Byword: Distraction-less Writing App For Mac

Byword, a new app by Metaclassy, aims at bringing a minimal, focused writing environment to the Mac. The OS X platform isn’t new to this kind of applications that want to take the distraction away from your writing experience: Ommwriter for Mac tried to provide an uncluttered background for your text that, eventually, turned into a distracting experience for many due to the use of sounds and animations; the usual Text Edit, on the other hand, still maintains a strong hold on users with its minimal UI and powerful text editing features. When combined with apps like Think, Text Edit can become the ultimate writing app for the Mac.

Byword, however, wants to step up the game with a really minimal interface made of no toolbars, and just text on a light background. You can run the app in its own window, but Byword is meant for distraction-less fullscreen mode that will feel just right on Lion, but works well on Snow Leopard as well. When you’re writing in Byword, nothing else is on screen. Just you and the cursor. Read more

Survey: iPad 2 Selling Mostly To New Customers

Market analyst Gene Munster surveyed just under 250 line-waiters at the iPad 2 launch last Friday and one of the most interesting findings was that 70% of the iPads being sold were to consumers who did not own the original iPad. Furthermore Munster estimated that Apple would have sold around 400,000 to 500,000 iPad 2’s, close to what analysts were predicting prior to the launch and well above the original’s 300,000-unit figure.

Munster said of the results “We believe this shows Apple is expanding its base of iPad users, which is critical to maintaining its early lead in the growing tablet market,” and this was backed up with statistics that whilst the original iPad had a predominantly Mac audience, iPad 2 owners were split 49% to PC and 51% Mac users. In addition Kindle users opting for an iPad 2 were at 24% compared to 13% for the original.

Munster also got some statistics on the break up of which model people were purchasing with more WiFi + 3G models chosen and the 32GB variant the most popular size chosen at 41% (up from 32%), although Munster notes that this increase could be in part due to the 16GB variety selling out faster. Finally another analyst, Chris Whitmore from Deutsche Bank, decided to call up around 100 stores (50 Apple Retail, 20 Best Buy and Walmart plus Verizon and AT&T stores) and found zero stock in all the stores which he called “shocking”.

[Via Cult of Mac]

ScreenFloat: A Better Way To Capture Information with Screenshots

ScreenFloat by Eternal Storms Software – the same developer behind Flickery for Mac – is a new app released in the Mac App Store last night that allows you to take screenshots that will float above other windows on your Mac. Why would you want to do that, instead of the classic CMD + Shift + 4? Because sometimes information can’t be copied & pasted, and a screenshot is the best you can do to have the information you need a few clicks away. With OS X’ default screenshot-taking capabilities, you’ll still be forced to switch between the main app you’re using (say, the browser or a text editor) and the screenshot you just took, perhaps opened with Preview or Quick Look. So Eternal Storms thought that, when screenshots are the best way to quickly capture information, your Mac should be able to let you easily and quickly take a look at the image. Read more

iFixit Tears Open The Smart Cover To See How It Works

In what is quite a first, iFixit has done a tear-down on Apple’s new Smart Covers and found that Apple has used a whopping 31 magnets to make the Smart Cover system work with 10 in the iPad and 21 in the cover. To the disappointment of the iFixit team, the magnets were the plain old two-pole kind, not the more intriguing correlated magnets, however the way in which the magnets were placed is what allows the Smart Cover to effectively clip on with relative ease and accuracy.

One of the magnets in the Smart Cover is used by the iPad to work out when the iPad should be locked and unlocked whilst the rest are used to “either clamp to the iPad on the right side (the far-right column of magnets), or to form the triangular shape used to create a stand for the iPad 2.” Finally the magnets inside the iPad 2 were polarised + - + - whilst the Smart Cover complemented this and had the opposite being - + - + (obviously to snap to together the magnets in either part must be opposite to attract each other).  Jump the break for some more break down images by iFixit!

