Mac|Life - Blogs

Jony Ive Finally Has His iMac Moment at WWDC 2013

Michael Simon — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 20:59:49 +0000

Like last year, Apple started this year's WWDC keynote with a clever video. But this time it wasn't a cheap shot at Android or a silly swipe at Samsung. It was a peek into Apple's design philosophy, a beautifully crafted response to anyone who has been questioning its commitment to innovation:

"If everyone is busy making everything, how can anyone perfect anything? We start to confuse convenience with joy, abundance with choice. Designing something requires focus. The first thing we ask is, what do we want people to feel? Delight. Surprise. Love. Connection. Then we begin to craft around our intention. It takes time ... there are a thousand no's for every yes. We simplify. We perfect. We start over. Until every thing we touch enhances each life it touches. Only then do we sign our work: Designed by Apple in California."

It was barely a minute, but it stuck with me throughout the two hours of pomp and circumstance that followed. Apple hasn't been dragging its heels or taking its eye off the ball. On the contrary, it's more focused than it's ever been.

Try to remember 1998 for a moment. Steve Jobs was back at the company for about a year already, and things were slow to come into view. The "Think Different" ad campaign had been launched but Apple was still struggling to find its brand footing. A partnership with Microsoft has blunted some of its rebel status and alienated some longtime devotees, and there hadn't really been a tangible moment to rally around, nothing to truly say, "We're back."

And then came the iMac. At the time it was like nothing we had ever seen and it put Apple back on the map. It wasn't just Jobs' first modern stamp on the company, it was an indelible imprint of his vision, marked by a five-point philosophy that would follow Apple for years:

Internet. Individual. Instruct. Inform. Inspire.

To this day, those five words still drive Apple's designs, a rhetorical embodiment of every line and pixel. The Bondi Blue iMac was merely a starting point for Jobs' extraordinary vision, and what followed changed the landscape forever.

iOS 7 looks just as shocking as the iMac did, but it's hardly revolutionary. There's nothing groundbreaking about the interface or its technologies. Rather, it's about perfection, concentration. And it all starts with Jony Ive.

Ive might not have been on the stage yesterday, but it was absolutely his moment. His fingerprints were all over the stunning Mac Pro. His influence was felt on OS X Mavericks. And when it came time for the main event, he was there to kick it off, echoing Jobs' words from all those years ago:

"We have always thought of design as being so much more than the way something looks. It's the whole thing, the way something actually works on so many different levels. ... I think there is a profound and enduring beauty in simplicity, in clarity, in efficiency. True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absence of clutter and ornamentation. It's about bringing order to complexity."

Apple fans and tech junkies know how important Jony Ive has always been to Apple's success. His deft touch guided the development of the most revolutionary products (including the colorful curves of that first iMac). He adapts while pushing the boundaries of what's expected and allowed, refusing to cut corners or take shortcuts. iOS 7 is Ive at his finest: radical, unexpected, precise, polarizing.

Tim Cook may be the face of Apple, but Jony Ive is its eyes, a special kind of genius who can conceive an idea and craft it, who holds himself to a standard few mortals can meet.

It took Ive a little more than half a year to re-imagine and redesign iOS from the ground up. It might not be perfect, but now he has his own starting point. And that's a beautiful thing.

Find Michael Simon on Twitter or App.net @morlium.

WWDC 2013: What are the odds we'll see new designs?

Michael Simon — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:42:59 +0000

The days leading up to Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference are always a frenzied affair, a bundled mass of nerves and anticipation filled with rumors, spy shots and black-draped banners. But this year, the stakes are even higher. Since last October, Apple hasn't held a single press event outside of quarterly conference calls, and the only two "new" products we've seen were a 128GB iPad and an iSight-less iPod touch.

That's more than half a year without a single release, refresh, revamp or redesign. So, it's only natural to expect big things from this year's keynote.

But like any Apple event, people are sure to be disappointed. Everyone wants what they want, and when Tim Cook inevitably doesn't bring it, there will be dashed hopes left all over the Internet, no matter how outrageous they were to begin with. So before the big day arrives, I thought I'd help temper expectations a bit by breaking down the odds — with an emphasis on design, of course.

iOS
Redesign odds: 1/1,000

There's no surprise here: Apple's been showing off the latest version of iOS at WWDC for years. Usually, it just cleans some stuff up and adds a couple new features, but this is the first year that we're expecting to see the first bona fide redesign of Apple's mobile operating system. Tim Cook already teased us at D11 when he called Jony Ive "really key" to iOS 7, so we know it's coming. It's just a question how far he goes.

