Some good tips from Peter Cohen.
Apple retail stores in 1976
Jobs and McKenna had dinner and talked about what the future of Apple could look like, and McKenna signed on. Eventually McKenna drafted an eight-page marketing plan in December 1976. Lo and behold, what was written under “Distribution Channels”? Apple stores.
Apple buys back $14 billion in stock
With the latest purchases, Mr. Cook said Apple had bought back more than $40 billion of its shares over the past 12 months, which Mr. Cook said was a record for any company over a similar span.
“It means that we are betting on Apple. It means that we are really confident on what we are doing and what we plan to do,” said Mr. Cook, speaking in a conference room at the company’s corporate headquarters here. “We’re not just saying that. We’re showing that with our actions.”
The story also notes that Apple purchased 21 companies in the last 15 months. As usual, Apple is being very strategic with every move it makes.
Vivoom aims to make video sharing as popular as photo sharing
It’s truly amazing how many videos and photos we take each year on our iPhones. The big difference between the two types of media, is that photos are shared quite a bit more than videos. Vivoom wants to change that. […]
Fact or fiction: Speeding up your Mac
Great article by James Galbraith, the director of Macworld’s Lab, on what actually helps speed up your Mac and what doesn’t.
Starting a design project
I find it interesting to see the workflow and how people start a new project. Cameron Moll shares his thoughts on starting new design projects.
Designing Unread
Interesting look into how Jared Sinclair designed his new RSS reader for iPhone, Unread.
IOC says iPhones are fine during Olympics
The International Olympic Committee confirmed today that Olympic athletes are free to use any device they wish during the Opening Ceremonies, including iPhones. They are also not required to cover any logos on their devices.
Samsung must be pissed.
App icon designs
I am in awe of designers that can produce work like this. I think the Leica one is my favorite.
Calling out Garth Brooks
What do AC/DC, The Beatles, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Garth Brooks and The Rolling Stones have in common? Everyone, except Garth Brooks, are world class bands that have their music available for sale on iTunes. […]
“App-Flipping”
No matter how good the intentions or the system, there will always be those that try to take advantage. Apple’s App Store is no different.
RRSRSSS
James Martin:
I’m working on an initialism for a new standard of RSS Synchronization. It’s really, really simple synchronization, so the working title is RRSRSSS.
Sometimes you need an article like James’ to wake you up and realize you don’t have to read the same news from 10 different sites to enjoy or get the most out of RSS. Plus, it was funny.
Apple and Burberry video captures fashion show
Apple and Burberry today announced that iPhone 5s is being used to capture and share beautiful photos and video before, during and after the Burberry runway show in London on Monday, September 16. Using the all-new iSight camera on iPhone 5s, Burberry is shooting high quality photos and video for runway and beauty looks, product details, and backstage moments. The collaboration is reimagining how Burberry engages consumers, paving the way for significant changes in how they capture and share their content.
Great behind-the-scenes look at how the iPhones are mounted and used.
Dog Splendor
Most people know that I’m a huge dog lover (I have two Border Collies) and that my wife recently opened Home To Stay Dog Rescue. Here is another great resource that has reviews, tips and more information for dog lovers.
Using photography in Web design
In theory using photographs in your story should be simple, but it’s really not. Medium does a good job of letting users integrate photos, but as you scroll through some stories, you quickly see that some people just don’t get it, while other’s stories look great.
Can Google Glass get any creepier? Yes it can
It’s called NameTag, and in Robocop-like fashion, the app can scan a person’s face and compare it to a records database consisting of millions of people.
If NameTag successfully finds that person, it spits back tons of information about them, including their full name, their relationship status, what school they went to, their current occupation, their interests, and more. It’ll even tell you if that person has a criminal record.
Google tells BGR that it has a ban on facial recognition apps. In other words, they haven’t found a way to make advertising dollars on that part of the creepiness yet.
Samsung asks Olympic athletes to cover the iPhone Apple logo
I’d tell Samsung to take a flying leap off the nearest ski jump.
Terrible Web design trends
I agree with all of these.
Verizon throttling FiOS service
I really do hate these large companies and the shit they pull.
