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Weekend Poll: Thinsperational or Ugly?
A wave-themed banner goes up at Moscone West. It joins the iOS 7 banner revealed earlier today. Beautiful? Or a horrifying glimpse of art over usability? Some are saying it means OS X will be Sea Lion. Some are saying it's just a wave. Others are speaking in hushed riddles... What does it mean? We set up a poll below so you can tell us what you think it means. Of course we'll know by next Monday, won't we? %Poll-82858% As for us, we're all about the thin. Here's our new TUAW banner, chock full of Ivedesign. (just kidding)
Weekend Poll: What would you have asked Tim Cook at All Things Digital?
On Tuesday, Tim Cook took the stage at D11: All Things Digital. Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg spent nearly an hour and a half asking Cook about Apple's future plans and directions, questions he evaded with dignity and forbearance. Topics included wearable tech, Apple's potential foray into television sets, and diversification of Apple's iPhone line. As we sat and watched here at TUAW central, we shook our heads at what we perceived as wasted opportunity after wasted opportunity. Anyone could have guessed that Cook would not reveal Apple's internal development secrets. Here, they had Cook, a man sitting at the forefront of mobile and desktop development, and, frustratingly, asked him product questions they knew he wouldn't answer instead of exploring the man's insights. As one anonymous TUAW blogger put it, "It was 81 minutes of 'I can't tell you.' It gave me a headache" So where was the philosophy? How is user interaction developing over the next few years? What is the future of the desktop? What trends are pushing the evolution of accessible computing? What role does design language play in Jony Ive's interface refresh? What lessons is Apple taking from the Surface -- what did Microsoft get right, and what did they get wrong? It's been a year since "Toaster Fridge", looking back did you have it right? We were bursting with questions like these, ones we felt that Cook could have openly addressed. Of course, Monday morning quarterbacking is easier than being in the hot seat ourselves -- especially with such well respected interviewers. But surely, Mossberg and Swisher would have gone into their discussion with an agenda they'd discussed and considered. We're just befuddled by the questions they chose to prioritize. What did you think of Cook's D11 interview? Valuable as is? Or would you have ran things differently? You tell us. Join in this poll and then tell us in the comments what questions you would have asked. %Poll-82712%
Weekend Poll: What apps did you discover via the 50 billionth download contest?
On Wednesday, Apple sold its 50 billionth iOS app. TUAW was there keeping track of the excitement and monitoring the iTunes store. Many of our colleagues and readers used this contest as an opportunity to stock up on numerous free apps, to test and explore. Were you one of them? What apps did you download and which ones do you love? Here at TUAW, most of our choices were word of mouth -- Megan downloaded Moves while I gave the Target app a try. I managed to convince Steve Sande to pick up Enigma. Sadly, none of us won. What about you? Did you discover a really great app while trying to win the prize? Drop a note in the comments and share your discoveries. And take part in our little poll. We're curious as to how many times people "entered" with the intent of winning big. %Poll-82542%
Weekend Poll: Are you switching to T-Mo?
On Friday, T-Mobile finally launched its iPhone line, offering some great deals along the way. Did you hop over and place a request for an iPhone 5? American customers now have more service choices than ever. From Cricket to Straight Talk, Virgin to Sprint, you can now shop plans, devices, and options more than ever before. How are you making your choices? Is T-Mobile's appealingly inexpensive basic plan winning your heart? Or do you need more sophisticated choices and premium features? Do you need truly unlimited data? Or is a high-allocation with a cap enough for your needs? Are family plans important? Or do you depend on tethering? What feature is driving your choice of carriers? Join in this poll and then add your comments about what matters most to you from your iPhone plan. %Poll-81982%
Weekend Poll: What rate, innovation?
