In-app purchases and doing the right thing
06/05/13 16:37 Filed in: Apple
Prior to 2009 the term "in-app purchase" didn't exist and was a totally unknown concept. If you wanted to buy an app for your iPhone, Windows mobile phone, Palm Pre etc…, you bought an app at the full asking price which included the advertised features and the promise/hope that additional features would be added in time.
As with any product, as people use it, there will always be requests and suggestions of how to improve it. Many developers would welcome user feedback and suggestions and this has always been true of the software industry. Especially since a software product can easily be updated and improved at relatively low cost and with high speed, compared to a physical product.
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As with any product, as people use it, there will always be requests and suggestions of how to improve it. Many developers would welcome user feedback and suggestions and this has always been true of the software industry. Especially since a software product can easily be updated and improved at relatively low cost and with high speed, compared to a physical product.
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Apple's little goldmine
13/11/12 22:10 Filed in: Apple
Last week I bought an Apple TV. My first ever, and a purchase I've been mulling over for a while. It's been one of those eureka moments when you suddenly understand why Apple pursue this "hobby". Read More...
Don't underestimate the ecosystem
13/11/12 22:04 Filed in: Apple
As an Apple fan and owner I use my iPhone, iPad and MacBook regularly and have bought music from the iTunes Store, books from iBooks and apps from the App Stores in the past. I've been using MobileMe/iCloud from day one for email and data synching and have always thought I grasped the concept of the importance of the Apple ecosystem. Read More...
Off to a good start
13/11/12 21:41 Filed in: Apple
It's Saturday and my wife and I have just celebrated her birthday with a delicious lunch together with friends at a new German restaurant in Kingston upon Thames called "Stein's". After we all go our separate ways I go over to the Apple Store because there isn't one near where we live and because I want to see all the new hardware which was announced at the last October event.
Sadly the new iMac wasn't there nor was the 13 inch retina MacBook Pro. They did have the new iPod Touch and the Nano as well as the the iPad 4 and iPad mini.
I kid you not when I tell you that hardly anyone paid attention to the iPhone 5, iPad 4, Nano's, iPod Touch or MacBooks. All the attention was on the iPad mini.
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Thank you Scott Forstall
03/11/12 07:03 Filed in: Apple
The other day Apple dropped a virtual bombshell on the tech community by announcing that Scott Forstall is no longer head of iOS software development and that he will be leaving the company by the end of the year. He will be “replaced” by Jonathan Ive and Craig Federighi who will take the lead on Human Interface design and iOS development respectively.
While my intention is not to delve into the reasons why Scott is leaving the company, I do want to take the opportunity to thank him for all he’s done.
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Maps in iOS 6 - A step in the right direction
26/09/12 21:11 Filed in: Apple
Last week Apple released iOS 6 to a very eager audience of iPhone owners who had been waiting a long time to get their hands on the next major release of the iPhone software. There were many things to look forward to in iOS 6 but for many the new Maps application was one of the better features to get excited about. At last after 5 years of the iPhone, the heavily used Maps app would no longer be powered by Google but by Apple’s own mapping resources.
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An iPhone in every pocket
23/09/12 09:59 Filed in: Apple
The Nano is back
23/09/12 09:25 Filed in: Apple
It’s September 2012 and Apple has announced it’s new line up of devices for the holiday season - the iPhone 5, the latest iPod Touch and a completely new line of iPod Nano. And with that, Apple has at last made the Nano beautiful again. Read More...
The Amazing iPad
25/08/12 00:58 Filed in: Apple
Recently some articles appeared on the Internet saying that if one includes sales figures of the iPad for the last quarter, to the sales of their Macintosh product line, then Apple outsold all other pc vendors. This would make Apple the largest seller of computers in the world. Quite impressive by any standards. Read More...
Does Apple get the Internet?
25/08/12 00:57 Filed in: Apple
I was listening to the Vergecast on my iPhone today and Josh, Nilay and Paul spoke at one point about Apple and the Internet. They were wondering whether Apple actually understood the Internet and it's potential in modern computing and telecommunications. It's a topic that they have discussed before and generally the comparison has sort of always been made with Google in mind. After all, Google have the Chromebook whose operating system is basically a browser and nothing is actually stored on the device. Everything takes place in the cloud and the OS is simply your window into that, allowing you to manipulate that data. Read More...
Apple and Carrier IQ - a betrayal of trust
25/08/12 00:56 Filed in: Apple
By now many people are aware of the recent discovery that a company called "Carrier IQ" has for many years been spying on mobile phone users at the request of the very Carrier companies who sold us our phones, and who provide our mobile telephone connection. This spying was done by software developed by Carrier IQ and installed on many mobile phones - software which runs secretly and silently in the background without your knowledge, recording every key you press, every number you dial, every website you visit and every app you use.
I call it "spying" because that's exactly what it is. Something you'd expect the FBI or 007 to do, not the manufacturer of your phone nor the Carrier who sold you the mobile service. Certainly not Apple. It's absolutely appalling and totally inexcusable behaviour and I sincerely hope that all the companies who were involved, are made to pay dearly.
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I call it "spying" because that's exactly what it is. Something you'd expect the FBI or 007 to do, not the manufacturer of your phone nor the Carrier who sold you the mobile service. Certainly not Apple. It's absolutely appalling and totally inexcusable behaviour and I sincerely hope that all the companies who were involved, are made to pay dearly.
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Rags to riches
25/08/12 00:56 Filed in: Apple
Using an iPhone is such an incredible experience in comparison (more so with the incredible 4S). The only analogy I can think of is: with Android I felt like a poor man (in the bad sense) whilst with the iPhone I feel like a rich man.
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My first encounter with Steve's Apple
25/08/12 00:55 Filed in: Apple
I still cannot believe that Steve Jobs has passed away and is no longer with us. It's almost not real. Unbelievable. Sad. Very sad.
It's no secret to anyone who reads this very short blog that I am an Apple fan and that I love using Apple products. Not because they are the cool products to have, or because they have some status, but because they are excellent. They simply work, and they do so in such a way that never ceases to amaze.
But it's more than that. They embody the spirit of their creator, Steve Jobs. Read More...
It's no secret to anyone who reads this very short blog that I am an Apple fan and that I love using Apple products. Not because they are the cool products to have, or because they have some status, but because they are excellent. They simply work, and they do so in such a way that never ceases to amaze.
But it's more than that. They embody the spirit of their creator, Steve Jobs. Read More...