Michael Gray

Apple By Michael Gray

Random House may join Apple's iBookstore

Random House said in a brief statement Monday that it has agreed to the "agency model for e-book sales," according to AppleInsider. That agency model had been the chief stumbling block keeping Random House books from joining the iBookstore. In the traditional publishing model, retailers bought books from publishers at a discount price. Then those retailers sold the books to customers at a markup, with that margin being the retailers' profit. In the agency model, e-books are sold to the customer, and the revenue is split between the retailer and the publisher. Because the agency selling the books (in this case, Apple) set the price, Random House had been concerned the model could significantly decrease profits. Random House's willingness to accept the agency model means we could soon see e-books like Game of Thrones and Public Secrets in the iBookstore.

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Apple By Michael Gray

New record gap between Apple Store openings

It's been over 105 days since Apple has opened a new Apple Store, beating the previous record for longest gap between openings. The old record was set in 2003, and that gap extended between January and May. This gap began in November and will continue until we get a new store. ifoAppleStore has a great infographic that will help contextualize the break for you. It could be tempting to say this hints at some kind of slow down in sales, but that conclusion can't be confirmed without a whole lot more contextual data. Since most of the Apple Stores open just before Thanksgiving, with a few more coming in around Christmas time, this is the time of year when we'd expect to see a slowdown anyway. The gap could just indicate that Apple did a great job of getting all their stores open in time for Christmas 2010. Let's see how things shape up in the last half of 2011 before we start to wonder about new Apple Stores.

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Apps

Apps By Michael Gray

TUAW Tip: Generate iTunes Store RSS feeds

iTunes obviously has a great deal of data about its sales; Apple is quite aware of the top sellers among its music, apps, movies and podcasts. That information is also available through RSS feeds. If you want to share that data on your website, or even if you just want it in your RSS reader, you can use the official iTunes RSS Generator to get the right feed. You can refine the RSS feed created by Country, Media Type, Feed Type, Size and whether to allow explicit content. The Media Types available include Music, Podcasts, Audiobooks, TV Shows, Music Videos, Movies, Mac Apps and Apps. There are obviously many options under each media type, so you should check it out and see what's available. Just punch in the criteria you want to follow, hit "Generate" and then hook up that feed to an RSS reader, and you'll be kept up to date on the latest changes in the iTunes stores.

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Big Tech

Big Tech By Michael Gray

Apple beats Kindle for e-books in the UK

An interesting post over at GigaOM is shedding light on the unanswered question: is the iPad or the Kindle pulling ahead in the race to provide e-books to customers? Citing Jo Henry, the managing director of Book Marketing Ltd, the answer seems to clearly be Apple, at least in the United Kingdom. The data collected by Book Marketing and its parent companies indicates that there are more e-books read in the UK on the iPad and the iPhone each than read on the Kindle. The same is not true in the US, where Kindle is solidly beating out the iPad and iPhone, even combined. Don't worry though; the same study shows that the iOS devices are gaining ground. It could be a much different story in a year.

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News

News By Michael Gray

Photojojo provides a convenient telephoto lens for iPhone

The iPhone makes a great at-the-ready camera. Those of us appropriately sidearmed with an iPhone usually keep it easy to grab, which makes it the perfect device to yank from our pocket and snap a few pictures. And while the digital zoom is an awesome feature, it has limitations, and usually ends up killing the final photo quality. So, you're stuck with the convenience of your iPhone versus its inevitable limitations as a camera. Photojojo has a solution. The iPhone Telephoto Lens screws onto an included iPhone case, allowing you to get up to 8x the normal amount of zoom. The lens fits in your pocket when you're not using it, so it's not like you're hauling around a huge accessory to go with your iPhone. Even better, the iPhone Telephoto Lens comes with a tripod. As most professional photographers will tell you, using a tripod is the single best way to improve your photographs. The lens package is available for both the iPhone 3/3GS and iPhone 4. For US$35, you get the lens, a case and a tripod. It's a pretty good deal to help improve your iPhone pictures. [Via Cnet]

