If you build your application with features based on a user’s location, make sure these features provide beneficial information. If your app uses location-based information primarily to enable mobile advertisers to deliver targeted ads based on a user’s location, your app will be returned to you by the App Store Review Team for modification before it can be posted to the App Store.

Smart move in my opinion. Users get that pop-up window asking to use their current location with the expectation that the app will use that information for actual features not just targeted ads.

We’re really excited about Apple’s iPad, and we want to make all of our products available for it as soon as we can.  Yes, we already had a big year planned for 2010, with several long-anticipated major product releases—but we think iPad is really important:  important enough to spend some time juggling our plans to figure out how we can introduce five new iPad apps.

Yes.  Five.  We want to bring all five of our productivity apps to iPad:  OmniGraffle, OmniOutliner, OmniPlan, OmniFocus, and OmniGraphSketcher.

iWork and the Omni Group’s apps are just the beginning, the iPad is going to be a big deal for productivity apps.

When Apple first announced the iPhone at Macworld Expo 2007, Steve Jobs proudly announced that the iPhone had widgets. At that time Weather, Stocks, and Calculator were all built in HTML and JavaScript. Apple scrapped the idea before launch and the idea of widgets on the iPhone was never heard from again. I have often wondered why Apple decided to abandon widgets on the iPhone, given the iPhone’s screen size, widgets seem like the perfect fit. I assume (and John Gruber has been informed by his sources) that it is mostly due to performance concerns — HTML and JavaScript just can’t render as quickly as native code.

It’s very possible that Apple could be moving back to widgets in iPhone OS, but on the iPad. The applications listed above would work perfectly as widgets and they are exactly the kind of apps that you want to have access to at all times.

Charles Ying points out that Apple didn’t reveal the YouTube app on the iPhone until 9 days before it’s release. If Apple were to announce dashboard widgets for the iPad it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest for them to wait as long as they could before announcing it.

I must give credit to Kevin Fox for first mention the idea of dashboard widgets on the iPad, but I don’t know if his idea of implementation is quite there yet. Instead of a five-finger pinch gesture, wouldn’t it be more natural for Apple to add this as another option for the double-click home button shortcut? I see the other options for that shortcut to be practically useless on the iPad, especially if it has widgets. The current options on the iPhone are Home, Search, Phone Favorites, Camera, and iPod. Because of hardware limitations the iPad wouldn’t need phone favorites or camera and I could easily see the other options implemented as widgets themselves (with the home option simply being replaced with the ability to disable widgets altogether).

Just like the addition of Push Notifications, dashboard widgets will be the way Apple quiets those complaining about multi-tasking on the iPad. Dashboard widgets are unobtrusive and easy on the battery life. As Kevin Fox puts it:

It might not be OS multitasking but it’s user multi-tasking and, unlike running several apps simultaneously, it behaves nicely. OS X dashboard widgets sit quietly when the dashboard’s not up and make their calls and updates quickly when the dashboard is called up.

This is exactly the kind of thing Apple would do. And as an added bonus, Apple might be able to leverage the ever-growing catalog of Dashboard widgets for Mac OS X.

Imagine downloading the same dashboard widgets you currently use on your Mac and installing them on your iPad to be called up while running any application, simply by double clicking the home button.

Outside, by Robocat, originally published Jan 8, 2010

I regularly update previously published entries. This entry is a way of letting RSS feed and homepage readers know about the new information. You can find past updates here.

There’s an inherent benefit to only doing one thing at a time: the load of worrying about other tasks is lifted. Knowing that there isn’t anything else competing for your attention is quite liberating. […] I suspect that we’ll all benefit from working in Pages, Numbers and Keynote without the distractions of the web, Twitter or chat. And in the long run, we’ll prefer it.

He gets it.

Simplenote happens to be my favorite iPhone notes application, it is drop dead simple and the interface is super clean. I’ve been using Notational Velocity off and on since I heard about it early last year. The lack of this exact feature is what has kept me from using it full time, instead using Simplenote’s web app because of the syncing.

With this new feature, Notational Velocity just became invaluable to me.

The argument against the iPad usually starts by mentioning that it is pitched to replace a netbook, sitting between the cell phone and laptop. Then the writer usually goes on and on about how they can’t imagine being able to get anything done on a device that doesn’t allow you to run two things at once. The argument is often finished off by mentioning the software keyboard.

We’ve had the iPhone’s keyboard for two and a half years, it works just fine, get over it. The iPad keyboard will be different, but given enough time (just like the iPhone) you’ll get used to it and speed and accuracy will inevitably increase.

Now on to the multi-tasking issue. I hate to break it to you but the way to really get stuff done is to do one thing at a time. Why do you think applications like Spirited Away, Doodim, and WriteRoom exist? Their developers and users understand that the best way to actually get things done on a computer is to get rid of all the distractions.

Think about it, I mean really think about it, aside from all the “walk and chew gum scenarios” when are you actually productive at doing two things at once? Your not. Doing your best work requires focus, the iPad will help you do that.

