How successful is the Mac App Store? Would you believe… growing from 1,000 apps to 10,000 apps in 340 days? How about sales at the rate of more than 200 titles per minute. Jonny Evans has all the numbers and analysis of the MAS, including some developer reaction, Apple’s need for control, and expected future growth. “Apple’s Mac App Store — you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Here’s another Apple venture that’s doing really well, the Apple TV. Don Reisinger reports that of the nearly 12 million “set-top” boxes sold in 2011, Apple’s take was 4 million Apple TVs. We don’t often think about market share in that category, and Apple has about 32 percent. Here’s the story: “Apple TV the king of set-top boxes.” And that’s just 2011. It wouldn’t be hard to estimate the cumulative sales — which I’ll do later.
How about: 4 million sold in just 2011 (Apple)
I really like this next article. It’s all about the myths surrounding high definition TVs, most of which are due to dubious marketing. Perhaps in no other field are specs thrown out with such apparent deception. If you’re thinking about buying a new HDTV this Christmas, or ever, this next item is must reading. It also makes me wonder how Apple will compete, in terms of marketing and specs, if it does launch its own HDTV. Of course, we know the answer: they won’t. Anyway, I direct you to: “Myths, Marketing, and Misdirection: HDTV edition.” And for those who know a little about HDTVs, you’ll still be ROTFL.
This next article is great too because it combines some technical education with market analysis. Unlike some articles that just get off on emotion and opinion, the articles that support a thesis with key technical insights are always better. Jeroen Wijering wrote this one. An excerpt: “Today’s wide usage of the HLS protocol is a result of iOS success. Apple designated the protocol as the one and only way to stream video to the iPhone and iPad. No Flash, no Silverlight, no RTP or RTSP. On top of that, HLS is required for in-app video. Even simple MP4 downloads, which work for in-browser playback, are not allowed in iOS apps. Every major publisher, therefore, needs to use the HLS protocol.” Here’s the link: “Why Apple Is Winning the Mobile Video Format War … For Now.”
What will the Ghost of Christmas Future bring? (Cedmagic)
The development of a new OS with a visual history makes for a great article, and here it is for iOS. I’ve bookmarked this myself as a handy reference, and you’ll want to also. Dieter Bohn asks: “How did we get from a platform that began without 3rd party apps, multitasking, or even copy & paste support to where we are today? Read on to see exactly how Apple evolved its mobile platform over the years, in our history of iOS.” Here’s the link:”iOS: A visual history.”
Life is complex. We often search for and find coherence, sanity and predictability in science and technology, but when it comes to the human geniuses who pave the way, things aren’t always so simple. For example, one could suggest that the very character traits that made Steve Jobs the genius that he was also contributed to his death. To find out how that happened, read “Was Steve Jobs’ genius also a fatal flaw?” from the BBC. My feeling is that the author makes a compelling argument.
Image Source: Sony
TV Remote controls may be a thing of the past. With tablets, smartphones, voice input like Siri and gestures, the days of the old-fashioned TV and DVR remote controls seem to be numbered, and thank goodness. Here’s the cleverly titled story from Fast Company: “The Click Clique: Apple, Microsoft, And Others Don’t Care About Your New TV Remote.” I have to agree: I’ve had a lot of fun with the drop-dead gorgeous DIRECTV app for my iPad.
That’s it for this week. Particle Debris will be on vacation and return on January 6, 2012.
Technical Word of the Week (TWoW)
Tweetalyzing. (v.) The process of covering an event with a running commentary and analysis via tweets. Credit: First seen by Howard Fineman NBC analyst. @howardfineman