Apple TV: Still a hobby after all these years
Apple dusted off its four-year-old Apple TV "hobby" on Wednesday and gave it some polish. But even with a lower price tag, a smaller, sleeker design, and a few more bells and whistles, the streaming set-top box is still likely to remain a side project.Steve Jobs even referred to it as such when he introduced it at the annual fall event held in San Francisco Wednesday. In place of his famous "One more thing," he said, "One more hobby" when introducing the latest version of Apple TV.There were some interesting new features: the new Apple TV is a quarter of the size of the old model, got a very attractive price cut (from $229 to $99), and added Netflix integration. But none of those things automatically put Apple in the driver's seat when it comes to this nascent category.#nlrText { float: right; width: 170px; padding: 5px; margin: 10px 10px 10px 0; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10px; border: 1px solid #999; background: #FFFFEF; } #nlrText h4{display: block; font-size: 1.4em; padding: 0; margin: 0; color: #900; }Apple's music eventHere's a brief rundown of what Apple announced at Wednesday's press event. iOS 4.1Free update for iPhone, iPod Touch will be available next weekiOS 4.2To come in NovemberNew iPodsA major refresh of iPod lineup, including the Shuffle, Nano, and TouchPingNew iTunes 10 with social-networking music features Apple TVNew, smaller cloud-based Apple TV For more details on these announcements, read our summary post here. There seems to be some interest from consumers in cutting the cord on cable TV (depending on whom you ask, that is) and being able to share content from a PC to a living room device. Shipments of Internet-enabled living room devices, which include Web-connected TVs, set-top boxes, and game consoles, are predicted to rise from 99.3 million sold in 2009 to 430 million by 2014, according to Forrester Research. But how exactly it should be done hasn't been figured out.Apple has never publicly said how many Apple TVs it has sold, and they let it remain a mystery Wednesday when Steve Jobs said, "We've sold a lot, but it's never been a huge hit." But neither has a competitive product, he was quick to note.The digital living room is clearly up for grabs. There have been companies trying to break through--like Roku, Boxee, and now Google with its upcoming Google TV--with set-top boxes. Even Samsung is making a move here, but by taking a different approach and trying to build its own platform with apps and content directly into TVs and Blu-ray players.Though he listed some of the things he and his cohorts at Apple have learned about what customers want from a living room device over the past few years of Apple TV, Jobs still had no larger, articulated vision for Apple TV Wednesday.He spent a lot of time talking about what doesn't work in the living room based on customer feedback. According to him, what people don't want: noisy, large set-top boxes; user-generated content; a computer in their living room; or to have to think about hard drive space.Jobs emphasized that people specifically don't want a computer in their living room. That was his way of taking a swipe at Google, which is taking a Web-centric view of living room content consumption with Google TV. But Jobs' view might be why we didn't see the introduction of apps on Apple TV, as some had predicted. Apps are something associated with computers and other gadgets, so perhaps Apple doesn't want to give the impression that Apple TV is a mini computer.What consumers do want, according to Jobs, is pretty straightforward: Hollywood-quality movies and TV shows ("people don't want amateur hour," he said), cheaper content, and to rent not own.In that case, Apple has plenty of competition. Roku and PlayStation 3 and Xbox have integrated Netflix as well as Amazon Video on Demand content, plus other sources of Hollywood content. And while the 99-cent rental idea is interesting (and not unique--Amazon is offering the same thing), the content isn't quite there yet. When it comes to TV shows, only ABC and Fox have signed on with Apple.For Apple, the main advantage and interest they have in advancing Apple TV is that it adds to the overall ecosystem the company is building with its "iDevices" and its library of music, video, photo, podcast, and book content. Apple now has a phone, music/video player, touch-screen tablet, computer, and now living room device to share content between via a coming feature in iOS 4.2 called Airplay.Now that the price is fairly reasonable, the ultimate success of Apple TV is going to rely on the kind of content people can get and the timetable in which they can get it. And that means working out licensing issues with content owners. That's something Jobs has pioneered before, so it's not impossible that he won't do it again.
