MacOldie

Newspapers: How long before they are eclipsed by electronic media?

In the past year, by choice, I haven't bought a single newspaper. I have thus saved about £400 to contribute to my various web-site subscriptions and data connection charges. I haven't missed the printed page, any more than I miss the printed book. On the rare occasions I have picked up a newspaper for free I get depressed by the sheer bulk of the thing and all those unwanted sections and magazines.  In addition, I have to plough through loads of dross to get to the bits I want to read.   

In these days of the global warmists, with all their trappings of religious fervour, I am surprised more attention hasn't been focussed on the printed word. If ever there were a more wasteful means of communication, with a massive "carbon footprint", I have yet to hear of it. I have absolutely no doubt that the next ten years will see the total eclipse of the physical newspaper, not to mention the physical book. 

As circulation declines, the economic model will collapse in the face of increasing distribution and recycling costs. With the exception of specialist publications, the printed word will be dead.

For the past twelve months I have read all the news I need on my iPhone or on my Macs. Increasingly I rely on convenient aggregators, such as NetNewsWire, to present the stories and sift through the dross. I can review several newspapers, the BBC and a number of tech sites in a few minutes, while drilling down into the detailed stories when I find something of interest. In this way I don't feel I am missing out and I assimilate a vast amount of information in a 24-hour period.

Better means of reading electronic news will come; in some ways we are already there with the iPad. Here we have one device capable of presenting newspapers, magazines, books, movies and the web while enabling genuine work to be done. I believe 2010 will be breakthrough year when publishers really begin to come to terms with the revolution and embrace the likes of the iPad.

Of course, we electronic readers have had it too good for the past few years. Without physical newspapers and display advertising, who will pick up the bill for the news gathering and presentation? Gradually, I believe, free access to the better news sites will be overtaken by a subscription-based model. When this comes, we will expect much more than we currently get from "flat" news web sites. We will expect, and get, a much more interactive experience.

"End of March" for iPad in UK

According to Macworld this morning, Apple have announced that the iPad will go on sale in the UK at the end of March, with the 3G version following sometime in April. The story goes on to say that the new device is likely to be available on O2 and Orange when it hits Blighty. I imagine we can add Vodafone to the list, so the high street exposure should be high. No doubt the 3G version will be discounted by the cellular networks in return for a contract and that will create an interesting anomaly. Will the 3G version actually work out cheaper than the wifi-only iPad if you are prepared to commit to a contract? In the USA, readers will remember, the addition of 3G ups the price of all iPad versions by $130 and that is probably going to be a round £100 here. 

Enthusiasts such as MacOldie will have some thinking to do. Will it be the early wifi model and a MiFi or should we wait for the 3G device and fit the micro-SIM? If we opt for the micro-SIM it is yet another dedicated means of internet access (and another £15 or so every month). The MiFi route, on the other hand, allows continued use of the standard data SIM and the opportunity to feed internet to laptop and, if needed, iPhone. Rumours elsewhere indicate that O2 and Orange have already placed orders for micro-SIM cards in readiness for the newcomer. 

Since, I imagine, most of the first iPad owners will already own an iPhone and will be paying for data, would it not be a good idea to enable tethering so the iPad can use the iPhone's data feed?

iPad: Unfair Criticism and Valid Concern

Readers following the iPad saga should take a look at Jeremy Horwitz's excellent analysis of the reactions to the launch of the new Apple product in iLounge.  He prefaces the editorial with a bold statement on behalf of iLounge: "Despite every attempt that has been made over the past week to trivialize the iPad, we want to be clear: we believe that the iPad will be an important and extremely successful product for Apple."

Not since the launch of the iPhone have I seen such polarisation of views. You could be forgiven for thinking we are talking Richard Dawkins versus religion, such is the fervour. I have gone on record that I think the iPad will be a massive sales hit for Apple and that it is a game-changer of the first order. I'll stick by that, and I take heed of Horwitz's assertion that virtually everyone who has criticised the device has never actually used one. It was the same with the iPhone.

eBook future: Kindle and iBooks on one platform

As an avid ebook reader I welcome Apple's announcement of the iBook Store and the iBooks application for the iPad. 

Many have suggested that the iPad will kill Amazon's Kindle. I doubt it. In the long term it could kill the physical Kindle, or force Amazon into a search for a reader to match the iPad. But Amazon, in particular, is probably more concerned with providing content rather than hardware. Because of this, the iPad is going to be good news for Amazon and the Kindle ecosystem.

