In 100 of its biggest stores, like the San Francisco flagship, Apple’s “hardware” update means new screens and spaces for meetings and classes. The Genius Bar, now lined with trees, becomes the Genius Grove. And there’s a more dimensional take on the Genius: new staffers specialized in music and photography called “Creative Pros.”
“Is the idea that the store will have all of these listed classes, teachers, experiences that will be publicly posted that will draw more and more people in?” O’Donnell asked.
“Absolutely,” Ahrendts said. “So we call the software of the store that we are launching the end of May – we call that Today at Apple.”
There definitely seem to be different rules for different developers. Smaller developers get their apps pulled from the store, with an automated e-mail giving a day or week’s notice (or even none). Without proof of wrongdoing, they get slimed in the press and banned from the store even if they write a blog post absolving Apple. But if you’re Uber, you get a one-on-one meeting with Tim Cook, your app stays in the store, and your customers are kept in the dark. Uber probably needs iPhone users more than Apple needs Uber, but this may not be universally true. What would happen if Facebook, which has also been accused of various hijinks, got into a dispute like this with Apple?
Apple, a company known for its precisely coordinated product launches, declined to explain the delays, but said in a statement that "Carpool Karaoke: The Series will premiere on Apple Music later this year." [...] A representative for CBS Television Studios said in an email on Monday: "We're excited about our 'Carpool Karaoke' for Apple Music, and look forward to everyone seeing it later this year."
Here’s what you have to do: pull up Control Center, simultaneously select one option from the bottom bar (Alarm Clock, Calculator, or Camera), Night Shift, and AirDrop. You have to use three fingers to tap them all at once and it may take a few times to actually work.
Apple in a recent update to Maps activated Traffic data for two Middle Eastern countries, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, though it appears only major metropolitan areas are supported at this time.
Always running out of battery? The DoBox can help with its 5,000mAh battery that can charge any device from its USB-A ports. We tested this by charging an iPad and iPhone and it worked as described.
Running out of storage? You can transfer your pictures and videos to the DoBox’s 30GB of built-in storage – and, of course, this allows pictures and videos to be shared with others who also connect. Sharing files on a micro-SD card and any USB storage device is also possible, of course, by simply attaching them.
Want to create a private Wi-Fi network to share the data, or to create a private network for colleagues at any location? The DoBox can do this. It can also share an existing Wi-Fi connection in this private fashion, or share an Ethernet connection.
“Somewhere along the way, we forgot simple UX,” said Parker. “There are thousands of calendar apps but when you look at the UX, you see one person’s interpretation of what effective planning is, what great productivity is. But it doesn’t translate to many people, that’s why there’s so many of them. I try to get out of the way and give you the free space you need to think and manage on your own.”
Today, Apple announced that it is reducing the commissions it pays on apps and In-App Purchases from 7% to 2.5% effective May 1st. The iTunes Affiliate Program pays a commission from Apple's portion of the sale of apps and other media when a purchase is made with a link that contains the affiliate credentials of a member of the program.
So if you’re using a service like Uber (which you probably shouldn’t) that still demands a five-star rating system, it’s time to swallow your inner film critic and embrace the extremes. If four stars is a bad rating, you’re not really using a five-star rating system. There are only two valid ratings: five stars, and one star. Thumbs up and thumbs down. The rest of it is just a relic of the old days when the internet needed to lend itself an air of legitimacy by aping the newspapers and magazines it has now supplanted.
Being mobile-first is the right strategy. Prioritize the mobile experience when you know that is the primary way your customers will engage. Just don’t forget your customers also spend many hours per day in front of their PCs and, in some cases, it is wise to think about how best to offer a complimentary PC experience in the hope you can increase your total engagement time with your customers.
Just for kicks, imagine the alternate universe where the Foleo was a smashing success. You might wake up in the morning, snatch your phone off its charging dock, and plug it into your TV to watch the morning news while you get ready. Once you got to the office, you’d drop it into your workstation, where you’d have a dormant mouse, keyboard, and monitor waiting to be activated. You could throw presentations from your phone onto a TV using the dock on the conference room table. Starbucks might have a dozen docks in every store for aspiring screenwriters. You’d buy one incredible device, with all the power you need, that breathes life into all others.
Even a decade later, which is several eons in tech years, plenty of companies and developers believe in this idea.
"You see things vacationing on a motorcycle in a way that is completely different from any other. In a car you’re always in a compartment, and because you’re used to it you don’t realize that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You’re a passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame."
Usually, after watching a movie or even an episode of a string of movies that just happened to premier on smaller screen (currently watching: Sherlock), I will check out IMDB to read the trivials or the goofs, And, sometimes, even the critics.
And many-a-times, I was disappointed to not find Roger Ebert's name in the list of critics.
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Thanks for reading.