By Graham K. Rogers

Opening Gambit:

Apple New Stuff

I read online Tuesday evening that the Apple Store was offline with the usual "We'll be back" notices, but tried the Thai store anyway. There was no classy formatting but the text was still there. I had a look at a couple of links, including the iPad (just the Retina display one) but when I tried the Buy button that brought up the "We'll be back" sign. I reloaded the main page three times and on the 3rd try there was the sign that something was happening.

The Apple announcements are timed to coincide with my bedtime so I will copy and paste a summary when I wake up and take time to view the video and notes of the announcements before writing lengthy comments myself. Every announcement from Apple sees writers dashing to complete something -- anything -- in an attempt to be first, and many miss important details, softly, softly, catchee monkey.

The first things I did when I woke up was to look at the Apple main page and the iPad mini was featured item. While I was waiting for the press release page to load, the streamed video from the even started. On the press release page, I sae that there were three new itens: the iPad mini, 13" MacBook Pro with Retina display and a new iMac. So here they are:

• . . . a completely new iPad design that is 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than the third generation iPad. The new iPad mini features a stunning 7.9-inch Multi-Touch™ display, FaceTime® HD and iSight® cameras, ultrafast wireless performance¹ and an incredible 10 hours of battery life²―every inch an iPad, yet in a revolutionary design you can hold in one hand. Apple today also announced the fourth generation iPad featuring a gorgeous 9.7-inch Retina™ display, new Apple-designed A6X chip, FaceTime HD camera and ultrafast wireless performance. Both iPad mini and fourth generation iPad come with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features.

• . . . an all-new version of its popular 13-inch MacBook® Pro featuring a stunning Retina™ display and all flash storage in a new compact design. At a mere 0.75 inches and 3.57 pounds, the remarkably portable 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is 20 percent thinner and almost a pound lighter than the current 13-inch MacBook Pro. . . .

  The new MacBook Pro packs more than 4 million pixels into its 13-inch Retina display, nearly twice the number of pixels in an HD television. At 227 pixels per inch, the Retina display’s pixel density is so high the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels at a normal viewing distance, so images look sharp and text looks like it does on the printed page. With four times the pixels of the current 13-inch MacBook Pro, you can view and edit video in pixel-accurate 1080p and see a new level of detail in high resolution images. The 13-inch Retina display uses IPS technology for a 178-degree wide viewing angle, and has 75 percent less reflection and 28 percent higher contrast than the current generation.

• . . . a completely new iMac® with a stunning design, brilliant display with reduced reflection, and faster processors.* With third generation Intel quad-core processors, powerful NVIDIA graphics and an innovative new storage option called Fusion Drive, the new iMac is the most advanced desktop Apple has ever made. . . .

  The new iMac features third generation quad-core Intel Core i5 processors that can be upgraded to Core i7. The latest NVIDIA GeForce processors deliver up to 60 percent faster performance for advanced gaming and graphics intensive apps. Every new iMac now comes standard with 8GB of 1600 MHz memory and a 1TB hard drive

I had expected to see the release of a new iTunes this morning, but that was not listed (I will check later on that: perhaps with iOS 6.1), but there was version 2.0 of iBooks, confirming some changes that are connected to the release of the new iPad mini.

With the new products in mind and the financial figures to be announced later in the week, Apple would appear to be on a roll that started with the iPhone in 2007 and shows little sign of slowing. So what next? In a useful article, Michael Gartenberg writes on Mac World some ideas concerning where Apple is now and what may be next.

Tim Cook -- showing much more confidence these days -- did the intro and gave some background including a lot of statistics (e.g. 35 billion apps downloaded). After the apps, he segued neatly into a new version of iBooks that I downloaded later. Korean, Japanese and Chinese books now.

He switched to the Mac and began with its growth but left the intro of the new Macs to Phil Schiller. He outlined the line and gave some media quotes. New 13.3" MacBook Pro with Retina display: lightest ever. Width 0.75". 2560 x 1600 4,096,000 pixels (the world's 2nd highest resolution computer): better than HD TV. 300 nits display (nits? candela per square metre). The shot of the inside shows that it is designed like the 15" version, so probably not repairable. 2.5GHz dual core i5, 128GB disk, 8GB RAM, $1699 (that is going to be at least 55,000 baht with VAT). The top version is $1999.

The Mac mini ("you knew there would be something called mini in this presentation") is updated as expected. Dual or quad processors, Starting with the 2.25GHz dual-core i5, 4GB RAM and 500GB disk for $599.

The iMac (Schiller was running through these really fast) is the 8th generation of the device and the first shot showed that it is so thin: much applause here. The edge is 5mm. A direct comparison with the previous generation shows some of the advances and what has been removed. With the merging of display with body there is a likelihood that repairs will be made more difficult and replacements will be the norm. Use of several new technologies.

Two display sizes: 27" and 21.5" Options of hard disk or flash drive with a new "fusion drive" 128GB flash plus a 1TB or 3TB drive integrated. The OS and software is installed on the flash for speed but may be automatically moved to the hard drive if more economic in terms of disk use.

