Dec 20

It’s that time of year — well, yes, it’s almost Christmas, but it’s that OTHER time of year… the time of year when it’s cold, snowy (depending on where you live), and germs run rampant as adults and kids alike have the sniffles. Personally, I’ve dealt with at least two colds and a bout of the flu. It seems like just when I was getting over one contagion, another would come along and smack me upside the head. This, of course, got me thinking very carefully about how to better protect myself from germs and further illness. In addition to doorknobs, restrooms, computer keyboards, etc., there’s the obvious culprit that most of us use frequently in our daily lives — our touch iOS devices!

I use my iPhone 4 constantly and my iPad 2 almost constantly, with plenty of tapping and swiping. I have protective screen covers on both, but the fingerprints and smudges are clear evidence of the constant touching those devices receive on a daily basis. How many germs are we transferring from other places and people onto the touch screens of our iOS devices each day? If you’re like me, you handle your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch without a second thought about the possibility that your touch screen is a Petri dish full of nasty critters.

What’s the solution for reducing the germs on our touch devices? There are numerous cleaning products out there marketed directly at touch device owners, and I won’t go into a discussion on the many products out there, but if we all simply apply a little common sense, we can greatly reduce the germs and risk of infection and illness. We should all wash our hands often with soap and water, use hand sanitizer when available, avoid touching our faces with our hands, and it’s a good idea to *carefully* clean and disinfect our iPad, iPod touch, and iPhone touch screens on a regular and frequent basis. You might simply apply some disinfectant to a microfiber cloth and carefully wipe away the smudges, fingerprints and germs from your iOS devices.

Speak up if you have additional ideas on keeping your iOS devices clean and germ-free!

 

 

Tagged with:
Dec 19

With Christmas just a few days away, perhaps you are looking for a last-minute gift for the Apple-lover(s) in your life. The pocket-sized book, “I, Steve” — Steve Jobs In His Own Words — edited by George Beahm, is a great stocking-stuffer and a must-have for any Apple enthusiast and fan of the late, great Steve Jobs. Chock full of quotes from Steve, it is interesting to get a look into one of great minds of our time. Here’s a sneak peak at a few memorable quotes found in the book:
“Being the richest man in the cemetary doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful — that’s what matters to me.”
And another:
“We don’t stand a chance of advertising with features and benefits and with RAMs and with charts and comparisons.  The only chance we have of communicating is with a feeling.”
Just one more quote:
“We’re gambling on our vision, and we would rather do that than make “me, too” products.  Let some other companies do that.  For us, it’s always the next dream.”
You can pick up “I, Steve” from Amazon here or from a bookstore near you.
Dec 18

Apple is airing a new commercial toting the wonders of Siri on an iPhone 4S, helping Santa and his sleigh of eight tiny reindeer deliver presents to all good girls and boys. Both clever and fun, the commercial brings a smile to the face and, instead of visions of sugarplums dancing in our heads, perhaps we can better imagine and dream of new iPhones and iPads showing up in our stocking or under the tree. Here’s hoping!

 

Tagged with:
Dec 12

According to an Apple press release today, Apple’s App Store has now over 500,000 apps and customers have downloaded over 18 billion (yep, billion with a “B”) apps to their iOS-powered iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches. Apps are currently being downloaded at a rate of 1 billion per month.

Having been a smartphone user for many years now, it’s simply incredible to me to see how Apple has revolutionized the mobile app market. The sheer numbers of apps available and the number being downloaded is mind-boggling. Clearly, if you are submitting a new app to the App Store, it will be a tremendous challenge to get noticed. Even if you have an app of the likes that no one has seen before, it will take some marketing savvy above and beyond the basic submission to the App Store to get your app noticed by the teeming iOS-using masses out there.

Are there any app developers out there with a thought or two about the current state of app development and marketing?

[Apple Press Info, photo from Tech Ticker]

Tagged with:
Oct 07

Even when death must have looked certain and his time on this earth was quickly coming to an end, visionary Steve Jobs was hard at work planning the future of Apple. For more than a year, Steve worked on future iterations of the iPod, iPad, iPhone and MacBooks, with blueprints in place to fill a product pipeline for conceivably the next four years. Also, Jobs managed to get plans approved for a futuristic company headquarters in a park-like setting in Cupertino that will house 12,000 employees. A touching aspect to this land acquisition for the new headquarters is the fact that Steve had a part-time job for Hewlett Packard on the same site when he was 13 years old and he made sure that Apple bought the land as soon as it was available.

Few people in human history have impacted the lives of so many — dare I say the entire human family — and arguably Steve Jobs is one of these people. He was a pioneer in making personal computers accessible to everyday people and he did it with such enthusiasm, showmanship, and genuine delight that it was nigh impossible to refrain from opening one’s wallet. He envisioned two decades ago that the future of computing and media consumption would be portable, and not just by way of laptop computers — enter iPod, iPhone, iPad, and iCloud. Steve Jobs brought his amazing products into our lives, thus changing forever how we conduct business, social, and entertainment activities. Now, we can look forward to potentially 4 more years of products with his personal touch — thank you, Steve, for an amazing legacy that will continue to delight us for years to come.

