State of Play - Apple, iDevices and Mac

The iPad availability for New Zealand must be close, since Vodafone announced it was getting its data plans ready for it. But no word on a date so far, despite my attempts at coercing well placed people, sorry. (I used to get a lot more value out of a Santé bar!)

Apple's orders with Taiwanese manufacturers currently put iPad production at over 2 million units a month, according to a new research estimate.

Apple is believed to have ordered between 2.3 and 2.35 million iPads for July alone. Production should stay above that level for the foreseeable future, claims Digitimes Research, with more international markets (including lil ol' us) opening up soon.

When the iPad was close to initial launch there was much cyber-muttering about whether it was a serious contender in the netbook stakes or not, and if so, would it not take Mac sales?

But now, Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster expects Apple will sell more computers than Wall Street predicted.

Mac sales are up 37 per cent for the first two months of Apple's third-quarter, the period when iPads first went on sale, and even iPod touch sales only dipped a little.

Meanwhile, sales of netbooks have been suffering - these are little non-Apple sub-notebooks. Netbook sales are dropping all over the place.

Macs

Apple's line is up-to-date except the Mac Pro towers. Everyone can imagine these being absolutely stonkin', fitted with i5 or i7 chips. No word on that, though.

But the new Mac mini's firmware suggests that future iMacs and Mac Pros may be getting a beefy spec bump soon, at least in the video department.

The latest Mac mini OpenGL firmware references support for the NVIDIA GeForce 480 and the Radeon HD 5000. Both cards are about to be superseded by newer offerings from both NVIDIA and ATI - obsolete for some PC gamers may be, but for Mac users, they would still represent a significant performance bump.

Apple always seems to be on a lag for Mac video - it's one of the reasons for such muted Mac gaming offerings. What's really curious is that it shows Apple is considering using ATI again, as it once did. NVIDIA has been the sole supplier of discrete GPUs to Apple since late 2006.

So, maybe (and I don't know any more than anyone else) iMacs will get better video cards soon? But we're definitely due a new Mac Pro. Sometime.

iPhone

The controversy over the iPhone 4's reception issues rolls on. iPhone 4 should be on sale in New Zealand before the end of July.

Chris Keall, a Kiwi who writes for the NBR, seems to agree with me that damning reports on iPhone 4 'death grip' reception issues may be a bit of a beat-up. He reported recently on testing in Auckland on an iPhone 4 that shows it's no worse than any other smartphone. Exactly ...

And Chris is not exactly an Apple fan - at least, he didn't used to be, as I recall.

By the way, NZ Post has produced a cool free app. Reader James Wigg put me onto it. He says "It's a NZ parcel post tracking app. It's the only one and it's free. It recently got an update to track in real time."

It's handy for Trade Me users or those who send things, and very easy to use.

OK, shameless plug (since I am one of the organisers): if you've ever considered developing for iPhone/iPad, check out the CreativeTech event at AUT in September - it boasts a range of topics and speakers from beginner to pro on developing for iPhone and iPad, featuring both NZ and overseas speakers.


Apple TV

I recently checked out one of these, having finally moved up to a TV that could do it justice. It's much better than I thought it would be.

It integrated seamlessly and quickly with my existing AirPort (what Apple calls it's wireless) network, and it let me play anything I had in iTunes - podcasts, video podcasts, music, movies bought or rented via iTunes Store, and my own movies I dumped into iTunes.

I love the remote - a cute little white minimal thing, and extremely effective and easy-to-use compared to the Starship Enterprise that came with my new TV. Which I feel like hurling at warp speed through the window ...

Unfortunately, since Apple TV is on your network, it's also an internet device - which means you can not only watch YouTube on your TV directly, you can also browse the iTunes Store for music and movies to buy (usually between $20-30) or rent (under $7). Yikes! But so handy ... if only Apple had more movies available for the NZ Store. I'd definitely be considering a purchase if so, as the quality is great and it spools the movie up on an internal hard drive for skip-free playback.

The Apple TV also joined my AirTunes network, which I hadn't anticipated. AirTunes is a feature that comes with an AirPort Express, Apple's little (compared to the AirPort Extreme) network device designed to serve a small network, or extend an existing one (either an Apple AirPort network or one served by third-party routers).

The AirPort Express has an RCA port - plug that into your stereo and you can play your iTunes music from any Mac (or PC) on the network, and even control it from the Remote app on iPhones. This is a really cool thing. I love it and my whole family uses it. A lot. With a TV plugged into a decent sound system, AirTunes makes more sense, and gives everyone in the room access to controlling what's playing via the TV screen and that little remote.

But many out there are clamouring for an update to Apple TV, so stay tuned (hah hah). According to the Blog of Record on the NY Times, Apple is currently bolstering its engineer pool dedicated to the Apple TV, so maybe there's something in it.

Learning Macs

By the way, Apple posts seminars online. They are available for Accounting, Audio, Business, Enterprise, Sci/Tech and Video. Most online seminars require fast (ie DSL, cable, T1,...) internet access and QuickTime 7 to view any video presentations.

You have to log in for them, but they're free. To find out more about these and other Apple events, check this link.

- Mark Webster mac-nz.com