This agreement is likely to remain in place until 3.0 is released to the public. And, like the previous NDA, it makes about as little sense. Yes, the agreement prevents most public discussion of the new iPhone features but it does nothing to protect Apple’s intellectual property rights from being discovered by competitors. Anyone can walk off the street, download a copy, and take a look.
What the NDA does is provide a barrier to discourse: no how-to articles, no books, no public forums, no public code samples or open source development. You are limited to talking to other developers at Apple’s forums in the special pre-release section. The forums are pleasant, but with Apple employees acting as moderators, they are hardly a hot spot for honest, forthright discussion.
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Apple Just Another Sony?
CNET writer David Carnoy’s posted a piece on the tech news site yesterday titled “Without Steve Jobs, is Apple Sony?” In short, no, it isn’t.
But that’s too short of a post (and frankly wasn’t much fun to write), so let me elaborate on my answer. Here’s a bit from David’s article:
…no one could replace Steve Jobs, pitcher extraordinaire, a Sandy Koufax on the marketing mound, if there ever was one.
Three Point OH!
Here’s a quick rundown of today’s iPhone OS 3.0 announcements, via Mac Rumors:
- In-App Purchasing: Allows developers to sell additional content from within applications. Highlighted uses include magazine subscriptions, eBooks, additional levels and items for games. - Peer-to-Peer Connectivity: Find other devices running the app via Bonjour over Wi-Fi of Bluetooth. Good for gaming, but also other applications for sharing data. - Third-Party Accessory Apps: Allowing accessory manufacturers to create applications to interface with their hardware accessories. - Push Notification: Rather than using background processes that hamper battery life, utilize third-party server to push badge, text, and audio alerts from applications. - Turn by Turn : Apple will allow developers to use CoreLocation for turn-by-turn GPS directions. - Cut, Copy and Paste: Available across all apps. Shake to undo or redo. - Landscape keyboard: Available in all key applications, including Mail. - MMS : Picture messaging now available. - Voice Memos: Record notes, lectures, interviews, etc. - Spotlight Search: Available across all applications. Systemwide search available from main home screen by flicking to the left. - A2DP Bluetooth *: Support for stereo bluetooth headsets.
Dell’s Adamo Notebook Aiming for Apple’s MacBook Air
After teasing consumers back in January, Dell has launched its new Adamo notebook today. Here’s how Dell describes the machine:
- Measuring only .65 inches, Adamo’s ultra-slim profile belies the powerful features within.
- A tough, machined-aluminum chassis is graced with elegant detail.
- The 13.4-inch 16:9 HD display with edge-to-edge glass offers an integrated 1.3 megapixel web camera.
It is clear that Dell wants some of the market that Apple has created with the MacBook Air - expensive, thin notebooks.
Last-Minute iPhone OS 3.0 Predictions
Tomorrow, Apple executives are going to get on stage and unveil the third major revision of the iPhone OS. Here’s what I’m expecting:
- Copy and Paste. This is a must, and is one of the most asked-for features ever. (90% chance of happening)
2. New SDK Tools. Granted, I’m not sure what this would entail, but a few things come to mind - mainly hooks to the calendar info. The SDK currently offers no 3rd party access to the calendaring abilities of the iPhone OS. (90% chance of happening)
TweetDeck, Meet Facebook
The TweetDeck team is adding Facebook integration to their next version of their Adobe Air-based application:
…you can click on the Facebook icon at the top and, once you have signed into Facebook and given TweetDeck authorisation, this will add a new column full of each of your friends most recent status update which updates automatically once a minute. From here you can email the update out to anyone, tweet it out over twitter, view the users online status and if they are online right now click on their name (or the green online status indicator) to open Facebook chat right within TweetDeck.
MobileMe is a Sentimental Service
iTools, of course, being Apple’s first online service, offered to all Mac customer free of charge.
Hearing Myself Talk is Still Weird
New Shuffle: New DRM
This is from iLounge’s review of the new Shuffle:
There is, however, something that many users will care about: the new shuffle doesn’t fully work with any headphones except Apple’s. Because of what Apple has done here—something sneaky and arguably terrible for consumers, especially if it continues with other iPod and iPhone products in 2009—if you plug your old third-party headphones of any sort into the new shuffle, you’ll find that you can’t do anything with the device other than have it continuously play music, without volume controls or interruption, unless of course of you turn it off. Surprise: the only third-party headphones that will work are ones that haven’t even entered manufacturing yet, because they’ll need to contain yet another new Apple authentication chip, which will add to their price. Your only alternatives will be third-party remote control adapters—also not yet available, as Apple’s not even making one—and using Apple’s earphones. The prices for the third-party adapters will be no less than $19, and quite possibly more like $29; compatible headphones announced thus far start at $49.
Dell Mini 9: The Perfect Hackintosh
I recently wrote about putting OS X on the HP Mini 1000. It was a fun project, but the thing had a few fundamental problems:
1. The OS X install wasn’t a true OS X install. It was a cracked version of Leopard that has been customized for the hardware 2. Updates were impossible to run because of this. 3. It was unstable.
So I put the HP (which I still regard as the nicest netbook out there) up for sale, sold it, and bought a Dell Mini 9. The Dell Mini 9 is super easy to install OS X on. Gizmodo and others have great guides on how to get it done. The process uses a retail 10.5 install disc, which I purchased outright. Since it is a retail copy, updates are no issue.
The Insides are Microscopic
Good grief. iFixit has pulled apart the new iPod Shuffle:
Is this the future? A single IC, a battery, and some user interface components. Amazingly, at least on our scale, both halves weighed 5 grams. That means the entire functional half of the iPod weighs only about 10% more than a single sheet of letter size paper.
Hit the link for some photos. Spoiler: Most of the parts are dime-sized.
A Brief Rant About the iPod Touch, Which May Have Caught a Kid’s Pants on Fire
The mother of a kid living in Cincinnati, Ohio is suing Apple and 10 unnamed retail employees from the Apple Store in Kenwood over an iPod touch that allegedly exploded in the child’s pocket. According to the complaint filed yesterday in the Southern District of Ohio, the plaintiff had the “iTouch” (as the lawsuit refers to it) in his pocket during school when the unfortunate accident happened, resulting in hospital bills and other monetary losses thanks to the disintegration of the iPod touch and, well, the kid’s clothes.