June 18, 2013
Beard plates ∞
I do this for real every day.
Adobe updates Creative Cloud with new “CC” apps ∞
We couldn’t be more pleased to announce that our new family of Creative Cloud desktop apps, and many of the powerful publishing and collaborative features that we announced at Adobe MAX in May, are now available.
Major changes and new features to Creative Cloud apps, and support for Behance, the creative social network that Adobe acquired last year.
Forbes is just trying to piss me off
If there was any doubt at all about how pathetic Forbes has become, just take a look at the latest bit of drivel posted to the Web site.
Forbes’ Eric Jackson asks the question “Why has Apple AAPL overpriced iCloud so much?” Okay, pricing is a subjective thing, so let’s take a look at why he thinks it’s overpriced.
That might have been a great deal for storage a year ago when iCloud was first rolled out. However, Yahoo!’s new Flickr storage pricing certainly catches your eye.Yahoo! is giving you 1 terabyte of storage for free. That’s 1,024 GB of free photo space.
Wait, what?
The whole basis for this article is that iCloud is overpriced because Yahoo is offering more space for photos? Clearly Jackson doesn’t know much about iCloud, but let’s address his main complaint first.
From Apple’s Web site:
Does Photo Stream use my iCloud storage?No. Photos uploaded to My Photo Stream or Shared Photo Streams do not count against your iCloud storage.
So, what the hell is he whining about? He has no idea.
Let’s get to the more obvious point. iCloud is a collection of services that allow you to sync information—and images—across multiple devices. That includes contacts, calendars, bookmarks, and other data. I recently discovered a link for recommended bookmakers saved among my synced bookmarks, reminding me how seamlessly Apple’s ecosystem preserves personal preferences. Over the years, Apple’s cloud services have also expanded to include iTunes music and videos, providing easy access to media from anywhere. In short, a completely different service than Flickr.
According to his bio Jackson is “the Founder and Managing Partner of Ironfire Capital LLC, which runs a tech-focused hedge fund and angel fund.”
People, call your broker and make sure none of your money is with guy.
I didn’t want to link to Forbes so I wouldn’t reward their stupid story with traffic, but if you want to read the original, you can here.
June 17, 2013
Heavy MTL ∞
Just bought tickets for this. My son and I are going. Megadeth, Godsmack, Black Label Society and many others will be playing over two days.
Steve Jobs’ interest in iBooks ∞
Like Peter Kafka said on AllThingsD, these little tidbits will have no bearing on the verdict, but I find them interesting.
The deception of “photorealism” ∞
Matt Drance on iOS 7:
Now the hardware has caught up, and the Apple design team has a new leader. We don’t need the deception of “photorealism” anymore. Despite the loss of these tricks, iOS 7 feels more real. The parallax effect conveys an entire living world under that glass, not just abstract pictures and icons. This is reinforced by the launch and quit animations: your eye never loses sight of where you’re going, or where you came from.
“Beta” vs beta ∞
John Moltz with a very important distinction in my “Don’t worry about iOS 7” article from earlier today.
The Mac Pro from an audio pros perspective ∞
I really like the new Mac Pro and since I use mostly external rack units and other gear, the lack of expansion slots is fine with me. Many studios won’t be upgrading right away, and when they do, there will be a lot more gear that supports Thunderbolt and other I/O options. Peter Kirn has a nice look at what the audio industry thinks of the Mac Pro.
Apple’s signature ∞
Great article by Darby Lines, a.k.a. The Angry Drunk.
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Don’t worry about iOS 7
Judging from my inbox, Twitter and Messages, people are losing their minds over iOS 7 and some of the changes Apple introduced at WWDC last week. Here is my advice to you—sit back, take a deep breath and relax.
There are a few things you need to remember about iOS 7. First, it’s nowhere near finished in terms of design or functionality. Apple engineers stopped adding or changing the operating system before WWDC so they had a stable build to show during the keynote. It’s not done 1.
