Tag Archives for apple

One of the Best Mac Fan Wallpapers I’ve Seen

Click on image to get the wallpapers on DeviantArt.com »

diegom96 over at DeviantArt is the creator of this wallpaper design that comes in sizes for all of your Apple devices. It’s a great looking aesthetic. Kudos to diegom96. Download the wallpapers for free on DeviantArt.com »

It’s a bit surprising to me how little of Apple fan artwork online I like. I guess it really isn’t all that surprising when you think of the general makeup of independent artists these days that will take the time to create desktop wallpapers… But even so, Apple deserves more and better fan art than what’s available now. This brings to mind my old organic Apple logo illustration:

It’s not that hard, my fellow illustrators.

This old post where I originally posted this illustration was for a long time my most popular post, and I know for fact the illustrated “organic” apple of mine was hijacked by other artists and pasted into their wallpaper designs. Pathetic.

Why the iPad is Not a Laptop Replacement

What’s not there to like about an iPad these days? Most people are psyched by all the power you get in this portable device; it’s easier to write with and read from than smart phones, it’s more mobile-friendly than a notebook computer, it’s a gamers’ best friend on-the-go…

Even so, there’s plenty of room for improvement, to be sure. Remember the iPad is just a three-year-old platform. The device isn’t even made it to kidergarten, but already professional users are calling it how they see it: that the future of the iPad is or is not intended for professional use.

Let me just say up front that it’s annoying this discussion is still going on amongst the professional community. Several thoughtful pundits have pointed out Apple has already given us their vision publicly for their products, yet professionals grumble when not all of their unique and individual wants are met with each Apple product.

Apple never claimed that all their products were suitable as high-end professional tools. They have made it clear they serve two markets: the professional and the consumer markets. And they don’t intentionally serve both in a single product. Generally speaking, the iPod Touch is for consumers, and the iPhone is for professionals. The Macbook Air is primarily for consumers, and the Macbook Pro is for… wait for it… professionals.

The writer on FiftyFootShadows.com made a brutal assessment of the iPad’s un-user-friendly feature set. Like many people that want to use their devices to make a living, they demand their devices be “powerful.” They need their computers to be all things and do all things. Quite frankly, this is a legit position to take, and I experience this writer’s frustrations at times with Apple products when they don’t bend to my own will. But, he misses out on Apple’s point of view as so many critics do.

I would say a good 90 percent of the debate on the iPads usefulness as a computer is coming from writers and casual users and this is where I find the debate getting a little one sided. Of course a writer would like the ipad. The tools most needed to get their work done are right there for the taking, you can hunt and gather all day long and it does make a fantastic, distraction free space to write in. I can wholeheartedly agree that the iPad is an increasingly great tool to gather ideas, write stories/articles, and stay in touch but for the time being this is where the road unfortunately ends. For many, including myself, the iPad is still not much more than a high tech note pad.

It’s true the iPad is well-suited for writers, but let me qualify that statement: it’s a proper writing tool when you get the good writing apps and add a full-sized bluetooth-enabled keyboard. And that’s not criticism—that’s just the truth. Writing is something for consumers and prosumers with an iPad as it comes without the better writing tools out of the box.

But as the writer on FiftyFootShadows goes on to explain from his point of view, there are not good accessories and apps that make the iPad feature-rich for photographers and other kinds of creatives. His primary angst is brought on by the lack of powerful photographer-friendly features.

I have tried using the iPad as a photography tool more times than I care to admit, that is, until I finally gave up on the idea and now take my laptop with me whenever I know I will be shooting a lot. I would be curious to hear what others experiences are that may have tried similar things.

I’m such a professional, and I agree 100%. I’ve attempted to use the iPad and the iPhone for their creative potential, and right now it takes a lot out of a creative to be creative with these devices. The iPad is not well-suited for professional photography. I’ll go a step further: nor is it intended to be at this time.

The iPad is also not suitable for professional video editing. It’s not especially good for Excel spreadsheets, programming, web development, or CGI. This is how it’s meant to be at this time.