Even the majority of scenarios brought up in favor of multi-tasking are moot, though. If you want to have your email client open in the background, you don’t have to, just set Mail to check for new email every 15 minutes. If you want to have an IM client open at all times, enable push notifications. If you want to listen to music, open the iPod app and hit play.

The best argument I’ve heard in favor of Apple allowing background apps has been the idea of running a third-party music app while using another application. This scenario is probably the only valid one I’ve heard. If you use a service like Rhapsody, it would be nice to listen to that music on the iPad and still be able to use other applications. I’m still convinced that Apple will debut a subscription service some time in the future but in the mean time this still isn’t a problem. Apple fully expects you to have your iPhone or another handset with you when using the iPad. You can’t listen to Rhapsody on the iPad while browsing the web on the same device but it doesn’t matter because you can listen to that same content on your iPhone while browsing the web on the iPad.

Another good argument in favor of multi-tasking is put best by Milind Alvares on Smoking Apples:

On a desktop computer, I would have a Safari web page open in one window, and floating beneath or beside it, is a TextEdit window. I can research multiple articles using different tabs, all the time copying stuff over to TextEdit for my research.

Milind brings up the fact that you can jump between applications from the homescreen, pointing out that most applications save state when the home button is pressed. But, it’s also worth mentioning that Mobile Safari allows you to have 8 windows open at once, one of those could be a text editor in the form of a web app.

Regardless of whether you “need” to be able to multi-task, how do you plan to actually get anything done with all these distractions and interruptions? All those push notifications and new mail alerts aren’t helping your productivity. I have my “Fetch New Data” setting set to manual and it has been that way for two years. I want to know if I have new email when I check it, not when I’m browsing the web, or waiting in line at the bank, or shopping at the grocery store. I’ll check it when I have time to deal with it.

But beyond my email settings, I have been spending a large portion of my time with computers trying to get rid of all the excess stuff, so that I can actually do what I sat down in front of the desk to do. I suggest that everyone tries this at some point in their life. After just a short period of time, you’ll be amazed at how little you miss those alert tones and notifications. And when you turn all that stuff back on, you might just realize that they’re just plain annoying.

Picasa Web Albums has some interesting limitations. you are limited to 1,000 photos in an album and 1,000 albums per account. That means that no matter what quality the image, it’s impossible to save more than 1,000,000 photos in Picasa Web Albums.

Alex Chitu writing in Google Operating System:

Of course, Google might say that the photos can also be stored using Google Docs or Gmail. Picasa Web Albums has to remove the limitations, improve photo uploading and the way you organize photos. Why do you have to upload photos to an album when Gmail and Google Docs use labels to organize messages and files?

In this article, I provide evidence calling into question the ability of users to disable Google Toolbar transmissions. I begin by reviewing the contents of Google’s “Enhanced Features” transmissions. I then offer screenshot and video proof showing that even when users specifically instruct that the Google Toolbar be “disable[d]”, and even when the Google Toolbar seems to be disabled (e.g., because it disappears from view), Google Toolbar continues tracking users’ browsing.

Maybe Steve Jobs is right and “don’t be evil is a load of crap.”

Everything you know about the “office” metaphor of computing, with files, folders, desktops, etc. is changing. Apple created it. Now they are replacing it. I think the confusing thing for many people is that, this time, they are not setting the paradigm from the top down (desktop to mobile) but from the bottom up (mobile to desktop).

Exactly.

I’ve heard John Gruber say countless times that he uses Safari on his iPhone more than any other app. And, I’m willing to bet that’s the case for most people who own an iPhone, I know that’s the case for me.

When I initially wrote about the iPad I complained that I couldn’t view a new document window and a web page at the same time, and although that is true I completeley forgot that Safari could be, not just the web page viewer, but also the new document window. This is already the case on my iMac where I view a web page and make use of WordPress’ “Press This” bookmarklet to do all of my writing. I could do the exact same thing on the iPad and simple switch back and forth between the two open Safari windows. If I need to make references, quote, etc. I can do that right in Safari.

From what I’ve gathered (and assuming it’s the same on the iPad), you can have 8 web pages open at a time. From my experience on the iPhone that doesn’t always work out too well. Often times the iPhone has to dump one of the web pages to free up memory for the current page but I wouldn’t be surprised if that doesn’t happen on the iPad, due to the iPad’s faster processor and the likelihood of more RAM.

The further we get from this announcement the more I get it. This is a replacement for my notebook. I can’t think of a single thing that I actually do on my notebook that I couldn’t do on the iPad.

iLounge provides some details regarding Apple’s iPad accessories. Apple will be offering a new VGA to Dock Connector Adapter which will cost $29 and allow you to connect your iPad to a projector or monitor and a Camera Accessory Kit which will also cost $29 that will come with a USB and an SD card reader adapter in one package.

Apple will also offer an iPad case for $39 that still gives you access to all the iPad’s ports. It can also flip around and act as a stand for the device.