Over the past year, things seem to have slowed down at Apple. OS upgrades have spaced out. The iPhone seems to have stabilized to a fairly consistent product -- the 4, 4S, and 5 aren't markedly different, other than a small bump in size. OS X has become more a matter of bug fixes, smoothing and refinement, than new features. So where's our big wow? It's not that Apple really needs innovation at this point. Its stable of products has a continued high demand, and consumers are responding to channel inventory in a gratifying way. Most of Apple's newest products have been upgraded in subtle but important ways, but "subtle" doesn't always feed the public's perception of innovation and revolution. So does Apple need that innovative push right now? The competition, certainly, has not stood still. From handsets the size of baby dolphins to low-cost high-definition tablets, the market is trying to find new device expressions. Where does Apple stand in all this? You tell us. Join in our poll and then drop your opinions into the comments section, and tell us where you see Apple innovating over the next few years. %Poll-81772%
Weekend Poll: Retina MacBook Pro
The MacBook Pro has always represented the best of business computing. With its powerful processors, superb screen sizes, and now Retina display, it's the belle of Apple's showroom. The MBP with Retina display has had a rougher time of things, however, than the standard-issue debutante. Screen ghosting, heat problems, battery deficiencies, and UI lags, this past year has been anything but magical for Apple's flagship business product. What are your thoughts on the rMBP? Best thing Apple has ever made? Or a problematic product with growing pains? Join in this poll and then share your comments explaining your thoughts. %Poll-81613%
Weekend Poll: Desktop Hygiene
How do you organize your OS X desktop? That topic became a matter of much heat and passion in the TUAW back channels recently. That's my desktop you see up there. It's not particularly pristine but I don't feel it's overly cluttered either. I keep links to all my current project folders on the desk, and store all my must-have utilities in an always-visible dock to the right. The background is plain white to support better screen shots, a big part of my daily work. I've disabled spring-loaded items. Those are aliased folders at the bottom of the dock, so they open to real Finder windows. I have many apps set to Quickeys macros. Everything else I find with Spotlight. Other TUAWians spoke passionately about the mouse-sensitive bottom dock, of well-organized Launchpads. Some of us like to use menu bar utilities to store quick-access items, allowing the desk to be perfectly clean. And then there are some who don't worry about the perfect desktop. They just place whatever items they need wherever they need it. There's no snap-to-gridding for them! What about you? What does your desktop look like? Are you a neat fetishist, a file slob or something in-between? What tools do you use to organize your workspace? Join in this poll and then leave comments (and screenshots if you like -- upload to imgur.com or similar and include the URL) below. %Poll-81313%
Weekend Poll: Does the budget iPhone have legs?
Rumors continue to fly about a budget-priced iPhone. Although we here at TUAW remain completely agnostic on the likelihood of this product, we certainly can understand why Apple would benefit from a low-cost product -- and not just for emerging markets like China. Consider the iPad 2. It's still for sale, with a budget price and great Apple engineering. The iPad 2 and the mini represent affordable products with high demand that consumers are choosing over high-end features like Retina displays. Why wouldn't an iPhone benefit from a similar pricing spectrum? It's not the extra phone hardware (you can buy a cheap phone at any TracFone or Cricket dealer) that's driving costs. Even the lowest-priced current iPhone model (the iPhone 4) requires a 2-year commitment in the US. That commitment and low up-front costs hide the true price of the unit. The iPhone 4 still costs US$450 contract-free. America's bizarre contract plans hide true hardware prices. This is particularly frustrating to our overseas-based TUAWians. They want to buy a modern iPhone running the latest iOS but an affordable price and not necessarily with all the latest bells and whistles of the sexy flagship release. Paying US-style high-but-hidden-costs for Apple handsets goes against the grain. High handset prices also work against US adoption amongst high schoolers, an important market. Today's HS kids expect a lot of sophistication from their phones and aren't willing to settle for the iPod touch. They want data, texting and calling plans more than they care about gyroscopes, top-end cameras and Retina displays. Their parents, footing the bills, are searching for bargains and compromise. If they can't get it from Apple, they'll get it from other vendors. It's a vast untapped market for Apple, full of potential. You'd think if Apple could deliver a modern, feature-packed mini iPad for about $300, they'd be able to ship a low-end iPhone for near that, plastic chassis and all. What do you think? Is an iPhone 5B ("B" for bargain") phone in the works? Or is this something that Apple will avoid in order to preserve its premium brand? Cast your vote in the poll and then join in the comments with your analysis and opinions. %Poll-81056%
Holiday Poll: What Apple product rumor do you want to see go real?