Like Apple has said, they are as proud of the things they have said “no” to as the things they have said “yes” to. And they have had to say “no” about a thousand times for everything they have said “yes.”

In other words, Apple has chosen to not make a highlight of the iPad’s early years it’s power for content creation. Rather, they met the needs consumers (and, surprisingly, some professionals with gifted imaginations) were experiencing that a power laptop and desktop machine couldn’t meet. The iPad is intentionally suited for delivering the very content that it’s not fit to create in many instances.

It’s not all about content creation. If it were, who would there be to consume it? The iPad makes consuming a very rich experience.

As it stands, the iPad is amazing. I use it every single day for writing, browsing the news, sketching ideas, and reading though email or tech riders and I love every minute of it. It f complements my daily life and on days when I don’t need to get any real work done, I leave my laptop at home. But when it comes to honest creative work I can not help but find the iPad as little more than a sidekick. I can say with certainty though, that this is far from the last word on this. I can clearly see a future where touch screen devices such as the iPad become more and more viable for the kind of things I have discussed here today. It is still new territory being explored and I for one can not wait to see where it takes us. »

I added the emphasis to “real.” The writer of FiftyFootShadows is not using a logic or common sense led point of view. He’s led by too many wants that are pulling him in too many conflicting directions; he’s overly complicated a very simple issue. The iPad is great for creativity and for work. As Tim Cook has pointed out, he mostly uses an iPad for all of his work, and Cook is the CEO of Apple.

The difference between Apple’s view and FiftyFootShadow’s is this: the iPad is for a new and growing form of content creation. It’s highlights are not the same as laptops’ and desktops’. The iPad meets needs that are different and yet to be explored. In the meantime, it’s self-evident where the iPad excels. It’s a superb consumer device, and there’s no doubt its worth every penny in what it does for viewing photography, movies, playing games, reading books, etc.

Suggestion to Apple: Tap on Magic Mouse to Zoom

You know how in Safari for Mac OS Lion it supports a cool feature to zoom in? To do it with the Magic Mouse, just double tap. The page zooms in to whatever part of the page you’re viewing. This is basically  how it works on the iPad and iPhone too. Just double tap and you’re set for a more readable experience.

Mail for the Mac needs this. Many people use large desktop screens, and when you’re in Mail the text of various email messages might appear very small and hard to read. It would be very intuitive if you could interface with Mail like Safari: just double tap the text and it should enlarge the text within the Mail window.

I can see that the U.I. of Mail doesn’t work the same as Safari’s. Since it doesn’t maybe there’s a better solution, but there’s gotta be a way to use the mouse to make this trick happen. The most effective way to do this now without a mouse is to use the keyboard—pressing Command and the + key. But this is tedious when you’re already at the mouse.

An Interview with Cargo-Bot’s Rui Viana

Rui Viana is the first man to build an original iOS game solely coded on an iPad and see his app game make a significant splash on the App Store:

By day he works as a programmer on Wall Street. In his free time, Viana built Cargo-Bot not with a traditional computer and the iOS SDK, but with an iPad using another iPad app called Codea, and the result was the first iOS game available in the App Store actually created on the iOS platform.

What’s really impressive is the overnight sensation Rui’s game has become. Considering that this is the first time a game was solely created using an iPad for programming, it’s as though lightening struck twice in the same place.

Rui comments on the surprise of Cargo-Bot’s success:

I was. I was hoping it would get a thousand, so it surprised me a little bit. It was mostly targeted for people who are quantitative — programmers, engineers, math people. They seem to really enjoy it. Some people said it coudl be good for kids, I thought it would be a hard game, but it’s visual so some people said their kids got into it so that was unexpected and was cool as well. »

Inspiring. This is all possible because the Apple’s App Store fosters creativity.

Evernote vs. Apple’s Notes – Complexity vs. Simplicity

Intro:
Apple’s Notes app got me thinking: why is it Apple’s app insists on significant limitations? Evernote has tags, notebooks, and saved searches. Notes only has manual search. Because it seemed so ridiculously stifling and for no clear reason, I thought maybe—just maybe—Apple genuinely thinks this is a great way to manage all of your notes; in one lump sum with very little to help sift through them. Could it be possible that we nerds are just pretentious?

