TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

NPD: Apple ranked #5 US electronics retailer in 2009

Kent Pribbernow — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST

Market research firm NPD Group has published its annual report profiling the consumer retail sector for 2009, and guess who made the list of top five electronics retailers? Hint: If you guessed the Microsoft Store, you would be wrong, and everyone would be pointing and laughing at you right now. No, I'm talking of course about Apple, who came in at a respectable number five, alongside such industry stalwarts as Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Amazon, and Dell, to name a few.

While the report primarily details consumer spending trends throughout 2009, as well as other dry and boring data interesting only to bean counters and TUAW's own Mike Rose (because he loves numbers and cheats at poker), NPD's study does show some growth in Apple's favor, lifted no doubt on the back of iPhone's popularity. Especially when you consider that their competitors sell many, many brands, and Apple sells just their own product line, their achievement is that much more impressive.

In other news, 98% of people surveyed in my own study find Apple to be awesome. And lest you question my sample source, I will reply that the TUAW staff are an excellent focus group for conducting such studies.

NPD: Apple ranked #5 US electronics retailer in 2009 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple rolling out $1 TV shows for iPad launch?

Kent Pribbernow — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 06:00:00 EST

According to a story posted by the Financial Times on Wednesday, Apple may be in talks with studios to bring $1 TV shows to iTunes, as part of the official iPad launch. Apparently this will be a test to model for the company to see whether cheaply-priced content will spur sales. Given yesterday's news about declining iTunes music growth due to higher prices, I'm betting it will.

The story goes on to claim that Apple has been engaged in secret talks with major networks for the past few months, to cut prices on standard definition TV shows in half -- currently priced at $1.99. The reason behind this move is the iPad's 4:3 aspect ratio, ideally suited for standard def content which Apple hopes consumers will eagerly download at a buck a pop.

True or not, I just hope we see this long-rumored $30 subscription model we've been hearing about, so I can finally tell the nice folks at Comcast where they can put their cable. Hint: not in my home.

Apple rolling out $1 TV shows for iPad launch? originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 11 Feb 2010 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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7 million iPhone and iPod touch users tried to download Flash, and left sad

Kent Pribbernow — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:30:00 EST

Despite the widespread disdain for Adobe Flash, it remains a ubiquitous platform delivering streaming media to millions of browser windows -- except for mobile Safari. Adobe claims that its site received more than 7 million download requests for Flash in the month of December, originating from iPhone and iPod touch users, which the company is using as evidence that users of those products want Flash on their devices. A shocking figure, if true. And if traffic from these devices is so high now, demand will only be exacerbated by the arrival of the iPad, once thousands of angry users discover they can't watch funny cat videos anywhere but YouTube.

It's important to note, however, this traffic is originating from Adobe's Flash download page, where visitors are likely arriving after having clicked on a link which told them that their browser did not have Flash installed and where to download the plugin. So the question remains as to whether demand lured them to the page, or a simple call-to-action link. You decide.

I'm impressed that Adobe went to the effort of logging download requests, given their supposed "laziness."

7 million iPhone and iPod touch users tried to download Flash, and left sad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Act surprised: Higher iTunes prices mean slower sales

Kent Pribbernow — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST

Warner Music revealed on Tuesday something we've all long suspected: music sales have witnessed a growth slump on iTunes since the record labels pushed Apple to implement a variable or tiered pricing model. As a result, consumers have slowed their spending habits of media on iTunes, making fewer purchases and fewer Miley Cyrus downloads -- I'm ok with that part in fact.

The cause of decelerating sales can be attributed the associated price hike in new or premium content, which received an unpopular 30% cost of living increase from $.99 to a more salty $1.29 price point. It turns out that people are reluctant to pay thirty cents more today for something that cost a buck yesterday. What is it with you crazy people and your fickle spending habits?

This decline in spending is beginning to eat into Warner's bottom line, where iTunes makes up the majority of its digital revenues. The company saw a 50% decline in revenue in their December quarter, at just 5% growth -- down from 10% in the previous quarter. Ouch! Note to businesses everywhere: This is what happens when you issue a price increase in the middle of a recession. We'll have to see if the record companies take a hint and reconsider their pricing at all.

Act surprised: Higher iTunes prices mean slower sales originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Analysts see iPhone remaining exclusive to AT&T, spurring sales of anti-depressants

Kent Pribbernow — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:00:00 EST

Those among you hoping for an impending dissolution of AT&T's exclusive hold (or testicular constriction, if you will) on the iPhone may want to sit down before reading the following words. According to AppleInsider, two separate analysts are making similar predictions that the iPhone will remain shackled to AT&T's network, offering the iPad-AT&T partnership as evidence. It's ok, I wept too.

