By now you’ve probably seen the statistics wherein Apple has vaulted from #7 to #3 in portable computer sales. The reason? iPad sales were counted even though ‘portables’ has traditionally consisted only of laptops and tablets.
There is a certain amount of logic in this counting, as people like me are definitely using the iPad as their primary (if not exclusive) mobile computing device. That trend will only accelerate as Apple continues to improve the capabilities of the device via iOS and app updates. It’ll be further bolstered with the release of RIM’s Blackpad, HP’s PalmOS-based slate, Android slates, Windows Phone 7 slates, etc.
Sales of keyboard-less devices are going to explode, and they have to be counted somewhere! I don’t see the logic in counting them as smart phones, since they’re, you know, not phones. If anything they will likely get their own category as other viable entries come to market. But for now, counting them alongside laptops as portable computers suits me fine…probably Apple as well!
Filed under: Hardware, Musings, News | Leave a Comment
Tags: Hardware, Musings, News, opinions, sales
I can haz Safari extensions?
So I hit OSX again because I wanted to check out Safari extensions. And you know what? They’re pretty freaking cool. I wonder if this is the sort of feature that Apple will use to continually differentiate OSX from iOS?
Or, if it’s another fragmentation nightmare for Apple to contend with within iOS itself? I mean, I could see extensions working on the iPad version of Safari, but not on the iPhone due to it’s far more limited screen real estate.
Obviously my preference and hope is that Apple continues to evolve the native apps for the better (collapsing Mail folders FTW!) though I am concerned that on a certain level the iOS apps will always feel like a generation or two behind their OSX counterparts for the next say two years. Beyond that though, if some of the extremely rosy iPad sales forecasts prove correct, Apple may be forced to make iOS the clear development priority over OSX (as some already feel it is). We’ll see…
I also wonder when/whether we will ultimately see an iLife suite for iOS, updated yearly as it is for OSX. Soon please.
Filed under: Apps, Features, Musings, Speculation | Leave a Comment
Tags: extensions, iPad, safari
100 million ipads through 2012?
I like it. I usually take the Over wrt iPad sales forecasts. But this one is aggressive! Still, I’ll take the Over 
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Well I finally encountered a situation which despite best efforts I simply could not figure out a way to avoid using the iMac: someone sent me some large files via YouSendIt.
If you’re not familiar with the service, you get a link in an email. Clicking the link downloads the file via the browser. I can’t get that functionality to work on the iPad. Not surprising, but a disappointment nonetheless. I d/l’d them on the iMac and used Goodreader to import them to the iPad via wifi.
BTW the more I use iOS4 on my iPhone4 the more antsy I become to use it on my iPad. It’s really “that good” and truly changes – for the better – how productive I am. Moving email messages from one account to another is a huge feature in my workflow. Now about collapsing those folders and subfolders…
Filed under: Apps, Features, Musings | 6 Comments
Tags: Apps, cheating iPad as primary computer, Musings
iOS 4 – can’t wait!
Well I am finally back from Los Angeles and settled in at home. Nearly 8 weeks with only an iPad and I came out remarkably unscathed. A few key apps (Goodreader, Pages, and AirSharing for printing) saved the day countless times.
A funny thing happened recently though. While in California I arranged for pickup of an iPhone4 at a local Apple Store. Was lucky enough to get my order in and confirmed by email for pickup on Day 1 – June 24. The scene at the store was hilarious and fun. I had to wait about an hour – not so bad. Since I didn’t have access to my household iMac for syncing and setup, i used the store wifi to download apps. I kind of enjoyed the app reset. I have far fewer apps now (ironic since folders makes organization so much easier) and I like it that way.
But the funny thing is that between the improvements to the email client, and multitasking, I am actually reaching for my iPhone more in relation to my iPad than I had been when using my 3GS and iOS3. It was probably 80/20 iPad/iPhone. Now its more Ike 50/50. iOS4 really is that much better to me. And I didn’t even particularly think I missed not having multitasking
I can hardly wait for iOS4 to hit the iPad, and I am eagerly awaiting the iPad-specific changes that will hopefully come with it. I assume/hope that the recent improvements to iDisk, and web versions of mobile me apps, portend bigger and better things for the iPad when it comes to productivity and file system type stuff.
