Category Archives: Technology
Apple Needs To Release A Kids’ Product With A New Name
It’s all in the name. A new name, especially in the tech world, attracts attention, especially if it designed by the mother of all tech companies, Apple Inc.
Presently, rumors abound and refuse to die down until, finally, an Apple event in the Fall of 2012 reveals all.
We know that the new iPhone will be released – the last product with which the late and great Steve Jobs was intimately involved from start to finish. By all accounts, it is going to be revolutionary and will absolutely sell like hot-cakes because of Steve Jobs’ involvement.
However, in the wake of the newest announcements that the iPod Touch is going through a revamp stage, everyone is in a frenzy. Will the new iPod Touch be the rumored iPad Mini? I touched on this very topic a couple of days ago but it bears repeating.
I feel that Apple should release a newly sized product with a new, spiffy name, for no other reason than to peak the interest of the consumers.
Picture a newly sized device, programmed specifically for kids and, perhaps, per-loaded with some kid-oriented apps related to Education, Music, Games, Problem-Solving, Books etc.
And it should be made of material that can withstand the rough and tough handling by children and tots. Water and drool-proof as well. My 18-month-old grandson may still be teething and learning to speak but he spends half his day playing and drooling all over my iPad.
Then christen it with a new, high tech name that will have the parents running in droves to grab one during the holiday season. iTot? ChildPad? IPadJunior? iToy? iPod Pro? iPod ‘Tween? iPod Prime?
Now, it’s your turn to add a name or two – I have to clean the drool off my iPad now. 🙂
The Ongoing Saga Of The IPad Mini: A Tech Toy Hiding In Plain Sight
Finally! An article that makes creative sense regarding a smaller version of the IPad.
Computerworld.Com hit all kinds of personal nerves and buttons. It is brilliant! It is genius! And like many innovative solutions, basking in simple and obvious rationale.
Here is a summary of Computerworld.Com’s article:
“One month before Apple shipped its first touch tablet, I predicted in this space that the iPad would become the “Children’s Toy of the Year.”
That column was somewhat controversial, because people were viewing the iPad as a high-end luxury item for technology fans, not a toy for children.
It turns out that the iPad was a combination of the two: It became the “toy” of choice for the children of technology fans who buy high-end luxury items.
iPads for children became a surprisingly huge phenomenon, which toy companies and others jumping on board with apps galore.”
The article goes on to say:
“In fact, the appeal of iPads to kids is the biggest problem with the phenomenon. Go into any Apple store, or check out the Apple section at Best Buy, and you will always see very small children mesmerized by the device.
Apple clearly encourages this. They tend to have a “kids table” at Apple stores, which “have iPads tethered to the table. I call this the Ronald McDonald approach to future sales. Teach very young kids that your brand is associated with fun, and they’ll become lifelong brand loyalists.”
I can say without hesitancy that this is the absolute truth. I have seen my grandchildren devour iDevices while their other toys sit in the corner, longing for their company.
And, perhaps, just perhaps, Steve Jobs was toying with us when he said that the consumers would need sandpaper to file down their fingers in order to manipulate the apps on the 7″ iPad screen.
However, he was talking about adult consumers, not children and, certainly, not toddlers. Their little fingers are the perfect size for a ChildPad.
Over the past few months, my 18-month-old grandson has discovered the notification center, the home button, the volume button, the “on-off” button, various apps that he loves and can start them without assistance. It is incredibly mind-boggling to watch the process.
And the size of the preferred device is directly proportional to the age of the child. For instance, my 18-month-old and 2.5-year-old grandsons prefer the iPhone while my 6.5-year-old granddaughter prefers the iPad. The smaller iPhone fits more comfortably in smaller hands and is not as heavy.
Oh yes, an iPad Nano or a ChildPad valued at under $200.00 would sell gangbusters at Christmas, especially with the launch of iOS 6 this Fall, enabling a parent to add restrictions on which apps a child can access.
Leave it to Apple to create the obvious. A best-selling tech toy hiding in plain sight. Could this have been Apple’s plan all along? Was Steve Jobs merely trying to discourage competitors from beating them to the ChildPad launch via his sandpaper comment? Hard to say – but it makes for juicy discussion.
Update: Another name for this children’s iPad? The iTot (taught)
Research Study Regarding People’s Reactions To The Death Of Steve Jobs.
Picture courtesy of GadgetShip.Com
Does everything need to be analyzed? Why is it that we cannot grieve or show elation without a psychologist invading the deepest recesses of our mind to figure out why we, well, feel?
The latest study focuses on the grieving patterns of affected people over the death of Apple Inc. co-founder and genius, Steve Jobs, last October.
Now, I admit that his passing over-whelmed me. I found out about his death while typing on my IPad, the mobile device he envisioned and that went on to break sales records. It was tough news to swallow.
However, grief over the passing of anyone will affect all of us in different ways. It’s the nature of the beast.
I remember when John Lennon was murdered and how catastrophic it was to his many fans. I counted myself one of them but did not grieve as deeply as other people. Some were more attached to his music, his message, his charisma, than was I.
On the other hand, Steve Jobs touched so many people in different ways. For me, he unlocked a dormant area in my brain that allowed me to combine my artistic and technological passion.
The artistic was always there – I am an established musician. But, the technological remained hidden, beyond my reach. Although I often dreamed of how I could add more technological components to my concerts, it seemed far beyond my reach.
Yet, with the evolution of Apple products, Steve Jobs embraced the artistic – technological partnership and, thus, artists from all walks of life became naturally attached to Apple. He emphasized the importance of technology in the arts and made the tech world more exciting and fun. It attracted not only artists but also people from every walk of life. And, of every age.
