Tag Archives: apple news

Apple Could Trump Microsoft Surface Tablet with iPad Mini Launch on 23rd October

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Rumours are swirling around the launch of Apples iPad Mini. It had been thought that invitations would go out on the 10th October in preparation for an October 17th launch.

But the 10th has come and gone without a word from Apple leaving many confused. It has been speculated that Apples recent production problems may force them to push the iPad Mini launch back after Christmas. However tech site AllThingsD is now claiming its sources are telling them the iPad Mini will be launched on Oct. 23.

That would be just three days before the scheduled date for Microsoft’s Surface Tablet launch and more importantly Windows 8. The new Windows 8 operating system is designed to work on computers, tablets and phones. The launch is extremely important for Microsoft, as it tries to catch up with the popular IOS and Android operating systems.

The timing of the iPad launch on the 23rd, if it is true, could trump the Surface tablet and disrupt Microsoft’s plans. With the inevitable hype around any Apple product, the Surface tablet and Windows 8 could risk being lost in the storm.

In contrast to the iPhone 5 details about the new iPad Mini have been hard to come by prior to launch. Sources suggest a 7.85-inch liquid-crystal display and a lightning connector. A location for the launch remains a mystery but AllThingsD predicts its will be Apple’s Town Hall Auditorium.

 

Apple unveils its magazine and newspaper Newsstand.

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iOS 5 is the next version of Apple’s operating system for iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. At Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference on the 6th June 2011 they announced new features and functions that would become available in this forthcoming release.
Apple explained there are over 200 new features, they then went on to highlight and demonstrate some of the most important, including:

The notification center – changing intrusive push messages and SMS notifications into a subtle alert that doesn’t interrupt your workflow.
iMessage – Apple’s answer to BlackBerry Messenger, an iOS to iOS instant messenger application that lets you continue conversations as you move from device to device.
Reminders – A ‘to-do’ or tasks application, allowing you to set tasks and reminders. Most impressively, the app allows you to anchor them to certain GPS positions, (for example, a reminder to “buy milk” when you walk into your local supermarket).
Some of the other features included native Twitter integration, immediate camera access from the lock screen, a vastly improved Safari browser… but most importantly, the Apple Newsstand.

In the keynote presentation, they explained how magazine readers would be able to locate and purchase their newspaper and magazines from a central newsstand, see new issues from outside the app and have them save offline when they become available.

What they didn’t explain was how publishers can make this possible and how this new functionality can be enabled.

Shortly after the Keynote, they released the Beta version of iOS 5 to developers (at around 23:30 GMT) the staff at Stonewash DD&AG were immediately on the case to learn more about the newsstand to understand how our clients and other publishers might be able to take advantage of the new features made available by Apple.

WHAT IS THE NEWSSTAND?

The newsstand is a central place, where iOS users can access their magazines and newspapers. Unlike iBooks, where book publishers supply “.epub” or similar documents, Newsstand publishers will have to create an iOS application (or adapt their existing app). Think of it like a cross between the shelf seen in the iBooks application and applications folders on the home screen.

To make use of the new features, publishers must invoke the newly added “Newsstand Kit framework”. From what we have been able to understand, some simple settings will help an iPhone or iPad recognise that the app as a magazine or newspaper that belongs in the Newsstand. At this point, instead of placing an icon on the home screen (as other applications currently do) the application will be installed in the Newsstand, the cover of the latest edition will be used as the large-format icon, instead of the small, square icons we currently see in use.

“The outcome is that users will be able to access the latest copy of the magazine at their convenience and in most cases the issue will appear on your reader’s device, saved offline, without them having to action anything manually.”

Making your magazine function efficiently on the Newsstand will require your application and your web servers to interact with one another. When a new edition is available your server will need to send a push message to your reader’s device. This message lets their device know that there is a new issue available and instructs the application to begin downloading the files immediately, these new issue alerts are limited to one per day.

The outcome is that users will be able to access the latest copy of the magazine at their convenience and in most cases the issue will appear on your reader’s device, saved offline, without them having to action anything manually.

The latest cover will already be visible from the device’s home screen and the Newsstand “shelf”. A counter and update message will help notify the user that there is a new issue ready.

HOW CAN THIS HELP YOUR MAGAZINE?

There are a number of potential benefits for publishers who may or may not already be publishing their titles to the iOS platform.

Effects of the news from the WWDC conference (immediate) and the imminent release of iOS 5 this autumn include:

Peaked interest in iOS devices and the app store. Along side every Apple release we have seen a peak in application downloads. The ‘buzz’ and amount of media coverage that surrounds any new Apple product reminds current users all over the world to explore the app store, as well as generates a spike in users that are new to the iOS platform.
Peaked interest in newspapers and magazines on the iPad. The story of “Apple versus publishers” has been well covered and in a number of cases, totally misunderstood. This move by Apple will undoubtedly receive coverage from mainstream media, prompting users to search the App Store and the newly formed newsstand for “Magazines & Newspapers”.
Effects of the Newsstand once available on iOS devices include:

Although it has always been possible (and very simple) to notify users of new editions using Apple’s push messaging system, the newsstand allows users to see the latest cover directly from their home screen.
If a new issue is available to a user (for example, if their subscription is active or (we assume) if the issue is free) it is now possible to download this edition onto the user’s device without them having to action or agree to the download. When the user wants to read the new issue, it will already be saved to their device and won’t be subject to the 200-700mb download (and associated waiting time) that we are seeing in some magazines currently being released.
The “Newsstand Store” is dedicated to magazines and newspapers; publishers won’t be fighting for screen real estate against games, utilities and other applications. The increased visibility should increase the number of downloads.
IS THIS GOOD NEWS FOR PUBLISHERS?

