Apple Event Highlights

So Apple introduced some new products this week. Some of these we expected, and some were complete surprises. We pretty much knew we would be seeing the iPad Mini, the 13" retina MacBook Pro, and the updated Mac Mini. However, Apple really threw a curve ball by also announcing the new iMac, and the 4th generation iPad (the latter being the biggest shock considering the 3rd generation model has only been around since April.

The new Macbook Pro, iMac, and Mac Mini are all fine and dandy if you are a designer/graphicsy type person, but I'll be honest and say they don't excite me as much as the two new iOS devices, so unsurprisingly I'm going to focus on the latter devices instead.

Let's start with the 4th generation iPad. How is it different? Well, it's got the new A6X chip which doubles the speed, improved WI-FI, a FaceTime HD camera, and it now has the Lightening Connector of course. That's about it really so it's a minor update in my opinion. The fact that Apple have broken their usual refresh cycle for the iPad though makes me wonder if we will see the 5th generation of their hugely popular tablet next March/April as usual.

For me, I have to say that I would have preferred if they had stuck to their usual cycle and added a few more changes next year - such as finding a way to make it as thin as the iPad 2 again, and getting the iSight camera up to 8 megapixels. Oh well!

So finally, we can talk about the iPad mini. This device looks very nice indeed. I'm a little surprised at the price, and the basic model will set you back £269.00 in the UK. This is £69.00 more than the Google Nexus 7, but quite frankly I don't think this price difference is going to matter. As ever with new Apple products, I think demand for this device is going to be huge, and I predict that competitive Android tablet sales will really suffer as a result.

I have the Google Nexus 7, and it's a good device. It's not a great device however, and this is why I am currently trying to sell it. I've not got many takers so far sadly, and I think that's because people just love Apple a whole lot more than they do Android, and I understand this - because personally I find Android to be limited, and boring.

Google claim that Android is the most popular Mobile Operating System, and Samsung claim that they are the worlds largest smartphone manufacturer. However, on my recent business trip to the United States, I played a bit of device spotting in hotels, restaurants, and airports. Overwhelmingly, I saw people using iPhones, and iPads. 2 people spoilt my glee by using Galaxy S3s however at Heathrow aiport on the way home. I swear these were the only Android devices I saw on my trip though. Each to their own I suppose.

In summary, as you can probably guess, I have my eye on an iPad mini already. It's an appealing, exciting device, and as Gollum would say "I wants it". The Nexus on the other hand, was OK for a while, but it only succeeded in proving that Android is not for me!

Who's picking on who?

Unsurprisingly, I spend a lot of time looking at Technology websites and reading reviews on the latest gadgets. Smartphones and Tablets are my particular poison and they are invariably of the Apple variety.

In recent times however, it has been impossible not to notice the escalating number of articles describing the seemingly never ending patent disputes between Apples iOS and Googles Android mobile operating systems.

The arguments over which of these tech giants can claim to have the legal or moral high ground have been significant in courtrooms around the world. However, this subject has transcended the courtroom with everyone ranging from basic users, to experts and gadget freaks joining the debate and offering their own thoughts and opinions as to "why my phone's better than your phone".

Now when this first started, Apple were always portrayed as the the big bully who looked down their noses snobbishly at Android. Steve Jobs maintained to his dying day that Android was "stolen technology" while Google have always maintained that they have done nothing for which they should reproach themselves.

Indeed this pattern of an Apple superiority complex seemed to be reflected by consumers, with iPhone users considering themselves owners of an elite piece of technology whilst looking down and laughing at those poor folk who "only" had Android phones.

Things have changed in the last couple of years though, and Android (with massive support particularly from Samsung) have taken a big crunch out of Apple (pun intended), and boy don't Android loyalists want everyone (especially Apple fans) to know about this!