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Smartphones

Smartphones By Michael Gray

greenpois0n Verizon iPhone jailbreak adds Windows support

We announced the greenpois0n jailbreak for iOS 4.2.1 over the weekend. At the time, the jailbreak tool only worked on Mac. It didn't take long for the Chronic Dev Team to update the tool to now support Windows. This means you can jailbreak your Verizon iPhone using either a Mac or Windows. As always, make sure you know what you're getting into when you jailbreak your iPhone. You should definitely read the documentation included with greenpois0n before you alter the way your iPhone works. The instructions for executing the jailbreak are pretty straightforward, and you shouldn't have much trouble, even if you're new to the jailbreak world. [via Engadget]

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Apple By Michael Gray

iPod Classic stock low, prompts refresh rumors

AppleBitch picked up a tip that the shipping times are getting pretty long for the iPod Classic and that many Apple retailers are simply out of stock. Since the iPod Classic hasn't been updated since fall 2009, we're now seeing speculation that the iPod Classic might be due for a refresh soon. Hardmac reported last month on a new line of hard drives that could indicate the iPod Classic's capacity might go up to 220 GB. Reinforcing the news, AppleBitch points out that Amazon.com shipping times for the iPod Classic run 2 to 4 weeks. MacStories points out that Best Buy says the iPod Classic is backordered. We'll probably see other Apple sites pick up on these hints, and some solid speculation about when a new iPod Classic announcement will appear. [Via MacStories]

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Apple By Michael Gray

iTunes controlled 65% of online movies sales in 2010

iTunes is the top seller of downloadable movies, controlling two thirds of the total market, according to IHS Screen Digest. This proud distinction is focused on the actual purchase of movies from iTunes, not streaming internet rentals (such as those offered by Netflix). IHS is a market research firm that analyzes streaming video and the electronic sales of movies, which makes this kind of study their exact bailiwick. The closest runner up to Apple's success was Microsoft, who only sold a quarter of the movies that Apple did. If you add up all the non-Apple online retail outlets for electronic movies, they make up a little more than one third of the available sales. Of course, selling movies online is a relatively new business, and things could change in 2011. In the meantime, it seems if you want to sell a movie online, you really need to be on iTunes. [Via electronista]

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Apple By Michael Gray

Apple: The undisputed leader in the tablet market

This might not be a surprise to anyone. Research firm IDC reports that the iPad represented nearly 90 percent of media tablets shipped in the third quarter of 2010. This is a fairly big deal because the tablet market itself picked up by a whopping 45 percent, going from 3.3 million tablets shipped in the second quarter to 4.8 million tablets shipped in the third quarter. With an increase of 1.5 million units being shipped in just three months, that's a sizeable increase in a growing market. IDC restricts its study to tablets with screens larger than 5 inches but smaller than 14 inches. It also restricts the idea of "media tablets" to devices that run a "lightweight" operating system like iOS or Android. That's a fairly tight definition of media tablet, but it probably includes most devices your average consumer would consider purchasing. With all of the new iPad toys we saw previewed at CES, it's fairly likely that the iPad will continue to be strong through 2011. It will be interesting to see how Apple measures up against all the tablet-come-lately competitors, and whether the iPad's overwhelming dominance will continue. [Via The Mac Observer]

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Tablets By Michael Gray

iPad increasingly popular among restaurateurs, diners

We've been talking about the iPad in restaurants for a while, starting back when the Lecere Corporation began testing their FIRMS point-of-sale system. The iPad seems especially effective for wine lists, and we covered the story about Bones in Atlanta seeing an 11 percent improvement in their wine sales. According to the Associated Press, an upscale Chicago steakhouse called Chicago Cut is seeing similar results. While the owners are hesitant to lay their 20 percent increase in wine sales directly at the iPad's feet, they definitely credit Apple's magical and revolutionary device with some of the credit. Au Bon Pain is also experimenting with the iPad in six of its stores, using the tablet to do away with paper ordering pads. The iPad has the ability to simplify a great deal of the order process in restaurants, communicating customer choices and orders back to the kitchen without wasting reams of paper. It's probably only a matter of time before we see even more dining businesses embrace the iPad. [via Switched]

