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Bob Borchers used to be an iPhone product marketing engineer for Apple. Part of the team that brought the first iPhone to market in 2007, he's now a venture capitalist with Opus Capital. Borchers recently gave a talk to students at a California school talking about the thought processes that were involved in the iPhone's development.
Borchers says that Steve Jobs didn't have a specific device in mind, but instead gave the team a mission: create a phone that people would love so much that they'd never leave the house without it. Borchers believes that Apple has been so wildly successful with the iPhone because the company focused on fundamentals -- breaking the rules, but in an exceptionally well manner; paying attention to details; and making people focus on the relationship they have with their device.
Jobs wanted the phone to be revolutionary, the best iPod the company had ever designed, and allow users to access the internet easily from a pocket-sized device. What the iPhone has become -- a device with downloadable apps, GPS capabilities, video and photography features, and voice integration -- wasn't part of the original concept.
Borchers noted that the original iPhone almost shipped with a plastic touchscreen, but Jobs was concerned that the plastic would scratch if users put the phone in a pocket with keys and other metallic items. The team improvised, convinced Corning to re-start production of the abandoned Gorilla Glass, and the iPhone has had a fairly scratch-resistant display since day one.
Apple's obsession with product packaging was mentioned by Borchers, who said that the company spends "way too much time" on presenting products, but he conceded that it is ultimately worthwhile to do so since it communicates the special nature of Apple products to consumers.
With future "insanely great" products in the pipeline, we can only hope that the Steve Jobs obsession with details remains part of Apple's DNA.
Former Apple employee recounts how Jobs motivated iPhone team originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Haven't heard of AnyPlay? That's not surprising. It's a small initiative slowly being introduced by Comcast into select cable markets. With it, you can watch live television over your home network on your iPad. So if your spouse is hogging the HDTV during your CW night, you can watch Supernatural using your local Wi-Fi. (Cablevision and Time Warner have similar apps on the App Store now.)
AnyPlay consists of two parts: there's the standalone box ($10 one-time charge) and the iPad software, which is built into Comcast's existing XFINITY TV app. To get them to work together, you must sign into the app with your Comcast credentials and enable AnyPlay using the app's settings.
On the hardware side of things, Comcast provides a media streamer box -- a Motorola unit in my case. Its job is to manage devices and convert cable signals into viewable video streams. Those streams currently must be on the same Wi-Fi network, although I think with a little hacking and AirVideo Server, it might be possible to eventually get those streams to travel out to mobile devices away from the home. With the standard package, AnyPlay is in-home only.
Setting up the box was simple. You hook it to power, to cable, and to your network using an Ethernet cable. You then visit the activation page http://comcast.com/activate and enter your account information and phone number. Theoretically this information ships with your starter kit. It was missing for me, so I ended up having to track down a cable bill to find my account number.
You can actually connect to the box using its built-in web interface. Just do a DHCP scan of your network, figure out which unit it is, and connect on port 8080. Built-in features include general alerts, device management, and tuner diagnostics.
It took several hours and long support phone calls to get everything working. In the end, it turns out that I needed to power-cycle the standalone box after activation because it wasn't broadcasting properly to the iPad app.
The Comcast support personnel were friendly, courteous, and professional, but the material they used to guide their support calls were flawed. At one point, the tech asked me to uninstall and reinstall the XFINITY TV app on my iPad, for example.
Once it got going, the app and the service worked great. Video quality has been excellent, and best of all, you can use AirPlay to stream the show out to Apple TV. That means you can use AnyPlay to watch live Comcast video on any Apple TV-augmented HDTV, and you can do this without renting an extra tuner box. You can watch this video to see the AnyPlay/AirPlay connection in action on my home network.
For ten bucks, and no recurring fees, AnyPlay is a great add-on for any Comcast TriplePlay customer who has a good home network and an iPad. It's currently deployed only in Denver and Nashville, with national roll-out expected over the next year.
Thanks, Paul Donaldson.
Hands on with AnyPlay: Live Comcast video on your iPad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
As noted yesterday, many of the users who updated their OS X 10.6 systems with Apple's most recent security patches found themselves unable to run PowerPC legacy apps via the Rosetta compatibility layer. Today a new version of that update (Security Update 2012-001 v1.1) is now available, and it should resolve the issues.
The latest build removes the patch to the ImageIO code that was included in the original version; this, apparently, was the cause of the breakage. 10.6.8 users can download the new version from Apple's site or via Software Update.
