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Posts tagged with "iPad"

Why My iPad Is Not My Laptop→

Why My iPad Is Not My Laptop

John Carey, who you might know from all the excellent photographs he posts on his (equally awesome) fiftyfoodshadows blog, today wrote a piece entitled “Why My iPad Is Not My Laptop”. It’s effectively a counter-argument from Carey on why the iPad just isn’t a laptop replacement for many people, particularly those in the professional creative community - yet.

I would say a good 90 percent of the debate on the iPads usefulness as a computer is coming from writers and casual users and this is where I find the debate getting a little one sided. Of course a writer would like the iPad. The tools most needed to get their work done are right there for the taking, you can hunt and gather all day long and it does make a fantastic, distraction free space to write in.

Carey doesn’t dispute that the iPad is a ‘personal computer’ - in fact he asks “what is there to even to debate” on that question and he says it’s all about the software, not the input device. For creatives, he says there are a number of nice apps for sketching, image editing and so on, but they don’t have anywhere near the “horsepower or precision that it takes to complete a finished product” - likewise for others such as web designers, coders, industrial designers and so on.

When it comes to many jobs within the professional creative community the iPad is still more or less incapable of handling any honest workload. At least as far as things stand at this point in time. There are no designers that I am aware of using it to create much outside of concepts.

Some might question Carey’s premise, is the iPad ever meant to replace a laptop for such professional tasks? Perhaps that is why the laptops (or trucks as you may call them) are going to stick around for the key purpose of satisfying these people. But I’m not so sure, I think the iPad can evolve to be a suitable PC for most of these tasks undertaken by creative professionals - I don’t think it will completely replace the need for a laptop or desktop, but I think it will eventually replace the laptops of these professionals. As Carey said, it’s all about the software and whilst we have made giant leaps and bounds in just over two years — we have a long way to go.

But when it comes to honest creative work I can not help but find the iPad as little more than a sidekick. I can say with certainty though, that this is far from the last word on this. I can clearly see a future where touch screen devices such as the iPad become more and more viable for the kind of things I have discussed here today. It is still new territory being explored and I for one can not wait to see where it takes us.

One particular point that Carey talks about quite a bit in his piece is about the filesystem - or rather lack thereof in iOS. His arguments resonate with me, particularly surrounding photo management on iOS which in some ways has gotten worse with iPhoto - “a black hole within a hole where edited photos from your “camera roll” somehow end up in limbo within the app and you have to send edited versions back to the photo roll to do anything else with them”.

For such a supposedly simple to use device the iPad it sure makes it complicated to move files around. In this case, Apple is entirely responsible with their rebellious idea to avoid traditional file structures. I can not fathom why it would be so difficult to have a system level file management area that is as convenient to use as the notification system they have so diligently been working on. Something which is not so flawed and cumbersome as the hidden data that lives within each app.

You may not agree with everything Carey says, but I encourage you to read his full article, I think he makes some very good points and the personal examples of where he has tried to use the iPad as a laptop are an excellent addition.

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Concept Video Shows New Text Selection Method for iPad

Remember how, before the iPad was unveiled in January 2010, speculation was running wild as to whether Apple would simply use a larger virtual keyboard on the device? Back then, some rumors claimed the bigger nature of the device would force Apple to come up with some crazy and revolutionary way to type text on screen. As it turned out, Apple simply replicated the iPhone’s soft keyboard on the initial version of iPhone OS 3.2, making it almost laptop-size. In fact, the biggest change to the iPad’s software keyboard only happened with iOS 5.0 last year with the introduction of the split keyboard.

That’s not to say everything related to the iOS keyboard is perfect and Apple should stop improving on it. As the plethora of Dropbox text editors have showed, there is a need for different, possibly customizable keyboards that give better access to text selection tools.

In my list of wishes for iOS 6, I forgot to mention I really would like to see easier, faster text selection coming to the iPhone and iPad. I believe iOS’ text selection method is one of the best around, yet Apple could do better. For writers, selecting text – not typing it – simply isn’t nearly as fast as on a laptop. And the problem is not the keyboard – the issue persists with external Bluetooth keyboards – it’s the design of iOS itself that forces you to get your hands off the keyboard to manipulate text.

iDownloadBlog has posted an interesting concept video by YouTube user “danielchasehooper”, showing an interesting possible take on text selection on the iPad. By allowing users to tap and swipe on the keyboard, this system could, in theory, allow for faster selection, also in combination with keys like Shift. Almost every area of iOS now supports taps and swipes: why not the keyboard?

Concepts are what they are – ideas – but sometimes Apple seems to consider them. I don’t know if this video will turn out to be a feature Apple will evaluate – albeit it really makes a lot of sense in my opinion, design-wise – but I sure hope something’s cooking for iOS 6 in regards to text selection.