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Tablets By Michael Gray

Subsidized iPads starting slow in UK

Orange UK, as part of Everything Everywhere, announced their subsidy plan for new iPads back in November. According to information relayed from The Times by paidContent: UK, the company had expected to sell tens of thousands of the tablet over the holidays. However, it turns out they only sold a little over a thousand in the first week. Updates to the original story say deeper sales occurred later in the holiday season, although there hasn't been much official confirmation about what that exact number might be. It seems clear that the subsidized iPads haven't started off as strongly as might have been hoped. The slow start could be due to subscribers being unwilling to stack iPad data plans on top of cellular plans, or Orange might not have gotten word out to its buyers. [Via MacRumors]

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Accessories

Accessories By Michael Gray

Joby introduces ultra-flexible Yogi for iPad

Joby already makes a fun and reliable Gorillapod for the iPhone 4, called the Gorillamobile. It stands to reason that they wouldn't be far behind with a similar device for the iPad. The Yogi case and stand for the iPad allows you to prop your iPad up at any angle you'd like. And since the legs are flexible and strong, you can even use them to cling to unconventional surfaces like a car seat or a bed's headboard. The Yogi case itself is a polycarbonate build with rubber bumpers to protect against shocks and bumps. The legs are removable from the rest of the case. If you don't have immediate use for them, you can tuck them away in your bag. The Yogi sells for a mere $49.95, which makes it highly price competitive with other iPad cases. It seems like a great bargain for that much versatility. We saw the stand on the floor at CES this year -- stay tuned for any other impressions! [Via Wired]

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Accessories

Accessories By Michael Gray

Unity box turns iPhone into an IR remote

The UnityRemote box sits on your coffee table or some other centrally located place in your living room. Using Bluetooth wireless technology, Unity takes orders from your iPhone and transmits those commands through an IR beam to any other IR device in your living room. This includes your television, cable box, home theater system and just about everything that makes up your home viewing experience. The Unity has an app you plunk on your iPhone to accomplish all this, but the app lets you do more than just send single commands to your home theater system. You can create macro commands, called "actions," that will follow a series of pre-programmable instructions to your system. For example, if you want an "action" to "turn on the TV, then flip to the Blu-ray player and play whatever disk is loaded," the Unity can do that. The Unity seems like it's a lot of fun, and since it's priced at a mere US$100, it seems like something most of us could enjoy in our living room. [via Wired]

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Technology

Technology By Michael Gray

Apple TV doubles Roku sales

Roku is a brand of digital video players, a member of the growing category of consumer electronics known as internet television. These devices access video and media content on the internet and stream that content directly to your living room. Internet television content includes services like Netflix, Hulu and YouTube. The Apple TV is the 800-lb gorilla of that market. The introduction of the Apple TV has been an immense boon for the entire market, according to Anthony Wood, the CEO of Roku. This is because Apple's digital video player, the Apple TV, has raised consumer awareness of the video product. People who were never aware of such a thing called "internet television" are now looking into the market and buying this new type of product. Some new customers buy the Apple TV, of course, but some new buyers go to Roku. Since the Apple TV was released, Roku sales have doubled. As a result, Apple's entry in the market has been great for everyone involved. Check out a video introduction to Roku on the next page. [Via 9to5 Mac]

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Tablets By Michael Gray

iPad aids 25 percent increase in online computer sales

In a report released by comScore, a digital reporting firm, online computer hardware sales have increased by 25 percent this holiday season. Handheld computing devices like the iPad drove much of that growth, according the report. This means computer hardware is the faster growing segment of holiday purchases, just ahead of consumer electronics. (Consumer electronics have grown 22 percent this season.) The reporting company called out the iPad by name, saying "handheld devices (such as Apple iPads and e-readers) and laptop computers drove much of the growth." It's an interesting choice to group the iPad, which is a tablet computer, with dissimilar devices like the Kindle or Nook. Unfortunately, comScore didn't release any numbers about how the iPad did against those e-readers. It will be interesting to see Apple's reports about the iPad after this quarter, since we know they sold nearly 4.2 million iPads in the previous quarter. [via AppleInsider]

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Reviews

Reviews By Michael Gray

Retaining your masculinity while carrying the iPad

The New York Times had an odd post recently in which it responded to men who were having trouble carrying their iPad around town in a masculine fashion. According to the article in its Fashion & Style section, some men have even eschewed taking their iPad in public just because there's a lack of suitably macho bags. Scott Stein at CNET even rated iPad bags in terms of their "humiliation index." I've used a laptop for many, many years and I'll admit this isn't a problem that's ever occurred to me. Any doubts or questions about my bag are instantly dissipated when I bust out awesome technology like the iPad. I guess I could see a bit of embarrassment if you're wearing a funky fanny pack or something, but there are tons of great looking bags for the iPad. Just check out the Booq Boa push bag, for example If you really have trouble with establishing your masculinity via your gadget bag, let me suggest using a Sharpie to draw some skulls on it or maybe add some spikes.

