Apple news

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Mountain Lion Due Out This Summer

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        Today's news from CNET:  Apple will release the Mountain Lion this summer.  This article gives links to related stories and includes 11 screenshots of Mountain Lion developer previews.
        Here Jim Hamm jumps in, "Check out this article I saw in USA TODAY's iPad application.  Apple unveils new Mac OS X Mountain Lion.  To view the story click the link or paste it into your browser.  To learn more about USA TODAY for iPad and download, visit here."
        And here's more!  Jim says, "Here are a couple of more articles (one, two) that really explain what's coming in OS X Mountain Lion. After reading these I'm more impressed with the new OS. The first article points out a strategy that Apple is taking that is really smart, I think. If, say, a person buys any Apple device (a computer, iPhone, whatever) the OS is becoming similar on all Apple devices so the learning curve is shortened on how to use each device.  People like familiarity.
        Jim summarizes, "Apple is hoping that if, say, you own a Mac you'll be more likely to buy an iPhone rather than an Android device. Or vice versus. This way you don't have to learn a new operating system. With iCloud now keeping all Apple devices coordinated together, one can switch between devices and hardly miss a beat."
        However, there's a serious side to this.  Prez Art Gorski tells us, "OK, so you dodged the bullet this year and found that your 4 year old Mac could be upgraded to Lion. Now Apple has announced the next version of OS X (and they've changed the name from Mac OS X!), Mountain Lion. And guess what, many 4 year old Macs will not be able to install it." Read about it here. 
        "Ooooooh!  What about my computer?" you may be asking.  Look at http://www.appleserialnumberinfo.com/Desktop/index.php  so you can enter your computer's serial number and get a handy page to print out with lots of info on your model, including the $ value of it today.

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iBook Author Controversy

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        Apple is getting some bad publicity over the iBook Author program.  Jim Hamm sends this article from Ed Bott of ZDNet, who details some questionable conditions and calls it "greedy and evil license agreement."  Jim comments, "I usually support Apple in its closed-loop system, but not this time. I think authors will just bypass this program. If I'm missing something in this scenario, let me know if you would."  Stay tuned for more on this hot topic.
        This just in from Allen Laudenslager, "What I've read is that Apple is giving away the software to create iBooks BUT if you use it for commercial purposes (i.e. write a book and the sell copies) you have to pay Apple. If you give away the book then you don't have to pay.  Not a bad marketing tool when their goal is cheaper and better textbooks written by the teachers themselves."
        Entering into the discussion now is John Carter.  Here's his view.  "The new app called iBooks Author is available FREE in the App Store.
        "If Apple wants a piece of the pie for books created and published with this app regardless of where the book is published, I think that’s a good tradeoff for providing such a fabulous app.
        "Apple is making available thousands of free educational material through iTunes U. Most of that material is provided solely by the creator without any regard to providing a consistent experience to readers regardless of the source or topic, and most of it is entirely video in nature.
        "The whole purpose of iBooks Author is allow educators to create interactive textbooks intended to be viewed on an iPad, although it can be used to create an iBook for any purpose for any audience. This is a new educational outreach for Apple. In order to sustain this effort, funding must come from somewhere. If Apple were to depend on corporate, public, or private contributions in order to allow the creator to publish outside the Apple domain without some kind of remuneration then they would also have to make sure that iBooks Author would work on any platform. Keeping it in-house is a way to ensure that conformance with Apple standards are maintained so that the quality and experience that comes out of the iBook is consistent.
        John closes with this observation, "A consistent user experience of all apps across all Apple products is almost a trademark of Apple."

Apple is Doing Well!

        Interesting charts and comparisons show how well Apple is doing these days.  Jim Hamm writes, "Here's one company's (Trefis) estimate of how Apple's products affect its stock price. It's interesting to note that the iPhone's impact is over 50% on the stock price. Mac computers are third in the ranking.
        "Here's an estimate for Microsoft.  I was surprised to see the impact Microsoft Office has on the stock price -- more than the Windows operating system.
        "You can click on a product (division) and get a forecast (trend line) of future performance. This may be a handy tool for investors in the market. In the upper left corner you can enter the name or symbol of a stock you're interested in to get information on the stock price.
        And, Jim, our eagle-eye reporter closes with, "Here is more information on Trefis."

