Given this is all nothing more than baseless navel-gazing, I suspect Dave is right that the next iteration of iPad is not going to turn the original on its head. Assuming the product cycle is more than a year (I’d eat my shoe if it wasn’t) much of the design work for iPad 2 was done before a consumer touched iPad 1. My guess is that iPad 3 is the one with the redesigned case.
If that is the case, I’m okay with it. I really like the design of the current iPad.
In short, he loves it.
“It has been over a month now that I have used the MacBook Air as my primary machine, and one thing is for sure: it is the best upgrade over the MacBook Pro that I could have made. Yes, I consider it an upgrade.”
I agree. I’ve not noticed anything I do on this laptop as noticeably slower than my prior (faster) MacBook Pro. This is the big difference between MacBook Air generations one and two: the limitations are not nearly so large or obvious.
Now there is something I never expected to see.
I can’t help but think that in the not so distant future we will look at the initial periodical offerings on the iPad with the same disdain we currently have for those CD-ROMs that were all the rage about 10 years ago. Nevertheless, some publishers are trying to innovate. I recently downloaded the Popular Science Application and am impressed. Navigation is intuitive and the multimedia functions are just about right to make you feel like you’re reading something from the future. If Apple releases its periodical subscription service (I’d argue that it is inevitable), I hope some publishers continue to develop their own apps and look for new and interesting ways to deliver content. Either way, as readers, we are in one of the most revolutionary periods since Guttenberg, and I intend to enjoy the ride.
It’s time for an update on Mac at Work, the Book. The writing is done and the whole pile of 90,000 words is out of my hands. The book is now going through the printing process which, as best as I can tell, either involves a lot of fancy computers and printing equipment or several very small faeries with paint brushes.
Either way, the book is set to publish in mid January (just in time for Macworld) and there will be an ePub version in the iBookstore. Expect a Mac Power Users episode in mid-January where I explain the whole journey.
I’ve always admired Fletcher Penney and the work he did developing MultiMarkdown. Recently, I convinced Fletcher to join us on the Mac Power Users Markdown/MultiMarkdown episode and was delighted to find what a nice person Fletcher is. Anyway, Fletcher loves his iPad and agreed to share his home screen.
What are your most interesting home screen apps?
I tend to reserve my home screen on the iPhone or iPad for those apps I like
to find in a hurry. Then there are a couple of apps that get left on there out
of sheer laziness when a new install puts them on the home screen. I guess the
most “interesting” app is probably Flipboard —- the only app that actually
got me to pay attention to Facebook for a couple of weeks. It somehow turned a
ridiculous stream of mostly irrelevant information into something that seemed
worth a few minutes to flip through. The interface really takes advantage of
the touch screen, and it much more visually appealing than the Facebook web
site.
What is your favorite app?
Not sure how to choose a single favorite. I guess if I were to choose based on
time that I use it, then I would have to choose the Kindle app. I received a
Kindle last year for Christmas, and was a bit uncertain how it was going to
affect my reading habits. Being able to read at night before going to bed, and
then picking up the same “book” on my iPhone, right where I left off, the next
day while waiting at the dentist’s office was pretty incredible. When I got
the iPad, I actually found myself reading on the iPad instead of the Kindle
device. The main advantage the Kindle device has now is in sunlight.
Otherwise, the iPad has become my reading medium of choice.
Which app is your guilty pleasure?
Strategery. Aside from the name (who couldn’t love an app whose name describes
the game, and manages to make fun at the same time), it’s a visually appealing
game that is easy to pick up and put down. I’m a big fan of games that are
very “episodic” in nature; I don’t tend to play games that take hours and
hours to work through.
What is the app you are still missing?
A MultiMarkdown app? 🙂
I think I’m getting to where I have most of the apps I need, or can at least
accomplish what I need with a couple of apps.
I guess I do find myself daydreaming about a git-compatible app that would
allow for some software development and version control. Or OmniOutliner for
iPad —- I’ve been waiting for that one since day one, as I think it could be
quite useful for longer document creation if I can figure out a way to export
to MultiMarkdown like you can with the desktop app.
I also think there is still room for some high quality, intellectually
stimulating games. There are a few games for the iPad that are well done, but
it seems that most of them are just video games. There hasn’t been as much
ground-breaking development in this area as I thought there would be.
How many times a day do you use your iPhone/iPad?
Too many.
What is your favorite feature of the iPhone/iPad?
I like that it doesn’t seem as intrusive as firing up a laptop.
If you were Steve Jobs, what would you add or change?
I was disappointed that the iPhone 4 technical specs were so much better than
the iPad. Within a month or two of buying the iPad, I was ready for an upgrade
since the iPhone 4 started to spoil me.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I tried the iPad on day 1 and left the store wondering why I would need one.
It seemed like a big iPhone. After thinking about it a bit, and trying some of
the apps that actually mattered to me, I realized that it wasn’t just a bigger
iPhone, but that it was actually a completely different device. Those extra
pixels and inches actually make a magical difference in how you are able to
use it. It’s not quite at the point where I can give up a “real” Macintosh,
but I haven’t traveled with a laptop since I got the iPad. I can easily go a
week away from home and accomplish everything I need to on the iPad.
Thanks Fletcher!
BusyCal 1.5 is now out officially supporting MobileMe’s CalDav protocol letting users once again use BusyCal with their MobileMe calendars. I’ve been using the beta for several months and approve. Some would argue BusyCal’s utility is diminished with MobileMe now including calendar sharing. I don’t see it that way. BusyCal still has the most reliable Google Calendar sync I’ve used and it is just better than iCal with features that will never make it off the whiteboard in Cupertino.
The Mac Power Users and Smile are sponsoring a contest where you can win a free copy of Smile’s Productivity Suite including PDFpen Pro, TextExpander, DiscLabel and PageSender – a $129 value.
In order to enter, download Smile’s DiscLabel and make some labels. Send in your best work and the winner gets a Smile Productivity Suite for free. If you don’t have DiscLabel, go grab the free trial. Entries from the trial version are fine. Here are the details:
Mac Power Users Episode 38 is live. Katie and I cover media management and iTunes including playlists, media storage, and other iTunes power tips. You can get it on iTunes here or on the web right here. Enjoy.
Allan Morris ran an interesting series of benchmarks on his Crucial SSD when it was new and then later after use and found performance remained largely the same. I’m curious to see if the MacBook Air’s SSD holds up as well.