21.5: 2.7GHz, 8GB RAM, GeForce 640M, 1TB HDD for $1299 (42,900 baht). 27" 2.9GHz quad-core i5, 8GB RAM, GeForce GTX 660M, 1 TB HDD, $1799 (59,900)

Tim Cook came back and looked at tablets and their use with iPad accounting for 91% of web traffic for all tablets. Why? "People love their iPads." He announced the new iBooks software which I have already downloaded.

Phil Schiller came back for the iPads, and introduced the 4th generation of the device. A new A6X processor, doubles performance over the A5X. Now with the Lightning connector. This is unusual to have a 6 month product turnaround. There will be lots of comments on this. Same price as before.

The display on the screen rotated and a small iPad was shown behind to great applause: iPad mini. Not just a shrunken iPad but a redesign. Of course they look good. 7.2mm thin (as thin as a pencil); 0.68 pounds; 7.9" screen size; same pixels 1024 x 768, so software works with no changes. A5 processor, 5MP iSight camera. LTE capabilities and faster wifi, Lightning connector. Price: 16GB, $329; 32GB $429; and 64GB, $529. Thailand is not in the list of the first countries (perhaps waiting for tech approval): Hong Kong and Singapore included. released 2 November (the projected date of the iPhone 5 here).

Unusually made a direct onscreen comparison with an Android tablet.

Tim closed the proceedings with pep talk about Apple and summing up of what Apple has done in the last 12 months. Some of the pundits should view that last 5 minutes of the Event. Cook thanked the teams at Cupertino for their dedication.

Among the execs and VIPs I was surprised to see Bertrand Serlet seated just behind Jony Ive and a coughing Bob Mansfield. No mention of Steve Jobs

As far as I can see only the Mac mini and iMac (November/December) are available here at the moment.

Apple Stuff

Tim Cook is understandably annoyed by this (which means they must have got some things right) and AppleInsider report that the CEO of Apple is upping security levels and outlines some of the implications of this. With another item on the problems by Jacqui Cheng on Ars Technica who confirms that the security problems are not in-house but from those porous factories.

Of course the factories came in for a lot of criticism last year and this with all manner of reports on the evils that were being done there, led by the NYTimes with some suspect information. Steven Sande reports on a journalistic investigation by James Fallows of The Atlantic who went to Foxconn and the worker dormitories with his notebook and cameras. He came back with a lot of information about what goes on there and some interesting comments, including "I've seen enough other Chinese factories, rural schools, villages and so on to recognize that these are on the higher end of the spectrum." There are links within the TUAW article to all four parts of the investigation and these are worth looking at unless you are already convinced that Foxconn and Apple are evil.

I looked at all four parts and have seen considerably worse not far from where I am.

Recently released was the new iPod touch and these look rather nice. The shops in Bangkok are already pushing these. Stephen Dean on The Register reviews the device and is rather taken by what he saw. It looks rather like the iPhone 5, which still isn't appearing on the local carrier sites, with its five rows of apps and thinner structure. An interesting point was that the casing is "carved, like the MacBook laptops, from a single sheet of the metal" making it rather a tough little baby.

With the other new iPods sales have reached 3 million so far.

Also on The Register is a report from Phil Muncaster on Siri. Or at least Siri in China as the feature has been said to help users find some naughty sites. When I tried this on my iPhone I was told that it could not look for places in Thailand, although when I asked, "Where am I?" the map was brought up and my approximate location announced.

There were reports of the new iPhone 5 arriving in the hands of some buyers with chips out of the aluminium sides which was not acceptable and Phil Schiller's "they all do that" was not helpful. Apple did realise there were problems and the manufacturing processes need some revision. Neil Hughes reports on AppleInsider that this is likely to be expensive, but that Apple is expected to absorbe the costs

We are currently using iOS 6 but there are reports, such as by AppleInsider, that tell us iOS 6.1 is being tested and this will address "a graphical glitch with the virtual keyboard, as well as issues that would cause the camera's flash to not go off when expected." The new iTunes should arrive with this.

There are over 200 million devices running iOS6.

Something I have grumbled about (as recently as the last weekend and again on Monday) is the way that analysts are negative about Apple, pushing the price down and then when the goods are delivered, as they are time and time again, up go the share prices and someone makes a Killing. One of the Seeking Alpha items I saw this week made exactly this point, although it was originally written in May, and re-released again this week. Tradevestor calls this the slingshot effect and writes, "The theory is that the big funds and institutions try to get the stock as low as possible so they can get in cheaper ahead of the next run up." That was exactly my theory, so it is nice to have that idea vindicated: great minds and all that. Also in the item, there is mention of China where Apple is having some considerable success. This is interesting in the light of comments on Google and China (below).

A number of sources, including MacDaily News have information concerning iOS 6 and its rapid take-up. Quoting figures from a research organ, Chitika Insights, we are told iOS 6 had "a 15% share of all iOS traffic in its first 24 hours, and saw an adoption rate of over 50% after only 2 weeks". Kate MacKenzie on PixoBebo also uses the charts in her article which explains what she thinks is the killer feature that the iOS devices have that Android does not. She may be right.

