Jon Wright

November Snows & Grit

2010-11-25T09:38:00.001Z

A couple of inches of the white stuff this morning with more on the way.

Poorly gritted roads as usual. See image below of the A66 in rush hour between Middlesbrough and Stockton. That's a major road and it looked like it hadn't even been gritted. Local roads are even worse.

Of course the council will blame the cut in budgets but it's always been the same. You wouldn't think we're one of the primary road grit suppliers in the UK.

Playing the guessing game

2010-11-16T12:25:00.002Z

After Apple posted a teaser on their website speculation has grown as to what it might be.

With less than three hours to go here's a small list of what pundits think it might be and what i predict and why.

1, iOS 4.2 update. This is one of the most anticipated updates for iPod/iPhone and iPad bringing parity to all three devices at the same time. The update offers some major enhancements, especially where iPad is concerned. Whilst i won't go into the changes here, this is one update Apple really want you to have.

Speculation is that Apple will offer this update via a reminder in iTunes so you never forget to update your device. I'm still amazed at how many people have out of date iPhones/iPods.

2, iTunes streaming model. There's been much talk about a cloud based iTunes offering monthly subscriptions for music, in the same way Napster and Spotify do. Apple have recently completed their new 6 billion dollar server farm in North Carolina and could easily manage your iTunes library so it could be accessed from anyway.

3, Facebook. Since Apple launched Ping, it's own music social network within iTunes, the service has been met with mixed reviews. Rumours of last minute breakdown talks between Apple and Facebook emerged prior to the launch and is the one area where a lot of people think integration of the two would make the service more appealing.

4, Beatles music to the iTunes store. Apple love music, or at least Mr Jobs does, so there's no better incentive than bringing the whole Beatles catalogue to the store. They've been trying for quite sometime but talks keep falling at the last hurdle.

Apple have also been to court with Apple Corps (corporation set up by the Beatles) many times over the years regarding trademarks, so perhaps this hasn't helped matters.

Like i said at the beginning this is a general list of some of the announcements Apple could make at 3.00 GMT today.

Now to my prediction based on pure guesswork and stories that i've read.

1, The iOS update is important but it's hardly going to be something that you'll "Never Forget". These things come and go and as i've already said, a lot of people don't always update their devices, so whilst it's important for Apple, its low priority for the consumer.

2, An iTunes steaming model is where my heart is, but i think that's for another day. There's all sorts of issues like licencing agreements to be put in place and i just haven't read or heard of any solid rumours of this to be convinced it'll happen anytime soon. But happen it will and hopefully with AirPlay support for my Sonos sound system. I can dream!

3, Facebook is huge, but not everybody uses it and striking a deal will hardly make history. Social networks come and go, remember Orkut, so i doubt this will be it.

4, The Beatles is where i think it's at. Personally i don't own a track but recognise their importance in shaping music non the less. When Apple say: Tomorrow is just another day, but one you'll never forget" they are referring to Steve Jobs love affair with the fab 4 from Liverpool.

This is all about Steve Jobs ego. He's been trying to get this music, a first for any online store, for a long time and i think he's finally got what he wants. The coup will also add a lot of credibility to the iTunes store as the Beatles are huge and well respected. The never forget reference could also be to the younger generation.

Music is cyclic, a bit like fashion, and nothing would please Steve Jobs more than giving a new generation of listeners access to the huge music library that is the Beatles, so they can keep the memory alive.

The clock is ticking.

Apple posts teaser

2010-11-15T16:39:00.000Z

Apple posted a teaser on their website asking us to check back tomorrow for some exciting news. With their new server farm up and running could this be a streaming model of its music business?

Glif iPhone 4 tripod mount + stand

2010-10-04T20:32:00.000+01:00

Great little project worthy of a contribution. Count me in.

Stomach churning

2010-09-15T22:18:00.001+01:00

Next time you make a phone call think of these guys.

[update] Looks like Youtubes removed the video so here's another link.

iPhone 4 Rear Panel Smashed

2010-09-15T09:38:00.000+01:00

My new iPhone 4 fell off the mantle piece a couple of weeks back onto the marble hearth. My heart sank when it happened but was relieved to find no damage, great this new toughened glass, and i did have the bumper fitted so all was well.

That was until last week when it happened again only this time i wasn't so lucky. I'd removed the bumper and it completely shattered the back panel.

Fortunately no damage to the internals and i'm told that if it had been the front panel i'd be in for some major repairs.

What to do

First thing i did was scour the internet for panel replacements and information on a quick fix solution. The excellent iFixit.com sells replacement rear panels for $109 and also offers the tools and a breakdown on what to do. Of course you void the warranty if you do a DIY job so i didn't want to do that.

Ok that's one option. The next thing i did was ring my insurance company and asked if it was insured. Of course it wasn't being a mobile, although i'm sure some policies do, but mine didn't so no surprises there then.

