Skeumorfismo: what it is and why Apple is taking

Skeumorfismo. Rare word where they exist, of which always are highlighted as incorrect in text editors and require us to stop a moment to learn how to pronounce it correctly. And what’s with the skeumorfismo? Its definition is being developed strict / derivative that maintains details of the original design in order to make it more familiar. It comes from the Greek words skeuos (tool or container) and morphe (shape).

In the field that interests us, the electronics industry ecosystem focused on Apple’s skeumorfismo is now very prevalent. The best thing for everyone is to understand a few examples, because almost without realizing the skeumorfismo has become part of everyday life in both OS X and iPhone OS. Especially since the advent of OS X Lion.

From simple to more complicated but more intuitive and friendly

You will understand immediately the significance of revising the transformation skeumorfismo have had several applications for OS X. Do you remember the way he looked in Snow Leopard Photo Booth? Refresh our memory:

A simple window and functional, simple, committed to his purpose. But with the advent of OS X Lion Photo Booth and full-screen applications, Photo Booth underwent a transformation:

Photo Booth on OS X Lion: a photo booth captured in pixels.
That’s what the skeumorfismo. Before Photo Booth had a more simple but not at all like a booth taking pictures. With OS X Lion interface becomes literally one of those cabins. It is not necessary and perhaps lose that minimalism that we like some, but makes an application much more user friendly, easier to understand.

Other examples include applications on the agenda and schedule, that have come to look like an agenda and a real calendar, in the latter case even with the top imitation leather cover and tear of paper stating the months above who have “pulled” from the calendar. Some hated the change in their day , but it is part of the design of OS X like it or not. The Agenda also happened to be a classic window system to be literally an open book showing all our contacts. The appearance from IOS is exactly the same.

And Mountain Lion OS X will increase the effect: the application of independent Mail notes to look like post-its, and implementation of reminders has all the earmarks of being one of those notebooks notes sheet and present in all offices before the digital revolution. Game Center, meanwhile, reminds us of the appearance of a table poker game. Just look at Apple’s promotional video to prove it.

Controversy in the profession of graphic designers

The recent application Paper, which has received rave reviews worldwide, is another example of skeumorfismo with their notebooks and pages “real” to draw.
I would love everyone to stop designing digital interfaces that resemble real ones. A screen is a wooden plank with bevel shadows.
This view, co-founder Mark Boulton Five Simple Steps could sum up the opinion of the designers about the phenomenon of skeumorfismo. No wonder, because they are seeing how Apple fails to defend the homogeneous and minimalist, simple and functional interfaces to much more varied. The price to pay is that the system loses sobriety, but the big advantage is that the market user base sees the device becomes much more intuitive and friendly.

How do you feel to you that Apple has taken the skeumorfismo in their operating systems and applications? If you see well you’re in luck, because it seems that Apple’s future goes through interfaces as close to reality as possible. If you do not like, I’m afraid it’s time to settle and miss last year. Or change the system and / or use alternative applications, of course. There’s a whole range available starting Cobook and Fantastical .

Apple iPhone 5: speculation by 4-inch display

The new iPad is available for a while, it is time for the next wave of rumors and speculation about iPhone. So shall the Apple phone imminent, the biggest change, namely it should get a 4-inch screen.

This page reports the ‘ Business Insider ‘, referring to the analyst Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets. White was traveling in China and Taiwan and has visited here several technology suppliers. It wants the analyst learned that Apple will change the first time since the introduction of the iPhone’s screen size. More precisely, the diagonal of the unit will be increased from 3.5 inches to 4 inches, says the report.

Even the design there will be significant adjustments, White talks about a “new, sleek look that requires a unibody chassis.” The production of components to begin in June, as a possible launch date, the analyst mentions August or September.

Speculation about a ‘Widescreen’ iPhone

The speculation about the screen size of the next iPhone has a user of the technology blogs’ The Verge picked up ‘and creates an interesting analysis of such a device. Modilwar writes that the current trend stands to large screens, especially in connection with LTE/4G-Komponenten. So their receiving antennas are larger than the one at UMTS/3G-Geräten, on the other hand need the latest communication technology, more power, so producers must now accommodate larger batteries in the mobile phones.

Britons also criticized alleged LTE capability of the iPad 3

After Australia’s consumer protection lawsuit against Apple because of unclear statements on LTE capability in the new iPad submitted, has now also the UK advertising regulatory ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) to speak.

This is now, after several complaints, all aimed at the promotion and the statements made therein, and labels. As in the rest of Europe and Australia, the UK LTE networks are not supported by the third-generation iPad. Here is a maximum of HSPA + in comparison with lower data transfer rates available.

But even there, the mobile-friendly version of the “iPad with Wi-Fi and 4G” is distributed, is a direct indication of the possible operation in LTE networks in the UK does not exist. Apple merely indicates that the fast standard in the U.S. and Canada can be used. There is no response from Apple as yet.

iPhone 5: New Apple gets phone 4.6 inch HD display

If the display of the Apple iPhone 5 but significantly larger than expected? The newspaper Maeil Business Newspaper reported that Apple wants to come in a 4.6-inch smartphone IOS obstruct large HD display. So far, though it was assumed by an enlargement of the display, more than 4 inches, however, were viewed as unrealistic. The previous iPhone models all have a 3.5 inch screen, does this compare to today’s smart phones rather small.

