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An iPad Lover Plays With Fire→

An iPad Lover Plays With Fire

Also, at times I seem to tap items and nothing happens, leaving me to wonder if I’ve somehow died, lost the electrical charge in my finger tips, and am just a ghost who believes I’m in our regular reality. I’ve had this happen with the iPad 2 and my iPhone, so I can’t blame it all on the Kindle Fire. I bet there’s a usage learning curve where I’ll intuitively understand how long and hard I have to make a tap to be to get a consistent response. I’m not there yet, but I expect my interaction to improve. If it doesn’t, it would be only a minor irritation because, after all, I only spent $199 on this device.

Chris Maxcer has written a multi-part series on the using the Kindle Fire at MacNewsWorld, looking at just how it compares to Apple’s iPad. With Christmas around the corner and budgets to be managed, the Kindle Fire’s attractive price point will certainly makes it an impulse buy for people who couldn’t afford one otherwise. Its price, however, may not necessarily be its only good quality. Maxcer writes that its media experience (for consuming video for example) is excellent, although actually using the Fire for anything productive ends up being a big hassle. The multi-part review is a good read through to manage your expectations if you’re thinking about getting the Fire.

An iPad Lover Plays With Fire: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

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How the iPad 2 Became My Favorite Computer→

How the iPad 2 Became My Favorite Computer

This hasn’t been one of those experiments-for-the-sake-of-experimentation in which someone temporarily forsakes a PC for another device in order to write about the experience (like, say, this). No, I’ve been using the iPad for my daily activities–running Technologizer, writing for TIME, CNET, and AllBusiness.com, and more–because I find it to be the preferable tool in multiple respects. I’ve been using it about 80 percent of the time, and using my MacBook Air about 20 percent of the time. I have no desire to go back.

I think Harry McCracken is an excellent example of how and where the iPad can be used to replace a laptop computer in a professional industry (i.e. journalism). McCracken’s setup relies on three main benefits of the iPad: its ten hour battery life, 3G integration (AT&T), and its unique app ecosystem. To bolster the lack of a keyboard, a combination case+keyboard is used. While I don’t agree with McCracken’s desktop-OS comments, and while I personally couldn’t use the iPad as a replacement for a MacBook, I do agree with his conclusion. And yes Harry, I do think you’re ahead of the times.

Personally, I don’t see how McCracken’s setup is vastly different from the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime. Samsung’s Windows 8 Developer PC is another example of this, where you can dock the Metro-based tablet for use with a keyboard. What you want is a tablet to futz around with on the couch and in bed, but a working, cool, and quiet laptop with long battery life when you want to be productive. What tablet makers are starting to present is the coveted all-in-one solution. While there’s accessories (like an external keyboard) to manage, these qualities have even replaced the MacBook Air (which is surprising to me) for McCracken. As CES 2012 rolls around, I’m willing to bet you’re going to see a lot more of this. But for now, the iPad’s glowing qualities in all the categories mentioned have it coming out on top for the tech-savvy individuals bold enough to try going iPad-only.

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A Hack to Get Back “Save As”→

A Hack to Get Back “Save As”

And to add insult to injury, as a keyboard junkie it’s not just the removing of “Save As” that saddens me. It is also the removal of a very handy keyboard shortcut that I used many times a day: Command+Shift+S. And so, by harnessing the power of Keyboard Maestro, I set up Command+Shift+S as a “Save As Hack”.

Shawn Blanc laments about how Lion’s Duplicate and Revert functions — replacements for the apparently outdated yet super useful Save As function — just don’t cut it when you want to save multiple versions of a document or quickly save a copy with an alternate name (I do this a lot when self-editing lab work in college). Apps like OmniOutliner work around this by offering templates (which were available before Lion mind you), but even then the Save As function offers a direct path to quickly renaming the file and shoving it in Dropbox if you have to.

Duplicate performs this function in that you physically get a new document copy presented on the desktop. The problem with Duplicate is that while it’s intended to be user friendly, it ends up making more work than is necessary. Instead of simply renaming and saving a document, you have to sit through an animation, close the original document, then rename and save the new document. I think its safe to say most Mac bloggers are inherently power-users, and have come to rely on quick keyboard shortcuts and tools that were standard up until now. While Duplicate isn’t as friendly for us, Shawn’s right: the worst part really is the lack of that shortcut key.

