Talking about Apple and swooning over their products like an obsessed fanboy is boring. But what can’t be ignored is the sheer hype machine that IS Apple. The volume of queues for two days this time round for the new iPhone 4 must surely mean they’re doing something right? First off the new iPhone. The new iOS4 is great and best served by the gorgeous new hardware that it now sports. Bit of a summary below and in my next post I’m going all out Apple fanboy as I explain WHY I love Apple, even though they often infuriate me.
Apple have leapfrogged every other smartphone right now with the iPhone 4. Android offers some great devices but the OS remains fiddly and the entire package is not yet a slick match for Apple’s hardware / software / App integration.
What’s to like about the new iPhone? Lots. The display has a crazy pixel resolution and looks fantastic. The engineering of the phone (Antenna issues aside) is so meticulous it makes the outgoing 3GS seem like a toy – you can only really ‘get’ this when you hold it in your hand. The speed of the device means that Apple’s ‘multitasking’ seems to work well, even if it isn’t really true multitasking but more ‘fast app switching’. The camera is improved, the new iMovie for the phone is a nice touch and in general it’s a big move forward even from the 3GS.
The only thing that does bug me with the iPhone is the complete lack of a dashboard display showing all your stuff at once. Even though multitasking now makes things easier it’s still not as good as showing your mails, social media nonsense and other bits and pieces all on one screen. A shame because I think if Apple turned themselves to such a dashboard it would be great. Oh well, maybe next year then. I’d also love some form of LED notification system on the hardware instead of badges which I find crude.
The new phone seems to be even more of a hit than the 3GS with practically no handsets available in the UK today. Crazy stuff.
What does interest me is that all networks now can sell the iPhone but not one of them is really doing anything on price. I expected THREE to come in with unlimited data as their usual data plans are generous but no such luck. Bizarrely whilst I don’t really rate their network I’ve decided to stick with O2. They seem to be the only people doing visual voicemail (Which I couldn’t live without) and their prices don’t differ too much from anyone else. As for the nasty 500mb data cap – well, go online and see what your data use is each month. I use my phone all day long and don’t really ever go above the 500mb mark.
So in summary the iPhone 4 is a worthwhile upgrade, even for 3GS users. WIRED have a video if you haven’t been able to have a look for yourself yet:
We were chosen to develop a brand identity for surgeon Hooman Sherafat’s ‘The London Eye Clinic’. Providing concise, informative copy within a subtle but smart framework was our goal. We produced a range of business materials and a website for the LEC which goes live very soon.
Elite property property acquisition company Investment Logistics required a site to represent their brand. We produced an original logotype for Investment Logistics as well as their site which is now live: http://investment-logistics.com/
We have been approached by Hooman Sherafat of The London Eye Clinic to brand his business and create a website and associated business materials. More details once website is online.
Like coffee? Well even if you don’t we’re looking for two interns to help run the Predicaments Studio. Specifically we need coders adept in HTML / CSS / PHP and familiar with best practice design and coding. A CV is good but more importantly we’d like to see your work and what you can do. We’re based in Finsbury Park which is around 12 minutes to Oxford Circus by tube and a bus ride away from Islington. If you’d like more information please call us on 0208 144 8516 or drop us an email work@predicaments.com
Email marketing is not simply about sending emails via Outlook, Mail or even an online solution provider. It involves considerable skill and expertise and if done right can really help grow your business. For more information please do give us a call on 0208 144 8516.
There have been many notable Apple milestones in the history of the company. Tomorrow is apparently going to be no exception with the (most probable) launch of the ‘iPad’, ‘iSlate’ or whatever Apple have decided to call their new tablet. Whilst the iPhone’s launch was both a milestone and a disappointment in many ways there is much riding on tomorrow’s launch. Sure it’s a new Apple product but I’m more interested in how this device could pave the way for something much more important than the superficial hardware functions of a tablet device. Apple’s iPod and iTunes software shook up the music industry. Apple’s iPad might just shake up the entire web. We’ve been spoilt by the ‘free’ internet – content is out there so it’s free.
Not for long. As news companies decide to charge for content the iPad could see the introduction of a real monetisation of online content. Similarly this model might then extend itself to the suffering music industry as well as encouraging people to buy more films to view on a tablet device. I’d like to see the removal of the ‘free’ connotation associated with everything online. As a small business it is often frustrating explaining to naive clients that just because you can grab a ‘free’ wordpress template you can have a website. The value is in the content, the design, the expertise and so on. Similarly why shouldn’t you pay for online news content in the same way you might a newspaper?
I look forward to tomorrow, it’s an Apple launch! But also it could be the start of a welcome change in online attitudes, content and how we value our media.
As the snow settles in London at the moment I thought I’d take some time out to reflect a bit on 2009 and what’s in store for 2010 as well as wishing everyone a very Happy New Year.
Whilst the media painted a gloomy picture of 2009 for many smaller agencies and individuals it was a great time to be in business. Bigger agencies suddenly weren’t attractive to many firms – why spend all that extra cash on account management when all you want is the job done?
2010 will show a similar trend as smaller outfits prove their mettle with bigger players and get results. I’m looking to concentrate our efforts on pushing email marketing in the next few quarters as well as enhancing our creative work providing a broader range of styles and inspired design projects.
For a long while now rumours have been ramping up about Apple’s impending ‘tablet’. Most recently a flurry of activity has centred around how Apple will shake up the news industry as they did the music biz. Hmmm. Interesting. This comes at a time where news online is no longer the freebie it once was and whilst I’ve yet to be prompted for a PayPal login or credit card nudge to read my favourite news sites this could become reality…and soon.
In the latest episode of Diggnation Alex Albrecht hints at the price point as being extremely low.
This got me thinking – would this tablet be subsidised based on a subscription model driving revenue to news providers or groups? Like everyone else I’m intrigued as to what Apple have up their sleeve here. I remember also like many being totally cynical of the iPod when it first came out. At the time I was immersed in my music production and live act career and music was (and still is) something in my blood and close to my heart. I didn’t believe that people would settle for the inferior sound of compressed mp3 files but years later and Apple have truly revolutionised not only the music business but also made an enormous impression in the mobile phone world. Can they do the same for print media and news?