It's a pretty slow news day due to today's holiday. A bunch of us were joking around in the TUAW back channels about fake and rumored products we'd love to see Apple actually bring to life. I'm rooting for a Pro refresh, while Randy N's holding out hope for a brand new generation of Newtons. Meg? She's got her eye on a complete iWork refresh. What about you? Vote in our poll and tell us what products we've missed in the comments. %Poll-80925%
Weekend Poll: What's up for Apple this Spring?
Normally as February and March roll around, our minds start drifting towards iPads and OS X. Until this past year, when Apple seemed to reset its iPad clock in October, we saw new hardware ticking by each Spring. Late Winter is also usually the time we hear the first meows of Apple's newest OS X cat. So what about this year? With iPad shifting to pre-Christmas updates, will we see a refresh? And with Federighi spearheading a joint iOS/OS X restructuring, have we seen the last of the felines? Is it time for OS Xi? Will this be the year that Apple moves past traditional OS X and AppKit and introduces a grand unified operating system along the lines introduced by Steve Jobs in October 2011? You tell us. Join in these polls and then share your thoughts in the comments. %Poll-80761% %Poll-80768%
Weekend poll: Why the long OS upgrade delays?
iOS 6.1. OS X 10.8.3. What do they have in common? They are Apple operating system updates that many expected to debut way earlier than now. So why the delay? Is Apple fixing engineering issues from previous teams? As Craig Federighi (at right) takes control over a joint OS X/iOS team, are new directions being explored? Is this extra time allowing code review and bug fixes? Or is something else at play? Could someone have exposed the engineers to water and/or bright lights? You tell us. Jump into this poll and then add your comments about the latest OS delays. %Poll-80327%
What Apple gear do you buy a reindeer for Christmas?
Maybe we're tipplin' the 'nog a bit too much here at TUAW Central, but we thought you'd enjoy joining in our poll on the best Apple-themed presents for Rangifer tarandus volans. These animals are responsible for an awful lot of hard work, distributing presents, defying physics (something with a lot of "quantum" appears to be involved in collapsing gift waves simultaneously), waiting on rooftops as a big fat man makes his way down ventilation ducts and other rooftop access points, and racking up frequent flyer miles. While most of the coverage today seems to focus on the big fellow, our hearts go out to the overlooked heroes of the Christmas distribution process: the reindeer. What would you buy Rudolph and his pals in gratitude for their service? %Poll-79740%
Ditching the iPhone? Planning for 2013
Ever since the iPad mini debuted, I've had a plan brewing at the back of my mind. Sometime in 2013, I'm considering ditching my iPhone, picking up a refurb 1st gen iPad mini 3G (I assume I won't be putting this plan into action until the spring at the earliest), and buying a cheap Tracfone with triple minutes for life. I figure it would save my family a bunch of cash. I'd be dropping my unlimited iPhone data plan, but since I'd also be dropping my voice plan -- a service I barely use, with expensive wasted minutes -- I could basically buy 3 GB/month for less than I'm paying for my voice/data plan combined. Instead of paying $70/month, I could cover my voice needs for $100/year and drop my data to maybe $30/month. Basically, my costs would go from $840-ish per year down to $480-ish per year. What's more, I'd address one of my biggest complaints about the iPhone -- the screen size. The iPad mini's larger screen would work far better for reading on the go. And yet, I hesitate. The honest truth is that I love my iPhone. I love its small portable form factor. I love how I can just put it in a pocket and I'm ready to go. Although I do most things in life with a small backpack, I really really really like how easily the iPhone allows me to grab it and go. I can use Siri when stopped at a light to message, to find directions, to make a note, to add a reminder, and so forth. I love how the iPhone is a single thing, not a pair, and how well it does all the jobs I give it to do. Moving from iPhone to mini means sacrificing that grab and use functionality. But is that functionality worth nearly $400 a year to me and my family? It's not as if I can't do all these things (excluding placing calls and SMS texts) on a mini. It offers all the iOS found on Apple's other devices, including Siri support, a camera system, and so forth. If I'd have to put a price tag on love, my iPhone love would cost about, well, $400. I've omitted the capital costs here since for my job I'd probably be picking up the hardware anyway at some point -- this only assumes that I'd buy a 3G instead of the WiFi that I'd normally purchase. So what do you think? Is this the biggest heresy since Grothaus suggested going Samsung? Or is this a reasonable and sensible direction during tough economic conditions? You tell me. Drop a note into the comments and share your opinion.