[via MacDailyNews]
Snow Leopard security update revised to fix Rosetta issues originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
I met up with the guys behind iBackflip while at Macworld, and was impressed with their passion for design. Their first iBackflip was a pretty straightforward flip-down arm sling for the iPad. Using Velcro, it offered a basic black design and minimal extras. The new iBackflip Somersault, now available for pre-order, is a thoroughly updated version. At $99, I got to see one of the final versions, fresh from their factory.
The Somersault's main feature is the ability to position the iPad in front of you while being securely fastened to your body via an ample sling. The flip-down panel securing the iPad is no longer Velcro, it is a sturdy YKK zipper now, and the iPad is more securely fastened in its own pocket.
In addition to an iPad, the Somersault has room for an 11" MacBook Air, pockets for your headphones, ID, etc. and several loops on the shoulder strap. This is made of durable ballistic nylon in the USA and looks terrific. I can't believe they're only charging $99 for them, but I'm not complaining. Take it from someone who is a bit of a luggage/case nut, the Somersault is an excellent case for your iPad or small computer if you don't need to carry a full backpack and want a great deal on a quality on-the-go style bag.
Check out the designer giving a demo below.
iBackFlip Somersault available for preorder; watch creator explain improvements originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
USA Today reviewer Edward C. Baig describes his experience using the first Multi-Touch digital textbooks published for the iBooks 2 for iPad app, noting that they are “engaging in ways that were simply not possible with the textbooks I grew up with.” Baig likes the portability, updatability, and low pricing of iBooks 2 digital textbooks and touts specific features like instant search, highlighting, bookmarking, and interactive graphics. Writes Baig, “It’s better to see an animated tour of the genome in E.O. Wilson’s Life on Earth than just to read about it. ”
Bloomberg’s Peter Burrows reports that Apple is making rapid headway selling into corporations — especially financial services and pharmaceutical firms. Burrows writes that Apple’s corporate sales are being driven chiefly by iPad, which “has become a standard business tool.” The article quotes Matt Wallach, co-founder of Veeva Systems, who says: “I’ve seen a lot of devices come and go over the years. Nothing touches the speed of adoption of the iPad.”
Apple today released Final Cut Pro X version 10.0.3, a significant update to its revolutionary professional video editing application. Version 10.0.3 introduces Multicam Editing, which automatically syncs up to 64 angles of video and photos; advanced chroma keying for handling complex adjustments right in the app; and enhanced XML for a richer interchange with third-party apps and plug-ins that support the fast growing Final Cut Pro X ecosystem. It also includes a beta version of Broadcast Monitoring that supports Thunderbolt devices as well as PCIe cards. Final Cut Pro X version 10.0.3 is available from the Mac App Store for $299.99 (US) to new users, or as a free update for existing Final Cut Pro X customers.
StudioDaily’s Beth Marchant reports on “key features” delivered in Final Cut Pro version 10.0.3. Marchant interviews Radical Media CTO Evan Schechtman — an early adopter of Final Cut Pro X — who calls version 10.0.3 “an even bigger deal than the original release,” noting that his company is “ready to transition completely to Final Cut Pro X now that broadcast monitoring and multicam editing are in the mix.”
Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2012 first quarter, which spanned 14 weeks and ended December 31, 2011. The Company posted record quarterly revenue of $46.33 billion and record quarterly net profit of $13.06 billion, or $13.87 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $26.74 billion and net quarterly profit of $6 billion, or $6.43 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. “We’re thrilled with our outstanding results and record-breaking sales of iPhones, iPads, and Macs,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Apple’s momentum is incredibly strong, and we have some amazing new products in the pipeline.”
Apple today announced iBooks 2 for iPad, featuring iBooks textbooks, an entirely new kind of textbook that’s dynamic, engaging, and truly interactive. iBooks textbooks offer iPad users gorgeous, full-screen textbooks with interactive animations, diagrams, photos, videos, and unrivaled navigation. Leading education services companies including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill, and Pearson will deliver educational titles on the iBookstore, with most priced at $14.99 or less. And with the new iBooks Author, anyone with a Mac can create iBooks textbooks and publish them to Apple’s iBookstore. Starting today, iBooks 2 is available free from the App Store and iBooks Author is available free from the Mac App Store
Apple today announced an all-new iTunes U app, giving educators and students everything they need on their iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch to teach and take entire courses. The all-new iTunes U app lets teachers create and manage courses — including essential components such as lectures, assignments, books, quizzes, and syllabuses — and offer them to millions of iOS users around the world. The app also gives iOS users access to the world’s largest catalog of free educational content from top universities including Cambridge, Duke, Harvard, Oxford and Stanford. And starting today, any K-12 school district can offer full courses through the iTunes U app.
