This morning I went to the Apple home page to find one of their commercials. I went to search and noticed that the behavior mimicked Apple’s own operating system and the “suggest” features available in browser search boxes. What I liked is that it not only offered suggested terms but displayed media previews along with the term. I realize this isn’t especially groundbreaking, given the amount of AJAX development in recent years. However, it reminded me that as Peter Morville analyzes search patterns, another to add to the list is the behavior of providing suggestions before a user has even executed a search. This might remedy the need to distinguish between a basic and advanced search, or the need to revise a search after seeing results. Notice the screen capture image (click image to see original) where I entered “ads” as my search term.

Tags: [Apple, search patterns, search, Peter Morville, Partial Recall]

Tags: [Edward Tufte, Tufte, iPhone, Partial Recall, Apple, interface design, GUI, interaction design, HCI]

Click play and see how the lines between old media (NYTimes ‘paper’ style view of front page) and new mix together beautifully.

In case the ad moves, I tried to do a screen capture of it, but the voice is lost. Just focus on the ad and the paper’s headline.

Tags: [Apple, Leopard, Vista, NYTimes, advertisement, Partial Recall]

The Genius of iTunes

So, why is iTunes a Trojan Horse? I do not mean that Apple has any malicious intent to use iTunes to harm our devices or the digital information we own. Rather, I believe iTunes is Apple’s most powerful weapon for selling more products, for expanding existing markets and for reaching new markets. How? Let’s look at a brief history of iTunes (see more here):

1. January 09, 2001 – iTunes was originally released for managing music on an owner’s computer
2. October 03, 2001 – iTunes integrates with the first iPod
3. April 28, 2003 – iTunes Music Store support
4. October 16, 2003 – iTunes for Windows
5. October 27, 2004 – Supports photo sycing
6. May 09, 2005 – Supports video syncing; supports calendar and contact syncing (Mac only)
7. September 07, 2005 – iTunes can sync calendars and contacts with Microsoft Outlook

The “video” capabilities have grown to include both television, movies, and other types of video. So, with each new version of iTunes, Apple extends its reach to manage new types of content, and it also makes this available for Mac and Windows users alike.

The Sync is the Kitchen Sink

Sure, the iTunes Store is important, because Apple wants you to purchase content from them. However, the sync ability is the most important feature of iTunes. Of course the end game for Apple is to entice people to buy their hardware and to purchase content from their store. But to truly entice users to spend money on either hardware or content, they have to have sync done right. How might this be done?

Well, for one, sync needs to go two ways. Previously, sync meant updating your iPod with content from your desktop or laptop computer. Calendar and contact information was handled on the desktop or laptop, and then this content was updated on the iPod. With the introduction of the iPhone, however, we’re now talking about the ability to update content on either the device or the desktop/laptop, and have it update both ways. I applaud Apple for pursuing specific standards, particularly the CalDAV standard. For Apple to be successful, they will need to continue such efforts to pursue standards for two-way (or more) syncing all kinds of content.

Recommendations

I would recommend the following to happen for Apple to be successful:

1. Change the “iTunes” name to something more encompassing to reflect the purpose of the application. Perhaps “iHub” or something that shows how many types of content can be held and synced using this application.
2. Two-way content editing means that with the iPhone, I should be able to CRUD calendar or contact items on my phone, and then sync back to my desktop/laptop and vice versa.
3. Web Syncing does not mean forcing people (including non Mac owners) to use the .Mac service. It means working with partners Google and Yahoo to come up with APIs or other webDAV solutions so content can be synced with external web applications. If Apple can handle two-way syncing with external web PDA-like solutions, then it will have won the game.

Conclusion

There is so much content the mobile user wants at their fingertips – music, video, calendar, contacts, etc. Apple’s iTunes application is rapidly becoming the hub that syncs and manages many types of content. For Apple to be even more successful, iTunes must be renamed and it must handle two-way (or more) syncing between device(s), web application(s) and/or desktop/laptop application(s).

Tags: [iTunes, sync, CalDAV, webDAV, iPhone, iPod, Apple, Google, Yahoo, content management, Trojan Horse, Partial Recall]

Well, it looks like there’s a relatively stable way to get Microsoft and Apple to play together on a Mac. Have you been successful?

Tags: [Apple, Microsoft, onmac, intel, macbookpro, Joy of Tech, xp]

It looks as though Best Buy is offering Apple Powerbooks with what looks like the Windows 98 OS! This post may get a lot of traffic, so let me stop the speculation now by saying that Best Buy is NOT offering Powerbooks with Windows. BB simply needs to work on their Photoshopping skills.

Product here and expanded image here.
Hat Tip to Durden2.0.

Tags: [Apple, Mac, Microsoft, Windows, Microsoft Windows, Best Buy, laptop, Powerbook, MacBook, MacBook Pro, Newsvine]

I have heard that Grants.gov is not Macintosh compatible. What do I do if I use only a Macintosh?
Grants.gov is aware of the issues facing Macintosh users who apply for Federal grants electronically. Grants.gov has provided the following response regarding this issue on the FAQ page of their website:

“Grants.gov has been working with PureEdge [since acquired by IBM and renamed IBM® Workplace Forms™] to offer a viewer that is compatible with as many operating systems as possible. Once a MAC compatible viewer has been developed information will be posted on our website. Our goal is to ensure the widest possible acceptance of Grants.gov and not exclude anyone from the electronic grants submission process.”