Reading Manga On The Retina iPad

Last month, I asked on Twitter if there was an easy and legal way to purchase manga digitally on the iPad. Unfortunately, while American comics are seeing a nice digital resurgence thanks to apps like Comixology, the situation is profoundly different and inherently worse with Japanese manga. There is no Comixology for manga – where by manga I basically mean Shonen Jump content – and the few services that do have some manga available (like VIZ) have terrible apps that don’t take advantage of the latest iOS technologies and come with risible offers on multi-volume purchases.

I have no idea why Shonen or its international publishers – like Panini Comics and Star Comics in Italy – aren’t realizing the huge potential for legal, convenient, digital editions of their manga on mobile devices. It is kind of ironic that, as of today, pirating manga you already own physically gets you better, higher quality results from some shady Internet forum than going the proper, legitimate way. Because that way doesn’t exist. It’s the same problem of old media all over again.

As I was listening to T.Rex on Spotify yesterday for my review of the app, I connected Marc Bolan’s song to Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, and I felt the need of finding a solution to begin reading the series again. It turns out, provided you have scans for your manga ready to go (I prefer PDF and CBR, but there are several options out there), there are two interesting options right now on iOS.

Assuming you want to read manga on your iPad, Bookman is a $2.99 iPad app that’s been updated for the Retina display and that comes with fast caching of pages, great performance, and a good selection of browsing and optimization settings. Its rendering has been very good for my copies of 20th Century Boys, and I like how you can easily import content through a built-in FTP server (I transfer files with Transmit) or Dropbox. You can organize manga in bookshelves, and the app comes with various settings for tap areas, thumbnail previews, appearance, and zoom. It’s even got page resume and multiple page turning effects. $1.99 on the App Store gets you the separate iPhone app (I wish they were universal). Right now, I’m reading manga with Bookman.

The other option is Comic Zeal, which is universal, but that I haven’t tried yet as it doesn’t have support for the Retina iPad. Technically, the app displays manga in Retina resolution if higher-res images are available, but interface elements haven’t been updated for the new display. According to the developers, an update with new graphics and “other goodies” has been submitted to Apple. Comic Zeal is $4.99 on the App Store.

Here’s to hoping publishers will consider the market for digital manga someday.

Kickstarter: Do More with the iPad + Brydge

Wow, Kickstarter has been on fire lately. People have some really great ideas that everyone wants to be a part of. Remember the Pebble from two weeks ago? It was looking for $100,000 in funding and now is at almost $7 million with 22 days left. Amazing!

Another product that’s getting a lot of attention is the Brydge, an accessory that turns your iPad into an Apple worthy laptop. “Brydge is an elegant solution to the lack of quality iPad keyboards and accessories currently on the market.” It’s made from aerospace-grade aluminum and optional stereo speakers. Load your iPad into the patent-pending extra-strong hinge and connect via a Bluetooth connection. The optional built-in stereo speakers are an excellent addition to the Brydge since the iPad lacks stereo sound.

Video after the break. Read more

iPad Launches In 12 Additional Countries This Week

With a press release published this morning, Apple confirmed the new iPad will launch in 12 additional countries this week. The April 20th launch countries include South Korea, Uruguay, and Venezuela. On April 27th, the device will become available in 9 more countries including India and South Africa.

In addition to South Korea, the new iPad also will be available beginning on Friday, April 20 in Brunei, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia, Panama, St Maarten, Uruguay and Venezuela. Beginning on Friday, April 27, the new iPad will be available in Colombia, Estonia, India, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, South Africa and Thailand.

The third-generation iPad has been the company’s fastest rollout to date; after the April 27th release day, the new iPad will be available in 56 different countries worldwide since its launch 42 days ago.

Below, a recap of the iPad’s launch dates and units sold until Q1 2012.

March 16 (10 countries): United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland and the UK.

March 23 (25 countries): Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

April 20 (12 countries): South Korea, Brunei, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia, Panama, St Maarten, Uruguay and Venezuela.

April 27 (9 countries): Colombia, Estonia, India, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, South Africa and Thailand.

On March 19th, the company confirmed the iPad had sold 3 million units in 4 days. The April 20 and April 27 international launches won’t be included in the company’s Q2 earnings, which ended on March 31. Apple will hold its Q2 earnings call on April 24.

iPad GUI PSD for Retina Display Now Available→

iPad GUI PSD for Retina Display Now Available

It has become a tradition for design studio Teehan+Lax – the minds behind beautifully designed software like Readability for iOS – to release a free iOS GUI PSD on every major iOS or device release from Apple. The PSDs, downloaded millions of times in the past few years, have helped designers and developers mock up their apps and iOS designs using Photoshop, while relying on graphic assets that look just like interface elements and controls of iPhones and iPads.

