Archive for 2011
Adobe Kills Off Flash For Mobile Devices
Facebook iPad App Goes Live!
Never thought you might see this? Well after much anticipation, Facebook has finally unveiled their brand new iPad App today. And as you can probably tell, it truly does show that Facebook is really trying to take the multi-million member social network t a new level of Internet 2.0 standards.
For one, navigation through the site is now a much bigger breeze with the iPad. The app takes full advantage of multi-touch gestures to go through pages and photos. Another is the newer view for all of your photos of you and your friends. The photos now are much more like a digital scrapbook that have taken on a look very similar to iPhoto on a Mac. Each album comes in what looks like a stack of photos and of course you can use multi-touch to navigate through each one. With Facebook's "Check-In" feature, the iPad App displays a map that displays all locations you or your friends have checked into either with locations, posts, or photos. And it can display it all on a much more enhanced display for navigating though maps. Sending messages to other users on Facebook's iPad app should seem familiar to many iPad users since it has a look that strongly follows the look of email on the iPad. You have a sidebar that contains all of the names of contacts and you can simply tap on one either to start a live chat or send private messages back and forth. And finally, if you are still a FarmVille addict after all these years of rehab, then this app has a place for you too. All Facebook games are now able to be played on the large 10" interactive screen just as though you were still on your computer ignoring the same exact pet you have for years now.
So my opinion of this app is pretty simple: It just needed to happen. It is not overly impressive, much like the "new" Facebook, it is not something we did not expect to happen, and it is definitely not something we had been begging for. We wanted something to call "Facebook App" but with a fully functional website that was already pre-fit for the iPad, we did not exactly need it. Either way, this should really please a lot of people who have been looking for this kind of developer progress in the halls of Facebook. What do you think of the new Facebook apps for iOS? Leave your thoughts in the coThe new Facebook Application for iPad is currently available on the iTunes App Store.
An Email To Steve Jobs
Steve,
Over the last few years of my life, I have been given the greatest honor of being able to watch someone like you change the world everyday. Some who live now are either too old to appreciate the change in technology that you have brought or are too young and will never know a day when you had the world focused on you. From Macs, to iPods, to iPhones, and all the people who stood in crowds just wanting to get their hands on one, you continued to prove that a company could be so much more than just another organization of men in suits and you also helped prove that the CEO of a company could become an iconic figure unlike the world has ever seen and may ever see again.
As a person of such great power in an industry, it would be very easy for you to get incredibly fixed not on what you create but the size of the check going into your pocket at the end of the day. When people simply wanted to go where the money was, you found a way to go where the future was going and the people came on their own. Aside from making sure the company did not go under as CEO, it was almost never about the money at all, but rather thinking of what people were really looking for rather than giving them something they may have wanted. That is where people began to see not just another suit behind a desk but instead a person who may actually know something about great technology.
Very few CEOs of companies have names and faces that we could list. That’s why the showmen always get their names remembered at the end of the day. Most CEOs will go on a stage at a consumer electronics show and simply discuss what their company was doing this month in the world of generic remote controls. Nobody will care about the product if even the CEO is falling asleep at his own event. You not only brought energy to the products at Macworld, WWDC, and the hundreds of Apple Press Events, you gave the products feelings, you gave the products emotions, you even had the audience drop all senses of inanimate objects they had and fall in love with them. You did something every time you went on stage that other CEOs could only dream of: you made the audience see every product as if it were a new child coming into the world and had them all fall in love with them. And it caused them to feel a personal connection with you that no other CEO may ever understand.
Last is of course the main reason I am writing this letter: how you inspired me to be the person I am today. Ever since I had learned of Apple’s existence through the iPods, the iPhone and so much more dating back to 2007, I never looked at technology the same way again. Computers were no longer just machines to get me on the Internet. They had become much more meaningful to my life. Digital worlds began to fill my social circles with geeky talks of Apple Rumors and new iPod models. And most of all, I entered my career of talking technology with the world and have met some of the greatest people and made some of the best of friends. You not only showed me a new side of technology but a magical side of it as well. One I thought you could only see in Sci-Fi movies and fictional TV. And for all of that, the people, the new worlds, and the feeling a sense of home in a world of misfits, I will forever be grateful.
