¶ Five Years of iPhone

Five years ago today the original iPhone was released. I lived in South Dakota at the time, which, back in 2007, didn’t have an iota of AT&T service (now the entire state has it).

I do, however, remember the first time I saw an iPhone. It was July 16, 2007. Two days after I married Karen. My bride and I were sitting in the Denver airport, awaiting our connecting flight to Seattle. A young woman sat down next to me, on my left, and she pulled out an iPhone. I politely asked her a few questions about it, and after a couple moments she received a phone call.

A few days later Karen and I made our way to an Apple Store in Seattle, specifically because I wanted to play with an iPhone. The store was packed, and I had to wait a few moments to have a chance to try out one of the many display models.

When I picked up an iPhone for the first time, I was blown away. The fit and finish of that original iPhone was mesmerizing. I immediately went to Safari and looked at my website on it. I went into the iPod app and checked out Cover Flow, which was completely novel at the time (I honestly can’t stand it now). I watched a minute or two of an episode of LOST. And then…

…then I wondered if it would be okay to make a phone call. All the staff were quite busy. I decided to give it a whirl. I called my parents back in South Dakota. As I recall, they were a little surprised to hear my voice when the Caller ID said Apple was calling.

Then I called my friend Nathan, who — just days earlier — stood with me as a groomsman at my wedding. Nathan and I have always enjoyed discussing technology.

I left the Apple Store knowing I desperately wanted an iPhone. But, without any sort of service (not even roaming, as South Dakota only had CDMA towers at the time) in my state of residence, I knew I could be waiting a while.

I was satiated a couple months later with the release of the iPod touch. The iPod touch started out extremely sparse compared to the iPhone. This was, after all, before the App Store. It came with just a few built-in apps. That January, Apple gladly took $20 from me to add Mail, Notes, Weather, Stocks, and Maps.

In the Spring of 2008, we decided to move to Lincoln, NE. It turned out that Lincoln had AT&T. Fast-forward to July 11, 2008. Here I am, standing in line in Omaha at the Apple Store for the iPhone 3G. Karen was pregnant and due at pretty much any moment, so, I was a little nervous about being an hour away.

I got the iPhone 3G, and had it set up a while later. Four days later, my son was born. It is amazing how useful the iPhone was the day he was born. I timed contractions using the built-in stopwatch. And while I didn’t take the first photos of him with the iPhone, the first one most of our friends & family saw was taken with it. I had drafted an email a couple days earlier, leaving blanks for length, weight, time of birth, etc. I had also set up a MobileMe Gallery (because the iPhone couldn’t copy & paste yet) and inserted that link into the draft. So, I took a photo of Jonathan, uploaded it to the gallery, filled in the statistical information and sent it off. I did all that without needing to leave the side of my resting wife & son. Without needing to pull out a laptop.

I’ll never forget my son’s birth. And in those memories, the iPhone is there. It sounds silly (believe me, it does). But the iPhone played a very important role that day.

In this day and age, our phones are important to us. They are certainly the most personal computer we own. They are almost always within arm’s reach. We plug them in to charge right before going to sleep. We pick them up to check the news and weather and what not moments after awakening.

In one way, that can seem quite sad and pathetic. In another way, the barrier of technology in our lives has melted away. I can’t imagine feeling this close of a connection with the Motorola RAZR I owned five years ago. I can’t imagine not having my iPhone today.

I often think about the future. Much of that thinking is spawned by watching my son, who is about to turn 4 years old in a few weeks. He has Karen’s old iPod touch, with all the restrictions turned on, and loaded with kid games and Pixar movies. He knows what our Macs are, and he is interested in them a little. But not like his iPod. Not like our iPhones. And certainly not like my iPad.

My son has never known a day of his life without one of these devices present. Certain apps on his iPod helped him learn how to read and write earlier than many of his peers (you read that right, he can read a book on his own and has a pretty good grasp on early writing, and he isn’t even 4! Sorry about the Daddy Brag, but I’m proud of him!).

There isn’t a doubt in my mind that when he goes to college, he’ll take something that looks more like an iPad than a MacBook. Heck, typing on a screen may very well be the way he learns to type.

A lot has changed in the past five years of computing. I think you’d be hard pressed to argue that the iPhone isn’t the catalyst that inspired or outright started those changes.

Here’s to the next five years.