OS X
Redesign odds: 1/500

Not quite a lock, but pretty darn close. Even though OS X has never had a radical version-to-version redesign, it's quite remarkable just how different Puma and Mountain Lion really are. Each successive release has gotten a little more refined and lost a little more gloss, and OS X 10.9 will probably bring more of the same. It's possible that we just get a bunch of new features, but it's doubtful; in fact, if Ive's influence spreads to the desktop, we could be in store for a whole new cat.

Mac Pro
Redesign odds: 1/100

It was about a year ago when Cook hit up Facebook with some bad news: The "really great" Mac Pro redesign would have to wait until 2013. With supplies across the net tightening and rumors that the production of the Mac Pro will soon shift to the States, it seems as though Apple's tower of power is poised to return to its WWDC spotlight. After all, if developers aren't going to plunk down a couple grand on a fancy new Mac Pro, who will?

MacBook Air
Redesign odds: 2/1

The MacBook Air might be the most desirable computer around, but it hasn't seen a redesign since 2010--and it's still saddled with a non-Retina screen. Apple has been understandably slow to roll out the pixel-perfect displays, but with both MacBook models already sporting them, it only seems natural that the Air would get some resolution love, too, and a nice new enclosure to go along with it.

Apple TV
Redesign odds: 5/1

We all love our Apple TVs, but we've been waiting an awfully long time for Apple to open up its platform to third-party developers. Since its unveiling in 2007, Apple has gradually tweaked the design and OS of its digital media receiver, but we're still waiting for the big one. Just last week, Cook talked about a "grand vision" for Apple's television plans, so could Apple TV finally be ready to graduate from being a hobby? I think it's a pretty good bet.

Thunderbolt Display
Redesign odds: 10/1

It's easy to forget that Apple still makes a standalone display. But if the Mac that needs it most finally gets a built-in Thunderbolt port to go with its snazzy new design, it's possible a new Thunderbolt Display might be in tow. If so, you might want to put a side bet on a razor-edge design to match the iMac.

MacBook Pro
Redesign odds: 50/1

A week ago, I would have given this 100 to 1 odds, but recent rumblings suggest Apple is looking to tweak the MacBook Pro's enclosure again, despite having just unveiled a redesign at last year's conference. I'm still not sold on it, but the odds have gotten considerably better.

iWork
Redesign odds: 100/1

I'd mostly given up on any future iWork updates, but there's been a glimmer of hope recently in the form of a few new job listings. Here's the deal: If every iOS app is updated to mesh with iOS 7's new look, then the iWork family will surely follow suit, but I'm thinking we're more likely to see it in the fall with all the new iOS hardware.

iPhone/iPad
Redesign odds: 500/1

Even before Jim Dalrymple's de facto "nope," it seemed extremely unlikely that we would see new iOS hardware in any form at WWDC. There was a time when Steve Jobs used its stage to unveil the new iPhone year after year, but those days are over, and they're not coming back. If you want to believe, you still can, but the odds are about as long as they get.

Apple television
Odds: 1,000/1

Don't hold your breath. It's not happening.

Find Michael Simon on Twitter or App.net @morlium.

Cut the Rope: Time Travel Review

Andrew Hayward — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 22:42:11 +0000

Little about the act of slicing strands seems terribly appealing in our everyday lives, but that simple premise is responsible for one of the App Store's biggest sensations. Cut the Rope's diverse and colorful physics-based puzzles have made green alien creature Om Nom a household name across two entries – the original smash and the even-more-whimsical Cut the Rope: Experiments – and now Cut the Rope: Time Travel aims to push the formula further ahead by looking to the past for thematic inspiration.

While not a significant departure from the swipe- and tap-centric approach of the earlier entries, Time Travel does have very notable addition. Now there are two Om Noms to feed: the regular one, as hungry as ever, and another pulled from a notable time period like Ancient Egypt or The Stone Age. Each of the six included eras in the initial release features its own unique mechanic to master, offering a solid amount of gameplay diversity across the 90 total stages.

Adding another mouth and piece of candy to guide to it does more than simply busy up the screen in each slickly-animated puzzle – it adds one more thing to consider as you swipe to dice ropes or tap to pop bubbles. Each monster needs to be satisfied before the stage is complete, and that's not even taking into consideration the ultimate goal of collecting the three stars found on each screen. Many times, the two pieces of candy are connected, and thus the movement of one directs that of the other, which can be tricky.