Shawn has a Keyboard Maestro macro available on his site for download. Alternatively, John Gruber and Ben Brooks offer a similar solution that doesn’t go as far, but brings back the shortcut irregardless through System Preferences.

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How to Get Apple’s Black Friday Prices All Year Long→

How to Get Apple’s Black Friday Prices All Year Long

The Apple Store’s refurb section features an inexact and unreliable supply. You never know when it’s going to be flush with a bunch of desirable models and when it’s going to be mostly barren. But even so, it can be a lot like hunting for exactly what you want on Craigslist, except with AppleCare backing you up instead of a search for a well-lit, public drop zone. Patience pays dividends, especially if you can’t afford full price—and you can set up an email alert for when new products are added to the store.

Gizmodo’s got good advice. If you want to save a good chunk of cash on a new Macintosh, you won’t be shorted by purchasing a refurbished model. You won’t get the same pretty white box (you’ll get cardboard bulk packaging in its place), but you will get a Mac with often brand new guts and the same warranty you’d get with buying a new computer off the shelf online or at an Apple Retail Store. As explained on podcasts like Mac Geek Gab, Apple is pretty generous when it comes to swapping out parts for new — this applies for repairs and of course the refurbished Macs sold online through Apple. It’s a good thing to keep in mind and share with relatives who’re looking for additional savings if they’re planning on purchasing a Mac as a gift or getting one themselves for the holidays. When it comes time to purchase my next Mac, this is probably the route I’ll take.

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Tell Me Again How iPad Demand Is Waning→

Tell Me Again How iPad Demand Is Waning

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster surveyed a few Apple stores on Black Friday and found that iPad sales per hour were 68 percent higher than they were a year ago. On average, the stores Munster visited sold about 14.8 iPads per hour, up from 8.8 iPads per hour last year, more than enough to support the analyst’s projection of 13.5 million iPads sold in the December quarter.

If you’re still not convinced that Apple sales are stronger than ever based on Gene Munster’s findings, you only have to look as far as Chris Whitmore from Deutsche Bank whom checked in with over 200 stores on Black Friday. Of around the one hundred Apple Stores he got in touch with, 75% of the stores were sold out of the iPhone 4S by the end of Black Friday. In AT&T and Verizon stores? 50% sold out (Sprint apparently had adequate stock).

According to AppleInsider:

Whitmore also found strong iPad and Mac sales in his own surveys, and in particular noted that consumers showed strong support for Apple’s thin-and-light MacBook Air. He said the entry-level 11.6-inch MacBook Air, aided by a 10 percent discount on Black Friday, was the most popular option in the MacBook Air lineup lineup.

The 11.6-inch MacBook Air, on sale for $898 on Black Friday, is a comfortable size and a great all-around laptop. If you were in the market for a new laptop, the $101 discount on MacBooks was nice to take advantage of. Similarly, iPads starting at $458 (a $41 discount) pushed many of the right buttons for savvy shoppers.

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NeXT: The Hardware→

NeXT: The Hardware

In 1988, NeXT showed off prototype hardware and started shipping “beta” hardware — and software — the next year. The first machines didn’t ship until almost a year later. When approached about the delays, Steve Jobs replied: Late? This computer is five years ahead of its time!

Steven Hackett at 512 Pixels continues his mini-series on NeXT Computer with The Hardware, highlighting the important details in NeXT’s desktop offerings and design cues that are evident in the Apple of today.

Site note: I still can’t get past how elegantly modern the NeXT Cube is. Nobody would guess that it’s something out of the late 80s. I’d tell you it’s way more than just five years ahead of its time.

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A Reality Check On The Life Of An Independent Developer→

A Reality Check On The Life Of An Independent Developer

With the massive successes of Rovio (Angry Birds), Lima Sky (Doodle Jump), ZeptoLab (Cut the Rope) and other independent developers, a certain assumption has been established in which any developer who creates a reasonably successful app is thought to be profiting handsomely from the venture, maybe even becoming a millionaire. But as Shifty Jelly (developers of Pocket Weather and Pocket Casts amongst others) have pointed out in a blog post today, the reality of being an independent developer isn’t as idealistic as the success stories make it seem.