[graphic: Jonathan Mak]

Tagged with:
Oct 05

The world just became less magical today. Apple announced the passing of visionary Steve Jobs, who succumbed to pancreatic cancer at the age of 56. According to a statement on Apple’s web site:
Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.
Apple has posted an email address — rememberingsteve@apple.com — for those who wish to express their thoughts and condolences. Best wishes and comfort to his family at this time.
Having grown up using the products that Steve Jobs envisioned and created, I’m shocked that he’s suddenly gone. Having so recently resigned as Apple’s CEO, his passing is unexpected. With the highest respect, I liken this day to losing the Willy Wonka of consumer electronics — he brought an innovative magic of the purest kind that changed the world.
Thanks, Steve. God Bless.
Tagged with:
Sep 03

Just like the touchy-feely, heartwarming Apple commercials touting the way that people can connect through video calls on their iPad 2 and iPhone 4 devices, I had my own experience tonight that was just like Apple’s advertising campaign. If you are unfamiliar with FaceTime, it is Apple’s video call application for their iMac, MacBook, iPad 2 and iPhone 4 devices that allow people to enjoy video and audio chat with each other over a WiFi connection. I used it tonight on my iPad 2 to bring my family closer for my son’s birthday.
My daughter just left for college and, although she’s a few hundred miles away, she joined us in singing “Happy  Birthday” to my son and watched him blow out the candles on his birthday cake, thanks to FaceTime on my iPad 2 and her MacBook Pro. Cozied up to her desk in her apartment while we gathered around the kitchen table, we used FaceTime to practically erase those hundreds of miles of separation and bring us closer for a family event. The only thing she really missed was a slice of cake.
This may seem a small thing to some, but for us, it was priceless. If I had any reservations before about buying my iPad 2 to replace my iPad 1, those reservations were completely erased tonight when we were brought together again as a family thanks to this amazing technology. Have you used your iPad 2 and FaceTime to bring you closer to the ones you love?
Tagged with:
Aug 29

Finding just the right case for my iPad 2 has been a challenge since I’m very particular about what I want and need. I don’t want to add any bulk when carrying it around with me and price is important, so I’m happy to report that I think I’ve narrowed my search and I’ll be ordering my new iPad 2 case right away. I’ll let you know what I end up with and how it works for me. In the meantime, I need a way to protect my iPad 2 that goes beyond just protecting the screen. I rummaged through my inventory of cases for my original iPad and, although there is a difference in slimness between the two iPads, I was pleasantly surprised that the original Apple iPad case for the iPad 1 will do a pretty good job in a pinch.
Still available in the Apple Store for $39.00, you can pick one up there or possibly find better deals for them on Amazon.com or eBay. Or, if you’re lucky like me, you’ve upgraded from the iPad 1 and you still have your original iPad case lying around and you can put it into service for protecting your iPad 2. Keep in mind that the fit isn’t perfect — due to the thinner iPad 2 and the curvature of the iPad 2′s perimeter, the iPad 2 will have a little bit of slippage inside the case (but not much) and the buttons are not easily seen through the cutouts, but are still fairly easy to access and the case is thin enough that you can feel the buttons and press them easily. Also, there is no camera hole on the back of the case, but as I said, the case is an excellent solution in a pinch to cover and protect your iPad 2 until you get a new case.
Tagged with:
Aug 25

As iconic as Steve Jobs is, you have likely heard already that he has abruptly resigned as Apple’s CEO and has taken the role as chairman of the board. Tim Cook, formerly the COO of Apple, is now the CEO moving forward. What will this mean for the future of Apple? It’s good to know that Steve Jobs is still very much a big part of Apple’s vision as the chairman, choosing to remove himself from the day-to-day responsibilities and pressures that the CEO must endure. His health should be his greatest concern right now and given what he has accomplished for Apple, no one can blame him for stepping away and tending to personal matters.
I can’t help but reflect on the Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates story, depicted several years ago in “Pirates of Silicon Valley”. Indeed, Bill Gates won the battle at the time with the licensing of Windows for the PC platform, arguably an inferior product to the computing experience that Apple has offered, particularly with products like the classic MacIntosh computers. Now, given the epic turnaround of Apple starting in the late nineties under the guiding hand of Steve Jobs, it could be fair to say that he has won the war — Apple is the most valuable technology company due to revolutionary products like iPod, iPhone, iPad, and a complete remastering of their Mac and MacBook computer products.
Just as Disneyland has survived and flourished these many years after the departure of Walt Disney long ago, I’m sure that Apple will continue to amaze us with revolutionary products long after Steve Jobs has exited, stage left. Clearly he has shared a remarkable vision with the world and those of us who have bought and used anything Apple can attest to the magic. Thanks, Steve, for bringing so many amazing products to the market that have educated us, enriched us, made us more productive, entertained us, and quite frankly have just been a lot of fun. We most certainly will miss you now that you are no longer the captain at the wheel.
Tagged with:
Aug 22

Less than a year after acquiring Palm’s webOS for over $1 Billion dollars, HP has announced that they are calling it quits with respect to their webOS mobile devices. I was rather curious about the competition the HP TouchPad might give to the iPad, but now we’ll never really know. I’ve used a Palm Pre a couple years ago and was quite impressed with the operating system. Now, it looks like webOS will be put in deep freeze while HP figures out what to do with the operating system now that they are bailing out of the webOS hardware business. Is the iPad and the surge of Android tablets so dominant that HP just didn’t want to make the investment? Was the writing on the wall so soon?
Tagged with:
preload preload preload