Already we have the Kindle app for the iPhone and I have purchased and read a number of novels on the little screen. Buying from the Kindle store is just as easy and seamless as getting a track from iTunes. And Kindle editions are generally cheaper than equivalent books from Sony's UK partner, Waterstones. Just this week I downloaded Stieg Larsson's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo for under £4.25, including tax and electronic shipping direct to my phone.

By the time the iPad appears we will have a Kindle app for the larger format, so I can read my current iPhone-only books on the new LED screen. And, of course, my current page will be remembered by both iPhone and iPad when I switch machines. Amazon already have a Kindle app for Windows and the Mac desktop version is due soon. So Amazon is not relying solely on Kindle owners for their income.

Similarly, Apple's new iBook store should work in the same way. There will almost certainly be Mac desktop and iPhone/iPod Touch applications with similar synchronisation to that used by the Kindle system. It will be no hardship to have both iBooks and Kindle apps resident on the iPad (or iPhone) and it gives consumers the chance to pick and choose the best deals. 

Where does this lead the current No. 2 in ebook readers, the Sony PRS? High and dry, I suspect, unless Sony get smart and introduce Sony Reader apps for iPhone, iPad, Android and other platforms. Unfortunately for Sony, they are stuck in the hardware business unless they launch a bookstore to challenge Apple or Amazon. They therefore have little incentive to launch apps for other hardware platforms. That would be like turkeys voting for Christmas.

The current crop of e-ink readers have served us well, but they remain a one-horse act with many disadvantages, including lack of speed, absence of colour and poor contrast, particularly in low-light conditions. So far I have bought 60 books for the Sony but I have no confidence that I will eventually be able to read them on the iPad or other devices, despite the fact that they are in epub format.  These restrictions annoy users and the market will inevitably shift towards the two major ebook ecosystems--Apple and Amazon--with the knowledge that books can be read on many platforms.

Thoughts of Chairman Jobs: Steve briefs the staff

According to Wired, Steve Jobs has been briefing Apple staff on his thoughts following the launch of the iPad. He apparently confirmed the new rivalry between Apple and Google, saying that Google want to kill the iPhone but they won't let them. And, in a broadside towards Adobe, he is reported to have told employees that Apple will not be using Flash for Mac; he prefers us to wait until the full implementation of HTML5.

Evidently he said that the next iPhone would be an "A+ upgrade" and that Apple will deliver aggressive updates to iPhone that Android/Google will not be able to keep up with. Also, the iPad is right up there with the iPhone and Mac as the most important products Jobs has been a part of. 

Lest we get too blinkered towards the iPad, it was also encouraging to hear that the new Macs for 2010 are going to "take Apple to the next level". Looks like we have an interesting year ahead. 

OS Touch, Apple's new iPad OS

Four days after iPad Day and we are still talking about the operating system being "iPhone 3.2". The operating system that powers the iPhone and iPod Touch is, in reality, no longer the iPhone OS. We had better start thinking about it as OS Touch, because that is what it is. It started as a platform for a phone but, with the iPad, has developed into a fully fledged OS that could soon start to rival OS X in terms of user base. 

Many people, including me, were mildly disappointed when rumours indicated that the iPad would run a scaled-up version of iPhone OS rather than a scaled-down OS X. We were wrong and Apple got it right. What we see now is the future of touch computing, computing for the masses.

iWork for iPad: the sign of things to come

For me, the biggest surprise in the iPad announcement, apart from the unexpectedly low price, was the introduction of a touch version of iWork. In one move Apple has demonstrated that the iPhone OS is capable of running grown-up business applications. It means that almost any Mac application can be rewritten and presented on the iPad and other future touch devices.

Omni Group have already confirmed they are working on iPad versions of their productivity apps, including my favourite OmniFocus. Within weeks, I believe, we will hear more such announcements from other software developers. 

Pundits are now coming into the open and agreeing with Steve Jobs that the iPad changes the game. It is neither computer nor phone/PDA. It is being described as an "appliance" with suggestions that it will create a whole new genre. There is a very real possibility that the iPad (and similar products from other manufacturers) can replace laptops and netbooks as portable productivity devices.

