What is iWork.com?
Apple's new service is already getting compared to Google Docs, but iWork.com isn't currently a similar offering. Google's online office programs are positioned as a web alternative to using desktop apps (specifically Microsoft Office), much the same way Gmail competes with Microsoft Outlook as an email solution. As a web application, Google's offerings are handicapped by the limitations of the web; given a great desktop email client, nobody would choose to use webmail instead. However, web apps can provide access to documents and messages from any system and any platform, even a public computer. It's often either impractical or impossible to set up standard email from a public terminal, but you can usually always check your email from an online web app such as Gmail.
Google's Docs hopes to make office productivity apps just as ubiquitous as webmail, and the company is working to make the browser a better environment for running sophisticated web apps. Web browsers are getting faster and the development tools to create web apps are improving to the point where online applications can serve as fair substitutes for native desktop apps. Google's WebKit-based Chrome browser and its V8 JavaScript engine are part of that strategy.
While Apple is also working along the same lines, with its own JavaScript acceleration efforts in SquirrelFish Extreme and in improvements to Safari and WebKit, it doesn't share Google's position as a web-centric company. Apple sells its own desktop OS and apps, so it views the web, as Microsoft does, as an auxiliary platform, not its primary one. That helps to explain why iWork.com isn't currently trying to replace Google Docs. Apple doesn't need people to subscribe to a web service, it can sell them iWork desktop apps.
For Apple, online services are a way to enhance its desktop apps rather than to replace them. MobileMe enhances Mac OS X's Mail, Contacts, and Address Book by making their data available online and to mobile devices, or at least the iPhone and iPod touch. The new iWork.com does the same thing for Keynote, Pages, and Numbers: it makes it super easy to sync documents up to the cloud for access from the iPhone, as well as making it trivial to present documents to Windows PC and Office users, with no translation required.
Additionally, users you collaborate with and add notes to your documents and even download them in their native iWork formats, as a PDF, or as Office documents. The main thing that iWork doesn't yet do is support document editing, which is sure to disappoint people who have the idea that iWork.com is direct competition to Google Docs. It's not an online document editor at all; its really just a document viewer system.
Learning from MobileMe
Of course, that's all set to change as the iWork.com apps grow in sophistication. There's nothing that prevents Apple from adding rich document editing features to the online service which can compete directly with Google Docs and other online office offerings. Like MobileMe, the iWork.com apps are built using SproutCore, a JavaScript framework designed to create full featured, sophisticated web apps rather than just spruced up web pages with some additional, animated AJAX functionality.
With MobileMe, Apple made two main mistakes. First, it tried to deliver too much. Portions didn't work as well as users had a right to expect, and other advertised features were missing entirely. The new iWork.com doesn't try to do everything, it simply aims at doing one thing well: presenting shared documents that are easy to access and notate. The other main flaw of the MobileMe rollout was that Apple tried to charge for it as a production-qualtity service. With iWork.com, Apple has taken a page from Google in calling the service "beta" and allowing users to hammer on it for free until they're satisfied the service is worth buying.
It's not yet known how much the service will cost. Apple previously described its online document viewer service with email notifications (as an alternative to sending email file attachments) as a planned feature of MobileMe. By spinning the technology off as a part of iWork, Apple can charge for it separately (if buyers materialize and the price is reasonable). More importantly, the service will validate the concept of online apps as a paid service independently of the still somewhat tainted MobileMe service, which was skewered by the media for being not ready for prime time at its release.
Google provides its online Docs service to consumers at no cost, but does try to find commercial business users who will pay for it. Online software in general doesn't have much of a solid business model, just as web sites have always struggled in their efforts to find a way to get paid for delivering their content. While MobileMe is regarded as a huge failure by many pundits, it remains one of the first and largest online consumer web services with a significant paying audience of a few million users.
If Apple can also make iWork.com function as an attractive, affordable service, it can add online software services as a yet another new arm of business for the company, alongside its recent ventures involving everything from smartphones to mobile software to retail store training services.
How iWork.com works
Using iWork.com requires downloading the new iWork 09 suite. A 30 day, time-limited free demo of the suite is already available for download, and can be installed and optionally purchased without affecting any existing versions of iWork already on the system.
To get started with the new online service, users login using their existing Apple Account (such as from iTunes or MobileMe), or set up a new one.