¶ WWDC 2012 | Next Generations

While it could be said of just about any product announcement, Apple seemed to have a clear message earlier this week at WWDC 2012: the coming year is about the next generations of hardware and software.

By generations, I don't simply mean just a slight reiteration from last year. I mean the next year will set the foundations for the next decade of products.

Apple touched on three major areas of their ecosystem — Mac hardware, OS X, and iOS.

Mac

We all love new Macs, right? Well, Apple refreshed their entire notebook lineup. The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models received some very nice revisions.

MacBook Air

The MacBook Air received the latest Intel processors and integrated graphics, faster RAM, a faster solid-state drive, USB 3, and an upgraded FaceTime camera which now captures HD at 720p. It also received a new iteration of MagSafe, Apple's magnetic power port. MagSafe 2 is thinner.

Another nice upgrade is what exactly you can upgrade. You can order an Air with up to 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. Basically the computer I'd really like to have if I had to replace mine.

MacBook Pro

The MacBook Pro as we know it received better processors and graphics, as well as USB 3. And that's about it.

The Next Generation MacBook Pro

Ever since the MacBook Air's big revamp in 2010 — the one where the Air really started to sell like hotcakes — many of us have wondered when we'd either see a 15-inch version of the Air or if the MacBook Pro would begin to take after the Air.

Hint: it's the latter.

Apple imagined what a powerhouse of a notebook computer would look like without all the legacy technology. Hard drive? Gone, replaced by an SSD. Optical drive? Gone. FireWire 800? Usurped by Thunderbolt and USB 3. Ethernet port? Too big, gone. And it sports the new MagSafe 2 port.

What we have ended up with is a 15-inch notebook that is lightning fast and weighs as much as the old-style 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Oh, and it has a retina display.

Talk about a dream computer.

It's also very expensive — starting at $2200. But it would serve us well to remember the first MacBook Air in 2008 — that was very expensive, too. And its second take was much more affordable.

This new MacBook Pro is the clear vision of what Apple plans to do with all their portables. Thin & light. Super fast. Retina displays.

I envision within a couple years time Apple's notebook lineup will pretty much be the 15-inch MacBook Pro and the 11- and 13-inch MacBook Air equipped with retina displays.

This new MacBook Pro is the forerunner for the future of the Mac as we know it.

OS X Mountain Lion

One of the best kept secrets in recent Mac history has been OS X Mountain Lion. I remember waking up and reading tweets about Mountain Lion's existence back in February and being completely surprised.

Mountain Lion is the cat that eluded the rumor mill.

Well, now we know when we'll get our hands on it and how much it will cost. We'll see it in July on the Mac App Store for $20. For comparison, Snow Leopard and Lion each cost $30.

And, if you are one of those who is still on Snow Leopard, you can go directly to Mountain Lion for the same $20.

I can't wait for Mountain Lion. It will bring tighter iCloud integration, separating Notes from Mail and Reminders from iCloud and into their own respective apps. Not to mention finally bringing Documents in the Cloud to the Mac.

iMessage, the fantastic way to not use text messages on iOS devices, is coming in the form of the new Messages app, which replaces iChat.

In iOS 5, Apple revamped Notifications to have fairly unobtrusive banner alerts that roll in for a few seconds, then roll away. And with a simple gesture, you can bring in the Notification Center which stores all of your notifications.

Apple is bring that same concept to the Mac, giving a universal notification interface, and a gesture-activated Notification Center.

Mountain Lion also integrates Twitter and Facebook, which should be quite handy.

Two things that were revealed at WWDC that we didn't know about Mountain Lion before are Power Nap and Dictation.

Power Nap is for Macs that come standard with an solid-state drive. These Macs will be able to update Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Reminders, Notes, Photo Stream, Find My Mac, and Documents in the Cloud — all while the Mac is closed and/or sleeping. And, if plugged into power, it can check for and download software updates, and back up to Time Machine.

Dictation is something we first saw in the iPhone 4S, accompanying Siri, and in the retina display iPad. I have been using dictation like crazy with my iPad the past couple months, so I am thrilled that it is coming to the Mac. Simply place your cursor where you want text, tap the fn key twice, and speak away.

There is a lot more coming to Mountain Lion, which you can check out here. And of course I'll go over it in detail once Mountain Lion is released.

iOS 6

Lastly, Apple showed off iOS 6 for the first time, available this fall. It has a significant smattering of refinements, but Apple detailed ten up close.