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PlayStation

PlayStation By Michael Gray

Sony announces official PlayStation app for iPhone

The European PlayStation site today announced an upcoming official PlayStation app for the iPhone and Android platforms. The first version of this app will allow you to check your PlayStation trophies, read your friends' status updates, and keep up with news about the PlayStation console and its games. You'll even be able to share your favorite products with your friends via social networks like Twitter and Facebook. We don't have word on a US version of the app yet, unfortunately, so until then, this is just for you folks in Europe. The app's initial release will only be available in France, UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands. Sony is already working on expanding the app to other countries; we're obviously hopeful that it will reach the US. [Via MacStories]

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Streaming

Streaming By Michael Gray

mSpot brings iTunes streaming to the iPhone

TUAW has been watching users' need to stream music from the cloud for a while, especially since Apple acquired Lala some time ago. Understandably, we were a little disappointed when we found out that an official cloud-based iTunes would probably be limited in scope. This roller coaster of emotion leaves us especially excited to see mSpot Music hit the App Store. The mSpot service allows you store your iTunes collection on the Web in what mSpot calls your "music locker." Once you've put that music online, you can stream it to your computer, iPad or iPhone. Your music lives in the cloud on mSpot's service and is simply played on whichever device you'd like. Storage for your music is free up to the first 2GBs, which translates to about 1,600 music files. You can pay $3.99 a month for 40GBs of music, if you find the first 2GBs inadequate. [Via TechCrunch]

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Apple By Michael Gray

Found Footage: iPad portrait of Woz

David Newman is an accomplished painter who's been using Apple computers since 1984. The above video shows him painting a portrait of none other than Steve Wozniak, which the Apple founder has started using as his Facebook profile picture. Newman sat with Woz for 3 hours creating the portrait entirely on an iPad, and Wozniak reportedly thinks this is the best portrait of him ever created. The movie shares Newman's process as he created the portrait. You can see that the very first brush strokes were actually the artist spelling out "Woz" over and over. After that, Newman sketched in huge patches of color and shape. As the process continued, he layered additional touches of color, refined the shapes and added details. We especially like the box of Dots candy to Wozniak's left -- nice touch. Newman's got a great eye for detail, and a project like this really shows off the creative possibilities of Apple's magical and revolutionary device. [Via Razorianfly]

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Wearables

Wearables By Michael Gray

Nano watchband includes bottle opener

Picture, if you will, the following. It's a hot summer day. You're hanging out doing some yard work with your iPod nano strapped to your wrist when you reach for a cold bottled beverage. That's when the moment of horror strikes: you have no bottle opener. You have nothing which with to pop open that wonderful refreshment. All you have is your iPod nano wristwatch. Okay, that's probably not a common scene for most of us, but apparently the creators of the Richard Tracy nano watch strap have been there. This wristband for the iPod nano features a leather strap and laser-cut anodized steel adapter to hold the nano firmly in place. But since the steel adapter could be in any shape, really, they tooled it into the shape of a bottle opener. I guess if you're going to wear an iPod nano watch strap, a little extra versatility is a good thing. [Via ThinkGeek]

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Buying Guides

Buying Guides By Michael Gray

iPad deals: Apple Store refurbs drop prices

Dealmac pointed out yesterday that Apple has cut the prices on several refurbished models of the iPad. The Apple Store warns in red print that this is a Special Limited Time Price, which means now is the time to spread the news among your friends. There's no catch in this bargain; the shipping on these refurbished iPads is free, so you won't find yourself losing out on delivery cost. The new prices are available for the Wi-Fi only version of the iPad; the price cuts don't extend to refurbished iPad 3Gs. The 16GB version is now $429, down $20 from the original $449. The 32GB and 64GB versions each have a $50 dollar additional discount, however, going from $549 and $649 down to $499 and $599 respectively. These prices make the refurbished iPad an even better deal for people who haven't been sure whether to commit to the device. If you've been waiting for a sign to buy-in and go iPad, this is probably the best cue you can find.

