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The iPhone has been considered to be one of the best smartphones currently on the market. It allows people to stay organized on the move with a convenient device that is “always on and always connected” and includes crucial applications for business people calendar, contacts and email. Although these apps are pretty good for the average users, they leave more to be desired for the business user. The largest limitation for business people is the limitation to only synchronizing with one exchange account. Another problem is the limited calendar functionality, it once again is fine for the average user, and I use the calendar on my iPod Touch all the time, but, business people want more. The contacts app should add the ability to subscribe shared contacts lists which is very common in the world of big business.

My solution to these problems is that Apple should make Pro versions of the core applications for example, Contacts Pro, that add the functionality for business users and sell the  upgrade for a minimal price, even 99 cents and I’m sure a lot of iPhone owner would buy it. In fact, if it was 99 cents for the upgrades, I would even consider the upgrade because it could make the iPhone a much more productive device.

Although the reactions to Apple’s new tablet, the iPad have not been that of the revolutionary product many people thought it would be, I have found a perfect use for the iPad. The iPad is a great device for video production. I have found several great uses for it in the field of video production and all of them make producing video much easier. The first and what I think is the best use is for the Director, and Producer to have a script to follow during production either in a read-only PDF file or using the $10 pages app. This is great if they just want to follow along during the production or make changes as the production goes on. Another use is for the accountant or whoever has to keep a budget for the production can make adjustments or  track expenses on location. I can also be a great communication device between talent, crew, producers and directors. Another use for it is for a slate, there are several slate/clapperboard apps for the iPhone and the 10 inch slate would be great to have on the set and then open an app to have a slate ready making synchronizing audio and video much easier. It also would work as a great shot log either in a specific app or just in a Numbers spreadsheet. The final use the iPad could serve is watch video back by importing video into iTunes and syncing it to the iPad to see how the video has turned-out.

Now that Apple has released the much anticipated iPad, and we know that all the applications in the iPhone App store can now run on iPad in regular size or in double size to fill the screen. There are certain applications that I think if they are developed for the iPad that will make the iPad an even more amazing device.

1. Dropbox with Editing

This would be great, although you can buy iWork of the iPad, this would work much better because you can edit documents and then synchronize them to all your computers.

2. Newspaper and Magazine Readers

During the Keynote, the New York Times showed an application to read their articles one the iPad in a full screen application. It would be really nice if there was an application that would allow you to subscribe to several Newspapers and Magazines and have them delivered to your iPad once they are released. The 10 inch screen, is a great size to carry and read newspapers and magazines especially for travel

3. Note taking Application

A Onenote-style notetaking application would be a great application for the iPad because users could either use the keyboard dock or a Bluetooth keyboard to take notes whether it is for class or for a business meeting.

The iPad which is the long awaited tablet from Apple, has be called by some, “Just an iPod Touch with a bigger screen”, although I think it is some-what accurate, I think there are certain jobs that the iPad is much better at than the iPhone. I do think it still needs further development to make it a more viable device, but, there are some uses that I think the iPad can do very well already.

1. Netbook

Although Apple has mocked Netbooks in the past, this device would work very well as a netbook because you really don’t need a full operating system on a netbook which is used primarily for surfing the internet, checking email, and word processing all things that the iPad is great at. For those who don’t want to use the touch screen keyboard, you can either use a Bluetooth keyboard or the keyboard dock to have the ability of using a hardware keyboard. This is also great for traveling because it won’t take up too much space.

2. Ebook Reader

One of the newest applications introduced on the iPad is the iBooks app and the iBook store which allows you to browse, buy and read books on the iPad. Although other, Ebook readers are less expensive, the iPad also allows you all the functionality of an iPod Touch as well as an ebook reader. It also has a full color display!

3. Video Player

Although you can watch videos on an iPod Touch, the screen is only 3.5 inches and makes it a little difficult to see all the details. With a full 10 inch screen, the iPad is perfect for watching videos and enjoying content on the go.