More free on-demand audio with Muziic
More free on-demand audio with Muziic
Like Spotify, Muziic offers a free downloadable piece of client software with an iTunes-like interface and offers on-demand access to millions of streaming songs. Unlike Spotify, I had no problem finding huge catalogs from artists that are notoriously prickly about posting their music online, including Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and Radiohead. It also did a great job with all of my more obscure test cases.How did an unknown company run by a 15-year-old and his dad pull off this incredible licensing coup? Easy--they've basically built a customized front-end to YouTube. Any song that's been uploaded to YouTube is available in Muziic, including a lot of music that isn't available on most commercial services, like the full Pink Floyd's performance at Live 8 and Led Zeppelin's one-off performance in 2007. Unfortunately, a dispute between Warner Music and YouTube earlier this year means that a lot of recordings owned by Warner are no longer available. But in a lot of cases, users have filled the gaps with (probably unauthorized) recordings from the artists--so while I can't get my favorite studio recordings from Neil Young or the Flaming Lips, there are dozens live nuggets from each of them. With any luck, Warner and Google (YouTube's parent company) will resolve their dispute and these gaps will be filled. In the meantime, the Nelsons can work on some of the fit-and-finish problems I found with Muziic. The Web site doesn't render properly in Firefox 3.0. The high-quality audio option didn't work for me--I think it's supposed to render YouTube's default Flash audio into AAC on the fly, but the description doesn't make much sense so I can't really tell. (The default audio sounded fine anyway--at least no worse than MP3, which of course isn't so great.) They could use some professional design help--I couldn't maximize the player to fill the screen, there's a lot of unused space in the margins, and the black on black toolbar sliders are awfully hard to use for those of us who have no patience to download different skins.Overall, though, this is a pretty interesting and impressive piece of work. Muziic also offers an encoder that apparently lets you upgrade your MP3s before uploading them to YouTube--I didn't test this as I'm more interested in listening than sharing, but I'll give it a look later this week and let you know what I think. More important, Muziic (and Spotify) are finally showing the world how compelling a free, legal, on-demand music service can be--nearly a decade after Napster introduced us to the concept. Follow Matt on Twitter.
Like Spotify, Muziic offers a free downloadable piece of client software with an iTunes-like interface and offers on-demand access to millions of streaming songs. Unlike Spotify, I had no problem finding huge catalogs from artists that are notoriously prickly about posting their music online, including Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and Radiohead. It also did a great job with all of my more obscure test cases.How did an unknown company run by a 15-year-old and his dad pull off this incredible licensing coup? Easy--they've basically built a customized front-end to YouTube. Any song that's been uploaded to YouTube is available in Muziic, including a lot of music that isn't available on most commercial services, like the full Pink Floyd's performance at Live 8 and Led Zeppelin's one-off performance in 2007. Unfortunately, a dispute between Warner Music and YouTube earlier this year means that a lot of recordings owned by Warner are no longer available. But in a lot of cases, users have filled the gaps with (probably unauthorized) recordings from the artists--so while I can't get my favorite studio recordings from Neil Young or the Flaming Lips, there are dozens live nuggets from each of them. With any luck, Warner and Google (YouTube's parent company) will resolve their dispute and these gaps will be filled. In the meantime, the Nelsons can work on some of the fit-and-finish problems I found with Muziic. The Web site doesn't render properly in Firefox 3.0. The high-quality audio option didn't work for me--I think it's supposed to render YouTube's default Flash audio into AAC on the fly, but the description doesn't make much sense so I can't really tell. (The default audio sounded fine anyway--at least no worse than MP3, which of course isn't so great.) They could use some professional design help--I couldn't maximize the player to fill the screen, there's a lot of unused space in the margins, and the black on black toolbar sliders are awfully hard to use for those of us who have no patience to download different skins.Overall, though, this is a pretty interesting and impressive piece of work. Muziic also offers an encoder that apparently lets you upgrade your MP3s before uploading them to YouTube--I didn't test this as I'm more interested in listening than sharing, but I'll give it a look later this week and let you know what I think. More important, Muziic (and Spotify) are finally showing the world how compelling a free, legal, on-demand music service can be--nearly a decade after Napster introduced us to the concept. Follow Matt on Twitter.
Mint Market is all pre-owned stuff in near-mint condition
Mint Market is all pre-owned stuff in near-mint condition
Shopping on Craigslist is awesome, but sometimes it can be a pain to find the high-quality goods you're looking for. The hidden gems tend to be buried between listings for worn-down junk, and in many cases, it can be difficult to differentiate between the two. To solve this problem, the new Mint Market app promises a more targeted experience. Much like Craigslist, Mint Market (download: Android | iPhone) covers everything from clothing and furniture to auto parts and event tickets. The difference, however, is that sellers on Mint Market only list items in new or like-new condition. What's more, they can mark their items with a "Mint Condition" stamp to indicate that they are no more than 60-days-old. The first thing that struck me about Mint Market was its interface. While it may not be the most easy-to-use thing in the world, it's certainly visually attractive. The Home screen features a long, vertical stream of listings, with each item displaying a large photo, name, and price. This layout makes it easy to scroll through items quickly without straining your eyes. By contrast, the same cannot be said about Craigslist or any of its third-party apps, which are, for the most part, text-based. To make things easier, with Mint Market, you can sort through the list by Price, New, and Nearby, or you can choose to display only items marked "Mint Condition." And of course, you can search based on keyword and other parameters.The best feature on Mint Market has to be Item Feed, which essentially lets you save searches for easy reference later. For instance, if you search for computer accessories that cost between $20 and $30 in Los Angeles, you can save the parameters using Item Feed, so you don't have to go through the process all over again. And if you like, you can even activate an alarm to notify you whenever new items that fit your search pop up. There's also a Favorite button for saving specific items.Of course, the other half of Mint Market deals with selling your goods. To post a product, just take a photo with your phone, add a title, description, price, and any other relevant information. It's really simple. The app also lets you keep track of all the items you're selling.While Mint Market is certainly a welcome addition to the growing number of goods and services marketplace apps, it is obvious that it is still young. It has a few usability issues, and the community still has a lot of growing to do. That said, I can definitely see this blossoming into a useful resource for buyers and sellers sometime in the future.Mint Market (download: Android | iPhone) is available for free download now from the Google Play Store and Apple's iTunes App Store.
