Category Archives: Apple
iPad 3 Might Feature 2048×1536 Display, Report Says
It seems we can’t go longer than a couple of weeks without the Apple rumor mill churning up another, well, rumor.
We’ve barely let the dust settle on our freshly ripped open iPhone 4S boxes, but the iPad 3 claims have already started to circular with alarming frequency.
The latest is a new riff on an old theme. Remember when we were going to get an iPad 2 with a screen resolution rivaling top of the range iMacs? Well, it turns out that seeing as it didn’t happen with the iPad 2, obviously, it has to happen with the Pad 3, right?
The latest screen-related iPad 3 rumor revolves around that 2048×1536 panel we heard so much about in the run up to the iPad 2′s announcement. This time, CNET’s Brooke Crothers believes that, surprise surprise, packing that many pixels into a 9.7-inch screen is proving somewhat problematic for Apple’s partners.
Perhaps they’ll just make the iPad 3 27inches big?
The closest that iPad display manufacturers like LG Display and Samsung can get is 2048×1536 resolution display, according to the source. That’s a PPI of 264, twice the 132 PPI on the iPad 2.
But whether manufacturers can make them in volumes that Apple demands is the question. “They have production plans for 2,048×1,536 displays. Starting in November. But those are only plans at this point,” said the source, referring to LG and Samsung.
PBS to air Steve Jobs documentary
Coming on the heels of the release of Walter Isaacson’s long-anticipated biography of Steve Jobs (and, if you haven’t read Chris Rawson’s review yet, stop what you’re doing and do so), PBS will premiere “Steve Jobs — One Last Thing” on November 2, time depending on local listings.
The documentary appears to be the televised version of what Isaacson’s book has turned out to be — an unflinching look at Jobs’s complex disposition and insights as seen through some of the eyes of the people who knew him best.
Featured interviews include Ronald Wayne, the little-discussed third co-founder of Apple; Ross Perot, former U.S. presidential candidate who invested in NeXT Computer as the company was floundering; the Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg; will.i.am., frontman and producer for The Black Eyed Peas; Dean Hovey, designer of Apple’s original mouse; Robert Palladino, the calligraphy professor at Reed College whose classes inspired Jobs with his typography for the Mac; and more.
The documentary also has a never-before-aired 1994 interview where Jobs talks about his life’s philosophy.
Why Google and Microsoft need to fear Siri
Tech.pinions’ Tim Bajarin has opined on why they feel Google and Microsoft hate Siri, citing some excellent sources.
As the article states, Google’s Andy Rubin told the Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg, “You shouldn’t be communicating with the phone; you should be communicating with somebody on the other side of the phone.” Likewise, Bajarin quotes Microsoft’s Andy Lees saying it “isn’t super useful.”
The reasons he gives behind Microsoft and Google’s dismissal comes down to two no-brainer answers: Jealously and knowing that Siri will develop into such a powerhouse that it will be a threat to business. And, you know what? He’s right.
Bajarin points out that Siri is a front to some major databases including Yelp and Wolfram Alpha. And, just wait until Apple allows developers at Siri’s API. The possibilities will be endless. Even now, like Remember the Milk has done, developers are figuring out ways to make Siri work for them.
Siri’s future paves the way for similar technology to be introduced across all Apple products. Tech.pinions sees Siri as “the gatekeeper to natural language searching” and urges Apple to acquire as many databases as it can to promote this. I think Apple should open the API to developers.
I also think it’s more than gatekeeping.
I had the absolute thrilling experience Tuesday to watch someone be introduced to an Apple product for the first time. I was in a Verizon store starting the process of switching carriers, and the other woman in there was picking up her new iPhone 4S.
Apple to build a solar farm next to North Carolina data center
Apple is reportedly building a solar farm to provide energy for its North Carolina data center.
An erosion permit granted by Catawba County, North Carolina gives Apple permission to transform 171 acres of vacant land across from the data center into a solar farm. The area will be resloped and will inlcude multiple gravel roads that provide access to the solar panels.
It’s the first step in a larger plan called Project Dolphin Solar Farm A Expanded. Project Dolphin is the codename given to the consturction project behind Apple’s billion dollar data center.
The constucton is in the early stages of planning and very little in known about the farm. Scott Millar, president of the Catawba County Economic Development Corp. and the man who helped bring Apple to Maiden, North Carolina, was not aware of the solar farm plans.
He did not know of the permit until the Charlotte Observer brought it to his attention and said he has “no communication” with Apple about these plans. A building permit which would contain construction details has not been filed.
The only people aware of the solar farm are neighbors of the data center who are complaining about smoke from the property. Apple is burning the field to clear it and, according to residents, is producing a thick smoke that blankets the surrounding area. The burning is also driving animals out of their habitat. “I had a snake on my steps,” says local resident Zelda Vosburgh, “I’ve seen rabbits and squirrels everywhere.”
Condé Nast sees iPad subscription boom with Newsstand
One of the more unsung apps available on the iPad with iOS 5 is Newsstand, Apple’s portal for newspapers and magazines.
While many iPad users seem to be unaware of the app and its purpose, publisher Condé Nast is reporting that subscriptions for the digital editions of its titles have jumped 268 percent since Newsstand was released on October 12, 2011.
Single copy sales are also seeing a boost with Newsstand, as the publisher noted a 142 percent gain over the previous eight week period. Condé Nast currently publishes Allure, Brides, Glamour, Self, GQ, Golf Digest, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair and Wired on the iPad, with Condé Nast Traveler, Bon Appétit, and Vogue expected to join the collection by the first part of 2012.
This is great news for Newsstand and for publishers dabbling with electronic editions. Condé Nast reported last month that digital circulation of all of its titles had reached 500,000 readers, with 225,000 of those subscribers receiving the magazines only in digital format.
Hearst, a competitor to Condé Nast in the magazine publishing field, reported last month that paid digital downloads of its titles had topped 300,000.
