Silvexis » iPod

Reflections on the Apple Newton MessagePad Failure on the Eve of the iPad

Erik — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:43:49 +0000

As I hold on for the long wait for my iPad 3G I was inspired to pull out my Apple Newton MessagePad 120 to baseline how far Apple has come since the Newton was first released in 1993. I was amazed at how unintuitive it was to use and thought about how our perceptions and expectations of a handheld user interface have been transformed by the iPhone. Putting my thoughts into a 1993 state of mind for a moment I imagined what it was like using this thing so long ago. One thing stuck out like a sore thumb to me: The MessagePad seemed utterly and completely impractical by even 1993 standards.

I believe that its failure was guaranteed no matter how powerful its designers made it. It wasn’t because of the applications or even its form factor, no its size and note taking, calendar, contacts and other apps including eMail capabilities were all fine for their day. It all came down to the user experience. Using the stylus with the on screen keyboard or worse, the built in handwriting recognition was unbearable. This highlights something that technology companies regularly forget and it’s why Steve Jobs killed the Newton when he took back control of Apple: The user experience matters. A lot.

The Palm Pilot with its graffiti was first, then the BlackBerry with its thumb friendly keyboard and then the iPhone with its quick responding multi-touch screen. At each stage the innovation wasn’t the devices capabilities, plenty of devices have done what they did before them. The innovation was the user experience that enabled the technology and made it accessible. The iPhone’s multi-touch interface made it a usable applications platform and everyday device, the app store just greased the wheels. Had Apple released the iPhone with a thumb keyboard or stylus it would have been just as successful (and boring) as every mobile device that had come before it.

So as I wait now for my iPad to arrive and I read all the articles for and against it I think most people focusing on battery life, flash support or built in capabilities are missing the point. The real innovation that will decide the iPad’s success will come down to only one thing, the iPads user experience and how successfully it bridges the gap between humans and technology.

Quick thoughts for the day

Erik — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:03:50 +0000

Read a rumor today that the upcoming Apple tablet might be called the iPad. I predicted it would be called the MacBook Tablet but I have to admit the iPad sounds compelling. It’s too close to iPod for me to like however. Rule one in marketing: Differentiate. My guess is that Apple is registering names of possible similar named products to avoid future problems.
I will be presenting “Your Applications from Backdoors: How to Secure Your Business Critical Applications from Time Bombs, Backdoors & Data“ at the OWASP Chicago meeting on Feb 2nd at 6:00 swing by (RSVP Req’d) for Pizza, Beer and Application Security discussions in the windy city.

Apple Thoughts and Perdictions Grab Bag

Erik — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:47:29 +0000

A lot of friends have been asking be what I think will be released Sept. 9th by Apple. Will it be a new Apple TV? Blu-Ray support? New iPods? the iTablet? I don’t expect any of these things other than the chance of new iPods, but I’ve got a few ideas of my own, each is only half baked at this point but I thought I would share them to get my readers involved in the brainstorm.

Things that are not going to happen:

There will be no Blu-Ray support in AppleTV or for that mater any Apple product, ever. Apple is finished with physical media as far as entertainment media goes. It’s clear there will never be a replacement to Blu-Ray because it’s the last of it’s kind. Why buy disks when I can click and have it on my TV in a few seconds? Blu-Ray is never going to happen. Just buy a Apple TV and watch whatever you want without having to keep a stack of discs laying around. I’ve already ripped all my DVD’s and used Handbrake to turn them into movies I could upload onto my Apple TV, why haven’t you?
I’ve already made my peace on the Apple Tablet, you can read that here

Things that might happen:

Apple is going to announce a new and improved package for albums that improves the “album” experience. I think this is fine but if it’s anything like the crap that you got when buying an “enhanced” CD then it’s going to be a big yawn. Supposedly something like this is exactly what the music industry is working on. When are they going to realize that they need to just stick to the music and leave the rest to companies that understand the Internet?
Apple is going to announce it’s upgrading a portion of it’s music collection to better than CD quality and will be releasing many future albums with better sound quality as well. This idea just entered my head. I can’t even begin to explain why I even think this is a possibility. I just see a pattern forming around music quality. The interest in good, high quality music and recordings is making a come back (for example 2008 vinyl record sales were up 37% over the previous year). As far as I can tell I’m the only one who is making this prediction so I’m going out on a limb here.
Something interesting will happen around Movie rentals or purchases. I don’t know what, but there is another pattern forming here as well.