So, I challenged myself: for the next 30 days I would only use Evernote like it were Apple’s Notes app, and see just how ‘genius’ or ‘impossible’ it is to manage all notes without control and organization—full on search mode only.

Part 1 • This is Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4 coming soon

First Impressions

What I’ve found so far is an appreciation for the simplicity in Apple’s method. It’s nice to know I don’t have to think about note-booking, tediously organizing them, and finding simple yet powerful tags that relate to each note. Could it be that less is simple more productive?

Of course, Evernote, even when used like Apple’s Notes, is more powerful than Notes. Notes is only getting image support this summer with the release of Mac OS Mountain Lion (presumably, Apple will support the photos on the iOS devices at the same time). In my self-made challenge, I’m keeping the images I already have in Evernote. I cannot afford to lose them—that’s why I saved them to Evernote. I want those images there for records. For instance, Evernote is a great way to store away receipts and business cards you collect. Presumably, when Apple offers images as a feature in Notes, it would be possible to stash away the same collections in Notes come this summer with the release of Mountain Lion.

But Evernote goes one step further: you can search text within Evernote. This is significant so I will say it again: Evernote smartly searches for text in your images. No, this is not a ‘pro’ Evernote users feature. I thought it was till I searched for some notes and came up with results based on text recognized in some of my receipts and business cards I’ve collected. If you want to search text in your images in Evernote, all you gotta do is add the image to a note and wait for Evernote’s servers on the others side of the cloud to process the image looking for recognizable text.

Notes for Apple’s app doesn’t even let you reorder the notes manually. The order of notes is manipulated by date last updated. This means the most recent notes you have edited will show at the top of your list. In my case, the list is over 130 notes long. I manage to easily change my settings in Evernote to imitate Apple’s date-based order. Personally, I prefer to keep them in order of name, but I see the benefits of both.

But there is something I had not considered before using Evernote in this challenge. Evernote lives and breaths lots of meta data to append to each note. Since Apple’s Notes skip the title, notebook, and tag fields altogether, it is easier in Notes to concentrate on what you want to write in the note and less about the categorization each note warrants. This is bad for organizational purposes, yes, but it’s great for real note creation. After all, isn’t the note got something to record? I’d rather get that info down than categorize the note before I even know what is to be written.  The point of a note is to write something relevant down—not organize that note to the Nth degree.

These are the fields each new note starts with. Name it, notebook organize it, tag it FIRST.

Because each new note in Evernote begins with a name for that note, then if you tab through the note’s detail fields you’re taken to the notebook field and tag field, it encourages you to sort this organizational stuff out before you write your note. What if you change your mind half way through creating the note? In the iOS Evernote it is cumbersome to change those details. It requires more taps to reach the title, tag, and notebook fields. On Mac OS, it’s easy to edit the meta data, but it still distracts you from the point of your note: to note something.

Take Away

Meta data fields aside, Apple’s Notes is still overpowered by Evernote. Using these apps with essentially the same organization method of ‘search only,’ Evernote reads the images in addition to text. That’s a great feature! And I have a feeling that the first time Apple adds the images feature to Notes they are not going to support text recognition within images.

On the other hand, Evernote takes more time to start note creation. Apple’s app is more often quick to start, and quick to create new content. Syncing in Evernote at times can be a chore. 

Challenge Accepted: I Will *Only* Use Search in Evernote!

This is Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4 coming soon

Apple’s upcoming new Mac OS Notes application coming with Mountain Lion got me thinking: there’s really no way to organize the notes users create. Observe:

The image above is from Apple’s webpage promoting the upcoming Mountain Lion. It’s a good idea to offer the same Notes app on the iOS for the Mac OS, and have them sync through iCloud. But will people find it all that usable?

The biggest problem that I can see is that people accustomed to dragging and dropping and categorizing their files and creating folders will see this as a joke. Apple provides just one way to sift through your notes: the Search bar. If you don’t remember what the note contained, then you must not have needed that note. ;-)

Seeing as how organizationally stifling this is, most pro-users of Mac desktops will see this app is inferior to other apps, like Evernote. I think they’re right.