Vijay Jayant, of Barclays Capital, was quoted as saying "(The) launch of Apple's iPad on AT&T's network is a vote of confidence in AT&T's network by the equipment maker." I don't know which part of that statement I find more shocking and disturbing. The possibility of his prediction being accurate, or the notion that someone has confidence in AT&T's network? That's infreakingsane! Jayant, however, sees this pact lasting only through the remainder of 2010, as do the folks at Credit Suisse who echoed similar projections last week. I suppose we can hold out hope for another 10 months.

Personally, I'm going to deny this rumor exists in hopes of preventing its materialization. I cast thee out, demon, and unhear your blasphemy!

Analysts see iPhone remaining exclusive to AT&T, spurring sales of anti-depressants originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Apple developing second tablet device, made from unicorn tears

Kent Pribbernow — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 07:30:00 EST

Just when you thought Apple tablet rumors were dead -- because, you know, they kind of announced one already -- another has emerged like a zombie rising from its grave to feast upon the brains of gullible fanboys. You may want to grab your salt shakers and wash its grains down with a stiff shot of whiskey for this one though. TechCrunch (a company familiar with tablet devices *wink*) is reporting that Apple may be hard at work developing a second tablet device - this one more computer than consumer device, said to be bigger and badder than its recently announced sibling. TC's MG Seigler claims to have "heard" from second-hand sources (I didn't realize Goodwill sold rumors) that iPad Maxi will feature a more robust software stack with more in common to the desktop flavor of OSX rather than iPhone OS, and powered by Intel's Atom processor.

Before the iPad was revealed last week, rumors circulated for a long time that Apple might be working on two different sizes for the screen of the device. Some had the device as small as 7″, others were saying it would go up to 10.6″. (The actual size of the iPad is 9.7″.) But the information we're hearing is that Apple is thinking much larger for another version of the product, maybe all the way up to the 15.4″ size that it currently uses for one version of the MacBook Pro.

Aside from the fact that Apple is now rolling its own chips, and hence no longer requires Intel's power-sipping Atom processor, why on earth fragment and possibly cannibalize your product line with TWO competing products that essentially attack the same markets from two different points? It isn't in Apple's nature to throw pasta at walls in hopes something adheres. Did we learn nothing from Steve's mobile device chart last week? He clearly outlined where the company has positioned iPad: as a tweener, straddling the iPod and Mac segments -- serving a role that Netbooks have failed to fill. So where does this fella fit in? And pray tell, how would strapping OSX to Netbook hardware (ala Atom) make it comparable in terms of features and performance to a MacBook? This rumor does not compute.

Believe it? Neither do I. I call shenanigans.

Rumor: Apple developing second tablet device, made from unicorn tears originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Font Game for iPhone is fontastic fun

Kent Pribbernow — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:30:00 EST

Be sure to check out our iPhone game review roundup via Joystiq.

Ask any designer what their favorite font is and you'll get one of several thousand possible answers. Fonts aren't merely pretty characters on a display; they are an art form. Each font family conveys a particular aesthetic meaning that can make or break any design, if used properly or improperly. In fact, I've long suspected the ancient Egyptian civilization was brought down by the creation of Papyrus. The recent appearance of the faux-ancient typeface in the film Avatar as subtitles will surely doom us all -- especially if viewed in 3D.

The folks at ILT share our font fixation, and they've developed a highly addictive text teaser iPhone game that puts your font knowledge to the test. The Font Game [$0.99, iTunes link] challenges you to identify a series of fonts presented onscreen; you then select one of four possible answers.

Continue reading The Font Game for iPhone is fontastic fun

The Font Game for iPhone is fontastic fun originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Iconfactory's Twitterrific charity toy auction closes today

Kent Pribbernow — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 07:00:00 EST

The Iconfactory is giving you the chance to help a worthy charitable cause this holiday season, and own a rare collectible in the process. The company has placed an original set of 4 Vinyl Toy Prototypes of its Twitterrific icon mascot, "Ollie," up for auction on eBay. These figures, designed by StrangeKiss Art Toys, vary in color and style, and include the first production run model -- meaning you will own one before anyone else. The auction bundle also includes a $250 gift certificate for Strangekiss.com merchandise.

The deal is that all proceeds from this auction (at about $300 this morning) will benefit the American Cancer Society. In addition, the Iconfactory will be contributing up to $500 of its own money for the cause. If that doesn't warm your heart, you might be the Grinch... in which case you probably have no interest in Twitter or toys. Those of you with hearts not three sizes too small may go bid on these items.