You put an enormous amount of effort (and yourself) into every product you make. Sometimes you find people deriding it, or dismissing it after spending 13.2 seconds using it. People tell you not to take that personally. Good luck with that. When you invest 6 months of your life, day and night, creating a product there’s no way in hell you can’t take other people’s comments personally. Reading App Store reviews can be as much fun as slapping yourself in the face with an ice cold trout on days where you manage to ship a bug with your product.

It is a little depressing in some respects, but it is also an important reality check on the difficulties of being an independent developer. The frustration of piracy and complaints about pricing really come through in the post - and whilst they aren’t the first to write about these problems, the post is a succinct and clear representation of their reality. Fortunately there is also a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, noting that it is the positives of the job that make it all worth it.

If you have the right personality, then sure, being an independent developer is a huge blast. Don’t come expecting millions of dollars to fall into your lap though, it’s damn hard work. Chances are you’ll make less than you would working for a giant, faceless corporation…but you’ll enjoy life so much more.

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Ron Johnson: “What I Learned Building the Apple Store”→

Ron Johnson: “What I Learned Building the Apple Store”

Apple’s former VP of Retail Ron Johnson, now CEO of J.C. Penney, wrote a guest blog post for Harvard Business Review analyzing the unique factors that contributed to the success of Apple’s retail stores. He says key to the experience was that employees didn’t want customers to buy more, but simply to get what they needed.

People come to the Apple Store for the experience — and they’re willing to pay a premium for that. There are lots of components to that experience, but maybe the most important — and this is something that can translate to any retailer — is that the staff isn’t focused on selling stuff, it’s focused on building relationships and trying to make people’s lives better. That may sound hokey, but it’s true. The staff is exceptionally well trained, and they’re not on commission, so it makes no difference to them if they sell you an expensive new computer or help you make your old one run better so you’re happy with it. Their job is to figure out what you need and help you get it, even if it’s a product Apple doesn’t carry. Compare that with other retailers where the emphasis is on cross-selling and upselling and, basically, encouraging customers to buy more, even if they don’t want or need it. That doesn’t enrich their lives, and it doesn’t deepen the retailer’s relationship with them. It just makes their wallets lighter.

Johnson, who joined Apple in 2000 and was head of retail operations until 2011, left Apple’s retail stores with average revenue per store at $10.7 million and overall revenue in Q4 up 1% at $3.6 billion.

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iPhone 4S Vs. “Real” Digital Cameras→

iPhone 4S Vs. “Real” Digital Cameras

Chris Foreman at Ars Technica takes a look at the iPhone 4S’ camera compared to an iPhone 4, a Samsung Galaxy SII, an Olympus XZ-1 and a Canon 20D. Obviously, the iPhone 4S’ improved camera and optics turn out to be a recommended upgrade:

In real life use, each camera has a mix of benefits and drawbacks. The iPhone 4 was our previous favorite in smartphone cameras, and the iPhone 4S improves on that. The lens is a bit sharper and the hybrid IR filter seems to improve color rendering and possibly white balance. The new sensor also seems to have slightly less noise, better dynamic range, and three million more pixels to work with.

The combination of an updated sensor and the dual-core A5 processor also make the iPhone 4S much faster to start up and take pictures. It was nearly as fast at launching, focusing, and snapping sequential images as the Olympus XZ-1, and certainly faster than previous compact cameras we have used.

However, when compared to other cameras, it really is about convenience VS. options and full control, rather than just “quality” alone. Sure, DSLR still offers higher quality and reliability in several areas, but the iPhone 4S’ camera is more than good for still pictures both indoors and outdoors. More importantly, the iPhone 4S combines decent picture quality with the added convenience of having a great portable camera in your pocket with you all the time – a device that’s also capable of running software (apps) and being enhanced with hardware add-ons (tripods, lenses, etc.). And for many, having a camera like the one found in the iPhone 4S for a device that also happens to be a phone and a gaming machine might just be enough to capture moments of their next trip and quickly edit everything in iPhoto. The software plays an important role in the 4S’ big picture.

Check out Ars’ full report with comparative shots here.

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