I feel like this is more to this than the graphs indicate. I look forward to someone (read: not me) explaining what is is “off” about this comparison.
Categories
Tag: iphone
Time to ramp up the speculation.
A simple “Yep.” from The Beard, and you can pretty much write it in stone.
> Now, Apple pessimism is even stronger. No matter what they release and no matter how well it sells, they won’t win over the press, the pundits, the stock market, or the rhetoric. Not this year. They could release a revolutionary 60-inch 4K TV for $99 with built-in nanobots to assemble and dispense free smartwatches, and people would complain that it should cost $49 and the nanobots aren’t open enough.
I have a feeling you are going to see that paragraph quoted **a lot** over the next few days.
Categories
Unlocking your Doors with your iPhone
I like this idea, but I will wait a generation or two to see if there are any security flaws in the device.
Categories
It’s My iPhone Case Too
David Sparks uses the same “iPhone Case” I do: AppleCare+.
Categories
PDFpen for iPhone Released
Smile Software has just released [PDFpen for iPhone](http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=r*bqlTuiXSo&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fapp%252Fpdfpen-for-iphone%252Fid557705455%253Fmt%253D8%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30) to compliment their their existing [PDFpen for iPad](http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=r*bqlTuiXSo&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=httpWednesday397397itunes.apple.com397us397app397pdfpen397id490774625397mt?8?o?4AMartnerId?30) and [PDFen for Mac](http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=r*bqlTuiXSo&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=httpWednesday973973itunes.apple.com973us973app973pdfpenpro-for-mac973id403758325973mt?12?o?4AMartnerId?30) ecosystem of PDF editing apps. I love the family of PDFpen apps, to the point that I uninstalled the company provided copy of Adobe Acrobat that I had on my laptop[^fn1]. I do all of my PDF manipulation in these apps.
You can get [all of the details of the latest iPhone release on Smile Software’s site](http://smilesoftware.com/PDFpen/iPhone/index.html). Also, as become tradition for PDFpen releases, there is a [David Sparks screencast about the application](http://screencasts.smilesoftware.com/PDFpen%20for%20iPhone%20960%20Web%20-%20high.mov).
[^f5452]: Affiliate Link (as are all application links in this post.)
[^fn1]: I also uninstalled it because every time I tried to update the application it would try make Acrobat Reader my default PDF viewing application.
Currently at the top of my [Fever](http://feedafever.com) instance: **iPhone 5 First Weekend Sales Top Five Million**.
Some links to the story:
* [MG Siegler](http://parislemon.com/post/32201936089)
* [Dran Frommer](http://www.splatf.com/2012/09/iphone-5-million/)
* [Stephen Hackett](http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2012/09/24iPhone-5-First-Weekend-Sales-Top-Five-Million.html)
* [Matt Alexander](http://one37.net/24/9/2012/iphone-5-launch-weekend-sales-top-five-million)
Categories
Making the Argument Against NFC
Gabe Weatherhead over at *MacDrifter* makes the argument against *ever* having NFC in an iPhone:
> NFC is solving the wrong problem. Here’s the real problem: how do we communicate data a short distance as quick as possible with the least effort?
His solution?
> The human eye has already solved that problem. The camera has too.
> …
> With improvements in OCR, a camera could interpret text and images from an iPhone screen directly. Facial recognition could be used as identification without needing pin systems.
I think Mr. Weatherhead is on the right track. I like the idea of his system a lot more than anything that is currently available.
An unexpected, but welcomed, surprise.
Categories
iPhone 5
It has arrived.
I remember rolling my eyes at all the tech blogs who made fun of Governor Romney during President Obama’s Reddit Ask-Me-Anything. “He probably has never heard of Reddit” they laughed. That’s fine, but I bet he can dial an iPhone,
Some bad advice from the *Legal Productivity* blog:
> *2) Close Your Apps.*
> Apps will stay open unless you explicitly close them, even if you restart your phone. That means they’re running in the background, consuming computing resources even though you’re not aware they’re running. And “consuming computing resources” is engineering-speak for “using the battery”.
> To close unused apps, tap the home button twice, which will bring up a row of open apps across the bottom of your screen. Locate the app or apps you wish to close, then press on one of them for a couple of seconds until it starts to wiggle and shows a red ‘X’ in the upper-right hand corner. Hit the ‘X’ and the app is closed.
