Apple really has some master marketers. Have you seen their iPhone 4 video? You watch it and you feel like by buying the new iPhone that you’re joining some type of revolution that’s going to change the world. It really tugs at the heart strings.
Check it out…
Recently, we’ve seen the introduction of the availability of Wired Magazine and Time Magazine on the iPad. You can download an app and have what you would have gotten before in the dead tree edition.
Here’s what Chris Anderson said about Wired’s launch on the iPad…
The tablet is our opportunity to make the Wired we always dreamed of. It has all the visual impact of paper, enhanced by interactive elements like video and animated infographics. We can offer you a history of Mars landings that lets you explore the red planet yourself. We can take you inside Trent Reznor’s recording studio and let you listen to snippets of his work in progress. And we can show you exactly how Pixar crafted each frame of its new movie, Toy Story 3.
I have to stay that I’m really impressed. It’s a really compelling experience. It’s just like you’re holding the paper edition.
The only thing that I don’t like is the price. I pay $12/year for my subscription but you have to pay $5 per issue on the iPad. This stinks. I’d bet printing and distribution of the physical magazine is a big part of the cost. Then, why are the digital and print magazines the same price?
I’m sure the price will change. When it does, we’ll make an even bigger step to a world where we don’t use physical media.
Yesterday, I arrived here in the panhandle of Florida for some much needed r & r. When I got in the door, what was waiting for me? It was the Apple iPad. 
I’m not going to lie. It’s one of the most amazing pieces of innovation that I’ve ever seen.
If you want the traditional review of the iPad, I’d recommend checking out the writings of Josh Topolsky at Engadget or Andy Ihnatko at the Chicago Sun Times. They’ll be able to tell you about how the standard features play out.
For the last 24 hours, I’ve been thinking about what sets the iPad apart and where it’ll sit in the standard routines of my life.
The Web Browser – The Most Important iPad App
When word came out about the iPad, media companies rushed to create all kinds of apps to create experiences that were very similar to reading a physical magazine or newspaper. I played with them all for a few hours. The USA Today and NY Times apps are really neat. You feel like you’re reading the newspaper.
Regardless, I quickly decided that instead of using the app to get my news, I’d just go straight to the website for the news. The news and magazine apps all feel like I’m missing something or I’m not getting all the news that I’d get through the website. So, I just go to the website. I really don’t want a Facebook iPad app, I can just use the website. For GMail, I don’t use the Apple Mail app. I just go to the website.
If you focus on the Web as the platform for getting your content distributed than you’re not restricted to Apple’s app walled garden. You can post whatever you want and you can update whenever you want. You don’t have to worry about making multiple versions of the same app for different platforms. As my boss says, “The Web always wins.”
And… Let me say, the iPad is a sweet computer for surfing the Web. When I’m watching TV, sitting at a coffee shop, or commuting, I can see this as the main way that I’ll surf the Web.
iPad Games — Bigger is really better.
The one thing that I think you’ll absolutely need separate apps for is games. Until HTML 5′s Canvas takes off more, I can’t see games in the browser. So far, I’ve downloaded Flight Control HD and Plants vs Zombies HD. I had played Flight Control already and had just heard a lot about Plants vs zombies.
These games are amazing on the iPad. Flight Control was great on the iPhone but it’s so much better on the iPad. The size of the screen makes all the difference. I played Sim City and Madden 2010 on the iPhone and I’d love to play these both on the iPad.
I’ve never been a HUGE video game player but especially with some of these more casual games, like Plants vs. Zombies, I could see myself getting hooked. You can quickly see how the iPad is an amazing video game player.
A Better Kindle than the Kindle
Prior to the iPad, I had invested a lot of time & energy with the Kindle. I’ve loved my Kindle and read a lot books on it. Initially, I was worried about the iPad. What would happen to all the books that I read? But… Amazon released an app to read Kindle books on the iPad and it’s great. So, there’s nothing to worry about.
With the back light on the iPad, the text and graphics for the book are so much clearer to read than when you read it on the Kindle. I haven’t had enough time to tell you how it feels after you’ve been reading for a while. I’ll let you know. Being in Florida, I’m going to take the iPad to the beach this week to see how it reacts in direct sunlight.
Should You Buy It?
If you’re the kind of person that uses your computer to consume a lot of content and casually produce it, like write some e-mails or a blog post, then I’d highly recommend it. The iPad is great for the things you just doing in daily life… for surfing the web, reading books, reading the newspaper, and watching video.
If you’re a professional writer or a heavy e-mailer then this is not the computer for you. You’re going to want to stick with your MacBook.
More soon…
Sorry if this post feels kind of fractured. I wanna write more later. Stay tuned…
Fandango has launched an iPhone app. You could definitely see this coming. The part that I’m the most excited about is that you can by movie tickets right from your phone. The bummer is that they don’t integrate with your existing Fandango account. You have to enter your credit card number right into the phone.
