But just to put their success in perspective, he gave a few amazing statistics: Apple has sold more than 120 million iPhones, iPads and iPod touches. This is up from 100 million devices just three months ago. What may be more impressive is that Apple is activating 230,000 new iOS device every single day. He also announced that 6.5 billion apps have been downloaded from the App Store, and the pace of downloads is now at 200 apps per second. 25,000 of the applications in the app store are now iPad apps.

Jobs did not announce any new products, he announced several really cool product enhancements.  Here is a brief description of each:

1. Apple TV – This is the top priority on my list.  I have been thinking about canceling my way overpriced cable service and just watching TV shows, movies, and videos via my computer.  This new Apple TV is only $99.  You can rent regular and HD movies and TV shows as well as stream photos and music from your computer, iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad to your widescreen TV.
   
   For more information about Apple TV, go to www.apple.com/appletv/
   
2. The new iPod Touch – This is for someone who wants all the features of the iPhone, without the phone capabilities.  So just about anything you can do on the iPhone 4 using wifi you can do on this new iPod Touch. This new iPod Touch has two cameras,s o you can use FaceTime (real-time video calling), with other iPhone 4 and iPod Touch users. This new iPod Tocuh has the truly visionary Retina display for incredible resolution. It has HD quality video recording, and even more amazing gaming speed.
   
   For more information about Apple’s new iPod Touch, go to www.apple.com/ipodtouch
3. The New iPod Nano – Now this is an interesting change.  It is a cross between the previous iPod Nano and the iPod Shuffle. It is half the size of the previous iPod Nano, but it has a very high quality color screen that supports multi-touch.  It still has an FM radio, is great for fitness training – complete with Nike+ compatibility.  You can now swipe and expand graphics just like on the iPhone and iPod Touch.  However, this nano no longer has a camera or supports video.
   
   For More information about this new Apple iPod Nano, go to www.apple.com/ipodnano/features.html.
4. The New iPod Shuffle – This is the smallest, least expensive iPod ever, at only $49.  The changes to this iPod are relatively minimal.  It does not have a display, but does have voice over, so it talks to you.  It has large, clickable buttons for easy use, 15 hours of battery life, 2 GB of storage, and Genius Mix music support.
   
   For more information about the new Apple iPod Shuffle, go to www.apple.com/ipodshuffle
5. New Apple iTunes – You are probably asking yourself, what could they possibly do to iTunes to change it, that would make it better?  I can already sync all my devices, buy new music, movies, and TV shows, and arrange my playlists.  Well, here is a short list of the newest features.  1) They added social media Ping capability so you can follow artists and friends – more like Twitter and Facebook, 2) In addition to buying TV shows, you can now rent them, commercial free and in HD, for as little as 99¢ / episode, 3) AirPlay – play music wirelessly throughout the entire house with AirPlay enabled speakers and accessories, 4) Added support for the new Apple TV, and 5) Improved device syncing, which includes faster sync, a memory capacity bar, and added application organization.
   
   For more information about what is new in iTune, go to www.apple.com/itunes/whats-new

I hope this gives you a good idea of Apple’s new line up.  Please let me know what you think of these changes and your feedback if you have used any of them.

Cheers,
Richard

The answer is simple: Use Emoticons.

You have seen them everywhere.  They are those cute little icons.  Originally they were just smiley faces  – used to indicate a light-hearted or humorous message.  They have since expanded to portray just about everything from being sad , to shocked , to playing football  or taking a bath .

Although this capability is not built into the iPhone you can easily add it without jailbreaking your phone.  In other words, “There is an APP for that.”

There are actually a series of applications.  Just go to the iTunes store and search on “Emoji”  Then choose the application that you like and follow its installation instructions.

I used “Emoji Enabler – Easily Unlock 460+ Beautiful Emoticons For Free”.  It was very easy to install and has hundreds (460+) of emoticons, way more than I can ever imagine using.

NOTE: This works great from one Apple product to another (e.g. iPhone to iPhone, iPhone to iPad, etc).  It might or might not work with other devices, such as other smarth phones or email clients, depending on the features that device or software supports.

One warning – it can become addicting and annoying to use these emoticons.
Do NOT overdue it.

Have fun

Richard

PS  Thank you to Karolyn for showing me this application.

One such feature came in handy yesterday, so I wanted to share it with you.

The Feature is an Undo.

So how do you do it?  Turns out, this is very simple.

When you look at the iPhone/iPod Touch, you will notice that only has 4 buttons:

1) The Sleep/Wake button on the top
2) The Home button on the bottom
3) Volume control on the side
4) Ring/Silent on the side

You also already know that you have extra features, such as Select, Cut, Copy, & Paste by touching the screen.

But no where do you see an Undo feature and there are no other buttons.  So, how does it work?

The answer is very simple:

Shake The iPhone/iPod !!

That’s it.