Pure Edge anticipates having a platform independent solution available by November 2006. Until then, PC emulation software for the Mac will allow Macintosh users to prepare and submit their applications to Grants.gov. Grants.gov has provided information [PDF] on using the PureEdge viewer with a Mac.

Grants.gov and NIH are partnering to provide free access to Citrix servers for Macintosh Users who are looking for an alternative to using PC emulation software with the PureEdge™ forms. This service will be available for use at the end of December 2005.

A Citrix server connection allows Macintosh users to remotely launch a Windows session on their own machines by using the free Citrix client application. While connected to the server, Mac users can develop their grant application using PureEdge™ forms. Applicants will need to download and install the free Citrix client application in order to work on the SF424 (R&R) application package with the specific grant for which they are applying.

While connected to the Citrix server, the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR)/Signing Official (SO) can submit the application to NIH via Grants.gov.

Applicants can also use service providers (see Service Providers) for a platform independent solution.

Applicants having trouble submitting their application electronically to Grants.gov should contact Grant.gov customer support for assistance.

Statement from OER Deputy Director regarding Macintosh compatibility:

“We truly regret the inconvenience that Grants.gov’s lack of platform independence is causing Macintosh users. As stated in the FAQ’s posted on this website, the Office of Management and Budget, part of the Executive Office of the President, has chosen Grants.gov as the single portal for all submissions of federal grant applications, and NIH’s parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), as Grants.gov’s implementer. As the federal government’s largest research granting agency, NIH is expected to be a key player in the DHHS implementation of Grants.gov. We and others have made Grants.gov aware of the difficulties that Macintosh users are experiencing and are working with Grants.gov staff to implement a temporary solution (Citrix). We recognize that this solution is not ideal but ask for your patience and forbearance as we work toward the very complex task of electronic submission of all NIH applications by May 2007. Grants.gov is working with PureEdge toward a platform independent solution by November of 2006. For additional information about Grants.gov please visit their website at www.grants.gov.”

- Norka Ruiz Bravo, NIH Deputy Director of Extramural Research

Tags: [federal government, research administration, Apple, Macintosh, pureedge, IBM, Grants.gov, grants, NCURA, FDP, NIH, eRA]

My father-in-law and I recently purchased a small video camera (iSight) that can be mounted onto the top of our Apple computers. The purpose of the camera is so that we can both see and hear each other remotely using a combination of the camera and “instant messenger” chatting software that most of us have already used. We had a great time – both video and audio were really good – not choppy like I anticipated it might be. The video was a little fuzzy, but only when I had it fill the entire screen. Nonetheless, it was amazing! I felt like we were sitting across the table from each other. In fact, during another “chat” I put the camera on my laptop, and leveraging the wireless connection in my home, I was able to take my laptop around the house so my father-in-law could see home improvements, etc. from his home hundreds of miles away. Amazing!

Anyway, I was hoping to lure friends and family into getting one of these. There are a few hurdles – you need a high speed internet connection (no dialup) and your computer must be relatively new (you do not have to have an Apple Macintosh). Think of all the long distance costs you will save because chatting this way is free – only the cost of the high speed internet service (and the camera)!

This has been done in the business community for a while now for holding remote conference calls. For instance, CNN recently decided to use Apple’s technology to aid them in their efforts for real time remote reporting.

The psychotherapy profession should really start embracing the use of this technology in order to provide alternative services. For instance, what if a psychotherapist needs to see a family, yet one of the parents happens to be away for business during a planned session. Typically, the appointment would either be cancelled or it might be missing an important viewpoint if the psychotherapist decided to see the reminder of the family anyway. A certain number of counselors already do therapy by telephone or by email, but I think there are 2 limitations with these laternatives. First, doing email “therapy” tends to lend itself more to helping one individual, not many at once. Second, it is common knowledge that a majority of communication occurs nonverbally, so much is lost using the mediums I mentioned. However, using relatively inexpensive webcam technology could be something the profession needs to consider. The major concerns would involve the legal (insurance), confidentiality, security, and archiving issues, but I think these could be reasonably resolved.

Tags: [iChat, Apple, iSight, webcam, im, instant messaging, security, counseling, aamft, psychotherapy, marriage therapy, family therapy]

Tags: [Apple, Apple Computer, mouse]

The Hook

I was incredibly skeptical, but now I’m a believer! For months I’ve wanted to get a laptop. Sure, it was not needed for work, but I thought it would be beneficial for a variety of reasons. First, I am a technophile, but I felt I could really use the laptop for grad school and I argued that I could spend more time with my wife (instead of being locked away in the home office, I could still do computer work in the convenience of the family room while my wife watched television). Unfortunately, my wife was not too keen on us spending >$1000 for my dream of having an Apple Computer laptop. She insisted that we could just get an inexpensive pc laptop like a Dell. Noooooo!

