Tagged with ipad …

May 14 2013
Money, Retail

The cash register is dead, replaced by iPad & Square

Via The Verge:

Jack Dorsey, Square’s co-founder and CEO, said the stand marked an improvement on clunky point-of-sale systems that have dominated sales counters for decades. Merchants are fed up with existing solutions, he said.

“They have to deal with these ugly systems that they don’t know how to use,” Dorsey said. “Nothing works together, nothing is seamless, nothing feels like it fits. It really takes away from their aesthetic. We thought we could do a lot better.”

Pics and video at The Verge.

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Mar 14 2013
Android

Lies, damned lies, and Android statistics

Ben Bajarin breaks down the crazy talk that Android tablets will overtake the iPad over at Tech.pinions:

The problem when we talk about Android market share in both smartphones and tablets, is that we are not talking about market share in which a universal app store medium exists. This is because Android can be taken and forked, to the chagrin of Google, and used for the sole agenda of others thus not benefiting Google or the Play Store developers. This is the problem we have when we look at the Android growth in tablets. The greatest percentage of it is coming from Amazon with their Kindle fire, and the Chinese market…

90% of Chinese Android devices sold do not come with the Google Play store installed but rather have ties to dozens of local app store from local service providers.

Fully recommended read, complete with graphs.

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Feb 14 2013
Microsoft

Microsoft’s Office for iPad: MIA

Via CNN Money:

Two and a half billion dollars.

That’s how much Morgan Stanley’s Adam Holt estimates Microsoft may be leaving on the table by not offering a full version of its Office suite (Word, Excel, etc.) on Apple’s iPads.

I met with Microsoft about Office just two weeks ago, and my number one question was when Office for iPad is coming. Unlike Apple, Microsoft is a company scared to death of cannibalizing  its own products. Office on the iPad would be incredibly lucrative, but would decimate the already microscopic sales of Windows tablets. It’s a mentality that will lead the company into either irrelevance or oblivion.

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Dec 13 2012
Apple, Samsung

Samsung’s Chief Strategy Officer uses Macs, iPhone, and iPad at home

Samsung’s Young Sohn, in an interview with MIT Technology Review:

I use a Mac, actually, at home. I’ve always used Mac, an iPhone, and an iPad. I also have the Galaxy.

At work I’m using Samsung devices; Apple at home, mainly because all of my systems and files are done that way. That’s sticky, you know?

There are two types of Samsung customers (When it comes to smartphones, not washing machines): Those that are geeks/hackers/tinkerers and who want great hardware to go with the messy but tweakable Android OS, and those that just walk into the mobile store and want the free phone.

Sohn, highly educated and wealthy, doesn’t fit into either of those two categories. Of course he’s going to use Apple products at home. Doesn’t surprise me he was at Intel before, either.

That’s not just a problem for Samsung, it’s also a problem for companies like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft. Even if they make their own phones, beg their employees to use them, at the end of the day, these employees have great salaries and want products that work. So they choose Apple products.

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Nov 26 2012
Microsoft

The Microsoft Store and Surface: A tough sell

Fortune details Piper Jaffray’s research on shopping trends this past Black Friday:

Shoppers at the Apple Store bought an average of 11 iPads per hour. Despite heavy TV, print and billboard advertising for the new Microsoft Surface tablet, not one was sold sold during the two hours Piper Jaffray spent monitoring that store. Doesn’t bode well for Microsoft’s answer to the iPad.

I wonder how much money Microsoft is losing on its stores, and how long the expect those losses to last before they can turn a profit. They will never tell us, just like won’t say how many Surface tablets they’ve sold.

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Nov 21 2012
Apple

iPad mini poses serious threat to competitors

Ben Bajarin at TechPinions:

One thing I found interesting was that nearly everyone we spoke to who expressed interest in the iPad Mini, simply assumed the next version would include a Retina display. More interestingly this did not seem to be a deterrent to their intended purchase this holiday season. When I dug into why there was no interest to wait, the overwhelming consensus was that over time their intention was not just to own one but to own many. Ideally one for every person in the house. So the logic goes, when the new one comes out the older gets handed down. This used to be the logic for notebooks.

Good time to be the dominant player in tablets.

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Nov 14 2012
Apple

Why the iPad Mini doesn’t have a Retina display

Marco Arment on his blog, Marco.org:

Apple didn’t make an arbitrary decision to withhold Retina on the Mini to save money, upsell more buyers to the iPad 4, or “force” the first generation of iPad Mini owners to upgrade next year. They chose not to ship a Retina iPad Mini because it would be significantly worse than the previous iPads in very important factors.

Imagine the fallout if a Retina Mini shipped with only three hours of battery life, or was inelegantly thick and heavy. Or, very importantly to the iPad’s market, imagine if its GPUs were slower and it ran existing iPad games extremely poorly. And then add the component-price differences: imagine a Retina iPad Mini that was bulkier, shorter-running, or much slower (or all three) and that started at $399 instead of $329.

