Apple acquired Lala. This is (hopefully) a move that will be hugely beneficial to the consumer. Here is a possibility for the future of this:
1. Apple uses Lala to create online version of iTunes, comparable to Amazon MP3.
2. Apple allows you to store all of your music in the service, for free, in hopes that the more you use it, the more music you buy and the more you will use Apple hardware.
3. Apple will take the online iTunes, and use it as a base to build a multimedia store, featuring a video service similar to Netflix Streaming.
4. iPhone and iPad application.
5. Pricing change, become a similar pricing model to Spotify.
Apple, the all mysterious company may be contemplating whether to acquire companies. After Lala, and that maps company, there is a good chance that Apple will acquire something else. Here are a few predictions.
EyeFi
Talked about previously, there is a good chance that Apple will acquire EyeFi because of the moves it has made in its hardware line for SD card slots.
Wireless Network
Forget Google, could you imagine Apple with a wireless network? No more crappy AT&T, the iPhone could reach its full capacity, and not be hindered by moronic moves. In addition, a network would be great for a tablet or netbook.
Zoho Docs
With iWork, it is clear that Apple is making the move to the cloud. With this Google Docs competitor, Apple could use the infrastructure to create a worthy online office suite.
The writer of this post compiles the latest tech news and more at Squealing Rat, and writes about tricks and tips of deception, trickery and survival at Lone Iguana. Find him on Twitter.
I have spoken about SD cards and Apple before, but recently, while listening to TWiT, I came up with an alternative explanation for the seemingly uncommented-on addition of an SD card slot to new computers. Here is my prediction:
1. Apple will update all hardware to have a SD slot (Air, iPhone and Tablet included).
2. Apple will begin the push from CDs to SD cards with OS install and software on both cards and CDs.
3. Apple will acquire EyeFi for SD card technology.
4. Apple, in partnership with Verizon or AT&T, will create an SD card that not only has storage and GPS capabilities, but a 3G connection that provides internet.
5. Apple will encourage the population to sign up for the service, which provides you with one SD card that is compatible with all Apple hardware.
Use Case: I purchase the service, perhaps $100 and can buy the card in the store or online. I recieve the card, activate it using iTunes and plug it in to my MacBook Air. I decide I want to go out for a while, grab the SD card, and plug it into my tablet, bringing it with me on the trip. I can have fast enough internet to stream music or to check email.
As I write this, I realize that Apple could sell you multiple cards, and you could use only one at a time, depending on your plan. In addition, the use of MobileMe could integrate nicely, letting you deactivate a computer’s connection and the like.
With the news about Apple and servers, people are wondering what Apple is up to. If you hadn’t heard, Apple recently created a server farm in North Carolina. Now, because Apple is mostly a hardware company, people are beginning to wonder why they did that. Here are some estimates.
iTunes
Apple has always depended on iTunes to bring attention to iPods. Perhaps in the future a faster iTunes is in order. The rumors have also been circulating about a more social iTunes. Maybe a better cloud version will be part of the updates.
This idea has become increasingly apparent with Apple’s latest move to purchase Lala, a online music collection service.
Lion
Maybe in the next couple of operating systems, Apple will release an attempt at a cloud operating system. With the latest announcement of Chrome OS, an operating system that will rely heavily on the cloud, I wonder if Apple is aiming to do the same thing. What would happen if Apple’s Lion would be in the cloud?
Finally, MobileMe, Apple’s service that provides syncing your entire account to computers, iPhones and the cloud. But with the service, we can finally connect the dots. Imagine if your MobileMe account ($99 per year at the present time) was your account for accessing your cloud operating system and iTunes music collection online? Suddenly, most of your world at Apple is online, accessible from anywhere. I think I just blew my own mind.
What do you think of the possibilities of Apple in the cloud? Let us know in the comments.
Bonus thoughts:
*The announcement of the said to be Apple tablet in January may be running a version of a cloud operating system, a thought that could be just the beginning of Apple’s future in the cloud.
Engadget reports that Apple has filed testing information with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission for approval of a new Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. The filings briefly included basic drawings of the forthcoming devices, although they were quickly removed.A new Apple Bluetooth keyboard and mouse have arrived at the FCC, and they’ve got new model numbers of A1314 and A1296 — the current wireless keyboard is A1255 and the Mighty Mouse is A1197. That’s pretty much all we know for now, but these keyboard dimensions are also smaller than the current model, which rules out a return of the numeric keypad — sorry to dash your hopes, Excel jockeys.