In applications where it is supported, which is most text applications, if you want to undo the last process, simply shake your iPhone/iPod Touch.  For instance, I had written a long email, then accidentally erased it by Pasting text replacing what I had typed. I started to panic, then remembered this nifty little trick.  I shook the iPhone and – a little pop-up menu appeared asking if I wanted to undo the last action. I clicked Undo and – viola – my typed text reappeared! I was ecstatic.  Okay, a slight exaggeration, but needless to say, I was very happy.

If you delete more than one portion, shake your iPhone/iPod again and you will get the options: Undo & Redo.

Watch this video to learn more.

If you are having trouble viewing this video, try downloading and installing Quicktime (for free), or you can view the video online by clicking here. (see Note)

Good luck,
Richard

Here is just a quick update.

The iPad will become available on April 3rd, 2010.   If you are so inclined and just can’t wait, you can preorder it now on Apple’s website.

You will have two options:

a) Get your iPad on day one. Pre-order it from the Apple Online Store and have it delivered free on April 3.

Or

b) Reserve one to pick up at an Apple Retail Store on April 3.

But, I have a question for you.  Do you care?

Are you so excited to get the iPad that you just can’t wait?

Here is my opinion, and most of the people I have talked to agree:

I think the iPad is very cool.  It has the “Gee Whiz” factor that Apple is known for.  But right now it does not seem like it is worth the price.  Yes, it is great for viewing movies and surfing the web, but other than a larger screen and being faster, does it really offer more than an iPhone or iPod Touch?

I cannot carry it around as easily as my iPhone or iPod Touch, and it cannot do as much as my laptop.  Is it really worth $499 for the starting model or as much as $829 + celluar charges (3G data plan)?

If money were no object, I would definitely get one.  But for now, money is a consideration. So I am going to wait to see what new applications come out and read some other reviews before I get one.

What is your opinion?  Are you going to get an Apple iPad?

Cheers,
Richard

A friend just showed me a great deal, that is only available for a limited time.

You can save $100 on the purchase of an iPod Nano! Or, a Kindle, a GPS, or almost any other MP3 player.

Does it sound too good to be true?  It’s not.  Okay, there is a little catch.  This deal is not for everyone.  But if you like to listen to books while driving, running, taking a walk, or sleeping this is for you.

The catch is very simple.  Sign up for a subscription to Audible and you get $100 off any qualifying product.

Just click on this picture of an iPod Nano. It will take you to a new page. Scroll down to the Special Offers and Product Promotions section for details. I hope you find this useful. Please continue to let me know of any special deals you come across.

Cheers,
Richard

If you are having problems viewing this video, CLICK HERE

On the 9th, Apple introduced the new iPod Touch and 3.1 operating system (OS).

I want to tell you everything about the iPod Touch and the new OS, but don’t know where to start.  There is way too much. The iPod touch is more than just an iPod music player.  Way more.  You can think of all the other iPods, nano and shuffle and classic, but that is not quite right.  Maybe it is better to think of the iPhone just without the phone and without the 3G cellular data network.

What does that mean?

Any of these features would take pages to describe, so I will just barely touch on them here and figure out a way to share more information with you over time.

The iPod touch is a:

• Full fledged iPod music and video player — You can listen to music, get genius mixes (new) and playlists, use voice control (new), watch movies and TV shows, use Apple earphones withe remote and mic (new)*.
• A gaming machine — Play games by yourself or with friends across the room or across the globe. The new 32 GB and 64 models have improved performance and graphics.  Games take advantage of such features as Multi-Touch and te built-in Accelerometer.
• A very portable computer — There are over 75,000 applications** that you can download from the iTunes store.  Although you do not have the cellular data network like the iPhone, the iPod Touch is amazingly powerful and portable using the faster built-in Wifi wireless connectivity. You can surf the web, send and receive emails, do social networking via Facebook, twitter, Aim, LinkedIn, and more.  You can use Google maps to find your location and get directions, find restaurants, track expenses, and so much more.  The 32 GB and 64 GB models support improved performance (new) so applications launch faster and web pages load faster. And, (I can’t believe this one took so long), you can now copy and paste text, pictures, and phone numbers.

There are three models:

• 8 GB ($199)
  1,750 songs, 10 hours of videos, or 10,000 photos. Upto 30 hours of music playback or upto 6 hours of video playback*
• 32 GB ($299) – New
  7,000 songs, 40 hours of videos, or 40,000 photos. Upto 30 hours of music playback or upto 6 hours of video playback
• 64 GB ($399) – New
  14,000 songs, 80 hours of videos, or 90,000 photos. Upto 30 hours of music playback or upto 6 hours of video playback

Like I said, the iPod Touch is just like the iPhone, except it does not does not have a phone and does not connect to the 3g cellular data network, which saves $30+/month.  However, with the built-in Bluetooth and WiFi it is amazingly close and convenient.  I carry my iPhone with me everywhere and have downloaded over 100 applications (mostly free).  I love it!!

Cheers,
Richard

PS  Please be on the look out for more information and videos from me on the iPods and iPhone.  Also, feel free to leave me a comment or question using the link below or email me using the Contact Us page.

