Apple’s latest event wasn’t particularly mind-blowing (for the most part). A new iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 are on the way, both slightly upgraded (iPad Air 2 gets thinner, better specs, and Touch ID while the Mini 3 simply gets the fingerprint sensor). They’re now available in the space grey, gold, and white/silver colors, too. OS X Yosemite has a fair amount of new features, and that is available now for free. But we all expected this. The most interesting news is that the iMac is finally being upgraded to a Retina display: 5K, 5120 x 2880 pixels, leading Apple to proclaim it the “world’s highest resolution display.” It’s pretty impressive! I want to see one in person. Check out some images below and a full rundown from the Verge here. Read more…
In what was one of the worst kept secrets of the mobile phone industry, Apple has announced their latest model of iPhone, this time in two variants. The iPhone 6 has a 4.7 inch screen (1334×750 resolution), while the iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5 inch screen (1920×1080 resolution). Personally, I don’t see why I would ever want something too small to be a tablet yet too big to be a phone; even the iPhone 6 seems too big when the iPhone 5S feels just right. But I suppose there’s a market that has been demanding phones of this size, so hopefully they’re happy. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will ship on September 19, starting at $199 and $299 respectively. Read more…
In what is surely not a shock, Apple has announced the next version of their smartphone, the iPhone 5S. Coming in white, black, and now a slightly-trashy gold, the iPhone 5S looks mostly the same as the iPhone 5, just like the iPhone 4 & 4S before it. There’s a silver ring around the home button with a fingerprint ID scanner for security, but the main changes are under the hood. The new A7 processor reportedly makes this phone twice as fast as the previous one, while OpenGL ES 3.0 improves the graphical capabilities. There’s also the M7, a motion co-processor, used for motion-sensing apps. Read more…
On Hacker News I came across this amazing vintage Steve Jobs quote: “The Mac user interface was a 10-year monopoly,” says Jobs. “Who ended up running the company? Sales guys. At the critical juncture in the late ’80s, when they should have gone for market share, they went for profits. They made obscene profits for several years. And their products became mediocre. And then their monopoly ended with Windows 95. They behaved like a monopoly, and it came back to bite them, which always happens.”Read more…
“There hasn’t been much excitement or rumors about what Apple will do next. Is the next version of iPhone really all that exciting anymore? What do you think Apple will do to stay current; or would you think that with the lose of Steve Jobs, Apple will expire? There’s the iWatch speculation/rumor, but is this all that interesting? What is so exciting about an iPhone on your wrist? Or do you think Apple is developing some cool device using graphene? A watch that could unfold into an iPhone then further unfold into an tablet would be amazing. But, I don’t feel like Apple will be pulling this rabbit out of their hat. What do you think?” Read more…
Designboom had an early look at Hartmut Esslinger’s new book Design Forward, and inside were some of the many old designs made by Hartmut for Apple Computers. There’s a plentiful pile of neat photos to look over here, from an early Apple phone/tablet design, to a “baby Mac” computer that’s one of the most adorable-looking designs I’ve ever seen for a desktop. There’s another in there that even appears to have two screens, if i’m not mistaken. I love seeing behind-the-scenes work like this, and even a small peek into the prototypes that Apple has is a rare occurrence, so check out the images below and the full article here! Read more…
It’s been awhile since we’ve touched on Apple’s on-going legal dispute with rival Samsung over alleged patent infringement. We last left off with Apple having lost its request for a preliminary injunction against Samsung’s sale of the Galaxy 10.1 Tablets here in the US, however it now seems as though Samsung simply delayed the inevitable. Just today, Judge Lucy Koh — the same Judge who initially denied the preliminary injunction — ruled in favor of Apple to halt the sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 for violating the design patent after all.
Okay, so you’ve got yourself a shiny new MacBook, complete with its nifty retina display. If you’re like me, though, you’re probably the kind of person who would cherish it way too much to take it anywhere. I know, ironic considering it’s a laptop, and made specifically for its portability, but let’s be honest — it’s an expensive piece of hardware. So, that being the case, why wouldn’t you want to take extra special care of it? I know I would. One of my chief concerns — especially during these hot summer months — is heat. True, the MacBook is built with asymmetrical, low-noise fans that will kick on to help cool things off, but there’s no reason you can’t give those fans some room to breathe. That’s where the AirSlab comes in.