The naysayers are in full voice, just as they were when the iPhone was announced. They are discounting the iPad on detail (such as the current lack of multi-tasking or the absence of a front-facing camera) but none can use price as a factor. The iPad is priced to leap off the shelves. Some are saying that a MacBook, for instance, can do so much more. Of course, in many ways it can and does. But this is missing the point: for a whole range of day-to-day activities such as email, web browsing, gaming, even reading books, the iPad is all you need. Thousands of people have MacBooks and other computers when they never fully use the potential. I know dozens of people who use a computer just for emails, the web, and chatting. They merely scratch the surface of OS X.

For the moment, of course, the iPad is hardly a stand-alone device. You need a computer of sorts to run iTunes for synchronisation, but this will change over time. I suspect almost all the early adopters will be iPhone users who also have another computer. They have seen the potential of the iPhone and will flock to a larger-screened device offering the same simplicity of operation. When they find iWork, OmniFocus and other major applications ported to the iPad they will have little cause to lug around even a MacBook Air. 

iPad multi-tasking: a possible explanation

The absence of multi-tasking on the iPad, despite the "blindingly fast" processor, is causing a lot of comment. Could it be that Apple have deliberately not mentioned multi-tasking because they do not want to spoil the launch of the iPhone 4G? This would explain a lot and could even enable multi-tasking to be added as part of an OS update before or soon after the product hits the shelves.

The update to the iPhone, the so-called iPhone 4G, has been tipped for mid-year. This next iteration will almost certainly include a much faster processor and a greater feature set. Multi-tasking has been requested for so long, and there is now clear MT competition from the likes of Android, that it is almost a given that it will appear on the next iPhone. For iPhone, read iPad. 

If Apple had hinted at multi-tasking as part of an imminent OS upgrade they would have partly spoiled the milestone iPhone announcement. So I believe that we will see enhanced capabilities for the iPad almost before it is available. 

Another reason for the launch reticence, of course, could be the issue of battery life. Multi-tasking will seriously deplete battery life and it could be that Apple wished to get the launch out of the way on the back of the promised ten-hour range. If the enhancement comes in a few months everyone will still have a ten-hour battery life in their minds. 

iPad keyboard dock: what we need for the iPhone

That Apple introduced an external keyboard as part of the main iPad presentation is very telling. It proves that Apple realise the need for a faster, more tactile means of input. In the main, though, they are addressing prior concerns about the incompatibility of viewing and typing angles. What was not mentioned, of course, was the possibility of using this new keyboard dock with the iPhone. Ever since the iPhone was introduced there has been a demand for an external, possibly Bluetooth, keyboard. But at every stage Apple has blocked any hopes of such a device. Many people would have settled for the standard Apple Bluetooth keyboard, but the new version with the dock seems right in every respect. Without doubt the iPhone will fit the new keyboard; but will it work? I feel sure it will be made to work, unless Apple is bering very devious and hoping that the keyboard will be a unique selling point for the iPad only.

iPad reflections one day on

Almost 24 hours since the announcement of the iPad and I've read reams of comments from technical commentators and seen hundreds of forum posts from potential buyers. Sentiment isn't wholly for the iPad, I have to say. If anything, it is very much fifty fifty between lovers and haters. Originally the haters were moaning about the presumed high price of the device. But now the price is seen to be very attractive, criticism has focused on things that are missing from the iPad--in particular multi-tasking and a front-facing camera for chat sessions. 

I, too, have these doubts. I am seriously disappointed at the lack of multi-tasking. This alone would set the iPad apart from the iPhone whereas, at the moment, it is seen to be simply a monster iPhone. I really don't understand Apple's reluctance to introduce MT, even for the iPhone. Android and other smartphone systems are already offering multi-tasking and the venerable Windows Mobile has had it for years. We have to accept that there must be a good reason, whether it be battery life or stability. I have no doubt that multi-tasking will come sooner rather than later--and for the iPhone as well. Steve & Co will be reading all the same comments this morning and certainly cannot miss the message.

If we look beyond these initial gripes, we see a product with great potential. It was a telling comment that there are at least 75 million people out there who already know how to use the iPad. And there are some 150 million people with iTunes accounts who will be exposed to the new iBookstore. Kindles and Sony Readers are currently niche market players. Maybe it will take Apple's muscle to establish ebook reading as the norm.

The iPad is as good an indicator as any for the future of portable computing. Touch interfaces are here to stay and the iPad format is iconic in its simplicity. I think it will succeed.