shownotes_20120325

Opening
  Opening Music
    Music is Say Anything by Manda and the Marbles
    Mandaandthemarbles.com
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News
  iPads after launch
    It's selling like, well like iPads
      Apple reported selling 3 million iPads in the opening weekend of sales
      Analysts are estimating Q2 iPad sales of between 11 to 13 million units. 12 million units sold would represent a year-over-year growth of 156%.
        For perspective Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President of Mobile at Google, said at the end of February that there were now 12 million tablets (total) running Android.
      Friday the iPad launched in an additional 25 countries
      Despite the high sales volume and large international roll-out supplies seem to be good
      Most retail locations seem to have iPads and Apple's online ship times for the US are reporting 1-2 week delivery times.
    Reviews
      App sizes: Worse, each app is usually written in single, universal version for all iPad models. So those apps will eat up the same extra space, pointlessly, on older iPads, too — and even on iPhones, since many apps are written to run on both the tablet and the phone. In other words, iPhone owners, too, will wind up losing storage space because of this graphic-bloat ripple-down effect.) - David Pogue, NYT
      The Retina display is by far the biggest new feature—and it is certainly impressive. However, it is not a life changing experience that some have described - Seth Weintraub, 9 to 5 Mac
    DigiTimes reports that LG and Sharp have begun shipping a small volume of displays for the new iPad
      At launch it is believed that Samsung was the sole supplier when the two other manufactures failed to meet quality standards
      More displays will allow Apple to continue to keep up with demand
    Takes 2 hours longer to charge fully
      the battery on the new iPad has 70 percent higher capacity. It needs it.
      The new 2048-by-1536 display's backlight takes 7 watts of power compared to the iPad 2's 2.7-2.8 watts
      The new iPad seemed to take about 7 hours to get to full charge vs the iPad 2s 4 hour charge time
        The bigger battery capacity with the same 10 watt charger is a big reason why.
      Tests done by DisplayMate, show the new iPad battery indicator shows its fully charged about 2 hours before it actually is.
      All tablets and smartphones actually seem to exhibit this behavior in one form or another.
        DisplayMate claims it a general problem in the algorithms that calculate the full charge percentage.
      I think I had read that modern rechargeable batteries perform best and have the greatest life if you "keep the electrons flowing". Cycling them between 10-20% and 80-90%.
      Some 3rd party cables may not charge the new iPad
        Jason O'Grady noticed this when his iPad stopped charging at 85%, and displayed the "not charging" even when using the 10W power brick.
        He was using a longer, heavier gauge cable.
        The charger itself says 5.1 volts 2.1 amps. That is a fair amount of current. For a short cable thinner wires won’t make a difference, but on longer cables it will. Also, the new iPad does draw more power from the AC adapter than the iPad 2.
    The color accuracy is great
      DisplayMate also ran tests on the new screens color accuracy
      DisplatMate's report said teardown reports indicate that there were are actually 3 suppliers at launch: Samsung, LG, and possibly Sharp.
      "very accurate colors and picture quality. It’s most likely better and more accurate than any display you own (unless it’s a calibrated professional display)"
      They claim it reproduced 99% accurate color reproduction and claimed, "the new iPad beats every laptop, tablet, and mobile projector I have seen."
    Upscaled graphics are looking pretty good, seem Apple uses the Retina iPhone 4 graphics if available to upscale to the new iPad resolution
    Displays effect on battery
      new iPad uses 2.5 times the Backlight power of the iPad 2 for the same screen Brightness.
      Running time at Maximum brightness in our tests was 5.8 hours, 20 percent less than the iPad 2’s 7.2 hours.
    Processor
      A5X is huge. Built upon the same 45 nanometer architecture, the A4 chip was only 53.3 mm square. Now compare that to the A5X, which measures in at a whopping 165 mm.
      Same dual core 1GHz performance on the CPU, but has those quad core GPUs in there to drive quadruple the pixels.