I take the subway to work everyday. During that time period, I’m completely without mobile reception. I have an iPhone and AT&T and that doesn’t work in the subway tunnels.
So I was kind of excited when the NY Times announced that they were adding offline support for their iPhone app. I tried it on the subway today and it worked perfectly.
Now, I wish that Apple would add offline capability to the iPhone version of Safari so that I could do this with just a normal mobile Web site.
So… everyone is talking about a potential new Mac Mini. This is definitely something that I’d love to see happen. This is a computer that hasn’t been updated by Apple in a long time.
I’d love to take a new Mac Mini, load it with something like Boxee, hook that up to my television, and once and for all DUMP COMCAST CABLE.
It’s kind of funny because a few months worth of my cable bill would pay for the Mac Mini, if it stays along it’s current pricing lines.
What do you guys think? Would you do it?
I guess there was one more hoop that Apple had to jump through to get a retail store into Washington DC’s neighborhood Georgetown: the Old Georgetown Board. Apparently, Apple’s proposals have been rejected.
The Washington Post’s Paul Schwartzman reports from the Old Georgetown Board meeting today, and says that the board has indeed rejected Apple’s storefront design for a fourth time. While insisting they are eager for the store to open on Wisconsin Ave., the board expressed frustration with Apple for again submitting a design that included a wide, all-glass entryway. Deputy mayor for planning and economic development Neil Albert didn’t mince words: “We’re extremely disappointed with today’s decision.” For it’s part, Apple says it is still committed to making the Georgetown location work and will once again go back to the drawing board.
This sucks.
The dcist is reporting that the Georgetown advisory neighborhood commission has FINALLY approved the design for the upcoming Apple store in their neighborhood. It may be here as soon as the end of the year. Yay!
The approved design reportedly has a more Georgetown-friendly brick emphasis and the “Apple logo greatly diminished in size.” Apple retail news web site ifoAppleStore says the store could be open as early as late 2009.
Over the last few days, I’ve gotten a few questions about what are the coolest things that I saw at MacWorld. Here’s a rundown of what’s on the top of my list…
Probably, one of the coolest things I saw were the laptop/commuter bags from Rickshaw Bagworks. Yes, I was most impressed by a bag company. As someone commutes an hour to work everyday, you really start to desire something which is going to better meet your needs.
The company was started by a former employee of the Timbuk2 bag company. He saw a lot of things that they weren’t doing and he wanted to do differently so he started his own company. When he told me about the bag, he went through how every inch was purposefully created to serve some purpose. For example, the bag can stand upright when you put it on the ground. I could do a whole post on them. Lets just say I was just really impressed.
Secondly, I was really impressed by the online bookmaker Blurb. They provide you the tools so that you can design, create, and order your own books, for reasonable prices. And… these books are GORGEOUS.
The coolest part was that Blurb was launching a community for creative professionals Blurb Nation. If you’re looking to create a book but feel like you’d want the help of someone with design skills, you can tap into a member of Blurb Nation. With people throughout the country getting laid off and deciding to become independent/freelance, I think the companies that create this type of ecosystems around themselves is really smart.
Lastly, one of the things that most impressed me was Griffin’s iPhone acoustic amplifier AirCurve. For a while now, I’ve been looking at these different devices which turn by iPhone into a boombox. Due to the typical price tag ($120-200), I’ve never made the jump.
The AirCurve, which is $20, is essentially a hunk rectangular plastic that is curved on the inside like an ear. When you set your iPhone in it, the sound is amplified by 10x. It’s pretty outstanding. I was bummed that Griffin wasn’t selling these at their booth. I probably would’ve bought one.
Yesterday, after I arrived in San Francisco and checked into my hotel, I headed over to Moscone South Expo hall for MacWorld Expo. I’d never been to a MacWorld before so I wasn’t really sure what to expect.
My first thought was… WOW. The booths were massive and the hall was even bigger.
As you walk around, you see a little bit of everything, from iPod/iPhone case manufacturers to ToDo list software developers to Brain Toniq to the biggies like Microsoft and Apple.
Now I can imagine that for the biggies like Microsoft buying a booth is kind of like paying your annual dues for being a part of the cult of Mac. But, if you’re one of the small guys and all you have the money for is a few big marketing pushes a year, what makes you want to buy a 10 by 10 booth?
You definitely saw every trick in the book being employed to get people to stop at a booth. One group had the car from Back to the Future at their booth, which was cool but I’m not sure what it had to do with exhibitor. There weren’t many women roaming the hall because they were all working the booths, which is kind of funny. Some were passing out food. Some were luring people with celebrities.
It just seems like it’d be hard to make an impression. What could you do at a booth which is going to leave enough of an impression on people that they’re going to engage further with your brand?
I talked to a handful of vendors and all in all you walked away like someone had just given you a pre-recorded pitch.
For me, the more valuable time yesterday was the parties. Those were more centered around people meeting people and exchanging ideas, plus they had drinks.