Siri is getting smarter and coming to the Retina iPad. You'll be able to find out scores and stats for sports, find reviews and showtimes for movies (and even ask for a trailer to be played), make reservations at restaurants, and — my favorite — launch an app by name. Siri can also tweet and post to Facebook.

Speaking of Facebook, that is coming baked into iOS in the same way Twitter did last year. In addition to using Siri to speak updates into the two big social networks, there will be tweet and post buttons in Notification Center. All of this will be great for me, as I often just want to quickly publish a quip without having to spend time loading up an app.

Photo Stream is getting a sharing component, which will hopefully make it easier for me to get pictures of my son to the grandparents in a more timely manner (I have severely neglected Flickr).

We'll also get to use FaceTime over cellular, though I imagine many of us, at least in the USA, will force ourselves to use it on Wi-Fi, since many of us now have limited data plans.

The phone app is getting a nice little feature to decline a phone call and either follow up with a canned message or set a reminder to call the person back. I can definitely think of a handful of situations where this will be very useful.

The iPhone is also getting a new app called Passbook, which will store things such as boarding passes, movie tickets, coupons, and gift cards. A nice touch with Passbook is that can alert you if your flight's gate changes or a coupon is about to expire. It can also put a notification on your lock screen when you go into the coffee shop that your gift card is from or when you arrive at the airport.

Speaking of Notifications, iOS 6 is bringing a feature called Do Not Disturb, something I have desired for some time. And it works exactly how I imagined. Flip the Do Not Disturb switch and notifications will no longer make sounds nor light up the screen. You can even schedule the hours in which you sleep.

In typical Apple fashion, they have paid attention to the details with Do Not Disturb. You can set exemptions for phone calls, such as your Favorites list or another group. Also, if someone calls you twice within three minutes, the call will go through, as it may be an emergency. I am literally ecstatic about this feature.

By far the biggest announcement for iOS 6 is that Apple is ditching Google Maps as the provider for the Maps app. Apple has rolled its own mapping solution, bringing vector-based maps (the tiles won't have to reload as you change the zoom level), turn-by-turn navigation, and a new view called Flyover, which gives a 3D, bird's-eye view of cities. The feature set is impressive and Apple's cartography is stunningly beautiful.

There are a few other things about iOS 6 that I haven't taken the time to cover, so I suggest you go check out the preview page.

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Apple has definitely set the bar high for the future of Mac hardware. OS X is becoming more in tune with its sibling iOS, and iOS is taking a few cues from OS X. The new, more annual development schedule of OS X is helping to keep it and iOS in parity.

And iOS 6 is really showing one big theme: Apple is hurting Google where it counts — eyeballs, or rather the lack of them — on Google's ads. Google has sponsored locations in Apple's Maps app. That's going away. Siri is bypassing what many people would use Google Search for and giving results directly from great sources. And Passbook has the potential to put the hurt on Google Wallet. The message is clear — Google was unwise to make an enemy of Apple.

Maps were essential for Apple to bring in-house. Siri and Passbook are chipping away at what is left.

All in all, Apple is leading the way forward to the next generation, where Apple defines the entire experience.

¶ What I'd Like Apple to Take Away in iOS 6

In a few days Apple will give its keynote address at WWDC, where it will more likely than not show off OS X Mountain Lion in final detail and offer a glimpse of what is to come in iOS 6 this fall.

In years past, I have led up to WWDC with my predictions and/or wish list of features I want added.

I’ve decided to try something different this year. While there are many things I would like to see added to iOS, there’s a few things I’d actually like to see taken away.

Cover Flow

I remember when I got the first iPod touch, I loved rotating it sideways and flipping through album covers to select songs. There’s a problem with Cover Flow, though: it’s more beautiful than it is functional. Quite frankly, it just isn’t that easy to use. I invoke it accidentally far more than purposely these days.

The novelty is gone. Maybe it is just because I have grown out of Cover Flow’s eye candy, but I have to wonder if new users to the iPhone and iPod touch find any usefulness in Cover Flow.

I wouldn’t mind seeing Cover Flow find its way to retirement in iOS 6. It makes for a neat demo to a new user, but more often than not it just introduces friction and lag when it pops up at the slight tilt of your hand.