Thanks Talos

Iconfactory's Twitterrific charity toy auction closes today originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TUAW Interview: Fake Steve Jobs

Kent Pribbernow — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:00:00 EST

We got a chance to sit down (virtually) with the unofficial version of everyone's favorite iCEO, via his alter ego & consigliere Dan Lyons. Fake Steve's perspective is always unique and sometimes astonishing; read on.

TUAW: Fake Steve, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to speak with me. Before we begin this, I'd like to start off by saying that, on behalf of everyone, it is wonderful to see you in good health and back at the helm of Apple. Phil Schiller did a fine job in your absence, but the man has no stage presence. And Tim Cook's droning voice could put even sugar-fed hyperactive children to sleep -- what a snoozer.

First question: Let's talk about Microsoft. The company recently released its newest operating system, Windows 7, and with it an experimental chain of branded retail stores that largely copy Apple's own concept, right down to the inclusion of in-store support centers, called Guru bars. Your thoughts?

FSJ: Microsoft still hasn't realized that its copycat business model (also known as a "close follower" strategy) doesn't work anymore. For 20 or 25 years this company just waited for others to innovate, then copied the innovation and sold it for less - and this worked great for them. But this stopped working right around 2000 or so. The rest of the world just moves too fast now. Look, they're still trying to catch Google in search, and they've got what -- one percent market share? Same thing for Zune, right?

Well, keep fighting the good fight on that one, you morons. As for the stores, well, they look nice enough, since they copied ours. But in terms of how well they'll do? Come on. Their stores are a joke and they've arrived too late. The whole point of being a close follower is you have to follow closely. We opened our first store in 2001 and we've got something like four thousand of them in the United States alone. I know you're going to tell me I'm a bit off on that number, and, well, maybe so. But I still say we've got four thousand stores and if I say it enough times, people will believe me. Anyway, the other thing Microsoft seems not to understand is that it's not enough just to open a store -- you need to have something cool to put in that store. That might be a problem for them.

TUAW: Their mobile strategy has fallen flat on its face. Windows Mobile, now renamed Windows Phone, is clearly way behind OSX iPhone. Windows Mobile 6.5 is a stopgap measure at best. Windows Mobile 7 is another year away from shipping on devices. And with the recent Danger debacle, the future looks bleak for Microsoft. Do they stand a snowball's chance in hell of ever competing with you? Do you even care?

FSJ: Wait a minute. Microsoft makes mobile phone software? I didn't know that. Are you serious?

TUAW: Speaking of companies that are universally despised. Your contract with AT&T, as the exclusive carrier for the iPhone, is due to expire soon. Tell me you don't plan to continue shackling iPhone to this single carrier?

FSJ: If it is the last thing I do, I will get us off AT&T. By Grabthar's hammer, by the sons of Worvan, this shall be done. Look for news on this early next year.

TUAW: Moving on to Google. With the introduction of Android 2.0 and increasing product introductions like the recent Verizon Droid, Google is slowly gaining traction in the market. How badly do you want to drive hat pins into Eric Schmidt's testicles?

FSJ: Well, very badly, except that Eric Schmidt does not have testicles. Lot of people don't know that. But if he did have them, yes, I would want to harm them. A lot. The guy sat here in our board meetings and listened to all of our product plans and then just stole all of our ideas. I mean he sat here -- right here -- talking to me, asking me questions. I'm sorry. This just gets me really upset. Sniff. Can we move on?

Continue reading TUAW Interview: Fake Steve Jobs

TUAW Interview: Fake Steve Jobs originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Magic Mouse unboxing video: Man vs. Tape

Kent Pribbernow — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST

Let me disclose straight away that I've opened packaging on just about every major Apple product released over the past five years and never exerted such effort in opening a little plastic container -- which by the way resembles something you would find sitting on a shelf at Pottery Barn. But seriously, Apple, what is with the tape?

As I stated in the video, certain multi-touch gestures require a great deal of repetitive use in order to acclimate to the Magic Mouse. I am pleased to say, however, now that I'm on on Day 2, the problems I initially experienced with touch-scrolling have largely been alleviated simply by adjusting scroll speed settings in System Preferences>Mouse, which is set at 25% by default. Cranking this up to 50% and beyond made page scrolling must smoother and easier, though upward scrolling is still proving to be a hemorrhoid-inducing experience.

One thing I would like to clarify: in the video I mentioned having rebooted my Mac in order to pair with the Magic Mouse via Bluetooth. This is NOT required. Simply launching the Bluetooth Setup Assistant will begin partnering the mouse with your Mac. I chose the former option because a) I prefer a fresh start when introducing new hardware, and b) I roll that way.

I'm still experiencing lots of unpleasantness with two-finger page swiping though. Apple really needs to allow the user to adjust swipe speed settings by including a slider for that gesture in the Mouse preferences. Perhaps that will come in a future update.

Stay tuned for more hands-on with the Magic Mouse in the coming days.

