Where it's Okay to be a Fan
Bigger is not always better. And one size really doesn't fit all. I believe Apple was tossing around all of these cliches when they came up with the iPad Pro 9.7. I don't believe it is a reaction to iPad Pro sales. Even remix products take time to develop and execute.
Read MoreIt is one thing for you to get your chocolate in my peanut butter. After all, they are two great tastes that taste great together. But what happens when Windows and Android dance the Watusi? Who are the people clamoring for the Frankenstein notebook? Are these actually two great tastes? Do they actually taste great together, making a whole that is better than the sum of its parts? Because more manufacturers will be putting out these products this year, we are going to be finding out real soon.
Read MoreI tried to stay away from CES coverage; I really did. I'll make this quick, as it makes me feel a bit dirty. The iPad Pro has been a certainty the moment the iPad Air name was unveiled. Naturally, Samsung could not bear to be left out of the party. In an attempt to get out ahead of the wave, they are prepping the announcement of an iPad... I mean, Galaxy note, and Galaxy Tab Pro.
Read MoreAre you an iPad writer? Do you have a bluetooth keyboard case? Do you think of your iPad as a notebook replacement, the netbook Apple never made? Are your text messages measured in paragraphs rather than characters? Somewhere on your iPad, do you have the beginnings of a draft of that novel you always dreamed of writing? If any of this sounds reasonable and not completely daft, then you are an iPad writer, and you need a writer's tool. Allow me to tell you about the one I've been using lately:
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If you haven't opened your 12 Days of Gifts app from Apple lately, today would be a good day to do so. Today's free gift is the movie, Hugo. If you haven't seen it, you're in for a treat.
Read MoreHaving just listened to the TNT prediction show for 2014, I thought I would go ahead and write down a few of my own predictions for the coming year. If my predictions prove to be true, you can bet there will be a follow-up. If not, well…
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Do you remember when Android first came out? Does anybody? The internet has a very short memory, So let this be a reminder; Android was actually in development before the iPhone was introduced. Here is something else you may have forgotten. Android was originally a clone of the Blackberry OS. At the time, the was no iOS to copy. Once the iPhone was unveiled, Google scrapped their Blackberry clone, and started making an iPhone clone.
Read MoreIn case you've been wondering, of course I've been following the NSA story since the first Snowden leaks. I have simply chosen not to make a career of it as some blogs have done. For wall to wall coverage on everything related to the NSA, let me suggest theverge.com. It is my intention to keep this piece concise, with only a handful of points for you to consider.
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Don't shoot the messenger. I'm not being tasteless for the sake of being tasteless. The bit of headline that caught your eye is a quote from a Qualcomm insider. In an unexpected fit of honesty, he said a lot of things. Apple turned the industry on its ear when they announced the iPhone 5s. The 64-bit A7 chip is a revolutionary advance that took the chip world by storm. While everyone took pains to publicly downplay the advance, privately, they were sweating blood. Here's a few examples:
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There is no ambiguity about which tablet people want. But, there is often a great gulf between what people want, and what they can afford. That gulf is where the non-iPad, tablet market lives. Amazon has a new plan to capture that market that should put fear into the other, Android tablet competitors.
Read MoreAlthough this is a continuation of a piece on the iPhone's success in Japan, I thought it appropriate to start with the success of the iPad. Japan has proven to be a fertile market for iDevices despite the counter-indicators. For anyone thinking that the iPhone's success in Japan was a fluke, the success of the iPad should abruptly cut off that line of thinking.
Read MoreWhy, all of a sudden, does the world seem to care about the iPhone coming to China Mobile? If you scan the latest out of the tech press, that is all you see. I have been following this story for quite some time. It has been in the making for years. Honestly, I didn't care then, either. And I am having a hard time figuring out why it matters to any other, semi-normal human. Before giving you my guesses, allow me to catch you up on the particulars:
Read More37% of online sales are done on mobile devices. iPhones and iPads account for almost all of those devices. That was certainly the case on Black Friday. I am for anything that takes more Black Friday sales online and off the streets. We are constantly told that there are more Android phones and tablets than iPhones and iPads, so why are mobile purchases so skewed in favor of iOS?
Read MoreApple's marketing team declare this to be the Friday you've been waiting for. However, there is a good chance the deals Apple has on offer are not the deals you were looking for. They are not exactly placing a lump of coal in your stocking. But they are also not reducing prices on, what will surely be the most popular gifts of the year. Instead, they are offering gift cards so that you can buy even more Apple products.
Read MoreHTC is taking a second stab at a gold colored phone since the launch of the iPhone 5S. The first attempt was a phone coated in real gold. For the record, gold is an awful material for making things like smartphones. This time around, HTC has decided to just skip the pretense, and directly copy Apple's champaign finish.
Read MoreApple is clearly have no trouble selling apps on the App Store. That may explain why the App Store has been updated so little over the years. But there is still a lot of room for improvement where the App Store is concerned, and Apple seems poised to address one of my biggest feature requests:
Read MoreFrom the moment Apple announced the iPad Air, I have been anticipating the iPad Pro. From a marketing perspective, it seem unlikely that there would be an air without a pro, or at least, a standard model. The MacBook Air is so named, in part, to differentiate it from the MacBook Pro. The MacBook Air took over the spot that was formerly held by the MacBook, no suffix. My point is that the MacBook Air is not a product that lives in a vacuum.
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The gaming press has been all abuzz over the just released, PlayStation 4, and the pending, Xbox One from Sony and Microsoft, respectively. Getting almost no attention is Apple's gaming initiative, now coming to fruition. This Summer, Apple revealed its secret plans to developers for official, third-party, game controller support. Today, Logitech has made good on that potential by releasing the POWERSHELL CONTROLLER + BATTERY: a game controller for the iPhone and iPod touch.
Read MoreSometimes we iPhone and iPad users don't realize how lucky we are. Apple puts a lot of time, money, and energy into coming up with new ways to make using technology a joy. They put equal resources into making it safe and secure. Things Apple prioritizes are mere afterthoughts for competitors, until, that is, they see the competitive advance such features give Apple. Activation Lock is one of those features. Unfortunately for competitors, their attempt to copy it has hit a bit of a snag.
Read MoreIf you want to contribute to the typhoon relief for the Philippines, Apple has made it doorknob simple. Just fire up iTunes, any version. Pictured above is the iPad version. Just watch that featured carousel at the top. If it is not there immediately, after a few seconds, the Red Cross banner will come around. Click or tap it to get to the screen that you see above.
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