Shopping on Craigslist is awesome, but sometimes it can be a pain to find the high-quality goods you're looking for. The hidden gems tend to be buried between listings for worn-down junk, and in many cases, it can be difficult to differentiate between the two. To solve this problem, the new Mint Market app promises a more targeted experience. Much like Craigslist, Mint Market (download: Android | iPhone) covers everything from clothing and furniture to auto parts and event tickets. The difference, however, is that sellers on Mint Market only list items in new or like-new condition. What's more, they can mark their items with a "Mint Condition" stamp to indicate that they are no more than 60-days-old. The first thing that struck me about Mint Market was its interface. While it may not be the most easy-to-use thing in the world, it's certainly visually attractive. The Home screen features a long, vertical stream of listings, with each item displaying a large photo, name, and price. This layout makes it easy to scroll through items quickly without straining your eyes. By contrast, the same cannot be said about Craigslist or any of its third-party apps, which are, for the most part, text-based. To make things easier, with Mint Market, you can sort through the list by Price, New, and Nearby, or you can choose to display only items marked "Mint Condition." And of course, you can search based on keyword and other parameters.The best feature on Mint Market has to be Item Feed, which essentially lets you save searches for easy reference later. For instance, if you search for computer accessories that cost between $20 and $30 in Los Angeles, you can save the parameters using Item Feed, so you don't have to go through the process all over again. And if you like, you can even activate an alarm to notify you whenever new items that fit your search pop up. There's also a Favorite button for saving specific items.Of course, the other half of Mint Market deals with selling your goods. To post a product, just take a photo with your phone, add a title, description, price, and any other relevant information. It's really simple. The app also lets you keep track of all the items you're selling.While Mint Market is certainly a welcome addition to the growing number of goods and services marketplace apps, it is obvious that it is still young. It has a few usability issues, and the community still has a lot of growing to do. That said, I can definitely see this blossoming into a useful resource for buyers and sellers sometime in the future.Mint Market (download: Android | iPhone) is available for free download now from the Google Play Store and Apple's iTunes App Store.
At 'Game of Thrones' premiere, nerds can identify
At 'Game of Thrones' premiere, nerds can identify
And asked why he really was behind the rope line at the event -- when everyone making their way down the line to talk to the assembled press gaggle was either a member of the cast or a producer -- Newmark simply said, "I'm just wandering around. A nerd's got to do what a nerd's got to do."It was only after he walked away that it occurred to me that I had missed my one opportunity to ask the founder of Craigslist what a personals ad in Craigslist Westeros would be like. I'm sure the words "smoking hot," "heir to the throne," "skilled with swords," and "dragon-friendly" would be part of it.Speaking of geeks, or nerds, though, it was interesting to note some of the cast members' opinions on the fact that "Game of Thrones" has a significant following among the tech set. Actor Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow, said he thinks it might be because one thing about geeks is that they "love escapism and they love fantasy." Executive producer D.B. Weiss said he thought it might have something to do with the fact that "people in the tech world can handle complexity," and "Game of Thrones" is nothing if not complex. I dare anyone who hasn't read and then re-read the books or seen the first two seasons multiple times to intelligently recap the story so far and keep it all straight. This is, after all, a show with one of the largest casts in television history, we were told.CNET's Brian Tong takes a picture of George R. R. Martin, the writer of the 'Game of Thrones' novels, and an executive producer on the HBO adaptation of the books.Daniel Terdiman/CNETSadly, HBO brought out only eight of the show's actors to the San Francisco screening of the season three premiere (which will show on HBO starting March 31, and which fans are no doubt going to love), and favorites like Dinklage, Emilia Clarke (who plays Daenerys Targaryen), and Lena Heady (who plays Cersei Lannister) were absent. Still, "Game of Thrones" poster boy Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jamie Lannister), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), Rose Leslie (Ygritte), Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell) and Harington were there.I wondered if Harington uses Twitter, but he said no. Mirroring a common belief that Twitter is simply a place for telling the world what you're up to, he said, "I talk about myself enough, to be honest, doing things like this. And I think if I spent my spare time writing about myself to the world, then I think I'd go crazy."I also wanted the opinion of some involved with the show about the fact that on the one hand, so many people are cutting the cord these days, refusing to pay for television service at all, let alone for premium channels like HBO, and that on the other, keeping up-to-date with a show like "Game of Thrones" requires access to the service. Harington and Martin both noted that the show is currently the world's most-pirated. HBO probably has mixed feelings about that, given that it's losing potential revenue, but that it's gaining an audience.Martin added that it's important to remember that any show on HBO, no matter how successful, has a smaller audience than the broadcast shows he worked on in the 1980s, when people had far fewer entertainment options. "We're moving into an era when we have so many choices," Martin said, mentioning cable channels, Netflix, and original Web programming. "So I don't know what's going to become of it. I leave that to the guys with the suits. I'm just telling my stories." San Francisco was treated to a screening of the 'Game of Thrones' Season three premiere Wednesday night.Daniel Terdiman/CNET