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Apple's New Retail Store for iOS to Launch Thursday

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        We have Jim Hamm to thank for the following news release.  Here's what we see so far:  "While information about Apple’s new iOS app and retail plans have leaked out in various forms over the past few weeks, we now have the whole story thanks to a trusted source. On Thursday, Apple’s new retail store app for iOS will launch, and it will bring two major features with it. First, it will enable online ordering with retail store pick up. This has already started happening in a few stores in California and New York City Apple stores as well, and more stores will go live on Thursday. Hit the jump for details on what happens when you place an order through the app to pick up in a retail store nearby.
        - If a customer orders an in-stock product, pick up will be available approximately 12 minutes after completing the order. Why 12 minutes? Well, the order goes through the system to the designated Apple Store in about 3 minutes. Apple’s back-of-house employees have 2 minutes to set all of the products aside on a shelf from the minute it was ordered. There is then a 7-minute grace period for employees to get everything else in order. Around 12 minutes after purchasing, customers will be able to walk into the Apple Store, skip lines, skip registers, get their products, sign for them and leave. We’re told Apple is really excited about this, and it’s something customers have been seeking for a while.
        - If a customer orders something that a retail store does not have in-stock, like a custom-configured machine, an accessory the store does not carry, or something like an engraved or gift-wrapped device, the customer will be a given a pick-up date right after the purchase is completed. Everything will have free shipping when sent to an Apple retail store. Once the order arrives at the Apple Store and is available for pickup, a push notification will be sent to the customer through the Apple Store app, letting him or her know the order is ready. We’re told the same 12-minute timeframe applies here as well: 12 minutes from the time the push notification is received, the customer’s order should be waiting to be signed for.
        - We have been told customers who opt to purchase online or through the app will be given priority when they walk into the store over a customer waiting for a retail specialist, and that Apple expects the majority of customers over the next few years to use the in-store pick up option as their default method of buying products. This will help with foot traffic in retail stores while also reducing the cost of shipping for Apple, and possibly even reducing the number of stores Apple needs to open to accommodate sales.
        - Apple will offer customers the ability to return items purchased online to retail stores.
        - Lastly, we’re told that Apple will be attributing revenue from items purchased in this manner to the retail store where the items are delivered and retrieved. This should help create new job opportunities since hiring at Apple Stores is based on sales. Apple is reportedly expecting a 30% increase in sales at retail stores from this program, and it will only be available in the U.S. for now.
        "The other major feature coming in Apple’s new app? Customer self check-out at retail stores. This is a huge deal and Apple is the first to be able to put it together. Here is how this will work: after you find the item you want to buy, like an accessory, you launch the Apple Store app on your iOS device and there will be an option to buy a product in the store. You scan the product with the camera on your device in the app, click purchase, and it will charge whatever credit card is associated to your Apple ID. You then just walk out of the store. Yes, we have been told that Apple will not be checking purchases which seems hard to believe, but this self check-out option will launch Thursday worldwide at all Apple retail stores."
        Info on this can be found at Time.com's Techland site.  

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Steve Jobs 1955-2011

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        We were all shocked to hear of the death of Steve Jobs. Opening to Google's homepage this morning under the search box is the simple notation: Steve Jobs 1955-2011.  Clicking on the name takes us to the Apple website where a photo of Steve is posted.
         Jim Hamm writes, Many articles are appearing about the passing of Steve Jobs. Several of them are listed on the website 'All Things D.'  Here is one by Walt Mossberg, tech writer for the Wall Street Journal, and his remembrances of Steve.
        Jim reminisces, "Zee and I were at the MacWorld Expo (San Francisco) in February, 2008, where Steve introduced the MacBook Air. I, of course, rushed home and ordered one. We didn't make it into the conference room where Steve gave the presentation, and didn't see his presentation in person, but we got to see it on a screen in the expo hall. With Steve's flair for a dramatic presentation, I'll never forget him pulling the MacBook Air out of a thin, interoffice mail envelope and showing it to the audience.
        Jim closes with, "I hope Steve's creative spirit lingers at Apple for a long time."
        No doubt, there'll be many tributes and remembrances. Here's a quotation from the president of The Heritage Foundation, Edwin J. Fuelner, "As for journalism and reading in general, we have now gone back to where we started: the biblical tablet. The elegant slab we take with us wherever we go can do the same for us and take us, no matter where we are, anywhere in the universe our imagination wants to visit.
        ". . .  this half-Arab boy who was given up for adoption at birth and went on to drop out of college was able to transform the lives of individuals across the world because he lived and worked in this country."
     

