YTC027 - iWork.com Update

Just some thoughts about the recent changes to iWork.Com and just what are Apple up to building that humongous $1 billion datacentre

YTC026 - iPad Members Prize Draw

Details of the upcoming iPad prize draw for ScreenCastsOnline members

Itching for an iPad...

Graphic from Panics iPad Countdown pageWell it's almost been 30 days, and we know so much more about the iPad...NOT!

I don't know about you, but I don't think I can go another 31 days and 5 hours without knowing something else.

It's become so bad that people are even speculating about a blank key discovered on the iPad video.  My favourite rumour is that the blank key...

when you push this button it activates the following all at the same time:   front and back cameras, flash, telephone support... and it also changes the name of the device to iSlate.

courtesy of msduncan on the macrumours forum

Ha!

There was an interesting session at Macworld 2010 about the iPad with an esteemed panel (you can see this on YouTube) The hall was packed, and that was even without a live iPad being available. Nothing discussed was actually new (how could it be, Apple aren't telling), interesting, but nothing we hadn't heard before.

The big question though, is whether Apple have shown the finished product? Will there be any last minute surprises in store? - Similar to when they announced the change from a plastic to a glass screen for the iPhone only a week or two before launch.

Personally, I don't think they'll be any major surprises (like the camera) but we might see some new Apple iPad specific applications launched. Fingers crossed the "Remote" application is ported to the iPad rather than just using the iPhone one. A long shot is that we may see some of the iLife suite but I doubt it.

In the meantime, I've been planning just how I'm going to be able to do some screencasts on the iPad when it comes out. I have some ideas, but until I have one in my hot little hands, I can't really try anything.

I've also gone and got me some iPad domains, just in case I need to expand into the iPad arena...

• THEIPADSCREENCASTGUY.COM
• IPADSCREENCASTSONLINE.COM
• ALLABOUTHEIPAD.COM
• IPADTUTORIALSONLINE.COM
• THEIPADSHOW.TV
• IPADTIPSONLINE.COM

All are dormant at the moment, but if and when I get the time, you may see one or two of these become live.

So come on Apple, throw us a bone, or just let us start the pre-orders.

Something!

YTC017 - iPad Musings

My thoughts on the iPad...

...are going to have to wait!

Seriously, I need to spend some time writing a proper blog post but in a nutshell.

Initial knee jerk reaction was I hated the Home screen - all that wasted space and the icons look all wrong - plus I was surprised to see the bezel take up so much space. I expected the screen to take up more space.

Thinking about it - The home screen will look different when iPhone OS 4 comes out but they probably wanted to show the similarity to the iPhone (Why they didn't put six icons in the dock is beyond me - it supports up to six)

The bezel makes sense when you hold it. Look a a photo of the video. It's there to place your fingers so they don't obscure the screen.

The form factor and size looks perfect and at half the weight of the MacBook Air (which I seriously regret selling) it will be superb for effortless browsing and media consumption.

I still need to watch a good quality version of the keynote (especially how they've re-written iWork) but from what I've seen, the iPad looks a delight to use.

The overriding impression I get is one of huge potential especially with the reduced price point and relatively low barrier to entry. Note I did say relatively!

The name is fine (can we please stop with the comparisons to another product) and iPad conveys very well it's potential. It's a pad to do anything with. They could not have called it an iBook and it's more than that, an iSlate is no good either, you don't just draw on the thing. It's really down to what developers want to make it do.

So I'm pretty delighted with what I've seen so far and considering it's a first generation product, just imagine what the next couple of generation machines will bring.

But please, lets lose the hard wired syncing at the next release.