Apple wants a tablet in every home, a use for everyone
Apple wants to change the way television, news, and books are distributed once and for all, and it’s going to use its soon to be unveiled tablet to try and do it. That’s according to a Wall Street Journal article citing what seems to be several unnamed sources “familiar with the situation.” The Cupertino powerhouse has reportedly been in contact with television networks as well as magazine, newspaper, book, and textbook publishers for some time now in hopes of giving the tablet a purpose and not just a cool piece of hardware.
Apple’s vision is supposedly of a tablet in every home—a shared device between family members that allow them to quickly check their e-mail or read the news. The device, which will sport a virtual keyboard, could have virtual sticky notes to leave for other family members or user identification using the device’s built-in camera. Although it’s unclear whether these features will make it into the final product, they do seem to have a family-oriented focus.
Subscriptions may also be the way in which Apple entices new content publishers into getting on board. Newspapers are pretty straightforward, but Apple has supposedly been floating a “best of TV” scenario to the major networks too. If this model were to be realized, it would include a “bundled” subscription that would offer users on-demand options from participating networks. Each network would include four to six shows each, with revenue likely being shared between the networks.
Apple has also been in contact with textbook publishers in hopes of making its way back into higher education. (This could be a breath of fresh air for many university students who routinely buy expensive textbooks at the beginning of a semester only to sell them back four months later at a fraction of the cost.) A subscription model for textbooks has the potential to be quite popular, and with the digital nature of the texts, it would be rather simple to push newer editions. It seems logical that an outright purchase option would also be made available for those who wish to keep their texts after the class ended, too. Additionally, making sure students receive the right books would be simpler with major-specific bundles.
The company has also been working with EA to show off the tablet’s gaming potential. With all of this content being available for the device, Apple is hoping that one will end up in your home—but that one won’t be enough because everyone will have a use for it.
Parental Control glitch gives kids access to App Store porn
iPhone OS 3.x brought us beefed-up parental controls, giving parents finer-grained control over what apps their kids could purchase based on four standard age ratings. A side effect of Apple’s move to have apps rated by age level meant that apps with racier content—essentially soft-core porn—could be approved for sale if was rated 17+. Educator and developer Fraser Speirs has discovered, however, that access is only restricted for purchasing, not browsing in the App Store, which is a real problem in school environments. The glitch has become a huge headache for Speirs’ school, which plans to roll out iPod touches to every one of its 100 students next fall.
Speirs is known for his work for Connected Flow, which makes FlickrExport for Mac and Darkslide for iPhone. During the day, however, Speirs works at Cedars School of Excellence in Greenock, Scotland, where he teaches computer courses and manages the school’s IT. The small, independent school has just 100 students in primary and secondary grades combined. Unable to fund a one-to-one notebook program, the school was able to purchase each student an iPod touch to supplement the strained resources provided by its Mac-based computer lab.
Become a bona fide iPhone/Mac dev with certificate from UW
The University of Washington’s Professional and Continuing Education program is now offering a professional certification program for iPhone and Mac development. The program, developed in conjunction with the UW Department of Computer Science & Engineering, as well as an advisory board chock full of top-notch Mac developers, consists of three classes, through which you can earn a “Certificate in iPhone and Cocoa Development.” We talked to Kristi Palmer, Program Manager of Academic Programs for University of Washington Educational Outreach, about the genesis of the program and what the plans are for the future.
Chuck Toperek, Senior Acquisitions Editor at Addison-Wesley, was a big proponent of the program, according to Palmer. “Chuck had a major role in the program launch, and his introductions to the world-class rock-star advisory board,” she told Ars. The program’s advisory board is sort of a who’s who of indie Mac developers, including Brent Simmons (NewsGator), Gus Mueller (Flying Meat), Ken Case (OMNI Group), and Chris Parrish (Rogue Sheep). It also includes Joe Jones from Microsoft’s Mac BU, Joe Heck from Disney Interactive, and Greg Robbins from Google. Toporek, Daniel Pasco, Bill Moorehead, Hal Mueller, Erik Turnquist, and UW Vice Provost David Szatmary round out the board.
Become a bona fide iPhone/Mac dev with certificate from UW
The University of Washington’s Professional and Continuing Education program is now offering a professional certification program for iPhone and Mac development. The program, developed in conjunction with the UW Department of Computer Science & Engineering, as well as an advisory board chock full of top-notch Mac developers, consists of three classes, through which you can earn a “Certificate in iPhone and Cocoa Development.” We talked to Kristi Palmer, Program Manager of Academic Programs for University of Washington Educational Outreach, about the genesis of the program and what the plans are for the future.
Chuck Toperek, Senior Acquisitions Editor at Addison-Wesley, was a big proponent of the program, according to Palmer. “Chuck had a major role in the program launch, and his introductions to the world-class rock-star advisory board,” she told Ars. The program’s advisory board is sort of a who’s who of indie Mac developers, including Brent Simmons (NewsGator), Gus Mueller (Flying Meat), Ken Case (OMNI Group), and Chris Parrish (Rogue Sheep). It also includes Joe Jones from Microsoft’s Mac BU, Joe Heck from Disney Interactive, and Greg Robbins from Google. Toporek, Daniel Pasco, Bill Moorehead, Hal Mueller, Erik Turnquist, and UW Vice Provost David Szatmary round out the board.