And asked why he really was behind the rope line at the event -- when everyone making their way down the line to talk to the assembled press gaggle was either a member of the cast or a producer -- Newmark simply said, "I'm just wandering around. A nerd's got to do what a nerd's got to do."It was only after he walked away that it occurred to me that I had missed my one opportunity to ask the founder of Craigslist what a personals ad in Craigslist Westeros would be like. I'm sure the words "smoking hot," "heir to the throne," "skilled with swords," and "dragon-friendly" would be part of it.Speaking of geeks, or nerds, though, it was interesting to note some of the cast members' opinions on the fact that "Game of Thrones" has a significant following among the tech set. Actor Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow, said he thinks it might be because one thing about geeks is that they "love escapism and they love fantasy." Executive producer D.B. Weiss said he thought it might have something to do with the fact that "people in the tech world can handle complexity," and "Game of Thrones" is nothing if not complex. I dare anyone who hasn't read and then re-read the books or seen the first two seasons multiple times to intelligently recap the story so far and keep it all straight. This is, after all, a show with one of the largest casts in television history, we were told.CNET's Brian Tong takes a picture of George R. R. Martin, the writer of the 'Game of Thrones' novels, and an executive producer on the HBO adaptation of the books.Daniel Terdiman/CNETSadly, HBO brought out only eight of the show's actors to the San Francisco screening of the season three premiere (which will show on HBO starting March 31, and which fans are no doubt going to love), and favorites like Dinklage, Emilia Clarke (who plays Daenerys Targaryen), and Lena Heady (who plays Cersei Lannister) were absent. Still, "Game of Thrones" poster boy Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jamie Lannister), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), Rose Leslie (Ygritte), Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell) and Harington were there.I wondered if Harington uses Twitter, but he said no. Mirroring a common belief that Twitter is simply a place for telling the world what you're up to, he said, "I talk about myself enough, to be honest, doing things like this. And I think if I spent my spare time writing about myself to the world, then I think I'd go crazy."I also wanted the opinion of some involved with the show about the fact that on the one hand, so many people are cutting the cord these days, refusing to pay for television service at all, let alone for premium channels like HBO, and that on the other, keeping up-to-date with a show like "Game of Thrones" requires access to the service. Harington and Martin both noted that the show is currently the world's most-pirated. HBO probably has mixed feelings about that, given that it's losing potential revenue, but that it's gaining an audience.Martin added that it's important to remember that any show on HBO, no matter how successful, has a smaller audience than the broadcast shows he worked on in the 1980s, when people had far fewer entertainment options. "We're moving into an era when we have so many choices," Martin said, mentioning cable channels, Netflix, and original Web programming. "So I don't know what's going to become of it. I leave that to the guys with the suits. I'm just telling my stories." San Francisco was treated to a screening of the 'Game of Thrones' Season three premiere Wednesday night.Daniel Terdiman/CNET
The 404 1,068- Where it's a small world (podcast)
The 404 1,068: Where it's a small world (podcast)
The time has come for every Internet denizen to take a stand against the worst atrocity (and probably the biggestproblem) on the Web: vertical videos. Big thanks to the puppets in this PSA spreading the word about Vertical Video Syndrome.You can blame Flip video cameras, the ubiquity of videos shot with an iPhone, or just the tech-ignorance masses, but it has to stop. With the help of Ariel, Richard, and Joseph on today's episode, we all hope to put an end to the vertical video travesty.LinkedIn has a bad case of the Wednesdays with two separate vulnerabilities that expose its users' sensitive information. Yesterday, a security firm discovered that the iOS app was sharing personal calendar information of users that opted to access their personal calendars within the app, and now we're learning that 6.5 million user accounts and passwords were compromised.So what should you do if you're one of the accounts breached? Luckily the answer is simple: just change your password and don't choose a word that exists in the dictionary. Instead, make it a mix of number and letters that's at least six characters or longer, and maybe even change it on a monthly basis just in case. And Joseph volunteers his zipped-lip services if you want to send us an e-mail with all your collected passwords.Bathroom break video: Pine-Sol PrankedThis content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.PlayEpisode 1,068PodcastYour browser does not support the audio element. Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video  Follow us on Twitter!The 404Jeff BakalarJustin YuAdd us on Facebook!The 404 Fan PageThe 404 GroupJustin YuJeff Bakalar
