jasonishibashi’s posterous

 

Mac mini Sneaks Into Apple Store with iPhone Pre-Orders

Check out the new Mac mini

As you can see, not only is it smaller but it's packed with goodies!  HDMI and a SD Card Slot are finally included.

Also notice that power port.  The power supply is built into the tiny case as well, so no more power brick!

On the bottom, a circular rubber foot to hold the Mac mini firmly to your table, but it's also removable to reveal your memory slots.  No more putty knife for RAM upgrades.

Faster Core 2 processor with nVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor is supposed to double the performance (Apple's claim).

Solid unibody aluminum so it looks at home along side all your other Apple gear.

The only downside?  The price increased to $699 and $999.

Filed under: apple Mac mini
 

iPhone Pricing and Colors

It's available in, surprise, black or white.

  • 16GB for $199
  • 32GB for $299

If your AT&T contract expires any time in 2010 you are immediately eligible for a new iPhone 4 at the same $199 or $299 prices if you renew your contract for another two (2) years.

The 8GB iPhone 3Gs will be $99.

On sale June 24, pre-orders June 15 shipping in 5 countries (US, France, Germany, UK, Japan)

  • 18 more countries shipping in July
  • 24 more in August
  • 40 more in September.

The dock for iPhone 4 will be $29

Apple will be offering cases in many colors.  No price listed.

iOS 4 will be available as an upgrade on June 21 for iPhone 3Gs and limited use on iPhone 3G.

Filed under: apple iOS 4 iPhone iPhone 4 wwdc
 

Meet FaceTime

Apple is calling their video chat feature FaceTime which will allow you to chat from iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 over WiFI with no setup.

You can use the front or rear camera and use it in either portrait or landscape.

FaceTime will be Wi-Fi only in 2010 with cellular providers "getting ready for the future."  Ball's in your court AT&T.

No word if you will be able to communicate with desktop client programs, iPads, or if developers (Skype, for example) will have access to the cameras for video chat  "FaceTime is becoming an industry standard."  Whatever that means.

Filed under: apple FaceTime video chat wwdc
 

TURN YOUR WI-FI OFF!

Steve Jobs is video chatting with Johnny Ive over Wi-Fi on the new iPhone.

Video freezes sometimes and Steve yells at people to turn their Wi-Fi off.

Granted, 570 WiFi base stations in one given location is bound to create an insane number of packet collisions.

Filed under: apple iPhone video conference wwdc
 

WWDC LiveBlogs Shut Down

570 WiFi base stations are operating in the same room for the WWDC keynote.  The packet collisions must be incredible!

Ars Technica, Gizmodo, Technologizer, and gdgt are still up.

Filed under: apple wwdc
 

Next iPhone Details

Stainless steel all around and glass on the front and back.  It's really thin at 23% thinner than the 3Gs and the "thinnest smartphone on the planet."

Pretty much as expected like the prototype eventually bought and exposed by Gizmodo.

  • New design
  • Front facing camera
  • Microsim
  • Camera and LED flash on the back

As presented yesterday on Leo Laporte's This Week In Tech podacast, there is a new screen called "Retina Display"

  • 326 pixels per inch (like a laser printer)
  • 800:1 contrast ratio
  • 3.5" IPS technology "for superb color and wide viewing angle"
  • 960x640 resolution
  • iPhone OS 4 will automatically scale apps to run on Retina Display

The new iPhone will be running the same A4 chip that is in the iPad.

