Ted Landau on Apple, politics, evolution, movies & whatever
Apple Inc
The iPad Pro
Apr 1st
Question: Does the iPad 2 need better specs to better compete with the other tablets on the market?
Answer: First off, this is a trick question. Most of the promised iPad competitors aren’t on the market as yet. There are the Android-based Motorola Xoom and Galaxy Tab (neither of which have really reached the end of their gestation periods as yet). And that’s about it. We’re still waiting for the tablets from HP and RIM and presumably others.
Even so, I expect the answer to be “No.” Apple has argued (successfully in my view) that what matters most is not who has the fastest processor or greatest amount of RAM or largest higher-definition screen. What really matters is which platform delivers the better overall experience. That’s why, as pointed out in a PCMag article, Apple doesn’t even list the megapixel size of the iPad’s cameras — or tell you how much RAM is installed.
If the iPad’s screen resolution is good enough to be stunning, if its speed is adequate for all that you do — a small deficit of specs won’t affect purchase decisions by today’s consumers. Plus, there is all that the iPad can do that its competitors can’t…starting with working as an iPod for your music and continuing with the unmatched collection of apps in the App Store.
Add to to all of this the fact that “he who gets to dominate the market first typically stays first” — even when late-coming competitors offer marginally better products. According to some reports, Apple had as much as 100% of the tablet market in 2010 and can be expected to hold on to most of that share in 2011. Unless a competitor comes up with a “game-changing” device, don’t expect any of them to successfully challenge the iPad. I know some people will point out that Android has taken a lead in market share in the smartphone arena. But this is different. There are no two-year phone contracts with tablets and they are not linked to a specific carrier. In fact, I suspect the majority of iPad buyers don’t even get a 3G model. Android devices will have a much tougher time gaining share here.
Finally, as I argued in a User Friendly View column (and as echoed by a New York Times analysis), a key — perhaps the key — factor that gives the iPad 2 an unbeatable edge is its lower price. When you can get the caché of Apple (who usually extracts a premium for its products) and spend less money than on a competing device, why consider anything else?
Yes, I’d like to see the iPad 2 have better cameras (the ones included now really suck and are not at all what I expect from Apple). And sure, Apple could throw in a bit more RAM. Oh, and how about a Retina Display? But are the lack of these features going to get me to consider buying something other than an iPad? No way. And I’m far from alone. Just ask all the people who still can’t get an iPad because demand has far outstripped supply.
The iPad Pro
All of that said, trying to accurately predict the future in the technology universe is ultimately a fool’s errand. The time may yet come when Apple will feel compelled to compete on specs. Assuming that time comes, how might Apple fight a spec war without sacrificing the iPad’s price advantage?
To get the answer, Apple need look no further than its laptops: The MacBook and the MacBook Pro. Why not make a similar distinction for the iPad: The iPad and the iPad Pro?
The iPad 2 (and its successors) would remain the iPad and maintain a starting price no higher than $499. The iPad Pro would offer all the features that might otherwise give the competition some advantage — and sell for about $150 more.
Developers might have a few problems making sure their apps are compatible with both lines of iPads. But I don’t expect this to be a major hassle. Otherwise, it should be smooth sailing.
In one move, Apple can claim to have both the least expensive tablet and the most feature-packed one. Game. Set. Match.
P.S. Some have predicted that an eventual “iPad Pro” will be a combination of the MacBook Air and the iPad. To me, that’s a different animal, separate from what I am considering here.
Angry Birds Seasons St. Patrick’s Magic Blocks
Mar 23rd
Yet one more in my series of posts about Angry Birds….
Rovio taketh away. Rovio giveth back (sort of).
As I discussed previously, the Seasons Greedings section of Angry Birds Seasons contained a secret feature called “magic spots” (also called “magic Santas”). Knowing how to activate these Santas could lead to otherwise-impossible-to-get incredibly high scores. Unfortunately, Rovio considered these Santas to be a bug — and removed the feature in the Seasons update that added the Hogs & Kisses (Valentines Day) section.
With the latest Go Green, Get Lucky (St. Patrick’s Day) update, Roxio has not restored the magic Santas. But it has given players a new “magic” feature in the Go Green section. This time it is not a bug — so you can be rest assured it will stay put in future updates.
I am talking about the “magic” wooden blocks. These are the ones that have a clover-leaf icon. These blocks can be found in (at least) four levels of the Go Green section: 1, 6, 11, and 14. Here’s how they work: If you hit/destroy a special “magic” clover (which will be one specific clover of the several scattered about the display), the corresponding magic block(s) explode.