Arment couldn’t be any more right. The iPad mini’s screen is a compromise. A compromise that ensured that it would be a success.

The iPad mini isn’t a result of Steve Jobs no longer being Apple’s CEO, it’s evidence that those who now run the company still follow his product principles.

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Nov 06 2012
Microsoft

Ten things Microsoft’s Surface does better than the iPad

Patrick Moorhead over at TechPinions with a smart look at what Microsoft’s Surface does better than an iPad:

If you want to get an Apple fan boy riled up, just start a discussion about Live Tiles or Android panes.  You can just see the blood pressure rising and the next hour of conversation is around ease of use and what normal consumers want.  Well, I like Live Tiles because it saves me time and some don’t because they are “confusing”.  Without even touching the Surface display I can see emails, calendar, and weather, stocks, Tweets, breaking news, updated podcasts and about 100 other pieces of information. I think other consumers will prefer, too, after some time as icons are so 1980’s. I believe Microsoft jumped ahead of the curve on this tile concept and Apple will follow at some point.

Check out the full list, it may sway or confirm your next tablet purchase. Moorhead is promising a follow-up post on ways the iPad remains best-in-class.

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Nov 05 2012
Microsoft

Microsoft’s 32GB Surface only has 16GB of space

Via Engadget:

Microsoft has revealed that once you’ve accounted for binary conversion, recovery provision and the software itself, the 32GB device will have 16GB of free space, while 64GB units will get 46GB of room to store your media.

By comparison, iOS only takes up about 1GB of an iPad’s internal storage. Microsoft seems to have trouble giving honest numbers on anything related to the Surface: They won’t say how many tablets they’ve sold either!

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Nov 05 2012
Apple

Another billion-dollar weekend: Apple sells three million iPads

Via Apple:

Apple today announced it has sold three million iPads in just three days since the launch of its new iPad mini and fourth generation iPad—double the previous first weekend milestone of 1.5 million Wi-Fi only models sold for the third generation iPad in March. The Wi-Fi + Cellular versions of both iPad mini and fourth generation iPad will ship in a few weeks in the US and in many more countries later this year.

“Customers around the world love the new iPad mini and fourth generation iPad,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We set a new launch weekend record and practically sold out of iPad minis. We’re working hard to build more quickly to meet the incredible demand.

Apple doesn’t say whether  those iPads sold were iPad minis or iPad biggies, but it’s safe to assume that minis made up the majority of those purchases, judging by available stocks. Even with a very low estimate of an average selling price of $350, that’s another billion dollars in revenue for Apple.

Apple will see another bump in a couple of weeks when the cellular-ready version of the iPad mini launches in a couple of weeks.

The announcement also highlights once again how Google and Amazon have refused to say how many tablets they’ve sold. Neither has Microsoft with its Surface. Because when you’re proud of the numbers, you tout them in a press release.

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Oct 24 2012
Android, Apple, Tablets

The iPad Mini’s price has nothing to do with Android tablets

Marc Saltzman on the iPad mini’s price on thestar.com:

And the price: While my first impressions of iPad mini are very positive — and there is certainly a market for a more portable and less expensive iPad — the price is just way too steep compared to other 7-odd-inch tablets.

While I was hoping for a $249 product, I half expected it to be $299 — but at $329 it isn’t far off from iPad 2’s $399 price tag. You know what? It doesn’t matter, as consumers are going to eat this up. It’s Apple.

There are a lot of people making comments about the iPad mini’s price without the faintest understanding of how the tablet market has shaped up the last few years. How many non-iPad tablets have to launch (and fail) until people realize that none have sold in significant volumes? Dell Streak, Galaxy Tab, Sony Tablet S, BlackBerry PlayBook, ViewSonic ViewPad – the list goes on and on. Even the Nexus 7, the “best” Android tablet ever made, hasn’t made a dent against the iPad. Amazon won’t even say how many Kindle Fires they have sold. The iPad mini’s price does not bear comparison to that.

Despite cutthroat pricing, and a race to the $99 bargain bin, Android tablets haven’t sold. Apple is not competing with Android tablets. The iPad mini’s price fits perfectly in Apple’s product line, and that is all Cupertino cares about.

With a $329 option, Apple has given consumers a lower entry point into the tablet market (Read: iPad market). That’s the key here.

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Oct 23 2012
Apple

Aple’s iPad Mini event to stream live

Via The Next Web:

Apple has confirmed that it will stream a live-video feed of its special launch event today, making video available from the event via a new Apple Events app on Apple TV devices but also via Apple.com.

It will be the first time an Apple event has been streamed live since 2010.

Apple streaming events live is a smart move. More people will get details directly from Apple, rather than relying on snarky live blogs or twitter feeds.

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Oct 17 2012
Apple, Microsoft

Microsoft: Surface screen is better than iPad’s

Via LAPTOP:

The engineer then showed us an iPad and a Surface side-by-side and displayed a number of images on them to demonstrate that the Surface screen, while lower-res, can provide better images. When he showed an image of a galaxy on both displays, the higher contrast and better viewing angles on the Surface allowed us to see more stars in the sky. When he showed text, the letters seemed a little crisper on the Surface.