Getting each to its respective destination requires careful planning and execution, and while that doesn't seriously shake up the Cut the Rope experience, it does tweak the dynamic just enough to keep things interesting. And the era-specific gadgets are a nice twist, as well, starting with spinning blades and metal chains before leading to a button that freezes all movement, a second candy that mimics the movements of the first, and a few other unique additions.

Time Travel admittedly isn't quite as big of a shift from the earlier entries as we'd hoped for; it's more of the same on a general level, but variety has always been a strength of Cut the Rope's puzzles, so it doesn't feel tired even after some 600 stages between all of the releases. Still, one complaint worth lodging is that this entry doesn't seem quite as challenging on the top end. That may be addressed in the coming level updates, but for now it's pretty breezy. Also, the HD version for iPad is functionally identical, yet costs three times as much.

The bottom line. It's the same Cut the Rope that we know so well, albeit with a little more to love.

Review Synopsis

Product:

Cut the Rope: Time Travel 1.0

Company:

ZeptoLab

Contact:

http://www.zeptolab.com

Price:

$0.99

Requirements:

iPad, iPod touch, or iPhone running iOS 4.3 or later

Positives:

Great, accessible physics-based puzzles. Nice twist on the familiar formula. Solid amount of variety across the 90 included stages.

Negatives:

Won't be terribly challenging to series fans. Separate iPhone and iPad versions, with the latter priced at $2.99.

Score:

4 Great

Win a HiddenRadio

MacLife Staff — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 22:57:03 +0000

In our review, we loved the HiddenRadio's sleek profile, and how great it sounded playing music from our Bluetooth devices. It also has aux-in and comes with a flexible antenna for listening to FM radio. It's so portable and attractive you'll find yourself carrying it from room to room all over the house -- like we did, before sadly packing up our review unit (the black one!) to ship to the lucky winner of this contest. Just fill in the form to enter. Deadline for entries is April 30, 2013. Good luck!

But for those who can't wait that long to rock, we salute you with a 20% off code you can use at Hidden's online store. Just enter HDDN+MacLife at checkout. That code also expires April 30.

The fine print:
Mac|Life "Win a HiddenRadio" Contest rules: The winner will be chosen at random from qualified entries. Only one entry per person is valid. All entries must be received no later than April 30, 2013. By entering this contest, you agree that Future US, Inc. may use your name, likeness, and website for promotional purposes without further payment. Employees of Sponsor, its respective parent, subsidiaries, affiliated companies, and agents, and foregoing employees¹ household or immediate family members (defined as parent, spouse, child, sibling, or grandparent) are NOT eligible to enter Contest. All prizes will be awarded, and no minimum number of entries is required. If two or more people enter identical designs and that entry is selected as the winner, the entry received first will be awarded the contest prize. Prizes won by minors will be awarded to their parents or legal guardians. Future US, Inc. is not responsible for damages or expenses the winners might incur as a result of this contest or the receipt of a prize, and winners are responsible for income taxes based on the value of the prize received. A list of winners may also be obtained by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Future US, Inc. c/o Mac|Life Contest, 4000 Shoreline Court, Suite 400, South San Francisco, CA 94080. This contest is limited to residents of the United States. No purchase necessary; void in Arizona, Maryland, Vermont, Puerto Rico, and where prohibited by law.

Win the Brydge+!

Mac|Life Staff — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 21:34:23 +0000

The Brydge+ is a sturdy iPad keyboard and stand with built-in speakers -- we dug it in our review. It retails for $210, and features a super-strong hinge that lets you prop up your iPad's screen at virtually any angle. Fill in the form below to enter to win one of your very own! And don't forget to read the fine print at the bottom.

The fine print:
Mac|Life "Win a Brydge+" Contest rules: The winner will be chosen at random from qualified entries. Only one entry per person is valid. All entries must be received no later than March 31, 2013. By entering this contest, you agree that Future US, Inc. may use your name, likeness, and website for promotional purposes without further payment. Employees of Sponsor, its respective parent, subsidiaries, affiliated companies, and agents, and foregoing employees¹ household or immediate family members (defined as parent, spouse, child, sibling, or grandparent) are NOT eligible to enter Contest. All prizes will be awarded, and no minimum number of entries is required. If two or more people enter identical designs and that entry is selected as the winner, the entry received first will be awarded the contest prize. Prizes won by minors will be awarded to their parents or legal guardians. Future US, Inc. is not responsible for damages or expenses the winners might incur as a result of this contest or the receipt of a prize, and winners are responsible for income taxes based on the value of the prize received. A list of winners may also be obtained by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Future US, Inc. c/o Mac|Life Contest, 4000 Shoreline Court, Suite 400, South San Francisco, CA 94080. This contest is limited to residents of the United States. No purchase necessary; void in Arizona, Maryland, Vermont, Puerto Rico, and where prohibited by law.