Android devotees will tell you that they have a wider choice of hardware, and more flexibility in terms of customization - they have widgets for heavens sake! They mock iOS because it is so locked in and rigid, and they revel in the freedom that they have to make their phones work exactly the way they want them to.

iOS fans however, really do buy into the Apple philosophy that "it just works", and it does. iOS is neat and tidy, and nice and simple. App developers still design their Apps for iOS first and Android second for these precise reasons! They only have to worry about the iPhone and the iPad, and most iOS users tend to update to the latest version of the OS when it becomes available.

Android on the other hand is an App developers nightmare as the whole platform is so fragmented. There are so many different devices to worry about, and no dominant version of the OS - with some users on Honeycomb, others on Gingerbread, the rest on (the irritatingly named) Ice Cream Sandwich, with Jelly Bean just having been released!

Now you can probably tell that I am struggling a little bit to stay objective here! Hands up - I am an Apple Fan Boy. However, if I force myself to take that hat off - I can completely understand the popularity of Android. People do like choice, and they also like flexibility, and Android provides them with this.

Those who like things nice and simple, and neat and tidy will feel more at home on iOS however.

As with anything in life, it all comes down to personal preference, and what works best for you and I do believe that there is room for both iOS and Android as things move forward. There is even room for Windows phone in the mix for that matter.

Whether Apple and Google/Samsung will ever be friends again is debatable, but what's important is that we all have choice, and we are all entitled to our opinion that our phone is indeed the best!

Take care.
Peter

Scratching the Surface

Microsoft revealed their new Tablet Device yesterday at an event in Hollywood. CEO Steve Ballmer took to the stage and introduced us to "Surface".



It is not the tech giants first attempt at dipping their toes into the tablet market. Way before Apple put their stamp all over tablets, Microsoft had tinkered with their own products with pretty underwhelming results.

In fact, Microsofts entire history at producing their own consumer hardware products has not been very successful to say the least. The only exception to this of course would be the unbelievably popular XBOX.

So hopefully they will have learned from some past mistakes and this product will be the first genuine competitor to the amazing iPad. iPads dominance has yet to be seriously challenged. The Kindle Fire and Blackberry Playbook don't compare to the Apple device, nor do any of the Android tablets that have been released so far.

Microsoft have dared to be different here though, and their interface is the first one on a Tablet that doesn't seem to be trying to be an iOS clone.

Two versions were demonstrated at the event. One thinner tablet running Windows RT, the new version of Windows 8 that uses the new British "ARM" low power processors, and another thicker device running the full Windows 8 and using traditional Intel chips.

The devices come with a stand and a magnetic attachable keyboard which looks very nice indeed. So far, no release date or pricing structure have been announced but I would expect this to be sometime later this year so that sales can be made with Christmas in mind!

So what will consumers make of this product? Well, first and foremost Microsoft will have to make their pricing structure competitive with the iPad to tempt customers away from Apple.

Ease of use will also be a big factor. iOS is so easy to use, and although my initial tests of Windows 8 (on a Dell Inspiron Duo Touchscreen device) have left me impressed, I think it will take users a bit of time to feel comfortable and at home with the interface. There are a few new multi touch gestures to get the hang of, but once you get used to those it is pretty easy.

Microsofts secret weapon here may be the fact that both Windows 8 versions on this device give you the ability to do anything you can on a Microsoft PC or Laptop. You also get USB ports. The iPad is truly amazing, and if you put your mind to it you can make it do almost anything you need. However, there are still occasions where it won't do something you need and you have to power on your PC or laptop which is frustrating. The Microsoft Surface could change all that.

Time will tell how successful the Microsoft Surface will be. I for one think it has a place in the market, and will be keeping my eye on pricing when it is announced. My early prediction will be that iPad will still dominate as iOS is the nicer interface to use, but Microsoft will make an impact here due to the features it will offer that iPad won't.

Apple WWDC 12 Highlights

Each year, Apple holds it's World Wide Developers Conference - and this years event started on June 11th in California. Day 1 kicked off with a keynote speech from Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is now a familiar figure at such events since the passing of Steve Jobs.





