While a review was poised a few weeks ago for AViiQ’s latest product, I felt the need to take their latest invention through a thorough review process that involved travel, a variety of MacBooks and PCs, and daily use to see if AViiQ’s Portable Quick Stand holds up to heavy use. Snapping from the fold into a prism that’s ready to leverage your laptop and bring your laptop’s screen closer to eye level, this is the alternative to the original Portable Laptop Stand which I reviewed back in February.
MacStories Product Review: AViiQ Portable Quick Stand
Skype for iPad Is Coming, Video Surfaces Online
As reported by Italian website iPadevice [Google Translation], a video appeared earlier today on Skype’s official YouTube channel, and was later removed or set to private. The video demonstrates the official Skype application for iPad, which appears to be complete and launching soon. The video has no audio, and iPadevice managed to grab a copy before it was deleted to re-upload it to YouTube. The video says “Skype for iPad, available on the App Store”, though it’s not clear whether or not the app will be released as a universal update to the existing iPhone client, or as a standalone app. However, the video shows that Skype has taken its time to take advantage of the iPad 2 hardware to enable video calls both through the back and front facing camera, with a visual contact list made of profile pic thumbnails you can scroll, as well as the possibility of turning a video call into fullscreen mode.
The app will have options to call, video call and chat with a contact; it will work both on WiFi and 3G as a disclaimer at the beginning of the video says, and it will allow users to chat during a video call session from a popover menu at the bottom.
Skype was recently acquired by Microsoft for $8.5 billion, and although after the acquisition many feared Redmond would make the software exclusive for its devices, Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer was quick to reassure everyone that Skype was still committed to other platforms. Check out the video below.
Update: Here’s the alleged link of the private video, via RazorianFly.
Update #2: Twitter user @trackizmy1 has posted the following photo showing that the video indeed appeared on Skype’s channel:
Right now, Skype has 56 uploads on YouTube, whilst the screenshot shows 57 before the video was pulled.
Update #3: TUAW’s Mike Schramm has confirmed with Skype VP of Consumer and Product Design Rick Osterloh that the app is very real and hopefully coming soon depending on Apple’s approval. Skype says some desktop features like file sharing couldn’t be implemented, but called the iPad version a “solid release” and said Apple has been very supportive to them.
Osterloh says that the iPhone version of Skype burst out of the gate quickly, with a big launch and “a userbase that doubled in just a month’s time.” And he said the iPad version should “have a similar success,” especially since it’s basically the same in functionality: chatting, audio and video calling, and all of the other standard actions you can expect from Skype. The current app has been in testing for a few months now, and Osterloh is excited to unleash it on the public.
The New York Times’ Final Cut Pro X Q&A→
The New York Times’ Final Cut Pro X Q&A
Following the much discussed backlash over the launch of the “revolutionary” Final Cut Pro X for Mac, The New York Times’ tech columnist David Pogue has compiled an interesting Q&A on the available/missing features of the application, with direct input from Apple.
The “missing features” generally fall into three categories: features that are actually there and have just been moved around, features that Apple intends to restore and features that require a third-party (non-Apple) add-on or plug-in.
Among the covered topics, Pogue reports Apple says re-enabling support for the multi-cam functionality is a “top priority” for the company.
Complaint: There’s no multicamera editing. In the old FCP, you could import the footage from various cameras that covered an event (say, a concert) from different angles simultaneously, and then easily cut back and forth between them while editing. It was a star feature of Final Cut, and it’s gone from FCP X.
Answer: Apple intends to restore this feature in an update, calling it “a top priority.” Until it does, here’s a stopgap facsimile of multicam editing: If you drag two clips into parallel timeline tracks, you can choose Clip->Synchronize Clips. By comparing their audio tracks, the program aligns the clips exactly. Now, each time you select a piece of the upper video track and press the V key (“disable”), you are effectively cutting to what’s on the lower video track.
Another feature that generated much disappointment in several Final Cut Pro X reviews on the Mac App Store is the impossibility of opening old FCP projects. Pogue confirms this:
Complaint: Can’t import old FCP files.