Speaking of which, I have yet to switch away from my current workflow…Goodreader for primary file system, Air sharing for printing, and Pages/Numbers for productivity. I am tempted by DropBox + QuickOffice, or Google Docs and the apparently increasing number of apps designed to work with GD. But I am really holding out for a unified solution from Apple. No matter how robust 3rd party solutions may be or become, I can’t help but think that Apple could blow them out of the water if only they decided to do so.
Getting back to the Mail improvements in iOS4, I would still truly love the ability to collapse and expand folders, and have the app remember the state of those folders (perhaps even sync the state across devices!) I am a major nester of folders and subfolders to archive my email so this is a big deal for me. Sorry to keep harping on it
EDIT: forgot to mention…one of the best things about iOS4 Mail is the ability to move messages from one account to another. Saweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!! Cant wait to have that on the iPad!!
Filed under: Apps, Features, Musings, OS operating system, Speculation | 2 Comments
Tags: iOS, Musings
So. Howsit goin?
Well, it’s been a while. Sorry about that. I have been completely swamped putting together another film. We’ll start production officially this Monday, WWDC day. Whew! Cutting it close…
Anyway, I have been on the road – in LA to be exact – for weeks now, with only my iPad (and iPhone 3GS of course). I have to say – on the whole, you can pry the iPad out of my cold dead hands. I am NEVER going back to toting around a laptop. For me, it’s simply not necessary. The battery life on the iPad is completely ridiculous, the weight and form factor miraculous, and SO MUCH of the overall experience is simply phenomenal. A++++!!!
However, that’s why the remaining issues are so annoying! How Apple could’ve gotten this “so right” but missed the mark so badly in a few key areas is baffling. I can only hope this was a prioritization/resource allocation thing and that much/all of this will be addressed soon.
In no particular order, here are my biggest new and continued thoughts and gripes:
- The spacebar is too short left-to-right, and the .?123 keys are too large, particularly the one to the right of the spacebar. I would say that the vast majority of my typing errors are caused by inadvertently hitting the .?123 key instead of the spacebar. And the auto correct displays no ability to parse this error. Grr. Otherwise I flat out FLY typing on the keyboard in landscape. Why not make the keyboard easily configurable so we can adjust the size of those keys?
- The lack of a proper file system is still annoying but using goodreader as my primary file system app, with air sharing for printing duty (until that feature is added to goodreader) continues to be good enough for now. Goodreader continues to blow my mind in general. SO much functionality for a ridiculously cheap price.
- I saw that DocstoGo release their iPad app. I am tempted bc of its integration with various web services, and of course native ability to chew on Office files (not to mention Pages’ formatting issues and Numbers generally strange UI – more on that below). However, i am going to wait until OS4 is fully revealed, along with a hoped-for MobileMe overhaul, before switching my current workflow. WWDC is tomorrow. I can wait at least until then to see what news comes, if not for the actual OS4 release on the iPad itself.
- The ABC app crashes on me. A lot. Yes i have the latest version. Both wifi and 3G use cause the same problem. It freezes and I have to do a full reset to shake it loose. That takes too long btw.
- Pages is decent but Numbers is strange to me for now. I am learning, and i’m sure that sooner or later it’ll feel intuitive. But for now it sort of feels Iike I have to figure out simple navigation every time I use the thing.
- Autocorrect is strange. Why doesn’t it correct im to I’m instead of IM? And why does it think that hVe is a word? Oh and did I mentioned the caps key is too small? And why doesn’t it correct the letter i consistently?
- The word press app blows. No formatting tools. Can’t see stats. Etc. Is there a better tool?
- This thing attracts a LOT of attention, even in LA where I thought it’d be largely ignored. Nope. It’s a people magnet. Everyone wants to know how I like it. And everyone seems to be thinking of getting one. I know I have sold at least a dozen since I got here “Leo” as I like to call him, glanced over it at Soho House (true story).
