Blind Not Dumb (Posts about ios)

IOS 11 Makes the iPad Pro Sing!

cpatti — Sat, 14 Oct 2017 15:25:00 GMT

A while ago I wrote a post about the then new Apple iPad Pro with its awesome keyboard.

I gushed about it already in that post, and that aspect hasn’t changed, but I’ve gotta say, Apple’s new version of IOS really catapults this device into new planes of usefulness.

An issue I’ve had with IOS for as long as it’s been around is Apple’s insistence that the user forget about things like files and just let the software keep track of everything.

While I applaud the idea behind this, the actual implementation meant that using your iPad for actual work in day to day life became needlessly complex. Where did my file go? I have no idea! How do I get the data out of here and copy it to that app over there? Not a clue! It’s all magic and jazz hands!

With IOS 11, Apple has finally reconciled itself to the fact that people tend to think of their data in terms of files. It may not be the world’s most perfect abstraction for everything, but given that people have been getting on with their lives just fine with it ever since computers were a thing, it’s about time that they caved and made it actually easy for thoser of us trying to do actual work.

To wit - The new “Files” application. To their credit, this isn’t your ordinary file manager - it presents a unified view of your files whether they’re on your iPad or a cloud service like Dropbox, Amazon Drive, etc.

They’ve also added the ability to drag and drop files between applications! Finally I can write a document using my favorite editor - Editorial, and check it into source control using Working Copy.

The implications of this are huge. IOS has always had an incredibly rich ecosystem of very rich, high powered applications, but until now wrangling data between them was an exercise in gymnastics I could do without.

There are plenty of places a Google search away that will detail all the awesome features in IOS 11, but to me this is far and away the most important. Overall, the changes in 11 makes it feel like I’m working on a regular laptop when I’m working on my iPad Pro. Given how the whole thing is no bigger than any regular iPad case you might have, it’s really liberating! I could go for a walk or a bike ride, throw the iPad in a backpack, and think nothing of it.

Oh Swype, Where Have You Been All My Life?

cpatti — Sat, 21 Mar 2015 14:40:00 GMT

For years my Android using friends have been revving about Swype.

When tablets and smartphones first appeared on the scene, many of us were so awash in the glow of our shiny new toys that we overlooked a glaring weak point - text input.

In a stunning display of uncreative design, the keyboards for these devices were simply 'virtualized' versions of their mechanical counterparts.

The result seems like a regular keyboard, but bereft of the comparative elegance and efficiency of touch typing we are left in an incredibly unsatisfying state of perpetual hunt and peck. To add insult to injury, this ethereal target we're eternally stabbing at changes underneath us to suit the whim of the author of whichever app we're using.

With Swype, one simply glides one's finger from letter to letter spelling our words. Swype handles tedious details like putting spaces between words or after periods.

I could keep babbling, but suffice it to say it has been a life changer for me. Paired with Blogsy, my iPad blogging ttyl of choice, you may be hearing from me more often!

Why Apple's Mac App Store will be good for the Mac

cpatti — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:19:00 GMT

When Apple said they were introducing an "App Store" to OSX a-la the iPhone, iPad, etc. there was much ranting and foaming at the mouth...Many geeks proclaimed the death of Mac OS X as we know it. "Apple is iPhone-izing the Mac!" they cried.

They're largely wrong, at least in all the important ways.

Here are the salient points:

Discovery - people are *far* more likely to purchase things that are available from a single, readily accessible source. Having a veritable floatilla of awesome software that's discoverable right from the Apple menu of every Mac means that if you're a publisher, people are FAR more likely to try your software. I myself found a free copy of Autodesk Sketchpad in the app store that I am very much enjoying. I might end up buying the commercial product as a result - possibly through the app store! (See caveats below for why I might choose the shrink wrapped version.)
Ease of installation - just like on the iPhone and iPad, you click "Buy" or "Install" and *BOOM* it's on your machine, happily bouncing in your dock. For non technical people, this is a godsend. They do not want to know about .dmg files, dragging apps to the Applications folder, or the like. Yes, I know, this is VASTLY easier than the folks in the Windows world have it with their highly complex installers, but even still.
One Stop Shopping for updates - Sure, lots of devs these days are bundling some kind of update mechanism into their apps, but this is once again - seamless and easy to use for non technical people.

Of course, every silver lining has a cloud attached, so there are a few down sides:

Inflexible upgrade path - Apple has imposed rules around publishers app store offerings, I don't know all the details, but I do know that publishers are not happy. They want total control of how they monetize the sale of upgrades for their customers, and to a certain extent I can't blame them. Over all I think the net winner here is the consumer, so we'll see how many publishers sign up and grudgingly cope with the new rules.
Restrictive rules about permitted content - Nothing sexy, nothing violent, no Java or Rosetta, just like the IOS app store.

From my perspective, people who object to the app store on OSX are on shaky ground, because unlike the IOS world where the app store is the ONLY way to get apps, the app store on OSX isn't. You can still install apps the old fashioned way, and Apple has given no indocation that they intend to do this now or at any time in the future. I don't think it's in their best interest to do this, and I think people who are predicting imminent doom really need to get their collective head checked.

Then again, geeks do have a propensity for hysterics.

To sum up, I think everyone (publishers, consumers, and the wider Mac community) has everything to gain and nothing to lose from the app store, and I for one welcome the addition.