The time has come for every Internet denizen to take a stand against the worst atrocity (and probably the biggestproblem) on the Web: vertical videos. Big thanks to the puppets in this PSA spreading the word about Vertical Video Syndrome.You can blame Flip video cameras, the ubiquity of videos shot with an iPhone, or just the tech-ignorance masses, but it has to stop. With the help of Ariel, Richard, and Joseph on today's episode, we all hope to put an end to the vertical video travesty.LinkedIn has a bad case of the Wednesdays with two separate vulnerabilities that expose its users' sensitive information. Yesterday, a security firm discovered that the iOS app was sharing personal calendar information of users that opted to access their personal calendars within the app, and now we're learning that 6.5 million user accounts and passwords were compromised.So what should you do if you're one of the accounts breached? Luckily the answer is simple: just change your password and don't choose a word that exists in the dictionary. Instead, make it a mix of number and letters that's at least six characters or longer, and maybe even change it on a monthly basis just in case. And Joseph volunteers his zipped-lip services if you want to send us an e-mail with all your collected passwords.Bathroom break video: Pine-Sol PrankedThis content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.PlayEpisode 1,068PodcastYour browser does not support the audio element. Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video  Follow us on Twitter!The 404Jeff BakalarJustin YuAdd us on Facebook!The 404 Fan PageThe 404 GroupJustin YuJeff Bakalar
Japanese game developers making googly eyes at iPhone
Japanese game developers making googly eyes at iPhone
CasualGaming.biz reported Thursday on a survey conducted by Japanese middleware developer CRI. The survey polled 102 Japanese game developers (individuals, not companies). Eighteen percent of those surveyed had already released games on the platform, while 16 percent were currently working on titles. Another 87 percent said they were interested in developing for the iPhone and iPod Touch. As for the business reasons respondents cited for developing on the platform, 64.7 percent said the capability to release simultaneously in more than 80 countries was most appealing. Also, 55.9 percent said it was the size of the market, and 42.2 percent chose the ease of purchasing from iTunes as the best reason to develop on iPhone. From a development perspective, the responses were decidedly different. The iPhone's portability and its touch screen were most appealing from a development standpoint, with 71.6 percent of respondents choosing each as the No. 1 reason. Also, 55.9 percent said it was the phone's multitouch capability. With news like this, as well as Capcom's plans to launch more than 10 new iPhone games in 2009, it's no wonder Nintendo chief, Satoru Iwata, is starting to acknowledge the iPhone as a possible threat to the DS.According to a story on Kotaku, Iwata recently stated "I do not imagine that iPhone will dominate the Nintendo DS market at once. My impression as the person who has used iPhone is, it is very attractive but, frankly, I did not feel that it was designed to be appreciated by a wide variety of people like how Nintendo has been designing its products."Yes, the iPhone definitely does not have mass market potential /sarcasm.
CasualGaming.biz reported Thursday on a survey conducted by Japanese middleware developer CRI. The survey polled 102 Japanese game developers (individuals, not companies). Eighteen percent of those surveyed had already released games on the platform, while 16 percent were currently working on titles. Another 87 percent said they were interested in developing for the iPhone and iPod Touch. As for the business reasons respondents cited for developing on the platform, 64.7 percent said the capability to release simultaneously in more than 80 countries was most appealing. Also, 55.9 percent said it was the size of the market, and 42.2 percent chose the ease of purchasing from iTunes as the best reason to develop on iPhone. From a development perspective, the responses were decidedly different. The iPhone's portability and its touch screen were most appealing from a development standpoint, with 71.6 percent of respondents choosing each as the No. 1 reason. Also, 55.9 percent said it was the phone's multitouch capability. With news like this, as well as Capcom's plans to launch more than 10 new iPhone games in 2009, it's no wonder Nintendo chief, Satoru Iwata, is starting to acknowledge the iPhone as a possible threat to the DS.According to a story on Kotaku, Iwata recently stated "I do not imagine that iPhone will dominate the Nintendo DS market at once. My impression as the person who has used iPhone is, it is very attractive but, frankly, I did not feel that it was designed to be appreciated by a wide variety of people like how Nintendo has been designing its products."Yes, the iPhone definitely does not have mass market potential /sarcasm.
