Linked List: March 5, 2010

Friday, 5 March 2010

‘60 Days’ 

I stand corrected regarding the original expectations for iPad availability worldwide. During the iPad introduction event last month, the slide stating that the Wi-Fi models would be available in “60 days” also included this underneath: “Worldwide availability of WiFi models”.

The Mac Sale Bundle 

Speaking of DF RSS feed sponsorships, I’d like to thank this week’s sponsor, The Mac Sale. They’ve got a terrific bundle of Mac apps for sale through March 15 for just $49.99. The bundle includes: MacGourmet Deluxe, VideoConverter Pro, Supercard, Shovebox, MiniOne Racing, PathFinder, StoryMill, Inkbook, Slideshow, and Finance 6. All 10 apps, just $49.99.

(The Mac Sale is a collaboration between MacZot and The Escapers, makers of the Flux web design app.)

Jason Snell on Google’s Nexus One 

Speaking of Jason Snell, he’s got a thoughtful look at the Nexus One and Android, particularly in comparison to the iPhone.

Dan Moren on the Problem iPad Developers Face: They Don’t Have Actual iPads 

The SDK includes a simulator, but it doesn’t really help with gauging the feel.

Engadget’s Newly ‘Leaked’ Concept Video of Microsoft’s Courier 

Very interesting, but note that this is not a demo of a device, or even of actual software. It’s a demo of a concept. I’d wager money that we’ll never see an actual product from Microsoft that works like this.

Why the iPad Won’t Quite Ship Within ‘60 Days’ of the Announcement Event 

John Paczkowski:

If the ship date was to be April 3, why didn’t Jobs say so at the January event?

Obviously, it’s impossible to say. Though it’s certainly interesting that Jobs couldn’t offer a hard ship date for a major product that was just two months out.

Does this mean Apple may have run into a bit of an iPad manufacturing hiccup after all? I suppose it’s possible. Cannaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek, who first reported alleged production issues with the iPad, certainly thinks so.

My sources suggest that Misek is wrong. It was the software, not the hardware, that took a week or two longer to finish than they’d hoped. Nothing extraordinary or unusual, just the usual hard-to-predict timing of turning software that’s almost ready to ship into software that’s ready to ship. In the grand history of major OS release date slips, one week is pretty tame.

Update: Some readers are arguing that it must be a hardware delay, because sales outside the U.S. don’t start for another month. Could be that there are manufacturing delays, too, I suppose. But I was never under the impression that Apple ever intended for the iPad to go on sale worldwide on day one. Is the delay before sales in Europe a change?

iPad to Ship on April 3; Pre-Orders Start Next Week 

Get your credit cards warmed up.

Matt Gemmell on iPad Application Design 

Keen analysis and good advice.

Photoshop.com Mobile Android App for Developers 

This is interesting: when the Photoshop.com Mobile 1.1 app for Android is installed, Android developers can, in their own apps, use Photoshop for Android’s image editor as an embedded view. Android calls this an “activity”; it’s sort of analogous to a service on Mac OS X. (There’s nothing like it in iPhone OS 3.x.)