Maine negotiates to provide MacBooks to all 7–12 graders
Many school districts have initiated programs to put MacBooks in the hands of students to engage them in technology and incorporate it in the learning process. But no program is as big or as inclusive as the state of Maine’s—the Maine Learning Technology Initiative has just negotiated a deal with Apple to provide MacBooks to every middle- and high-schooler in the state.
The MLTI program began earlier this decade with a program to supply every 7th and 8th grader in Maine with an iBook. The success of the program prompted the state to expand it to include all Maine high school students as well. That expansion includes a deal with Apple to supply another 64,000 MacBooks to the roughly 37,000 already in circulation—with another 7,000 expected to be ordered within the next few weeks. Apple will include educational software, professional development for educators, and technical support in exchange for approximately $25 million per year for a total of four years.
Click here to read the rest of this article
Maine negotiates to provide MacBooks to all 7–12 graders
Many school districts have initiated programs to put MacBooks in the hands of students to engage them in technology and incorporate it in the learning process. But no program is as big or as inclusive as the state of Maine’s—the Maine Learning Technology Initiative has just negotiated a deal with Apple to provide MacBooks to every middle- and high-schooler in the state.
The MLTI program began earlier this decade with a program to supply every 7th and 8th grader in Maine with an iBook. The success of the program prompted the state to expand it to include all Maine high school students as well. That expansion includes a deal with Apple to supply another 64,000 MacBooks to the roughly 37,000 already in circulation—with another 7,000 expected to be ordered within the next few weeks. Apple will include educational software, professional development for educators, and technical support in exchange for approximately $25 million per year for a total of four years.
Click here to read the rest of this article
Maine negotiates to gives MacBooks to all 7–12 graders
Many school districts have initiated programs to put MacBooks in the hands of students to engage them in technology and incorporate it in the learning process. But no program is as big or as inclusive as the state of Maine’s—the Maine Learning Technology Initiative has just negotiated a deal with Apple to provide MacBooks to every middle- and high-schooler in the state.
The MLTI program began earlier this decade with a program to supply every 7th and 8th grader in Maine with an iBook. The success of the program prompted the state to expand it to include all Maine high school students as well. That expansion includes a deal with Apple to supply another 64,000 MacBooks to the roughly 37,000 already in circulation—with another 7,000 expected to be ordered within the next few weeks. Apple will include educational software, professional development for educators, and technical support in exchange for approximately $25 million per year for a total of four years.
Click here to read the rest of this article
Maine negotiates to gives MacBooks to all 7–12 graders
Many school districts have initiated programs to put MacBooks in the hands of students to engage them in technology and incorporate it in the learning process. But no program is as big or as inclusive as the state of Maine’s—the Maine Learning Technology Initiative has just negotiated a deal with Apple to provide MacBooks to every middle- and high-schooler in the state.
The MLTI program began earlier this decade with a program to supply every 7th and 8th grader in Maine with an iBook. The success of the program prompted the state to expand it to include all Maine high school students as well. That expansion includes a deal with Apple to supply another 64,000 MacBooks to the roughly 37,000 already in circulation—with another 7,000 expected to be ordered within the next few weeks. Apple will include educational software, professional development for educators, and technical support in exchange for approximately $25 million per year for a total of four years.
Click here to read the rest of this article
Busted: Japanese university using iPhones to track truancy
If you’re going to the prestigious Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo for social informatics, there’s good news for you: you’re getting a free iPhone! Now the bad news: the school will use the iPhone’s integrated GPS to check and see if you were actually in class.
Most schools in Japan have very strict attendance requirements, and attendance is a key requirement for graduation, according to AP’s Yuri Kageyama. Often those skipping class will get friends to cover for them, which Kageyama says is tantamount to cheating. As a result, Aoyama Gakuin’s School of Social Informatics will be using GPS records from the iPhones it plans to hand out to its 550 students to check attendance.
While a friend could conceivably take another’s iPhone to class to make it look like a truant was “there,” the university feels that students aren’t likely to so easily let go of their keitai. Besides being packed full of private information and e-mail, the phones will also be used as a source for course materials, lecture videos, and even taking tests—pretty much ensuring that anyone who wants to graduate will likely have to have their iPhone ripped from their cold, dead hands.
Busted: Japanese university using iPhones to track truancy
If you’re going to the prestigious Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo for social informatics, there’s good news for you: you’re getting a free iPhone! Now the bad news: the school will use the iPhone’s integrated GPS to check and see if you were actually in class.
Most schools in Japan have very strict attendance requirements, and attendance is a key requirement for graduation, according to AP’s Yuri Kageyama. Often those skipping class will get friends to cover for them, which Kageyama says is tantamount to cheating. As a result, Aoyama Gakuin’s School of Social Informatics will be using GPS records from the iPhones it plans to hand out to its 550 students to check attendance.
While a friend could conceivably take another’s iPhone to class to make it look like a truant was “there,” the university feels that students aren’t likely to so easily let go of their keitai. Besides being packed full of private information and e-mail, the phones will also be used as a source for course materials, lecture videos, and even taking tests—pretty much ensuring that anyone who wants to graduate will likely have to have their iPhone ripped from their cold, dead hands.
