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Times and Titles

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We all knew today’s news of Steve Jobs resigning as CEO of Apple was coming. Sooner or later, we – geeks, Apple watchers, fans, journalists, the Apple community as a whole – knew that Apple would announce a change of roles that would see Jobs go, initiating the execution plan that has been carefully planned internally for a long time. And that day has come. But it shouldn’t be seen for what it’s not: a change within the company. It is a change, technically, with Steve Jobs becoming Chairman of the Board, director, and Apple employee, and Tim Cook elected as new CEO. But it’s not a change in perspective – the spirit that has driven Apple’s innovation, attention to detail and need for great products won’t disappear as Tim Cook takes the reins.

There’s no denying reading the initial Reuters Twitter headline about Jobs resigning brought my heart to a full stop. But as I quickly rationalized and processed the news, later confirmed by a series of press releases, I realized that was the turning point I was expecting all along. The change that we, the community, feared and filed away in the imaginary drawer of things that are too far away to even consider as a fact. Yet, in spite of many people’s best hopes, it is a fact. And I’ll say this again – it is sad to see a man slowly taking steps back from the company he built because he’s no longer capable of meeting others’ expectations.

So let’s look at history in the eyes. Steve Jobs won’t be replaced iconically, he will be replaced as a company executive. Steve Jobs’ vision, charisma, stubbornness, willingness to build products people love and engage with on a personal level – these things will live on within Apple no matter the title the Board gives him. Steve is not Apple, but Apple stems from Steve’s ideals. And ideals, history has taught us, don’t die. No matter the bureaucracy, the speculation, the market strategies, the corporate espionage – no matter from what angle you look at it, true ideals live on. They are symbols of evolution, but they survive change.

This is what we believe. Technology alone is not enough. And from my personal angle, this is the mantra that CEO Steve Jobs has best implanted since 1997 in Apple as a company, a team of executives and designers and engineers and employees – Apple as a vision and a statement. A hundred years from now, people will look back at Jobs’ career as CEO of Apple, and wonder how he did. In this very moment of time, we do know how he did. And we applaud Steve Jobs for his achievements in the past decade.

But at the same time, we also applaud his team and we look forward to more great products born under and developed with Steve Jobs’ taste as a Chairman, and Apple employee. Once again, let’s look at the facts – Jobs is still there, only taking a different role and executing the “succession plan” any respectable company that operates at Apple’s levels has. Those who predict the premature demise of Apple and speculate on the failures of future products due to Jobs’ change of title clearly don’t understand how Apple works. I don’t either, but at least I’m not looking into a crystal ball. It will be interesting to keep an eye on Apple’s operations in the next two years for sure, but saying the company without Jobs the CEO is now doomed is a long stretch.

A change of titles – a new Chairman here, a CEO there – won’t transform the way today’s Apple works and makes money. Yet we, the community, are inclined to taking this on a personal level, because let’s face it – a little part of the Apple fan in us died today. Not because of the sadness, the desperation, or the aforementioned predictions of Apple’s upcoming “problems”. Not even strictly because Steve Jobs is a geek’s favorite hero and it’s sad to see him “go”. It’s a much more subtle feeling running through the veins of the Apple community. It’s that feeling of times changing, of you and your friends growing older and perhaps with a better understanding of things – it’s watching what you took for granted be upgraded to something new you think will be fine eventually, but you’re still not completely used to.

Steve Jobs’ greatest accomplishment is not the iPad, the App Store, the iPhone 4 and the device coming out next year. It’s not even the company taken as a bunch of executives and employees around the world, for as much as that’s an impressive work of management and planning. Rather, Steve Jobs the CEO should be proud of the philosophy he’s instilled in Apple’s vision of a product maker for all kinds of people. Because, really, that’s what Steve Jobs the CEO set as a goal for Apple: making people happy using their products.

In these past 14 years, Apple’s former CEO turned around an industry, changed its face, and taught us that technology alone is not enough.

And we thank you for that, Steve.

