TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog
iOS and OS X teams joined under Craig Federighi
Today, Apple announced that their iOS and OS X teams would join together as Scott Forstall leaves Apple. Craig Federighi (photo at right) will take over, leading the joined teams. Apple's press release stated, that "This move brings together the OS teams to make it even easier to deliver the best technology and user experience innovations to both platforms."
At the October 2010 Back to the Mac event, Steve Jobs first discussed what would later be known as the "Post PC" world. He talked about including lessons from iOS in the new operating system, and highlighted how consumer-centered products were the future. Today's developments follow on from that initial road map, bringing the two operating systems under a single team.
Developer reaction to this change has been mixed. Some, speaking off the record, stated they do not feel that Apple's recent push towards bringing iOS features and design patterns has been a positive change for OS X.
OS X Mountain Lion introduced iOS-like application sandboxing and GateKeeper along with other iOS-originated features like Notification Center and Reminders. Sandboxing curtails OS X application development in very iOS-like ways. Applications must request specific "entitlements" that provide exemptions to OS-imposed barriers.
Forstall was notably not part of the October Event last week that introduced the 4th generation iPad, the iPad mini, and a revamped line of Macintoshes. The former VP of iOS, Forstall sold off 95% of his Apple shares this past May.
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Tablet and smartphone use detailed by age group, gender
In an effort to better understand the growing tablet and smartphone markets, Flurry Analytics studied over 30 million consumers to paint a picture of just who is utilizing the devices, and for what purpose. Some of the takeaways fall in line with what you might expect: The 25-34 age group dominates both smartphone and tablet use, gadget owners are more likely to use their devices between 7pm and 11pm, etc.
But there are also a few more interesting tidbits. For example, while the age spread of smartphone ownership peaks between 25 and 34 and falls sharply as age progresses, tablet ownership is much more spread out. The average age of a tablet owner is 34 years, but the 35-54 age bracket still accounts for 24% of the overall total. Those in the 55+ group makes up 17% of the total, which is quite large when compared to the 7% of overall smartphone owners in that same age bracket.
Another somewhat surprising statistic is the amount of time people spend playing games on their tablets. Of all the ways those surveyed use their devices, tablet owners played games 67% of the time they picked up their slates. This is compared to smartphone owners who played games 39% of the time they were using their handsets.
Flurry also found that while tablets were used less often when compared to smartphones, the amount of time spent using the device each session beat out that of its smaller counterpart. You can check out the full breakdown of results on Flurry's blog, and then let us know if you see any glaring abnormalities when compared to your own experiences.
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Daily iPhone App: Pushups 0 to 100
So as you may have noticed a little while ago, I am running quite a bit lately, but running isn't everything. You need to work out that upper body as well. And that's why I've started using this Pushups app, put together by Clear Sky Apps. There are a few different pushups apps out there, but I like this one -- it's simple, clear, and has plenty of options for users of different skill levels.
As you can see in the video below, the app has a nice clear interface and is easily used while working out. You just choose which type of pushups you want to do early on, and then whenever you're ready to work out, just hit go and it'll lead you through each step of the way. It is relatively simple -- this app won't count calories or track anything besides the pushups you do. But it's effective, in my view, and well worth the 99 cents. There's a free version, too, though it only contains the first four workouts of each level. If you've been looking to build up some upper body strength (and put some pushup reps in), Pushups 0 to 100 will help you do just that.
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Netbot 1.1 offers push notification, post search
App.net fans rejoice! The best iOS app for Twitter's competition just got better, as Tapbots, LLC has released an update to their Netbot app (US$4.99 for iPhone, $4.99 for iPad).
TUAW reviewed Netbot 1.0 a few weeks ago, and the app provides the familiar Tweetbot user interface to the ad-free and open alternative to Twitter. The update to Netbot 1.1 provides push notifications -- users can choose to receive notification of mentions, reposts, stars or follows. Tapbots built a handy Test Notification System button into the app, providing a way to insure that you're receiving notifications.
The other big new experimental feature is the addition of post search capabilities. From what I've seen so far, this feature works well. Tapbots also notes that they've added "various other fixes and improvements" to Netbot.
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