- I hate that you cant move messages from one email account into a folder for another email account. Hopefully the unified email inbox will fix that. Hate that you cant collapse nested email folders. (why didn’t it correct can’t in that last sentence?). Hate that you cant search in the body of emails (there it goes again with can’t).
So that’s it for now. Still love it. Will love it more as it improves.
Filed under: Features, Hardware, Musings, OS operating system, Rants | 8 Comments
Tags: iPad primary computer
Hello World :)
Well here we are, magical unicorns in hand, taking over the world one PC diehard at a time.
When I started drafting this my intent was that it’d be a pretty comprehensive outline of my experiences switching to an iPad full time. As luck would have it, something is popping on the work front that is going to require my full time and focus for the next week or two at least. The bad news is that it leaves me (much) less time to be as thorough about this as i’d like.
That said, here are some early thoughts…
Have spent much time vetting Goodreader and Air Sharing. For the moment, though I prefer Air Sharing’s interface (though even it is not without issues…) it appears at GR will be my goto file system for now. Primary reasons:
- I wirelessly loaded the same 20GB of documents into each. GR took about 2/3 as long for whatever reason.
- Connected both to my IMAP server so I could easily grab mail attachments. AS only sees my inbox while GR sees all nested subfolders as well. AS is supposed to be able to see these too but does not in my case, perhaps an issue with my hosting co. Either way important to me.
- Searching for files on GR is an order of magnitude faster than it is on AS. Maybe the amount of files i have is choking AS’s search tool, but it’s painful for me. Type a key. Freeze while it searches. Type a second key. Freeze while it pares the list. Type a key. Freeze while it pares the list again. You get the idea. GR is not instantaneous as say spotlight on the Mac, but it’s functionally fast.
- I have been successfully able to print from AS but GR does not yet provide this functionality. For the moment i can open-in AS from GR and print from it. Not exactly elegant though ultimately functional! Have asked the GR devs about printing…if its not added i may look into one of the dedicated Print apps rather than use AS just for that.
Typing has been a breeze. Haven’t even sat the iPad in the dock or used the BT keyboard. I work from home much of the time, and the iPad has untethered me from my desk which is an unexpected godsend.
My IMAP account *does* allow me to continue the search on the server when searching emails. It doesn’t do so on the iPhone so i was worried. Thank goodness or i might’ve switched hosting companies 
WSJ and NYT apps are disappointing, as are most dedicated media apps (except ABC which i love). Safari on the other hand has completely changed my throats about surfing the web. Just…wow. Completely.
Bloomberg doesn’t show you the dividend or div yield on a given stock. Wait. What???
Hate that when connected to iTunes there’s no way to filter apps by type as shown in the apps section of itunes itself.
App store on iPad is terrible. They better be working on something to fix this!
Pages and Numbers good though have to get more used to their interfaces. Haven’t spent much time in these apps.
Reading is great whether in Kindle app, iBooks or the Free Books app. Kindle2 is for sale.
I am more convinced than ever that with some simple improvements on Apples part, and/ or incremental improvements to apps like Goodreader, the iPad could serve as a primary computer for anyone not coding, doing hardcore video or photo editing, or the like.
Sorry i don’t have more time at the moment to be more thorough and organized. Thanks for reading,
Filed under: Accessories, Apps, Features, Hardware, Musings, OS operating system, content | 3 Comments
Tags: iPad alone
iPad, by Apple of course
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Anthony Moody
yoyoyankeesRecent Entries
- iPads being counted as portables? Well of course!
- iOS + OSX + the Magic Trackpad = the end of desktop UIs as we know them
- I can haz Safari extensions?
- 100 million ipads through 2012?
- I cheated on my iPad (sorry iPad)
- iOS 4 – can’t wait!
- So. Howsit goin?
- Printing: it is coming. Well yeah, duh.
- I cheated on my iPad
- Hello World :)
- The Big Day to-do list…
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