Ping

Speaking of lag, the Ping integration in the Music app is a constant source of frustration for me. I find that I cannot act on the play/pause or track forward/backward buttons until Ping has polled Apple’s servers for whether I have previously “liked” or commented on a song.

This is one more thing that I think could be pruned from an overcrowded Music app, let alone the entire iTunes ecosystem.

Google’s Maps Data

There have been plenty of rumors going around that Apple will ditch Google’s map data from the Maps app in favor of its own data in iOS 6. I hope they come true.

Don’t get me wrong, Google’s maps are a fantastic service that I use nearly every day, and the data is very comprehensive.

But I just don’t think Apple can afford to rely on Google for such an important part of iOS when they are each other’s top competitors.

YouTube

The YouTube app seems slightly irrelevant these days, given that is somewhat out of date with YouTube’s current feature set, and YouTube’s mobile site is more than functional. Heck, let Google roll their own YouTube app onto the App Store.

I just don’t see much advantage to having a built-in YouTube app anymore. And let’s face it, the icon is hideous.

Newsstand

And speaking of icons, it seems Newsstand is reviled by nearly everyone I know with an iPhone or iPad. I would like a way to at least hide the Newsstand icon when it is empty. I do not subscribe to any Newsstand apps, and I don’t foresee myself doing so any time soon.

So, instead, I have Newsstand shoved off onto the very last page of my home screen. I’d rather be able to toggle it off and keep it out of sight.

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I have a much larger mental list running of things I’d like to see improved or added to iOS. The fact there are so few things I’d like to see removed is a testament to how well Apple has done in making an overall appealing system.

The New Nike+

I started using Nike+ with my second-gen iPod nano in January 2007. I ran weekly for a solid 6 months, right up to my wedding. But that final month was painful. As a complete novice, I had no idea that all running shoes were not created equal. I had the wrong shoe for my feet, and I developed a really bad injury to my left foot.

I pretty much took a couple years off, only running occasionally.

I decided to get serious about it again in January 2011 by starting to train for a 5k to take place that March. I went to a running store and was fitted with a proper set of shoes, and I used Nike+ to track my progress, and Felt Tip's excellent Run5k (née Couch to 5k) to give me a training plan.

I've always enjoyed Nike+. I think it is a creative system to encourage fitness, and I need a lot of encouragement. I use their Nike+GPS app in lieu of the built-in Nike+ app on my iPhone now, as Nike has shown more love to the service than Apple has in recent years.

My one longstanding gripe with Nike+ has been the site has been entirely written in Adobe's Flash since its inception. I'm not a big fan of Flash.

Today, Nike launched the new Nike+. It's built on HTML5, and is refocused around Nike Fuel — Nike's metric for measuring different types of activity throughout the day. Gone is the white and orange interface, along with the comical — and useless —"mini" characters. Now there is a sleek white and black interface with green accents.

Everything is smoother and faster. Maps of your runs have a more interactive feel to them, graphs look sharp, and information is easily accessible.

This reworking of Nike+ has been needed for a very long time, and I am pumped to finally use it.

¶ Fussy Coffee

On episode 87 of The Talk Show, John Gruber jokingly shared the three things necessary for becoming Internet Famous:

• You must have a fussy way to make coffee.
• You must have a clicky keyboard.
• You must have a Sodastream, so you can over-carbonate your water.

Now, I do not have a clicky keyboard, nor do I have the desire to have one. I would gladly accept a Sodastream, as I love carbonated water with a little lime in it. I do, however, make my coffee in an extremely fussy way.

I start off my coffee making process by setting my Cuisinart PerfecTemp kettle to 200°F. While that heats the water for a few minutes, I weigh out 12g of coffee beans from my favorite local roaster.

Here is where the fussiness sets in. I then grind my coffee manually in a Hario MSS-1B Mini Mill Slim grinder. After grinding the beans, I use an AeroPress to brew a single cup of coffee into my awesome coffee mug.

I repeat this process 3-5 times a day.

So why bring all this up, other than to give fellow coffee nerds a peek at my secret public vice?

It's a matter of craft. The built-in OS X dictionary's primary definition of craft is:

an activity involving skill in making things by hand

An alternative definition is:

skill in carrying out one's work

It is often all too easy in this digitally driven world to lose the tangibility of accomplishment. When you labor physically to make something excellent — yes, even a cup of coffee — you benefit greatly from the achievement.

