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Monday, December 5, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Apple Crushes Black Friday Sales Expectations
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| Photo Credit: Getty Images |
Much to the surprise of no one, Apple beat market expectations for Black Friday sales, outpacing a typical Friday by more than four times. These figures, according to website 9 To 5 Mac, were taken from a screenshot of Apple's retail inventory system, and are not official. Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster also believes these projections as he has anecdotal evidence that he and his team collected by physically standing in an Apple Store and tallying up sales. According to his estimates, Apple sold approximately 10.1 Macs per hour, and 14.8 iPads per hour, which translates into a 28% increase in Mac sales year over year, and a 68% increase in iPad sales over last year.
All of this is only speculation however, as Apple does not report sales figures until the current fiscal quarter has ended. However, the website ComScore.com is reporting that total online Black Friday spending totaled $816 Million this year; a 26% increase from a year ago. ComScore.com is also reporting that Apple was the fifth most visited website on Black Friday, behind Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy and Target.
As a whole, it's been widely reported that Black Friday sales were up across the board, with Amazon stating that they sold four times more Kindles than last year's Black Friday, without actually divulging any numbers. It will be interesting to see how many Kindles have been sold since the Kindle Fire was released, and how those sales stack up against the iPad.
Apple's North Carolina iCloud Facility Not Generating Jobs
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| Photo Credit: The Washington Post |
Maiden is a small town in North Carolina, known mainly for its furniture production before the recession hit in 2008. After falling on hard times, locals looked forward to Apple building a $1 Billion data center just outside of town, with the hope that the facility would help employ local residents, and possibly put a dent in the 10.5% unemployment rate which has stifled the region. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.
The Washington Post is reporting that the huge new iCloud data center Apple built employs only 50 people full-time. The heavy lifting that would have been done by hundreds or possibly thousands of people in the past, are now done by hundreds or thousands of servers, running software written mostly in Silicon Valley.
Local authorities hope that Apple's presence will increase the local tax-base, and therefore allow the town to lower taxes for residents. People remain skeptical however, as they were hoping for a more direct injection into the local economy in the form of jobs.
This scenario is not unique to Apple, as Google has also opened a data center in North Carolina, while Facebook has recently begun construction of a new data center to complement its not-yet-completed facility in Rutherford County, North Carolina. Google's $600 Million facility employs over 100 people, and Facebook has announced that only 30 people have been hired full-time at their Rutherford facility. This is probably not what North Carolina residents had in mind when these projects were announced.
So is building these facilities a boon for local economies, or just a psychological boost for a region mired in unemployment? So far, it looks like the only people benefitting are North Carolina politicians and California corporations. We'll keep you posted as the new data centers come online, and more employment figures becomes available.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Dell and HP out of the tablet market?
It looks like the tablet market might be getting a whole lot smaller next year.
In a surprising move, computer maker powerhouses Hewlett-Packard and Dell are expected to cease all production of tablet computers in 2012. According to tech rumor website AppleInsider.com, the hardware manufacturers are unable to supply a streamlined pathway to content that other tablet makers such as Apple, Amazon and Barnes & Noble can provide, essentially closing them out of the market. Profits from the sale of content offset the cost of selling tablets at a loss, which almost all tablet makers but Apple are rumored to be doing. If consumers aren't buying their content directly from Dell or HP, there's no profit to be made. It's odd that Dell and HP didn't think that far ahead.
HP has already bowed out of the tablet game once, after trying to develop their own software ecosystem with WebOS. Originally developed by Palm, HP purchased WebOS in 2009 specifically to enter into the smartphone and tablet market. In August of this year, HP decided to shut down production of WebOS powered tablets, although the company still produces tablets that run Windows 7.
The decision by Dell and HP to get out of the tablet market could prove to be disastrous for Microsoft, who are hard at work on Windows 8, which is built heavily around the idea of being able to manipulate the interface by touch. Without these two companies making tablets, Microsoft might just have to build their own, which would put them in quite a bind. Apple has had 4 years to develop and hone the iTunes store to sell music, movie and applications directly to consumers through their Apple devices. Microsoft doesn't even have Windows 8 off the ground yet, and already they're playing catch-up.