      Seems like most of the GPU performance might be dedicated to driving the retina display, so may not translate into direct GPU performance
      RAM has been bumped up from 512MB to 1GB
    Some older and 3rd party Smart Covers reportedly not activating the sleep/wake feature due to mismatched polarity on the covers magnets. Early batches of Apple's Smart cover may have the issue
      Apple apparently added a polarity-sensitive sensor to the new iPad
      In general it seems like mine pops-off much easier. The more gradual curve may be a factor.
    Still can't use FaceTime over cellular networks, even if you have 4G LTE
    So should you buy a new iPad?
      There have been some reports that many consumers can't see the difference between the iPad 2 and new iPad displays.
      Bearfeats benchmarks show that the CPUs are almost identical and the GPU performance is mostly required for the retina display.
      The doubled RAM may help slightly on the performance, but likely not be life changing.
      Bottom line is, unless you really want the retina display, the new camera, or LTE support, the iPad 2 may be a better deal.
  The next iPhone
    Arriving in the Fall, surprised?
    Will have LTE, surprised?
      iOS 5.1 seems to contain references to 4G on the iPhone, but probably just referring the the newly AT&T rebranded 3G (HSPA+)
    Feature a gargantuan 4.6" screen. Ridiculous.
      iMore, claims the screen size will be roughly, if not exactly, the same.
    feature a new smaller dock connector
    Apple has filed a patent for a haptic touch interface
      Not saying it will be in the next iPhone
      Their design uses piezoelectric actuators, which would let a device provide localized feedback.
      Would possibly be in it's own layer and allow also for "force" sensors to gauge how hard someone presses (sounds like pressure sensitivity to me)
  New Macbooks
    Speculation is that an update could happen this summer along with the release of Mountain Lion.
    Larger, "double sized" graphics have been discovered in current developer builds.
    This rumor has been circulating for a while and many feel notebooks and displays that are HiDPI should start surfacing soon.
    Updated thinner 13" and 15" MacBooks are expected to be among the first models to get the new displays
  Webkit URL addressbar spoofing exploit
    A security researcher has discovered that it's possible to show the URL of one site while loading another in Mobile Safari
    Uses the JavaScript open function to load a new window or tab to open when clicking a specially crafted link. It can load a site hosted on one server in an iFrame while displaying another sites URL in the addressbar.
    Until Apple patches the exploit be careful about clicking links or visiting untrusted sites.
  Where do you buy your phone?
    A survey of US customers by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners taken from December last year through this February, showed that just 15% of iPhone buyers had purchased their devices directly from Apple.
    13% had bought their iPhones from Best Buy
    The majority of consumers however seem to purchase directly from the carrier
      AT&T sold 32% of the iPhones to those who were surveyed

      Verizon accounted for 30%
      Sprint was only about 7%.

    The survey also showed that the majority of buyers still prefer to get their iPhones from physical stores.
      76% of buyers purchased from traditional brick-and-mortar locations, while only 24% bought online.
  New Apple TV UI rejected by Jobs
    An interesting fact surfaced on Twitter and was reported by the Next Web
    Former Apple TV engineer Michael Margolis, tweeted that the new Apple TV update (version 5.0) actually uses designs that were “tossed out 5 years ago because Steve Jobs didn’t like them.”
    Also remarking that (since Steve Jobs passed), “there is nobody to say ‘no’ to bad design”.
    Later Margolis clarified some of his statements saying that the new UI makes more sense now because, "There is a clear effort at Apple to make everything match the look and feel of their popular iOS products "
    He also pointed out that Jobs didn't like the "grid", but this was before the iPhone or iOS.
    Beyond the new A5 single core custom chip, iFixit found another significant hardware tweak in the new Apple TV
      They say it has the same a Broadcom 4330 chip that's found in the new iPad
      This chip supports dual-band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity.
      It also has support for Bluetooth 4.0+HS and an extra antenna, but no word if Apple actually ever plans to use it.