As far as coffee goes, my comparatively laborious method yields a much better tasting cup of coffee than my automatic dripolator can provide. Quality over quantity.

As our society has moved to the intangible, it has become easy to forget what craftsmanship looks like. People scoff when a great app is not free. A dollar is deemed as spendy when it comes to software, for example.

But you know what I noticed? Many of the very best apps — the ones where it is apparent that the developer sweats every detail — cost more than a buck. It's these kinds of apps that are my favorite. And that is because their makers are true craftsmen. And I'd wager that they sweat the details and fuss over other tangible things, as well.

I think what I am really trying to get at is if put a lot of care and detail into something tangible, it will help you to apply that same care and detail into intangible work.

Get fussy.

Verifone Rips Off Square with Sail Reader

I’ve written in the past about Verifone’s malevolent tendencies toward my favorite payment processor, Square. Now, Verifone has come out with their own card reader that works with iOS and Android devices via the headphone jack, and they call it Sail.

This thing looks like they took Square’s handsome reader and added a giant dingus on the back. I carry my Square reader in the little coin pocket of my jeans. I have no idea where I would carry this turd from Verifone. Also, their screenshots of their digital receipts look almost identical to Square’s.

It looks like the percentage per transaction is the same as Square’s, but Verifone also offers a lower 1.95% if you pay $10/month. Maybe that will be attractive to some folks. I wonder if Verifone still requires a merchant account? Square never has.

All in all, this move tells me that Square has been eating a significant portion of Verifone’s lunch, and Verifone is scared that it will go a little hungry.

¶ The 7-inch Apple "Tablet"

There has been a lot of buzz lately about a 7-inch Apple tablet — specifically a 7.85-inch tablet — supposedly in the works in Cupertino.

I’ve been thinking about such a tablet for a while now, and wondered whether such a thing, if brought to market, would be labeled as part of the iPad family. To me, it makes far more sense to move the iPod touch product line up to this mid-range screen size.

Odi Kosmatos crunched some numbers and discovered that the difference between 7-inches and 7.85-inches is everything:

Perhaps you’ve read these Steve Jobs quotes before, they go something like this:

“The 7-inch form factor is not a good size for tablet applications” and “7-inch tablets should come with sandpaper, so that users can file down their fingers so they can use them.“

Note the words in bold.

Every rumor and theory about a smaller iPad I have seen seems to claim it will be 7.85″ with a 1024×768 screen. If that were the case, Steve Jobs would be right on the money with the above quotes. A 7.85″ 1024×768 display would be appropriate if the smaller tablet were designed to run iPad applications, because these applications could run unscaled on the device, at a 1:1 pixel ratio. However, the PPI of that 7.85″ screen would be 163. But the size of the user interface elements on iPad applications are tailored for a 132 PPI screen. If squeezed into 163 PPI, every button and control would become smaller, harder to accurately touch. Hence the need for sandpaper.

The same argument applies if the 7.85″ tablet had a retina display with the same resolution as the new iPad’s 2048×1536. It would have 326 PPI, but the UI elements of retina iPad applications are designed for 264 PPI. Sandpaper required.

But consider if the new tablet had a 7″ screen. What’s so special about 7″? A couple of very interesting things.

A 7″ diagonal screen (7.08″ to be exact) just happens to be the exact size of two by two iPod touch retina displays. That’s a 4″ x 6″ display surface. An iPod touch screen has 326 PPI. The 7″ screen would also have 326 PPI just like iPhones and iPods. This would yield a resolution of 1920 x 1280. This resolution would be able to run current retina iPhone applications pixel perfect using the traditional 4:1 pixel scaling, like retina displays do with non-retina apps.

What’s so special about that? By running iPhone applications on a larger screen, as opposed to running iPad applications on a smaller screen, you don’t need the sandpaper anymore. Heck, if you have fat fingers, you’ll rejoice. Larger touch targets are just easier to hit, but still look amazing, especially text, which will be drawn using the full 1920 x 1280 resolution. Anyone that finds the iPod touch or iPhone screen slightly cramped would love it, and could continue to enjoy amazing apps like iMovie, iPhoto, and other apps designed for iPhone.