Several reports in recent days have suggested that a redesigned Apple mouse has been under development and may be released alongside new iMacs in the very near future.
What about the rumors of a multi-touch mouse? Mashable had that rumor:
According to a new report from AppleInsider though, Apple’s looking to deal with this problem by completely redesigning the mighty mouse. Among the rumored changes: doing away with the track ball, utilizing touch-sensitive technology, and adding multipoint touch detection technology. Oh, and you might see this new Mighty Mouse before the end of this year.
AppleInsider is short on specific details, but refers to recent apple patents that refer to a mouse that translates how you touch and and how you move your hand into movement on the screen. It would also translate into clicks, thus eliminating the need for most buttons or even a track ball. Apple has favored touch interfaces in the last few years, most notably with the iPhone (), so this is not a huge surprise.
And the future of mice in general. Gizmodo got that story.
What do you think of all of the mice rumors? Let us know in the comments!
Apple acquires maps company. Shocking news indeed. I know I am late to the actual news, but the idea of Apple owning a maps company is a rather intriguing idea. One that deserves attention,exploration and a little imagination…
According to Gizmodo, the main reason for the purchase was the fact that the application had a very good API with great customization abilities.
Many astute commenters in the Gizmodo article point out that if Apple takes Google Maps off of the iPhone, they will encounter many issues, including not having many key Google Map features (streetview, traffic).
My guess is that Apple will use this aquisition for several purposes.
A) Geotagging. The iPhone is becoming one of the most popular cameras on Flickr. I bet that Apple will use this company to expand their photo geo tagging features, implanting the equivalent to an Eye-Fi into the iPhone.
B) For iPhone Apps. When Apple first released the capability to have turn-by-turn apps in the app store, the stated one key limit. You cannot use Google Maps for the apps. While this was most likely done for legal purposes and other apps have taken unique paths to fulfill turn by turn apps, a native turn by turn app would be amazing.
What do you think of the maps company acquisition? Let us know in the comments.
At the next Apple event, Steve Jobs will mount the stage. He will brandish a little black remote. One click shows a picture of the current white Macbook. Then, with a magical Keynote transition, it move to another picture, this time the new Apple netbook/tablet.
Why do this? Isn’t this really stupid? Just get rid of the white Macbooks and introduce the new Apple netbook/tablet. That is what I would have thought too. But if that was true, why has Apple left the Macbooks alive for so long? Maybe because that transition is too perfect to pass up. Maybe in order to say, “Same price, more power, sleeker machine, 3G connection, no keyboard, and touch screen.”
Alright, enough with the overactive imagination, I want some facts. Or at least rumors.
the 13-inch portables are presently undergoing an industrial design overhaul that will see them reemerge in the coming months with a slimmer, lighter enclosure and restructured internal architecture to boot.
In a new patent application revealed this week, Apple has again disclosed plans for a multi-touch surface that could accommodate two full hands and distinguish between palms and individual fingers for typing, gestures and more.
The application, filed by Morrison and Foerster LLP in Los Angeles in June 2009 on behalf of Apple, expands on information first revealed by AppleInsider in early 2008. The massive document details a hand-based system that would allow “unprecedented integration of typing, resting, pointing, scrolling, 3D manipulation, and handwriting into a versatile, ergonomic computer input device.”
Make of these rumors what you will. But there is no doubt that this new development will be over hyped. I really liked The 2.0 Life‘s summary of all the hype:
From a Gizmodo article today, about the Apple tablet, and its potential for serving the textbook world:
The logic here is that textbooks are sold new at a few hundred dollars, and resold by local stores without any kickbacks to publishers. A DRM’d one-time-use book would not only be attractive because publishers would earn more money, but electronic text books would be able to be sold for a fraction of the cost, cutting out book stores and creating a landslide marketshare shift by means of that huge price differential.That’s seriously exciting stuff, and something that could quickly make the Apple tablet a staple among college students, who are a notoriously difficult group to reach.
