In a Blow to iPad, Students Get MacBook Airs

So you know the title of this post made in jest.  Last week, Tim Cook of Apple made the point to say that the iPad was cannibalizing Macbook sales.  And according to MacNN, 2,200 students in Owensboro, Kentucky will be receive Airs.

Intalled on these Airs will be Lion.  Just as important is that iCloud should play a meaning part of these students' education.  

Apple also made it a point to say that this was education deal involving MBA.  

So, not exactly the Air cannibalizing iPad sales but it is important to show that laptops still have legs against the up and coming tablets.  And it's nice to see some sibling rivalry between Apple products.  You can get that while the school was consider the deal,the iPad had crossed the educators' minds.

Question is, so why did the school pick the Macbook Air over the iPad?

Source: Macnn. 

HTC Case To Use Video Patents Against Apple Is Weakened Dramatically; iPhone 5 Could Be A Major Disruption

HTC, Patents, Resolution

I generally like to focus on just the mobile part of Apple's iOS and OS X but you can't help but get sucked into the back and forth patent spats between Apple and Android device makers.  And Apple won a key preliminary ruling when an ITC judge ruled that HTC violated two of Apple's key patents.

And just as when it looks like HTC might be able to use some graphics patents they recently acquired, FOSS Patents is saying the validity of those patents may be called into question, further weakening any offensive that HTC might try to mount.  Their sole recourse would be an appeal.  

As a mobile warrior and fan, you can help but hear about this every day.  But perhaps, with HTC signaling that they are willing to sit down and settle this, we could be coming to some resolution soon - one way or another, regardless of whether Apple even wants to sit down with HTC and resolve this or not.

The conclusion is that this will end up well for Apple and it'll ripple throughout the mobile market.  

Then maybe we can finally go back to talking more about the real important mobile stuff.  

iPhone 5:

Looks like I'm inching close to be among those waiting in line along with millions trying to get my hands on a brand new iPhone 5 with a 4" screen and curved back.  

According new case information leaked from China, that is indeed going to be the case here.  In the past, leaked case information regarding iPad 2 were pretty close.  I'm gonna call it and say that the next iPHone will have a bigger screen and back not unlike the iPad or even the iPod touch.

Still, I'm gonna need some additional details before I haul myself out of bed at 1 am to go wait at my local Apple store.  I want to know if the camera is any better, 8MP would be nice, and whether we'll see better battery life.  

The battery life issue alone could sway me.

What Does Angry Birds (the game) Have In Common with Nazi Germany

So, I ask you - what does Angry Birds, the all time popular mobile game have to do with Nazi Germany?

Angry Birds, if you don't already know, is about these pissed off birds try go get at the pigs for stealing their eggs.  Kids stuff.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.

Apparently, Glen Beck equates the birds to the wealthiest 1% while the pigs have taken their eggs to redistribute.  Ooookaaaay, so someone has not taken his meds agin.

According to Macworld, Beck then proceeds to make a connection to the Nazi and even his co-hosts had no idea what he was talking about.

So you Android and iPhone users who play Angry birds (myself included), we're the richest people in the world and the socialists are stealing our eggs and we could be Nazis.  Or not.  

State of the Tablet Market (Mashable)

Mashable has a post that gives a very good state of the ereader and tablet market.  It's a recommended read for all mobile fans.  It doesn't get into what is being sold and which mobile platform has the pole position in the market.  What it does is provide concise information on who is buying the tablets and how they are using them.

I've highlighted some information from the post but I've left the bulk of information from the post for you to read when you click through.  Here are some interesting information I like to share with you.  I've focused mostly on the tablet.  To me the ereader is a device fit for one thing.  Reading. 

• In 2010, 10.3 million tablets sold, 6.7 million ereaders sold.
• Household with $150K is twice as likely to own a tablet
• Household with children, 12% already own tablets
• Growth of single function devices like the ereaders will slow as tablet sales pick up steam and acceptance among consumers.

This last point explains a lot of chatter about Amazon's Kindle tablet and why even before the iPad debuted last year, I predicted Amazon will have to release a multi-function Kindle.

And what are we using our tablets for?  Here are the top five things people use a tablet for:

• Browing the Web
• Viewing photos
• Emailing
• Playing games
• Watching video

As you can clearly see, people are using their tablet mostly to consume contents.  While many of us mobile fans see an even greater role for the tablet in our lives at school, work, and the home, that day is not here yet.  The iPad came out only 15 months ago and tablet makers are still learning about the possibilities the tablet presents as a utility.  

I like to see this issue visited each year to help us see the evolution of the tablet and the changes as it relates to how we use it. Right this moment, the tablet market is basically the iPad.  As more Android tablets and Windows 8 tablets next year enter the market, we can see a whole different shift in the marketplace  One that we might not recognize.  And that is a good thing.

Source: Mashable

Madmen On Netflix Now!

Okay, for some reason, I'm pretty excited about this though I don't know why. I've never even seen the show but I've heard all of my friends talk about it.  Now, Madmen is available for streaming on Netflix.

I'll probably give this a go after I am through with Star Trek: The Next Generation.

There are four MM seasons.  I hope that's it.  One of the things I hate most about TV today is cliffhangers.

Source:  Huffington Post.

Lion Installation Fiasco; Cannot Wait For iCloud And Hopefully, iTunes Match Support For Video

I can't wait for iTunes Match.  And you know what?  I can't wait for video that I buy from Apple for the same treatment.  

Over the weekend, I attempted to install OS X Lion on my 2008 Unibody Macbook.  Earlier, the attempt to install Lion on my late-2010 11" Macbook Air went through without a hiccup.  No so with the MB.  In fact, it tells me that the HD is locked and I'm was not able to get beyond that point.

I've done some searches through the forums online but no one seems to have the solution I needed.  While I did back up the most important personal files through Time Machine, there was one problem.  A lot of my latest videos from iTunes were not backed up. 

 

I KNOW that this is my fault but I just wasn't thinking at the moment.  

Hence, I can't wait for iCloud and iTunes Match fast enough.  And I can't wait until iTM has video support as well.  In light of the rumors that Apple is doing its due-diligence on a potential Hulu buyout, iTM may not happen.  However, the likelihood of Apple buying Hulu is nil.  So I think iTM support for video is more likely to happen.  

Oh, my Walking Dead and newly downloaded Harry Potter movies…

App Store and Mac Store Are Now Open To 33 New Countries and Territories

Effectively immediately, the iOS app store and the Mac store are now open to 33 new countries and territories.  It's All Tech has the full list.

However, the listen doesn't really say anything.  I reckon most of the people in the world have not heard of half the countries and territories part of the list of 33.  So, I went to Wikipedia and added up the population to give us a perspective.

In all, the 33 new fronts has a combined population of around 375 million with Nigeria account for 155 million alone.  Together, they have a combined GDP of 850 billion USD.  

I can't say that this means much.  Nor do I think these territories have that many Macs or iOS devices.  Having said that, it is better to for Apple and developers to be ready once Apple finds a way to increase its presence in these new markets.