I have no doubt a 7.85-inch tablet-like device exists in Apple’s labs. I also have no doubt a 7.08-inch device exists. Of course Apple plays around with different approaches to products. I’m sure Apple has both a larger iPod and a smaller iPad, and they are testing which is best.

Everyone has focused on the smaller iPad because the iPad is the new hotness. I am much more interested in what a larger iPod would bring to the mid-range.

Here’s how I see it:

• The iPhone needs to fit in your hand and your pocket comfortably, hence its 3.5-inch screen.
• The iPod touch, to date, has been modeled after the iPhone. This is mainly due to transitioning from the old iPod classic size and to simplify software design. Apps made for the iPhone work on the iPod touch. Simple.
• The iPad is great, and its large screen, while not as portable as some would like, is comparable to a glossy magazine in both size and quality. Its keyboard is very comfortable in landscape, and in portrait, if you split the keyboard.
• There seems to be plenty of people that want something larger than an iPhone but not as large as an iPad.

That last bullet point is where I see the opportunity for the iPod to move to. I think iPad apps would feel cramped. But if iPhone/iPod interfaces could be scaled up at retina resolution to a 7-inch screen, I think that would satisfy most people desiring a mid-range screen. Thumb-typing would still be comfortable. Text and pictures would be sharp. Developers wouldn’t need to rewrite the book again. And, most of all, the iPod line would be given new life.

When the first iPad was announced, it was derided by many as being “just a big iPod touch”. That clearly has not been the case, because software differentiated it. But does that mean there isn’t a market for an actual “big iPod touch”? I think a 7-inch retina display iPod would grab the corner of the market that Amazon is currently aiming at with the Kindle Fire. It isn’t a full-featured tablet, like an iPad. It isn’t a full telecommunication device, like an iPhone. But it is the best of both worlds for certain people — the people who want a little more screen than an iPhone but want more pocketability than an iPad.

For instance, my three-year-old son uses a second-generation iPod touch filled with kid games, educational apps, children’s books, and Pixar movies. He usually uses it for an hour or two after his nap, and he loves it. But, boy, does he look at my iPad with envious eyes. He loves the larger screen. I do not love him toting around an iPad that is as big as his entire torso.

A 7-inch iPod would be fantastic for him. It’s the perfect size for a young child. I imagine there are many adults who would enjoy it as well.

All-in-all, if Apple is planning to bring a device with a screen in the 7-inch ballpark to market, I think I’d rather see the iPod touch grow up a little, rather than the iPad get squeezed into a smaller screen.

¶ iPad Neue

The New iPad. Plain and simple. To the point. This is not a name that is inappropriate, as iPad HD would have implied — HD doesn’t do the chief quality of the new device justice. This is also not a name implying succession, as iPad 3 would have.

No, this name has a distinct purpose. Not to merely be the next in an already established lineage, but to set a new standard for the forthcoming lineage. The New iPad.

There is — usually — a lot of thought that goes into a name. My wife and I, when she was pregnant with our son, chose a name with purpose. We wanted him to know that great care and meticulous detail was put into his name. I hope the meaning of his name serves as a guide for him throughout his life.

Many people have been complaining about the name Apple chose for the latest iPad yesterday — that it is simply “iPad” or, if you will, “the new iPad”. Well, much like my wife and I thought long and hard about the character and message we wanted our son’s name to impress upon him as he ages, I have to believe the people at Apple took the same care with naming something so dear to their hearts. Why do I think this? It’s what Tim Cook said in his closing at yesterday’s event (strong emphasis is mine):

“Only Apple could deliver this kind of innovation, in such a beautiful, integrated, and easy-to-use way. It’s what we love to do. It’s what we stand for. And across the year, you’re going to see a lot more of this kind of innovation. We are just getting started.”

These people are not just software and hardware engineers. No, they are artists, and aluminum, silicon, glass, bits, and pixels are the vehicle through which they express their craft.

The new iPad improves upon the past in the field of vision, and it does this primarily in two ways. The improved optics of the camera, putting on par with the iPhone, and the Retina display. It can capture what you see, and show it to you in a way that will move you to wonderment.

Everything else the new iPad brings — super-fast mobile data, faster graphics, more efficient Bluetooth, — that’s all on the inside. It’s impressive to some, but many will not think of these things.

What we see is what we will remember. This is the new foundation Apple will build upon.

¶ iPad 3 Event Predictions for Fun and Profit

Some quick and dirty educated guesses for tomorrow’s event:

• A new iPad with a retina display. Probably will have a lot of other neat stuff, but I’m stopping at retina display because that is the only thing I am truly positive about.
• iPhoto for iPad. Heck, maybe for iPhone and iPod, too. It’s the missing piece to complement iMovie and GarageBand.
• iOS 5.1 with easier access to the camera from the lock screen, plus other goodies.
• A new Apple TV set-top box that does 1080p, still at $99.
• Not sure on this, but I’d love to see an Apple universal remote with a touchscreen that could control all my home entertainment crap.

I think it is quite a modest list, and I’m feeling pretty confident on everything but the remote. See you all tomorrow.

¶ The Disappearing Home Button Caper

As is natural with Apple press invitations for events, folks like to look for hidden meaning in them. Many have noticed that yesterday’s invitation for next week’s iPad event doesn’t show a home button on the iPad’s bezel.

And people have lost their minds over it.

My Twitter timeline has been filled with people thinking Apple is going to kill off the home button next week. Conversing with some folks, I’ve heard that the multitouch gestures that can be enabled in Settings on an iPad running iOS 5 were the beta test for getting rid of the home button.

So many seem to think Apple will either rely on gestures, or introduce a capacitive home button. One even suggested that there may be a capacitive home button on each side, so the iPad will become orientation agnostic.

I have some arguments for why I think Apple will not be saying goodbye to the home button as we know it.

The Argument Against Gestures-Only

iOS 5 introduced the ability to turn on multitouch gestures to control quickly changing between apps, revealing or hiding the multitask bar, and closing an app. These are all accomplished by swiping four or five fingers right or left, up, down, and doing a full hand pinch, respectively.

I can’t remember if the multitouch gestures are enabled by default or not on iOS 5, but let’s say they are, since they would have to be if the iPad dropped a home button of any sort. How many people do you think actually know they exist? I seriously doubt my mom knows about them. I am certain my father-in-law doesn’t. And you know why? They aren’t obvious.

The home button is right there, on the front of the device, beckoning to be pushed. It doesn’t take much to figure out its primary function — closing an app and taking you home. The button even has the rounded square outline of an app on it.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the gestures to switch apps and close an app quickly without having to tap the home button. I use them all the time. But you know what else I use all the time on my Mac? Keyboard shortcuts.

Complex multitouch gestures are the keyboard shortcuts of an iPad.

Not to mention that complex gestures involving four or five fingers would really suck if you were missing a couple fingers. And if you take a stroll through the accessibility settings on OS X or iOS, you’ll quickly realize that Apple greatly caters to folks with disabilities.

Also, if Apple exiles the home button from the iPad, it would make sense to do the same with the next iPhone. How in the world would you easily achieve a complex gesture on a 3.5-inch screen in order to go home? And how would you do that with one hand?

The Argument Against a Capacitive Home Button

This is where the people vouching for a capacitive home button come in. The home button is still there, it’s just not a moving part, and may be nearly invisible to the eye until you touch the target area.

Apple tried doing capacitive buttons on the iPod back in 2003. The third-generation iPod was fully capacitive. I had one. It was okay. It was awful trying to do anything while in the car, say, trying to pause the music. You don’t want to take your eyes off the road, so you fumble your hand on the iPod, and before you know it you’ve gone forward three tracks instead of pausing it because there wasn’t tactile feedback.

This was solved with the click-wheel, which has remained unchanged throughout the years on any iPod that didn’t go touchscreen, or the iPod shuffle, which never had a click-wheel.

Maybe a capacitive home button would work with today’s devices. It is only one button that more or less performs one primary function, and its secondary functions could be replicated easily.

But what about accidentally turning on the screen? I wake my iPhone by tapping the home button far more than I do my clicking the sleep/wake button. If the home button went capacitive, wouldn’t the screen on an iPhone activate in pockets? You can control a touchscreen through your t-shirt with your finger, so why couldn’t a capacitive home button activate against your leg through your pocket?

The solution would be to remove the ability of the home button to activate the screen. That’d be awful.

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I definitely think the home button could use some work. It doesn’t feel like it was designed to withstand so many clicks for a couple years or more.

I don’t think the solution lies with making the home button touch sensitive nor removing it entirely for non-obvious complex gestures.

I think the home button is here to stay for some time.