Note:
*    The 8GB model is the only one that does not support the Earphones with Remote and Mic.
** There are over 75,000 applications.  Some are free, but some you have to pay for.  Most applications come with a free “lite” version, where you can see what the application does, then an upgrade version that you pay a small fee for.  Most pay apps are only $0.99, but they can go up in price depending on the application. It is extremely easy to find and download apps using the built-in App Store or on your computer using iTunes. Some applications only work is certain areas, and a few only work on the iPhone.

But, for me it missed three features that would make it complete: A still picture camera, a video camera, and a radio. Well their newest version comes so close.  They did not add the still picture camera, but they exceeded my expectations with the video camera and the radio.

The video camera allows you to now take video wherever you are.  It has a built-in mic and speakers too, so you can record audio and play back your videos on the spot.  I am not sure yet, whether you can use the speaker to listen to your music and the radio, or if you need to use your headphones for that.

You can sync your videos to your computer using iTunes, or your favorite photo software.  You can then email your video or upload it to YouTube, FaceBook, MobileMe, or almost any other video site you want.

They even added some special effects.  That’s right, you can choose from 15 special effects to make your video more interesting.  You have to choose the special effect first, then start your recording, which means you have to get it right the first time.  Some of the special effects are: thermal, mirror, x-ray, motion blur, sepai, cyborg, film grain and more.

Now, for the radio.  How many times have you been listening to the radio and get an interruption and wished that you could pause it for a moment?  The radio in the new iPod Nano allows you to do that and more!  That’s right, it actually not only allows you to pause live radio for up to 15 minutes, but you can go backwards to replay what you just heard or missed.  I LOVE that.

I also love that the radio shows you the name of the song and artist that is playing.  I have a terrible memory, but always want to know who and what I am listening to.  They even took that a step further.  They added Tagging.  That’s right, while listening to a song, simply use the click wheel to Tag the song you are listening to.  Then, when you get back to your computer and sync your iPod using iTunes, it gives you a list of your tagged songs and, of course,  the option to preview and buy them. One little catch: the tagging feature is on available in the US and only on radio stations that support it.

The 5th generation iPod Nano also supports music Genius, a feature that searches your music library and creates playlists of songs that go great together. The iPod Nano also has Apple’s Nike Pedometer to track your steps when running or walking.  Nike shoes and the iPod sports kit are required and are extra.

There are two versions, the 8GB model ($149) which approximately 1750 songs and the 16 GB model ($179) which holds about 3500 songs.

All in all, I am very impressed with the features of the Apple’s 5th generation iPod Nano.

If I didn’t already own an iPhone, which I love, I would get the Nano right away.  I am currently trying to figure out who I can get one for as a gift.

Cheers,
Richard ]]> http://www.mpnspecials.com/apples-new-ipod-nano-5th-generation/feed/ 1 http://www.mpnspecials.com/apples-new-ipod-shuffle-3rd-generation/ http://www.mpnspecials.com/apples-new-ipod-shuffle-3rd-generation/#comments Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:48:10 +0000 rbl http://www.mpnspecials.com/?p=1368

Apple’s smallest iPod in it’s line up of the world’s most popular music players is the first player to talk to you.  That’s right, it actually talks to you.

It asks you how you are doing, if you are having a good day, tells you the weather, and more.  It even tells you the names of the songs titles, artists, and playlists.  Okay, I am kidding about it asking about your day and the weather, but it does speak the name of the songs, artists, and playlists on your iPod.  This a a big step forward for the shuffle since it is the only iPod that does not have a display.

Before, you had to do your best to remember the information or take your best guess.  Now you know!

All controls, play, pause, volume, playlist selection, and VoiceOver are conveniently located on the headphone cord.  Apple offers two headphone options: their standard Earphones, and the Apple In-Ear Headphones. You can also get headphones from some of your favorite manufacturers, such as: Sony, Scosche, Klipsch, and V-MODA.  If you want to use your own headphones with the iPod Shuffle, you can get a headphone adapter from either Belkin or Scosche.

As typical, it comes in two versions, the 2GB model for $59 and the $4GB model for $79.  It is available in silver, black, pink, blue, and green.  The 2GB model holds approximately 500 songs, and the 4GB model holds approximately 1000 songs.

Today is a great day!  What a fun day.

Apple announced three new product upgrades that dazzle and amaze.  They have taken three great little products and made them a little more powerful and a lot more fun. If you are like me, you are probably asking yourself: “Should I upgrade or not?”

Well, the answer to that is a rather personal one. Whether or not to upgrade, depends on you. I will tell you the things I think about when making that decision and then, in the next few days I will tell you what new features each product now has and go into more detail about each of them.

This might be obvious to some, but when deciding whether or not to upgrade, here are a few things to think about:
1) What features do you currently use and which ones will you really use if you had them?
2) Are these features a necessity for what you do, or just a fun novelty?
3) Can you afford to upgrade? Can you sell your old one on eBay or Craigslist, or maybe gift it to a family member as a gift?

Please send me your considerations either by comment below, or via the Contact Us page.

In the next few days, I will be describing some of the new features and ranking my upgrade thoughts on them.

Cheers,
Richard