Netbooks and Kindles beware, today Apple released their much anticipated tablet computer called the iPad. First, I want to say I am not a big fan of the name, although as I keep using it it does grow on me. The iPad in it’s simplest explanation is an iPod Touch or iPhone with a 9.7 inch screen. Although there are more features on the iPad but, it is a slightly modified version of the iPhone OS on the iPad. The iPad also has the iBook Store which lets you read, browse and buy ebooks on your iPad. It also has email, ipod, video playback and picture viewing capabilities just like the Ipod Touch. Also similar to the iPod Touch, you can watch Youtube videos in High definition and get maps and directions. Your probably wondering about the App Store that has all those apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch. They all work on the iPad in a letter boxed regular sized or full screened double sized. They also announced that a new SDK (Software development Kit) is coming out today for developers to make Applications specifically for the iPad. The iPad has both WiFi and Bluetooth for connectivity and for $150 more on each model price, you can get 3G Wireless, unfortunately from AT&T, but, there are two options 250 MBs for $15 or Unlimited for $30, and they are prepaid meaning no contracts!The Wifi iPads will be available on March 27th and the 3G models will be availible on April 27th because of carrier approval.

The pricing scheme for the iPad is:

Wifi Model:

16 GB: $499

32 GB: $599

64 GB: $699

3G Models:

16 GB: $629

32 GB: $729

64 GB: $829

Where I think the iPad is going to be effective is in the Netbook Market, with the keybaord dock or a Bluetooth keyboard. The other major market it will be useful in is the ebook market, because although it costs more than the Kindle, it has a full color screen and has web access and all the features of an iPod. I think that this is not meant to be used as a computer but,  it can do the job of a netbook because they are main used for Office documents, which there is now iWork for iPad which is $10 per application and web surfing which it does well! I would have liked to see it running a touch version of full Mac OSX and i’m sure graphic artists would love it for Photoshop as well! But for reading, and surfing the web, at home on the couch, as Steve Jobs demonstrated during the keynote or for when you travel the iPad could be the device for you.

Wednesday is the big day! Apple is having their big press event at 10 AM Pacific time, 1 Pm Eastern and the rumors of the fabled tablet have been circulating for well over a year now! The event invitation said “See Our Latest Creation” and had paint splatters which, would indicate it to be a creative product announcement, but I think it will be more than a tablet release. I think they will be announcing several new products and save the tablet as the “One More thing”.  These are a list of what I think Apple will be announcing at their event on Wednesday.

1. iLife 2010

This is logical, since they are making this seem like a creative event, they should update their iLife Suite and hopefully add some more significant features, since the last version iLife ‘09 added very few new features, it’s time for an real upgrade!

2. Macbooks/ Macbook Pros

I’m not expecting a major change, but just a bump in specs and maybe, the rumored Core i5 and Core i7 Macbook Pros, will hit the market!

3. iPhone Software update

Rumor has it, that Apple will unveil their new operating system for the iPhone and iPod touch, i’m not 100% sure that they will becasue they traditionally announce the new OS in March and launch new hardware either in June or July.

4. Tablet

I’m not going to say much about the tablet, because I have covered it with my two articles [article 1] [article 2]. The one thing I will say is that I don’t expect it to come out this week, I would expect it in a month or two, but definitely not right away

As I usually do with Apple events, I will write a wrap-up/ reaction article after the event which I will release either on Wednesday or Thursday to summarize what happened at this event. I think that this event will be a major, revolutionary event and Steve Jobs will compare it to other revolutionary products Apple has released in the past: Macintosh (1984), iMac (1998), iPod (2001), and iPhone (2007). I think this event will be one of the great ones!

I know I already wrote an article about what I think the Apple tablet will be, but after I wrote it more news came out and I thought of more things that I didn’t include in the first article and wanted to add them on now before it is too late.

First, I think it will look like the top/lid part of a Macbook Air or Macbook Pro meaning a metal enclosure and glass screen. I think it will run a modified version of Mac OSX for tablets but will work more like a regular Macbook. I think the name will be Macbook Tablet or something with Macbook in it because it will be more a notebook than a iPod Touch.  The only other thought I have about the tablet is that it will be a major announcement and will probably be the “One More Thing” of the keynote and will be accompanied by other new products as well, I will predict the other new products in a later blog post closer to the event.

The rumor of a touch-based Apple computer have been floating around for over a year now and it sounds like the device is going to be announced in their press event on January 26th.  Reports have stated that Steve Jobs has been working on this device for three years now and that he is happy with the tablet, although both of these are rumors. There is a chance that there will not be a tablet announcement but, I think it is time for them to announce the tablet even if it is just a preview. I am going to give my thoughts about the tablet and what I expect out of it.

