design gives it a unique benefit over traditional earbuds: they block more outside noise and are similar to in-ear headphones in this manner, which provide complete noise isolation by the means of fitted plugs. My ears are small, and I’ve had consistently bad luck with in-ear headphones, the smallest plugs always being too large and uncomfortable. Plus, I’m not one who sits still — noise from brushing the headphone cable bothers me. With the exception of maybe the old stocky earbuds that came with the iPod video, Apple’s earbuds have been the most comfortable for me. The new EarPods don’t leave my ears sore after a few hours of wearing them while writing, doing chores, or whatever. A good in-ear pair of headphones (even a pair of $99 Shures from Best Buy) will likely be much more impressive sounding for discerning music lovers, but I’ll take comfort over the omg-my-ears-feel-stuffed-and-my-head-is-going-to-split-open feeling. Everyone’s ears are different (e.g. they fit loosely in Gabe’s ears.)

I’m not a fan of how Apple wraps their cable at the plug and (now at) each stem of the EarPods. The small gray sleeve wrapping around the rubber cable still feels thin and will eventually tear as they have with all my older Apple earbuds, whereas the latest Apple Dock Connector to USB Cables have thick textured end sleeves that feel tough and durable.

Apple’s EarPods are convenient, add extra thump to bass and drums in your music, and come bundled with a new iPhone 5, iPod touch, or iPod nano. Are they worth $29 by themselves? When my current pair wears out or if I lose them, I’ll buy a new pair (I haven’t worn anything else that’s as comfortable). Although you should probably listen to the technology savants from The Wirecutter if you want to save some money or equip yourself with better sounding buds. My choice simply comes down to comfort and having headphones for when I’m traveling, need my hands free during a private call, and for when I need to tune out or not disturb someone else from something.

iPhone 5: First Thoughts And Random Impressions

 

When you first pick up the iPhone 5, your hand immediately contours to the same grip it’s become accustomed to with your previous iPhone. This is no small achievement. Despite how much thinner, lighter, and taller the 5 is than any previous iPhone, it still feels unmistakably like an iPhone; simultaneously something brand new and, by this point, instinctually familiar. Read more

iPhone 5 Lines Around The World

As the iPhone 5 begins its international rollout, lines have begun forming at Apple retail stores in preparation of tomorrow’s launch.

The iPhone 5, announced at a media event on September 12, will go on sale tomorrow at 8 am in nine countries: US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The iPhone 5 is a major upgrade from the iPhone 4S: it features a taller, 4-inch screen, a faster processor, an improved camera, better audio, and a thinner, lighter design with an aluminum back and glass inlays. Apple launched online pre-orders for the device last Friday, and in the first 24 hours the iPhone 5 topped two million pre-orders.

As we’ve done for every recent Apple product launch, we’re collecting some of the best photos and videos of customers waiting in line at their Apple stores. We’ll be updating this post throughout the next 24 hours; come back later for the latest updates and photos from around the globe.

If you want to send us photos or videos from your local Apple store, send us an email at: tips at macstories.net

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Apple: “The More People Use Maps, The Better It Will Get”→

Apple: “The More People Use Maps, The Better It Will Get”

In a statement sent to AllThingsD, Apple said they are working hard to improve the customer experience with the new Maps of iOS 6. In particular, the company notes that “it’ll get better” with time and usage.

We launched this new map service knowing it is a major initiative and that we are just getting started with it. Maps is a cloud-based solution and the more people use it, the better it will get. We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better.

In my review of iOS 6 yesterday, I dedicated a section to Maps, comparing its features to those of iOS 5’s Google Maps product in Italy. Following yesterday’s launch, people have increasingly noticed that Maps, unlike Google Maps, is lacking in several areas like business listings, satellite views, Flyover accuracy, and more. Screenshots of Maps discrepancies with reality and plain-wrong data are all over the web.

In our Reading List in the sidebar (on the right), we’ve collected some of the best Maps-related articles from around the web.

There’s no denying that Maps will get better with time and usage. But unlike Siri, which Apple also said will get better with time, people have become dependent upon accurate maps for their livelihood. If I really had to nitpick, though, I, too, am curious to know how actually Apple plans to improve Maps without allowing customers to actively suggest other options.

Personally, I wonder how users who had (and will have) real-life issues like this would react to Apple’s statement.

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