Although Cook is not as charismatic as Jobs, he always speaks very passionately, eloquently, and obviously from the heart - and he was excited to introduce a series of speakers representing Apples finest. Here's a brief rundown of what they had to tell us;

Macbook Pro

Phil Schiller announced a new series of MacBook Pro laptops feauturing Apples now famous Retina Display. The device is built around flash storage for maximum performance and reliability, and includes Ivy Bridge Processors, and USB 3.0 ports. It's 25% thinner than the last model and very light. These are going sell like hot cakes.





Mountain Lion

Any laptop is only as good as the software it runs, and Mac OS X has received an update which Apple are calling Mountain Lion. Mountain Lion introduces some new features that iOS users will already be familiar with, such as iMessage, Notification Centre, and iCloud integration. This is a logical evolution for Mac OS X and it continues to bring it closer and closer to iOS in its features and capabilities. In time, they will surely merge into one and the same platform.



iOS 6

This was the part of the keynote that I was waiting for however. As impressive as the new Macbooks and Mountain Lion obviously are, in truth I can't ever see me wishing to buy any sort of laptop ever again. The tablet market is simply going to explode in the very near future, and the ongoing development of platforms like iOS will play a key part in this and in my opinion will ultimately kill off the laptop once and for all.





Scott Forstall took to the stage and introduced us to just a few of the 200 new features of iOS 6;

1). Facebook Integration - In the same way that iOS 5 had Twitter baked in, iOS 6 will have Facebook all over it. You'll be able to post photos to Facebook directly from the Camera Roll and Photo Stream, and also like Apps directly from the App Store. Facebook and Twitter will also now be accessible via Notification Centre.

2). Apple Maps - Apple are in a mood with Google, which is not surprising considering what they did with Android. So it was only a matter of time before they dumped Google Maps from iOS and replaced it with something else.

Apple have partnered with Tom Tom on their new Maps App and it looks very nice indeed. It features turn-by-turn navigation, 3D maps and Siri integration among other things. The Flyover feature, which displays highly-detailed 3D models of famous cities around the world was pretty much the highlight of the iOS 6 demonstration.

3). Safari - Also available on the new Mac, iCloud tabs will now be enabled via iOS 6. Using iCloud tabs you can view all open Safari tabs across all of your iCloud devices. In addition to this there is now a photo upload tool supported by the browser.

4). Siri - Apples Voice Assistant has been updated too. Siri can now launch Apps, and answer questions about movies, restaurants and sports. In addition to this, Siri will now also be available on The New iPad.

5). FaceTime - FaceTime will now work over a cellular connection. How effective it will be over 3G networks will remain to be seen and this feature may only serve to highlight the continuing delay of the evolution of 4G LTE technology (especially here in the UK).

6). Phone - Believe it or not, the iPhone can actually be used to make and receive calls (who would have thought)? The Phone App has one or two new features. These include the ability to reject an incoming call with a button which directs you to either send the caller a quick text back, or set a reminder to call them back when you can.

You can also set your phone to Do not Disturb mode to avoid being woken in the night by calls or alerts. This feature does have settings that can be altered to allow important calls to get through to you on a second attempt however - which is a useful feature.

7). Passbook - Passbook is a new App that will store all of your digital tickets, boarding passes, store cards and coupons in one easy-to-access app. For example, you can have your Starbucks Pass on there and use this to get your Coffee when you go into any Starbucks. This App is an early indication that the next iPhone could very well include NFC (Near Field Communiciation Technology) which will basically turn your phone into a payment device.

Overall Conclusions

Nice work by Apple as usual and I find myself very impressed. The new Macbooks are available right now and OSX Mountain Lion is coming very soon at the very reasonable price of $19.99.

iOS 6 beta is available to Apple Developers right now. I was briefly tempted to pay the yearly £59.99 Apple Developers membership so I could get my hands on it immediately, but ultimately I have resisted and will wait for it to be released in the autumn of this year. My guess is that things will follow a similar pattern as last year, with iOS 6 released in early October along with "The Next/New iPhone". I for one can't wait!

And that's Apple WWDC 12!

Share and Enjoy!

Peter