Ok time to ring Apple. The phone is only 4 months old so i figured they'd had issues like this before. The guy was ultra helpful. Quoted me £139 to replace the phone or fix the panel. I could either visit my nearest Apple store or send the phone to Apple and they'd do the rest. I opted to visit the store so he made me an appointment for 9.10 saturday morning.

I arrived at the store in Newcastle at 9.00, the guy who served me was a star. I was in there 5 mins max and he'd replaced the panel. And...it only cost £25.00 to replace. Now it's as good as new and still covered by Apple warranty.

Job done!

The land of the free?

2010-09-14T23:03:00.000+01:00

Fascinating insight into what happened to Paul Karl Luckas, a law abiding US citizen, when he exercised his right to remain silent when re-entering his own country.

I love the sound of breaking glass

2010-08-16T17:34:00.000+01:00

"Don’t fire up the Antennagate Alarm just yet, but we’re hearing a good number of reports within our geeky circle that Motorola’s brand new baby, the Verizon Droid 2, might not be so good with that whole maintaining-a-solid-signal thing."

Juke off to a great start

2010-07-29T16:32:00.000+01:00

With 1,250 sales in the UK, 10,000 in Europe and now 12,500 in Japan, you could say the Nissan Juke is off to a good start.

So what's significant about that? We'll you'd expect those figures in Japan, after all Nissan are a Japanese car maker. But what's interesting about the UK and European sales is that the car isn't officially launched yet.

Give that the Juke has another two months to go before you even see one on the road, that's pretty impressive. Once the TV campaign and marketing gets into full swing, i think the Juke launch will turn out to be Nissan's most important launch to date.

That is until the LEAF comes along.

Apple teams investigate iPhone antenna claims

2010-07-16T20:04:00.001+01:00

At the iPhone antenna debacle press conference Apple CEO Steve Jobs revealed that when he gets emails from customers with supposedly reception problems, he dispatches teams of engineers to their homes, who show up with all sorts of equipment to evaluate things for themselves.

I have visions of an ET style tent being installed around the house and people in space suits walking around. After running the test they hand out an ET finger to use as an antenna in case of emergencies.

Brings a whole new meaning to the "ET phone home" phrase.

Apple issues free bumpers

2010-07-16T19:21:00.001+01:00

In its press conference today Apple announced that to keep its customers happy they would issue free bumpers with every iPhone 4 up to Sept 30th and also to anybody who has already purchased an iP4.

That includes me.

They also released some stats on how many customers have reported Antenna issues...wait for it...0.55%. They also revealed the return rate has only been 1.7% compared to the iPhone 3GS which was 6% at the same time.

There you go, blown out of all proportion. Still it shows how much Apple cares about it's customers giving away FREE bumpers. That must be costing them a fair bit when you consider they sold 3 million iP4's in 3 days.

However, the press call allowed us to see a glimpse of the secret labs in which their iPhones are tested. They showed the gathering press a massive shielded room, housing 17 anechoic chambers costing $100 million. They also revealed they have 18 PhD scientists and engineers on their staff.

Right i'm off to register for my FREE bumper.

iPhone 4 iOS 4.0.1 update

2010-07-16T07:55:00.001+01:00

Apple released, what is arguably the most anticipated software update ever, for its new iPhone 4 and all due to mass hysteria over its antenna signal strength.

To update or not to update, that is the question.

Here's the update on my iPhone 4. There's no actual science involved here. What i'm about to show you will not spin the earth of its axis.

Here's a screen shot of my iP4 before the update. Notice the 3 signal bars. It's worth mentioning that 3G signal fluctuates anyway but in the interests of this post i sat in the same chair before and after the update, which took no more than 10 mins to complete.

Here's the update notification telling me that the earth will not spin off its axis.

Finally here's the iP4 after the update. Notice i now have 2 signal bars which are slightly taller than before.

That's it! Science lesson over.

I should point out that i have never had issue's with my iP4 since i got it. It's better than my 3G at making calls period! On saying that i'm not doubting for one minute some people have had signal loss but i don't think its as bad as people are making out.

The whole thing has been blown out of proportion in my humble and honest non scientific opinion.

Apple will hold a press conference today to try to appease it's shareholders and the markets. For the rest of us it's business as usual.

Let's hope they nail it once and for all as their PR machine's wheels have completely fallen off. Actually when i think about it, Apple's PR machine has always been us, the fanboys. So it's our wheels that have fallen off and we need Apple to put them back on and send us on our way.

Maybe they'll wow us with a "one more thing", ATV anyone? John Gruber has a hunch it'll be something biggish. Let's just wait and see.

iPad: Six icons are better than four

2010-07-12T22:20:00.000+01:00

I've always thought the homepage on my iPad looked a little odd when in landscape mode. No matter how i look at it, compared to my iPhone 4 homepage, it always seemed a bit unbalanced.