On the other hand, if Apple’s right, and people could get over their OCD natures wanting to mindlessly and endlessly organize notes, then could this be a real time-saver? Could search do it all, and help you to get what you need all the time?

Seeing as how I have all my notes in Evernote, I thought it would be ridiculous to propose using Evernote in this way—holding it back and keeping some of the greatest organizational features at bay.

And because it seemed so inconvenient, I simply have to see if I can live with organization of notes this way: all my notes strictly searchable—stripping away the notebook categories, tags, etc.

So, challenge accepted! Here goes nothing. Over the next month, I will chronicle 30 days of Evernote without its powerful features at use, and solely run Evernote with search; no better than Apple’s Notes app organization.

Here’s my Evernote before I ditched the notebooks and tags:

And here is Evernote after:

Gutsy, I know. That’s what I do. Now, We’ll see how backwards it really is to use notes the Apple way. Evernote is the guinea pig for this summer’s release of Notes.

Search Bar, be there for me now in my time of serious need….

A Retina Display Means Larger Apps, And That Means…

It’s come to most all iPad users’ attention that they will need to weigh the costs of upgrading their apps to Retina Display-optimized versions, but in case you missed the details, here’s one important thing to consider before you update apps or purchase another iPad: Retina Display graphics mean that each app is larger than their previous versions. Sometimes the apps are several times larger.

As Michael Simon noted in his article on Mac|Life, here are some of the upsizes for various apps:

How Bad Is It, Really?

It’s noticeable, but does it really make a difference to everyday users? I don’t agree with some Apple news related sites that this is a real cause for concern, or that Apple customers are being put into a tough position. By now, if you do not know that there is always a cost for upgrading to newer technologies, then I guess you are still using VHS tapes and have been living in the mountains (of northern Canada) for the last fifteen years?

Seriously, let’s consider some issues. Note that not all apps are bulking up in size equally. Some apps that I expected to take up lots of space are not so much, like Apple’s iPhoto app for the iPad and iPhone. When compared to iMovie, it’s a little surprising what the results are. As Michael states:

…the bulbous apps we’re seeing in these early weeks might not necessarily be a sign of things to come. Apps built from the ground up for the third-generation iPad seem to be a bit trimmer–iPhoto clocks in at just 106 MB (iMovie weighs in at 404 MB) and Angry Birds Space HD is just 20 MB (somewhat larger than the 17.5 MB non-Retina Angry Birds Seasons HD, but significantly smaller than Angry Birds Rio HD, which was 27.3 MB)–presumably due to a greater degree of optimization.

There is evident cause to believe that newer apps and apps that are re-mastered from the ground up will take less space—perhaps even less than apps that don’t support Retina Display graphics at all? I think there is a possibility that programmers will figure out a way.

How Can I Compensate for Less Space on My iPad?

The bottom line here for users is they should ask themselves what they want to use the iPad for. If it’s just for music, email, web surfing, and the occasional eBook, then this will not stop or slow down a user with an iPad with only 16 GB of data storage. On the other hand, if you want to bulk up on apps like these listed above, amongst many other good productivity apps and entertainment apps to be had, then you should not consider a 16 GB capacity iPad for the long term.

I have weighed the costs with my own purchases. Ironically, my iPad 2 was 32 GB, and the iPad 3rd generation I purchased came only with 16 GB. Yes, I was aware of this drop before I purchased the 16 GB model. It was more important to me to spend my extra cash on things besides drive space—like a good keyboard, messenger bag, and a cover for the back and front of the iPad. I went with accessories over more storage capacity with my dollars.

The Ideal Solution Apple Will Inevitably Provide

Grant you, if I had the money lying around at this time, I would have got the 32 GB model, because I think it’s going to get more difficult than it is now to maintain all the apps I want on the device with all the data I store in them on an iPad running Retina Display graphics. Then, there is the additional frustration for iPad 2 users, because, like Michael Simon mentions in his article, this doesn’t just impact iPad (3rd generation) devices. iPad 2 devices are going to get these apps upgraded with the Retina graphics which they won’t be able to benefit from on an iPad 2. Since iPad 2 does not have the screen resolution, it will take up more of their space but not with any extra benefit for those improved graphics in the apps.

