Adobe just doesn’t get it. The WIRED iPad app, the refund.

Warning: Course language. Rant.

Pure frustration and hate as I write this. I purchased the WIRED iPad application yesterday and I am about to get a refund. Why? Adobe.

Im going to assume you know about the Adobe v. Apple war which flared up when the iPad was released. Flash was absent and Adobe doesn’t like that. So when they promised a cross-compiler Apple decided that, to keep their excellent User Experience and platform stability, cross-compiling is a no go (see 3.3.1 of Apple Dev. Agreement).

Adobe fucked up, promising this cross-compiler that they would be denied using. What did they do with the iPad release looming an publishers that had sided with Adobe looking for other options? They bodged a new solution together. That “solution” is the source of my anger.

The WIRED iPad application, built with Adobe’s bodged solution, is 500MB. Yes that’s right 500MB. They [Adobe] decided that for a magazine lets just pile all the content in the binary. Were they fucking high? Do they not care about users that may not have fast internet or have download restrictions? It failed to download 4 times on my connection. 2 days and still no app.

Thats not the best part. The application just runs on image files, hence the 500MB size. In their news release about the iPad application they boast about it being a rich multimedia experience. <rant> ITS JUST FUCKING IMAGES </rant>

If Adobe is serious about trying to get onto the iPad they need to get their heads out of their arses and use something other than their own technology. Its not 1998 and no you cant get your way, Adobe. Why didn’t they make a framework for the magazine to distribute issues via HTML5 content? Adobe is really stuck on their own technology but if they, for once, used the TRULY open standards like HTML5 maybe they wont have any issues?

What brain dead moron thought putting all the images in the app binary was a good idea. Im a fairly new iPhone/iPad developer and I know thats the worst idea imaginable. It would be better to load the content remotely via, you know, the Internet.

Now to get my money back…

5 June Permalink

Macbook Pro 6,2 hardware issues

Well I am a little saddened to post this. My new laptop is showing some issues.

Some of you may have seen my saga one early morning where my MBP was having some difficulties booting up.

http://twitpic.com/1s5rdz

And now another issue. An interesting and noticeable pattern has shown up on the screen. I had trouble taking a photo of it but i eventually got there with the help of Photoshop for a certain (blue) colour and some post-it’s to get the camera focussed.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6039877/IMG_6214.jpg

You will notice, probably at 100% zoom, there are some white patches in the middle of the post-it note area. They are quite visible on darker or solid colours. The patch is quite large and noticeable as I type now.

So whats wrong? The nVidia and Intel graphics switching buggy and causing the first issue and now the hi-res display has issues of its own?

Not looking good, my last 2,1 Macbook Pro lasted 3 years only with a slight display issue that was mainly caused by ware and tare.

I call for anyone with the new i7 or i5 Macbook Pro’s to check for these issues and reply back if you have the same. I have a feeling its not just me…

2 June Permalink

Telstra, credit where credit is due. iPad day 2.

The iPad. It’s wonderful, magical and sometimes damn useful. It becomes even more useful when you can truly use the device anywhere.

When I decided to get the 3G iPad because after using a WiFi version at WebDu it just didn’t feel magical when you have to hunt down an Internode hotspot.

So I chose Telstra. Now I’m usually the first one to chime up and hate Telstra for one reason or another but I am quite surprised. The iPad plans are quite reasonable across the board and Telstra’s plans were good, an improvement on their past plans.

Now to get to the point. After using the ‘pad for a whole day and traveling to the city I was able to always get a solid dats connection and never once did I see the signal go below 4 (of 5) bars. I had to run a speed test and the results were damn good. I was pulling 3 to just about 4 mbits from the network, which to me is damn amazing. That ‘NextG’ network isn’t a bunch of marketing BS, it actually is fast. The price is reasonable and the speed is great. So if youre undecided about what network to choose for the iPad, check out Telstra. It’s all prepaid, no contracts, so it’s risk free.

So the verdict on the device. It’s good. Now I’m not going to say great just yet. Sure it’s cool and can make me more productive in times when I cant use a laptop, like on the bus. But the applications just aren’t there just yet. Even though it has been out in the US for a while there is not a big selection of apps on the store yet. I hate how developers have chosen to charge more for iPad apps. Seriously, $12 for an app that is $2 on the iPhone, that sucks. I think I have spent just a bit over $50 on apps but I don’t have a whole lot.

As a whole the device is good. The keyboard is great and I have achieved a good speed on it, testing it as I type this post. I suggest a 3G version if you can get one and since all the palms are prepaid and risk free why not try them all! I have a Vodafone SIM I will test out later in the week.

Now, to make an app for it…

29 May Permalink