Then it dawned on me. It's the amount of icons in the dock.

By default the iPad comes with 4 but this is easy to remedy. 4, 5 or 6, the choice is yours.

This is my iPad in landscape mode with the default 4 apps in the dock but 5 columns in the main window...

Now by clicking and holding on any icon (just as you do to rearrange apps), you'll unlock each app's position...

Now just drag any additional apps into the doc and that's it, balance restored. I've gone for six but the choice is yours.

Juke no joke

2010-07-04T08:30:00.001+01:00

In the car world i've always been disappointed when a manufacturer comes up with a good design and then we get a plethora of clones for the next 10 years.

That can't be said of Nissan. This is one car maker that seems to design what it wants regardless of what everybody else is doing. Ok, this means we get the Good the Bad and the Ugly, but their latest design looks something special.

Quote of the World Cup

2010-07-04T08:14:00.000+01:00

"Defensively, England were poor. I was surprised at how easily the Germans dismantled their defence".

Argentina midfielder Lionel Messi after watching England get tonked 4-1 by Germany and before his team got ripped apart by the same team 4-0.

Ouch!!

Apple respond to iPhone antenna hysteria

2010-07-02T14:59:00.002+01:00

In my short time with the iP4 i've found the opposite of what some of these people are experiencing. Compared to my 3G, the antenna is more sensitive to networks where signal is poor. It can connect to these networks where my 3G cannot.

A piece from the article:

"To start with, gripping almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna design."

I can only get mine to drop 1 bar where reception is strong and 2-3 bars where reception is pants.

England go through to last 16

2010-06-23T16:39:00.001+01:00

And what a nervy time it was.

BBC reporter Jonathan Stevenson writes: "England are still enjoying the lion's share of the possession, if you'll excuse the pun, but it only takes a second to score a goal so they need to be alert. My boss tells me his two-year-old son has just punched his eight-year-old sister and knocked her tooth out. World Cup tension affects everyone."

This is England on tour.

Better than watching any England match

2010-06-18T21:49:00.000+01:00

Cheered me up after what was a pathetic performance by a bunch of overpaid underachievers.

Cancel the cheque

2010-06-18T21:40:00.000+01:00

£20.8 million a day or £145.6 million a week or £7.5 billion a year give or take a few quid.

All to the EU and for what?

Whilst we're cutting services over here lets also start over there.

Don't hold your breath.

600,000 iPhones sold in 1 day

2010-06-16T22:01:00.001+01:00

and AT & T suspend iPhone Pre-orders due to unprecedented demand.

Welcome to Apple folks!

Oh and don't say I didn't tell you so.

iMovie exclusive to iPhone for now

2010-06-15T07:44:00.000+01:00

Actually it's a great way for Apple to test it, gets lots of feedback and then launch an improved version for iPad. The two were made for each other.

Ordering iPhone 4

2010-06-15T07:21:00.000+01:00

Well today's the day when the iPhone 4 became available to pre-order, not that it'll make any difference if my iPad experience is anything to go by.

I think demand for the iPhone 4 will far outstrip that of the iPad by 10 and they'll hang on to pre-orders as long as the can, selling the surplus over the counter on 24th, the official launch date.

But this is the Apple of today.

UK Store still being updated as we type.

iPad case

2010-06-14T21:09:00.001+01:00

Got an email from Apple at the weekend with a firm delivery date of Friday 18th for my iPad. I originally ordered one when Apple notified me to pre-order but i threw my teddy out of the pram when i didn't get a shipping notification past the official launch date.

What really annoyed me was the fact people up and down the country were walking into stores and collecting them over the counter. No doubt they queued outside overnight in sub-zero temperatures (tee hee), but i always thought pre-ordering mean't that you avoided the crowds and got preference. Of course this is no longer the case when Apple releases its next big thing but i'm composed now and my iPad is almost here.

Whilst choosing the iPad was easy, buying a case isn't. Should i go for the Official iPad Apple case at 30 quid or plum for the Incase Convertible Book Jacket at a whopping £49.95. I've been reading a favourable review of the iPad DoDocase which is a hand built job from San Fransisco but i'm not sure if i can wait 7 weeks for delivery.

The Apple case, although still expensive, seems to have decent reviews but from the images i have seen looks a little cheap which isn't an Apple trait at all.

Who says crime doesn't pay

2010-06-11T22:29:00.001+01:00

Will you be paying by cash or credit card sir!

iPad Could Finally End The Apple TV Hobby

2010-06-07T00:43:00.001+01:00

If you coexist outside of Apple 'cultism' then an Apple TV won't mean an awful lot to you. Ironically the very same people form orderly queues, at funny hours in the morning, trying to get their hands on Apple's 'one more thing'.