What I expect will happen is Apple will change the amount of storage available in the next generation of iPads. The base model, which now has 16 GB, will get bumped up to 32 GB, and the next model up will have 64 GB. I really have no idea what the top tier might be, but it will be greater than 64 GB. This will be nicely accommodating, since 32 GB seems like a qualified minimum amount of storage space you would want in an iPad with Retina Display apps.

The Take Away

If the Retina Display was not available on the new iPad, then people would have complained. Tech aficionados have known for some time that the technology has been available, and it appeared to be up to Apple to implement it because other tablets on the market haven’t implemented it.

I think Apple made the right choice for the market at this time introducing the Retina Display, but it means that, one way or the other, customers need to weigh more pros and cons. If you want better images and more readable text, then you should bite the bullet and get an iPad with a larger storage capacity. Apple gave us what we wanted most: better-than-HD graphics, and that simply costs us a little extra if we want to bloat our device with more massive apps.

Footnotes:
* I could not find the Comix app that Michael Simon referred to. I don’t know why, but it doesn’t turn up in an online search. Perhaps he meant Comics, which is 14.8 MB like the supposed “Comix.”
** Oddly, I could not find a trace of an app specifically called Marvel, nor could I find one specifically related to Marvel Comics, so I’m not sure what Michael Simon was referencing here. 

The New iPad is Missing a Great Cover Design

When I got my first iPad a few months after Apple made available the first generation, there were not covers available besides Apple’s own synthetic wrap-around black cover. It was a good solution, but didn’t suit all of my needs, and I was annoyed by how it collected dust and fingerprints.

The iPad 2 came along, and by this time there were many good cases to be had for the first and second generation. Third party companies seemed to get what they were aiming for in a good cover design after some time with the device. I purchased one of Apple’s Smart Covers when I got the iPad 2, and also added for some extra protection and functionality Speck’s SmartShell for the back of the iPad 2. This gave the Smart Cover something to magnetically cling to when I folded it around the Smart Cover to the iPad’s back, and it guarded the aluminum housing.

Now we’re sorta back to square one for the new iPad. Third parties are all boasting about their new iPad cases/covers that are coming out soon, but few have a solution that is available now. Some companies have noted that their iPad 2 covers fit the new iPad, but it can be difficult to distinguish which ones do fit the new iPad versus those that do not (I guess the best thing to do if you’re really interested in an iPad 2 cover design for your new iPad is to contact the company and ask if it’s compatible, but this can take a lot of unnecessary research time).

So in the meantime, here are my conclusions: I want Apple’s Smart Cover, or a knock-off (i.e. generic form of it). It get’s the job done well. It’s still easy to remove, offers multiple standing positions for the iPad, and it’s made with durable materials. It looks good on the device to boot, and I don’t have to wonder whether it will fit the new iPad or not. We already know that it does.

Secondly, I still want the Speck’s SmartShell, but for this iPad. Regrettably, it’s not available yet for the new model, and I’ll have to wait.

But if you are interested in the rest of my findings that intrigued me, and a review of all the covers that catch my attention, read on:

Dodocase’s Dodocase for the new iPad – All in All, Simply Great

This is an award winner, and rightly so. It looks and feels like a book cover (it’s crafted by people that used to make hardback books). There are options to get “personalization” and a camera hole on the back. It makes a great disguise and stands up the iPad in two positions.

The only thing about the Dodocase that’s not working for me is that it can wear out the padding to take the iPad out of the cover on a frequent basis. I like the Dodocase a lot, but if I’m gaming, or want to drop some of the weight while reading for a long time, I’d like it if the Dodocase were a bit more durable. It’s designed to stay on the iPad and rarely be taken off.

Apple’s Smart Cover – Most Versatile Front Cover

This stands up the iPad in two positions. It magnetically holds in place on the front of the iPad when closed, and will automatically put the iPad to sleep mode when it is closed. The material is great, it’s versatile, but getting one from any retail store or Apple.com is pricey. I recommend you get one from Amazon or eBay.