Today, Teehan+Lax released its updated iPad GUI PSD, updated for the Retina display:

We’re really proud to be releasing our latest version today. It’s based on iOS 5.1 and includes hundreds of retina assets available natively on the platform. In addition to the GUI assets, you’ll find perfectly scaled ‘New’ iPads to help you create the apps we’ll come to love in the future.

This time, the file has been made for Adobe Photoshop CS6, which is available for free while in beta. Weighing at 35MB, you can download the iPad GUI PSD here.

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Apple Informs Australian WiFi + 4G iPad Owners Of Refund Offer, Tells Resellers To Update Marketing

Apple today began emailing Australians who had purchased the new iPad WiFi + 4G model, informing them of their option to get a full refund if they had purchased it on the basis of thinking it would work with Australian 4G LTE or WiMAX networks. The offer is available to anyone who purchased the model before March 28th and they can return it for a full refund until the 25th of April.

It follows events from last week when the ACCC alleged Apple of misleading customers over the 4G capabilities of the new iPad and Apple responded by offering refunds and agreeing to clarify its marketing. Users who wish to obtain the refund must return the iPad and accessories to the original point of purchase and inform them that they had purchased the iPad on the “basis that it was compatible with current Australian 4G LTE networks or WiMAX networks”.

As noted by 9to5 Mac, Apple has also begun informing Australian iPad resellers to update their iPad signage to more accurately describe the iPad’s cellular capabilities in Australia. Notably the new signage includes the paragraph that Apple and the ACCC agreed on last week:

This product supports very fast cellular networks. It is not compatible with current Australian 4G LTE networks and WiMAX networks.

Jump the break to view the full email that Apple has sent to Australian consumers who purchased the “WiFi + 4G” model of the new iPad.

Thanks Stuart Hall, reseller information via 9to5 Mac.

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Apple Clarifies iPad “4G” Marketing On Australian Website

Two days ago we noted Apple had promised the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) to clarify the marketing for the new iPad’s “4G” connectivity options on the company’s Australian website. With the ACCC alleging that Apple was misleading Australian customers in thinking the iPad would be compatible with Telstra’s 4G network, and Apple replying that Australian networks were “misnamed”, Apple agreed to resolve the dispute by clarifying marketing, contacting customers, and sending new signage to resellers by April 5th.

As noted by The Next Web, Apple has begun making these changes by updating the description of 4G compatibility on its Australian online store, clarifying that the new iPad “supports very fast cellular networks” but that it is not “compatible with current Australian 4G LTE networks and WiMAX networks”. We’ve captured the differences in the screenshot below.

Other international stores, however, including the UK and Italy ones, are still reporting the old description for the iPad WiFi + 4G model, and it’s unclear whether the changes made in Australia will propagate automatically to other countries, or if more lawsuits by local consumer protection organizations will be necessary. Complaints are indeed taking hold in various European countries as well.

As Apple is seemingly making true on its promise to clarify marketing terms and offer a refund to customers, the ACCC is still pushing for a full trial in early May.

Australian Consumer Watchdog Alleges Apple Of Misleading 4G Claims

The ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission), Australia’s competition watchdog has just announced it will tomorrow seek orders against Apple for allegedly making misleading iPad “4G” claims in its marketing of the new iPad in Australia. It alleges that Apple’s promotion of the new “iPad with WiFi + 4G” is misleading “because it represents to Australian consumers that the product “iPad with WiFi + 4G” can, with a SIM card, connect to a 4G mobile data network in Australia, when this is not the case.”

The ACCC is seeking urgent interlocutory relief to ensure consumers are made aware of the correct technical capabilities of this device. Additionally the ACCC is seeking final orders including injunctions, pecuniary penalties, corrective advertising and refunds to consumers affected.

It will tomorrow make an application to the Federal Court in Melbourne for orders against Apple for allegedly contravening Australian Consumer Law (ACL). It advises consumers who have purchased or are considering to purchase the new iPad to ensure “they have a proper understanding of the mobile data networks which this iPad can directly access by a SIM card”. There are 4G networks operating in Australia but none are currently compatible with the 4G bands that are supported in the new iPad. Unlike in the US, carriers in Australia have not blurred the line between 3G and 4G networks by calling HSDPA a “4G” network, so when 4G is used in marketing in Australia, it truly refers to the next generation of mobile networks such as LTE.

Australian mobile carriers  Telstra and Optus have already ceased using any 4G references in their promotion of the new iPad, whilst Apple continues to use the 4G terminology with only a small fine print below stating;

The iPad with Wi-Fi + 4G model can roam worldwide on fast GSM/UMTS networks, including HSPA, HSPA+, and DC-HSDPA. When you travel internationally, you can use a micro-SIM card from a local carrier. You can also connect to the 4G LTE networks of AT&T in the U.S. and Bell, Rogers, and Telus in Canada.