The iSomething Announcement!
Because, You Know, Why Not?
Yup. I'll be live-blogging, hopefully based off a super-secret UStream feed like last time or, at the very least, from the 47 different websites I will be watching for coverage. Because that's just how I get down.
Genesis On My iPhone? Yes, Please!
Sega is releasing an official Genesis emulator for the iPhone either today or sometime in February (depending on which report you believe). It'll be free and come with Space Harrier II... A game I don't remember even a little bit... But will have in-app downloads of Sonic The Hedgehog for $5.99, Golden Axe for $4.99, and Eco The Dolphin and Shining Force for $2.99 each.
I'm currently nerding out over the idea of playing Sonic on my iPhone... Let's just hope it's better than Super Monkey Ball was, amirite?
Via Gizmodo.
Apple Event? Game On
Everyone in the tech blogging community has received an invite to the January 27th Apple event that is expected to introduce the Apple Tablet, iPhone OS 4.0, and maybe some new iLife/iWork awesomeness.
Added bonus? It happens on my day off! Score!
As most blogs are noting, the use of ink splatters and the word "creation" would imply that the Apple tablet would be more bent on creating content than necessarily delivering it, which would be a bit of a departure from the current concepts floating around, which basically claim the so-called iSlate (worst name since 'MacBook Air' and 'MobileMe') would be a super-swank iPhone/eReader hybrid, which I know would sell insanely well but would also be rather underwhelming. At least it would be for me... then again, when the MacBook Air was being bandied about, was hoping for a super-light computer that also made waffles, so maybe my expectations from MacDaddy Steve Jobs are a tad high.
Anyway, as the event happens on my day off (again: score!), you can expect to see my reactions to the announcement here, as if you really give a crap, and then you can expect me to go through my usual Apple announcement cycle: 1. Shock and amazement, 2. Decrying the announcement as the most overhyped thing ever, 3. Seeing the thing in real life and deciding that it isn't so bad, 4. Becoming willing to sell a kidney to have one, 5. Buying one, even though there are much better ways for me to spend my cash.
The World Is About To Explode. Sorry, Gang.
Brandon "J. Is For Jackass" Mendelson writes on his blog on whether or not Microsoft can out-Apple Apple on Wednesday by revealing a tablet PC nearly 20 days before Apple is supposed to reveal their own highly-anticipated tablet offering. He says 'No.' I agree.
It's the end of the world as we know it, folks. I mean, I don't necessarily agree with why it won't work (he says it's because of the Apple Fandom, I say it's because Microsoft will likely not do anything revolutionary with the product whereas Apple will... Although, to be fair, I'm an admitted member of the Apple Fandom he talks about), but for us to agree on anything takes an act of Congress most times.
Also, should Microsoft and HP unveil a tablet tomorrow, expect all sorts of commentary here about it. 'Cause, you know, techno-nonsense is kinda my thing.
Although I Shouldn’t Have To Say This…
...I'll be dead-blogging the Apple Event later tonight (assuming the video is live by the time I get home), and giving my incredibly insightful and witty observations about the announcements, which will include at least one fart joke, no matter how hard I have to work to get it in there.
WWDC '09: Rumor Roundup/Predictions
Phil 'Holy Crap I'm Boring' Schiller will be delivering the Apple Keynote at the World Wide Developer Conference today, which is my version of The Superbowl. There's been a lot of rumors swirling around about what will be shown today and, because I love you, I've compiled a handy list. No need to thank me, it's all part of the service.
ITEM: iPhone OS X 3.0!
We already know the new iPhone OS will have the long-promised push notifications for applications, cut, copy and paste (finally), MMS messaging ('bout time), landscape keyboard support in all applications (thank you), phone-wide Spotlight search, stereo Bluetooth support, and phone-to-phone connectivity for contact sharing and gaming.
I think the only thing we're really expecting to hear about the new firmware is an actual release date. Which will likely line up with...
ITEM: New iPhone!
Expected to range in sizes from 4GB to 32GB, the new iPhone is supposed to have video recording support, an auto-focus, higher-resolution camera, a magnetometer for compass apps and to tell the GPS chip what direction you're facing, and faster 3G connectivity. Rumors have claimed that Apple will abandon the shiny finish of the current 3G iPhone in favor of a matte finish, which would be awesome, since the current back shows smudges and fingerprints like crazy.
ITEM: Snow Leopard
The next release of OS X should also be talked about today, giving an overview of the changes between Leopard and Snow Leopard, a majority of which are performance improvements and the like. The Marble interface, which can be seen in current versions of iTunes, is not expected to be a part of Snow Leopard, which is disappointing, 'cause I'm really tired of the Aqua interface, with its annoying blue scroll bars.
