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Why paid apps are a better choice than freebies

Should you use free apps or insist on using only those you can pay for? Ben Brooks of The Brooks Review makes a compelling case for choosing to go only with paid apps. I agree with him entirely. Anyone who searches for only free apps and glorifies in getting something for nothing risks falling into the trap of knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing, to paraphrase Oscar Wilde.

The problem with free apps is that they often disappear when the developer gets bored. Or they languish for months or years without any updates or development. If the software house gets a good income it can afford to improve the product and provide some backup for users.

With iOS apps that come in free or paid versions, I invariably make the contribution. The motivation is not particularly to lose the ads, which often aren't intrusive, but to encourage the developer to stay interested and productive.

In common with Ben, I long ago discarded the excellent but free Quicksilver launch utility. The problem with QS is that it hasn't been aggressively developed and has fallen behind in many ways. Probably because it is free. Again, like Ben, I turned to the even more wonderful Launchbar which costs €24. It isn't a lot of money for such a capable utility but it is a contribution to overheads that should keep the Austrian creators, Objective Developments, in business and keen to improve. What's more, they are very responsive and helpful if you encounter problems.

When you come to rely on a piece of software day in and day out, it's a comfort to know there will be continuity and improvement. If it's worth having, and it does a good job, then it is worth paying for. You get what you pay for, after all.

Personal Hotspot: All you need to know for sharing

One of the most useful features to come with iOS 4.3 is Personal Hotspot which replaces the old tethering option. In addition to USB and Bluetooth connections, Personal Hotspot adds wifi sharing by up to three devices. So you can now feed internet to your iPad, your MacBook  and also keep a couple of friends happy—all from the one SIM card in your phone.

BT OpenZone at £15 a month

My Vodafone data contract is cancelled and in future I'll be using the iPhone's Personal Hotspot feature when necessary. But to lighten the load I've at last succumbed to taking out a £15-per-month contract with BT OpenZone.

iPad 2: No stocks, confusion and frustration reigns

Our correspondent in Washington, Ralf Meier, spent yesterday and today trawling around Apple stores and resellers in DC, Virginia and Maryland in search of an iPad 2 - any iPad. He's returned home empty handed and with stories of confusion and mayhem.  The Apple store in Bethesda was in a state of unusual disarray, with phones ringing off the hook and a steady stream of potential Apple converts/users/customers being turned away. Not good PR, it seems.

iPad: Not laptop replacement, more media creator and consumer

Marco Arment (marco.org), the guy behind Instapaper, has put into words what many of us have been thinking for months.

"I think Apple didn’t know any better than we did, a year ago, whether the iPad was going to end up as a productivity device in practice. They probably thought, like we did, that it would replace laptops a lot more often."

When the iPad was launched a year ago it was often billed as a laptop replacement. As I have discovered since, this is not so. As a productivity tool the iPad falls behind a lightweight computer such as the MacBook Air. What it does superbly, though, is present media, whether it be books or movies, in a unique format. And last week's announcement the new iMovie and Garage Band show how Apple is moving the goal again. It is a "post-PC" device but not a PC replacement. It is also the first example of a new genre that will transform our perception of media consumption.

I sold my original iPad six months ago because I found the Air to be much more of a productivity device. Now I'm back in the market for an iPad 2 because I realise that it has to be used for its strengths.

Marco concludes:

"Apple is now adapting to the market’s actual use by retreating somewhat from office productivity and pushing strongly into new territory — casual media creation — to see if that gets a stronger uptake in practice. I think it will be a lot more interesting than office productivity, but there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done in iOS to make it practical (especially regarding file transfers with computers)."

 

Smart Covers: $1 billion sales, $777 million Apple profit

Apple analyst Horace Dediu of Asymco believes the new minimalist Smart Cover design for the iPad 2 will be a billion-dollar earner for Cupertino. Like most of us, Horace thinks the new covers are a winner and estimates that sixty percent of customers will choose one to go with their new iPad 2. He predicts a 70:30 leather:polyurethane mix to arrive at his billion total. He's also calculated that the average cost of producing the covers is $12, so that leaves £777 million for Apple's gross margins. This is on top of his estimated $23 billion revenue from iPads in 2011 and a profit contribution of $7.7 billion. The Smart Cover will therefore add four percent to sales and nine percent to gross profits. Another brilliant idea out of the blue from Apple, it seems.