Apple's iPad favored among vast majority of would-be tablet buyers
Apple's iPad favored among vast majority of would-be tablet buyers
Apple's iPad is so popular that it will be just about the only tablet consumers are looking to buy this summer, according to new data from ChangeWave Research.The research firm today revealed the results of a survey of nearly 2,900 consumers, finding that 73 percent of those who expect to buy a tablet in the next 90 days are planning to go with the iPad. Just 8 percent of respondents said that they will be buying the Amazon Kindle Fire in that period. Samsung's Galaxy Tab followed with interest from 6 percent of respondents. No other vendor was able to hit more than 3 percent.The big surprise from ChangeWave's study, however, might be the Kindle Fire's fall from grace in the tablet market. When the tablet launched late last year, 22 percent of respondents in a prior ChangeWave study indicated that they planned to buy the Kindle Fire. That figure dropped to 7 percent in March before rising to 8 percent this time around.The issue for the Kindle Fire might be its satisfaction rating among owners. Back in February, ChangeWave released another study that found that just 54 percent of Kindle Fire owners were "very satisfied" with the tablet. Although that was higher than the average non-Apple device, which tallied just 49 percent satisfaction, it was far below the iPad's 74 percent rating."Kindle Fire planned buying is now down two-thirds since November 2011, and a clue to Amazon's problem can be seen in the tablet satisfaction ratings of its owners," ChangeWave said today in a statement accompanying its research.To make matters worse, Apple is rumored to be planning to take the Kindle Fire on with a 7-inch iPad Mini that could be closer in price to Amazon's option. If that happens, there's no telling how demand for the Kindle Fire might be impacted.Related video:This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play
Apple's iPad is so popular that it will be just about the only tablet consumers are looking to buy this summer, according to new data from ChangeWave Research.The research firm today revealed the results of a survey of nearly 2,900 consumers, finding that 73 percent of those who expect to buy a tablet in the next 90 days are planning to go with the iPad. Just 8 percent of respondents said that they will be buying the Amazon Kindle Fire in that period. Samsung's Galaxy Tab followed with interest from 6 percent of respondents. No other vendor was able to hit more than 3 percent.The big surprise from ChangeWave's study, however, might be the Kindle Fire's fall from grace in the tablet market. When the tablet launched late last year, 22 percent of respondents in a prior ChangeWave study indicated that they planned to buy the Kindle Fire. That figure dropped to 7 percent in March before rising to 8 percent this time around.The issue for the Kindle Fire might be its satisfaction rating among owners. Back in February, ChangeWave released another study that found that just 54 percent of Kindle Fire owners were "very satisfied" with the tablet. Although that was higher than the average non-Apple device, which tallied just 49 percent satisfaction, it was far below the iPad's 74 percent rating."Kindle Fire planned buying is now down two-thirds since November 2011, and a clue to Amazon's problem can be seen in the tablet satisfaction ratings of its owners," ChangeWave said today in a statement accompanying its research.To make matters worse, Apple is rumored to be planning to take the Kindle Fire on with a 7-inch iPad Mini that could be closer in price to Amazon's option. If that happens, there's no telling how demand for the Kindle Fire might be impacted.Related video:This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play
Apple's iPad- Disruptive product of the year
Apple's iPad: Disruptive product of the year
Beyond the iPad's well-chronicled popularity, impressive shipment numbers, and reported theft of Netbook market share, the disruption for me was very personal: it played havoc with my own computing habits and with people around me who bought the iPad. As I've written before, initially, I could do little more than paw at the screen in a vain effort to figure out how I was actually going to use the device.But that changed fairly quickly.Within a few weeks, I found myself taking it everywhere (I have the 3G version) and using it instead of my laptop at airports, on planes, and in the car.Not to mention using it at home when relaxing on the sofa. So, here's why it's disruptive: I always thought that my MacBook Air was the ultimate portable computer and I would never need anything else. Wrong.It turns out that a laptop--because of its relative weight and keyboard-centric clamshell design--is not always the ultimate machine when traveling or when there is a need to some quick home computing.The iPad showed me that there is a better form factor and interface (touch) for a surprising number of tasks.And that seemingly trivial feature known as instant-on (and almost-instant 3G connections) combined with its 1.5-pound weight makes all the difference in the world. In short, when I go from using my laptop most of the time to only about half of the time, that's disruptive.Moreover, I think, it's safe to say that I'm not alone.Finally, I'm anticipating the next iPad (thinner, lighter, dual-core processor?) like I would previously anticipate a new laptop. And can't wait to see what first-tier companies like Motorola and RIM have to offer.May 2011 be the year of the tablet.