TV Show Tracker 2.1 Giveaway: You’re Gonna Need More Shows to Watch

If you watch a lot of TV, live on the Internet, and can’t remember when House airs, then you’re probably already using TV Show Tracker right? We’ve been covering the big updates all along, and I gotta say that there’s lots of new goodies to chew on. Take the Watch List for example. Everything you missed watching will be stored in one convenient place so you can check it off once you get down mowing down the bag of half baked doritos in front of the TiVo. Those unwatched episodes will also show up as application badges (because it’s pretty critical if you miss out on the first episode of The Office). Tapping on a show in your favorites list now takes you directly to their show page, and in the preferences you have the app open into the schedule so you don’t miss a thing. Combine that with a new icon, and the latest update to TV Show Tracker just makes finding dramas on the boob tube pretty easy.

So how much does it cost? It’s on sale for $0.99 until Saturday evening — it’s super useful to see when your favorite two political comedians are coming back from vacation as well.

But we’re giving away five copies to you delightful, handsome (beautiful for the lady-girls out there) MacStorians, so you’ll want click past the break for the full rundown.

Read more

Steve Jobs Resigns, Tim Cook Named New CEO of Apple

With a press release that just went out, Steve Jobs has announced he’s stepping down as CEO of Apple. Former COO Tim Cook will take the role of new CEO. Steve Jobs will stay involved as Chairman of the Board, and Tim Cook will obviously join the Board, too, effective immediately. In a letter to the Board and the Apple community, Steve Jobs explains he’s no longer capable of meeting his duties and expectations as Apple CEO, strongly recommending the Board to name Tim Cook as new CEO. Jobs also states “Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it”.

On January 17, Apple’s Board granted Steve Jobs a medical leave of absence, and the former CEO said he would remain involved with major strategic decisions, with Tim Cook filling in for day-to-day operations at Apple. Since then, Steve Jobs made two appearances at a media event in March and the WWDC ‘11 keynote to announce the iPad 2, iOS 5 and new iCloud features. Speculation has surrounded Steve Jobs’ health conditions since January, although the company preferred to keep such conditions private and out of the community and press daily rumors.

Steve Jobs co-founded Apple in 1976 with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. He left the company in 1985, only to return from NeXT (another company he started) to Apple in 1997 and ignite the digital revolution by laying the groundwork of modern Mac OS X, iTunes and the iLife suite, and later the iPhone in 2007, and the iPad in 2010. From Apple’s official bio of the Steve Jobs (which hasn’t been updated to reflect the new Chairman role yet):

Steve Jobs is the CEO of Apple, which he co-founded in 1976. Apple is leading the consumer technology world with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, its family of iPod media players and iTunes media store, and its Mac computers and iLife and iWork application suites. Apple recently introduced the iPad, a breakthrough Internet and digital media device, plus the iBookstore, alongside iTunes and the App Store.

Steve also co-founded and was the CEO of Pixar Animation Studios, which created some of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time including Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars and Ratatouille. Pixar merged with The Walt Disney Company in 2006 and Steve now serves on Disney’s board of directors.

Steve grew up in the apricot orchards which later became known as Silicon Valley, and still lives there with his family.

Tim Cook, former COO of Apple, was responsible for the company’s worldwide sales and operations, reporting directly to Steve Jobs and managing Apple’s supply chain overseas. He’s regarded as the man who made possible building and shipping millions of iOS devices in four years thanks to exclusive supplier agreements and deals, including pre-payments to get stable access to important components such as the LCD displays used in Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Before joining Apple, Cook was vice president of Corporate Materials for Compaq and was responsible for procuring and managing all of Compaq’s product inventory. Previous to his work at Compaq, Cook was the chief operating officer of the Reseller Division at Intelligent Electronics.

Wikipedia provides a brief timeline of Cook’s roles at Apple:

  • He initially served as Senior Vice President for Worldwide Operations
  • In January 2007, Cook was promoted to COO.
  • Cook served as Apple CEO for two months in 2004, when Steve Jobs was recovering from pancreatic cancer surgery. Cook also serves on the Board of directors of Nike.
  • In 2009 Cook again served as Apple CEO for several months while Steve Jobs took a leave of absence for a liver transplant.
  • In January 2011, Apple’s Board of Directors approved a third medical leave of absence, requested by Steve Jobs. During that time, Tim Cook was responsible for most of Apple’s day-to-day operations while CEO Steve Jobs made most major decisions.

Steve Jobs is widely regarded as the “visionary genius” behind many of Apple’s best inventions and innovations such as the refined graphical user interface, the Mac’s attention to detail and beautiful typography, and iOS’ focus on multitouch and natural user experience. To get an idea of the man behind the company, check out this collection of Steve Jobs quotes we collected two years ago.

Below, you’ll find the press releases from Apple, Steve Jobs’ commencement address at Stanford University in 2005, and the video of the official “iCEO” announcement in 2000. As for our thoughts on Apple without Steve Jobs, we’ll take our time to elaborate on today’s (huge) news for the company, but overall, this article from January 2011 still holds true: During Steve’s Absence, Apple Will Be Just Fine. Read more

iPad Getting Exclusive 9/11 Memorial App on September 1st

Author/Filmmaker Steve Rosenbaum has created and curated a documentary and transformed it into an iPad app called The 9/11 Memorial: Past, Present and Future. The 9/11 Memorial App is the first multi-media app that allows users to explore the history of the site, the day of the attacks, and the opening of The National Memorial. The app is a journey that you can take at your own pace; a rich tapestry of more than 40 original videos and 400 powerful still images. This app provides an intimate, personal, self-directed exploration.

The app features:

  • An interactive timeline from 2001 - present and will be updated as construction continues.
  • Never before seen video of the attacks on The World Trade Center.
  • Exclusive interview with the creator of the Memorial, along with his sketches and photographs.
  • More than 40 videos, over an hour of original content, site tours, museum updates, and animations.
  • Over 400 high-resolution photographs, including large artifacts at Hanger 17, rare site construction images, and the landscaping of an urban forest with 400 white swamp oak trees.
  • Links to share, post, and connect with the National September 11th Memorial Museum site.
  • Scenes from Rosenbaum’s award-winning documentary “7 Days in September” are included as well.

Rosenbaum decided to make this project iPad-only because it is the best device to display it. “I wanted it to be more of an immersive experience,” he said. “The nature of the photographs are so powerful, so to render them in anything but full color seemed wrong to me. And I didn’t want it to be viewed on a phone. I wanted it to be big and glossy.” Apple loved the idea, and it was approved in only a day and a half, which is very fast. He was expecting a few weeks so he submitted it early.

Rosenbaum is looking for app promotion and since the App Store has so many apps, it could easily be overlooked but we at MacStories think it’s an app worthy to promote and something like this means so much to people as well. The free introductory price is nice but we hope people will also consider buying it for $9.99 once it increases to give Steve a little something back for all his hard work and dedication. Here’s what he said about iPad exclusivity for The 9/11 Memorial - “The iPad is the single fastest selling consumer device in the history of consumer electronics,” he said. “There are 30 million now on the market. What’s more limited? A beautiful glossy photo book that sits in Barnes & Noble, or something that’s free and on a device that lots of people have?” I don’t think Steve Jobs could have said it better himself.

The 9/11 Memorial App will be available and free between September 1 and September 12 and thereafter the price will be for $9.99. You can check out more info on the app’s official site to see more screens, read more about the app and learn about the author.

[via The Observer via Daring Fireball]

LaunchpadCleaner 2 Gives You Proper Control Over Lion’s Launchpad

Launchpad is somewhat of a controversial feature addition in Lion, it is arguably the most blatant example of iOS’ influence on OS X (and some would say the worst example of iOS’ influence). A lot of the criticism stems from the fact it displays every application that is located on your Mac - you really don’t want to have an Adobe Creative Suite or Microsoft Office because Launchpad will display icons from every app contained in those software packages.

Earlier this month we wrote about Launchpad-Control, which allowed you to hide applications from Launchpad (without deleting or uninstalling the application) using a simple checkbox list of all your apps. Hiding apps from Launchpad is about as far as Launchpad-Control goes and whilst that will be enough for many, some may be wanting some more control of Launchpad to properly utilise its potential. Enter LaunchpadCleaner 2, which allows you to hide apps from Launchpad, organise them, rename them and quite a bit more.

A good analogy of LaunchpadCleaner 2 would be that it works in a simple way to how iTunes can organise an iOS device’s homescreen but for Launchpad on your Mac. Some of the more advanced features of LaunchpadCleaner 2 include the ability to make a backup of your layout, transfer a Launchpad layout to other Macs and the ability to simply restore to the default Launchpad layout. The only real negatives of LaunchpadCleaner 2 that I experienced was that it was a little slow at times, which may be related to the fact that it is an Adobe Air application. The other downside is that you can’t drag the application icons to rearrange them in a specific order - although this isn’t too problematic because Launchpad itself can do this task easily.

LaunchpadCleaner 2 is available for $4.99 from Zoltan Borne, however he has kindly offered MacStories readers a promo code to get the app for free. The first 20 readers that will use the code “MACSTORIESNET” (without quotes) from the app’s Buy window will be upgraded to the Pro version for free. To do so, download the app, click on Buy, then click on “Do you have a Promotional Code?” and enter the promo code. Zoltan also offers a free version of LaunchpadCleaner 2, although there are a few limitations with this version.

Sleipnir Beta Comes To OS X with Group Tab Management and Sync

In the past months, I’ve reviewed several alternative browsers for iOS, and eventually settled with Grazing 2.0 because of its great multitouch support and push features that allow me to effortlessly and reliably share webpages across the Mac, iPhone and iPad through push notifications. However, amidst the plethora of shameless Safari copycats and relatively clever iPad browsers, there was Sleipnir, an iPhone app developed by Japanese studio Fenrir that impressed me with an innovative interface, and group tab management aimed at enhancing the iPhone’s browsing experience with the possibility of grouping tabs/websites by context through large thumbnail previews. Months later, Sleipnir came to the iPad, bringing an overhauled interface with bigger previews, and a new navigation system specifically built for the tablet. And now a beta of Sleipnir is available on the Mac, porting many of the functionalities seen on iOS to the desktop.

Sleipnir for Mac is in beta, and much is expected to change before the final release. The app is already compatible with OS X Lion, though it doesn’t support native full-screen mode in this first beta version, and some features like bookmark import are not working on my machine. In spite of the app being a little rough around the edges, Sleipnir for Mac is already pretty solid, and with free bookmark sync through the Fenrir Pass service it provides and interesting solution to use a non-default browser (like Safari) or more popular browsers like Google Chrome on iOS or the Mac.

On the Mac, Sleipnir displays tabs as mini-thumbnails in an address bar-free toolbar, which also contains a search field, a new tab button, and, optionally, your bookmarks. In spite of the lack of an address bar by default, Sleipnir lets you manually type in an address with the standard CMD+L shortcut (it will slide in the address bar), and it enables you to keep an eye on the currently opened webpage by visualizing its domain in the upper right corner (something that Mozilla has also been experimenting with in Firefox). The selected tab is constantly marked by an indicator that runs through the toolbar as you switch between pages, whilst tabs can be closed by clicking on the “x” button, or by using the CMD+W shortcut.

The biggest feature of Sleipnir is always been tab management through groups, and this has been ported to the Mac as well. Groups on the Mac are accessible from a window called “TiledTab”,  which displays large previews on a linen background, with groups in the bottom section of the page. You can move thumbnails between groups, search for tabs and rename groups, though I couldn’t find an option to delete existing groups or create new ones in this beta. Tab groups are useful if you usually keep a lot of tabs open and have been looking for ways to link related webpages together – furthermore, you can move between groups from the TiledTab UI with a two-finger swipe.

In the Preferences, Sleipnir lets you setup free bookmark sync using Fenrir Pass, and as we’ve seen before on the iPhone and iPad, Sleipnir’s implementation of bookmarks include things like an archive button, ribbons, and labels for deeper organization of saved webpages.

Sleipnir for Mac won’t replace the Safaris and Chromes of this world, but it’s got the feature set and ideas to become an alternative browser that you might want to use outside of your main browsing environment – say for research purposes (groups are great for that) or just to keep a different set of bookmarks always in sync between OS X and iOS.

You can download Sleipnir for Mac beta here, and get the universal iOS app for free on the App Store.

New Logitech Fold-Up Keyboard and Joystick For The iPad Coming Soon

Logitech currently offers two fairly basic iPad keyboard accessories, but come September they’re launching two more accessories that are a little bit more unique. The first is another keyboard but with a little bit of a twist (literally), offering an iPad stand in conjunction with a foldable keyboard. The second is an attachable joystick for playing games on the iPad - similar to the Fling which was released earlier this year.

The new keyboard accessory is a full-sized bluetooth keyboard that cleverly turns off automatically when it is folded away and turns on when snapped open. It also charges through USB so there is no need for replacing batteries every few weeks. TechCrunch (which got some hands on time with both devices) does however note that the accessory is fairly bulky which is disappointing given that it is coupled with the very sleek iPad 2.

The Logitech Joystick for iPad on the other hand doesn’t share the bulkiness of the Fold-Up Keyboard and is very light, simply attaching to the iPad’s screen via suction cups. TechCrunch writes that the “thumb pad always returns to the center position, finally offering some tactile feedback on the iPad”.

The Logitech Fold-Up Keyboard for iPad 2 will launch in the US and Europe next month for US$129.99 whilst the Logitech Joystick for iPad will also launch next month in the US and Europe for US$19.99.

[Via TechCrunch]

WSJ: iPhone 5 in mid-October On Verizon, AT&T, And Sprint

According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, initially quoted by Business Insider, U.S. carrier Sprint will sell the iPhone 5 once the device becomes available in October.

Sprint Nextel Corp. will begin selling the iPhone 5 in mid-October, people familiar with the matter said, closing a huge hole in the No. 3 U.S. carrier’s lineup and giving Apple Inc. another channel for selling its popular phone.

The timing, however, indicates Apple’s new iPhone will hit the market later than expected and too late to contribute to sales in the company’s fiscal fourth quarter, which ends in September. Most observers had expected the device to arrive next month.

Much speculation has surrounded the release of the next-generation iPhone, which was expected to debut during the summer as every previous iPhone, though the launch didn’t materialize and Apple decided to focus the WWDC (the iPhone’s typical announcement stage) on software instead. Since then, rumors have failed to pinpoint an exact release date for the iPhone, with different sources claiming a September or October launch. It is not clear whether Apple would use its typical media event in September only to launch the device in October – what seems fairly certain is that the iPhone 5 will come equipped with a new version of iOS, which is currently being tested by registered developers. Last, according to other rumors, Apple may be gearing up to release two different versions of the iPhone this fall, one aimed at pre-paid markets with a cheaper iPhone 4-like construction, and a brand new one that should indeed be the long-awaited “iPhone 5”. Confusion around alleged prototypes running a new A5 chip (the same of the iPad 2) on older iPhone 4 bodies has also contributed to making it difficult to predict the next iPhone’s form factor, leading to contradicting reports about a faster “iPhone 4S”, a completely redesigned iPhone 5, or a mix of both. Most recent rumors and case leaks from manufacturers seem to indicate the new device will feature a thinner design with tapered edges.

Amidst speculation, a few interesting reports in the past months detailed how the next-generation iPhone could end up being sold on more than two carriers in the US. Currently, the iPhone 4 is sold in two colors on two carriers, AT&T and Verizon. The CDMA iPhone, built specifically for Verizon, was also rumored to be set for an expansion to other CDMA markets, such as Asia. Back in April, BGR showed what they claimed to be a prototype iPhone running on T-Mobile’s network – AT&T later announced its plans to acquire T-Mobile and it’s unclear now whether Apple could really release a T-Mobile iPhone in late 2011 with the acquisition expected to be approved and take full action by 2012.

Rumors of a Sprint iPhone arose in mid-2010 and were reinforced earlier this year by analysts’ claims of an iPhone for Sprint during the holidays, and a job posting appeared on Apple’s website. Sprint currently has 52 million subscribers and it’s the third largest mobile operator in the United States. The WSJ also briefly mentions some hardware details of the iPhone 5:

The new iPhone is expected to be similar to the current iPhone 4, but thinner and lighter with an improved digital camera and a new more sophisticated operating system.

According to the WSJ, AT&T and Verizon will begin selling the iPhone 5 in mid-October, too. TiPB was first to report the news of a likely October 7 launch date for the iPhone 5 two weeks ago, a rumor that was also corroborated by other blogs. The iPhone 5 is said to be a “world phone” as well, with an integrated system to work both on GSM and CDMA radio channels.