Apple Products in 2013 — The Elephant in the Room

Read my latest post at MyMac.com:

With the barrage of products Apple released at the end of 2012, we have to wonder what Tim Cook and company have in store for us for 2013...

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AT&T to offer $100 discount on iPad (with contract)

AT&T will offer a $100 discount on iPads with a 2 year data contract.

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, AT&T* today announced it is offering a promotional discount to tablet customers.  Beginning Friday, Nov. 9, customers will receive $100 off any tablet purchased at an AT&T company owned store or online at www.att.com or at selected agents or retailers with a two-year data plan agreement.

I have always thought it would be great for the carriers to subsidize the additional $130 for a cellular enabled iPad, this deal is getting pretty close.  If I could get a cellular iPad for the same price as a wi-fi only model, even if I had to get a contract, I would be much more likely to get the cellular enabled model.

What's up with Apple's iPad Announcements?

My latest post is up on MyMac.com

Following Apple’s recent iPad announcement, there were two big questions that most people had. First, why update the New (now old) iPad? And second, why such a high price on the iPad mini? To answer these questions, we need to take out our crystal ball and gaze into 2013...

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Is Apple planning another event for October?

Check out my latest post over at MyMac.com.

Hot on the heals of the Apple’s September 12th iPhone 5 event could be another event this October. It was originally thought that Apple might also debut its smaller iPad during its iPhone launch event. However, as the date approached, it was suggested that Apple did not want the new iPad to share the stage with the iPhone 5 and would instead wait a month or so to debut the smaller iPad...

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On iPad ‘Mini/7′ colors, TV remote, pocket-ability, price and kids

Seth Weintraub writing for 9-to-5 Mac also gets the need for a smaller iPad.

Remember: Steve Jobs said you need to sharpen your fingers to use a 7-inch tablet. Well, kids have ‘sharp’ fingers and even sharper eyes, and the whole 10-inch experience scales down to a ‘scaled down person’ very nicely.

Hmm, where have I seen this idea before?

Read the whole story here.

Why the mini-tablet is the children's toy of the year

Mike Elgan, writing for Computer World, gets the reason why the iPad mini needs to happen.

iPads for children became a surprisingly huge phenomenon, which toy companies and others jumping on board with apps galore.

Read the whole story here.

Embracing the educational iOS device

Good article by Chris Breen over at MacWorld about the reactions to children using iOS devices.

I recently offered some advice on how to configure an old iPad for a child, and while the subsequent reaction was largely positive, there were the few (and expected) replies that suggested exposing a child to an iPad would lead to a machine-dependent future, devoid of fresh air, firm muscle tone, and true human interaction.

Check out the whole story here.

The difference between 7″ and 7.85″ is everything

Here is a different take from Kosmatos on Tech on a 7" device from Apple that is more of an iPod Maxi as opposed to an iPad Mini.

A 7″ diagonal screen (7.08″ to be exact) just happens to be the exact size of two by two iPod touch retina displays. That’s a 4″ x 6″ display surface. An iPod touch screen has 326 PPI. The 7″ screen would also have 326 PPI just like iPhones and iPods. This would yield a resolution of 1920 x 1280. This resolution would be able to run current retina iPhone applications pixel perfect using the traditional 4:1 pixel scaling, like retina displays do with non-retina apps.

Read the entire post here.

Why Apple will build the iPad Mini...

A.T. Faust III over at AppAdvice explains why it makes total sense for Apple to build the 7.85 inch display iPad Mini.

Apple will release a 7.85-inch tablet later this year. And yes, it’s going to be called the iPad mini. It may or may not have the “skinny” bezel everyone’s been talking about, but two things are crystal clear: It’ll sport a 163 PPI 1024 x 768 display, and lots of folks are going to buy it.

Read the entire story here.

Would Steve Jobs Have Released The iPad 3?

This question is going to be asked from now on for every Apple product release.  Here's a good article by Gene Marks over at Forbes.com:

"Of course he would. For starters, these problems are not significant.  I’ve been selling Microsoft products for years.  Believe me…I know what significant problems are!  Yes, the iPad 3 runs a little hotter.  But no one’s saying it’s going to catch on fire..."

Do Apple's Education Announcements Pave the Way for the ePad?

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What should Apple do with all of that cash? Here's my "Pipe" Dream...

With repeated record breaking quarterly earnings, Apple has been building up quite a stash of cash.  Wall Street has been repeatedly asking Apple what it plans to do with all of that cash, to which Apple always responds that it saving it for strategic investments.  One such investment could be for Apple to build a nationwide wireless network to deliver all of the content it hopes to store in its North Carolina iCloud data center.

Think about it, what is Apple's biggest problem that it has with its iCloud strategy?  Apple has the data center infrastructure in place to house all of the music, movies, TV shows, pictures and other data we could want.  They have the best devices for us to consume that media and data on.  What is missing?  The network to deliver the data from the cloud to our devices.

We are all at the mercy of the cable companies, telcos and cellular providers and their over-priced broadband and wireless data plans with ridiculous data usage caps.  Why are these companies putting caps on they data they provided us?  Because they want to control the content we receive and over-charge us for that as well.  The cable companies don't want to give up their $80/month TV packages, the phone companies don't want to give up their $50/month local and long distance plans and cell phone companies want to continue to charge $70/month for some ridiculous amount of voice minutes plus text messaging (probably the biggest price gouge of all)!  These companies don't want to give in to the the fact they all they are now (or at least should be) are data pipes, that we use to purchase content from the providers of our own choice.  This is where Apple comes in and pulls off it's ultimate disruption...

Apple needs to build a nationwide (and eventually global) wireless network using some new technology like super wi-fi or low earth orbit satellites or maybe something we haven't even heard about yet.  It needs to be a technology that can blanket vast areas of earth with high speed data.  I would have a single internet connection for all of my devices, regards of where I am, at home, in the car, at work, wherever.  Then I could access all of my content stored in my iCloud anywhere that I am on any Apple made device I happen to be using, iPhone, iPad, MacBook Air, AppleTV or whatever they come up with next.  No more paying the phone company for a landline and/or DSL line.  No paying a cable company for TV and DVR service or shared broadband connections and no more high-priced low bandwidth capped cellular data plans with more voice minutes than I need and ridiculous fees for 140 character text messages that use almost no bandwidth at all!

Could Apple pull this off, or is this just a big "pipe" dream (pun intended)?  If anyone can do it, Apple can...

Apple to expand iPhone and iPad offerings this year?

There have been numerous rumors flying around about smaller and/or larger iPhones and a device somewhere between the iPad and iPod Touch.  Here is what I think Apple may be planning...


The iPad 2 will be coming this spring, however, it will basically be the same form factor as the current unit, with a faster dual-core chip, front and rear cameras and a new lighter-weight enclosure.  This unit will come in the same 6 configurations and price points as the current iPad, except that the 3G models will support both GSM and CDMA networks.


Then, in the fall, the iPad line will expand, with Apple adding a smaller model as well as an "HD" model.  I think the new smaller model will be aimed at the K-12 market and branded something different, like maybe "ePad".  The "HD" model will add a retina-like 2048x1536 display and maybe even a 4G/LTE data option.  The existing models will be re-configured to fit between the ePad and the iPad HD.


In between the iPad releases, will be the annual summer update to the iPhone.  I don't really see Apple releasing a smaller form factor iPhone, but I do see them wanting to release a lower cost option.  They have done this in the past by simply lowering the price of last year's model.  I don't think that will work this year, as the difference between this year's model and the current iPhone 4 won't be enough and most people will opt for the cheaper iPhone 4 model.  I think we may see 2 iPhone models.  A lower cost model, with specs somewhere between the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 and an upgraded version of the iPhone 4 with the new dual-core A5 chip a maybe a slightly larger screen, with the same resolution as the current Retina display.


This will allow Apple to better compete with the many other form factors out there, without having to fragment their products too much.

ePad	iPad	iPad HD
7" 1024x768 Display	9.7" 1024x768 Display	10" 2048x1536 Display
Apple A4 Chip	Apple A5 Chip	Apple A5 Chip
16GB Flash	16 or 32GB Flash	32 or 64GB Flash
Front and Rear Camera	Front and Rear Camera	Front and Rear Camera
Wi-Fi (3G)	Wi-Fi (3G)	Wi-Fi (3G/4G)
$399 ($499)	$499-599 ($599-699)	$699-799 ($849-949)
iPhone Lite	iPhone
3.5" 320x480 Display	4" 640x960 Display
Apple A4 Chip	Apple A5 Chip
8GB Flash	16 or 32GB Flash
Front and Rear(3MP) Camera	Front and Rear(8MP) Camera
GSM/CDMA	GSM/CDMA
$99 w/contract	$199-299 w/contract

What's next for iOS? [updated]

Now that iOS 4.2 has finally been released, what is up for the next version of iOS? There have been rumors of an iOS 4.3 release to support in app subscriptions, but what can we expect from iOS 5?

Here are some of the features I would like to see:

1. Multiple user support.
There needs to be a way for users to log into an iOS deveice and see their particular settings.  This would be most useful for the iPad, which is more likely to be shared by multiple family members.  It would be really nice if this feature was activated by face recognition using the front facing camera or by fingerprint scanning.  Of course, for older hardware, the standard PIN entry could be used to determine the user.

2. Improved Notifications.
There needs to be a less intrusive notification than the pop-up box that interrupts whatever you are doing when you get a new notification.

3. Additional AirPrint printer support.
I am sure the originally promised printing to printers connected to a Mac or Windows PC will come in the next iOS version.

4. Wireless syncing.
Please, Apple, give us the ability to sync with iTunes over wi-fi instead of just a direct USB connection.

5. AirPlay support for streaming to iOS devices.
Being able to stream content from iTunes to an iOS device, like is done with the Apple TV, would be a nice addition.

6. Dashboard widgets.
This would be most useful on the iPad and would give it a home for the missing apps like calculator, stock ticker, weather etc...  These widgets could be located on the search page when swiping left from the first home page and could also link to full screen, more detailed apps.

7. Podcast subscriptions.
It would be nice if I could subscribe to podcasts on my iOS device through the iPod or iTunes app add have them automatically download just like in iTunes instead if having to either sync or use the Get More Episodes feature.

8. Non-programmer's development tool.
This would be like HyperCard for iOS.  A development tool for non-programmers that would allow users to create their own personal apps for use on their own personal iOS devices.  The apps would be created on your computer and then synced through iTunes to any of your iOS devices.

9. Support for more voice commands.
One of the few areas where Android has an advantage on iOS would be in voice based commands to perform various functions.  I believe this has something to do with Apple's acquisition of Siri and their Virtual Personal Assistant.  I would expect to see some of its features integrated into the next version of iOS.

These are just a few of the things on my wish list for the next release of iOS.

Apple needs to make an ePad.

Remember the eMate? It was Apple's Newton targeted at the K-12 market. I think it is time for Apple to build an iOS device for this market. The touch interface is very intuitive for children to learn, my 4 year old has been using my iPod Touch since she was 2 and has no trouble navigating and finding the apps she likes to run. There are plenty of educational apps available for iOS in the app store that span all age groups from preschoolers up to college students.

Here is what I think Apple needs to make, I call it the ePad. It should be somewhere in size and price between an iPod Touch and an iPad (maybe the rumored 7" iPad). Steve dissed the 7" tablets, saying they were too small. But, remember the target audience for this device would be children and most of his reasons for not liking the 7" form factor may not apply to children, they have smaller fingers and better eye sight. It should also be more rugged than the current iPad and iPhones, it needs to be able to survive a fall and be thrown in a backpack and there would need to be some form of screen protection. It would have built-in WiFi with optional 3G versions that would also have GPS like the iPad. It would have a front facing camera to support Face Time and a rear facing camera as well for taking photos and video. It would come with 16GB of flash storage starting at $399.

Verizon Data Plans, are the iPad plans a trial for future smartphone plans?

On October 28, Verizon will begin selling the iPad bundled with a MiFi mobile hot spot.  The prices for the bundles will be the same price as the iPad WiFi+3G models ($629, $729 and $829).  The big difference will be the pay as you go data plans Verizon is offering.  For $20/mo you can get 1GB of data, for $35/mo you get 3GB of data and $50/mo gets you 5GB of data.  If you exceed your data usage you will be charged $20/GB on the $20 plan, but only $10/GB on the other 2 plans.  This pricing structure looks more realistic than AT&T's 2-tiered plans.  While the cheapest AT&T plan is only $15/mo, you only get 200MB of data, the $25/mo plan gets you 2GB of data usage.  Any plan less than 1GB of data just doesn't seem like enough to me.  I hope the carriers move towards more tiers with more options, like Verizon's offering.

I just wonder if maybe Verizon isn't using the iPad data plans as a test market for future smartphone data plans?  There have been rumors that Verizon will be moving to tiered data plans, probably when the Verizon iPhone is released.  I, for one, would welcome a pricing structure more like this for smartphones... but only if they allowed me to use that data for tethering and mobile hot spots without charging an additional fee.  If I am paying to have access to 1GB of data / month, what device I use that data on shouldn't matter.  Extending that thought even further, they should allow me to share my data plan with all of the phones in my family plan the same way minutes are shared.  It is very hard to justify $20/phone/month for data plans, put $20/mo for shared access to 1GB of data, that would be reasonable.

Now that Apple has gone "Back to the Mac", what's next?...

With the conclusion of Apple's Back to the Mac event, where they released iLife 11, new MacBook Airs and previewed the upcoming Mac OSX 10.7 Lion; what is next on the agenda?

The two most likely candidates are the Verizon iPhone and new iPads.  Based of AT&T's better that expected iPhone activations and Verizon's lower than expected subscriber adds, I think the Verizon iPhone will be next and will be announced sometime in January.

The new iPhone will probably be in the same form factor as the current iPhone 4, the primary difference will be its ability to work on the CDMA standard used by Verizon, and other international carriers.  The big question is, will it use the new dual mode chip from Qualcomm that will allow it to be used on either CDMA or GSM networks?  This would be a big bonus for Apple if they only needed a single hardware platform that supports both Verizon and AT&T.  I highly doubt this first CDMA model will do this, and even if it does, will the carriers allow Apple to sell a phone that allows the users to change carriers at will?  Although Apple probably does have the clout to pull this off.  If this iPhone is not dual mode, I would expect the next version will be and may even support LTE as well, though it is likely Apple will hold off on LTE support until 2012 when it is more widely available and load tested.  Remember, 3G was rolling out with the original iPhone, but Apple chose to hold off 3G support for the next model.

And what about the next iPad?  I would not expect the iPad to be updated until spring, and this will probably be a minor update.  I expect a front facing camera for FaceTime and maybe a new dual core version of the A4 processor as well as some minor cosmetic and/or material changes to make it lighter and easier to hold, maybe some form of liquid metal enclosure?