There’s a really sad article by George Colony which assumes that with the death of Steve Jobs that Apple will follow the fate of companies like Sony and Disney and fade out into oblivion. While I agree that nothing lasts forever, it’s also important to note that nothing is certain: And thus I give the example of the company that Steve Jobs hated in his youth — IBM. Read more…
Shown below is an amazing commercial from the 70s for the Xerox Alto: This amazing computer was first released in 1973 and featured all the cool features we associate with the PC today like a graphic user interface, a mouse and desktop publishing. While the the computer was a commercial failure, it went on to inspire the Macintosh in the the 80s and Windows in the 90s. Read more…
This has been a long time coming, but now they’re finally here. Starting today, Marvel will be releasing its digital graphic novels via Apple’s iBookstore. So far there is over sixty titles available from their catalog from popular titles like X-Men, The Avengers, Spider-Man and more. I know many of you are still comic book purists and have to physical copies, but for those of you who’ve embraced the digital age, this should provide a welcome alternative. Marvel’s promising new releases each week, as well as free previews for each graphic novel, including an extended preview for New Avengers Volume 1. Read more…
Like many of you, I had my reservations about Spielberg and Moffat’s The Adventures of Tintin. Based on Georges Remi’s classic comics, the film served as an attempt to revive the series with state-of-the-art 3D animation. After having the pleasure of seeing the film in theaters, those reservations were laid to rest. While the 3D animation may initially appeal to kids, the films plot, littered with a healthy dose of violence and alcoholism, befits a more mature audience — especially those of us who grew up with the comics. Back in November, Weta released a hardcover coffee table art book giving fans a glimpse at the creative process behind the film. Now they’re taking it a step further with its digital release.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Dec 21, 2011 in Videogames
Feast your eyes on this travesty. Its not often that I find a video with so many views and dislikes. Earlier today, TouchGameplay released some in-game footage from the upcoming iOS port of Mega Man X. Based on a previous mobile phone version of the title, the graphics have been enhanced, along with the addition of touch controls. Suffice to say, fans are not happy — many of whom have questioned Capcom’s definition of “enhanced.” Read more…
Many of us know about the 1988 video by Apple called Knowledge Navigator — well here’s the follow up video! This nice snapshot of history includes interviews clips from Alvin Toffler, Ray Bradbury, Steve Wozniak and Alan Kay (who really envisioned the iPad in the 60s): Read more…
he ultimate dream for many an illustrator is to turn their iPad into a Wacom tablet. Well here’s a hack which shows you how to do that: This Japanese video below shows a cool hack to turn a pen into a stylus for an iPad, iPhone,iPod touch. Read more…
Square-Enix has finally announced the release date for the iOS port of their SRPG cult-classic, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. Based on the 2007 re-release, the port will contain animated cut-scenes and enhanced gameplay. The English release will also include voice acting, however Japanese gamers will not be so lucky. In addition, the game will make use of the retina display and will feature high resolution visuals than its PSP predecessor. There’s a catch, though — the game will lack the online Multiplayer modes available on PSP, and may not include the sound effects for spells. On the other hand, the slow-down experienced when casting spells has been greatly reduced. If I recall, that was the one major gripe everyone had with it. Set to release this Thursday, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions will retail for $15.99, making it one of the most expensive games on the app story to date. I’d complain but it’s probably worth the price they’re asking. Unfortunately, it won’t be a universal app either. Apple’s iPad users will have to wait an additional month for their exclusive version.
I have to admit, there’s nothing quite like watching Apple fail. In recent years, the company has worked to establish an infallible aura surrounding creative platforms like music and film production. This has led their users to believe the notion that Apple could do no wrong. Rightfully so, Apple became Hollywood’s industry standard. When the company released the latest version of their video production software Final Cut Pro X, studios flocked to install the new software, only to find that Apple had changed almost everything, and had completely removed many of the advanced features in a vain attempt to simplify the work-flow. It wasn’t long before someone — in this case, Conan O’Brien’s staff — decided to poke fun at Apple’s shiny new crippleware. The worst part? It’s all true.
With its simplistic controls and straight-forward gameplay, the original Pac-Man has cemented itself in many of our hearts. We’ve seen several attempts at Pac-Man platformers in the past, most recently with the Pac-Man World series, and so far none have really captured the charm of the arcade classic. Namco is looking to give it one more try with their latest Pac-Man title, Pac’N-Jump for the iOS. Read more…
It wasn’t that long ago that Christmas shopping for me included two essential stops: Virgin Megastore and Tower Records. Both retail chains which had been pillars of the industry vanished overnight. And I now find myself wondering if during Christmas 2011 if the same thing will happen to Barnes & Nobel and Borders? Just as Napster and later iTunes devastated chain record shops I’m already seeing the signs that the Kindle and the iPad are delivering body blows to huge book stores. Read more…
I’m kidding, actually. I use my iPad all the time — I just wish it was more than a glorified ebook reader. Sure, I have a few apps that I use all the time, but aside from watching videos on services like Hulu, Netflix, or streamed over my Air Video server, reading books and playing a few games pretty much covers it. I’m not sure Apple will ever add functionality for the device — at least, not this generation — so I’ll take my added functionality wherever I can get it. In this case, it comes in the form of an HDMI adapter.
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 27, 2010 in Star Trek, Tech
Apple has just filed a patent to make their logo on mobile devices double as an antenna — but what surprised me about this concept is that it’s taken directly from the Starfleet communicator badge that’s been around since Star Trek: The Next Generation in the 80s. I’m frankly surprised that Apple’s competition isn’t mining old sci fi series for other product development ideas like visors for the blind and holodeck theme parks. To be fair Apple is in a unique position to exploit these ideas because they really do a great job of combining hardware and software to create “magical devices”. Read more…
Those of you with an iDevice may have noticed the recently released update for your iBooks app. Apple pushed their 1.2 update on the 15th, allowing users to view fully-illustrated children’s books, cook books, reference guides, and more. Personally, I can’t wait to download some photography books, though I imagine they’ll probably take up signifigantly more space on my hard drive — a small price to pay, or is it? Read more…
You know, I really dug the idea of taking a gutted old Mac classic and turning it into a fishbowl; it seems like a great way to recycle and make fun of those awful aquarium screen savers at the same time. Read more…