Macworld/iWorld Wednesday Recap: Walking iPads and Talking Cats

Susie Ochs — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 06:10:56 +0000

Photo courtesty of 9to5Mac.com because I was so excited I totally forgot to take one.

Macworld is here! The biggest bestest event for fans of everything Apple kicked off today at Moscone West in San Francisco, with an all-day session on iPhoneography. (Yes, that stands for iPhone photography. Hey, at least they didn't InterCap it! iKid.) Other educational sessions today included eBook Production with Adobe InDesign, iOS Development for Beginners, and Apple Deployment In-Depth. If you're interested in the other sessions and speakers taking place throughout the weekend, be sure to download the official Macworld/iWorld app, or visit macworldiworld.com.

The show floor doesn't open until Thursday morning, but a a handful of highly intriguing products were shown in the "Innovation Showcase" in the cavernous lobby to nosy media types like me. Check out the gallery below for highlights of what I saw today.

And if you're in the Bay Area, get stoked for the rest of the show! Thursday morning Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gad are giving a talk bright and early (9am!) on what it was like to play Steves Jobs and Wozniak in the upcoming movie jOBS, which just played at Sundance. Friday, SNL and Portlandia's sublime Fred Armisen will dish on how Apple's tech lets him do, well, everything he does. And also on Thursday, will.i.am will discuss the next wave of technology with Intel futurist Brian David Johnson.

Tons of cool companies will be in attendance in the Expo Hall, which is open from Thursday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm (4pm on Saturday). Unlike a big trade show like CES or E3, Macworld is open to the public, and most of the companies sell products directly from their booths.

I'll be around all day Thursday and Friday, so if you see me, say hi! Fair warning, I have a cold, so I'm fist-bumping instead of hand-shaking. Just for kicks, I was using Bean to count how many fist-bumps I gave in lieu of hand-shakes, but I stopped counting after I knocked out 27 in the first couple of hours. Friendly bunch, this Macworld/iWorld community. Come on down!

Rounded Rectangles: The 2012 iOS Design Awards

Michael Simon — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 18:00:00 +0000

You've probably read a bunch of "best of" lists over the past few weeks, but I couldn't let 2012 go by without honoring some of the best-designed apps in the App Store. So, without further ado, I present my picks for the 2012 Rounded Rectangles iOS Design Awards. It seemed like all the good categories were taken, so I had to come up with a few of my own:

Rounded Rectangles: 'Twas Last Night at MacLife

Michael Simon — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 18:00:42 +0000

Rounded Rectangles is a design column that runs every Tuesday on MacLife.com. This week's Tuesday is Christmas, however, the one day of the year when nobody wants to read about awesome technology and the ways Apple finds to make it special. So while we aren't normally in the habit of publishing poetry, we humbly present the following for your consideration:

'Twas last night at MacLife,
And all the presents looked nice
Like we'd been good boys and girls,
(And even Santa had checked twice.)

As we sipped on our frapps,
And installed a few apps,
We sat and waited for Susie
To put a gift in our laps.

But before the first bit
Of wrapping paper was ripped,
We heard a crash and a boom
From the back conference room.

We popped up quick together,
And wondered if whether
There was a chance it could be
Eight you-know-whats and whoever

We stood still and sincere,
As we each strained to hear
The "ho-ho-ho" of a fat man
Or the hooves of reindeer.

But our hopes were misled,
Our guest didn't wear red.
He wore a black buttoned shirt
And blue jeans instead.

As we all strained to look
At what caused us to shook,
We saw a familiar face:
Apple CEO Tim Cook!

"I have a lot to say,"
He said, and reached in his sleigh,
"But you know the rules,"
and handed out NDAs.

We filled them out quick,
Hoping we wouldn't miss
The best gift we could get
From Cupertino's St. Nick.

Our heads filled up with glee,
Would he talk Retina screens?
Or new iPhones and iPads,
Mac Pros and TVs?

What he said, we can't list
(Or else cease & desists)
Let's just say you're in store
For surprises and twists.