We believe so. The fact that there are new functions and features in iOS 5 that are specifically designed to help make magazines and newspapers more functional, more attractive and easier to use show us that Apple have a genuine interest in making the iOS a useful platform for publishers.

Any apps previously released will continue to function in the same way as before, as far as we can see there are no negative changes or restrictions being put in place, just a suite of new features that benefit your applications.

HOW SOON SHOULD WE LOOK TO MAKE USE OF THESE NEW FEATURES?

As soon as possible, and for two main reasons.

Technology moves quickly, if you spent months and months deciding on whether you would like to make use of these new features, they may become outdated. Apple will undoubtedly continue to develop and improve their operating system and to avoid being behind the times you will need to move quickly.

Apple receives an unprecedented level of media exposure around product launches. iOS 5 – and the new iPhone that will almost certainly follow – will be no exception. A spike in traffic interest and activity in iOS applications has the ability to benefit your brand and its application.

We have worked with clients to help them launch applications and projects alongside the iPad, iPhone 4 and the iPad 2 and in all cases there was a noticeable spike in activity, downloads and revenue.

INTERESTING FACTS FROM THE KEYNOTE

There were some fascinating figures released by Apple in yesterday’s keynote speech. We have summarised them below:

Apple sold 25 million iPads in the first 14 months
Over 130 million books have been downloaded from the iBookstore
There are currently over 425,000 apps on the App Store
Over 90,000 of those apps have been specifically designed for the iPad
There have been over 14 billion app downloads from the App Store since it launched
Apple have paid over $2.5 billion dollars to app developers and publishers
Apple have over 225 million iTunes accounts, all with credit card information and 1-click purchasing enabled

Article from; www.stonewash.co
www.ddag.co.uk

Console Wars: Could Apple Buy Sony?

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OK,  so it’s probably a crazy idea and there’s no hint that it will happen, but it’s well worth taking a look at what would be an incredible business deal.

The idea came to me on the back of the recent PSN hack and Microsoft’s deal for Skype. Apple is sitting with an ever-growing amount of cash on its balance sheet. That and their short-term investments now total an enormous $29 billion. That’s money which is not doing a great deal and many analysts believe it could be put to better use by acquiring other companies.  Microsoft has made its move by buying Skype. Now its Apple’s turn.

Sony is currently valued at $27.7 billion (according to Google finance and not including options). Some believed Apple might acquire Sony back in October of last year (at that time Sony’s share price was around $32, more expensive than the $27.58 it is today).

Of course, the true cost of buying Sony would be a lot more. Apple would have to take on Sony’s colossal debts but Apple could afford to do it – if it wanted to.

The Console War

We all enjoy the rivalry between Sony and Microsoft as each company pushes the other onto greater and better things. But the truth is, Sony has been struggling. Its share price has collapsed from $149 a share in 1999 to just $27.58 today. Its rival Microsoft is valued at about eight times more.

Sony may be winning this round in the battle of the consoles (although many would disagree). However, it has made a loss the last two years. How much longer can it keep pace with its rival? Is it destined to follow Sega and, dare I say, Nintendo into mediocrity? Perhaps Sony needs to be bought out before this can happen.

Is it time Apple entered the console war? No doubt some Sony fans will baulk at the idea of an Apple takeover. But imagine the expertise Apple could bring to a console. The PSN network could be integrated with iTunes and Apple TV, and Apple could bring its brilliant design expertise to the PlayStation hardware and software. There would a whole of host of synergies.

The Brand

Imagine the power of the Sony and the Apple brand combined. Imagine the iPlaystation. We have iPad, iPods, so why not an iPlayStation?. Apple was already recently rated as the most valuable brand in the world (at a staggering $153bn). Picture what the addition of Sony could bring to it.

Would it Really Benefit Us?

A question worth asking as consumers is: Do we want to have to pay for this super brand? Would it work? Or would the strength of both brands work against each other?

The best thing for us, the consumer, would be if Apple entered the console war by itself. While we’d love it to happen, Apple is probably too far behind to do this. That said, who knows? If anyone could do it, it would be Apple.

The Microsoft and Apple History

The Microsoft/Apple History has been a very complex one. There has been mutual co-operation, contract deals, law suits against and investments in each other.

In the last 10 years, Apple has really taken the fight to its brother. In the last few days, Apple finally passed Microsoft in Profit ($6 billion to $5.2 billion for the quarter), having already passed it in revenue and market cap.

The Xbox is one of the last bastions of Microsoft not under attack by Apple. If Apple bought Sony, this would no longer be the case.

Other synergies

If Apple bought Sony, it would immediately mitigate much of the damage done to the Sony brand by the PSN hack. If Apple handled it properly, they could portray themselves as a rescuer. I believe Apple could add value just by stepping in. They could also bring their security experts to help shore up Sony’s system and prevent another attack.

An increasing presence in online gaming and entertainment could help Apple to challenge the likes of Facebook.

There would be many other savings as well, in the production process, purchasing of raw materials, marketing and distribution etc.

Could it Actually Happen?

Apple is probably far too sensible to consider such a deal. Part of the reason they have done so well at the moment is precisely because they have avoided getting distracted by the console war. Both Microsoft and Sony have sunk huge resources into their consoles for relatively little gain and it has shown in terms of profits and share price. Both have struggled in recent years partly as a result of this distraction.

However, Sony has previously been sighted as a potential Apple target and it is known they are in the market for acquisitions. On paper, the deal might make sense but that fails to consider the very different corporate cultures at Sony and Apple. Ultimately, this is probably the reason the deal will never happen. Mergers as big as this one have a poor record of success. Sony’s deeply ingrained corporate culture would be hard to overturn.