DigitalOutbox Episode 70
In this episode the team discuss iOS 4.2, Cheaper iPads, Amazon Woes and the Jolibook.
Playback
Listen via iTunes
Listen via M4A
Listen via MP3
Shownotes
5:29 – iOS 4.2 Released
– Released on Monday 2nd November
– Finally brings unified inbox, multitasking and folder support to iPad
– Also brings AirPrint
– And AirPlay – send movies from iPad, iPhone to Apple TV
– Find my iPhone/iPad now free for devices that support iOS 4.2
– Start of the move to making MobileMe a freemium product?
9:58 – Apples Embedded SIM Plan
– Major European operators will refuse to subsidize Apple’s iPhone if the handset firm launches devices with an embedded SIM.
– Vodafone, France Telecom and Telefonica have privately expressed concerns over Apple’s rumored efforts to develop an integrated smart SIM for iPhone, which would allow buyers to choose a carrier when activating the device, FT.com reported.
– One senior executive said Apple risked a “war” in Europe over the new activation model, which analysts estimate could cut global iPhone sales by 12%, the news site said.
– Operators fear the move would prompt a spike in customer churn as it eases the process of migration, and would lead to a decline in the duration of telecom contracts.
– Such a model would even allow Apple to enter markets as a connection services reseller with an inbuilt competitive advantage, the sources said.
– This comes on the back of rumours that Apple and Gemalto (sim card maker) are building an embedded sim – http://www.telecomasia.net/content/apple-bypass-carriers-iphone-sim
– A real threat? Where Apple went with the iPhone design others have followed…pretty closely
– Telegraph – Apple ditch plans due to threats – http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/8148898/Apples-iPhone-SIM-card-plan-thwarted.html
– But will allegedly include it in iPads…soon
12:03 – The Daily
– Rupert Murdoch, head of the media giant News Corp, and Steve Jobs, the chief executive of Apple, are preparing to unveil a new digital “newspaper” called the Daily at the end of this month, according to reports in the US media.
– According to reports, there will be no “print edition” or “web edition”; the central innovation, developed with assistance from Apple engineers, will be to dispatch the publication automatically to an iPad or any of the growing number of similar devices.
– With no printing or distribution costs, the US-focused Daily will cost 99 cents (62p) a week.
– iOS 4.3 update in December for this
– Richard Branson to unveil iPad magazine next week too
15:50 – Subsidised iPads coming to the UK
– Three too
– Will soon launch a subsidised iPad
– 18 to 24 month contracts
– Rumours of price dropping by £200
– Will it entice others to sign up?
17:53 – MS Trivia
– 25 years since the first version of Windows was released
– 5 years since the Xbox 360 was released
20:12 – 20 Things I Learned
– Web based book from Google Chrome team that tells you everything you need to know about browsres, cookies etc
– 20 things, 60 odd pages
– Lovely animations and illustrations
– Some clever behind the scenes javascript to mask loading
– Built using HTML5 only
– Thanks Google
21:35 – Spotify Woes
– Revenue of £11.32 million
– Costs of sales and distribution and expenses led to a net loss of 16.66 million
– Surely not sustainable…or means even more advertising on the way
– American launch even more crucial
– Reading complaints from users of how certain tracks are removed from albums after release – almost deliberate spoiling from music firms?
24:09 – Amazon Woes
– Amazons black friday deals look great on paper
– In practice, you’ve got about a second to buy the deal, if your lucky, before they are sold out
– Some look genuinely great – others are ok reductions on items that are maybe not top of your wishlist
– Very clever – create a competitive element, spread the deals via Facebook and twitter and whip up the crowd
– Some people very unhappy – claiming they are being misled and are taking their business elsewhere – get a grip. it’s a sale, some prices are great
– As a test I tried to buy a casserole dish…and did so at a £60 saving. Also tried a set of books – failed miserably 🙂
28:35 – Google Cloud Connect
– A new plugin for Microsoft Office called Cloud Connect, which will tie Google Docs directly into the ubiquitous productivity suite, free of charge. Editing a document in Word? It’ll automatically sync to your Google Docs account each time you hit ‘Save’. Want to share a preview of your document without worrying about what file format your coworkers can open? Just send them a link to the Google Docs file. The plugin supports Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
– Multiple people can edit the same document and have their changes synced with each save (hooray for the cloud). But because these changes aren’t reflected in real-time, there’s the potential for conflicts — I could edit a PowerPoint slide to say one thing, and my coworker could put something else on the same slide. Google deals with these conflicts by presenting users with an alert prompting them to choose which version they’d like to save; if they want to go back and switch again later, they can using the document’s version history.
– Going live for apps and business users via preview program – others soon
– Windows only, 2003, 2007 and 2010
31:38 – Jolibook
– Now on sale in the Uk for £279
– Specs – Intel Atom N550 processor (1.5 GHz, dual-core), 250GB hard drive, 10.1″ screen, Memory: 1GB, Three USB 2.0 ports, Jacks for mic, headphones, LAN and an external monitor, 3-in-1 card reader
– But it’s Jolicloud 1.1, the cloud based OS thats more interesting
– Based on Ubunto, Chromium and utilising a lot of cloud based services
– Fast and OS is available for downloading and using on any hardware
– Why do you need 250Gb hard drive for cloud based OS?
– Great price compared to a Macbook Air but it has a 1-3 month shipping window!
Picks
Chris
SugarSync
– Dropbox – but with the added bonus of ability to store files and folder outside of the main “magic briefcase”.
Ian
Notifo
– Far more reliable notifications – better than boxcar which doesn’t always work