iBooks Textbooks

I don’t pretend to be very familiar with the publishing world, but I’m not willing to bet against Apple at this point. I remember hearing that 30% was a lot off the top for apps. Then that charging for a developer’s license and forcing developers to use obj-C would mean that the app store would never take off.  We still hear that seemingly arbitrary rejections from the store will be the end of them. 

Access to the iOS market, and the distribution mechanism to address it continue to make these costs worth paying.

Will the same hold true for this market? Time will tell. 

I will say that the Textbook industry is ripe for getting shaken up. Revving version numbers to kill the used market, only available in heavy paper volumes and sold to intermediaries instead of consumers? If nothing else, I’m confident that this will help shake things up.

Steve Jobs

I’ve been really struggling with what to write about Steve’s passing. He was the person I admired the most in the world. He was insanely great(tm) at something I place an enormous amount of value in - being right. Other people have called this having great taste, but I don’t think that really covers it.

His hypercritical eye and legendary attention to detail empowered his companies to execute flawlessly. However, this execution only had any effect because he was consistently right about the big picture stuff - the internet, digital media, smart phones, tablets.. etc as well as the small stuff, down to gradients on tiny text. Being able to execute and having the resolve to carry things through are things people can work on, but I think being right is innate, and something he was endowed with more than anyone.

You’ve probably read a number of pieces on Steve over the past weeks, but a few things you might not have seen that I think are really worthwhile:

1985 interview with Playboy // 40 pages.. worth it

1997 WWDC closing keynote // long.. but the most unfiltered video I’ve seen of Steve

2005 Stanford commencement address

2007 iPhone announcement (part 1, part 2)

Gruber on the last time he saw Steve

He certainly put a dent in the universe, one that I’m thankful for.

Lion terminal: nice touch

What’s going on here? 

I’d just restarted my machine (installing 10.7.1 update) and had opted to ‘Reopen windows when logging back in’ (another nice new feature). The terminal pops up with my previous session still visible but greyed out to indicate that it’s not current. Nice attention to detail.

Some intern got pretty busy upgrading the terminal app. Other changes I’ve noticed:

  • Spinner in the title when there is a long running operation
  • Opaque background (didn’t like it.. turned it off)
  • Support for fullscreen mode
  • Tons of pre-canned color themes

Updating Mac apps: still shitty

I think the Mac App Store is awesome - it sure beats the crap out of sites like macupdate.com. After buying my first app through the store I was bewildered why buying and installing software hasn’t always worked like this. I’ve spent more on desktop software since it’s come out than I had cumulatively beforehand*. 

However, upgrading an app without going to the store kind of blows.

What happens now:

  1. I get a notification within an app
  2. It takes me to a web site like this one that gives me some info about the app
    Great, thanks - I’m already using it. 
  3. I click on the button to look at the app in the Mac App Store
  4. The app store opens to a screen with the  app, telling me what I just saw on a web site, and shows that it’s installed.
    There is no clear indication that the app has an update available
  5. I go to the updates section of the App Store, and press an update button for my app
  6. I’m prompted for my Apple ID and password
    Seriously? this is a free update! (same issue with iOS store..) 
  7. The App Store then downloads the update
  8. The App Store notifies me I have to quit the application that needs an update
  9. I wait some more for the app to install (presumably overwriting the existing app)
  10. I have to re-launch the app
    Really??  You made me quit the app.. you know I want it open!

What should happen: 

  1. I get a notification that there is a new version within the app
    It’s important that I only get these notifications when there are actual user-facing updates. See Adobe products** 
  2. I have the option to see details about what’s new - possibly rich content 
  3. I choose to install it, piss off or that I’ll do it another time
    It’s important that if I tell it to piss off that it actually pisses off. See Adobe products 
  4. The app lets me know it’s updating
  5. The app is updated and running

Yes, I understand that this is quite a bit harder to pull off, but this is what people pay the premium for: the absence of bullshit while dealing with their computer. 

    * this is a combination of the convenience of the app store and my growing a conscience 

    ** I would write up something like this criticizing Adobe installers, but I’m not sure Tumblr supports enough bullet points