Tag Archives: iPad

iPhone Apps on the iPad

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In general it’s a nice idea to be able to use the mobile applications we have purchased for our iPhones and iPods on our iPads too. However, the user experience is pretty bad because iPhone apps are designed for a 480×320 screen.

The bottom line is: You are better off using a website instead of an iPhone app. Unless you are using a made-for-iPad app you should use your browser instead of these applications. Running regular iPhone apps on an iPhone is pretty lame.

Here is what you get when you display this on the 1024×768 iPad:

And here is what the corresponding website looks like on the iPad:

Which version would YOU prefer?

Apple iPad Delivery Problems

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Yesterday was delivery day for my pre-ordered iPad. I haven’t had time to play around with it much so I’m going to write a review in a couple of days. But I can definitely say that Apple are having serious delivery problems with the iPad in Europe.

I was supposed to meet a friend after work and had some time to kill. So I went to one of the major electronics stores in central Berlin to check out what was going there in terms of iPad hype. I was ready to take photos of happy Apple disciples holding up their new toys like relics. But as David Bowie said, this is not America.

First of all, I saw absolutely no advertising for the iPad inside the store. This made me wonder whether they were even selling it. So I went upstairs to the Apple corner where I was welcomed by the following sign

Dear customers, for iPads please refer to our customer service representatives. Maximum items per customer: 1 while stock lasts. Reorders are possible of course. Delivery date unknown. Your MediaMarkt team.

So we are taken back to the age of food stamps here.

Anyhow, I talked to some of the sales people there. The first guy said that all of them had been sold in the morning already. He wasn’t allowed to tell me how many they had on stock. So I asked him if it was more than a hundred because I didn’t see any advertising for it. He raised his eyebrows and replied “I don’t think we’re going to be selling any more of them in the next weeks.”

If you ask me, I don’t think they had more than 50 in one of the most central electronics stores in a European capital. All this means that Apple are pretty much out of stock because they got overwhelmed by their own success in the U.S.. This is also why they postponed the release date for Europe.

The bottom line is that the iPad is not going to be such a major game changer in Europe in the next weeks. They ruined their premiere and if competitors like neofonie with their WeTab or Dell with their Streak hurry up they can grab a big piece of the tablet market here.

It’s the Software, Stupid

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My allusion to Bill Clinton’s famous phrase “It’s the economy, stupid” refers to the ongoing discussion about the price and value of hardware vs. software in consumer electronics.

Today Apple released their iPad, a new tablet computer that looks and works pretty much like a blown-up version of an iPod Touch. Many people seem to bash the iPad because its hardware is nothing special, also because it doesn’t even have a USB port. Why do I think it’s still a great piece of technology at a reasonable price?

It’s the software, primarily the operating system. Apple spend an awful lot of time on making things just work for the user. They invest a lot of research and development to make their products simple to use. No-one needs a manual for the iPod, iPhone or iPad. On the other side, there are even MP3 players that you can’t get working without consulting the manual.

Same thing with Mac vs. PC or iPhone vs. others. The hardware used is quite similar. The iMac isn’t using Motorola chips anymore but Intel. And the screen and the drives come from third parties too. The hardware is nothing special, designed in California but made in China. But it’s still superior because it just works. How many times have I had to help my dad figure something out on a Windows PC. I’ll just have to get him a Mac at some point.

Even if some devices give you much better hardware, their overall user experience still can’t compete. If your time is worth to you more than money, go for Apple. Yes, their products are not perfect and a bit more expensive. But with a one-time expense you can save yourself time everyday.

P.S. This post was written using the WordPress application on an iPhone. This is something I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish that smoothly with any other mobile device that I know.