Fling joysticks for iPad

Microsoft is just a waste of space.

- South by Southwest is happening
- The Thank You Economy book came out
- iPad 2 released and apps are on sale

Rumors of both a smaller and larger iPhone abound and they don’t make any sense. Also, everyone talks about 7” tablets and why Apple needs one - this also makes no sense.

You’re pissed about the lack of pre-orders? Think it through

As most of the world has already heard, Apple held a keynote for iPad 2 this morning. First things first, a very unexpected event happened within the first minute. Steve Jobs, who has suffered from some pretty sever illnesses over the past few years and who was on a medical leave of absence over the last month, arrived on stage. He looked thin, he was low on energy compared to usual, but he looked good. He was excited. He was stable. He was there.

As for the iPad 2, even as an Apple lover, I went into today skeptical. After a year with the previous iPad I still love it but what could it do more of? What could be better that it’s worth buying the new one? You would think I would know better by now. Here is the rundown on why this device is amazing:

• It has been redesgiend to be 33% thinner and up to 15% lighter. 13.4mm to 8.8mm (Thinner than Phone 4).
• It has the Apple A5 chip - dual core processing puts this device 9x faster than its predecessor.
• Dual cameras - rear and front facing support Facetime.
• Will be available in 2 colors from day 1 (March 11, 2011).
• 3G versions will be built for both AT&T and Verizon.
• Pricing structure is the same. More device for same money.
• iOS 4.3 will allow tethering from an iPhone 4.
• Smart covers. Rather than a case that hides the design, the smart cover clips to the side and is held on the front by magnets. They are smart because when it’s close, the iPad goes to sleep. It wakes on removal of the cover.
• HDMI output up to 1080p. The cable allows HDMI out and charging simultaneously.

Those are the biggest new features. iOS 4.3 will be available on March 11 on the new iPad and for iPhone. There is no pre-ordering this time. You can order on March 11 and have it shipped to your door or pick it up from an Apple retail store at 5pm that day. There are no times yet on shipping or delivery. Other new features include iPad versions of iMovie and Garage Band.

Overall, this is a huge jump in quality and performance and feature set. Given the multitude of models over both carriers and the new features, it’s safe to say that these devices will be everywhere shortly after the release date. For the record, as of the keynote this morning, 15 million iPads have been shipped (version 1) and there are 65,000 iPad apps on the app store. Apple scores again. Thank you Mr. Jobs and it was good to see you.

Why is the Xoom so expensive? Listen to the rant to find out.

First video of 2011. What happened so far and predictions for the year.

I meant to have this out before the new year hit, but alas, the hectic schedule of the holiday season got the better of me.

1. 3D TVs have been all the rage lately, from the perspective of the manufacturer. The price of the TVs, price of the glasses, limited content and the fact that you even need glasses have put a damper on sales. The good news is that the proliferation of 3D TVs have driven down the price of standard LED TVs.
   Prediction: 3D disappears this year until the technology is more affordable, usable and universal.
2. Microsoft capitalizes on the success that is the Kinect (the motion based gaming style for the Xbox 360) and ushers in a new era of gaming (that the Nintendo Wii barely scratched the surface of). Sony releases the Move for the PS3 which gives users something to hold, like the Wii but it is more precise than the Kinect. Users of both platforms are going nuts for these (especially the Kinect, due to its freedom).
   Prediction: More Xbox games show up in the purple case and the entire gaming experience moves towards hands free. You do what? Hold a controller still? Oh, and Steve Ballmer keeps his job.
3. Users are not only playing with the Kinect; they are ripping it apart. Scores of videos are appearing all over the web showing new uses for the camera/sensor system. Some are recreating images in live 3D renderings and others have created Minority Report style interfaces.
   Prediction: Tom Cruise and a pre-cog run through your backyard while you effortless copy files to pieces of glass with your hands. Interactive displays become a reality.
4. Apple’s release of a desktop app store shows 1 million downloads in the first day. Their photo editing program, Aperture, sells for $80 as opposed to the $199 retail price on the shelf.
   Prediction: A desktop app store shows up for Windows as well. Software inventories in retail locations begin to thin like the hair on Ballmer’s head.
5. Tablets are everywhere. First it was the iPad, followed closely by a slew of Android based devices. The battle is now over platform, operating system, and size. 
   Prediction: Many Android based tablets disappear leaving only the cream of the crop. Apple releases iPad 2 in the spring of this year.
6. Every year since 2007 Apple has shown us a new iPhone. 2007 and 2010 were the 2 biggest iterations. It nearly goes without saying that iPhone 5 will be announced at Worldwide Developers Conference with the release to follow in late June or early July.
   Prediction: The jump in feature set is better than from 3G to 3GS but not nearly as rich as the jump between the 3GS and the iPhone 4.
7. We are generating more and more data on a consistent basis. Storing and securing that data is becoming more difficult, even with the huge hard drives. Everyone needs redundant backups and accessibility.
   Prediction: Companies and products like Drobo, Netgear ReadyNas and HP MediaSmart drop in price to give redundant RAID arrays for home users and websites like Mozy and Crash Plan become more popular around the web.
8. Facebook is trying to hold onto its key players. It has been giving out tons of private stock options. The SEC requires them to stay below a certain number of people and shares before forcing them to disclose more details about their finances. Facebook has been holding just below that number.
   Prediction: Facebook can’t afford to stay there anymore. They break the cap, disclose their info, hold an IPO.

The proliferation of smart phones has created a new business model in the world of technology. That business model is the app store. This idea was pioneered by Apple and the iPhone and had been adopted by the Android community. Apple has incorporated this into the iPad as well. Even the update from OS X 10.5 Leopard to OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard incurred a $30 fee, which is well below the price of any operating system upgrade ever before. The Android community has a Google Marketplace and individual carriers and phone manufacturers have their own repositories as well, such as Verizon’s or Motorola’s stores. 

Yesterday, Apple made another unprecedented move by incorporating an app store into the desktop. The update to their Snow Leopard operating system from 10.6.5 to 10.6.6 brought the inclusion of this new feature. Now,  users can download full scale desktop applications and pay for them using their iTunes credentials and payment information without the need for physical media. The overhead is lower which brings prices down. One such example is Apple’s photo editing application, Aperture, which retails for $199 and is now on sale in the app store for $80. Developers have learned a quick lesson that by dropping the price you will more than make up for it in sales volume. 

People will, for example, by 10 apps at 99 cents, but rarely buy 1 app at $10. And the logical deployment of applications via the cloud means that developers can afford to charges this prices and keep profits and profit margins up. 

The update to the operating system is, of course, free. When completed you will notice a new icon in your dock that is the app store. When entering, apps are broken up by free apps, paid apps, popular apps and more. You can browse by genre or search for something specifically. 

This is a bold move for Apple but will likely be very popular. If the success of app stores for smart phones and tablets is any indication, it is almost a sure bet that this model will be copied on other desktop platforms before long as well.