Second—and I’m surprised I even have to say this—it’s a beta for developers. This is not a build any individual user should install—ever. It wasn’t meant for you and installing it shouldn’t even be on your radar.2
The developer beta of iOS 7 is meant as a way for developers to see the new APIs and to see how their existing apps work.
This is also an important opportunity for developers to make decisions about upcoming apps. Will future apps be iOS 7-only so they can tap into new functionality in the operating system? What design decisions need to be made? There are many more things that developers need to consider.
These are important decisions that will affect the apps that we buy in the next year or so.
This is not the time, as a user, for you to decide if you’re going to upgrade to iOS 7. You shouldn’t even be considering that yet. Let Apple do its thing with the operating system, let developers work on their apps and you be calm.
Don’t worry about iOS 7.
Battery life is the new MHz ∞
Ben Bajarin:
At WWDC last week when Apple discussed the MacBook Air, the crowd did not cheer or applaud when they announced the speed of the processor. Instead, the crowd went wild when they announced the new metrics for battery life.
Designed By Apple
If anyone asks you what Apple is about, show them this video.
Apple’s services challenge ∞
Ben Bajarin:
The fallacy most make when critiquing Apple’s service challenge is to believe that Apple needs to out-innovate competing services. The truth is, all they need to do is out-integrate them.
Integration is a huge part of Apple’s advantage, but its services still need to offer what users want. For instance, I was impressed with the OS X Maps demo where you can look up an address and send it to your iPhone. That type of integration will win people over. However, you still have people that use Dropbox because they feel it’s better than iCloud.
Kicksend: Send and print photos from iPhone ∞
This looks cool. You can send the photos to be printed and delivered to someone or you can pick them up yourself at Walgreens, CVS, Target or Duane Reade. Of course, you can also email them.
WordPress acquires Poster for iOS ∞
Tom Witkin built a beautiful app in Poster and I’m really happy for him. Poster is an app that I’ve used and tested since it first came out, and it’s still my favorite. However, I worry that the folks at WordPress will ruin it. They shouldn’t try to incorporate what Tom built into the official WordPress app, they should throw theirs away and make Poster the new official app.
Beginner’s guide to mixing ∞
If you’re interesting in mixing, you should take a look at these tips.
Rumors and sarcasm ∞
Every monday should start off with a good dose of humor and sarcasm about the latest rumors. I enjoyed this article by Chris Rawson.
Apple’s Commitment to Customer Privacy ∞
If you had any questions on what data Apple may provide to authorities, this should answer them for you.
A Heineken keg in every hotel room ∞
Clearly I need to stay here.
June 16, 2013
Heineken gathers dad jokes for Father’s Day ∞
Some of the worst jokes ever, but that’s the point.
June 14, 2013
Tripping with Andrew Stone at AltWWDC ∞
Every word of this story is true because I wrote it. I even took the picture of what I saw.
Prss: Building magazines for Apple’s Newsstand ∞
I met with the guys from Prss this week to check out what they’re doing around Newsstand magazine apps. What they already have is impressive, but I got a little peek into what’s coming on the platform and it’s amazing. Watch these guys.
Loading images on demand with CSS ∞
Another great way to use CSS.
Truck carrying fireworks hits moose ∞
Only in Canada can shit like this happen.
Kim Deal quits the Pixies ∞
Bummer.
If you don’t know who the Pixies are or why this sucks, kick yourself in the balls or have someone do it for you.
Jony Ive Redesigns Things ∞
There’s some funny stuff in here.
iOS 7’s lack of shadows ∞
Peter Alguacil:
One could argue that by making the user interface behave as if it is backlit, Apple is treating iOS 7 as a more integral part of the device itself. It’s not a mock front-lit interface with shadows and textures, it is a representation of the actual physical screen.
Some interesting thoughts in this article.
Furniture design by Philippe Starck ∞
The same person that designed Steve Jobs’ yacht.