Clarity
When I look at Apple software and hardware, I’m amazed with the simplicity of what sits before me. It’s not simplicity that makes you wonder what to do with it and it’s not simple for the sake of being simple. It immediately makes sense. That sense of wonder is replaced by a need to touch it and interact with it. […]
Guess what these Google icons do
I actually laughed out loud when I read this.
The dirt behind app bundles
I hated it when people used to tell me I could write, not get paid, but I’d get exposure. Fuck you, exposure doesn’t feed my kids asshole.
The first “Paper” app and it’s not by FiftyThree or Facebook
We followed Apple’s Rules, that is, we went into our Developer account and created the App “Paper”. The name Paper was assigned to us by Apple as NO ONE ELSE was using it.
While working on the app over many months, other apps named “Paper” came and went. How? Do to glitches in Apple’s system. A Developer can add other words to an un-available name, or open an account registered outside the US, create an app with the same name as an existing US app, get the app approved for sale outside the US, then set the app territories to make it available in the US! They can even change the name of an older, existing non-US app and enjoy what looks like an earlier first use.
We pointed these glitches out to Apple at WWDC 2012 and, well, the next day another “Paper” app, one which added other words after the name Paper so it could post in the US App Store, received an AWARD! We felt somewhat put upon. That other app was very well funded, money talks, and they had been out “breaking things” in our market for a while. There are Best Practices in the Developer world against, in Apple’s words, “confusingly similar” names. Why didn’t that matter for these guys? Why is this not only tolerated, but awarded? Which Rules do we follow; the posted rules, the rules others use, the rules which work, or the rules which we believe in? A conundrum in many areas of mobile today.
We approached the makers of that other Paper app on the floor of WWDC after they received their award, told them our story, and offer to discuss settling this. We even later sent a message to their CEO. Nothing. So we’ve been considering our options.
Now we see this other “Paper” app is upset that an even larger company has also chosen to name an app “Paper”, same trick, by adding more words to the end.
That’s the story of this app, welcome to the 1st, and what should be the only, Paper.
If true, this certainly makes FiftyThree’s complaints and demands seem hollow.
[Via DF]
Why do we still use Facebook?
Maria Konnokova for The New Yorker:
While the reasons for joining and using Facebook were not entirely homogenous, one factor kept emerging as the strongest motivation for use: the desire to keep in touch with friends.
I think most people would agree with this.
At the University of Texas at Austin, Gosling and one of his graduate students, Gabriella Harari, have been examining why people decide to leave Facebook. They have found three broad themes: people see Facebook as pointless and unnecessary, they see it as a problematic distraction, and they are worried about privacy.
So, the first two reasons people quit Facebook is also the reason they joined in the first place. Interesting.
Amplified: Butt-Glazed
Microsoft’s new CEO, Lenovo’s future, international markets, smartwatches, innovation you can’t see, Dan’s new iMacs, and more.
Sponsored by Squarespace (use code DANSENTME2 for 10% off), FreshBooks (enter AMPLIFIED in the “How Did You Hear About Us” section when you sign up for a chance to win a cake), Shutterstock (use code DANSENTME214 for 25% off), and HostGator (use code DANSENTME for 30% off).
Microsoft’s new CEO’s first stupid comment
Satya Nadella in an email to Microsoft employees:
We are the only ones who can harness the power of software and deliver it through devices and services that truly empower every individual and every organization. We are the only company with history and continued focus in building platforms and ecosystems that create broad opportunity.
Sweet Jesus, it only took him a few hours to say something completely insane.
Two bears: Apple and Samsung
Such a great article from Ben Thompson. It’s worth taking the time to read.
Time Inc. layoffs
I hate seeing people lose their jobs. Last week several Macworld staffers lost their jobs in layoffs and now Time Inc. I’ve been through this and it’s not easy.
Úll 2014 Speakers and conference format change
I can’t tell you how excited I am to be speaking at Úll again this year. You can also check out the format change for the conference this year.
HP accuses Autonomy of inflating profits by 81 percent
Hewlett Packard said Autonomy, the software firm it bought in 2011, overstated profits at one of its main British units by 81 percent in the year before it was sold in Britain’s biggest ever technology deal.
Little over a year after the $11.7 billion acquisition, the Silicon Valley company wrote down the value of Autonomy by $8.8 billion, accusing the management of accounting irregularities.
The former owner of Autonomy continues to deny that he overstated the profits, but it seems pretty clear cut.