Magic Mouse unboxing video: Man vs. Tape originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anomalous AIM Activity Afflicts Adium, Aggravating All

Kent Pribbernow — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST

For the past several weeks I've noticed some rather strange behavior with Adium, the free and open-source multiservice IM client. On random occasions I suddenly appear invisible or offline to contacts in my buddy list while logged into my AIM account. And I'm not alone. Not a day goes by that I don't find myself asking a friend or co-worker why they are not online, only to learn they share the same problem. Either that or they're all making this up in effort to avoid conversing with me -- I have that effect on people.

The only cause to this problem, or pattern to its occurrence, I can come up with is a loose theory that it happens during periods of inactivity. My hunch is that when you appear "idle" AIM somehow misinterprets this as a disconnect. Locally you remain logged in, but AIM thinks otherwise. Luckily I may have discovered a workaround.

Launch iChat (quitting Adium is not required) and go into Preferences. Click on Accounts. Make sure your AIM account is selected, then click on the Security tab. Changing any of the settings in this options panel, then returning them to their original state, somehow magically vexes the problem, at least so far as I can tell.

I don't know whom to point fingers at in this case; AIM or Adium. Both begin with the letter A, so that makes each of them equally culpable in my opinion. Wherever the guilt may lie, I just want the problem fixed ASAP.

Anomalous AIM Activity Afflicts Adium, Aggravating All originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iFixit shamelessly molests the new White MacBook with screwdriver

Kent Pribbernow — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:15:00 EST

You have to admire, and fear, the eager curiosity of the folks at iFixit. When they come across a cool new product, they immediately tear it into bits and pieces -- I just pray they never launch a site devoted to domestic pet care. iKilledit.

This time they've taken their scalpels and screwdrivers to Apple's newly released white MacBook polycarbonate unibody laptop and posted photos of every gory detail.

Like all iFixit teardowns, the process is thoroughly documented and designed to provide users with a guide for upgrading, repairing, and otherwise disassembling the hardware (in hopes the process is reveresable). And judging from the looks of things, this MacBook is very easy to upgrade, once the bottom plate is removed.

If you're curious to learn what makes this MacBook tick, check out iFixit's detailed teardown.

iFixit shamelessly molests the new White MacBook with screwdriver originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TUAW Tips: Sync The Hit List on multiple machines with DropBox

Kent Pribbernow — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:00:00 EST

One of the great torments of owning several computers is keeping all of your personal data in sync; having multiple copies of the same application speak the same jive. Take The Hit List, for example. I use this app on my MacBook Pro at work for organizing tasks and collecting thoughts like a virtual inbox to my brain. At the end of the day I need a way to get all the day's notes from my laptop into my home desktop, which also happens to be running THL as well. What to do?

The ideal solution is to get each machine sharing the same THL database file synced to the cloud, instead of a locally rooted file. Fortunately, there is an way to do just this, and all that is required is for each machine to be running Dropbox. By now all of you should be using this amazingly awesome free service for saving and sharing data to the cloud. If you haven't yet opened an account, and downloaded and installed the Mac desktop client, go now. It's ok, I'll wait. Got it? Good, now let's do this.

First, you need to locate THL's main database file which can be found hiding in /Users/userprofile/Library/Application Support/The Hit List. Look for a file called The Hit List Library.thllibrary. Find it? Good, now simply drag this file to your Dropbox folder. Hold on, we're not quite done yet. Here's where the magic happens.

Hold down the option key while launching The Hit List. A dialog window will appear, asking what the hell you've just done with its library. Just select "Choose Library" and point it the file located in your Dropbox folder. You must repeat this part of the process on every machine running THL. That's it!

There is one small caveat. It's a good idea to always ensure that Dropbox has fully synced all of your local changes before loading THL on another machine, or else you risk losing your most recent data. Be wise to this and you'll have no troubles at all. You're welcome.

By the way, if you use Things rather than The Hit List for your task management, be sure to see our previous post about how to sync it using Dropbox as well.

TUAW Tips: Sync The Hit List on multiple machines with DropBox originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And now for something completely different...

Kent Pribbernow — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:30:00 EST

Greetings, TUAW readers. Allow myself to introduce...myself. My name is Kent Pribbernow - a freelance web designer and tech writer hailing from Fort Wayne Indiana - a land of corn fields, lake resorts, Amish buggies, and deadly turnip bombs.

As a long time blogger, I have written about all things Apple with passion and enthusiasm, minus the Kool-Aid and mock turtleneck. Now I join the TUAW team in delivering you the best Apple coverage anywhere. I look forward to your comments, and most of all filling your RSS reader with lots of great content. Keep reading.

And now for something completely different... originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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