As an easy example, check out level 11. With your first shot, hit the chair at the upper far right in such a way that it knocks over the pot of gold behind it. The pot will fall and hit the TNT below, destroying the clover to its left. This is the “magic” clover. It will cause the “magic” block in the center of the wood construction to explode. The result is that, with your next shot, you’ll have an easier time getting the rest of the wood structure to collapse.
Unlike the magic Santas, exploding these magic blocks will not necessarily lead to a higher score than you could otherwise get. At least that has been the case for me. In particular, I did not find the magic blocks to be helpful for levels 1 or 6. They were useful, however, with levels 11 and 14.
For level 11, the magic block caused me to alter my strategy. Rather than go for the chair on the first shot (as just described), I crashed the yellow bird into the thin vertical block at the lower left, hitting with enough force to continue and damage the thicker block behind it. With my second shot, I dropped the egg bomb near the front of the chair, aiming in such a way as to get the pot to fall (and hopefully also destroy the piles of gold coins around the chair leg). When the TNT explodes and the clover is destroyed, triggering the magic block effect, the entire wood structure typically collapses (thanks to the groundwork of the first shot) — leading to a higher score than I could get any other way.
Does the new Angry Birds Rio have any similar “magic” feature? I don’t know yet. If you find one, let me know.
Magic Santa downgrade. Still unhappy about the loss of the magic Santas? After getting my iPad 2, I used my original iPad to test out my theory that I could downgrade to an older version of Angry Birds — so as to access the removed “magic Santas” while still retaining my current high score. I can confirm that it worked. The procedure is somewhat of a hassle; I don’t recommend it unless you have some time and patience. Here is a list of the steps:
- Use PhoneView (or similar Mac OS X application) to save your current Angry Birds Seasons high score file to your Mac (as covered in more detail here).
- Delete the current version of Angry Birds Seasons both from your iOS device (e.g., iPad) and from the ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/ Mobile Applications folder on your Mac. Make sure you empty the Mac’s Trash.
- Put the saved pre-Valentines Day older version of Seasons in the same Mobile Applications folder on your Mac. [Note: If you didn't save the older version when you had the chance, you are pretty much out of luck.]
- Launch iTunes and double-click the app in the Apps section of your Library. If iTunes claims it cannot find the file, accept its offer to let you relocate it.
- Sync your iPad to install the older version on the iOS device.
- Play the game a bit, to see that it all works — and generating an initial high score file.
- Returning to PhoneView, replace the installed high score file with the one you saved in Step 1. You should now be good to go. You can play Seasons Greedings with the magic Santas feature restored.
When done improving your score, reverse the procedure (downloading the app from the iTunes Store if needed) to get the current version of Angry Birds Seasons back — with your new improved score installed. Until then, be sure not to inadvertently update the app by downloading it when you select to “Download All Free Updates” in iTunes.
Speculation re Future of 13-inch MacBook Pro
Feb 22nd
Peter Cohen and I had a brief exchange on Facebook/Twitter regarding my speculation about the future of the 13-inch MacBook Pro. For the benefit of those of you not on Facebook, here is a repost of the conversation:
Ted Landau
Idle speculation: Might Apple discontinue 13″ MacBook Pro when updates come out — directing that market to MacBook Air?
Peter Cohen
Interesting idea. Or, what will styling cues and technical changes will the 13-inch MacBook Pro inherit from the MBA?
Ted Landau
Yes. There are now three different 13″ MacBook models: white, Pro and Air. Each other size only has one model. Do we really need three 13″ models? Can Apple redesign the 13″ MacBook Pro to be more like the Air without it being TOO much like the Air? Seemed to me like eliminating the 13″ Pro would be the simplest answer.
Peter Cohen
You’re right – the 13-inch form factor is suddenly very crowded. You speak sense, Ted – the 13-inch MBP is suddenly looking very redundant. Of course, if Apple does something significant to differentiate a 13-inch MBP from the MBA or the MB, that’s a different story…i.e., Sandy Bridge, USB 3, 3D holographic display, sharks with laz0rs, etc.
Update: February 24: Turns out, I was wrong. The new MacBook Pro models announced today include a 13-inch version.
Angry Birds Magic Spots
Jan 4th
If you play Angry Birds Seasons, you’ll want to know what I am about to reveal!
While working my way through the Seasons Greedings section of Angry Birds Seasons, I would occasionally stumble over something surprising and wonderful. After taking careful aim and releasing my first bird shot on a given level, the bird would hit its target and….bam! All hell would break loose. In an instant, all (or almost all) of the pigs and blocks were destroyed in a massive blast. When the smoke cleared, I saw that I had bagged a new high score — much higher than I could have otherwise attained. It could be tens of thousands of more points than the minimum needed for a 3 star score (see my Angry Birds: The All-Purpose Guide to Three Stars [Part 1 and Part 2] for more on how to achieve 3 star scores).
