Do we even need to summarize what this week’s top Apple news was all about? Aside from iPad mania, Apple also announced a record fiscal quarter and the Ars staff opined on what we want out of iPhone OS 4.0 and more. Read on for the good stuff.
Reactions around the Web to the lack of Flash support on the iPad are extremely polarized. The most common complaint is that Flash is necessary for a larger percentage of the Web to work properly. Popular video sites like Hulu, FunnyOrDie, and others are effectively shut out of the iPad browsing experience. This also includes many casual games, a majority of which are written and deployed online using Adobe Flash.
Of course, Apple has its own reasons for excluding Flash from the iPhone OS (which also runs on the iPad). Apple also offers its own alternatives—for which you’ll have to pay—but those aren’t always up to par with the unbridled selection you find online.
Amazon is in the mood for acquisitions, and the Wall Street Journal believes that Netflix is a likely target.
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Wall Street Journal
Apple introduced its newest product on Wednesday—the iPad—suggesting that it fits in a space between an smartphone and a laptop. Both of those products typically have an integrated camera, so many folks were left scratching their heads when the iPad had none. Evidence buried within the iPad SDK suggests that Apple was ready to include one, but we’re wondering if its omission even matters to most consumers. Our feeling is that, despite the complaints, that lack of a camera won’t affect the iPad’s popularity or usability.
Screenshots of the Contacts application running in the iPad Simulator (part of the developer tools Apple released yesterday) reveal that Apple included a full interface to take a photo to add to new or existing contacts. If a contact doesn’t have a photo, you can click the blank space to add one. The user is then presented with the option to “Choose Existing Photo” or to “Take Photo.” Choosing “Take Photo” brings a pop-over to preview and take a picture. The apparent completeness of the feature suggests that Apple was prepared for the iPad to include camera hardware—if not in the current iteration, then perhaps in a future one.
Apple introduced its newest product on Wednesday—the iPad—suggesting that it fits in a space between an smartphone and a laptop. Both of those products typically have an integrated camera, so many folks were left scratching their heads when the iPad had none. Evidence buried within the iPad SDK suggests that Apple was ready to include one, but we’re wondering if its omission even matters to most consumers. Our feeling is that, despite the complaints, that lack of a camera won’t affect the iPad’s popularity or usability.
Screenshots of the Contacts application running in the iPad Simulator (part of the developer tools Apple released yesterday) reveal that Apple included a full interface to take a photo to add to new or existing contacts. If a contact doesn’t have a photo, you can click the blank space to add one. The user is then presented with the option to “Choose Existing Photo” or to “Take Photo.” Choosing “Take Photo” brings a pop-over to preview and take a picture. The apparent completeness of the feature suggests that Apple was prepared for the iPad to include camera hardware—if not in the current iteration, then perhaps in a future one.
Is AT&T’s beleaguered network up for the iPad? The wireless giant says yes, touting its “aggressive plan” to handle the traffic.
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New York Times
Following Apple’s unveiling of the long-awaited iPad yesterday, hardware vendor MSI has revealed that its upcoming Android tablet, which was first shown at CES this year, will debut in the second half of 2010 for $500.
The MSI tablet is built on NVIDIA’s Tegra SoC and has a ten-inch touchscreen display. If reports about Apple’s A4 are accurate, Tegra’s Cortex A9 should put the MSI tablet on equal footing with the iPad in raw computing power.
Though the general public wasn’t invited to the live event, the full iPad presentation can now be viewed via QuickTime.
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Apple Special Event Jan 2010
Netflix reported earnings of $30.9 million for the last quarter of 2009, up from $22.7 million in 2008. 48% of its subscribers now watch streamed content.
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Netflix
Google still can’t seem to get a Google Voice application onto the iPhone, so the company went ahead and launched it as a Web app. The mobile page was rolled out on Tuesday, optimized for both the iPhone and Palm’s WebOS devices, bringing users some of the same functionality that Android users already enjoy natively.