This could also be seen as bad news for Google, as Dell produces many tablets that run the Android operating system. One less hardware vendor for Google means one less pathway to consumers.
In a surprising move, computer maker powerhouses Hewlett-Packard and Dell are expected to cease all production of tablet computers in 2012. According to tech rumor website AppleInsider.com, the hardware manufacturers are unable to supply a streamlined pathway to content that other tablet makers such as Apple, Amazon and Barnes & Noble can provide, essentially closing them out of the market. Profits from the sale of content offset the cost of selling tablets at a loss, which almost all tablet makers but Apple are rumored to be doing. If consumers aren't buying their content directly from Dell or HP, there's no profit to be made. It's odd that Dell and HP didn't think that far ahead.
HP has already bowed out of the tablet game once, after trying to develop their own software ecosystem with WebOS. Originally developed by Palm, HP purchased WebOS in 2009 specifically to enter into the smartphone and tablet market. In August of this year, HP decided to shut down production of WebOS powered tablets, although the company still produces tablets that run Windows 7.
The decision by Dell and HP to get out of the tablet market could prove to be disastrous for Microsoft, who are hard at work on Windows 8, which is built heavily around the idea of being able to manipulate the interface by touch. Without these two companies making tablets, Microsoft might just have to build their own, which would put them in quite a bind. Apple has had 4 years to develop and hone the iTunes store to sell music, movie and applications directly to consumers through their Apple devices. Microsoft doesn't even have Windows 8 off the ground yet, and already they're playing catch-up.
This could also be seen as bad news for Google, as Dell produces many tablets that run the Android operating system. One less hardware vendor for Google means one less pathway to consumers.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Screenshots in OS X. 2 Different Ways.
While writing this blog, I often times will need to take pictures of what I'm doing to demonstrate how something needs to be done. These pictures — known as screenshots — are easy to take, although the process for taking them is not obvious in any way. In OS X, there are two different built-in ways to take screenshots.
The first is the program Grab, which can be found in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder on the root of your hard drive.
Grab does nothing more than attempt to "grab" what's happening on the screen. Note that Grab only works for still pictures. If you want to record motion, you'll have to use Quicktime, which I'll go over in a future blog post.
Once you open Grab, it just sits there waiting for you to tell it what to do. Go over to the Capture menu item, and select it. You'll see the following:
There are 4 different kinds of screenshots you can take with Grab. The first is "Selection," which allows you to select a portion of the screen to capture. Once you have made your selection, Grab instantly takes the picture as soon as you release the mouse button. Use this option if only need to select a small section of the screen. The "Window" menu item allows you to capture entire windows, and nothing else. "Screen" takes a picture of the entire screen (everything that's currently visible), and "Timed Screen" waits ten seconds to take a picture of the entire screen. Timed Screen is useful if you need to get something ready before taking the screenshot, as in the screenshot above. I needed to get a picture of the Capture menu, but needed to have it open to take a picture of it. Timed Screen helped me do that.
The other way of taking screenshots in OS X doesn't require you to open any program. Press Command-Shift-3 to take a screenshot of the whole screen (exactly like "Screen" above), and Command-Shift-4 to take a screenshot of just a selection ("Selection"). When you do Command-Shift-4, your cursor will turn into crosshairs, and you can then select whatever portion of the screen you want to capture. A neat trick here, is that after you press Command-Shift-4, if you then press the Spacebar, your cursor will turn into a camera. This is the equivalent of the "Window" option above.
There you have it: screenshots in OS X. Simple.
The first is the program Grab, which can be found in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder on the root of your hard drive.
Grab does nothing more than attempt to "grab" what's happening on the screen. Note that Grab only works for still pictures. If you want to record motion, you'll have to use Quicktime, which I'll go over in a future blog post.