Apple's Store-Opening Spree

It's fun to read about what Apple is doing!  The 9to5Mac article announced that Apple is on a store-opening spree, opening one new store every 50 hours for the last two months.  Then this Macitynet article from Italy says they have the second largest Genius Bar now open in the Apple Store in Bologna, Italy.  Want to read it in English and see a 7 minute video of the grand opening?  Go to Google Translate and enter this URL http://www.macitynet.it/macity/articolo/Apple-Store-Bologna-tutta-linaugurazione-nel-video-riassuntivo-di-Macitynet   in the box on the left side.  Up comes the URL in the right side box.  Click and up it comes.

Discussing Apple's Retail Success

        More people now visit Apple's 326 stores in a single quarter than the 60 million who visit Walt Disney's four biggest theme parks last year.  Why?  The 2007 employee training manual outlines the steps, which handily spell out APPLE.
       Approach customers with a personalized warm welcome
         Probe politely to understand the customer’s needs
           Present a solution for the customer to take home today
             Listen for and resolve any issues or concerns
               End with a fond farewell and an invitation to return.
For details here's an interesting article from TUAW and one from Forbes blogs.

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The Latest and the Greatest

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        "Well, the big announcements at WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) happened this morning," begins Art Gorski.  Here's his take on the latest and greatest.  First, here's a summary from Macworld.
       "Mac OS X Lion will be out next month for $30 but is available only through the App Store. If you haven't updated to the latest version of Snow Leopard I have no idea how you can get it. There are many changes designed to make Mac OS X look and act much more like iOS: Full screen apps (we've already seen this with the new iPhoto), the Launchpad feature, and support for multi-touch gestures everywhere (if you have an Apple touchpad).
        "iOS 5 will be out in the Fall with 200 new features. The most interesting thing is that Apple has decided that syncing data amongst all your devices is a royal pain, so all syncing, including iOS updates, apps, and all data will sync wirelessly over 3G or wireless. Most of this syncing happens automatically without you even noticing. For example, if you take a picture with your iPhone camera, the next time you fire up your iPad or Mac that photo will be on that device. Along with iCloud (below), it will be possible to own an iOS device standalone for the first time, without ever attaching it to a computer at all!
        "Remember Apple's Digital Hub idea? Where your Mac was your digital hub for all of your data and media? That's now over. Apple has demoted the Mac to just another device, like the iOS devices. Your digital hub is now in the iCloud. Also available in the Fall, iCloud is a FREE service that replaces MobileMe (well, kinda, see below). It will provide a me.com email account and sync that, along with contacts and calendars. Documents in the Cloud is a new app to facilitate automatically syncing iWork documents (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote) amongst all your devices. iTunes in the Cloud lets you download any iTunes-purchased media to up to 10 different devices. A total of 5GB of space, shared between documents and email is available in addition to however much space is needed to sync your last 1000 photos and your iTunes-purchased media. An optional service called iTunes Match will be available for $25/year that will scan your complete iTunes library, including stuff you ripped yourself, try to figure out what it is, and then make very high quality versions available for download to your devices.
       Art concludes, "Interestingly enough, Apple did not mention iCloud replacements for iDisk and web hosting. It's possible these are going away. However, Apple just extended all MobileMe subscriptions to June 6, 2012 to give you a year to figure out what to do."
        Also, take a look at the Apple site here and the Apple HotNews site here for more descriptions of the latest and greatest!