Why iPad Matters. There have been a host of complaints about the iPad - it doesn't do this, it doesn't have that, why can't it, I wish it would, it's closed ... Even Hitler was disappointed. All this misses the point. The iPad represents a fundamental shift in the metaphors and language of "computing. " Or rather it extends that shift that was tested first in our pockets with the iPhone, and brings it to our desks, our coffee tables ... everywhere else. The iPad is a huge change. We have lived for the past thirty-plus years in an engineer's universe of computing, where layers of implicit understanding - about file structures, multiple programs, menu idiosyncrasies, nomenclature -- are required to figure out how to make your computer do what you want it to do.
To most of "us" this flowchart says: "It's easy to figure out computers, you just play around until they work. " The iPhone was a revelation though. When that thing is something people want to do, the apps are successful. As Fraser Speirs says: HTML5, Flash & Apps. Editor’s note: This is a guest post written by Jeremy Allaire, founder and CEO of Brightcove. Prior to Brightcove, Jeremy founded Allaire Corporation which was subsequently acquired by Macromedia due to the success of their web development tool ColdFusion. At Macromedia, Jeremy helped create the Macromedia MX (Flash) platform. You can see a recent interview of Jeremy here. As one of the guys who helped build the Flash Platform, we asked him to weigh in on the recent HTML5 v.
Flash debate. The recent introduction of the new Apple iPad has stirred the discussion over the future of web content and application runtime formats, and shone light onto the political and business battles emerging between Apple, Adobe and Google. I have a particularly unique perspective, stake and role in this discussion. For several years, the Flash Platform was unique in its ability to create highly interactive browser based applications. A Battle for the Hearts and Minds of Developers (and Audiences!) $25m app sales. French game developer Gameloft, listed on Euronext Paris, this afternoon shared its 2009 financial results with the world.
The video game publisher achieved consolidated sales of €122.0 million – roughly $170 million – for 2009, up 11% compared to 2008. The company also specified ‘iPhone revenue’, which presumably means its income from distribution of its games on both the iPhone and iPod Touch: in 2009, that number jumped 231% YOY to reach €17.6 million (approximately $25 million). Gameloft withdrew from boxed games in January 2009, and says mobile games accounted for 94% of the company’s sales for the whole year. The remaining 6% are related to consoles game sales. Full-year revenues from the mobile game segment grew by 12%, self-reportedly due to the success of the games the company distributes through Apple’s App Store. Total Q4 2009 sales reached €31.8 million ($44.5 million), which means revenues from the App Store are currently about 22% of the company’s total revenue.
Peripherals. There's a ton of debate about Apple's iPad this week, of course. But among the celebrations, suspicions and drama one thing's been overlooked. The iPad's killer feature could be not what you view on it, but what you plug into it. For the first couple of years Apple's iPhone remained a very one-way device: You used Apple's cable and its 30-pin connector, plugged it into iTunes and sent pretty much everything into the phone, only sucking comparatively small bits and bobs of data (photos mainly) back out of the beast. All that changed when Apple released the iPhone 3.0 software for the device, which gave the OS much more powerful control over the kinds of data that could be received and transmitted from third party hardware through its data port. Strangely, interest has died down somewhat--the only bits and bobs of peripheral tech taking advantage of the port have been a few FM transmitters, TomTom's GPS stand/accessory and a few others.
But wait...here's the iPad. iPad Enterprise Apps. But work remains before large companies can embrace the iPad and iPhone without worry. (click image for larger view) Apple iPad Launch in Pictures The introduction of Apple's long-anticipated iPad last week has amplified the already considerable interest in mobile applications and the iPhone. Apple SVP of iPhone software Scott Forstall predicted a new gold rush, an echo of the frenzy that has created 140,000 third-party apps in less than two years. Companies that develop iPhone applications -- and soon iPad applications -- for corporate clients, suggest that there may be something to the marketing hype. Joshua Greenman, president of Mercury Development, a custom application developer based in St. "When the iPhone first came out, there was an exceptionally high demand from both sophisticated and unsophisticated clients," he said. He attributes the waning interest from unsophisticated clients to the recognition that custom application development can be complicated. 1 of 3 More Insights.
Huge Tablet Mrkt. Apple's iPad launch marks the start of a new market segment for media tablets that - according to analysts at ABI Research - will see four million units shipped this year. By 2015, shipments are forecast to reach about 57 million annually. "Apple's iPad is not the first media tablet," says senior analyst Jeff Orr. "But it does help define this new device category. The main focus of media tablets is entertainment. A tablet will not replace a laptop, netbook or mobile phone, but will remain an additional premium or luxury product for wealthy industrialized markets for at least several years. " ABI Research defines media tablets as having a touch-screen interface, 5-11 inches in size, with Wi-Fi Internet connectivity and video and gaming capabilities. A number of other tablets were announced at CES 2010.
The vendors in the latter category are often quite small and little known, and they see this market as an entry-point. The Rise of Tablets... And Why You Should Care. Even before Apple announced the iPad last week, the Internet was going tablet-crazy. After speculation, literally years in the making, finally built to a crescendo, the public reaction has been decidedly mixed. Discussions about what's missing and why the announcement was a disappointment have been covered from nearly every angle. However, whether Apple's iPad ultimately succeeds or fails, it is yet another sign of an emerging device class.
With Google, Microsoft, and others investing in researching tablet-style computers, this is a trend that will not begin or end with the iPad. The Tablet Redefined: A Media Pad The concept of tablet computing is hardly a new idea. What's different about this new wave of tablet devices is that the intended use cases for the device have evolved into something completely different. Plus, unlike tablets of decades past, these new devices come on the heels of similar devices with similar usage cases: Smartphones. A New Device Class Touch-input is key here. Google v. Apple. Officially, Google won't confirm any solid plans to release a tablet device when their new netbook-ready operating system, Chrome OS, debuts later this year. However, documentation appearing recently on the Chromium project website, the home of the open source code on top of which Chrome is built, shows that a tablet PC is a form factor the Internet giant is definitely considering.
Assuming such a device was ever to launch, it would pit Google's vision for the future of mobile computing up against that of Apple's iPad, the highly-anticipated multi-touch tablet launched late last month to mixed reviews. While both the Apple slate and the possible Google Chrome tablet tout sleek and shiny elegance on the outside, the two computing devices could not be more different on the inside. And when it comes time to buy, consumers will have to make a choice: what sort of tablet is the future of computing? Concepts for the Google Tablet Why Buy Google's "iPad? " Apple's Vision Includes the Web.