Microsoft chose to go with a 1366 x 768 display, he said, because higher resolution screens eat up more battery life and generate more heat. He pointed out that, because of its new Retina display, Apple had to use a significantly larger and heavier battery on its third generation iPad than on the iPad 2.

Competition is the best thing that could happen to the post-PC world. Surface has the chance to leapfrog Android in the battle with Apple in the tablet space.

We finally have a date and a price for Surface, the latter of which will make it a tougher sell to traditional PC buyers, now all we need is for Microsoft to get it into reviewers’ hands.

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Oct 03 2012
Apple

iPad mini (Or iPad Air?) is coming

Via The Wall Street Journal:

Apple’s smaller tablet will arrive as competition is intensifying in the fast-growing market. Since the original iPad was released, competitors have released tablets with various sizes, capabilities and prices. Google in July introduced the Nexus 7, with a 7-inch screen and a price of $199. Amazon last month released the latest models of its Kindle Fire tablets, with the entry-level model priced at $159. Apple’s newest iPad, released in March, starts at $499.

An iPad at $299 or less will make for a great Christmas present.

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Sep 26 2012
Apple

Google Maps for iOS, eventually

Via The New York Times Bits blog:

One reason that it will take Google some time to build the iPhone app: it expected the app with Google’s maps to remain on the iPhone for some time, based on the contract between the two companies, and was caught off guard when Apple decided to build a new application to replace the old one.

Ditching Google Maps earlier than expected was the smartest move Apple could make. Now the vast majority of users will spend the next few months using Apple’s maps before Google can counter on iOS.

Apple’s Maps app isn’t perfect, but it isn’t the horror it has been made out to be. It needs to get better outside of major cities, and needs to add public transit routes as soon as possible. Perhaps Apple could speed up the latter by buying a company that specializes in public transit apps.

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Aug 21 2012
Apple, WTF

iTypewriter

Some people have too much time on their hands. [Youtube]

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Aug 15 2012
Retail, Video Games

GameStop reinventing itself with used Apple products

Via the San Francisco Chronicle:

In an effort to avoid the fate of Blockbuster, Circuit City and others in the remainder bin of failed retailers, GameStop has embarked on a daring, if inglorious, strategy: refashioning itself from a console-game purveyor into a repairer and reseller of Apple gadgets, betting that its retail visibility will prove an advantage.

With the world of game cartridges slipping away, GameStop is making the right decision by focusing on Apple’s phones, tablets and the iPod touch. If they do it right, they could become the best place to get cheap(er) Apple products, and their retail stores’ size and distribution footprint are a big advantage in reaching that goal.

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Aug 10 2012
Apple

China ‘kidney for iPad’ trial begins

Via BBC News:

Five people have gone on trial in China for illegal organ trading and intentional injury after a student sold his kidney to buy an iPad and iPhone.

The defendants include the surgeon who removed the kidney from the 17-year-old in the central province of Hunan.

They face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

The evils of greed and consumerism.

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Jul 09 2012
Apple, Patent Wars, Samsung

The verdict: Samsung’s Tab “Not as Cool” as the iPad

Legal victory for Samsung today in the ongoing patent wars. Via Bloomberg:

The design for three Galaxy tablets doesn’t infringe Apple’s registered design, Judge Colin Birss said today in London in a court fight between the world’s two biggest makers of smartphones. Consumers aren’t likely to get the tablet computers mixed up, he said.

The Galaxy tablets “do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design,” Birss said. “They are not as cool.”

English courts are known to be some of the toughest in which to prove patent infringement, and have judges who don’t mind making sassy comments about technology, apparently. I don’t agree with the “not cool” argument. I’ve seen people buy a Galaxy Tab “because it must be just like the iPad.” While I can spot the difference between an iPad and a Galaxy Tab from a  mile away, a lot of people simply cannot.

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Jun 21 2012
Future Forward

iPads and iPhones could be saving the world a ton of power

A study by the Electric Power Research Institute says that iPhone and iPads use much less power than most people would assume. In fact, depending on user habits, the boom in smartphone and tablet computing could be a good thing for planet earth. Via iPodNN:

If users are altering computing habits, such as surfing on a tablet rather than on a comparatively power-hungry desktop, then overall computing power consumption will fall. Consumers shifting from television-based video gaming consoles such as the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 to smaller touch devices also reduces overall power consumption. However, if tablets are being used as adjuncts to existing technology, used in parallel, an increase in power consumption is clear. Now that averages for various devices based on the cost of a kilowatt hour in the US has been determined, a future study will investigate whether users are using the devices alongside their usual, higher-power machines or in place of them.

Check out the link to see the all the stats. $1.36 a year to charge a new iPad every other day for a year is an astonishingly low number. Thank goodness our post-PC devices use ARM chips.

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