One can then upload a document from the toolbar, which automatically prompts the user to set up an invitation to others. The "To" field works just like Mail, completing invited members from Address Book. The From field allows the user to send the invite from any email account they have set up in Mail.
Click Share, and the iWork app puts up a notification of the upload progress. The file is stored on Apple's server (that "cloud" buzzword), a step that lets anyone, anywhere access the document from any fairly modern web browser. The document stays available for three months.
Invited recipients get a simple email that allows them to view the online documents by clicking on a link. Currently, there is no security in place for invited users; they are shown the document within the online viewer and logged into a session that allows them to leave comments tagged with their email address. That allows multiple users to be invited to view and comment on an online document without doing anything more than clicking the link, but it also means that any documents that get uploaded are fairly easy for anyone to access, as long as they have the URL (which appears in the email, below). Invited users can't access other documents uploaded to the same account however.
Unlike invited viewers, the user who uploads the document must login to the service to access it (below). That provides them with greater access, via the publish.iwork.com app.
Once logged in, the publisher can see, add and remove invited Viewers. Once removed, the invited user can't access the document anymore using their URL link. The publisher can also add or clear comments on the document, and download the document from the website in iWork, PDF, or Office formats.
Clicking on the Shared Documents link in the publish web app gives the publisher access to all uploaded files, which can be downloaded, viewed or deleted. Invited users don't have access to this link, so they can't delete documents or view other uploads they were not invited to see.
Instead, invited viewers get a slightly different interface via the view.iwork.com web app, which only allows them to view the document, add notes, and see other viewers. They can't send invites of their own, although they can share their URL and give access in their name to others. Anyone who leaves a comment after accessing the document following a given link will be identified as the user that URL was originally sent to, as the URL contains the invited user's email address. If they remove that identifying portion of the URL, they would be forced to login to view the document.
On the iPhone
Looking at the web app's source code reveals two things: first that the new app uses SproutCore to build its interface, but more interestingly that the service gives Mobile Safari users (on an iPhone or iPod touch) a customized version of access.
Again, the publishing user can access the document on their iPhone by logging in, although this mobile version doesn't currently present any comments or viewer invitation controls. It only allows users to view the document, or any other documents they have uploaded to their iWork.com account. Other mobile invited users will similarly only get view access, but again won't have to login with an account to see it (the URL effectively logs them in itself).
The new service shows a lot of potential. It's a great way to share access to office files without emailing around documents, and it makes it easy to access documents from the iPhone without needing to actually use up its RAM to store the documents locally (as email attachments, for example). Apple can enhance the service by providing online editing controls, with permissions to edit being optionally afforded to invited users, but currently the service is not an online office suite and only a document sharing service.
First impressions are stronger than MobileMe, but this time around Apple bit off much less, and therefore ended up with less to perfect. A followup look at iWork.com and the new iWork 09 suite will examine how well the apps and service work together, as well as how practical the service makes using iWork for those who need to share documents with the Office-using world around them.
iPhone casts a huge shadow
Based on its logs of worldwide web traffic to mobile devices, AdMob noted that international web requests from the iPhone increased by 86% month over month in December, giving the smartphone a 10.8% share of all mobile device requests.
Worldwide requests only jumped 9% overall in the month, but North American requests grew by 20%. Much of that increase was due to iPhone traffic in the US, where the phone generated a whopping 48% of smartphone requests, up from just 9% in May. That is all the more impressive considering that the iPhone is only available on AT's network, where the device appears to consume more than half of the mobile data bandwidth in use.
AdMob reported that behind Apple's leading share of the US smartphone market, RIM was in second place with 19% and Microsoft's Windows Mobile trailed with 15%. Palm OS captured a 9% traffic share in December, down dramatically from a 20% peak in June due to the Palm Centro. Google's Android platform recorded a 2% share for the month.
iPod touch busts a move
"iPod touch requests on AdMob's network exploded on December 25," according to the report, with web traffic from the device increasing by 3.4 times over the previous month. iPod touch traffic was at 18 million requests in July, but jumped to 292 million in December.
The iPod touch is the number two device in AdMob's figures, with a 4.7% traffic share worldwide. Added to the first place iPhone, Apple has a 15.5% share of the company's traffic figures.
AdMob's smartphone numbers
AdMob's figures are based on the company's network of 6,000 mobile web sites and 400 mobile applications which serve the firm's ads to mobile devices. Smartphones generated 33% of the company's overall reported traffic worldwide.