      Good to know that the potential is there for bluetooth accessories like keyboards, trackpads, game controllers, etc.
  Apple plans new Austin campus
    Looks like since Austin city officials agreed to give Apple $8.6 million in incentives over 10 years the company will move forward with construction of a new campus there
    Apple will also be getting an additional $21 million over 10 years from the Texas Enterprise Fund .
    The facility will begin construction later this year on 38 acres at an estimated cost of $304 million.
    The campus is expected to focus on local customer support, sales and accounting functions and will generate up to 3,600 new jobs in the city.
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Feedback, Comments and Commentary
  iOS 5.1 breaks podcast chapters
    Well, at least in the Music app on the iPhone and iPod touch, they were never there on the iPad.
    Now they simply display "Chapter 1", "Chapter 2", etc.
    Please tell Apple you want them to fix it.
    I've also had issue where enhanced podcasts won't stream or download in the iTunes store app on the device.
    On the good news front, they did add speed controls and 30 sec skip back to the Music app on the iPad. Still doesn't support changing Artwork, hyperlinks, chapter listing, etc.
    I'm not the only one to notice or be frustrated by this. Play comment from Adam
    At this point the only way to get good podcast support is to use alternative players
      I like Downcast on the iPad and Instacast on the iPhone
      Downcast
        :30 and :15 skip back. :30 and 2:00 min skip forward
        Download or stream support
        payback speed controls
        Chapter support
        full show notes
        Sleep timer
        Gesture controls
          One area where I prefer Downcast on the iPhone is in the car
          Double tap on screen to play pause
          2 finger swipe left or right to skip chapters
        Airplay support
        No full sized album art
        Doesn't seem to support hyperlinks (I can't find it)
      Instacast
        Instacast HD feels more like some strange attempt to marry Reeder with an Podcatcher.
          Too focused on a text interface. Album art and controls are small, doesn't show chapter thumbnails, etc.
          Also a separate purchase.
        Full screen album art and simplified playback
        Download or stream
        Chapters (no thumbnails) and hyperlinks
        Speed controls
        Airplay support
        iCloud and Dropbox syncing
  Troubleshooting Wi-Fi issues
    Some new iPad owners reported issues with Wi-Fi connections
    While the issue with the new iPads may be a bug that Apple can hopefully fix with software, here are some good tips that make fix any wi-fi issues you may be having with your Mac or any of your devices
    Some simple tricks can sometimes resolve wi-fi woes
      Update your firmware
      Reset your router. If you have an Airport you can use the Airport Utility
      Turn on and off wi-fi on your Mac or device
        On iOS Settings >Wi-Fi and toggle the Wi-Fi switch Off. I leave it off for about 10 seconds then flip it back on
        On Mac, just go under the Wi-Fi menubar items and choose 'Turn off Wi-Fi'
          System Preferences > Network. Select the Wi-Fi and press the 'Turn Wi-Fi Off' button
      Forget the known Network
        On iOS:
          Settings > General > Network > Wi-Fi Find the Wi-Fi network you’re currently connected to, and then tap on the blue arrow next to its name.
          Tap the 'Forget this Network' button, and then 'Forget'
        On Mac:
          System Preferences > Network.
          Select the Wi-Fi and click the 'Advanced…' button
          Select the 'Preferred Network' you are connected to from the list and click the "-" button to remove it
      Reset the Network Settings (iOS only)
        Settings > General > Reset
        Tap the 'Reset Network Settings' button.
        This will wipe out your network settings and passwords, so you'll have to re-enter them
        Reboot the iPad (hold the sleep/wake and Home button).
  Extract image from PDF in iOS
    Received an email from John who asked about a way to copy a portion of a pdf page (a snapshot) so he can save it as a picture on the iPad?
    He sometimes needs to capture something like a diagram in a repair manual to post in a form or send in an email
    He uses GoodReader, but that doesn't really allow for editing of images.
      You can select, copy, and annotate text
    One work around would be to take a snapshot (press Home + Sleep/Wake) and then crop it in the Photo app.