Beyond the iPad's well-chronicled popularity, impressive shipment numbers, and reported theft of Netbook market share, the disruption for me was very personal: it played havoc with my own computing habits and with people around me who bought the iPad. As I've written before, initially, I could do little more than paw at the screen in a vain effort to figure out how I was actually going to use the device.But that changed fairly quickly.Within a few weeks, I found myself taking it everywhere (I have the 3G version) and using it instead of my laptop at airports, on planes, and in the car.Not to mention using it at home when relaxing on the sofa. So, here's why it's disruptive: I always thought that my MacBook Air was the ultimate portable computer and I would never need anything else. Wrong.It turns out that a laptop--because of its relative weight and keyboard-centric clamshell design--is not always the ultimate machine when traveling or when there is a need to some quick home computing.The iPad showed me that there is a better form factor and interface (touch) for a surprising number of tasks.And that seemingly trivial feature known as instant-on (and almost-instant 3G connections) combined with its 1.5-pound weight makes all the difference in the world. In short, when I go from using my laptop most of the time to only about half of the time, that's disruptive.Moreover, I think, it's safe to say that I'm not alone.Finally, I'm anticipating the next iPad (thinner, lighter, dual-core processor?) like I would previously anticipate a new laptop. And can't wait to see what first-tier companies like Motorola and RIM have to offer.May 2011 be the year of the tablet.
Apple's iPad costs you $1.36 per year to charge
Apple's iPad costs you $1.36 per year to charge
Apple's iPad costs precious little for you to charge it each year, according to a new study.The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) conducted a study recently to see how much the iPad costs in electricity if users fully charge it every other day. The research agency, which is funded by electric power companies, found that the iPad will cost owners $1.36 a year, thanks to its consumption of just 12 kWh of electricity each year.The EPRI assumed that there are now 67 million iPads in the world and applied the average energy use to each device to arrive at a total of 590 gigawatt hours of overall usage. In the event the number of iPads worldwide triples over the next two years, the energy required to power the devices would equal two 250-megawatt power plants operating at 50 percent utilization, according to EPRI. A quadrupling in sales would require three plants.The crux of EPRI's findings, however, rests in the impact the iPad might be having on overall usage. Although it's consuming power, more and more people are using the device for gaming, video consumption, and Web browsing, effectively taking the power load away from higher-consuming products."These results raise important questions about how the shifting reliance from desktop to laptop to mobile devices will change energy use and electricity requirements for the information age," Mark McGranaghan, vice president of power delivery and utilization at EPRI, said in a statement. "At less than a penny per charge these findings bring new meaning to the adage, 'A penny for your thoughts.'"EPRI stopped short of saying that devices like the iPad and other tablets will help conserve power, since it's hard to predict consumer actions. However, the organization did note that laptops consume about 72.3 kWh of electricity each year, costing folks $8.31. A 42-inch plasma television consumes an average of 258 kWh each year.
Apple's iPad costs precious little for you to charge it each year, according to a new study.The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) conducted a study recently to see how much the iPad costs in electricity if users fully charge it every other day. The research agency, which is funded by electric power companies, found that the iPad will cost owners $1.36 a year, thanks to its consumption of just 12 kWh of electricity each year.The EPRI assumed that there are now 67 million iPads in the world and applied the average energy use to each device to arrive at a total of 590 gigawatt hours of overall usage. In the event the number of iPads worldwide triples over the next two years, the energy required to power the devices would equal two 250-megawatt power plants operating at 50 percent utilization, according to EPRI. A quadrupling in sales would require three plants.The crux of EPRI's findings, however, rests in the impact the iPad might be having on overall usage. Although it's consuming power, more and more people are using the device for gaming, video consumption, and Web browsing, effectively taking the power load away from higher-consuming products."These results raise important questions about how the shifting reliance from desktop to laptop to mobile devices will change energy use and electricity requirements for the information age," Mark McGranaghan, vice president of power delivery and utilization at EPRI, said in a statement. "At less than a penny per charge these findings bring new meaning to the adage, 'A penny for your thoughts.'"EPRI stopped short of saying that devices like the iPad and other tablets will help conserve power, since it's hard to predict consumer actions. However, the organization did note that laptops consume about 72.3 kWh of electricity each year, costing folks $8.31. A 42-inch plasma television consumes an average of 258 kWh each year.
