It's been a little more than a week since we last dove into the whirlpool of Apple news and events. And you would think, with pre orders for the Apple Watch still weeks away, it would have been quiet during that time. Well, um, not so much it seems. A new Steve Jobs book has arrived, just in time for those needing reading materials while waiting outside the Apple Stores with bare naked wrists, and it brought out some famous Apple alums to sing its praises. Who you ask? Try Eddie Q for one.
Eddie feels quite strongly about Steve Jobs movies too.
Tim Cook, who had a few thoughts of his own on books, appeared on a few chat spots to talk values and how Steve's company still holds a major advantage over Microsoft.
Books inspire movies, which in turn, land on TV via Netflix or the like. Not so much on NBC anymore. However, having been inspired themselves by HBO and Showtime, NBC did let slip that they want to be on your Apple TV. 2nd gen, 3rd gen or even possibly an upcoming updated Apple TV,
NBC is wanting what other media outlets have. And that is a presence on Apple streaming TV... wait, NBC isn't on that list of those networks drooling at the idea of being involved with Apple on a Sling TV-like service?
No way! Apple is so totally wanting to be besties with all the media friends out there. They are like so willing to share the data from the TV service with anyone who wants to be their new BFF.
I'm sure if you are a big media company, and you Instagram them a cute cat pic, they would let you join in the little club they have going on their own satellite.
Just don't expect them to share any Spotify playlists as they are so 2009 y'know?
Speaking of ABC, Good Morning America scored a major coup in seeing supersecret Apple labs
involving Health Kit. Wonder if that makes others jealous when they have to cover their iPhones up with tape to keep the super secrets ... secret.
What could Apple be hiding after all? We know about the iCar, and the TV service. So it isn't those rumors. Hmm, I know! They found a way to let you look as silly as those who use Xbox's Kinnect by letting you use your Apple Watch as an Apple TV remote.
Nah, Kinnect is old news. The gang in the blue shirts must have something more diabolical up their sleeves. Oh, I know, a Holo Lens prototype. Yeah, that ought to cheese those guys off for sure.
"Hello from Seattle" indeed.
Take that company who brought us the Zune!
And just because they can, here you go Mountainview, let's just offer Android switchers some more encentives to come to the team who put the eco in ecosystem.
Going 10 rounds with Tim and Co. isn't easy. Just ask Mario. This past week the Big N began to sing the song of long-time rival SEGA
by announcing that they would begin to explore mobile platforms in earnest.
Those who don't follow the games industry declared the house that Zelda built" a dead Donkey Kong walking, however, those critics missed the portion of Nintendo's announcement that they were working on a new hardware platform.
While I would not rule out an eventual draw down of game consoles in the next 10 years or so, what Nintendo is doing is leveraging the iPod generation to use mobiles when they want but come back to a dedicated console experience for games like Super Smash Bros and Mario Kart. Both games are considered "system sellers" and Nintendo has already gone on record by saying they won't be porting any classic titles to mobile devices any time soon.
The new Macbook, and its sister the Macbook Air 2015 edition, continued to garner a lot of headlines. Here is just a sample of the links that rolled by:
Intel Core M lets new MacBook go light and fanless, but with sacrifices
LIFE WITH THE MACBOOK’S SINGLE PORT WON’T BE EASY—YET
The new MacBook's single port comes with a major security risk
13-inch Broadwell MacBook showdown: Should you go Pro or get an Air?
Review: The 2015 MacBook Air’s once-trailblazing design is showing its age
NSFW, Why you need a new macbook charger
And of course what might be the biggest news of the past week....
Apple Stops Supporting Windows 7 in Boot Camp on New MacBook Pro, MacBook Air Models
The real full court marketing press on the Apple Watch hasn't begun yet. Expect that closer to the window of time between pre orders, April 10th, to shipping date, April 24th, to the run up to the holiday season's gift giving guides, what will feel like 3 seconds from forever, only to have the press hit the reset button in January 2016 for Apple Watch 2. That doesn't mean Apple Watch didn't get some Face Time of its own this week. Here are a few highlights:
Walk-through Explanation of the Apple Watch Manufacturing Videos
Apple Opening a Dedicated Apple Watch Store in Shinjuku Isetan in Tokyo
Why Everyone Freaked Out About That New York Times Smartwatch Column
How will the Apple Watch be your digital wallet — and keychain? Our @reneritchie explains!
You can try on an Apple Watch in-store, but only for 15 minutes
And in a somewhat related story...
Image of Apple Store in-ear headphone demo kit reportedly surfaces
This past week saw a report that 25% of visitors to U.S. Government websites surfed the web utilizing some kind of Apple hardware.
That should not be surprising since many use their iPhones for looking up information on the internet. Those same iPhones, however, know a lot more about you than just your web reading habits it seems.
Therefore, you may want to enable that two factor authentication to keep prying eyes and ears away as that 4 digit pin code might not be as secure as you think.
Fingerprint I.D. is so passe though. Wouldn't it be neat if you could use your voice instead?
While that sounds ominous, look at it this way, you don't have to worry about searching for antivirus apps.
Here are a few more security related links to peruse...
HTTPS-crippling FREAK exploit affects thousands of Android and iOS apps
Chrome, Firefox, Explorer, Safari were all hacked at Pwn2Own contest
Ex-NSA Researcher Claims That DLL-Style Attacks Work Just Fine On OS X
I'm not going to lie. Force Touch is a horrible marketing term. It also might make me uncomfortable to type it each and every week. Regardless of the name, Force Touch could have some amazing accessibility potential. Think about user interfaces, Braille and how that feedback could be seen in many Apple products like iMovie.
Or, how input could change in iOS9 and beyond.
I've been speaking about vibrating shoes, vests and all manner of apparel for years on podcasts. Yet none of it truly made it to the marketplace. Apple seems to be poised to use haptic technology in many more devices outside of the Apple Watch and the new Macbooks. When combined with their drive to pioneer indoor mapping, and possible improvements to Apple Maps for the mythical iCar, things could get very interesting over the next five years.
Finally, as we do every week at the end of this swim in the whirlpool, enjoy a few of the stranger bits of info I observed on the subject of Apple.
Look up! FLiCC iPhone case warns you of obstacles ahead
'Siri Says' Is The Nastiest iPhone Remix You'll Ever Hear
Push notification? Doctor helps deliver baby via Apple's FaceTime
I'd like to hear your thoughts and predictions on what you think Apple is working on with vibration technology. Toss your ideas in the comments section or send them into feedback@blindbargains.com
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Joe Steinkamp is no stranger to the world of technology, having been a user of video magnification and blindness related electronic devices since 1979. Joe has worked in radio, retail management and Vocational Rehabilitation for blind and low vision individuals in Texas. He has been writing about the A.T. Industry for 15 years and podcasting about it for almost a decade.