Answer: As I noted in my column, this is true; your old projects are stranded forever in the older FCP program. You’ll have to keep both programs on your hard drive, and edit the old projects in the old program. When you install the new FCP, your old copy is safely preserved.
Read the full, technical Q&A here. In the weeks leading to the release of Final Cut Pro many professional video editors suggested it would be difficult for Apple to ship a completely rewritten version usable since day one by large studios and production houses. As Final Cut Pro X has been re-imagined from the ground up, clearly Apple needed to cut some features out of the first release, but they’ve already confirmed they’re aiming at making the update cycle for FCP faster with releases every 6 months or so.
Apple Posts iCloud Transition Q&A, Confirms iCloud Will Have Web Apps
With iCloud set to replace MobileMe, Apple has just published a transition Q&A to help explain to users of MobileMe what the transition will be like and what will change as they move to iCloud. MobileMe will be discontinued on June 30, 2012, and some services like Gallery, iWeb, and iDisk will no longer be available after that date.
One issue that has been in contention recently is whether or not iCloud would offer web apps with as MobileMe did. Today’s transition Q&A confirms that, yes, there will be iCloud web apps for Mail, Contacts, Calendar and Find My iPhone.
Will I be able to access iCloud services on the web?
Yes. Web access to iCloud Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Find My iPhone will be available at icloud.com this fall.
In the same transition Q&A, Apple also details the necessary steps to move existing iWeb websites, MobileMe Gallery photos and iDisk files from the old MobileMe infrastructure to different services or a local folder on your Mac. For iWeb, as previously reported the service will be discontinued on June 30, 2012, and if users are willing to keep their websites reachable they’ll need to move files via FTP to a new hosting provider. Instructions are available here.
You will be able to continue publishing iWeb sites to MobileMe through June 30, 2012, even after moving to iCloud.
- You need an account with a web hosting provider that supports FTP (File Transfer Protocol) before proceeding.
- When publishing an iWeb site to a web hosting service other than MobileMe, the following features are not available: blog and photo comments, website password, blog search, and hit counter.
iDisk files will simply need to be copied locally on a Mac or PC before June 30, 2012, and no online interface for files will be available.
You will be able to continue using MobileMe iDisk through June 30, 2012, even after moving to iCloud. You should save copies of all files stored on iDisk before that date.
- From the iDisk window, drag and drop the files and folders you want to keep to your desktop or a local folder on your Mac. For larger files, you may see a progress bar indicating download progress.
- Check all of your folders on your iDisk for important files including the Documents, Movies, Music, Pictures, and Public folders as these are places where important files and folders are commonly stored. If they have files you want to keep, download these folders.
Last, MobileMe Gallery photos. Apple says that “it is likely that most of your Gallery photos are already in iPhoto or Aperture”, but if they’re not, detailed steps to download photos from MobileMe before June 30, 2012, are available here.
You will be able to continue using MobileMe Gallery through June 30, 2012, even after moving to iCloud. You should save copies of all photos published to your Gallery before that date.
- Click the “http://gallery.me.com/subscribername…” link at the top right of the page.
- On the page that opens, click the download arrow icon at the top of the page.
- If you are downloading a photo album, Gallery will create a .zip file that contains all of the photos and movie clips in the album. Once processing is complete, click the Download button.
Furthermore, Apple has confirmed in the Q&A syncing of Mac Dashboard widgets, keychains, Dock items, and System Preferences will be discontinued after you move to iCloud, or June 30, 2012. Unlike iWeb publishing, Gallery, and iDisk, syncing of these items will no longer be available even after you move to iCloud.
As for separate iTunes and MobileMe accounts, Apple says you won’t be able to merge them, but you’ll be able to transition an old @me.com account to iCloud, and keep using the iTunes one for iTunes in the Cloud and Store purchases. More storage for mail, documents, and backup will be available at a price that Apple will outline this Fall once iCloud launches publicly. For users with Family accounts from the previous MobileMe offerings, they’ll still be able to create new family accounts and manage them if they already have a Family pack. New family packs can’t be purchased or upgraded. More importantly, Family pack members can move their MobileMe accounts separately to iCloud, meaning there shouldn’t be any confusion with a single iCloud account automatically sending purchases to all devices).