Then I stumbled across an “internet marketing” promotion. You may be familiar with them – “get a free iPod by getting 6 of your friends to sign up and register for X.” This promotion, offered by the Internet Opinion Group, used a different business model that I agreed with. Instead of bugging friends and family to complete stupid tasks like signing up for a credit card, I took sole responsibility for being the sucker. Depending on the value of the desired gift, registrants are required to participate in purchasing up to 6 products and/or services in order to complete the business transaction. Think of it as an alternate method for consumer advertising.

I was skeptical about whether or not the iBook would be new or used, but they promoted a 14″ iBook (or similar product) with the following specifications: iBook G4, 1 GHz processor, 256 MB RAM, OSX. I started my adventure by signing up on March 6, 2005.

The Purchases

So, since I wanted this Apple iBook, I had to fulfill 6 purchases. It is important that you read the pop-up instructions for each product choice to determine what you must do in order to fulfill the purchase. There are a number of options available, but here are the products/services that I chose, including the estimated costs of each:

1. USA Today – I purchased a 6 month subscription to the newspaper – cost: $62.40
2. Printer Ink – I had to purchase at least $35 on ink – I plan to be a return cutomer to this site – ink is very affordable – cost: $41.91
3. Trimlife – I purchased this diet pill product, although I never used it and only purchased it to fulfill the requirement (be sure to cancel yourself from receiving automatic monthly shipments) – cost: roughly $45
4. My Daily Dose – This is a site offering vitamins and other nutritional products. I was only required to purchase a 7-day trial (be sure to cancel yourself from receiving automatic monthly shipments) – cost: $5.95
5. Blockbuster – I had previously signed up with Blockbuster Online, but cancelled my service and registered again through the Internet Opinion Group’s click-through link. Blockbuster Online offers a few plans – cost: roughly $15 per month (and I could cancel my membership if I wanted to once they notified the Internet Opinion Group of my registration)
6. Columbia House – For this standard promotion, I had to purchase 5 dvds at regular price – cost: estimated at $100 for product fulfillment

The Good

Okay, so when all is said and done, I really only needed to spend between $250 and $300 to fulfill this promotion. Considering the diet pills and the vitamins (and to a lesser degree, the USA Today subscription) were of little to no value or use to me, I would consider $200 to be used for items I might have purchased for myself anyway.

Here’s the other kicker – I did not receive the advertised iBook. Instead, I received a newer model. I received a 12″ instead of the 14″ (I preferred the smaller laptop anyway) with a 1.2 GHz processor instead of the advertised 1 GHz. Also, since OS 10.4 (Tiger) was included, along with Quicken 2005 and iLife ’05, I figure I received a few hundred dollars of software that I wanted to get anyway.

The Bad

My only criticisms of this experience include the following:

• The InternetOpinionGroup site is not particularly user-friendly. The help instructions appeared to have confusing instructions regarding the steps one must go through to receive the gift. Also, the site still shows a copyright of 2004! In addition the “Gift Status” screen was confusing, despite the listing of 5 status types:
  1. Pending – If your Offer Status shows “Pending,” it means that we are awaiting a response from our offer partners (i.e. the credit card companies). This also applies when your Gift Status shows pending too.
  2. In Progress – A response has been received from the offer partner. We are now awaiting an approval notice from them. Please allow 6-8 weeks for an “In Progress” offer to be reported as “Approved”.
  3. Approved – This means your free gift card is ready to be ordered! You can click on the “Approved” link and have an Approval Email sent to you! Please refer to our Help Section for more information.
  4. Confirmed – When you have entered your email address and generated a Free Gift Card Certificate, your Gift Status is flagged as “Confirmed.”
  5. Shipped – Your gift card [no card - the gift itself!] has been ordered and is on its way! Please allow 6-8 weeks to receive your gift card.
• You must be patient. I started the process on March 6, 2005 and received my gift on July 21, 2005. That’s a long time!
• Customer service sucks – the only way to contact this company is through their online contact form. I rarely received responses to my inquiries.
• The site promises free FedEx shipping, yet my product came free via UPS – weird!
• Register with an email address you do not mind getting spammed! I used a Yahoo account, so fortunately most of the spam email promotions now get automatically routed to my spam folder

Conclusion

So, overall I am very happy and really excited to get the laptop. It already has an 802.11G wi-fi card so I can connect to the Internet wirelessly! Now I simply must purchase a wi-fi router. Any suggestions?

Update July 27, 2005

Bummer! As a result of recent news on the iBook line, had I waited a month or two more to receive my iBook, I would have received much more, including:

• 1.42 GHz processor base(1.2 now)
• 512 RAM included standard (256 now)
• Bluetooth standard (nope)
• scrolling trackpad (nope)
• Sudden motion sensor (nope)

Tags: [InternetOpinionGroup, Internet Opinion Group, Apple, iBook, marketing, advertising, promotion, scam, scams]