Sometimes Apple/Jobs Just Goof'd

When the iMac first came out, it had a tray CD-ROM.  Then the moved onto a slot based while its competitors continue to use tray CD-ROM but they can burn CDs which the iMac could not.

At the time, I remember thinking it was just another move by Apple to offer incremental upgrades.  It turned out, as you will read in the book, that was not the case.

Sometimes, Apple, as forward looking as they are, can still screw up.

Back to today and the iPhone. Not having 4" screens.  No NFC chip.  Keeping Siri only on the iPhone 4S.  I don't know.  Maybe it could be a calculated move.  However, I am not discounting the possibility that Steve Jobs just does not see the 4" screen as right for the iPhone just as he doesn't see a 7" iPad as something viable.

Expecting NFC?  Well, Apple has a few patents but we may still not see it.  I go to Starbucks a lot and I'm able to make payments with my iPhone.  No need for an NFC app.

So, what are reasons for some omissions of features for the iOS devices?  Who really knows.  Maybe there will be another book about Steve that explains all this or we'll have to wait for one about Tim Cook or Jony Ives.  I do know this.  Apple is very much fallible.  The only thing is that they are heck of a lot more often right than not.

And this is imperfection, a human characteristic, is what makes Apple as a company and story so compelling.

Subscription Comes To iOS Gaming; Totally Expect Other Computing/Mobile Platforms To Follow Suit

This is one of those things that came out of the left field.  Far, far left field.  Apple is allowing a gaming developer that many Mac gamers should be familiar with, Big Fish Games, to utilize the subscription model that Apple developed for magazines and periodicals and let users subscribe to play games on a monthly basis.

Terrific deal?  You'll have to be the judge of that.  However, it is just another mobile innovation that we like to see.  Don't be surprised if this feature is adopted for other uses as well and not just gaming.

I reckon it's possible for studios to release sets of video in a similar fashion.  Take SyFy.  They can release an app just for science fiction fans to indulge themselves with content from the network and other materials.

After all, multimedia does mean multimedia.  And for any developer or studio out there looking for additional revenues, well, this could be it.  Google, Microsoft, or even Facebook could be doing something similar.

And it doesn't have to be just for handsets like the iPhone.  This subscription model for gaming can be extended to tablets (iPad) and onto the PC as well.  Facebook could be a great platform for just such a service to be launched.  Movies, TV shows, games, ebooks, etc. are just the beginning.

It is something for you?  Personally, I tend to buy games and only games that I like with replay value.  However, to entice users to sign up, BFG can offer added value for some games like new levels.  Angry Bird would be a perfect game just for something like this.

Source:  Bloomberg via Cult of Mac

Friday Movie Clip: Mission Impossible 4 (Spoiler Alert: The iPhone Is In the Movie!)

No longer a Tom Cruise fan?  I don't know one way or another.  I just like a good movie with actions, explosions, and any attempt to develop a story.

MI4 seems to have all of them.  Oh, yeah, the iPhone also has a small part in the trailer.

What do you think?  In the poster, TC actually looked like Lestat again with the longish hair.

Source:  Digg.

Battery Tip: Turn On Airplane Mode And Use only WiFi

I’m an a Battery life on the 4S is on par with the iPhone 4 as far as usage goes.  But because the iPhone 4S is just begging to be used in ways that the 4 isn't, dictation, Siri, Notification Center, etc, the battery life can seem to be shorter as a result.

So, I've been going a little more extreme with respect to trying to be more conservative and squeeze every last second of power I can get out of the 4S.  

I’m an a WiFi environment most of the time – home, office, Starbucks.  So, I have the luxury to do what I am going to suggest to help you extend the battery life on the iPhone:

Turn on Airplane mode and then turn on WiFi if needed.  I’ve also turned off location and alerts when I’m at work.  I still let e-mails and messaging go through.

There it’s that simple.  And using Siri and dictation will eat up battery but since I got the 4S, I’ve been Siri daily and dictating my notes, messages, and e-mails.  If you don’t, you’ll also see better battery life as well.

I know some people go as far as to turn off WiFi.  I’m not that far gone.  I suppose that if you're just reading, like I've been doing a lot late on the iPhone, WiFi isn't going to be needed just to do that.

