The iPhone Blog |
- Subsidized iPad price drop in the UK, iPad 2 coming soon?
- Newer Apple bumpers now fit 3rd party accessories better
- Daily Tip: How to use an old iPod touch as an “Apple TV” for old TVs
- New Apple subscription service making software-as-service unfeasible on iPhone, iPad?
- New and updated iPhone and iPad apps for Monday, February 21
- TiPb Asks: How do you use your iPad?
- Crazy fun rumors: LightPeak on iPad 2?
- Best of Smartphone Experts, 20 Feb 2011
- Investigating Apple
| Subsidized iPad price drop in the UK, iPad 2 coming soon? Posted: 21 Feb 2011 03:01 PM PST UK mobile networks, T-Mobile and Orange have slashed the price of the iPad which could mean the iPad 2 is right around the corner. Both networks currently offer the iPad at a subsidized price when you sign up for a 24 month data contract. Originally Orange offered the iPad 16 GB WiFi + 3G for £199.99 ($323) for existing customers or £229.99 ($372) for new customers, now that has been slashed to just £99.00 ($161). T-Mobile also now offers the same model iPad for £99.00 ($161) but only to existing customers. The downside of course is the 2 year data contract that you have to sign up for at around £25.00 ($41) per month. Usually on the run up to a product refresh, it is common practice for vendors to look to dump inventory by cutting prices. The more cynical amongst us may also point out that the original prices were a little on the extortionate side to start with. This price cut may just enable Orange and T-Mobile to actually sell some iPads now. Either way, we do expect to hear some concrete iPad 2 news very soon, watch this space! Subsidized iPad price drop in the UK, iPad 2 coming soon? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
          | ||||||
| Newer Apple bumpers now fit 3rd party accessories better Posted: 21 Feb 2011 01:41 PM PST Good news — the new Verizon iPhone friendly Apple bumpers now fit 3rd party dock accessories better! One of my biggest gripes with Apple’s bumpers is that the charge port only fit Apple chargers. If you use any third party sync cables, chargers, or battery packs they would never fit. I have a Griffin Power Jolt battery pack, a Griffin car charger, and several retractable chargers lurking around the house. It always made me angry when I’d have to take off the bumper to use any of these. When I picked up my Verizon iPhone for review, I picked up one of the new universal Apple bumpers. To my pleasant surprise, the charge port has also been tweaked a bit. All my third party accessories work! This isn’t something Apple has advertised but from the picture above, you can definitely tell the port is wider, allowing other accessories to now fit all the way into the iPhone’s charge port. The old Apple bumper is the blue one pictured above and the pink one is one of the newer bumpers. Thanks Apple for giving us a choice! It’s not very often you do that. Newer Apple bumpers now fit 3rd party accessories better is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
     | ||||||
| Daily Tip: How to use an old iPod touch as an “Apple TV” for old TVs Posted: 21 Feb 2011 12:27 PM PST Curious how to stream digital content to your old, standard definition TV? Since they don’t have HDMI ports, Apple TV is out but if you have an old iPod touch (or even iPhone) you can McGyver together something almost as good. We’ll show you how after the break!
The current Apple TV is a great, inexpensive way to stream content to your HDMI-equiped HD TV but if you have an older CRT TV with composite (RCA video/audio) plugs, you’re going to have to get just a little more creative. (You can look for component to HDMI converters but they’re expensive.) And if you have an old iPod touch lying around, why not put it to good use? What you need
You could use an old iPhone or even a current iPod touch or iPad, though you probably don’t want to leave them connected to an old TV. That’s the reason I recommend an old iPod touch. What you do
Unlike an Apple TV, there’s no remote for this setup which is a bit of a pain. However, Air Video can transcode non-Apple supported video formats like AVI and MKV on the fly so you don’t have to worry about converting your collection before hand. I’ve set this up for my mother using an iPod G3 and it works great. Whenever my sister or I visit we can stream things we want to show her almost as if she had an Apple TV. If you have any questions or other tips on streaming media or getting more use out of old devices, let us know in comments! Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you'd like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to news@tipb.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward…) Daily Tip: How to use an old iPod touch as an “Apple TV” for old TVs is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
     | ||||||
| New Apple subscription service making software-as-service unfeasible on iPhone, iPad? Posted: 21 Feb 2011 08:54 AM PST Readability, the service that takes the cruft out of online articles and gives you pure, gloriously legible text, has been rejected from the iPhone and iPad App Store due to Apple’s new subscription service and its policies. If you’re not familiar with Readbility, think Instapaper or the Reader button in the latest version of Safari (which ironically uses Readability’s technology!) However, this has far wider ramifications as it suggests all iOS software-as-a-service (SaaS) front ends might likewise be rejected. SalesForce anyone? Readability, like the App Store’s own business model, takes 30% of subscription fees to pay their bills and gives 70% to publishers in payment for the content read. (Because Readability strips out ads, this still allows publishers to make money off their content). Since Apple requires a 30% cut of subscription revenue… well, you do the math. Readability would have to reduce the publisher’s cut to 40% or reduce their own cut to near zero. Neither is a workable solution for them.
