» Windows 8.1
Mashable’s Chris Taylor:
Windows 8.1 is a clear improvement over Windows 8, and for that Microsoft should be commended. … But the OS is not out of the woods yet.
This detail is just mind-boggling to me.
…when you sign into the device for the very first time, be prepared to go through a few of those annoying CAPTCHA screens “to prove you’re a human.” (Really, Microsoft? Do you get a lot of robots buying Surface tablets?)
I know Microsoft has more trouble with piracy than Apple does, but it doesn’t seem like screwing up your user experience like this is worth it.
Anecdote theater
My dad’s had a BlackBerry for years because it was what was supported by his office. Just recently it came time to upgrade and he went to the AT&T store and told the salesperson (who was about 50 years his junior) he needed to upgrade his BlackBerry. The salesperson let him try out the BlackBerry Q10 for a while.
After a few minutes my dad said “I can’t figure this thing out.” The salesperson laughed and said “Yeah, I can’t either. How about an iPhone?”
My dad now has an iPhone 5. Because he’s had an iPad for several years, it was completely easy for him to pick up, the only thing he needed my help with was setting up voicemail. I’d note that backs up this piece about how Apple’s advantage is having a strong presence in both phones and tablets, but I don’t want to make too much of an anecdote.
» Important distinction
CNet’s Roger Cheng:
So, the HTC First wasn’t a complete disaster after all.
[Describes how AT&T cut price to 99 cents after just weeks in order to unload them.]
Even if AT&T managed to rid itself of the HTC First, few would disagree that the phone was a flop.
So, “flop”, not “complete disaster”. Good to know.
» NetNewsWire 4 Beta
Instant purchase for me, particularly at the $10 pre-order price. No syncing yet, however.
» Sponsor: Tokens
My thanks to Tokens for sponsoring the Very Nice Web Site RSS feed this week.
Tokens is a Mac app for managing App Store promo codes
Tokens gets promo codes from iTunes Connect, creates shareable URLs for each code and notifies you once they’re redeemed.
The first step to getting your app noticed is inviting bloggers to try it. Promo codes let you give away free copies of your app, but unfortunately they’re laborious to create, awkward to redeem and impossible to track.
With Tokens you create a code with one click and bloggers can redeem it just as easily. By naming the token you can tell who has tried your app and follow up with them. You can also reuse any unredeemed codes before they expire.
Tokens is available now at usetokens.com/syndicate. Very Nice Web Site readers get a special 20% discount until July using this link.
» Change is the way Apple does business
Over at Macworld I walk through the changes Apple’s made in the past to existing platforms and how those represented, yes, work for third parties, but also opportunity.
» Waiting to level up
Another WWDC came and went and we didn’t get an App Store for the Apple TV. We did get an iOS API for controllers, but as Matt Peckham explains writing for Time, Apple still seems loath to level up on gaming (GAME ANALOGIES).
While the latest iOS devices are arguably capable of crunching games like [Injustice: Gods Among Us, Dead Island: Riptide, BioShock Infinite, Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Defiance], iOS has an interface problem when it comes to the sort of control heterogeneity and finesse they require. This is why you’re not seeing major gaming franchises ported over unaltered — not because the latest iPad or iPhone can’t get the job done, visually speaking, but because nobody wants to play Call of Duty: Black Ops II on 4- or 10-inch touchscreens.
An API is nice, but it’s a punt compared to shipping an App Store for the Apple TV. I’d also like to see an Apple-quality controller. Maybe next year.
[Note: Originally this post incorrectly implied third-party controllers might be inconsistent, but Apple’s specification precludes this. Thanks to Arthur Langereis for the correction.]
» Apple’s unprecedented design goof
John Siracusa:
Of course, iOS 7 is also compelling in that it may compel some people to gag. Like the [original] iMac, iOS 7 is likely to polarize consumers and competitors alike.
I’m sorry, does that say “iOS 7”? That’s supposed to say “Aqua”. I must have copy and pasted that bit from Siracusa’s 2000 look at the first OS X beta to include Aqua wrong somehow. How silly of me.
(This has been another edition of “Comedy Gags for Effect”.)
» Galaxy S4 sales estimates cut
Reuters:
The S4 sold 10 million sets in just one month of its debut in late April, outperforming its predecessor, the S III.
Yet analysts now say the high-end smartphone segment is slowing, citing lacklustre prospects in Europe and South Korea in particular.
The S4, in reality, also lacks any real wow factor, they say.
Well, at least it’s not just Apple that gets this treatment.