iphone
Remember When iPod Sales Converted Buyers to Macs?
Remember times past when the sales of iPods led to Windows users switching to Macs? I wonder if a similar situation will occur with the Apple Watch and the iPhone. Because you need an iPhone to link with an Apple Watch, will this spur more iPhone converts as the Apple Watch gains momentum?
And before you pooh pooh the starting price tag of $350 for the Apple Watch, just remember how much iPods used to cost.
- March 2002 – Original (non-touch) Wheel 10GB $499
- September 2003 – 20GB and 40GB for $399 and $499
- September 2006 – iPod Video 30GB, 80GB for $249 and $349
iPod purchases led to purchases of $1000+ Macs, so could a $350 Apple Watch lead buyers to a $650 (unsubsidized) iPhone 6?
I Lost and Found my iPhone
In all my years as an iPhone user, I’ve never lost my phone. From a 3G to a 4 and now a 5, I always had my iPhone around. Then last night happened. Sometime after dinner at Tokoname in Kailua, I left my phone at the restaurant. I might have left it on the table. It might have fallen out of my pocket. Not really sure, but luckily Apple’s Find My iPhone feature works.
After getting home and wondering where my phone was, I logged into this service and saw a map showing all my registered devices. Sure enough, my iPhone wasn’t in the house or in the car, it was back at the restaurant. I also put the phone into Lost Mode just in case, ready to do a remote erase if needed. Fortunately, a call to Tokoname confirmed they had my phone.
Moral of the story? Make sure all your iDevices are registered with the Find My iPhone feature. Oh, and Tokoname has a great deal every Tuesday with 25% off your meal.
What App Is That, Melissa Chang?
It started off as a genuine question when I asked Melissa Chang what app she used to create those captivating picture collages. Apparently, I hadn’t been the only one asking. Melissa respectfully answered my query then we joked about how she should blog about the app and drive viewers to her blogged answer.
So here we are. It’s Frametastic.
And here’s my first attempt at making a collage using the in-app-video-upgraded Frametastic.
Curved Smartphones for a Curvy Ass?
I know what you’re secretly thinking – will curved smartphones make my ass look better?
Come on, admit the shallow truth. If you’re going to slip a curved screen phone into your back jeans pocket, why shouldn’t it add some dimension to your derrière? You know some smartphone makers will surreptitiously target this market who wants to be more bootylicious. Will Apple’s rumored curved iPhone 6 give you an apple bottom?
JUICIES+ for 2013
Remember the Kickstarter-based Juicies project back in 2011? These playful iPhone and USB cables took the scenic route to ship, but they were and still are colorfully distinctive. My green USB extension cord lengthens my Lightning iPhone 5 cable for a daily charge.
Fast forward to 2013, and Juicies is back to charge up your newer gear. Meet JUICIES+. Instead of continuing their rainbow palette, JUICIES+ is going after cable pliability. You notice how the outer jackets of cables tend to keep their shape over time? If you keep winding a cable a certain way, the cable will want to stay that way. JUICIES+ answer is a “flexible tangle free woven cable.” Made of high quality, certified materials and construction, this charging cable also has the looks to match. Added to the black or white JUICIES+ is now a champagne gold to match the iPhone 5s.
While I don’t have an iPhone 5s, having this gold JUICIES+ is a great way to indoctrinate myself to this new Apple colorspace. Oh, and with a bin of various black and white cables, this golden cable will surely shine. You have a few days to back the JUICIES+ project so don’t wait!
Make Your Own Gold iPhone Pop Tarts Style
So in China, you can now buy gold stickers to adorn your iPhone making it look like the highly desired golden iPhone 5s. We’re talking $2 versus $200 for the real deal. But where’s the fun in that?
Where is the challenge for those with ingenuity and innovation? The more satisfying task is to figure out how to transform golden Pop Tart wrappers into a veneer for your iPhone.
One box of Gone Nutty tarts could outfit three iPhones.
The Gold iPhone 5s Inspired by Pop Tarts
When we first heard the rumors that Apple was creating a new gold iPhone 5s, we balked. It would be too gaudy, too ostentatious, too un-Apple-like, an accessory only Mr. T would love. But then it arrived in its champagne tone, and opinions swayed from disbelief to desired. But little did we know that Apple was merely taking design cues from Pop Tarts.
Months ago when rumors of the golden iPhone surfaced, Pop Tarts launched its “Gone Nutty” peanut butter toaster pastries. Besides the new flavor, these tarts feature a ridged box pattern and golden packages.
Take note of the golden similarities thought not exactness. These wrappers are subdued. They aren’t brilliant but unmistakably metallic. So what if design inspiration perhaps came from Jony Ive ripping open a pack of Gone Nutty Pop Tarts?
Because “Accessories” Is Too Tough
Saw this sign advertising the availability of “Cell Phone Stuff” and had to smile.
Yeah, “stuff” is an okay usage, but it seems like “accessories” is the more preferred term out there.
Backed Simple Bracket
You ever participate in those March Madness brackets with the weighted scoring system where whoever picks the final winning team typically wins the bracket? Yeah, it’s pretty standard, and it’s kind of a bummer scoring system. A biostatistician, Ted Gooley, developed a more equitable way of assigning points based on many variables. I won’t explain his system but you can read about it here.
So what’s it to you? There’s a Kickstarter project that has taken the Gooley method and created an iOS app called Simple Bracket for the upcoming March Madness festivities. For a mere $1, you can have access to the app. Pay more for additional goodies.
Now here’s the challenge from my point of view. The app is the thing, but the developers are only asking for $1. The entire project is aiming at $10,000 in funding by March 5. That’s a heck of a lot of $1 pledges in a short period of time. Sure, there are higher pledge packages, but I don’t see many paying more. I’m hoping this project gets funded, and this video will convince you to offer up a buck.
Holiday Gift Guide: Belkin Grip Candy Sheer Case
Not a Black Friday deal, but the Belkin Grip Candy Sheer Case for the iPhone 5 is a solid choice for a case. Not overly thick, good grip and feel, and shows some style, especially the black and green model. And this color combo is finally available.
Got My Juicies
It’s been a long journey for the Kickstarter-powered Juicies project. Started in 2011, Juicies goal was to bring colorful cables made out of recycled materials to the iPhone market. The colors were delicious, the price was right, and hey, Laurens from Hawaii was behind it all so why not back this project?
Then there was a string of manufacturing delays that Laurens explained in detail. Then Apple moved from the de facto 30-pin dock connector to Lightning. Juicies persevered with production and allowed backers to change cable types to a USB extension or a micro USB cable.
After a long wait, here are the results.
Love this display.
The box design deserves some attention and credit as well. No fuss, no muss but good looking.
What’s in the box is minimal and looks made out of recycled materials as well.
At long last, my Juicies cable in lime green. It was either green or orange, but I thought the green was more vibrant. Actually, the pink and purple colors had a good sheen on them as well.
Thanks Laurens! Oh yeah, he may have extra cables to purchase for the holidays.