Where's my convertible Mac?
Here at TUAW, we just received our 5 billionth review request for a new iPad keyboard system. More and more, makeshift solutions attempting to turn iPads into laptops is a "been there done that" for me. Is it "too Microsoft" to ask Apple to come out with a proper convertible notebook/tablet, a duo for the new decade? After all, Windows 8 hasn't exactly been redefining the user experience. That's something that Apple usually does. There are, admittedly, problems with the proposition: You can already "kind of sort of" get work done on iPads -- more than ever, now that software is expanding for the touch-based office, Bluetooth accessories are ubiquitous, and onboard dictation means you don't have to hunch over a desktop to get things done. OS X isn't meant for small screens or touch interfaces. You probably don't want to be running Xcode on an iPad mini. Even though many technologies for iOS and OS X are converging, the underlying basis for sandboxing the file system are still far enough apart that running both OS'es on a single unit would be a smidge difficult. Not impossible, but difficult. The raw power needed to compile efficiently would price a convertible out of the market and it would probably have to weigh as much as a Macbook Pro to get any real work done. On the other hand, wouldn't it be awesome if a tablet really could do full desktop-level creation work, be able to dock to monitors wirelessly, be able to operate in tablet mode, and provide all the power of Apple's top systems in a tiny package. By the way, I'd also like sparkles for my rainbow pony unicorn. None of these technologies are unachievable, although ports, storage and battery life would provide strong design challenges, not to mention balancing weight into the equation. And, of course, the bigger question is would a frankentablet sell? Are we heading towards a unified device solution? Or is the triumvurate of desktop / laptop / tablet due to continue for the foreseeable future? You tell us. Vote in this poll and then join in the comments. %Poll-79548%
My Mac mini is my 2012 tech boyfriend
As 2012 draws to a close, I'm happy to report that I am totally in love with my new Mac mini. It boots like a dream. Its Fusion drive seamlessly and invisibly manages my data, keeping the files system snappy and responsive. Even Xcode, bane of my existence, crashes faster and more smoothly than it did on my old system. My new setup, which set me back just under $1100 after all was said and done, is a fully loaded 2.6GHz Intel Core i7. I self-service upgraded the memory to 16GB (thanks Josh for convincing me that I could do it all on my own!). I connected existing monitors (courtesy of sales at Costco), keyboard and mouse, saving me a bundle over the iMac. Sure the new mini gives off enough heat to warm my house (bonus during winter months, probably not so much this coming summer), but I'm willing to look past such minor inconveniences because things aren't slow any more. My mini is powerful, and I am really happy with my purchase. This has been a good year for hardware, in my opinion. Admittedly, I know some people are still a little upset about the whole iPad 3 thing where Apple bumped the product line just six months after its debut. Looking at the hardware out there for sale right now, from the sleek iMac to the great iOS offerings to my lovely mini, I think Apple has done an amazing job. Software, on the other hand, sort of bugs me. I know that taking aim at iTunes 11 is shooting