What was going on? I didn’t know. So I went to angrybirdsnest.com, an Angry Bird’s fan site, seeking the answer. There I learned that these supernova explosions were due to “magic spots.” It turns out that, if a bird hits a certain spot just right, it will trigger one of these supernova explosions. At first, people thought that these spots were glitches in the game’s software and that they would be wiped out in a future update. But no, they seem to be intentional. And they remain.
Here’s how they work:
• As far as I know, Magic Spots only exist in Seasons Greedings. And they only exist on levels where there is a pig wearing a red Santa hat. I am not sure that every level with a Santa pig also has a magic spot. But if the level doesn’t have a Santa pig, there is no magic spot.
Beyond this, there is no way to tell where, or if, a magic spot exists on a given level. That is, nothing about the magic spot location looks special in any way.
• Although I am not 100% sure of this, it appears that a magic spot explosion is possible only on the first shot of a level. After that, all plays out normally. Certainly, after the Santa pig has been destroyed, your chance is over. [Update: I have now confirmed that magic spot explosions can work after the first shot - if the Santa pig remains untouched after the initial shot.]
• Actually, the name “magic spot” may be a bit of a misnomer. The trigger for a supernova is apparently not so much hitting a precise spot as it is hitting a spot that causes the necessary effect to the Santa pig. Typically, you may need to get the pig to roll in a certain direction. Simply destroying the Santa pig will not have the desired effect. A corollary to this is that there may be more than one spot that causes the explosion.
All of this means it can be quite frustrating to reproduce a magic spot explosion. You can hit what seems to be the the correct location in the exact way needed — yet no supernova occurs. This is probably because your hit did not have the needed effect on the Santa pig. You may have to try the same shot over and over — dozens of times — just to get one supernova.
• The damage that results from a supernova will vary each time you hit the magic spot. Even if you get a successful shot off, you may want to try again. Your next success may yield an even higher score. The best spots are the ones that allow you to finish off a level with just the one shot. I can’t say this with certainty, but it seems that my supernova scores are higher than they would be if I had accomplished the same destruction with a conventional shot. It’s as if you get special bonus points for the supernova devastation.
Magic Spot Levels
Here are my four favorite levels with magic spots (there are others beyond these four):
1-18: Aim your bomb bird for the triangular gap near the center top. If you do it right, when the bomb explodes, you’ll wipe everything out in one shot. My best effort yielded a high score of 119,100.
1-21: Get your first shot to go through the snow, right under the area where the Santa pig resides. Do it just right and the resulting explosion will send sticks flying. I’ve never achieved complete destruction here. You’ll need one or two more birds to finish off the level. But you’ll wind up with a higher score than without the supernova.
1-24: Hit the blocks that form a ceiling above where the Santa pig resides. According to reader comments on angrybirdsnest.com, the goal is to get the Santa pig to roll 90 degrees to the right. I can’t confirm this. However, I can confirm that if you hit the ceiling in the right spot, you can wipe out the level with just the one shot. You won’t get total destruction with every blast. But if you do, you can get a score in excess of 100,000 (my best is 98,310).
1-7: This is it: the motherlode, the super-est supernova of all. To set off the explosion, send the bomb bird in a high arc so that it lands directly atop the final right-most column of bricks. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, even if you hit the spot, nothing will happen. But when it works, watch out. You can achieve a near total wipe-out leading to incredible scores. Initially, my high score for the level was 73,300, good enough for three stars. After a couple of magic spot explosions, I pushed my score to 117,510 — almost 45,000 points more than my prior three-star score!
Are Magic Spots Good or Evil?
One the one hand, magic spots add an element of fun and surprise to Angry Birds. When you hit one these spots, especially after an hour of trying, you’ll jump up and cheer. On the other hand, they add a further element of luck to the game — which I regard as a negative.
Why luck? Aside from the telltale Santa pig, there is no way to know if a magic spot potentially exists for a given level. Even with the Santa pig, you don’t know for sure that a magic spot is present — or where it may be. Further, no matter how skillful you are, it seems impossible to achieve the supernova explosion with any reliability — even if you know exactly where to aim. Yet, if you don’t master these shots, you have no chance of climbing to the top of the Leaderboard. The magic spots are bit like finding the golden eggs. But the eggs don’t affect your score.
On balance, I vote thumbs up for the spots. Once you discover them, they become yet another intriguing twist to this great game. As far as I know, magic spots exist only in Seasons Greedings. I am hopeful that we have not seen the last of them.
P.S. For those of you who are curious: My Angry Birds Seasons high score is 6,430,780 (currently I am 17 on the Game Center Leaderboard).