I am in two minds about the news that Apple is planning a cloud-based iWork solution to counteract MS Office. An update to iWork for iOS and more-so for the Mac is way overdue and according to the information from Mikey Campbell on AppleInsider, this is seen as a way to "undercut Microsoft's exorbitant pricing for MS Office". Apple is apparently working with VMWare, but the service is rumoured to be separate from iCloud, which leaves me even more confused, although with VMWare involved, this is thought to include a Windows component as well.

A historical note appeared on The Loop this week when Jim Dalrymple posted a 20-minute video that show Steve Jobs building NeXT. There are many insights in the early part of the video and a clip of designer Paul Rand, who is mentioned in Jobs' biography. Listening to Jobs, it was interesting to hear some of the phrases and vocabulary that we would later hear with OS X and Mac developments on his return to Apple. And how familiar does this sound? "More important than building a product, we are in the process of architecting a company. . . ."

I found that iTunes was rather slow on Tuesday and I wondered if this were in preparation for the updates to the service and everything else. The final Presidential Debate was also on, so that may have taken some bandwidth.

While we are on this, Tonya Engst on TidBits has some ideas on Apple's AirPlay and how it has changed in Mountain Lion: Apple brought "AirPlay Mirroring to the Mac, enabling you to output audio or video via AirPlay from sources other than iTunes." There are several ideas and hints concerning this feature in the article.

Half and Half

By coincidence (I think) it is reported this week that Samsung has announced that it will no longer supply Apple with displays (but see denials - below). That is a first step. My first thought when I read that was, Were they pushed or did they jump? Kelly Hodgkins reports on TUAW the information coming out of South Korea is that Samsung is "unable to supply our flat-screens to Apple with huge price discounts" and so will stop shipping displays. The report was also in the Korea Times (Cho Mu-hyun, Kim Yoo-chul) where there are some revealing figures cited. Sam Oliver on AppleInsider also has some information on this, writing that the company "plans to offset the loss of Apple as a customer by selling more displays to its own handset division, as well as retailer Amazon". Offset does not quite ring true there if you do the math.

Were they pushed or did they jump?

A late report here on Tuesday which I read on AppleInsider tells us that Samsung is now denying that this is the case and they claim the report is 100% false. I am sure they hope it is.

While we are on Samsung and Apple, the problems with patent disputes between them ebbs and flows with Sam Oliver reporting on AppleInsider that a Japanese court has decided Apple did not infringe on two Samsung patents and this seems to be a pattern of success. Kelly Hodgkins on TUAW also reports on this as does Electronista.

Samsung was not happy with the result of the major case in California earlier this year and put out all manner of press releases blaming everyone but themselves. As the foreman of the jury went on TV a couple of times and there may be a question of his skills and hence impartiality, Samsung has attacked the jury. Joe Mullin on Ars Technica reports that Apple's lawyers say this is clearly unfounded and "believe US District Judge Lucy Koh should reject the Korean company's request for a new trial."

One of the unique features of the iPhone was the scrolling and its "rubber banding" and this was one of the victories at the Apple v Samsung trial. However, Mikey Campbell reports on AppleInsider, that the patent for this has been "tentatively invalidated" by the Patents Office as being (basically) nothing new. I really do not understand patents and the decisions.

Of course one of the people dead against the tablet computer was Bill Gates.

Of course one of the people completely for the tablet computer is Bill Gates.

Those two contradictory ideas are mentioned in an article by Daniel Eran Dilger who points out that like many politicians, he was against it, before he was for it. The difference of course, is Surface. Is that it? Dilger is heavily critical of Gates and his hollow attempts to sell the Surface.

Other Matters

A report on a blog by Martin Bekkelund describes how a friend of his had her Kindle wiped and then was blocked by Amazon who explained that as her account was "directly related to another which has been previously closed for abuse of our policies" they had closed her account and that allowed them to "remove or edit content, or cancel orders at their sole discretion." Despite denials and remonstrations, the Amazon man -- Michael Murphy, who bills himself as Executive Customer Relations -- wasn't shifting and refused to give any information: Catch 22.

So because Amazon thinks she is wrong, all those books she bought are just vaporware: they had her money, but she does not have her books. Your DRM dollars in action.

Also taking up this story is Tony Smith on The Register who points out that other booksellers may equally have the same rights to delete stuff on your device if they think you are wrong. Whether you are will not be tested properly of course: just what the company thinks.

Microsoft is releasing Windows 8 and there are mixed reports about what this means for the company and for consumers. Apparently Ed Bott has likened it to XP and thinks the users will warm to it, but Daniel Eran Dilger calls him out on this and writes that this is not the new XP and part of the problem is the iPad, or more particularly the new computing environment we are all in now.

I bought one of the Raspberry Pi computers when they were released in the hopes that it might provide a basis for a student project, but no students came forward, preferring easier ways to a good grade. One of my students did show me a photo of one that a friend of his connected to a TV, so these can be made to work, but not easily. This is confirmed by John Orlin on Tech Crunch who details some of the steps he had to take.

Local Items

Late News

Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs.