The news that New Yorker music writer Sasha Frere-Jones has joined the crowdsourced annotation site Genius has highlighted the ambitions of the service, which wants to help experts edit the entire internet
The move follows Apple’s decision to stop airing the ads on TV after a week. Some thought the campaign portrayed Apple customers as hapless or clueless. Apple’s decision to disappear the ads from the web too shows Apple’s embarrassment over the public reaction.
Thanks to the rating systems in place on such popular websites as Yelp, Amazon and eBay, many people are comfortable evaluating things in absolute terms: a two-star restaurant, a B movie and so on. But new MIT research says this approach is fundamentally flawed.
On the 10th anniversary of Apple Retail, it is amazing to consider the great success that the company has had with a program many thought was doomed to fail. A big part of the secret to that success can be attributed to Apple’s openness to change.
This morning, as is part of my ritual when waking up, I checked for app updates on both my iPhone and iPad. When doing so on the iPad, I noticed that the Genius feature had been released sometime while I slept.
Just days before the iPad lands in our hands, Apple has updated iTunes to version 9.1 so that we can sync content onto the new device just as soon as we post our unboxing photos to Twitter. iTunes 9.1 provides the ability to sync books from the iBooks app and adds some improvements for managing Genius Mixes.
Though some critics like to vilify Apple (s aapl) for its practice of building devices with inaccessible batteries, the benefits definitely outweigh the consequences for such a tradeoff. The MacBook Pros are rated for up to eight hours of battery life, the iPod nanos get up to 24 hours of audio playback and the new iPad is touted to go for 10 hours on a single charge. But what happens when your iPad doesn’t get a great charge anymore? Similar to programs in place for the MacBook Pros and iPhones, Apple has announced its iPad Battery Replacement program and it’s not a bad option, all things considered.
The rules are pretty simple. If your iPad no longer holds a charge as good as it used to, you can pay Apple a service fee ($99 plus $6.95 shipping) and it will replace it. Of course, if your iPad is damaged because of an accident, neglect, liquid contact or if there is another hardware issue, then Apple reserves the right to say “No, sorry.” Fortunately though, unless your glass screen has been smashed, Apple is rarely picky on these types of issues. If your device turns on and displays what its supposed to on the screen and can connect to a computer to sync, it’s pretty much eligible for a battery replacement. Read More about iPad Battery Replacement Program
Having spent a day with iTunes 9 and OS 3.1 on an iPhone and iPod touch, I find that I am completely smitten with a feature I pretty much completely ignored before yesterday. I’m referring to Genius, which hadn’t lived up to its name until this latest retooling.
Since upgrading to iTunes 9, I’ve used Genius Mixes exclusively on both my computer and my portable devices. Contrast this to the two or three times I ever used a Genius playlist since their introduction in iTunes 8. Read More about iTunes 9 Genius: It’s in the Mix
Sometimes I think to myself, “How can I get more of my money into Apple’s coffers?” Apparently Apple (s aapl) knows this is a concern of mine, so it introduced direct ringtone purchasing in iPhone OS 3.1. That’s not all that’s there, but it is one of the major changes in this incremental update.
Also new in 3.1 is a relaxation of the API limitations! Just kidding. But there are some nice user-side improvements that make it easier to forget about all the fuss surrounding the App Store lately. Read More about iPhone OS 3.1 Brings More Ways to Give Apple Your Money
For many of us, the iPhone has become a staple item in our daily assortment of tech gear. Like any product that gets heavy use on a daily basis, sometimes it can fail. For the iPhone, that means a trip to the often crowded Genius Bar for help. Now as more consumers are adopting the digital device, Apple is facing an increasing number of iPhones in need of repair. The good news for consumers is, the majority of those repairs can now be done by your local Genius.
