Category Archives: Apple
WWDC 2014: Your Homes Are About To Become Smarter And So Much More
Picture Credit: Apple.Com
Lots of excitement surrounds the World Wide Developers Conference set to start in San Francisco on Monday, June 2nd at 10:00 AM Pacific (1:00 PM Eastern)
Apple is slated to unveil many exciting new developments culled from behind the barricades of Apple Inc.
Microsoft Word Is Available For The iPad: Get Ready To Press The Delete Button
Seriously Microsoft. What sort of passive-aggressive, self-destructive move propelled you to release the long-awaited Microsoft Word iPad App which came encumbered with the addition of a $99.00 a year subscription?
To expect consumers to pay $99.00/year to use this App when Apple’s iPages App is absolutely free is absolutely mind-boggling.
Additionally, Apple’s iPages allows one to edit documents and then email them in a Microsoft Word format if one desires.
No wonder your stores are empty and Apple’s are filled to the brim.
I mean – the $99 price take was hefty enough for an iOS app – but on a yearly basis? Are you kidding me?
Apparently, this new App is dominating the App Store with exceptional download activity, but has anyone determined how many people, upon learning that they have to pay an exorbitant yearly fee for this App, have also deleted the App? I would love to see those numbers.
And, truth be told, I am so accustomed to using iPages that I have no compulsion to change teams. Because iPages just works – and it, along with the entire iWork suite, is free with new purchases.
What do you think everyone? Did you fork over $99.00/yearly for Microsoft Word’s iOS App? Do you prefer iPages? Share in the comments.
.
Apple October 22nd iPad Event Will Be Live Streamed On Apple TV And The Internet
In 90 minutes, Apple honchos will take to the stage at the Yerba Buena center in California,
A high degree of fanfare and hoopla has surrounded this particular Apple Event and justifiably so.
A new line of iPads, a MacBook Pro refresh, a new line of really, really, really Smart Covers, an upgrade to the Apple TV unit and more have hit the the rumour mill over the past few weeks.
And to add to the anticipation and excitement engulfing this event, Apple has announced that live streaming will be available via Apple TV and the Official Apple website.
That’s pretty huge if you ask me! There was none of this when Apple launched the iPhone 5C and 5S in September.
Could this be the start of something big – something revolutionary even? It could be!
Here is the quick link, courtesy of TechCrunch:
“For visitors on the web, the event will go live at the Apple Events section of its homepage when it starts in just a few hours. So to recap, you’ll need the following to tune in:
Safari on the Mac or iOS
An Apple TV gen 2 or 3, with the Apple Events channel that arrives special and automatically when things like this go down.”
I will be adding updates right here in this blog topic, so refresh often and tune in for my impressions. It’s going to be an exciting day.
Apple Still Has “A Lot To Cover” At The Scheduled October 22nd Event.
The invitations have gone out to the media! Let the countdown begin.
According to AllThingsD, our reliable, go-to source for all things Apple, Apple has sent invitations out for their highly touted iPad and more event on October 22nd in the Yerba Buena Center For The Arts. Read the rest of this entry
Is IBeacons The Next Big Thing From Apple?
Just when we thought Apple was losing its magical touch, this article from Computerworld.Com surfaced on this fine Saturday, September 14th morning:
“Computerworld – Nearly a year and a half ago, I predicted that Apple was hatching a “secret plan to kill the cash register.” Now that plan has a name: It’s called iBeacons.
At the end of this column, I’m going to tell you a stunning fact about iBeacons. But first, let’s understand what Apple is hatching.
Apple cryptically introduced the iBeacons initiative at its developers conference in June, identifying the new technology as a feature of the iOS software developers kit (SDK).
In fact, iBeacons is a Bluetooth-based micro-locations system (think very accurate GPS that can be used indoors). But instead of being used by people to determine their own locations, it’s used by retailers, museums and businesses of all kinds to find out exactly where people are, so they can automatically serve up highly relevant interactions to customers’ phones.”
So, what does this all mean? Yes, I was confused at first as well but ComputerWorld lays it out quite nicely for all to envision. Here are the possibilities:
Stores reaching out and giving coupons and advertising to passersby on the sidewalk or in cars. E-Z Pass”-style building access — doors would unlock and open as authorized users approach. A more secure version of this might require a fingerprint scan on the iPhone. Far-more-accurate Passbook location-based alerts. Tour-guide features that could give specific, detailed information on a phone or tablet within a single museum or across an entire city (with iBeacons placed at the specific landmarks and attractions). Theme park family tracking, E-Z Pass-type access to rides and quick, wireless concessions sales. Navigation aids for sight-impaired or physically disabled users inside buildings. Self-service checkout. A customer could scan the labels on clothing, process the transaction on the phone, then stroll out of the store with purchases in hand (the alarm would be de-activated for those items).
This is way too cool and I, for one, am embracing it full on when it arrives. IBeacons Technology! Incredible!
In a nutshell, in the future, if you own an iPhone, you will receive automated coupons from stores based on your location, won’t have to stand in line, will be able to enable self-checkout via your iPhone and on and on it goes. Absolutely incredible.
So it appears that the iTouch Technology Apple introduced at their iPhone event on Tuesday, September 10th has far greater Implications than many of us could ever envision.
And, apparently, every ” iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s already supports iBeacons and everything iBeacons can offer — that’s probably about 200 million actively used phones (give or take 50 million), with Apple’s selling dozens of millions more per quarter”, says ComputerWorld.
I know that many of you would find this an infringement on your privacy but I am sure you will have the option to enable/disable iBeacons at your whim. Apple is all about privacy – always has been – so I have no doubt that your experience with iBeacons will be a secure one.
Bye bye cash registers! Hello self-checkout! Do you think that iBeacons will be Apple’s “Next Big Thing”?
GrannieTheGeek.Com 