Once you open Grab, it just sits there waiting for you to tell it what to do. Go over to the Capture menu item, and select it. You'll see the following:
The capture menu of Grab.
There are 4 different kinds of screenshots you can take with Grab. The first is "Selection," which allows you to select a portion of the screen to capture. Once you have made your selection, Grab instantly takes the picture as soon as you release the mouse button. Use this option if only need to select a small section of the screen. The "Window" menu item allows you to capture entire windows, and nothing else. "Screen" takes a picture of the entire screen (everything that's currently visible), and "Timed Screen" waits ten seconds to take a picture of the entire screen. Timed Screen is useful if you need to get something ready before taking the screenshot, as in the screenshot above. I needed to get a picture of the Capture menu, but needed to have it open to take a picture of it. Timed Screen helped me do that.
The other way of taking screenshots in OS X doesn't require you to open any program. Press Command-Shift-3 to take a screenshot of the whole screen (exactly like "Screen" above), and Command-Shift-4 to take a screenshot of just a selection ("Selection"). When you do Command-Shift-4, your cursor will turn into crosshairs, and you can then select whatever portion of the screen you want to capture. A neat trick here, is that after you press Command-Shift-4, if you then press the Spacebar, your cursor will turn into a camera. This is the equivalent of the "Window" option above.
There you have it: screenshots in OS X. Simple.
Where are you? How to find the location of an open document.
There's nothing more frustrating than working on a file, and not knowing where it is in your filesystem. Sure, you probably know how to save files to a location you specify, but what if you are already working on a file, and need to know where it is?
An example of this might be a mail attachment you've downloaded. Someone sends you a file that you need to modify, and then you need to send it back. You open it, work on it and save it, without knowing exactly where you've put it! It's happened to me before countless times.
Or, maybe you are using the "Open Recent" menu option provided by many programs. You open the file, work on it and save it, but you have no idea where on your hard drive the file lives. It's there somewhere, and it's already open! Where is it?
OS X has a simple way to show you where a document is, no matter what program you are using.
Simply hold down the Command key, and click on the document's icon in the title bar of the current window you are working on. If you are not working on a document (say, if you are browsing the web) no icon will appear in the window's title bar. If you are working on a document however, you will see something like this:
Hold down the Command key when you click on the icon to see a path to the file.
Ready for the really cool part? The menu that displays the filepath is clickable! Yup. Once the menu is open, select any one of the folders to instantly open that folder in the Finder. Once the folder is open, you can manipulate the file as you see fit. You can even move an open document to another folder, and OS X will keep track of it for you in real-time.
This feature is insanely useful, and something I use all the time. You'll never need to go hunting for an open document ever again!
An example of this might be a mail attachment you've downloaded. Someone sends you a file that you need to modify, and then you need to send it back. You open it, work on it and save it, without knowing exactly where you've put it! It's happened to me before countless times.
Or, maybe you are using the "Open Recent" menu option provided by many programs. You open the file, work on it and save it, but you have no idea where on your hard drive the file lives. It's there somewhere, and it's already open! Where is it?
OS X has a simple way to show you where a document is, no matter what program you are using.
Simply hold down the Command key, and click on the document's icon in the title bar of the current window you are working on. If you are not working on a document (say, if you are browsing the web) no icon will appear in the window's title bar. If you are working on a document however, you will see something like this:
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| If you are working on a document, an icon will appear in the window's title bar. |
Ready for the really cool part? The menu that displays the filepath is clickable! Yup. Once the menu is open, select any one of the folders to instantly open that folder in the Finder. Once the folder is open, you can manipulate the file as you see fit. You can even move an open document to another folder, and OS X will keep track of it for you in real-time.
This feature is insanely useful, and something I use all the time. You'll never need to go hunting for an open document ever again!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Quicksilver — Act without doing
One of my favorite programs for OS X is Quicksilver. Quicksilver is the first program I install on any Mac I buy, and I feel helpless when I use a Mac it's not installed on; that's how ingrained Quicksilver can become into your workflow. It's a simple little program that is extremely powerful once you dig into it. Let's take a look.