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Apps

Apps By Michael Gray

Ben the Bodyguard app won't live up to hype

The web site for the app Ben the Bodyguard hit big last week. It's a beautiful promotional site with a dark, moody feel. The vibe is definitely like Jean Reno (circa The Professional) is addressing your iPhone's security. As you scroll down the page, Ben coolly walks down crime-ridden city streets while telling you how he can protect your secrets. Since the site's launch, there's been quite a bit of buzz about the power of the site's design. "I am not here to judge," Ben says, "I am here to protect." Fast Company has an interview with Stefan Telegdy, the CEO of Nerd Communication, the Berlin-based company responsible for the app. Despite the incredible web design for Ben the Bodyguard, the app isn't quite the universal protection you might expect. The app works on iOS devices and it will encrypt some items like contacts, photos, and notes. However, there are limits. You can't use Ben to lock down your email, for example. According to Telegdy, that's not possible right now. You also can't blanket-protect all of your items; you have to open Ben and individually select the files to be encrypted. At least Telegdy seems aware of the limitations. "No app on this planet can live up to the expectation that is projected into the website at the moment," Telegdy told Fast Company. Apparently, the web site was meant to be a soft, quiet launch. They were not prepared for this level of exposure; despite several inquiries, they also are not looking to create similar experiences for other products. Even if the app doesn't meet the expectations, at least we have something snazzy to watch online.

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Smartphones

Smartphones By Michael Gray

Apple beats Nokia as top smartphone maker in Australia

The world domination of the iPhone continues as Apple has overtaken Nokia to be the number one smartphone vendor in Australia. According to analysts reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, Apple accounts for 36.5 percent of the smartphone market versus Nokia's 30.5 percent share. Nokia became the top dog of Australian smartphones in 2002 when it beat out Palm. Nokia is still the top overall mobile phone maker with 37.6 percent of the total market, but Apple has supplanted Nokia in smartphones three years after the iPhone's Australian release. The future will remain competitive in the smartphone market since Android's market share is currently growing faster than Apple's. For now, though, Apple is leading the trend in Australia, and the next year will be interesting for smartphone analysts in Australia. [via iPhone Savior]

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Apple By Michael Gray

Artist David Hockney displays art made with iPhone, iPad in Paris

David Hockney's art created by iPhone and iPad is currently on display at the Pierre Berge-Yves St. Laurent Foundation in Paris. When Hockney first got his iPhone a few years ago, he immediately recognized its capability to create art. Each day, Hockney paints flowers and sunsets with his device and sends those images to friends. Those paintings are now hanging in a show called "Fresh Flowers," displayed on 20 iPhones and 20 iPads. It's particularly interesting how Hockney has chosen the subjects for his art. "The fact that the screen is illuminated makes you choose luminous subjects, or at least I did," Hockney says in an interview on his own web site. "Dawn is about luminosity and so is the iPhone. People send me iPhone drawings which look OK, but you realise that they are not picking particularly luminous subjects – which this medium is rather good at [in ways that] another medium isn't." Hockney is using the Brushes app (US$4.99 for the iPhone version, $7.99 on the iPad), which others have used to create some incredible images. Someone remind them that the iPad is only for consumption of media.

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Tablets By Michael Gray

iPad appears in US House of Representatives

Politico picked up the story of a Democratic congressman rocking out an iPad while at the podium in the U.S. House of Representatives. The stylish iPad wielder was Henry Cuellar of the Texas 28th, who's described himself as a "techie." According to Politico's interview with Cuellar, the congressman uses his iPad first thing in the morning to check the papers while enjoying his cup of coffee. He uses his tablet again in the evening to check his email and see if there are any important news stories. In terms of professional apps, Cuellar uses Congress in Your Pocket to keep tabs on his fellow politicians. He has another app that works like a teleprompter (unspecified, but likely to be ProPrompter) allowing his aides to send him important talking points. The app he doesn't have? Angry Birds. Apparently, Cuellar likes to keep his iPad productive and distraction-free. That's not all. Cuellar confirmed that he's "seen a couple of other members that have their iPads." Maybe he's starting a Beltway trend.

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