So, here we stand. You’re packing your desk and only heading to Board meetings. I now have to accept the fact that this is the end of a journey but the beginning of a new one. Yes, I may never see you on that stage again. Yes, it will be hard for me to get used to a new name coming before the title “CEO of Apple Inc.” in the news. But as you told us in your letter, this day would eventually come. As I was not fully ready for it, I can sense I am not alone. And I always know I will remember you for the legend that you have created and I hope you remember as well you will never be forgotten for the legacy that you created. I wish you farewell and good luck in your future goals not only at Apple but whatever you plan to do next. We will all miss you and will never forget the incredible days of Apple when you were there to lead us into the future.
Best Wishes Now and Always,
Conor, Creator of DragonRiderNetwork.com
Steve Jobs Resigns as CEO of Apple
Well, the day that most of us never wanted to see has finally come: Steve Jobs has officially resigned his position as CEO at Apple. As of yesterday Steve had sent out the following letter officially ending his duties as CEO and appointed Tim Cook, the COO of Apple, to position of CEO.
This was the letter he sent out when he announced his change in position.
I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.
I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.
As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.
I believe Apple's brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.
I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.
Steve
Steve Jobs has had medical problems for a long time now and most of us thought the first time around that he would not return from his medical leave back in 2009. Fortunately for everyone, he was able to hold through to give us so much more from Apple. The iPad, the iPhone 4, and many other updates in both hardware and software. To me, I really saw this coming some time soon after he had introduced his new HQ Campus for Apple. He really wanted to pick a time to hand off the company when they had a prime hold on their lineup of products. Now he will finally have some great time to spend with his family.
So last night was definitely a big shock to all of us, myself included, and we simply thought that without the showman at the hull of his ship that Apple may not last long under new management. Well our fears are obviously a little bit over-reacting at first. Then we realized that at most Apple’s stock would take a severe hit and most of us could finally afford stock and become rich when they release a new product. Well, that didn’t even happen either. After a full day on the market with up-turns and down-turns, Apple’s stock barely dropped 3 points. So as of this day I can truly say myself that Apple will most likely be just fine for a very long time. As for Steve Jobs, I wish him the best of luck in his future ventures and that he realizes that even though he is no longer the CEO his legacy will never be forgotten.
MySpace Sold For $35 Million. Justin Timberlake Primary Investor.
Ask yourself, what would you do with 35 million dollar? Well, the corporate giants at an advertising company called Specific Media for just that amount. Not a whole lot if you look at the whole existence of MySpace. The company News Corp. had bought the former Social Networking giant back in 2005 for a whopping 580 Million dollars and this last February it was hoping to tip off the company for barely over 100 Million. So much for high hopes in a future of Web 2.0.
However, something else has come up as a huge spark of excitement for the MySpace company. As the CEO and pretty much most of the staff will be leaving the company in the process of the sale, a certain pop celebrity has bought his way into possibly an executive position of the MySpace company. You may know him as Justin Timberlake, the guy who portrayed the founder of Napster Sean Parker in the Academy film “The Social Network”. Apparently Mr. Timberlake took quite a deal when in talks with Specific Media. According to Chief Executive at Specific Media, Justin Timberlake will be getting his own office at MySpace and a staff of 6 recruits.
Most at the company are saying more information is to be released more into the summer however we can only imagine until then what this will mean for the future of MySpace, what Facebook is looking at this situation with and with what intentions, and will Justin Timberlake be one of the very first Pop-Stars/Actors/Chief-Executives? Only time will tell for us. Until then, keep up with the buzz on MySpace with every other social network besides MySpace.
Final Cut Pro X: An Update In Debate
Have you ever had something great happen but then moments later you wonder if it really lived up to it’s full expectations only 10 minutes later? On Tuesday of last week, Apple finally released it’s long awaited update to Final Cut Pro and that very situation came across many of the users who have been long time Final Cut Pro editors. Now, just to start this off, I am not here to defend the people who are claiming Final Cut Pro was ruined in the upgrade but I am also not here to defend those who say the ones complaining are full of un-rendered knowledge. I am simply here to give my stand on Final Cut Pro X in this massive firestorm of love and hate.