fish in a barrel, but here's an example of why iTunes just drives me nuts. I own a lot of apps. A loooooot of apps -- it's a byproduct of my job. So when I want to add a file to one of the apps in my collection, I don't expect my Apps tab in iTunes to turn into some kind of Three Stooges routine. The following video shows what I have to do to add a file to Omni Graph Sketcher (OmniGS). You see, under iTunes 11, the app column and the contents column scroll together. And since "O" comes in the latter part of the alphabet (heaven help me had it it been "ZomniGS"), to see the files that are in the app, I have to scroll the entire page up to get to the documents list. This is unbelievably poor design. If you recall, Apple just recently had a huge executive shakeup that particularly impacted the software and retail side of the house. I'm actually pretty excited to see where this leads to next year. With Jony Ive taking over direction for Human Interaction, I pray this kind of poor GUI creation, along with hiding "Save As" and other unpopular engineering choices, will no longer make it through approval. I want to see this badly designed software replaced by clean thoughtful solutions that match what people want and need to do. If it takes a bit more time to create that software, I'm willing to wait. Apple always ships software that's not quite baked. I'd like to see things, however, that won't give users the digital equivalent of salmonella. As far as 2012 goes, I'm thinking that hardware was the overall winner of the year. Here's looking forward to 2013. What did you love and hate about Apple this year? Join in the comments and share your opinions.
OS X's MIA features: Out of style or out of time?
One of the things that typifies Mountain Lion is Apple's insistence on removing existing features that users know and love. I suspect some just weren't finished in time, but others seem to simplify interfaces at the cost of user frustration. Here at TUAW Central, we receive regular emails from readers asking for work-arounds for features that no longer appear in OS X. Need a menu-bar display control? There's an app for that. Want to add hyperlink annotations in Preview? You may need to hunt around a bit for a solution, but there's not one in Preview itself. Operating systems are supposed to keep improving -- offering fixes and better features. With Apple, OS upgrades often have users wondering where their favorite tools are and why things they used to be able to easily accomplish are no longer possible. I will spare you the exact phrasing Beloved TUAW Leader Victor Agreda Jr shared to express his displeasure with the the current Airport utility, and turn to TUAW Editor Mike Rose. Rose points out that simplifying the user interface only goes so far. Apple understands that 80 percent of user interactivity applies to just 20 percent of OS features. This encourages Apple to trim down feature sets for better maintainability. "You can only apply the 80/20 rule so many times, however," Rose explained, "Before you're left with an on-off switch and a picture of an Apple." As rumors of OS X 10.9 ramp up under a unified OS team led by Craig Federighi, we wonder: what message would you send Apple? What features do they need to bring back, what features would you battle to the death to save and what features would you be willing to cut? Join in the comments with your thoughts, and let us know what you think. It's the Apple Operating System Battle Royale. May the OS ever be in your favor.