    For some PDFs you could use PDF Pen for iPad ($9.99 introductory price)
      If the PDF was not simple a scan of a printed document the images should be selectable
      You can select it and then use the copy+paste feature in iOS to put the image in an email.
      You could email it to yourself and add it to the Photo Library or use an app like PasteBot to save the image directly to the Photo Library.
  Elgato Thunderbolt SSD Review
    Small
      3.3 in × 0.8 in × 5.2 in
      A little smaller than most portable USB or Firewire external hard drives
    Great construction. Metal enclosure feels with black matte textured finish feels great. Solid and rugged
    Bus powered, only external SSD solution that is
    Just a single Thunderbolt port, so no daisy chaining. I had to disconnect my monitor for testing.
    BYOC - Bring your own cable. $49.00 USD from Apple
    Elgato says the unit has an optimal data transfer rate of 270 MB/second for data reads.
    Blackmagic Disk Speed Tests
      5GB Test file
      OWC Mercury Elite Pro Mini (500 GB 5400 RPM) Firewire 800 - $139.99
        Read/Write around 52 MB/s
      Elgato Thunderbolt SSD 120GB - $430.00
        Read 211 MB/s
        Write 114 MB/s
      2011 early 15" Macbook Pro (500 GB 5400 RPM)
        Read/Write around 45 MB/s
    Real world copy tests
      3.95GB M4V video file. "Captain America"
    Desktop to OWC Drive
      Copy to - 1:17.4 sec
      Copy from - 1:18.7 sec
    Desktop and Thunderbolt SSD
      Copy to - 1:17.0 sec
      Copy from - 1:19.4 sec
    Thought the bottleneck might be my Macbook Pro, so tired on an Air and got the same results
    The Elgato SSDs are the 3G ones.
    Barefeats did more extensive test with the AJA tools and got better Write results.
      I re-ran the tests with the AJA System Test tool using a 4GB test file size
      241.6 MB/s write
      247.0 MB/s read
  iCloud and Apple IDs still confusing
    How Apple thinks it should be:
      Single Apple ID that is your iTunes and iCloud ID
      The trouble is that unless you are just signing up for an Apple ID, iTunes, and iCloud today this is all but impossible
      Adding to the frustration is the fact that Apple has no way to allow you to consolidate Apple IDs or iTunes accounts
    The reality for most people
      You have one or possibly more Apple IDs
      You have a .Mac, Mobile Me, and or iCloud account that may or may not be the same Apple ID
      You have a shared iTunes Apple ID used by all members of your family
        or potentially worse, all family members have different Apple IDs with music, movie, TV show, book, and app purchases under different accounts.
    What do you do?
      I think the way to tackle it is from a problem/ solution approach
      If you are a single person and have your iCloud and iTunes accounts associated under the same Apple ID you are golden and very lucky
      If you are single and have an iTunes Apple ID and a different iCloud (Mobile Me) account I think it's easiest to keep them separate.
        You can configure all iCloud services using the iCloud Apple ID and make iTunes purchases using the other Apple ID
        This is actually what I'm doing
        If that iTunes Apple ID is the one shared by your family then this is good too because you can continue to share iTunes purchases, iTunes in the Cloud, iTunes Match, Home Sharing, etc. under that ID
          The one downside is if you enable iTunes in the Cloud auto downloads everyone gets the same content
      Different iTunes Apple IDs
        This can work if you are the only person that needs access to your purchases, but gets tricky for sharing content in a family
        If you have already set up this scenario then there isn't really a way to consolidate purchases
          The exception is music that was purchased after Apple went DRM free
        For all other content the work around is that you can copy from one library to another and then authorize it using the original account it was purchased under
          Apple allows content to be authorized on up to 5 computers and unlimited iOS devices
        You cannot take advantage of iTunes in the Cloud services with multiple Apple IDs on a single Mac
          You can change the login, but then cannot switch back for 90 days.
Closing
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