Check out Apple’s full Q&A on the MobileMe transition to iCloud here.
The Financial Times’ Web App Is Doing Well With Nearly 200,000 Downloads In Two Weeks
Two weeks after The Financial Times launched their new web app, they are apparently close to racking up a rather impressive 200,000 downloads. The Financial Times had launched the web app as a result of imposing conditions that Apple was asking for with its In-App subscription service, in particular was the lack of data that The Financial Times could attain from user activity.
The statistic comes from Media Week which says Financial Times is about to hit 200,000 downloads of the web app after getting 100,000 downloads in its first week. Given the apparent success of the app (although it remains to be seen how many people will subscribe) it could see other news publications move to the web app model instead of developing a native app. Publishers that develop a native app and charge a subscription fee must give up 30% of revenues to Apple – something all publishers have been somewhat hesitant of doing.
It is not known whether Apple’s revised In-App subscription guidelines will entice The Financial Times back to offering their native app. But they did comment on Media Week’s article, saying:
“We’ve seen strong demand for the FT web app since its launch. We have an ongoing marketing campaign encouraging users to migrate to the new platform and we’re confident we can maintain the momentum.”
[Via The Next Web]
#MacStoriesDeals - Friday
Here are today’s @MacStoriesDeals on iOS, Mac, and Mac App Store apps that are on sale for a limited time, so get them before they end!
iOS 5 Code Reveals New iPod Touch Model, Normal Fall Launch Expected
Update 2: TUAW made a mistake in their reporting, there isn’t any reference to iPod4,2 in 4.3 - they had accidentally opened the iOS 5 file twice, instead of the 4.3 file. Please ignore update 1.
Update 1: Erica Sadun of TUAW decided to double check whether this reference had existed prior to iOS 5 and sure enough, the same reference was found in iOS 4.3.
When Beta 1 of iOS 5 was released earlier this month some people found references to a next generation iPad and iPhone. That news itself wasn’t all that riveting, new iOS versions often hint at new and upcoming hardware – what was somewhat odd was that those people didn’t find any references to a new iPod Touch as would have been reasonably expected.
It turns out that there are in fact references to a new iPod Touch, they were just hidden away elsewhere, found earlier today by members of the iFans forum. Found inside the “com.apple.fairplayd.N81.plist” file (located in /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/) there is a reference to the “iPod4,2” – a new reference to an iPod Touch.
There haven’t been many rumors surrounding the fifth generation of the iPod Touch, but one would assume Apple would follow the pattern it has set from previous years, launching it sometime around September. The reference within iOS 5 makes this more likely, but perhaps a bigger reason is Apple would unlikely want to miss launching a new iPod Touch for the holiday season given how popular the Touch has become.
[Via Cult of Mac]
Apple Ramping Up Component Orders For July MacBook Air Refresh?
A report from DigiTimes today claims that Apple’s supply chain for its MacBook products will begin to “run in full gear” from early July as Apple prepares to a launch an updated MacBook Air. The report is in line with previous suggestions that Apple will wait until late July to launch a refreshed MacBook Air to coincide with the launch of Lion – which DigiTimes itself corroborates in the report.
[Increasing orders for components] is in line with Apple’s previous strategy to ramp up deliveries prior to the launch of new products.
The report does also mention that Apple expects to take “deliveries of over eight million MacBook Airs in the third quarter”. However, as MacRumors has pointed out, that figure is extremely large and actually represents double the amount of all Macs sold in the second quarter.
[Via DigiTimes]
iPhone 4: A Retrospective, One Year Since It Launched
Today is June 24, 2011. Believe it or not, it has already been one year since the iPhone 4 went on sale across the US, UK, France, Germany and Japan to literally millions of people who eagerly waited in line to get their hands on the latest and greatest iPhone yet. The history of the iPhone 4 has been remarkable, controversial and fascinating, filled with prototype leaks, criminal investigations, amazing technology, scandals, mystical white unicorns, new carrier allegiances and more. Come along with me as we mark the one-year anniversary of the iPhone 4 with a walk down memory lane.