Of the worldwide smartphone market, Symbian OS continued to lead with 41% of the market, including more than a 90% share of Asia and Africa. However, the iPhone grabbed a second place share of 32%, with a strong showing in North America, Europe, and Latin America. Conversely, Symbian has very little showing in North America.
Next in line internationally are the RIM OS used by BlackBerry devices at 10% and Windows Mobile with a 9% share, both of which are largely limited to North America. Palm, Danger (Sidekick) and Android claimed 4%, 2% and 1% share of the OS pie, respectively. AdMob stated that smartphones running Linux had a negligible share.
Just within the US, Apple dominated the smartphone market with a 48% share, not including any traffic from the WiFi-only iPod touch.
Apple's influential mobile data traffic volumes
AdMob's numbers give Apple a representation on the mobile web and in web advertising that overshadows the company's actual unit sales, largely because iPhone and iPod touch users actually use their mobile devices for data more frequently.
However, that also means that advertisers are seeing more reason to craft ads to target iPhone users. That in turn is a crushing blow to Adobe Flash as an ad medium, as the iPhone does not render Flash content. As Apple's mobile device sales increase, the relative importance of Flash will not only continue to wane, but additional attention will be directed toward the development of open standards-based HTML and JavaScript content.
Google and Nokia's adoption of the WebKit browser engine used by Apple's Safari web browser will also help to accelerate the mobile web's adoption of standards-based web apps and sites, a development that is occurring faster on mobile devices dominated by the iPhone and iPod touch than on the PC desktop, where progress toward standards-based web development has been held up for a decade due to the dominance of Microsoft's less than compliant Internet Explorer.
Microvision's tiny video projector wows Macworld attendees
Published: 06:00 PM EST The highly mobile new projector was developed by Microvision, based on a new video projection technology called PicoP. Unlike existing display technologies such as Texas Instrument's DLP, which uses micro-mirrors, a high powered lamp, and a relatively large color wheel, Microvision's new PicoP uses three primary color lasers and a single aiming mirror. The result is a highly compact projection engine that the company hopes to eventually embed into a mobile phone. The functional prototype device the company was showing paired the tiny engine (lower right black unit in photo) inside an iPhone-sized package (left unit) housing a rechargeable battery and its supporting video circuitry. The device projects a ten lumen video picture, which is rapidly drawn right to left in successive lines similar to the beam of a CRT, but without the tube. Even in bright show lighting, the tiny unit could cast a bright, clear, and vibrant video picture from a standard iPod Nano, using Apple's regular video output cables.   The device's ten lumen picture sounds very low compared to the commonly 1000 lumen images projected by bulb-based projectors, but that also means the device uses much less power and doesn't require expensive bulbs that require a cool down cycle. In the video (below), a scan line is visible due to the shutter speed of the camera; in person, the video appears flicker free. Microvision's prototype can use either a composite video or RGB video input at standard definition WVGA video resolution (edit: 848x480; originally reported here as 640x480), optionally displayed in a 16:9 wide aspect ratio. The battery is rated for 2 hours, and the focus-free unit can project a picture up to about 100 inches diagonal. The unit is expected to be available for purchase this summer in limited quantities in the $500 price range. Microvision isn't planning to compete against existing video projection technologies used in home theater, but rather intends to open up a new market for highly mobile video projection, selling both small devices like the prototype on display as well as inking deals with hardware manufacturers to install projection into their mobile devices. Fitting the PicoP engine into a future iPod or iPhone model could dramatically change how consumers experience video, and greatly simplify business presentations by doing away with all the cables and devices. Microvision has more details on its website. |
"Windows has become the language that over a billion people speak at every country and culture around the world," Ballmer told an audience of thousands on hand for the year's largest consumer electronics show. "I believe Windows will remain at the center of people's technology solar system."
Included in the keynote were several�new feature announcements, outlined in a press release.��Home Group will let Windows users easily connect multiple home PCs together for printer, music, photo, and video sharing.��Device Stage presents a single, simplified interface for managing devices and running common tasks.��Peek quickly renders all open windows transparent, making icons on the desktop visible.
Windows 7, which is now�feature-complete, has "all the right ingredients - simplicity, reliability, and speed," Ballmer said. �According to Microsoft, special attention was paid to "performance, reliability, security, compatibility and battery life."
Windows 7 will also fully support multitouch, enabling "people with touch-screen monitors to use multiple fingers to interact with their PC screens in a more intuitive way."