In terms of docks, Apple will offer a standard dock for $29 with audio and dock connector ports on the back. They will also offer a keyboard dock which offers the same ports as the standard dock but also includes a built in keyboard. It will cost $69, but it includes some very interesting keys (view this image at full size). There are several new keys in the function row such as search, lock, a blank one, one with a keyboard on it, and a couple others that I can’t decipher. Also interesting is the inclusion of control, option, and command keys on the keyboard. One would assume that these are for typing special characters but I wonder if Apple is planning to use those for new functionality, maybe even application switching.

Another interesting bit pointed out by iLounge is that the iPad will be compatible with Bluetooth keyboards. I’m really happy to hear this, I wasn’t too jazzed about the idea of having to spend another $69 if I wanted to use a real keyboard with the device.

Predictions:
Tablet
iPhone software 4.0
iWork ‘10/’11
iLife ‘10/’11

Minutes after I first learned that Apple would be holding an event on January 27 I created the note above in Simplenote. I haven’t touched it since then.

I wasn’t too far off with my predictions but I wasn’t expecting all of these announcements to be so uncharacteristic of the type of announcements Apple does. I hate the name iPad, I think the name “Tablet” would have been a much better name, I also think the name is too similar to “iPod,” but Apple knows a lot more about naming great products than I do. Regretfully, I should have known that Apple wouldn’t be talking about the iPhone, instead focusing on one device (hence the singular “creation” in the invite).

The iPad is a good step forward but not exactly the notebook replacement I was hoping for. It’s close, but the inability for me to quickly switch between apps is a big deal for me, the device has the horsepower, why can’t I switch apps?

I’m sure there will be a lot of people excited about the iPad but I have a very short list of tasks that I need to do on a notebook and the iPad only hits a couple of them, more specifically, news reading and media consumption will work great on the iPad. Writing on the other hand, isn’t going to be as easy as with my notebook because I won’t be able to view both a compose or new document window and a web page at the same time.

The use of AT&T 3G doesn’t surprise me at all, but the data pricing and the lack of contract does. $14.99 per month for 250MB of data and $29.99 per month for unlimited data sounds too good to be true. But when considering that this thing clearly isn’t a notebook replacement — instead built to dock with your real computer — I can’t imagine that they’d be able to charge any more without hearing a myriad of complaints from consumers. The lack of contract is a huge deal as well, you can cancel the contract at any time and only pay for the months where you’ll actually use it.

The Wi-Fi only iPads will be shipping in 90 days with the 3G versions shipping 30 days after that. $499 for the 16GB version, $599 for the 32GB version, $699 for the 64GB version, and an extra $130 to add 3G to any of them.

The keyboard dock is an incredibly interesting announcement, I figured Apple would announce a dock but I never thought they’d actually build a keyboard into the dock. It seems so odd — not something I’d expect from Apple in my wildest dreams. I thought that if Apple was ever going to let users use a hardware keyboard with the device you would have to do so with a Bluetooth keyboard, Apple would support Bluetooth keyboards but fully expect most users to go the life of the device without ever making use of that feature. Boy, was I wrong.

I like the way the device works with all current iPhone apps. Letting you choose to view it centered on the screen at it’s native resolution or to scale it up to full screen — I can’t wait to see how odd some applications look when scaled up — all of these apps weren’t built with this type of scaling in mind.

I find the use of a “1GHz Apple A4 chip” interesting but not surprising, Apple bought PA Semi for a reason and I fully expected their chips to start showing up in Apple’s devices soon. I doubt Apple would have been able to get 10 hours of battery life with a month of standby time without using their own chips.

I was happy to see Apple bring back the iBook name, in the form of e-books for the iPad. The interface for it looks gorgeous, but you have to wonder if the designers behind the app were fans of Delicious Library. Penguin, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Hachette Book Group are all there, with more publishers to come.

Apple has developed versions of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote for the iPad. They are credible versions of each, not pared down versions but what appears to be nearly full featured versions of each. Each of the applications will be priced at $9.99, which is exactly what they should cost.

I think that Apple expects this platform to eventually replace the use of notebook computers. It isn’t there quite yet, which is exactly why I am still undecided about purchasing it, but this announcements has me really excited about the future of the platform. Apple did exactly what they needed to do today, the announcements were solid and the pricing was where it needed to be. This is going to be a big deal.

Apple iPad

Yeah, Very exciting. Yes, they’ll make their announcement tomorrow on this one. We have worked with Apple for quite a while. And the Tablet is going to be based on the iPhone operating system and so it will be transferable. So what you are going to be able to do now — we have a consortium of e-books. And we have 95% of all our materials that are in e-book format on that one. So now with the tablet you’re going to open up the higher education market, the professional market. The tablet is going to be just really terrific.

The bit above comes in at about the 2 minute 50 second mark.

There has been some speculation that this was a controlled leak by Apple. And I doubt it, this doesn’t show any signs of a controlled leak. Instead, this has “big mouth” written all over it.

Apple’s belief, media executives said, is that drastically cutting prices could spur sales of TV shows on the iTunes digital entertainment storefront, which have so far frustrated Apple executives.

The article goes on to mention that Apple has “floated the idea” of offering a television subscription service, including a “best of television” offering that would include News Corp, Time Warner, Viacom, Disney, and CBS content for $30 per month.