06
Jun
Just a couple of hours ago Steve Jobs delivered the annual Apple World Wide Developer Conference keynote address in San Francisco. For the uninitiated in all things Apple, the much lauded keynote is the platform of announcements for all the forthcoming products and services from Apple. What follows is a quick(ish) breakdown of the most exciting developments due for release of the next few months.
What is most impressive about the announcements Apple have made today is firstly the sheer number of new features, services and applications scheduled for release over the next few months and also the cost, or rather lack of, of the new offerings. The much awaited OS X Lion, the next version of the Apple operating system will be priced at just £20 (insane), has no restriction on user installs and includes the server edition of the OS (previously sold separately).
Then there is the release of iOS5, the next generation mobile operating system from Apple. As has previously been the case this is a free update to iPad, iPod and iPhone users and given the breadth and depth of enhancements it’s sure to be comparable to an entirely new device purchase.
And finally, there is the much awaited launch of iCloud - a service infrastructure which will both replace and extend the features of the old MobileMe service. Previously carrying a sizeable annual subscription this new service is completely free.
05
May
The 2010 and 14th Webby Awards have been announced and celebrate the very best in current web design, interactive advertising, online film and video and mobile web development. But are they, once again, a little Flash heavy in this contemporary world of standards?
Certainly this question comes at a time when debate, if not down right argument, has reached epic proportions over whether or not Flash has any future on the web. The press over the past 10 days has been littered with punch, counter-punch between Apple and Adobe with regards the suitability of Flash as a platform for our mobile future. So, are the Webby’s, which have always been a little pro-Flash, beginning to lose step with reality?
Even a casual glance through this year’s winners reveals a significant number of Flash based websites, which leads once to wonder - what are the awards awarding? It is common knowledge that with the exception of a PC, Flash runs quite poorly on many devices. This is particularly evident under Safari on Mac OS X. This being the case, many of the websites in receipt of Webby awards provide a sub-standard user experience on a number of platforms. This is not to detract from their undoubted design credentials of course, but haven’t we now reached a point where web design is more than just - ‘pretty animation’?
04
Jun
At long last iTunes UK users finally get the chance to purchase and rent movies as their American cousins have been doing for some time.
Movie purchases are £6.99 for library tittles, £10.99 for new releases, with rentals at £2.49 and £3.49 respectively. HD rentals are an extra £1.00. Not all together bad pricing when compared with Sky Box Office or a Blockbuster rental especially when factoring the enormous convenience.
Of course the real beneficiaries of this announcement are those who have an AppleTV. The AppleTV is the device that sits next to your TV wirelessly syncing content with your computer so you can access it through your TV Home Cinema system.
The AppleTV has been around for quite some time but Apple have been reluctant to push it in the UK until movies where availabe on iTunes. Whilst the device makes an excellent living room juke box it’s the movies that have the real potential to make AppleTV a must have Christmas gadget.
03
Jun
Rumours abound that Apple will be shortly releasing the much anticipated 3G iPhone. What will this mean for existing iPhone users?
On Monday 9th June Apple will be holding its annual Worldwide Devloper’s Conference in San Francisco. One of two annual events held by Apple which are typically used as a platform for new product releases. The standard format is for the charismatic CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs, to take to the stage and present 60 minutes of dramatic reveals and demos of new gadgets and software. Most recently this took the form of the iPhone release, Apple’s first venture into the world of mobile phones.
The iPhone has been a huge success since it release taking up a sizeable chunk of the mobile phone market. Yet for a phone that boasts so much, many are still unsatisfied.