So save some of that cheer
(You'll know why when it's here)
Just trust when we tell you
It will all be made "clear."

There'll be adjectives plenty
And lots of accolades when he
Unveils the next biggest thing
(And it's not a new telly.)

He told of OSes and such,
And iScreens you can touch
And iWork, Pro towers
(But perhaps we're saying too much.)

He borrowed something from Steve
As he packed up to leave:
"There's just one more thing
To exclaim on this eve."

He smiled broadly and flat,
And said, with a tip of his hat,
"Merry Christmas to all,
And I'm sorry for Maps!"

Find Michael Simon on Twitter or App.net @morlium.

Rounded Rectangles: Form Before Function, Thy Name is iMac

Michael Simon — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:30:00 +0000

All-in-ones are meant to be seen. From the Twentieth Anniversary Mac to whatever Dell's selling these days, all-in-one computers are built to embrace their top-of-the-desk status, beckoning users with sleek curves and handsome enclosures.

Nowhere is this more true than with the iMac. From the early days of Bondi Blue to the newest aluminum-and-glass marvel, the iMac has always represented Apple's unabashed pursuit of physical perfection. In a sense, it could be the ultimate representation of form over function; every sacrifice has been made for the sake of design, every decision has been made for aesthetics.

But it's hard to argue with the results.

When the iMac hit the scene in 1998, it was a revelation. Joining a computing landscape filled with unimaginative, shapeless towers attached to clunky monitors with unsightly cables, the iMac dramatically changed the way we saw PCs. Clearly developed for home use — I don't think Steve Jobs expected many businesses to buy blue computers — the semi-translucent sensation was nothing less than a warning shot: Apple was going to take risks.

But it wasn't just the shape, color and mouse that were risky. To keep things nice and symmetrical on the front of the machine, Apple ditched the floppy drive, a staple of late-'90s computers. There was obvious backlash — louder for sure, but not unlike the one seen when this year's model ditched the optical drive — and Apple had to expect it when the decision was made.

But design ruled. Either Jobs or Jony Ive (probably both) felt that the inclusion of a floppy drive just wasn't worth upsetting the impact it had on users when they first laid their eyes on the iMac.

After all, that's really what Apple's in the business of: first impressions. Ive wants you to fall in love at first sight. So, these sacrifices matter.

That's why the new iMac traded its optical drive for a 5mm edge — a razor-thin slice that you probably won't even notice while using it.

Remember the iMac G4? Perhaps the most visually striking computer ever made, Apple desperately needed to follow up the by-then-outdated G3 with an absolute winner. It would have been easy to play it safe with a derivative design, but Apple threw another curveball, unveiling a jaw-dropping enclosure that abandoned any traces of convention the G3 may have had.

The form certainly came first — Jobs famously told Ive he wanted it to look like a sunflower — but not at the expense of function. With the G4, Apple nailed every note, from the "floating" display that swiveled and pivoted on a chrome arm, to its dome-shaped, colorless base that packed serious processing power.

With the iMac G5, the "creators of iPod" again shifted gears, basically crafting a display that deftly hides a computer. It seemed so obvious, so simple, yet the iMac remains inimitable, despite Apple having never changed it again; the past several revisions have all been variations on the G5 theme, culminating in the gorgeous slab we see before us. It may not be not as revolutionary as the G3 or as astonishing as the G4, but the iMac is nothing less than the result of pure Apple refinement.

The iMac is in many ways Apple's perfect machine, a brilliant triumph of form that just so happens to be pretty darn functional.

Find Michael Simon on Twitter or App.net @morlium.

Speck FabShell Burton Case for iPhone 5 Review

Ray Aguilera — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:16:48 +0000

Speck's fabric-covered hard cases get a style boost from snowboard gear maker Burton's wild patterns. This one-piece case snaps easily on and off your phone, and features rubberized buttons and perfectly shaped cutouts for all your phone's ports. The fabric covering offers good grip, and comes in three bold patterns to make your iPhone stand out in a crowd.

The bottom line. FabShell offers great hard-case protection, with a bit of added Burton style.

Review Synopsis

Product:

FabShell Burton

Company:

Speck

Contact:

http://www.speckproducts.com/iphone-case/iphone-5-cases/fabshell-burton-for-iphone-5.html

Price:

$39.95

Requirements:

iPhone 5

Positives:

Stylish. Fabric covering is easy to hold. Easy to put on and take off.

Negatives:

Expensive for what it is.

Score:

4 Great