To migrate or not to migrate: that is the upgrade question
Face it, a simple migration saves you lots of work. Apple's Migration Assistant transfers information when you set up your new Mac, letting you retain all your preferences and passwords on your new system. You pick up one one machine where you left off on another. So why do so many of us here at TUAW manually set up our computers? It's all about cruft, that stuff that builds up over time. Cruft includes apps you no longer use, preferences you don't really remember setting, bits and pieces scattered around your system that accumulate with use. We love unboxing, smelling that captured Shenzhen air, and setting up from scratch instead of bringing all our old mistakes and history along with us. And quite a number of us do this whenever we upgrade. Sure, it's a much harder process. I have a migration log that I use each time I set up a Mac. It takes at least a half day of work, waiting for applications to transfer, re-entering serial numbers, adjusting the way my scrollbars work ("Show scrollbars: always, Mouse > Scroll direction, natural: disable), and tweaking my hosts file (someonewhocares.org). And that's just a taste of the customization I do. Manually setting up your system transforms an automatic act into a deliberate one. It provides an excellent opportunity to question historical choices and evaluate how you want your system to behave. It's a natural break point, where you can reconsider how you've designed key system elements and where you can try out new ones fresh. It gives you a sense that your new computer really is new, complete with "new car" smell. You wouldn't want to move over all the crumb-infested juicebox-stained seats from your old minivan to your new Porsche, so why would you want to do the same for your Mac? Agreed, that's not a fair metaphor -- but it gives a sense of the ownership some of us want to feel over our new system. There's nothing there that we didn't deliberately put there. Sure, that sense of control quickly fades away as we start building up caches and attachment folders, temp files and so forth. But at least for a while, our system is fresh. And that's something worth considering the next time you upgrade. What about you? Are you a migrator or a manual installer? Place a vote in this poll and then join in the comments with your thoughts. %Poll-78896%
You're the Pundit: iPad mini may be the death knell for iPad 2
When it comes to evaluating the next big thing, we turn to our secret weapon: the TUAW braintrust. We put the question to you and let you have your go at it. Today's topic is the iPad 2. First introduced in March 2011, it's been a brilliant standard-bearer for Apple's tablet tech. Offering a total redesign from the original iPad, it lacks only a few bells, whistles, and pixels compared to the current "new" iPad. In fact, it's still Apple's budget choice for many consumers with limited discretionary funds. Starting at $399, it offers a hundred dollar break compared to the low-end current generation model. With the iPad mini likely around the corner, does its introduction mean the iPad 2 will give way? Will the iPad mini kill the iPad 2 -- and should it? Apple has never been afraid to cannibalize its own product line. In this case, there's the iPad 2 on one side, and the newly refreshed iPod touch on the other, both competing in the same price arena. Although the iPad 2 is aging gracefully, it's been on the market for 19 months. That puts it in the "matronly" category in the market of new hot mobile devices. At the same time, the Christmas buying season is upon us. Would Apple stop making and selling the iPad 2 at a time where a big pool of potential buyers likes the idea of purchase choice? You tell us. Place your vote in this poll and then join in the comments with all your analysis. %Poll-78398%
You're the Pundit: Name the new new iPad
When it comes to evaluating the next big thing, we turn to our secret weapon: the TUAW braintrust. We put the question to you and let you have your go at it. Today's topic is the newer new iPad. You know, the small one. All indications point to Apple's "a little more" being a 7.85-inch iPad. What's more, we think Apple is probably going to do the obvious and name it "the iPad mini" because the "new new iPad" just sounds ridiculous. But what if Apple didn't? What if it decided against the obvious and went, well, a little more creative. What name would you support? You tell us. Place your vote in this poll and then join in the comments with all your analysis. %Poll-78383% Thanks to everyone on Twitter who suggested names!
You're the Pundit: How low will the mini go?
When it comes to evaluating the next big thing, we turn to our secret weapon: the TUAW braintrust. We put the question to you and let you have your go at it. Today's topic is the iPad mini's price. The low end Kindle Fire retails at $159 and the HD at $199. (Bezos recently confirmed that their devices sell at cost, with no profit.) The Google Nexus 7 is $249. The re-engineered iPod touch starts at $299 for a 32GB unit. The lowest-end new iPads (not the "new iPad", but new 16GB "iPad 2" units) start at $399. Assuming Apple does launch a 7.85" iPad mini unit in a few weeks, how will it price it into this existing marketplace? Does it have to leave room for the iPod touch with its 4" Retina screen, enhanced cameras, and groovy colors? Or can it sell itself at the same price point or lower with its bigger screen and bargain features? (Groovy colors remain welcome, however.) Could Apple launch the mini at $299 or even $199 without undercutting their product line? Or should even the littlest-iPad-that-could bring enough features to the table to match the performance and price of the iPad 2? You tell us. Place your vote in this poll and then join in the comments with all your analysis. %Poll-78245%
