Productivity shouldn’t have to be so hard ya know? Twitter for Mac is the desktop wasteland for lost productivity, iTunes is eating away at my soul thanks to those dozen or so unplayed podcasts, and those sticky notes cluttering the desktop aren’t exactly great for organizing meaningful information. What if we threw out all the distractions, handed you a proper notepad, and even backed up all those juicy documents you’re now furiously creating with the power of the cloud? AppSumo clearly has a thing for picking out all the right apps for the job, and we’re giving away five bundles just in case reading MacStories isn’t productive enough.
The AppSumo Do Work Bundle Giveaway
MegaReader Update Redefines What Multitasking Is
For those completely obsessed iPhone users who literally cannot take their eyes off the phone there is a new app made for you; MegaReader. In it’s latest update (version 2.1) it’s developers have added a feature that allows you to experience real life multitasking by reading and walking at the same time so that you never have to take your eyes off your iPhone again!
All it does is overlay the text on a live video feed of what’s in front of the phone and is similar to the Samsung Galaxy app that allows you to text and walk and the iPhone app Email ‘n Walk, which as the name suggests overlays an email client over the live video feed!
Click through to see MegaReader’s developers demonstrate the new feature to its full potential!
The Problems with a High Resolution Display on the iPad 2
Over the past few weeks there has been quite a back and forth discussion on the possible inclusion of a Retina or high resolution display on the iPad 2. Facts seemed to solidify when Engadget ran an article suggesting the second-generation iPad would have a high resolution display, though they did not specify the exact resolution. But then John Gruber yesterday seemed to disagree with that suggestion citing cost issues, uncovered UI graphics of an iPad camera app that are not optimized for a high resolution display and his own sources.
So why has there been so much doubt and to and fro-ing over whether the iPad 2’s display is high resolution? Well put simply, because there are so many barriers that would have to be overcome and issues that Apple would have to resolve. Click through to read the full article.
No Retina Display On The iPad 2?
Following speculation of a higher resolution “Retina Display” to be implemented in the next generation iPad (“iPad 2) that has surfaced in the past months, Daring Fireball’s John Gruber weighed in last night, claiming that according to his sources the iPad 2 won’t have a Retina Display:
I asked around, and according to my sources, it is too good to be true: the iPad 2 does not have a retina display. I believe the iPad 2’s display will remain at 1024 × 768. Its display may be improved in other ways — brighter, better power consumption, thinner, perhaps. Maybe it uses the new manufacturing technique Apple introduced with the iPhone 4 display, which brings the LCD closer to the surface of the touchscreen glass — making it look more like pixels on glass rather than pixels under glass. But my sources are pretty sure that it’s not 2048 × 1536 or any other “super high resolution”.
Apple Enters $3.9 Billion Dollar Component Supply Deal
At Apple’s financial report yesterday there was an interesting revelation by Tim Cook that Apple had recently begun entering agreements with suppliers of key components. The agreement is presumed to be around $3.9 billion dollars and would secure the key strategic resources used in Apple’s products going into the future and there are suggestions it’s for high resolution displays.
As to what components are being secured, Cook didn’t elaborate but did say the deals were similar in nature to the flash memory deals of late 2005. That deal, and subsequent deals around flash memory secured supply for many of Apple’s portable devices including the iPhone and more recently the iPad.
Graphical Analysis of Apple’s Q1 2011 Financial Report
So you’ve probably heard or read about Apple’s gangbusters performance in their Q1 2011 financial results, if not head over here for a full rundown of the data. However for all those that prefer seeing numerical data in graphics or want to truly grasp how significant Apple’s results have been, stick around.
From Last Year: “Why The iPad Will Fail”→
From Last Year: “Why The iPad Will Fail”
The only real gem I remember from last year’s iPad announcement backlash is this one, courtesy of Mike Halsey:
Quite simply this time Apple have got it wrong. All the tech press is saying the same thing and comments made by readers of those websites are echoing, mostly anyway, their sentiments.
The iPad is nothing more than a large iPod Touch. It’s lacking a 16:9 screen and while the bezel has to be of a reasonable size to allow for holding the device with your hand without your thumb poking the screen all the time, it’s simply too big. Finally those few people who’ve already used it are saying that having a standard keyboard on a device that you can’t rest easily on your lap and that is intended to be used one-handed is lunacy. Just look at the curved corner keyboards Microsoft introduced with the tablet editions of Windows to see how they should have done it.
It turns out, there is a large market for “large iPod touches” and it may even grant you billions of dollars of revenue. But then again, Microsoft nailed the “large iPod touch” segment in 2010, right?
Apple’s 2011: iPad Bigger Than Macs, And Yet The Mac Is Growing
Apple’s Q1 2011 financial results are both unsurprising and, quite frankly, incredible. We all expected Apple to post record, blockbuster sales and revenue figures after the holiday season; yet, seeing the numbers on Apple’s official press release is a completely different story. Apple sold more than 7 million iPads in the last quarter, 16.2 million iPhones and more than 4 million Macs. Apple’s iPod business is “in decline” with 19.4 million iPods sold, but the iPod hasn’t been Appel’s main and only mobile business for four years now. Read more
Apple Releases MacBook Air Software Update 2.0, iDVD 7.1.1
Earlier today Apple released a Software Update for the MacBook Air (late 2010 model) which resolves an issue with some units that prevents system from sleeping. The update is available in Software Update or on Apple’s website. In November, several new MacBook Air owners reported of graphic issues and kernel panics when using the machine.
Apple also released a minor update to iDVD:
This update improves overall stability and ensures compatibility when sending slideshows from iPhoto ‘11 to iDVD.
This update is recommended for all users of iDVD 7.
iDVD 7.1.1 is available here, or in Software Update.