Yes, the blue scroll bars annoy me. Don't judge me.
ITEM: Apple Notebook Updates
The rumor of Apple updating their notebook line and rebranding all aluminum unibody MacBooks as part of the MacBook Pro line have been floating about, but I think it's unlikely.
ITEM: Steve Jobs' Return
While I think Mac Daddy will be in the audience, I don't think he'll take the stage... he might be ready to come back after his 6 month leave of absence, but I think a big part of what Apple has been trying to prove in that time is that the company doesn't need El Jobso to survive anymore, and taking the stage would be counterproductive to that cause. That being said, I can also see Ol' Mock Turtleneck And Jeans not putting his ego aside and taking control of the new iPhone portion of the event, so it really could go either way.
That's about all I can think of off the top of my head... I'll be liveblogging based on the streams of Engadget, TUAW, MacRumors and Ars Technica, as well as following updates on Twitter and tweeting about it myself so people like Scott don't miss out on anything.
The keynote kicks off at 10AM Pacific, 1PM Eastern, in case you weren't aware. I'll talk to you all then.
Coming Monday!
ShufFAIL
The other day, Apple released a new iPod Shuffle: a 4GB powerhouse o' awesome in something that would be eclipsed by a AA battery, all for the low, low cost of $79. I've always had a soft spot for the Shuffle, personally... It was to the iPod line what the white MacBook is to their computers; a gateway drug, there to show people how easy Apple products are to use and how awesome they are and why everyone must own the entire line-- Sorry, the iCult programming took over for a second. M'bad.
Image stolen from iJustine/TastyBlogSnack
"But wait," I can hear you cry, "where's the controls? Is the unit controlled with the power of my mind? 'Cause that'd be sweet."
Sadly, no. The thing is controlled through a remote found on the iPod headphones; click once to play, double click to go ahead a song, etc., similarly to the iPhone, and also the worst idea I've ever heard. Why?
ITEM: iPOD HEADPHONES ARE LAME
I've gone through a ton of the headphones Apple packages with their iPods and iPhones, and not one of them has lasted very long (granted, I'm not exactly kind to headphones often, but still), nor have they been comfortable in my ear. If, like me, you tend to use third-party headphones, you're kinda screwed. Unless there's some adapter offered. Speaking of which...
ITEM: AN ADAPTER TO MAKE THIRD PARTY HEADPHONES WORK IS LAME
When the first iPhone came out, the headphone jack was recessed, meaning you had to get an adapter to use any headphones you may have wanted. The adapters were somewhere in the realm of $20 for a generic one, and I don't recall how much the Official Apple Adapter™ was. It sucked, both for the added cost and because you now had some stupid-looking shaft coming out of your oh-so-sexy iPhone. People didn't particularly care for this, and by the time the iPhone 3G came out, Apple had realized that it was a pretty lame idea to need an adapter for your headphones, so the recessed jack went away.
While that sucked, at least you didn't need the adapter to actually control what song you were listening to... You had controls on screen for that sort of thing. With this, the controls would have to be on the adapter itself, which means either (a) it will once again be a tiny shaft sticking from your itty-bitty sexy device, which is inconvenient or (b) it will be essentially an extension cord, which would lengthen the headphone cable, which then means you have more of a chance of hooking it on stuff or, worst case, end up hanging yourself with it. You'd be surprised how many people fall off a cliff and die from headphone related hanging every year, so don't think this isn't an actual danger.
If that doesn't sway you, maybe this will: the adapter will be, at minimum, $20. You're now up to $100 for the iPod and adapter, and $50 away from getting a Nano with an actual screen and video playback. Why even bother making the Shuffle at all?
ITEM: INTERRUPTING MY MUSIC WITH YOUR STEPHEN HAWKING-ESQUE READING IS LAME
How are you supposed to know what song is playing, or what playlist you're in, or navigate from playlist to playlist? The iPod will talk to you, reading off track information, playlist titles, and the like. Frankly, this would drive me insane; I want to hear my music, not some computer telling me that 'White and Nerdy' is by "Weird Al" Yankovic. I'd rather have kept the original Shuffle concept where you don't know what song is coming up, or be able to easily choose what song I want, because I bought something called a "shuffle" and that's what I want the freakin' thing to do: shuffle my songs and surprise me!
Perhaps I'm being too hard on the thing... Maybe I just don't "get it." But, when someone like me, who rarely has anything bad to say about Apple and their products, no matter how pointless (I'm looking at you, AppleTV), hates a device that much, there's gotta be something wrong.
Then again, iJustine likes it, so who am I to argue?