The tablet can succeed here, where the Kindle is failing, because the tablet will (theoretically) allow for a wide range of data input. Having a way to read, highlight, take notes, and the like in a way that’s better than the Kindle could be huge. And, even if it’s an $800 device, with cheaper textbooks that’ll pay for itself in the span of a college career.
What do you think of the Macbook tablet/netbook’s career? Let us know in the comments.
With all of this talk on new iMacs and Macbooks, I thought I would do a quick round up all of the rumors. First off, here is what we are dealing with: a refresh of the iMacs and and update of the white Macbooks.
Macbook Rumors
AppleInsider had this post on the Macbooks claiming:
As is the case with the upcoming iMac makeover, little is known about the revised industrial design of the new MacBook models, other than hints towards a thinner, sleeker enclosure that will embrace Apple’s cutting-edge internal battery technology.
That said, one person familiar with pre-production units indicated to AppleInsider several weeks ago that models awaiting certification were seen in white polycarbonate shells, consistent with the sole $999 model currently available from the Cupertino-based company.
Basically, there will be a refresh of the Macbooks, with the same or cheaper price and a sleeker, thinner body. This is said to happen in the coming weeks.
New iMacs aren’t just coming soon, they’ve been rolling out for two weeks, according to AppleInsider. They’re thinner and look more like the LED Cinema Display, with mystery features that make them the “most versatile ever.”
One of those features might be Blu-ray (uh, finally), and another might something “related to audio.” AppleInsider says they’ll be extending the “capabilities of at least one technology introduced on the Mac platform as recently as last fall,” which to us means either an LED display, or the unibody build. (Or hey, maybe it’s a super Mini DisplayPort.)
I would agree that most of what is mentioned will happen. In a past article here, I mentioned what I thought future iMacs would contain.
Now that we have SD card slots in MacBook Pros, it won’t surprise you that I think that new announcements for refreshed Mac Pros and iMacs will include SD card slots. It’s obvious that Apple thinks that these are the future.
A recent Gizmodo article showed a new application that would change the lock screen on the iPhone. You can take a look at the video below:
They also said:
I need SmartScreen in my iPhone, an application that allows you to place Dashboard-like widgets on the lock screen, so you can quickly access small pills of information quickly without having to get into applications. Smart, smooth, and oh-so-nice.I don’t know about you, but I wish I could have access to bits of information in my iPhone without having to access the applications themselves. Calendar, Twitter, weather, Facebook updates… widgets that will only display data and, with one click, go straight to the app itself to do an action. That will allow the iPhone to have a customized front end like the Motoblur in the new Motorola Cliq.
I don’t know about you, but I will have to disagree with this request for several reasons.
A) Information overload. Having this app would only increase the information overload on the iPhone.
B) Simplicity works. Not chaos. This application would add unwanted chaos to the clean unlock screen, taking away from the beauty.
I know, I know, way too much Apple. But that’s news. OK. The rumors are in for the September 9th Apple event. I really liked VentureBeat’s run down on tomorrow’s event. They boiled it down to this:
Some sort of iTunes enhancement. Depending on what day you read MacRumors, the major music labels are either working with Apple or working against Apple on enhanced digital formats for album and single releases. The rumor mill is spewing every geeks’ dream feature list: Blu-Ray! Facebook! Twitter! An even more complicated way to poke around with apps you don’t really use! The latter is a given.- A tablet computer. The Wall Street Journal reported as fact a few weeks ago that Jobs was working hard on a touchscreen device. Would Steve Jobs tease us with a music event and then hit us over the head with a new type of Mac? Anyone who witnessed Jobs’ cruelly clever fake-out of Motorola in 2005, where he held an entire launch event for their phone before dropping the iPod Nano on us, secretly hopes he’ll do something like that tomorrow.
– Apple TV update. Nah.Given the two-time failure of Apple TV to steal the world from Netflix and Comcast, I’m skeptical they’ll go against the Beatles with strike three.
OK. Here is my take. Apple announces new iPods in September. And because Apple is trying to get rid of the iPod Touches, they might be getting ready for a new, cheaper iPod Touch. The new iPod Touch will have similar pricing to the iPhone 3G, and have a camera and compass. I would also say that a refresh on the iPod Classic, Nano and Shuffle is in order. The Classic might be downgraded to a iPod with a SSD to increase the speed and prevent drive failures.
Let us know what you think the Apple event will bring in the comments!