So why is this? And why hasn't Apple had the same success with the Apple TV as it has with iPods, iPhones and most recently iPads? And of course lets not forget computers, the foundation on which Apple has built its success to become the largest tech company on the planet.

A clue as to why Apple TV remains a hobby was revealed at the recent D8 conference where CEO Steve Jobs, explained that Apple has no interest in a market that precludes it from rolling out a viable go-to-market strategy. In simple english, they can't make serious money from set top boxes whilst cable companies provide these for free.

Of course the same argument could be made about the iPhone when the CEO of Microsoft claimed nobody would pay $500 dollars for a phone when providers gave one away as part of a subscription contract. And yet here we are three years on and Apple is doing very nicely indeed.

The devils in the detail.

Usually when Steve Jobs is asked about future technology trends or Apple products and strategy he always gives pretty straight forward answers. Sometimes brutal but always honest. He also has a knack of leading most people up the garden path and off the scent. Of course if you read enough into what he says you can sometimes pick up a few crumbtrails and hazzard a guess as to where he's going.

So when he says Apple isn't interested in taking Apple TV from a hobby into another billion dollar business simply because the 'opportunity to go-to-market' isn't there, he's telling fibs. He knows exactly how to create that opportunity and this is how he's going to do it.

Enter the iPad

In order to understand how Apple thinks you need to see the bigger picture. When Apple release new technology into the market they always leverage the power of another. Take the Apple computer for example. It's no coincidence that sales of Apple computers increased when the first iPod's came to market. You needed a computer to load songs on to the iPod so what better way to enjoy the seamless integration between device and hub than on a Mac. And of course no iPod would be complete without songs, so enter iTunes. You get the picture?

Prior to the iPod people thought Macs were over complicated and built for designers, geeks or aliens. Most people i knew who 'hated' Macs had never even used or turned one on. However, once they saw how well designed and easy the iPod was to use the barriers came down a little and people started to take a closer look. Of course even Apple would concede that the early market dominance of Microsoft in the 80's and 90's, running software on cheap hardware from all and sundry never really gave them a chance to gain real market share, despite the iPods dominance.

But all that's about to change as people seek entertainment value away from 'working machines' like high end desk or laptops, to more dedicated and portable devices like iPads and tablets. And this time Apple is in the driving seat.

When Daniel Eran Dilger once said, 'Low Def Is The New HD' he was spot on. Although until the iPad arrived things were a little too low def for my liking. I'm sure the reason why my eyes have started to deteriorate is partly due to trying to read or watch content from my iPhone. Now the iPad is here things are looking a lot more balanced.

And so it's here, in the iPad ecosystem, that Apple TV will eventually leverage on the iPads success and create that viable go-to-market strategy that Apple craves. Why? Because the iPad is going to be a huge success make no mistake about that. It'll dominate hand held portable devices in the same way Microsoft dominated the PC market.

Apple TV new design

In order for the iPhone to succeed they had to enter the smartphone category and uncharted territory. Being able to tap into its vast iTunes ecosystem gave the iPhone a huge advantage over its rivals (remember the package). And so like the iPhone, Apple TV will need to change from its current design.

At D8 Steve Jobs pointed out that people already have too many boxes under the TV with different software interfaces that they don't need anymore. And unless the user interface becomes familiar across these devices, people will be resistant to change. So Apple TV needs to be smaller and less intrusive and yet act as a 'hub' for iTunes in order to distribute content between devices. In the same way Apple market that people already know the iPad through the iPhone, so people will already know the Apple TV through iTunes. But iTunes will also need to change, moving away from a desktop client to a web based interface (iTunes.com??). We are already seeing the first iteration of this with MobileMe.

And so as the Apple TV becomes the hub for distribution of streaming media through web based software, so the need for local storage will seize to be less important, allowing a smaller form factor and lower price. Apple's $1billion server farm will take care of storage. All this will mean the ability to access your content from anywhere in the world.

Back to the iPad. In the same way the iBook app gives access to books, the app store will offer movies/tv shows/podcasts etc... through the Apple cloud and a new way of storing and interacting with your media. It'll be low def at first but will slowly get better as thing get faster (1080p anyone?).

I remember when the iPhone first came out and people didn't understand the concept of the app store until Apple started spelling it out, then it exploded. The same will apply to the iPad and once people start seeing the way it handles video and other similar types of media, it'll just take off in the same way. This is when TV and the way we interact with it will change forever.

Imagine a device that that can store and stream content back and forward to your TV as well as your iPod/iPhone/iPod and PC. The tech is there now, but nobody except Apple have the packages in place to deliver it. Google are claiming to have it but so far i've seen nothing to convince me it'll all come together. Besides i think a lot of what Google announced at the I/O keynotes is based on what they already know Apple is about to do.

Who knows iTunes could even return to what it was originally intended for...music. Now wouldn't that be something?