A new "Play-to" feature will allow "easier streaming of music, video and photos to devices in a home network."��Windows Media Player now supports "more media formats", but no specific list was provided.
Ballmer did not give an official timetable or release date, although ZDNet says Microsoft is informing customers that�the public beta will expire August 1st in the software's EULA.
According to a�CNN report, the energetic and uptempo Ballmer referenced Apple indirectly, touting PCs as the best combination of "value and power" in the market.
"That's why we say, 'I'm a PC and proud of it!'" Ballmer "bellowed", wrote CNN.
As reported by PC World, Microsoft also announced a new music composition program called Songsmith that seems to be aimed directly at Apple's�Magic GarageBand.
According to its�website, "Songsmith generates musical accompaniment to match a singer's voice.� Just choose a musical style, sing into your PC's microphone, and Songsmith will create backing music for you." �A bizarre demonstration video depicts a stumped jingle writer and his daughter discovering Songsmith together, who then pass the program on to someone else who sings Songsmith a love song. �The video is complete with "follow the bouncing ball" lyrics on the bottom of the screen.
Mac industry gathers to discuss future of Macworld Expo
Published: 07:00 PM EST
Macworld Expo organizers hosted a Town Hall meeting last night, featuring an open discussion with Macworld Conference & Expo vice president and general manager Paul Kent.
Rumors have spread that Macworld could go the way of Apple Expo Paris, which folded without Apple's participation. �Instead, Kent insists Macworld will go on.
"We come to Macworld to be inspired," said Kent.��"This show is going to evolve and you need to know that we are embracing this evolution."
Kent suggested future Macworld Expos could connect with film festivals, music��festivals, and digital photography.
"We want Apple to go build more great products, and then we'll be here to show you how to use them," he said.
Apple vice president Phil Schiller said in Tuesday's keynote that Apple reaches millions every month through its network of Apple Store retail outlets, far more than the reach of a week-long Macworld.��Kent countered by saying only 10 percent of the products being exhibited are actually available in the Cupertino-based company's stores.
Others suggestions during the Town Hall meeting included a return to Boston or New York for future events, or rotating between cities.
According to Kent, 60 companies have already registered for the 2010 Macworld Expo, including Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, and Other World Computing.
Free registration is already underway for�Macworld Expo 2010.
IDG World Expo invites ideas for the future of Macworld at�suggestionbox@macworld2010.com.
Rumors have spread that Macworld could go the way of Apple Expo Paris, which folded without Apple's participation. �Instead, Kent insists Macworld will go on.
"We come to Macworld to be inspired," said Kent.��"This show is going to evolve and you need to know that we are embracing this evolution."
Kent suggested future Macworld Expos could connect with film festivals, music��festivals, and digital photography.
"We want Apple to go build more great products, and then we'll be here to show you how to use them," he said.
Apple vice president Phil Schiller said in Tuesday's keynote that Apple reaches millions every month through its network of Apple Store retail outlets, far more than the reach of a week-long Macworld.��Kent countered by saying only 10 percent of the products being exhibited are actually available in the Cupertino-based company's stores.
Others suggestions during the Town Hall meeting included a return to Boston or New York for future events, or rotating between cities.
According to Kent, 60 companies have already registered for the 2010 Macworld Expo, including Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, and Other World Computing.
Free registration is already underway for�Macworld Expo 2010.
IDG World Expo invites ideas for the future of Macworld at�suggestionbox@macworld2010.com.
Hewlett-Packard (HP) has launched a new home server that can work with both Mac and Windows computers. �Based on the Microsoft Windows Home Server platform, the HP MediaSmart Server ex485/ex487 is a "central repository for automatically backing up and accessing digital music, videos, photos and documents from multiple computers on a home network." �It automatically organizes files from all PCs, streams media across a home network and the Internet, and publishes photos to social networking and photo sharing sites. �Also included is a feature that centralizes iTunes music libraries for playback to any networked Mac or PC running iTunes. �
Mac, PC, Server, and online (through Amazon S3) backup is also supported. �Smart power management settings schedule times for the server to "sleep" and "wake up". �Additional drives can be added for capacity up to 9TB in a unit with an Intel Celeron 2.0GHz 64-bit processor and 2GB of 800-MHz DDR2 DRAM standard. �With 750GB of space, the server costs $599. �For 1.5TB, it's $749. �You can
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