Two Theories:

Version 1: Touch Screen Macbook:

If Apple were to make the Tablet more like a Macbook with a touch screen, then it would run a Touch Version of Mac OSX. At this form factor I would expect the device to be priced between $700 and $1,500 and to have at least a 13 inch screen. I think there most likley will not be a hardware keyboard and would have a webcam built-in to the device.

Version 2: Large Screen iPod Touch:

The giant iPod Touch would run iPhone OS and would definitely not have a hardware keyboard. The screen would be between  7 and 10 inches and will run iPhone OS. This iteration would cost somewhere between $300 and $600.

I think that Apple will use one of these two tablet form factors for the device.

Other Thoughts:

1. NO STYLUS! – Why bother when the iPhone doesn’t need to have one
   
2. Ebook Reading capabilities- Apple ebook store?
3. Cellular internet- Hopefully optional
4. Handwriting Recognition???- Would require pen

I will be covering what happened at the Apple event and give my thoughts the day after the event, as I usually do and will give my thoughts about the tablet if it is announced.

For those who are sick of Microsoft Office for Mac, which is extremely bulky and slow, iWork is a great alternatives for Mac users. The current version of iWork, iWork 09 only costs $79 for one license and $99 for a family pack that you can install on five computers, which in my opinion is totally worth while if you only have more than one Mac. While Microsoft Office has Word, Excel and Powerpoint, iWork has: Pages, Numbers and Keynote which are the respective alternatives to their MS Office counterparts. Pages is a very well designed and well made Word Processor and does everything that I would need a word processor to do, including opening Microsoft Word documents. Numbers, the newest addition to iWork is a great spreadsheet tool and although it may not have many of the advanced features of Excel, for most people it is more than you need! Finally, is Keynote which I and many others believe is the killer app for iWork it is an amazing presentation tool that surpasses the standard Powerpoint. All three applications have a stunning  template gallery with many templates which helps make documents much easier.

For the price, which is a lot less than what you would pay for MS Office, I highly recommend iWork over Office for the Mac. That said there are a few disadvantages to iWork. First, and probably the most important disadvantage is that you can not automatically save to Office formats making it a little annoying to use Office formats because they are standards many people would like to continue using them. There is however, a modification that you can do to make pages save to .Doc automatically and makes at least one application easier to use. The other disadvantage is that unlike Office, iWork does not have a full email client, like Entourage. However, OSX’s built-in mail client is extremly good and could fill in.

All-in-all, iWork is a great, easy to use office suite for the Mac and is definitely a great replacement for the slow Office for the Mac. I have made the switch out of frustration with Office and I recommend making the switch to this great suite.

In 1997, Apple was on the verge of bankruptcy and probably would have gone under had Steve Jobs not returned! When he returned, the first thing that he did was kill off the excessive products Apple had at the time and created Apple’s simplifed product line-up that we see to this day! The other major thing Steve did was kill the licensing program, which allowed other computer manufacters ship computers running Mac OS. This was hurting Apple’s business and because of that they ended the program and Apple came back with a vengence in the late 90’s.

Fast forward to 2006, when Apple switched to Intel processors for their machines. People began to realize that through a minor hack they could install Mac OSX on their non-Apple hardware, thus bringing the birth of the “Hackintosh” phenomenon! Apple had tried to sue people and stop this but they were unable to contain the craze. Then, the next generation of clone manufactures arrived. Psystar attempted to sell computers that were significantly less expensive than Apple’s computers and they came pre-installed with Mac OS. Apple, immediately sued them for copyright infringment anda violation of the Digital Millenium Copy Right Act (DMCA). Last week, as I reported on The Weekly Spin episode 48 Apple won their judgment once again suppressing the clones. I know this won’t stop people from Hackintoshing their own machines, although Apple will try a peruse them for that as well.  In fact, Apple, has disable Atom processors, the processors used in many netbooks, from running Mac OS which stops Hacintosh Netbooks which is had become very common. However, if Psystar won this, which was highly doubted from  the start,  it would greatly harm Apple’s business and could cause a repast of many of the problems of the 1990’s! Luckily for Apple, poorly working clones won’t be sold and if you want a fully working Mac OS machine you will need to get a Apple computer.