Apple today announced that iPhone 4S will be available in China and 21 additional countries on Friday, January 13. iPhone 4S features Apple’s dual-core A5 chip for fast performance and stunning graphics; an all-new 8-megapixel camera with advanced optics; full 1080p HD-resolution video recording; and Siri, an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by asking. “Customer response to our products in China has been off the charts,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “With the launch in China next week, iPhone 4S will be available in over 90 countries, making this our fastest iPhone rollout ever.”
Just in time for the holidays, Apple’s fifth Manhattan store opens for business at New York’s world-famous Grand Central Terminal at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 9. The store overlooks the historic Main Concourse and features two Genius Bars, entire rooms dedicated to Personal Setup and Personal Training, and an expert team of 315 employees. Holiday shoppers can test-drive Apple products, attend 15-minute Express workshops, get free technical support, and more.
In an interview at National Geographic’s Adventure blog, director Tim Kemple of Camp 4 Collective — an outdoor video and film production company — describes using iPhone 4S to shoot a hi-def music video at the Great Salt Lake as an experiment in remote location capture. Kemple reports getting excellent video from iPhone 4S, noting that “because it’s always with you means you end up using it when you’d least expect.” The interview includes tips for stabilizing shots, optimizing for iOS 5 features, using helpful apps in extreme environments, and shooting in low light.
Students at Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii, are using Mac notebooks to research class assignments and show results in ways they never could before. These include songs and podcasts recorded and edited in GarageBand, digital presentations and portfolios created in Keynote, campus news videos edited in iMovie and Final Cut Pro, and even iOS apps built using Xcode. Says sixth grade teacher Sandy Chang, “The Macs in my classroom are completely indispensable.”
Florian Mueller / FOSS Patents:
Motorola wants 2.25% of Apple's sales in return for license to standard-essential wireless patents — In my previous post (on Motorola's lawsuits against the German Apple Stores), I said that a statement by Apple's counsel at yesterday's Mannheim trial made me aware of a discovery request …
T.C. Sottek / The Verge:
Accidental espionage: how iMessage conversations end up in the wrong handsets — Terrifying tales have surfaced recently of unsuspecting iPhone users that have had their private conversations swiped by thieves or intercepted by accident, and through our own independent test we've confirmed …
John Battelle / John Battelle's Search Blog:
It's Not Whether Google's Threatened. It's Asking Ourselves: What Commons Do We Wish For? — If Facebook's IPO filing does anything besides mint a lot of millionaires, it will be to shine a rather unsettling light on a fact most of us would rather not acknowledge: The web as we know it is rather …
David Kocieniewski / New York Times:
Zuckerberg's Big Tax Bill May Benefit Facebook — Few billionaires are willing to reveal much about their taxes. — But the Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has indirectly done so in the documents for his company's public stock offering later this year.
Richard Waters / Financial Times:
Facebook chief faces tax bill of $1.5bn — Mark Zuckerberg faces a tax liability of more than $1.5bn this year, vaulting the Facebook co-founder into the leagues of all-time highest taxpayers and leaving a big question mark over his company's initial public offering.
Amar Toor / Engadget:
Yahoo unveils app search page for Android and iOS, because we need it — Yahoo may be sliding down the search engine totem pole, but the company is doing its best to climb back up, with a new space dedicated to apps. This week, Yahoo added a new “Apps” tab to its search page …
Brad Stone / Business Week:
Las Vegas: Startup City — Zappos founder Tony Hsieh is spending $350 million of his own to make Sin City a startup hub — The history of Las Vegas is full of determined men with outsize egos and grand plans. There was Bugsy Siegel in the 1940s, envisioning a gambling mecca in the desert, away from the reach of law enforcement.
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft testing Skype Windows Phone client, expected at MWC — Microsoft's Skype division is currently testing an initial Windows Phone client, expected to debut very soon. That's the word from several sources who have confirmed that Microsoft employees are able to download a test version …
Liz Gannes / AllThingsD:
Bing — Which Has Deals With Facebook and Twitter — Finally Speaks on Social Search Controversy — While Google has endured criticism for biasing Google+ content in its new “Search Plus Your World” features, Bing has been surprisingly shy about pressing its social search advantage.
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Apple Kicks Chart Topping Fakes Out Of App Store — Temple Jump, Tiny Birds, Numbers With Friends. These are not the apps you love. They're fakes designed to scam you out of $1.99 when you go to buy Temple Run, Tiny Wings, or Words With Friends. Today Apple took a stand against plagiarism …
Daniel Eran Dilger / AppleInsider:
Apple ads Genius movie, TV recommendations to Apple TV — Apple has added its Genius recommendation system from iTunes to Apple TV, offering to suggest titles related to previous purchases. — The suggestions are available from new Genius menu options under both Movies and TV, opening listings of related content.
