Take A Bite Of The Apple...Mmmmm Yummy! (Part 1 of 2)

I'm quite aware that everyone's waiting for my feedback about last week's "Steve Jobs' Show".  I just know your lives aren't complete unless you know everything that's going on inside the world of Apple, Google, and BlackBerry.  Of course I'm kidding!  I'm fully aware I'm the one who's obsessed with following all the happenings in the gadget world.  But my addiction is your gain!  Today I give you my thoughts on Apple's September 1st product announcement including some advice as to how these gems might fit in your technology circle.  Because, you know.....I keep up to date so you don't have to. 

Since Apple announced so many new products and services, I've decided to break this review into a two part series focused on software and hardware announcements. 

September 1, 2010 marked a competitive line drawn in the sand.  Apple announced the release date of products and services that puts pressure on other companies to bring to market strong technology that is easy to use, cutting edge, and affordable.  So, what did Steve and company announce to the public last week?  Let's just jump right in!

iTunes 10

With a new logo, look, and feel iTunes 10 has landed.  iTunes is Apple's media management software and also the portal to the 'all in one' media store with access to books, music, movies, video's, podcasts and even college courses.  If the record labels don't block it, music previews will be one minute long, which is an increase from the current 30 seconds available for buyers to preview a song.  When looking at your music and other media, Apple changed the default list view, adding an album artwork column.  If there are at least five songs from a single album, then the artwork will appear right next to the songs.

Also included with iTunes 10 is Ping, the new social networking application which can also be accessed from iPhone and iPod Touch.  (Look for a Ping review in the coming weeks!)  Ping allows you to follow artists and/or your friends and their favorite music.  Ping includes three levels of privacy controls to manage who can follow you and what they can see about your concert interests and musical tastes.  Ping is not directly connected to Facebook and Twitter (yet). 

In the iTunes store, you can now rent TV episodes for $.99.  This is great if you missed an episode of your favorite show and want a quick solution to catch it at your leisure.  This brings up the question: How do you watch the episode on your big screen TV?  Well, iTunes 10 working with the AirPlay feature will help solve that problem.

AirPlay

AirPlay will eventually allow the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and your iTunes library to stream over wi-fi to any AirPlay ready device on the same network, such as TVs and stereo systems.  Companies such as JBL, Denon, and iHome are already working on AirPlay devices.  (Do you think I'm excited to send Santa my list?  You bet I am!)  By the way, Apple did announce a new Apple TV, which is now available and is AirPlay ready, but let's stick to software. 

4.1 will be available Sept 8th.

Which brings us to  iOS 4.1.   The new OS is the first major upgrade to the mobile operating system Apple released in June 2010 with iPhone 4.  For you iPhone 3G owners, this update should fix many of the issues you've had with slow loading of apps and the overall sluggish behavior of your device if you upgraded to iOS 4.  The upgrade to 4.1 brings Ping to your i-Devices in iTunes as well as TV Show rentals.  Gamers will be interested in the next feature of 4.1, which is the addition of Game Center to iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod Touch 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation, and eventually iPad.  Game Center is Apple's first step into the social gaming platform.  Imagine the ability to invite friends to play with Push Notification and even start multi-person games.  The Game Center App icon can be found on the home screen of compatible iPhones and iPod Touches.  (I'm sorry iPhone 3G owners. If you're wondering why iPhone 3G isn't compatible, TUAW reported its probably because the processor in your device just isn't fast enough for Game Center. The processor in iPod Touch 2nd generation is 532MHz which is faster than iPhone 3G's 412MHz.)

Also included in iOS 4.1 is the ability to upload high definition pictures and video to the medium of your choice, such as Facebook and YouTube.  Why this functionality wasn't included in iOS 4.0 is beyond me, but at least Apple responded to the multiple complaints.  Those high definition photos will look really great with Apple's new HDR photography setting, included in iOS 4.1.  The HDR (high dynamic range) setting in the native Camera App takes three rapid pictures, with one press of the shutter button, then those pictures are overlapped into one photo to capture the low, mid and high dynamic light range.  The idea is to create more crisp pictures and not lose a portion of the shot due to lighting issues such as too many shadows. 

Finally, the coolest new software feature of iOS 4.1, in my humble opinion, is the addition of FaceTime to Apple's revolutionary two way video conferencing on mobile devices.  Apple has released FaceTime to the new iPod Touch.  But, the iPod Touch is hardware, so please check out Part 2 of this review to read how Apple is integrating FaceTime into the new iPod Touch. iOS 4.1 is available for download Wednesday September 8th for all iOS devices except 1st generation iPhone and iPod Touch.

Winny's Summary:
Steve and the gang did a solid job with their software offerings.  I'm not sure how Ping will stack up, considering you have to manage ANOTHER social networking solution.  But I do think AirPlay will be strong once 3rd party companies integrate the technology into their devices. Imagine the ability to stream music to external speakers without docking your iPod or iPhone. Think about streaming a movie, music, or video from your iPad to your home entertainment center or directly to your television without wires. Let's hope the manufacturers are on the ball and coming up with some great, yet affordable, products for the holiday season.  HDR photography is a feature I'm excited to try, but I'm not sure how often I'll use it.  The jury is still out on this feature.  The ability to upload HD without plugging into iTunes is a nice addition, but I'm still a little upset that it wasn't included with the original software release. Finally, Game Center is a great idea to continue to market the iPod Touch and iPhone as the top gaming device in the world. With Game Center, Apple is letting buyers know that iOS devices can do the same things as the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP.  At least, that's what Apple wants everyone to believe. 

I give Steve and the gang a 'B' for some good ideas within these software offerings.  In my opinion, there were no huge surprises.  As usual, these products will work extremely well and help iOS devices connect with each other and within consumers' circle of technology seamlessly, which is always a good thing.  AirPlay is the one cool thing announced that could potentially be a huge win for Apple and help them increase their customer base even further.  Wireless inter-connectivity between home entertainment centers and iOS devices, with no set up required, is something that will influence me when I'm deciding on my next big home entertainment purchase. 

What do you think?  Should Apple have done more?  Were these offerings innovative?  Please leave a comment with your thoughts.

UPDATE:  iOS 4.1 is now available for download for iPhone and iPod Touch. Simply sync your device with iTunes.  If a notice does not pop up, click on the name of your device in the left menu.  On the 'Summary' tab on the main screen click on 'Check for Update'.  Then, follow the onscreen instructions. 

I highly recommend iOS 4.1 for all iPhone users because it's a major update that not only gives you access to the benefits described in this article.  The update also fixes some bugs in the OS, such as the proximity sensor issues reported by some iPhone 4 owners.  This update is a MUST DOWNLOAD for any iPhone 3G owner who is currently running iOS 4.0, 4.01, or 4.02.  To check which version of the operating system you're running on your device, from the device home screen, chooser Settings>General>About, then scroll down to 'Version'.