Apple's Trojan Pencil

Hola, haven't blogged in a while. Today is as good as any other day to start again thanks to Apple's fall 2015 keynote. 
Really quick I'm gonna write two sentence about what was announced. 
Apple announced updates to Apple Watch and Apple TV as well as updated iPhone 6 S and 6 S plus. The iPad Pro finally arrives with a Smart Keyboard cover and an Apple Pencil
Which leads to my theory that the Apple Pencil is the one that will drive sales and kick ass this holiday season.  

As a daily iPad user and someone who no longer reach for the desktop or laptop when I want to browse the web at home. I'm very excited about getting an official Apple stylus so I can draw and edit my photos like a pro~
...oh wait.. what do you mean the Apple Pencil only works with the iPad Pro... so I have to buy an iPad Pro to use the Pencil.. 

So the cost of Pencil is essentially 799 + 99 = 898 +ax

I do have to give props to Tim Cook on execution of the Smart keyboard cover and the Pencil. The price of the top of the line iPad Pro with the cover and stylus adds up to pretty much a Surface Pro 3 with the same hardware equipped.  

Personally, even though the Surface Pro is a better value and a real computer, I would still have to choose the iPad Pro over the tablet computer because ultimately Apple still wins when it comes to hardware design.  Majority of my time on a computer is spent in a browser so the fact that the iPad Pro is not a real computer or laptop replacement is not really the ultimate deciding factor on my purchase.  

I know the iPad Pro will succeed with the help of doubling the screen real estate and the addition of well designed hardware accessories.  

I can't wait to sharpen my Pencil.  


 

Why did Meerkat cross the street?

So I can run it over with my car. Over, and over again. 

Now that we've gotten out of the way how much I adore Meerkat, lets take a look at this latest fad on Twitter.  Twitter, oh twitter. Poor victim of API rape. First they encourage all developers to make their own Twitter app, then they limit the API calls and force developers to pay for users. 
Now they're being used by Meerkat to spread this plague of Dutch underground rodent.

There are several reasons why I painted my car red with the kat.  Here's a few off the top of my list.

iOS only.
Lets play Lazy Developers and create this "official" "unofficial" app for Android. It's totally getting raped in the Play Store. So they got what they deserved. 

The iPhone Effect.
Just like Steve Jobs and the iPhone, Meerkat was the company that invented moving pictures and mobile video.  Before Meerkat, people were unable to share portrait video from their mobile telephones.  Now with the help of Meerkat, they can. How did people live with themselves before Meerkat? I have no answer for that. 

Twitter.
Unable to figure out a creative way to distribute spam, they turn to Twitter. 
Good thing Twitter is the dirty diaper of the Internet so I don't have to worry about getting spammed by posts about how my favorite person is streaming themselves breathing.

The Snapchat Model.
Lets create free platform where people can use the service for free. Get as many users on it as possible and we can get a really ballooned evaluation from the Silicon Valley. Pat themselves on the back of their furry head and "try" to figure out a way to monetize their furry little paws. 
Lets tell the users that the moving photographs they stream are "Live" only and is not kept anywhere on the internet.  After a few months, news will break about how the servers were hacked and all the video streamed were found stored archived on the server.  Of course the videos are anonymous so it was okay that the footage were taken.  
Here's my prediction of the Meerkat evaluation: 5 billion dollars. Refuse to sell to Twitter after evaluation. 

Hi Jimmy Fallon.

I can't wait for Beaver, the audio broadcasting app that lets you send voice live a cross the internet. 

 

just driving down the street

just driving down the street

WhatsApp?

Personally, the news cycle in the tech world has been slow. Nothing breaking or major has happened this year since Apple hasn't announced anything just yet.  To my surprise, Facebook was the first one in my opinion to make a splash in the tech news cycle first quarter of 2014 with their acquisition of WhatsApp Inc on 2/19/2014.  Facebook paid 16 billion in stock and cash for the company and will absorb it completely according to its news blog.  

Facebook, unlike most people in America, is thinking globally and making acquisition not only to grow the company globally, but also to absorb it's biggest competitor in mobile messaging. With over 450 million active users, WhatsApp surpassed Facebook Messenger late last year in number of active users.  Considering that Facebook already has the same technology, if not better than WhatsApp, this move is clearly made to eliminate the enemy and increase its own user base. An effective move demonstrated by it's acquisition of Instagram on 4/9/2012. 

As an active Facebook user, I'm quite excited about the acquisition of WhatsApp. Not only does this signify and demonstrate the growth of Facebook globally. It also shows that there are other companies out there actively competing and invading Facebook's space.  The results might not be what WhatsApp and Instagram wants, but it's certainly the right move by Facebook.  Who's next?

For a short discussion on the WhatsApp Facebook merger, check out Sarah Lane on her new show Tech News 2Night.