Note: this one also fits new iPads even if it’s made for the iPad 2. Also, this cover provides no protection for the back of the iPad, so I recommend Speck’s SmartShell in addition to the Smart Cover.

Speck’s Option – A SmartShell for the Back (Coming Soon)

This is the light and well-made back cover that magnetically holds Apple’s Smart Cover in place on the back (no other brand’s does this that I can find). Of course, the Smart Cover will still hold itself in place on the front with this case on the iPad. I’ve used one of these and want to get another for my new iPad because it’s so good.

Otter Box’s Option – Best Durability (Now Available)

While not the most aesthetically pleasing case, this one is one of the most recommended for durability. I’ve never heard anyone criticize an Otter Box case. It also doubles as a stand — which is made to be detachable from the case parts — for the iPad. The one downside to this case is its weight coming in at 15.86 oz. There’s more info about this case here.

Macally’s Option – Better for Sound (Coming Soon)

If having the Smart Cover magnetically held in place on the back of the iPad doesn’t seem important to you, then this case is recommendable because it is from a very reputable brand, and it improves (amplifies) the sound of the iPad’s speaker. This is a nice feature because the iPad’s speaker alone isn’t all that good.

Conclusion

I can’t wait for the third party developers to catch up with the new iPad. I think they understand the device very well now, and what users expect from a cover. While it may take time to find the right cover for the individual (per his or her tastes and needs), there is cover out there that’ll address just about any need or want. However, there are none that do it all, and there are few that are suitable for the iPad (third generation) that are available now.

So, case makers, lets race to the finish line and get your latest and greatest to market!

FCP X Does Care about Professional Filmmakers

As noted in this article by HD MAgazine:

That isn’t really the point, though. It’s a beta, and it will work one day soon. What’s important is that many people have claimed that Apple are abandoning the ‘professional’ market – yet surely broadcast I/O is only useful to professionals? I’m sure it’s not trivial to include this support in the software, which demonstrates a willingness on Apple’s part to address the concerns of those working in broadcast and other ‘high-end’ post-production.

As I’ve figured all along, Apple is taking there time, whenever possible, to build incremental improvements into the all-new FCP X. This way, they choose to build the best way to perform any task giving FCP X a state-of-the-art user interface and quality performance. This takes time. It’s will take time to see all the missing professional tools return to X, but when they do, they will undoubtedly rival the tools of Avid and Premiere.

It’s just like when Apple incrementally adds features and seemingly basic functions to their iOS devices. Sometimes they are late to the party. Cut, Copy, and Paste functions weren’t in the iPhone for a long time. Many critics just figured that Apple was stupid and without sense. “Of course we all want Copy and Paste. Apple’s developers are idiots,” so the criticism went. But when Steve Jobs demonstrated the Copy and Paste tools they implemented to the iPhone (again, seemingly late to the party) it was apparent that Apple took their time to introduce these tools till they found the best user experience possible to implement these functions.

It is important to Apple that the functions their devices and apps do are as thought-through as possible. This I respect, and hope Apple will continue to be so thoughtful and progressive.

Yeehaw! Good FCP X Update at Last

Update: Something else pretty important that was announced is 7toX: the tool that transforms FCP 7 projects into FCP X projects. This I honestly wasn’t expecting we would ever see. But not only have has this third party delivered this tool, but another tool called Xto7 that does the same thing in reverse!

We finally are getting the quintessential updates that we all have been dreaming of.

Here are the specified changes from the App Store's Update Page.

What’s notable for me is:

  • Multicam Editing
  • Advanced Chroma Keying
  • Edit Layered Photoshop Graphics

These are three tools that had better live up to the requests. Well, I shouldn’t be too critical. As it is, I’m one of FCP X’s biggest fans. But these features/tools which I used on a frequent basis in FCP 7 have been sorely missed with FCP X.

Now there should be much rejoicing, and possibly less moans and groans from the independent and broadcast filmmaking circles.