So, it is only natural that people mourned his death. We lost a genius, someone who took enormous risks in order to make the world a better and more exciting place in which to live. He was not a perfect human being, but, in terms of his technological contributions, he came as close to perfect as one could attain.
Yes, all over the world, people mourned the passing of a modern day genius and one didn’t need to be researched to wonder why.
We lost one of the great inventors of our time, a historical figure who monumentally changed the world. He left a huge void and, yet at the same time, an enormous legacy by ensuring that Apple Inc would remain an exciting and innovative company for generations.
[Satire Alert] Samsung Opens An Apple Store.
This is just a hoot and a half. Or plain outrageous. It depends on your point of view, I guess
Samsung just opened its first North American retail store in Canada in Burnaby’s Metropolis in Metrotown mall in suburban Vancouver. So, high-five to them and all that!
But, honestly, after reading this article from IDownLoadBlog.Com, they must have overdosed their architect with mucho cojones or something because it is pretty much an exact replica of the famed Apple Store, right down to the blue shirts for their employees.
Can you believe it? They have the audacity to uniform their staff with blue shirts? Hello? Last time I looked there were many colors in the rainbow so why select the famed Apple blue? Boy, they are really sticking it to Apple, aren’t they? It just never ends.
I know that oftentimes “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, but this is just too, too much. Samsung must really love the publicity they are gaining from lawsuits filed by Apple Inc. because nothing else makes sense here.
Check out the video below. Really mind-blowing when it comes to their thought process when designing this store. And the store is pretty depleted when it comes to customers.
And here is some food for thought regarding originality. Thought I would share:
“Originality is the one thing which unoriginal minds cannot feel the use of. -John Stuart Mill”
“A mere copier of nature can never produce anything great. -Joshua Reynolds”
Compare this Samsung opening event to Apple’s Grand Opening in the same mall a little over a year ago. Beyond hilarious!
[Rumor] The IPad Mini Will Be The Larger, New And Improved IPhone
I honestly cannot take any more articles about the rumored IPad Mini supposedly being released by Apple this Fall. Honestly, everyone needs to chill.
They are working on a new and larger IPhone so why would Apple knock themselves out by producing an iPad Mini for the sole purpose of competing with, say, Amazon or Google? Why go there? They never did before – it smacks of desperation and one thing that Apple is not is desperate.
Check out the video above this article? Wouldn’t you rather see this reveal at the next Apple event than a boring IPad Mini?
And, according to credible reports, the next iPhone, slated for release in the Fall of 2012, was “the last project that Steve Jobs was intimately involved with from concept to final design”.
We haven’t yet seen what this iPhone is capable of doing but you can darn well bet that it will do as much as or more than the array of tablets currently floating around – with the exception of the new iPad.
And, who says the iPhone 5 is going to be the same size as its pre-decessors, the iPhone 4 or the iPhone 4S? By numerous accounts, the new iPhone will be larger, with a quicker processor and a spiffy camera.
So, who needs the iPad Mini? I know I don’t. It’s not like it’s going to be better – just smaller.
Well, the iPhone already covers the “smaller” obsession currently riding the Internet waves, so how many versions of small do we really need?
My husband’s Kindle is gathering dust – he uses only the iPad for reading and browsing. Oh ya – those minis are something special alright!!
The late Steve Jobs never bent to the whim of the public. If he had done so, we would never have ITunes, the Apple Stores, Airplay etc.
People have no idea what they want because, overall, they lack an innate creative sense of where technology can take them.
Steve Jobs realized this and this is what makes Apple so exciting. One always expects the unexpected and trust tech geniuses, like Steve Jobs and his entourage, to innovate for the general public.
How convenient for Google to issue its Nexus whatever after three generations of IPad releases. I guess they learned from the best but decided, hey, maybe if we can add a tweak here or there and change the size and lower the price, everyone will bite.
Well, you basically get what you pay for. You cannot put a price on technology.
And will this Nexus tablet sync seamlessly with an Android phone or Google computer? Oh wait – there is no Google computer so I guess you will just have to sense that there is one!
Right now, in the real world, Apple has created gorgeous devices from IMacs to MacBooks to iPhone and iPad – all synching and meshing in perfect harmony.
So, why anyone would want to abandon this for a smaller device that presently is not tethered to another personally owned device is beyond me!
I am typing this article on my new iPad and, for the life of me, I can’t imagine anything smaller for blogging.
And what about the visually impaired – will they be stuck paying a higher price for the larger IPad because of their disability?
Also, a smaller iPad for photo-editing will be nightmarish. Presently, my iPad sits comfortably on my lap, allowing me to work on my photos with ease and clarity.
I’m a senior citizen and, someday, you will be one as well. You don’t want a small, dinky tablet that is difficult for arthritic fingers to type with ease. Although voice dictation is quickly taking over, it is not yet refined.
Like this article suggests, I took a portrait screen shot of the home screen on the new IPad, rotated the IPad to landscape and had a look-see at approximately what an iPad Mini would look like. Yes, with Retina Display, it looks hunky dory.
However, right now, the new iPad is balanced beautifully on my lap as I type on the screen’s keyboard. The smaller iPad would be unstable and not comfortable for this kind of work. Hard to balance on a lap while typing or surfing.
I could go on and on and on. However, I am in this writer’s camp! This article pressed all my buttons.
And one thing I do know – some of us will be right, some of us will be wrong (about the iPad Mini rumor) but, in the end, Apple will pull something incredible out of the hat! Something no one has ever envisioned. Why? Because they can!
GrannieTheGeek.Com 