Things that will happen:

The iPod line up including the touch are going to get a refresher, larger storage is in order but the addition of a camera is going to be the most interesting item. I think they are also going to announce the end of life of the iPod classic.
Steve Jobs is going to be doing the keynote

Ok that’s it, what am I missing?

Predictions on the upcoming Apple Tablet

Erik — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:17:05 +0000

There have been a lot of rumors on the upcoming “Apple tablet” and a few reports as to what it’s going to look like and be capable of but so far none of them have me totally convinced. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to totally convince myself either on what exactly this new device from Apple is going to look like either but I do have two predictions for what is coming.

First there are a few things I think that will hold true no matter what.

Apple is not going to call this thing the “Apple Tablet”.
- Nor are they going to call it the iTablet or anything even remotely similar to that. There is no reason to call this a tablet when all the tablet computers that have preceded it have sucked. Why associate this product with that legacy?
Release date depends on what happens [edited aug 14th]
- I thought more about the possibilities and now think that the release date is dependent on which posability comes true. If Apple is pursuing the iPod Touch XL idea, then I think they are going to shoot for Nov. of 2009, if it’s the MacBook Touch, then I think early 2010 is more realistic.
They will release in November
- Most of us know that November is the ideal time to release a product for the holiday season. It’s too obvious to not assume that Apple is gearing up to take advantage of this in the hopes that they have the must have gadget of the holiday season. Apple does have a media event scheduled for September but don’t be fooled, this event will focus on iTunes and Apple music and video store advancements.
It will come with an Ecosystem
- To support the low cost point they are going to be shooting for there will be a fully baked ecosystem of peripherals, software and solutions announced at the same time. It won’t just be a new iPod or MacBook. Expect that all AppStore applications will run on it and a new category of apps to be announced. Part of this ecosystem means that it will also integrate with your existing Apple products such as a iMac or MacBook as well as the Apple TV and introduce a whole new way of interacting with your computer and devices.
Hardware Basics
- No matter how powerful or large the device is, or what types of applications it runs, it’s going to have good battery life, a microphone, camera, bluetooth and WiFi.

Beyond those four common things however my two predictions start to diverge. Below are my two predictions for the upcoming Apple tablet and the reasons behind my thoughts. Let me know in the comments which one you think is most likely to become a reality.

Possibility 1: The Apple iPod Touch XL

Cost: About $599-$699 dollars, release in November 2009

Apple isn’t building this thing for computer users or create a new class of computer to sell along side they MacBooks., they want to create a new category all together that can sit at the top of their iPod product line. To do that they are not going to call this thing the “Apple Tablet” or the iTablet or anything even remotely similar to that. There is no reason to call this a tablet when all the tablet computers that have preceded it have sucked. Why associate this product with that legacy?

If Apple goes this direction and I think that there is a slightly better chance that the iPod Touch XL is the more likely of the two options then the CrunchPad is in for even more of a challenge. I think the idea of a Touch XL is more likely because of all the rumors about form factor and design pointing in this direction and The iPod Touch product line is well past due in getting any attention. This all makes me think the Touch team has been focused on a new product. On the flip side I want Apple to make their new device something more capable, hence let me introduce possibility 2, the MacBook Touch.

Possibility 2: The Apple MacBook Touch

Cost:$799-899 dollars, release in early 2010

This will be Apples answer to the Netbook craze and the markets demand for a lower cost Apple computer. Expect Apple to offer at least two models to choose from with different CPU/RAM and Storage options. Apple will also release some sort of monitor/peripheral docking option perhaps like this at the same time as an accessory. This form factor and docking station will make this the perfect computer for ultra mobile users such as students and business users who travel a lot.

No matter which option you think is going to come true, either device will do what Apple always does well. It will be a very sexy device that offers a great user experience and is perfect for watching movies on the plane, browsing the web or banging out a few notes or e-mails with an on-screen keyboard will be “good enough” to keep most people happy. Or so we all hope, only time will tell, what do you think?