Mar 30
I just moved. Moving sucks, no doubt. Good things about moving though, are that you can get rid of old junk you don’t need and also find things you thought you’d lost. I found my Apple Newton 120!
The Newton was completely ahead of its time. What a cool machine, with its big display, text recognition, infrared beaming of data (early 90′s mind you) and well laid out applications.
There are a few things the Newton did in the early 90′s that today’s iPhones and other smart devices still can’t do. I’d love to see a stylus on the iPhone and have Apple resurrect their text recognition software. That way you can actually “write” on the screen and have the words and letters converted. Palm has something like this called Graffiti, but you write in a single space at the bottom of the screen and you have to use strange shapes for many letters. With the Newton’s system, it “learned” how you wrote, even cursive.
When I powered up my 120, even after over 10 years of storage, my notes, contacts and appointments from November 1995 were still there!I’d like to see Apple step back and realize some of the awesome technology they had back then and try to implement that on an upcoming iPhone or PDA. Surfing around a few blogs, it looks like there are a few rumors about a new PDA but I’m betting the iPhone will be the machine of choice for a while.
Mar 16
The 8GB iPhone retails for $399. You can get a refurbished one at the Apple Store for $350.
If this price was for a 16GB model I’d be interested. But why would someone who is already paying $350 not buy a brand new model for another $50?
Mar 10
The iPhone SDK (what you need to develop) is now available. You’d think there’ll be a flood of apps on the horizon for the iPhone. But a few “Microsoftesque” problems may prevent many small or individual developers from releasing iPhone apps.
$99 Fee
iPhone developers who want to test their programs on their iPhone and sell them on the App Store must pay a fee of $99 to enroll in the iPhone Developer program.
Only at the App Store
Apple will only be allowing purchase or download of iPhone apps from their App Store. Downloading from other web sources will not be allowed.
30% for Apple
Now that the only place you can download iPhone apps will be the App Store, Apple has a full monopoly on the sales (just what it’s always wanted in every market it has entered). With that monopoly they’ll be requiring a hefty 30% cut on sales. So if you sell your iPhone app for $100, Apple gets $30.
Mar 07
Apple’s iPhone is getting a $100 million shot in the arm from venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers to help develop applications for the enterprise and consumer markets.
Dubbed the iFund and managed by KPCB, the investment is designed for companies that want to extend the capabilities of the iPhone and iPod touch platform. Apple on Thursday said it will provide KPCB with market insight and support.“Developers are already bursting with ideas for the iPhone and iPod touch, and now they have the chance to turn those ideas into great companies with the help of world-class venture capitalists,” Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement. |
So this iFund is to help companies develop for the iPhone and iPod Touch, or help create companies who will develop. Perhaps one of these new companies can develop and release the most unbelievable feature omissions in the iPhone which Apple unbelievably left out:
1. To-Do / Task List
2. Cut / Copy / Paste
3. Search
….just a thought.