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Reports Suggest Apple Won’t Include NFC Technology In The iPhone 5

An article today by The Independent (a UK publication) has suggested that the previously rumored inclusion of Near Field Communication technology in the iPhone and iPad will not be coming this year. The technology is perceived to become a new way for consumers to pay for goods and services and it was hoped by many in the retail industry that Apple could set the standard by adding the technology to the iPhone.

It appears however, according to several sources in UK mobile operators, that Apple had decided against the inclusion of NFC technology in the next version of the iPhone. One source told The Independent “The new iPhone will not have NFC, Apple told the operators it was concerned by the lack of a clear standard across the industry.”

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Apple Showcasing “Great AirPlay Apps” In The App Store

With the release of iOS 4.3, Apple enabled third-party developers to implement the AirPlay streaming technology in their apps, a feature that was previously exclusive to Apple’s own software on iOS 4.2. On the new iOS 4.3, not only does Safari allow you to stream video content from the browser to an Apple TV, developers also got the possibility to use the AirPlay APIs (after several requests) in their applications. Apps like Air Video or StreamToMe greatly benefit from the addition of AirPlay without any manual hacking.

To celebrate the new feature for all developers, Apple has put up a section on the App Store to showcase the first apps that make great use of AirPlay. “AirPlay-Enabled Apps” collects 11 different apps that have been updated to support wireless streaming, The list includes the VEVO Player, Air Video, ESPN Magazine, and Discovery Channel HD. All these apps let you beam video from your iOS device to the Apple TV in your local network.

You can find the section here, and we hope Apple will soon update it to feature more great apps for the iPhone and iPad. The problem? If you have a Verizon iPhone you might be out of luck.

iPad 2 Is Jailbroken

Jailbreaking the iPad 2 is quickly underway, as revealed by @comex and @chpwn this evening on Twitter. The Jailbreak has yet to be packaged, and no release date has been announced. Shown to be running on a white 3G iPad 2, Cydia is displayed as ready to launch – a replacement exploit found in the latest version of iOS 4.3 enabled the hackers to install Saurik’s directory. Previous works by @comex include an iBooks fix in the 4.2.1 jailbreak that enabled users to read DRM’d content, and a universal jailbreak web tool for iOS devices.

Phil Schiller: White iPhone This Spring

The elusive white iPhone 4 has become one kind of a myth among tech bloggers following Apple news and fans willing to get their hands on a different colored model of the popular device. Initially announced in June 2010 at the WWDC then delayed multiple times due to alleged manufacturing issues (light leaks, color paint, picture quality have been mentioned in the rumors), a series of DIY replacements have surfaced in the past months, but none of them quite managed to win the hearts of consumers that, at the same time, kept hearing about this white unit finally becoming available in Spring 2011.

Now it is Apple’s Phil Schiller to confirm the news officially through his verified Twitter account: the white iPhone is coming this Spring. In a reply to a customer, he says the white iPhone is a “beauty”. We have no doubts about it – well, at least basing on what we saw back in June 2010.

A number of reports in the past weeks suggested Apple had fixed the production issues with the device and it is now ready to ship it in volume. It’s also worth noting that Schiller didn’t mention the “iPhone 4” in his tweet, but we think it’s pretty clear that we’re not talking about an iPhone 5 available in Spring. It’s unclear whether Apple will release only a GSM version of the device, or both GSM and CDMA for Verizon. [via Engadget]

The Billion Dollar Smart Cover→

The Billion Dollar Smart Cover

I’m estimating that at least 60% of iPad buyers will get one. Based on an estimate of 36 million iPads sold in 2011 and an average price of $48 (70% polyurethane and 30% leather mix), the total revenue for Smart Covers will top $1 billion this year.

While waiting in line for the iPad 2, chit chat with the line neighbors eventually turned to Smart Covers. Quite a few people I was in line with wanted either the orange or green polyurethane Smart Cover, with only a few opting to get the (PRODUCT) RED leather model. I agree that more people will opt for the polyurethane covers at the entry price. Based on Horace Dediu’s prediction, Apple will possibly make more money selling Smart Covers alone than competitors selling tablets.

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