There are many uses for Quicksilver, but lots of people use it simply as an application launcher, which is mainly how I use it. It's simple to set up, and easy to use.
Once it's installed on your system, you need to decide how you want to use it. Basically, you hit "trigger" keys, and Quicksilver springs forward, waiting for your next command. It's always running in the background, and uses very few resources. Here's what the interface looks like:
Once invoked, Quicksilver waits for you to type what you are looking for. If you want to launch Chrome for example, you would simply type "chrome." I'll bet Quicksilver won't let you get that far though. Quicksilver is smart enough to try to guess what it is you're looking for, and will present that guess in the window as you type. Hit the Return key to launch the program that is shown in the Quicksilver interface.
But what if it guesses wrong? No worries. Type what you are looking for, and if Quicksilver doesn't guess what you are looking for correctly, simply wait. After a few seconds, a menu will appear below the basic interface listing everything that it could find that matches the letters you typed.
By default, the Quicksilver trigger keys are Option and Spacebar. You can change these keys to anything you want in Quicksilver's preferences.
Notice how in the above example, Snapz Pro X is highlighted in Quicksilver, and to the right it says "Open"? This is a visual representation of what Quicksilver is going to do for you. But what if you want to get to that box on the right? Can Quicksilver do anything besides launch applications? Absolutely!
To get to the other box in the Quicksilver interface, type what you are looking for (the program or document to be acted upon) and once it's been found, hit the Tab key. Now press any arrow key. Huzzah! All new options that you can do to the file or program in the first tab!
From the second tab, you can do things like reveal the program (or document) in the Finder, move it, copy it, paste it and more! All that without having to stop what you are doing, go to the Finder, double-click through folder after folder to get to what you are looking for. Quicksilver is always on, and always available from any program. Hit the trigger keys, and Quicksilver is ready to go.
There's plenty more Quicksilver can do; so much that you could almost write a book about it. Explore the program, and you will most likely find a way to make it work for you.
Direct link to Quicksilver download here.
There are many uses for Quicksilver, but lots of people use it simply as an application launcher, which is mainly how I use it. It's simple to set up, and easy to use.
Once it's installed on your system, you need to decide how you want to use it. Basically, you hit "trigger" keys, and Quicksilver springs forward, waiting for your next command. It's always running in the background, and uses very few resources. Here's what the interface looks like:
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| The Quicksilver basic interface. |
But what if it guesses wrong? No worries. Type what you are looking for, and if Quicksilver doesn't guess what you are looking for correctly, simply wait. After a few seconds, a menu will appear below the basic interface listing everything that it could find that matches the letters you typed.
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| Quicksilver tries to find all everything that matches your search term. In this example, I typed "snap," as seen in the title bar of the white window, as well as underlined in the name in the grey box. Quicksilver updates in real-time. |
By default, the Quicksilver trigger keys are Option and Spacebar. You can change these keys to anything you want in Quicksilver's preferences.
Notice how in the above example, Snapz Pro X is highlighted in Quicksilver, and to the right it says "Open"? This is a visual representation of what Quicksilver is going to do for you. But what if you want to get to that box on the right? Can Quicksilver do anything besides launch applications? Absolutely!
To get to the other box in the Quicksilver interface, type what you are looking for (the program or document to be acted upon) and once it's been found, hit the Tab key. Now press any arrow key. Huzzah! All new options that you can do to the file or program in the first tab!
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| Quicksilver is no one-trick pony. |
From the second tab, you can do things like reveal the program (or document) in the Finder, move it, copy it, paste it and more! All that without having to stop what you are doing, go to the Finder, double-click through folder after folder to get to what you are looking for. Quicksilver is always on, and always available from any program. Hit the trigger keys, and Quicksilver is ready to go.
There's plenty more Quicksilver can do; so much that you could almost write a book about it. Explore the program, and you will most likely find a way to make it work for you.
Direct link to Quicksilver download here.
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