Apple's iPad Air sold out in Hong Kong, still available elsewhere
Apple's iPad Air sold out in Hong Kong, still available elsewhere
Apple's latest iPad hits stores on Friday, which has already arrived in some parts of the world.That includes Hong Kong, where the device has sold out online -- about two hours after it became available for sale. Before that, new orders faced estimated one- to two-week delivery times. That hasn't been the case in some other countries where the new tablet is available, including Australia, which is three hours ahead of Hong Kong and still listing 24-hour ship times for new buyers. The same goes for Japan, Singapore, and mainland China where the tablets also went up for sale.As usual, it's unclear exactly how much stock Apple has, though the scale of the launch in 42 countries and the fact that it's about a week and a half after the device's unveiling, suggests the company is comfortable with what it has. The same cannot be said for the Retina Display model of the iPad Mini, which Apple has only said will ship sometime in November. Online sales in the US kick off at midnight, with the company's retail stores opening up at 8 a.m. local time. The company's carrier and retail partners are also selling the tablet, including Target which may have inadvertently let loose the ship time for the new iPad Mini last night.You can read CNET's review of the iPad Air right here.(Via 9to5Mac) This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play
Apple's latest iPad hits stores on Friday, which has already arrived in some parts of the world.That includes Hong Kong, where the device has sold out online -- about two hours after it became available for sale. Before that, new orders faced estimated one- to two-week delivery times. That hasn't been the case in some other countries where the new tablet is available, including Australia, which is three hours ahead of Hong Kong and still listing 24-hour ship times for new buyers. The same goes for Japan, Singapore, and mainland China where the tablets also went up for sale.As usual, it's unclear exactly how much stock Apple has, though the scale of the launch in 42 countries and the fact that it's about a week and a half after the device's unveiling, suggests the company is comfortable with what it has. The same cannot be said for the Retina Display model of the iPad Mini, which Apple has only said will ship sometime in November. Online sales in the US kick off at midnight, with the company's retail stores opening up at 8 a.m. local time. The company's carrier and retail partners are also selling the tablet, including Target which may have inadvertently let loose the ship time for the new iPad Mini last night.You can read CNET's review of the iPad Air right here.(Via 9to5Mac) This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play
Apple's iPad Air 2 on preorder at Walmart for $489
Apple's iPad Air 2 on preorder at Walmart for $489
A day after Apple unveiled its two new tablets, Walmart is shaving down prices. The retail giant told CNET on Friday that it's offering the iPad Air 2 for $489 and the iPad Mini 3 for $389. Apple's prices are $499 for the Air 2 and $399 for the Mini 3.Apple unveiled the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 on Thursday. The Air 2 comes with a 9.7-inch Retina display, Touch ID support and a thinner body than those of its predecessors. As for the Mini 3, there wasn't much of an update, just the addition of Touch ID and a new gold version.Related StoriesWhy you'll be paying $100 more for the iPad Air 2iPad Air 2, iMac Retina 5K, iPad Mini 3 and more: Here's everything Apple announcedApple Store goes down in preparation for iPad Air 2 preordersThe iPad secret Apple didn't announce todayApple began preorders for the tablets early Friday morning -- causing its online store to temporarily go down. Walmart also commenced preorders for the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 on Friday; however, preorders are available only in brick-and-mortar stores today and then will be available online at Walmart.com on Saturday. Shipments will begin next Friday.Walmart is offering deals on the iPad Mini original as well -- selling it for $239, which is $10 less than Apple's cost. Additionally, the retail store said it's offering double the value -- up to $200 -- to those customers who trade in their old iPad.The trade-in credit will be based on the condition of the tablet being swapped. This offer will be available only from October 24 to November 16.While Walmart is known for offering discounts for new iPhones, it's rare for the retailer to offer them on the iPad -- especially so soon after launch.
A day after Apple unveiled its two new tablets, Walmart is shaving down prices. The retail giant told CNET on Friday that it's offering the iPad Air 2 for $489 and the iPad Mini 3 for $389. Apple's prices are $499 for the Air 2 and $399 for the Mini 3.Apple unveiled the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 on Thursday. The Air 2 comes with a 9.7-inch Retina display, Touch ID support and a thinner body than those of its predecessors. As for the Mini 3, there wasn't much of an update, just the addition of Touch ID and a new gold version.Related StoriesWhy you'll be paying $100 more for the iPad Air 2iPad Air 2, iMac Retina 5K, iPad Mini 3 and more: Here's everything Apple announcedApple Store goes down in preparation for iPad Air 2 preordersThe iPad secret Apple didn't announce todayApple began preorders for the tablets early Friday morning -- causing its online store to temporarily go down. Walmart also commenced preorders for the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 on Friday; however, preorders are available only in brick-and-mortar stores today and then will be available online at Walmart.com on Saturday. Shipments will begin next Friday.Walmart is offering deals on the iPad Mini original as well -- selling it for $239, which is $10 less than Apple's cost. Additionally, the retail store said it's offering double the value -- up to $200 -- to those customers who trade in their old iPad.The trade-in credit will be based on the condition of the tablet being swapped. This offer will be available only from October 24 to November 16.While Walmart is known for offering discounts for new iPhones, it's rare for the retailer to offer them on the iPad -- especially so soon after launch.
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