  • Larger battery plus A4's optimization leads to:
    • 5-7 hours talk time on 3G
    • 6 hours browsing on 3G
    • 10 hours browsing on Wi-Fi
    • 40 hours of music
    • 10 hours of video
    • 300 hours of standby
  • Up to 32 GB of storage
  • Quad-band HSDPA/HSUPA for 7.2 Mbps down, 4.8 Mbps up (theoretical)
  • 802.11n Wi-Fi
  • GPS + Accelerometer + Compass
  • Dual mics for noise-cancellation
  • NEW! 3-axis gyroscope

All new camera system for the iPhone

  • Increase from 3MP to 5MP
  • Kept each pixel sensor area the same as the 3MP for better low light performance
  • Backside illuminated sensor for better low light performance
  • 5x digital zoom
  • 720p HD Video at 30 fps
  • Tap to Focus for still and video
  • LED Flash for still and video
  • Releasing iMovie for iPhone app

iMovie for iPhone App

  • Record directly to timeline or choose from existing clips
  • Pinch to change scale of timeline
  • Add photos with Ken Burns effect
  • Change transitions with a scroll box
  • Add titles to show up in video
  • Camera records geolocation
  • Add music tracks
  • Select and apply a theme for the video
  • Available for $4.99

Filed under: apple iPhone wwdc
 

Netflix Comes to iPhone/iPodTouch/iPad

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is introducing the Netflix app for iPhone OS.

  • Coming this summer for free
  • Same service you're used to on your iPhone OS device
  • Start on your TV and pick up wherever you'd like
  • Personalized recommendations
  • Access to Netflix's complete library
Filed under: apple ipad iPhone iPod Touch Netflix Streaming Video wwdc
 

iPad iBooks Update Coming "Later This Month"

Adding Highlights and Notes

Control in upper-right to bookmark a page

Table of Contents lists bookmarks and notes you created

There is a new bookshelf for PDFs that you upload to iBooks

Filed under: apple ibooks ipad wwdc
 

iPad - Target Audience part 2 - Baby Boomers

The target audience for the iPad?  Baby Boomers.  Steve Jobs invented a device for his people.  An APPLICATION COMPUTER.

The generation that introduced YOU to the computer is the one in greatest need of a computer built for them.  My dad (electrical engineer and at-first-glance-geek) has had computers all his life starting with punch-card mainframes.  But as he ages, he becomes more and more resistant to change.  

He went the Apple route starting with an Apple II.  This was followed by a Macintosh, a PowerBook, a Macintosh II, and a G3.  But System 9 was really showing it's age and our entire household went to Windows.  Despite the return of Steve Jobs and the innovation brought by Mac OS X, my dad kept to Windows XP.  He understood it and could use it to do everything he needed.

Despite his familiarity with System and Finder moving him to OS X 10.4 Tiger was somewhat more difficult than I expected.  In fact, I think it was easier to move my 90 year old grandfather from Windows XP to Tiger (in truth, because my grandfather doesn't do as much with his computer as my father).  

Computers are flexible.  There's many ways to do the same task.  Some are more powerful than others.  Some are easier than others.  Some are faster than others.  It seems things can be powerful, easy, or fast, pick two.

Let's look at things my dad and grandfather do:

 

  1. Check sports scores and stats
  2. E-mail
  3. Read a few webpages
  4. Online Banking
  5. Music
  6. Skype
  7. Amazon
  8. Photos kids, grandkids, cousins post
  9. Weather info
  10. Keep a database of DVDs and home videos

 

Both of them have a Mac Mini.  My dad sits far too close to his, and my grandfather uses a 60" DLP at 720p.  Oh, and have you ever watched a 90-year-old use a mouse or touch pad?  They just don't have the muscle control us young'uns do.

The iPod Touch can do everything they need, in a much easier interface that they can't screw up, but neither of them can see the screen worth a darn.  Also, the lack of keyboard is troublesome.

Enter the iPad.  It's a great size for them (132ppi might still be small, but with 2x scaling of iPhone apps we essentially get 66ppi).  There's a keyboard for them to use for e-mail.  They can't screw anything up.  It's $499.

Netbooks, even laptops, are too small for them, and they're too complicated.  Desktops are too complicated.  This is a device that fulfills a role that there is no competitor.  The iPhone interface might not be the best, but when it comes to easy and intuitive, it's leaps and bounds ahead of any desktop OS.

This audience is not looking for flexible.  They're not looking for powerful.  They're looking for one easy way to get stuff done.  the iPad gives it to them.

Filed under: apple ipad
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