4S Battery issues?  And at the time of this writing, I understand that Apple is seeking out users who have experience battery issues with their 4S.  Personally, I haven’t see the level of battery drain that some others have. (The Guardian)

iPhone Launches In Massive Second Wave

Apple is set to unleash the iPhone 4S another wave of countries even as some iPhone shortages persist.  22 countries and city-states in all.

	Pop (M)
Austria	8.40
Belgium	10.80
CzechRepublic	10.50
Denmark	5.60
Estonia	1.30
Finland	5.40
Hungary	10.00
Ireland	6.20
Italy	60.70
Latvia	2.20
Liechtenstein
Lithuania	3.20
Luxembourg	0.50
Mexico	112.20
Netherlands	16.70
Norway	5.00
Singapore	5.20
Slovakia	5.40
Slovenia	2.00
Spain	46.00
Sweden	9.40
Switzerland	7.90
	334.60

I've left Leichtenstein blank because they've got on 36K people in the whole country.  That's smaller than the city I live in.

As you can see, this is a massive 334 million people who will be eligible for the iPhone this weekend.  I don't anticipate another 4 million moved in these countries alone like Apple was able to do in its first weekend of the iPhone 4S sale.

Still, combined with all the other territories that already have the iPhone on sale, we could potentially see that figure repeated yet again.  In two weeks since it's gone on sale, I wonder if Apple will have sold 10 million by the end of Sunday.

Well, let's not get too ahead of ourselves.  As popular as iPhone 4S is, one key drive for its sale is still not ready in many of these countries:  Siri. So far, Siri is only available in English, German, and French with limited use outside of the US for now, even Canada.

Source:  Apple.

Siri: Week Two, Any Change In Your Mobile Routine?

It's been two weeks since the iPhone 4S went on sale.  By now, I'm guess about 6 to 8 million iPhone 4S's have been moved off the shelves and into user hands all over the world.  I reckon we'll see 10 million by the weekend as the 4S goes on sale in more than half a dozen countries.

So, I think I'm in good company when I ask you.  Has Siri changed how you do things with your mobile device?  Now, if you're new to the whole smartphone scene and the 4S is your first mobile device, I can safely say that you're blown away.

For the rest of us, Siri could be the reason why we upgraded.  And I can tell you this.  I'm blown away just by what it can do as well and it's only in beta.

What can it do?  Well, it cuts down on a whole lot of tapping away on the screen.  You speak to Siri, make a request. Task done.  Making calls, sending messages or e-mails, or schedule an alarm or appt.  But that's the easy part, isn't it.

It's the search for answers.  And if your questions are directed, you can get most answers from Siri directly.  No more opening the browser and typing in your search.  No more opening up Google app or going to search. It really bypasses the whole routine.

Maybe this is why I've been reading more than a few posts about the threat that Siri is to Google and search as we know it in general.  Imagine what happens in a few years.  Never mind that.  Just think what'll happen once Apple brings Siri to OS X on the Mac! This alone could change the whole PC dynamics even further.

As you can from above, there is still a few things that Siri cannot do by command.  I don't know if this is a beta thing or not.  I am pretty certain that most tasks like this will come to us soon.

You'll be be getting a couple more posts on what I think Siri can potentially do once its out of beta and when migrates over to the desktop.  

Mobile: Taiwan Concerned About Apple's "Slide To Unlock" Patents; Directs Gov Agencies To Deal With Potential Suits From Apple

You may know by now that Apple has been awarded Patent Office the "Slide To Unlock" patent.  It's a very blatant copying by Android OS.  I'm find with it.  Companies copy each other all the time.  However, the Chinese provincial government of Taiwan is worried that its local firms, HTC, will come under additional lawsuits from Apple.

This is where innovation comes into play.  Why not just find a way around the patent?  You know, innovate?

See?  WebOS has its own way of doing it.  I don't see why others like Google can implement their own unlocking mechanism.  Android 4 has facial recognition, right?

Here's the thing.  Why a lock screen at all?

Source:  Focus Taiwan.

Note:  I know that Taiwan is still recognized by some island nations as an independent country and that China considers Taiwan as a breakaway province.  Still, the willingness of Taipei to capitulate to Beijing's wishes shows that its only a matter of time before Taipei begins to take orders from its archenemy.