I still have no idea where this “advice” comes from. Even my father mentioned it to me the other day. As an effort to combat disinformation, I refer you to [John Gruber](http://daringfireball.net/2012/01/ios_multitasking):
> Bottom line: the iOS multitasking bar is not like the command tab switcher on Mac or Windows. It is not a list of currently “running” applications. It is simply a list of your most recently used applications, whether they’re running in the background, suspended in memory, or completely inactive. Notice, for example, that if you turn an iOS device off and on, completely restarting the device, the multitasking tray still shows the same apps. It’s like your browser history.
and, for the most succinct response, [Fraser Speirs](http://speirs.org/blog/2012/1/2/misconceptions-about-ios-multitasking.html):
> Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. There are caveats to this but anyone dispensing the advice above is clearly uninformed enough that they will certainly not be aware of these subtleties.
Got it? You **do not** have to manually close your apps in iOS. Unfortunately, it seems like this “advice” simply will not die.
Categories
Apple Event on September 12
One of the worst kept Apple secrets in some time is finally revealed[^mom].
[^mom]: Even my mom told me this weekend that “the new iPhones should be out in a week.”
> Free Press is also responding in full-gear to AT&T’s FaceTime move, sending out a number of bulletins, and urging citizens to sign a petition to the FCC. In a communication sent today, Free Press calls the row “AT&T’s latest scam,” and says that “we have a market dominated by companies that force consumers into ridiculous service plans that make you pay more for less.” Moreover, the advocacy group says that “the FCC’s Open Internet order explicitly prohibits AT&T from screwing over iPhone customers this way.
I cannot imagine I stay on AT&T when my contract expires. Then again, Verizon might end up doing something just as stupid in the next few months.
Categories
The Unibody iPhone
This writeup from Don Lehman on the the various leaked parts of the alleged next iPhone is worth a read for the following note alone:
> A note before we get started: These images are of components of what is rumored to be the next iPhone, not of an official Apple-assembled iPhone. To that end, it’s almost like putting together a T-Rex skeleton. We can be pretty sure that T-Rex had tiny arms and a long tail, but I suppose it’s also possible we attached the tail incorrectly and really it’s a unicorn horn. Same thing applies here
Between all the rumors and this breakdown by Mr. Lehman, it seems inevitable that this new “longer” iPhone will be released next month.
> [Camera Awesome](http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=r*bqlTuiXSo&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fapp%252Fcamera-awesome%252Fid420744028%253Fmt%253D8%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30)[^aff] has two burst-mode settings: One that captures two full-resolution (8 megapixel) photos per second, and a “high-speed” mode that rattles off six shots per second at a reduced 640-by-480 (0.3 megapixel) resolution.
That’s how I took my [engagement photo](http://kivus.500px.com/snapshots/). Also interesting:
> And finally, there’s [Cinemagram](http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=r*bqlTuiXSo&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fapp%252Fcinemagram%252Fid487225881%253Fmt%253D8%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30), which lets you add a bit of motion to an otherwise still photograph. You launch the app and record a short video clip, then you select a portion of the video clip to use for your “photo.” The next step involves drawing a “mask” over parts of the image with your finger; anything within those regions will remain in motion while the rest of the image stays still. Cinemagram also offers an Instagram-like sharing community, but it also outputs your work as a 360-by-480 animated .gif that you can embed or share via Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, or e-mail.
[^aff]: Affiliate Link (as are the rest of the iOS app links in this post.)
Categories
iOS Default Apps
Last week, [John Gruber](http://daringfireball.net), had a [series][1] of [posts][3] on Apple not allowing iOS users to set the default browser or mail application on their devices. I agree with what Mr. Gruber says and I, personally, wish that I could set [Sparrow](http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=r*bqlTuiXSo&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fapp%252Fsparrow%252Fid492573565%253Fmt%253D8%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30)[^affiliate] as my default mail application. Until then, my “workaround” is to run the default mail application to notify me of new emails and then open Sparrow to do that actual email processing.
[^affiliate]: Affiliate Link
[1]: http://daringfireball.net/linked/2012/06/29/dont-annoy-users
[3]: http://daringfireball.net/linked/2012/06/29/ios-default-apps