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Amazing work by Kyle Lambert (he should be familiar to MacStories readers). Kyle only used a finger and an iPad Air for a photorealistic portrait that took 285,000 brush strokes and over 200 hours of work.
The app is Procreate. (via Serenity Caldwell)
Smart take by Diego Petrucci:
The misconception is that because most people don’t actually understand PCs/Macs, they do not have serious needs. That is wrong. People don’t do serious stuff on their PCs because PCs are incomprehensible to them. They just don’t work as they would expect. So they end up giving up and stop trying.
With iPads, though, they «get» computing. They notice that they can do stuff that was almost impossible (by their own standards) to do with PCs. They can make music (even if it’s just for fun), they can share boring blurred photos with their family members, they can look for skin problems with apps that recognize rushes and stuff like that. With time, their needs evolve. Doctors do doctory stuff with apps that understand patterns when dealing with uncommon diseases, housewives cross-check discounts on multiple apps and use notifications to be alerted when deals start, and so on. And yes, this is not my imagination, I’ve actually seen people do this stuff and these are real-world examples.
We (myself included) often refer to “normal” people, but we rarely reflect on just how empowering iOS devices have been for everyone. Diego makes some good points.
As I discussed on The Prompt, I also believe that, eventually, any iPad user – no matter the label you want to give them – will stumble across evident limitations of iOS. This is normal because iOS is still relatively young (especially after the iOS 7 reboot), but it’d be wrong not to bring attention to those issues.
Last night, Apple published a new mini-site called “Life on iPad” that, alongside a video that was first shown at the iPad event on October 22, includes profiles of people whose personal lives and businesses have been transformed and enriched by the iPad.
While I agree with Fraser Speirs’ comment, I think that this bit from Palmaz Vineyards’ profile sums it up well:
iPad brings us the perfect balance of function and creativity. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the one device we all love at home is the same device we want to use at work. Nothing else comes close.
The examples that Apple is showcasing are obviously specific (wind service technicians; Broadway dancers; a surgeon) because they need to tell a captivating story (“Frank, average iPad user from Dallas” doesn’t exactly make for an enticing profile), but the underlying theme is clear. The iPad is what you make of it.
Apple has launched a brand new version of their Apple Store app for the iPad, bringing their online digital storefront to iOS 7. Just like the iPhone app, you can browse through all of the Apple Store’s available listings for backpacks, accessories, and Apple products; customize products like iPod touches and iPads with engraving and add gift wrapping at checkout; and explore products using gestures to zoom and browse. Unlike the iPhone app, however, Mashable writes that the app brings some new functionality to the big screen.
Many features baked into the iPad app don’t appear on the existing iPhone app version, like highlighting products trending on the site based not only purchases, but also reviews. It also draws attention to a slew of products, not just iPads and iPhones, like the Anki Drive racing game, headphones and a connected basketball. The app is also rich with filtering capabilities, including colors and price.
The Apple Store for iPad app is separate from the iPhone version, likely due to new features and to accommodate iPads that don’t have cellular capabilities. Download the app for free from the App Store.
[via Mashable]
When I told some friends that I was “podcasting” on iOS, they assumed that all I was doing was recording myself on iOS and doing the post-production later on a Mac. Not so! In fact, we actually do the entire end-to-end audio production purely on iOS.
Fraser Speirs details his workflow for producing episodes of Out of School without a Mac. The fact that several episodes have been created using an iPhone and iPad with a portable podcasting setup is pretty incredible.
Also of note (towards the end): one of the benefits of the A7 processor.
The biggest in my eyes is the iPad Air’s wider gamut display with full sRGB coverage. The mini’s Retina Display is good, the Air’s is just better. There’s also more thermal headroom on the iPad Air, which can come in handy if you’re doing compute intensive work on it. If neither of those things matters to you, then the decision becomes one of usage model and portability. I believe the iPad Air does a better job of approximating a primary computing device, particularly in its ability to give you a reasonable sized virtual keyboard to work on. The iPad mini on the other hand is substantially more portable. Although the iPad Air is light enough to come along with me more than any prior iPad, the mini’s form factor makes it even more likely that’ll I’ll bring it with me (the best tablet is the one you have with you?).
In spite of my snark, I do agree with readers who pointed out that, for professionals who rely on the iPad and demand color accuracy, having the best display is important. I don’t think that average users will notice any issues with the mini’s (amazing) Retina display, but if you’re looking for hard facts and numbers, AnandTech’s review is the one to read.
From Jason Snell’s review of the iPad Air:
But make no mistake, we’re still in the early days, and if you rely on a certain kind of workflow that the iPad just can’t perform, then it can’t be your main system. As a writer, I’m set on the iPad (though I would lean on a Bluetooth keyboard for day-to-day use). As someone who edits a podcast every week, I’m on the fence. There are a few multitrack audio editors out there for the iPad, but how long would it take me to use my fingers to edit a podcast compared to the speed I’ve got using Logic Pro X on my MacBook Air? When my fingers and an iPad can do the job as well as a keyboard, trackpad, and Mac, then I can make the switch.
But if the iPad Air isn’t suitable as a work device, it won’t be because of its lack of computing power. It’ll be because the software just isn’t there yet, or because fundamentally a tablet and touch interface aren’t appropriate for that kind of job. Steve Jobs famously once likened iOS devices to cars and PCs to trucks. Note that he said trucks, not horse-drawn carriages: Some jobs still require trucks. But the iPad Air makes it clear that it’s a car, and a powerful one at that.
My hope is that, following the new foundation of iOS 7, next year’s iOS 8 will include serious improvements for people who use the iPad as a work device (both in terms of user features and developer APIs).
Last week, I made the case for thumb-typing (among other things) on the iPad mini. Last night, John Gruber published his review of the iPad Air, which covers this aspect. Exactly what I wanted to know.