Grey market buyers get £50 per iPhone

Reports from Bloomberg suggest that many of the people waiting outside Apple Stores are grey marketeers acting on behalf of third parties, many of them abroad.

This has become a fact of life in Apple stores here in London. Every day there is a long queue of Asian and middle-eastern gentlemen clutching wads of £50 notes. Every time they get to the head of the line they buy two iPhones and now, presumably, two iPad 2s. Chatting to a couple of these grey marketeers earlier in the week, I discovered they get paid £50 for every iPhone they can get hold of. Most of these devices are on the first plane out of Heathrow.

I don't know whether this is a good thing or bad. While it's encouraging to see Apple products doing so well, I can't help think this professional buying is unfair to to the ordinary punter who just wants a phone or tablet for himself.

iPad Cases: Piel Frama first with quality leather folio

My new iPad last May was soon safely housed inside one of Piel Frama's stylish and high-quality folios. You really cannot fault the products of this Spanish company. In my book they produce the best and most elegant cases for both iPad and iPhone. Now they are first off the mark with a new, thinner folio for the iPad 2. Good news, too, is that it is available within 15 days and the €120 price includes courier delivery anywhere in Europe. Colours include black, tan, red, green, fuchsia (yes please) and orange (aaarghhh).

When you see the pictures or, better still, get to explore one of these Piel Frama beauties you can't help wanting one. As a protector and as a convenient way of carrying around the new iPad they are without equal.

The only snag comes in the weight. At 300g (10.5oz) the new case is exactly half the weight of the device itself (600g - 21oz). Put the two together and you are hefting around just under 2 lb. I haven't yet seen the weight of the new Smart Covers, but they are going to be very light and will add little to the weight of the iPad, perhaps bringing it up to 1.5 lb at most. It's a difficult choice. I've always favoured the heavier, solid products from Piel Frama but at the moment I'm tending towards the minimalist approach of the Smart Cover. 

Training: Learn something new every day

Yesterday, by arrangement, I sat in on a beginner's induction workshop at Apple's Covent Garden store in London. I'd intended to take part in a more advanced gathering but it was cancelled. So I was propelled to the beginner's course. What me? Start from scratch? I vowed I'd keep my mouth shut and not come over as a know-all, but I needn't have worried. I actually learned something.

The 90-minute introduction to Macs was professionally executed, as you would expect from Apple, and I met a clutch of interesting people who had just switched from Windows to Macs. Several had lots of computer experience while a couple appeared to be new to computers. I really wish I'd done something like this when I bought my first Mac. I might have had a better grounding and avoided some of the teething troubles.

What did I learn? Well, three things, all very basic  But if I mention them you'll laugh. All I can say is try a beginners' workshop even if you think you know it all. You probably don't.

iPad Day: New tablet to achieve 80% of market in 2011?

Today's the day the new iPad goes on sale and we will all be watching the statistics for the first weekend. Last year, the original iPad Apple sold 300,000 units. This time, because of the momentum and the increased number of retail outlets, analyst are predicting up to double that number.

Market researchers IDC disclosed earlier this week that Apple took 83 percent of the market in 2010, with some competition from the Samsung Galaxy Tab, but they expect the iPad to retain as much as 80% of sales in 2011. If this turns out to be true it will be a staggering achievement in the face of what is shaping up to be a perfect storm of camp followers.

It seems to me that competitors have four main worries to address:

1. Produce a tablet that is demonstrably better than the iPad.
2. Match or undercut the iPad price.
3. Establish an application eco-system to rival Apple's.
4. Provide the same level of sales and after-sales support enjoyed by Apple customers.

Of the four, the last is the most difficult. Some would say it is impossible. It's not only the Apple brand, which is now arguably the strongest in the tech world, that drives customers to the iPad. It's the vast number of Apple Stores throughout the world where customers can buy, discuss, learn and come back for service. This is unique and I cannot imagine any competitor being able to reproduce a similar network.

When we are looking at specifications, performance and, even, price, we cannot ignore the importance of Apple's near-universal presence. In a post-PC world, Apple stores are places where people go to buy, to learn and to interact with other users. You can't put a price on that.