Part of the problem here is that Apple, no doubt purposefully, hasn’t clarified what’s subject to in-app subscription policies and what’s not. If everything is subject to them than Apple needs the rate to remain 30%, same as app and in-app purchases. If subscriptions are only 10%, for example, almost every app will simply become free and offer a low-share subscription option instead (subscription Smurfberries, as we discussed on the podcast last night). What this shows, however, are that there are clearly flaws in the current system that either Apple has to address or the market will with more apps like Readability abandoning native iOS apps for the web or other platforms. (Unless a new business model emerges that better leverages iOS’ distribution system). Bottom-line content creators, content distributors, and platforms all need to remain financially viable. Readability thinks Apple should split their own 30%, giving content creators 70% of that as well. (Sharing the pain, so to speak.) What’s your solution? [Readability blog via TechCrunch] New Apple subscription service making software-as-service unfeasible on iPhone, iPad? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
     | ||||||
| New and updated iPhone and iPad apps for Monday, February 21 Posted: 21 Feb 2011 08:22 AM PST Every day, TiPb gets flooded with announcements for new and updated iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps and games. So every day we pick just a few of the most interesting, the most notable, and simply the most awesome to share with you!
Any other big apps or game releases or updates today? If you pick any of these up, let us know what you think! New and updated iPhone and iPad apps for Monday, February 21 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
     | ||||||
| TiPb Asks: How do you use your iPad? Posted: 21 Feb 2011 06:32 AM PST With all the iPad 2 (and iPad 3!) rumors it’s easy to lose sight of all the current iPads out there and what we, as users, are doing with them. So we’re asking! What things do you do with it the most? Anything you thought you wouldn’t do much of that you’re suddenly doing a lot? Anything you assumed you would do a lot that ended up not being so useful? I’m not even going to lie — I use my iPad mostly for gaming. I used to use it for web browsing but now I prefer my MacBook Air for that (it props itself up). I know Chad uses his iPad for productivity work, including most of what he writes here for TiPb (at Starbucks no doubt!). What about you? Surfing the web, email, gaming, reading eBooks, looking at photos, getting things done? TiPb Asks: How do you use your iPad? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
     | ||||||
| Crazy fun rumors: LightPeak on iPad 2? Posted: 21 Feb 2011 04:52 AM PST Based on rumors about a “USB” port on iPad 2 and rumors of Apple adopting 10Gbps LightPeak technology in this week’s rumored MacBook Pro refresh, MacRumors wonders out loud if 1 + 1 = iPad 2. (For more math fun, and proper context, count how often the word rumor appears in that sentence!) Could it happen? Sure. Will it? Even if MacBooks Pro get LightPeak no other computer will have it short term. FireWire and MiniDisplay show Apple’s not adverse to blazing new port trails, but adding things to iOS devices that most users won’t use most of the time is something they’ve avoided. Could it be a hybrid USB/LightPeak port to increase usability? Why not a hybrid Dock/LightPeak port then? What do you think? Crazy fun rumors: LightPeak on iPad 2? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
     | ||||||
| Best of Smartphone Experts, 20 Feb 2011 Posted: 20 Feb 2011 08:12 PM PST
Best of Smartphone Experts, 20 Feb 2011 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
     | ||||||
| Posted: 20 Feb 2011 07:55 PM PST Word is the US federal government, and the always eager European Union, are looking into Apple’s new in-app subscription service. Last year, following complaints from Adobe, they looked into Apple’s ban on cross-compilers for iOS and policies on competing advertisers like Google’s AdMob. Apple ultimately reversed their decision on cross-compilers and Apple may well alter their in-app subscription plans as well but here’s the thing — why is the government looking into Apple? Most cable companies are monopolies that can package channels in a way that force consumers to pay more than they would if they had a-la-carte alternatives. They can sell cable boxes that haven’t evolved in 10 years while making sure cablecards are difficult to obtain. They can use and abuse copy protection and can lock down your cable box to the extent that you can’t even watch previously recorded programs in your own home on your own TVs. They can set bandwidth caps low enough to dissuade users from Netflix, iTunes, and other competitive services and, apparently, can even buy their own TV networks. They have a complete lock in. Likewise PayPal can freeze your account with little in the way of recourse or accountability, pretty much doing what they want with potentially vast amounts of your money. They have total power over your cash. Verizon can lock down GPS, forcibly put un-removable Bing and crapware on their phones, and get Google to agree to horribly backwards net neutrality concessions. They own your telephonics. How about the US and EU look into them. How about they fix them. How about they protect consumers money and public airwaves and critical infrastructure elements before they worry so much about our toys. Not to get all Aaron Sorkin on them but just because Apple is a sexy headline and trendy target doesn’t mean every time a huge mega-corporation gets upset with Cupertino the regulators need to rev up their anti-trust PR reps. If Apple steps out of bounds, if they’re anti-competitive or abusing monopoly position or illegally restraining trade by all means, investigate them and take action. But investigate cable and carriers first. Investigate defacto banks that act with impunity and first. Protect us first. Investigating Apple is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
     |
| You are subscribed to email updates from TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 comments
Post a Comment