First thing is first: it is what I really do love what the product has given us as a whole upgrade. The new Final Cut Pro X has been completely rewritten from the ground up in whole new lines of code, whole new platforms, and whole new levels of operation. The UI is now completely different that it was before and the entire application has taken on a unified look that closely resembles it’s distant cousin iMovie. It now no longer needs to waste time rendering different sections as all tasks are now taking place in the background as you edit and work. The people who come over from iMovie wanting to grow their advancements in movie editing will feel right at home in Final Cut Pro X. And that truly is a great thing for everyone. The fact that Apple wants to advance everyone to a certain place so that way it will be far easier for everyone to advance when future generations of Final Cut will then come along. And for the rest of us, it is kind of like our reward for working though the difficulties of earlier generations of Final Cut softwares and we now have a huge burden of rough editing tasks removed from our future.
Now to my next point: addressing the overflowing hate. Yes, Apple took out quite a number of features that existed in Final Cut Pro 7. Yes, Apple made it a much more lower standard of knowledge needed for editing. And yes, every single person who used Final Cut Express and Final Cut Pro for all those years (including myself) will need to relearn everything you ever thought you knew about Final Cut Pro. The thing about this is that when Apple updated their software they needed to start clean but at least kept a few key features they knew EVERYONE used. Not just the James Camerons of the world. When a new software like this is released for the very first time, most people will notice things missing. Most may not like what they see or can do. But in the end you know that after a few versions of the software are released and enough people want it back, then Apple will put it back for everyone who wanted it.
And finally: why both sides have the right to be right. The people who complain about what it lacks have every right to be angry but it doesn’t mean that Apple single handedly ruined your entire operation of video editing.The Pro-editors have the opportunity to keep on using their 1000 dollar editing software that none of us could afford in the beginning. It isn’t going anywhere and you are not being forced to upgrade to anything. The ones who are on the side of having this software be brought down to consumer level have almost gotten their way. At the price of this software it cannot easily be considered consumer level so much as Pro-Sumer level. I really do believe that Apple attempted to bridge the gap between pros and consumers with this latest update and they frankly did a great job. Being able to go from iMovie to a jump like this and not have to worry if you can easily learn then it will be a breeze for you to jump in head first into Final Cut Pro X. And for the nay-sayers who oppose the good within, then you may just want to open up a bit and you may be surprised how professional has just gotten much more simple with this one upgrade from Apple.
Mac App Store Is Official! Prepare For Another Gold Rush!
The Mac App Store has been known about for just about 90 days and it finally makes it’s massive scale launch to millions of Mac users today! For the first time on the Mac OS platform users will have a built-in way of downloading full programs and 3rd party applications. So could this be yet another generation of a gold rush for developers just like the iPhone OS and then the iPad OS were? So far a couple thousand applications are sitting on the shelves of the Mac App Store and they are not just total rip offs of most iPhone and iPad applications.
The main apps you will definitely notice first are actually primary applications you would typically purchase at an Apple Store like the iLife Suite, the iWork Suite, Aperture and several others. And for a much lower price than you would get at any of the Apple Stores. What would normally be $199 for Aperture is now $79 on the Mac App Store. Don’t ask me what economic factors gave Apple the ability to lower the price that much. Just buy it and don’t ask questions. Another very interesting series of applications you will find in the Mac App Store would be the apps that came over from iPhone and iPad developers. The biggest contender in that category would be the ever popular game Angry Birds. Now this is not just the iPad version slapped on the screen of the Mac. It truly does have a bit of a different feel to it like the game was written specifically as a software piece. Only instead of multi-touch on the screen you now have the choice of using a mouse or the trackpads that come with Macbooks or the Magic Trackpad for desktops.
Now even with these great graphics, incredible sound, and unbelievable processing speeds powering them, the apps for Mac brought over from the iOS platform such as Angry Birds or FlightControl just feel a bit unnatural. I do suppose many of us have been brought up in the world where we just completely got away from games using a keyboard and mouse and just got so used to the idea of accelerometers and multi-touch support. However for some of the other applications being developed for all platforms of the iOS and Mac families have really shown to bring the best of both worlds to both platforms. Especially along the lines of Utilities applications and Development applications.
So does this look to be the next Gold Rush for both developers and Mac users? Well, Apple has been host to 2 for 2 so far so I would say this has a very good chance of taking off in a very big way. Obviously the Mac App Store will not have as much of a great impact on the world as instantly as the original iPhone Apple Store when it was for the ones who owned an iPhone and not a full Mac. But either way, if you are a developer, you may have found your next big project for the summer. And if you are a Mac consumer then you better hide the credit cards because a whole new gold mine of applications is about to show up!