Natalie Zmuda / AdAge:
Facebook Hires Former Levi's, Apple Exec Rebecca Van Dyck to Lead Marketing — As we saw in its IPO filing, Facebook does very little consumer marketing in a traditional sense. But that may change: It's bringing on former Levi's and Apple exec Rebecca Van Dyck to head global marketing, according to people familiar with the matter.
Liz Gannes / AllThingsD:
Path Now Has 2M Users, Having Doubled Since It Relaunched Two Months Ago — Path got the second version of its product a lot more right than the first. The well-designed mobile journal app is now one of the most promising attempts to build a more personal and intimate social graph.
Matthew Panzarino / The Next Web:
Apple updates iBooks Author to clarify that you own created content — Apple has updated its iBooks Author app in order to clarify the language of its End User License Agreement. The changes to the EULA clarify that Apple does indeed intend the packaged product to be sold on the iBookstore only …
Mary Jo Foley / All about Microsoft Blog:
Windows Phone developer lead leaves for Amazon's Kindle team — Summary: Brandon Watson, head of developer experiences for Windows Phone, is the latest exec to leave the Microsoft's phone unit. — Brandon Watson, known to many Windows Phone developers as head of the WP Developer Experience, is leaving Microsoft for Amazon.
AlterNet - By Ed Schultz - Feb. 02 (Interview) - Gasland director Josh Fox, ... was arrested this week, in violation of his first amendment rights, while covering a Congressional hearing on fracking. In the interview, Fox fires back at the Republicans who have been targeting him
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The Guardian - By Charles Arthur - Feb. 01 - Kader Arif, the lead Acta negotiator in the European Parliament, says Acta potentially cuts access to lifesaving generic drugs and restricts online freedom The French MEP who resigned his position in charge of negotiating the international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (Acta) has said it "goes too far" by potentially cutting access to lifesaving generic drugs and restricting internet freedom. In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Kader Arif – a member of the European Parliament's international trade group, who was the lead negotiator over Acta – said that despite talks over the agreement having begun in 2007, "the European Parliament, which represents the rights of the people, had no access to this mandate, neither had it information of the position defended by the commission or the demands of the other parties to the agreement". Arif resigned in protest on 26 January as the EU signed the treaty, saying that he wished to "denounce in the strongest manner the process that led ...
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Brad Blog - Jan. 31 (News) - Had the same thing been carried out by a worker for the now-defunct ACORN, Republicans -- and even Newt Gingrich -- would have called it massive "voter fraud". But the 1,500 acts of fraud, by Gingrich's own admission, were carried out by a worker hired by his campaign, so ...
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Consortium News - By Consortiumnews.com - Jan. 30 - Reagan’s Road to Climate Perdition
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Dashwire closes up shop, all your data to get flushed on February 15th originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of January 30th, 2012
Mobile Miscellany: week of January 30th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The work of a non-profit advocacy group is never done. It seems like just yesterday that the Electronic Frontier Foundation was waging a battle to put jailbreaking rights into the hands of consumers, much to the chagrin of manufacturers intent on maintaining control over their devices after they leave store shelves. With the looming expiration of an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that has made such hacks legal, the organization is once again taking up the cause. And this time, it's added tablets and gaming consoles to its proposal. We sat down with EFF staff attorney Mitch Stoltz to discuss the state of the law and how users can help in the fight.
Continue reading The Engadget Interview: the EFF's Mitch Stoltz talks the legality of jailbreaking
The Engadget Interview: the EFF's Mitch Stoltz talks the legality of jailbreaking originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The release date is two days after the Academy Awards, and if this flick can snag Best Picture or Best Director it could become a turning point for 3D. New 3D movies are already on deck from other high-profile directors like Ridley Scott (Alien prequel Prometheus) and Baz Luhrmann (The Great Gatsby), while big budget conversions like Star Wars -- coming to theaters next week -- and already-sold-out-for-Valentines Day Titanic test the waters for older movies. Add in sports broadcasts planned including UFC 143 tonight and the London Olympics in the summer, and 2012 is shaping up to be an especially rough year for 3D haters -- you have our deepest sympathies. Those on the other side of the fence can check after the break for a press release with more details and (2D) theatrical trailer.
Martin Scorsese's 'Hugo' Blu-ray 3D set for release February 28th -- 3D haters beware originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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