Posts tagged Social Networking

Steve Jobs took to the stage yesterday at Apple’s Fall event, traditionally the place for announcing new developments in the iPod lineup.

Yesterday was no different, with the Apple CEO revealing several new iPods, a new version of AppleTV as well as announcing the next two iOS updates for Apple Mobile Devices.

Delivery of this information was as flawless as you would expect from Jobs, for those who don’t have the time to watch the feature length keynote speech, we’ve condensed the important facts here.

New iPods

Apple has redesigned every iPod in the current line up with the exception of the iPod classic, the shuffle has gained back the buttons which it lost with the third generation model, but kept the voiceover control system.  Apple claims that this is in response to consumer feedback, which I would tend to agree with; it can be embarassing to stand on a train talking to your iPod, especially if you’re careless in naming your playlists.

Next up was a redesigned Nano, gone is the clickwheel control, the Nano now features the same multitouch technology as the iPod Touch and iPhone.  The interface now resembles the touch based interface of the other iOS devices, though functionality is understandably cut down.  Also gained is a belt clip similar to that of the Shuffle, avoiding the need for third party arm bands for those on the go.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the iPod Touch has received a massive hardware overhaul to bring it in line with the performance of the iPhone 4.  It’s now based on the same Apple A4 processor as the latest iPhone, and includes the retina display and dual camera system allowing for HD video recording and the use of the iPhones Facetime video calling program.  The design is even sleaker than the already impressive iPod Touch, and the extra functionality with the camera and additional power make this the king of personal media player devices.  The price has increased to reflect the extra hardware, but for those on a budget the 8GB model is still available for less than £200.

iOS 4.1 & 4.2

Apple have announced the next two software updates in iOS 4.1 and 4.2.  4.1 will be available from next week and brings in some bug fixes and patching for the iPhone 4 as well as fixing the performance issues that iPhone 3G  users have been experiencing since the 4.0 update.  In addition to this, iPhone 4 users gain the ability to perform HD video updates over Wifi and all users gain access to Apple’s new Game Center application.

Game Center operates as a hub for multiplayer gaming on the platform, allowing friends to play together and post scores and acheivements.  To demo this feature we were shown a new project from Icon on the iPhone 4 which not only demontrated the features of Game Center but also showed off some impressive graphics and use of the iPhone 4′s power.

Additionally, for iPhone 4 users at least, Jobs demoed the new HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo system.  Basically upon capturing an image the device will also take an over exposed image and an under exposed image and then combine the three to provide a picture with a better colour balance for the final image.  Users are free to disregard the result and keep the original image, but the samples provided did show how the system can help bring out items that are either shadowed or whited out.  4.1 will be available for all devices from next week.

For version 4.2, iPad users will FINALLY gain the iOS 4 features that have been missing since the release of the iPhone 4.  Multitasking and stacks were demonstrated by Jobs, and it appears to work well, it’s a simple change with little to shout about but will no less be welcomed by iPad users who have been missing out on features that they know their hardware is capable of.  As well as this, 4.2 will give iPad users the ability to print wirelessly, which means that you can take a document directly from Pages and print from within the app, rather than having to send the device to your PC or Mac first.  I think more iPad users will be interested in this feature than the multi-tasking, it’s certainly something that I’ve been waiting for.

iTunes 10

With such changes to the iPod family and iOS, it was hard to imagine that iTunes would remain untouched.  Version 10 offers a few subtle changes in media management and offers a new icon to reflect the fact that digital downloads are soon expected to become the primary source of music in the US.

The biggest addition to iTunes is social media integration which allows iTunes users to share playlists, reviews and other information.  Additionally, artists are able to register and present information regarding upcoming tours as well as images and video clips.  How sucessfull this will be is debatable, some people use iTunes out of necessity rather than desire (seeing as it’s the only way to synce iOS devices), however some users see iTunes as a full media management tool (more so Mac users than Windows users) and for them this will help tie in information on the artists they’re interested in.

Of course, Apple’s motivation for this is purely fiscal; people are more likely to buy media through the store if they are offered more information on it, you can’t be too mad at Apple for this though, it’s commercialism at it’s finest and at the end of the day it’s something you have to opt into rather than opt out of.

Apple TV

Jobs has openly admitted before that Apple TV has not gained the popularity in the home that had been hoped for.  People have simply not fallen in love with the idea of yet another device to purchase and store media on, and most users who have digital media storage do not want to use Apple’s proprietary system.  Rightly, Jobs commented that no manufacturer has really made any kind of headway in this environment.

Apple hopes to change this with the new version of Apple TV.  The first surprise was the size of the thing; the new device has a footprint a quarter the size of the previous model, the sleek aluminium design has given way to a less assuming all black model.  In terms of interfaces, Apple have included an HDMI port and digital optical out for sound, additionally there is a 10/100 network port and a power input for the built in power supply.  Internally, the device is powered by the same Apple A4 processor as the iPad and iPhone 4 (and the new iPod Touch).

With a footprint so small, it’s not hard to realise that this device has no internal storage, instead it simply streams media from other sources.  Support for iTunes media streaming is included, as is support for YouTube, MobileMe and Flickr.  The philosophy of this device has also changed, no longer are consumers expected to purchase the digital content; instead they are invited to rent items from the iTunes store at prices that have been reduced in order to remain competitive.  HD feature films and SD TV shows can be rented from the iTunes store directly using one click purchasing, and once purchased must be viewed within 30 days.  However, once the movie has been started, it will expire after 48 hours (though you can watch it as many times as you like within the 48 hour period).

The new device also has connectivity with Netflix online service, so Netflix members will have access to their accounts from within the AppleTV device.

As an incentive to get people to buy into this service, the price of the Apple TV has been reduced, the device is now yours for £99.  This is still a questionable purchase and it would be hard to argue that this is value for money; Apple is known to make more money from iTunes purchases than from equipment purchase so surely entering the market at a lower price point would have provided a larger customer base overall.

Conclusions

Apple have certainly delivered this year, many of these updates had been talked about but few expected all of them to be announced today.  There is certainly something for everyone in this refresh, though some of the decisions Apple have made with regard to product design and sales philiosophy they may regret.  I watch with interest to see if the redesigned Apple TV will breath some life into this aspect of Apple’s business.  They have certainly made it clear that they are hedging their bets with downloadable content rather than with physical media in the home.

In the meantime, I wait patiently for iOS 4.2 so that I can finally use my iPad to it’s full potential.