Since the release of the first Apple iPhone from the Cupertino company has left the screen size of its smartphones unchanged. While other smartphone manufacturers in recent years realized ever larger displays, Apple stuck to the usual 3.5 inches. When this year is expected Apple iPhone 5 to change that. A larger screen is because the rumor mill now agree is therefore high on the list of features.

To date, most insiders, but expected that the increase in size will be relatively small. The new iPhone screen should therefore come to a size of about 4 inches. Now the newspaper Maeil Business Newspaper spreads, however, a very different message. According to Maeil Business Newspaper Apple plans iPhone 4 in a retinal display with a diagonal of 4.6 inches. So Apple would catch up with the latest Android smartphones.

Cloud Photos, keep your iPhone photos on Dropbox

Photos Cloud is an alternative to using icloud and galleries Photostream on our iPhone, is a photo application that uses Dropbox to store all we all images from our device IOS.

In addition to syncing with Dropbox, Cloud Photos allows other options such as not upload to any site, or share them on our Facebook profiles and Twitter, or send an email. Also like many other photo applications for IOS offers a feature of self-correction of images (improving their balance, brightness, saturation, exposure, etc.). When you upload images to Dropbox uploads them at full resolution but stored in the iPhone back to smaller size to save space on your desk (on the understanding that our terminal screen does not give to see full size images).

Cloud initially focuses on Photos Dropbox, but its developers promise to add support for other tools of online storage.

Kindle for iPhone OS is updated with new design and ready for the new iPad

With a view to making the sale of the new iPad from Amazon just give it a good review of the Kindle application for IOS between developments which come out optimized to take advantage of the resolution of the new version of the Apple tablet.

However, this is not the only novelty: it also has a new design library, which allows us to see the books in a grid or as a list, now without the classic picture of child reading under the tree, which it is lost in favor of a more aesthetic to Kindle Fire.

Also easier access to books and documents we have in the Amazon cloud and we have not discharged our device. With the two buttons at the bottom can switch between the cloud and the content we have locally.

In summary, although an update that primarily seeks to please users of the new iPad, includes new features available to all users of Apple devices, which is appreciated. You can find the new version now available on the App Store.

Why Apple’s competition has tried to do that?

We struggle to find the right words to describe the design process at Apple. But it is basically design, prototype and manufacture the product. I think when you separate these processes the final product suffers. If something is going to be better is that is new, and if it means you are facing new problems and challenges that you have no references. To address these challenges requires a remarkable approach. There is a sense in being inquisitive and optimistic at the same time, and that combination is not very often.

How Apple created a product?
What I love the creative process (and this may sound naive) is the idea that one day there is no idea or solution, but the next day we have an idea. We make the greatest progress when discussing an abstract idea and had a conversation about something more material. But when you make a 3D model, for oil it is, you give shape to an idea blurred and everything changes, the entire process changes. What galvanizes and gives focus to a group of people. Is a remarkable process.

What are your goals when creating a new product?
They are very simple: to design and build better products. If we can not create something that is not better, we do not.

Why Apple’s competition has tried to do that?
Most of our competitors are interested in doing something different, or want aparentarse as something new. I think those goals are completely wrong. A product has to be genuinely better. That requires real discipline, and that’s what motivates us, a sincere and genuine appetite for a product that is better.

When did you start to realize the importance of designers?
It was when I used a Mac for the first time. I used a computer for college in the eighties and was a horrible experience. Then I discovered the Mac was a very intense and I remember so clearly … that I realized the people who made that possible.

When you have in mind ideas for products like the iPod, you trying to solve a problem?
There are different ways to attack this: sometimes things come to irritate you while you realize there is a problem, which is a very pragmatic approach and the least challenges you. What is harder is to realize you’re intrigued by an opportunity. I think that is what makes exercise the capabilities of a designer. Not a problem you’ve noticed, no one has mentioned this need. But questions start to ask you: What if we do this? What if we combine it with this one? Would it be useful? That creates opportunities that could replace whole categories of devices rather than tactically respond to a problem. That is the real challenge, and it’s exciting.

Apple patents a “virtual wallet” and NFC payment system

There is nothing like writing about the future of electronic payments and find out in just ten minutes apart that Apple has succeeded in getting approved for a patent that is exactly the same: a system that uses an NFC chip to make payments quickly accompanied by a virtual wallet or ‘iWallet’ as discussed in the source.

In the diagram you can see just above, and we understand that iTunes would serve as a basis to manage this system, which would be able to manage regular payments (invoices, financing) or even set up a payment restrictions if the owner of the account is a child who is using the credit card of their parents. These credit cards would be added to our account of Apple in a way very similar to what has Google Wallet in some Android, with what our iPhone could make payments by simply holding the phone to an NFC receiver. In fact, this could work even with the cards we already have in our accounts linked Apple to buy from the iTunes Store, the App Store or iBooks Store. All payments we reflect on a history within the same iTunes.

Will the iPhone of the future such a system? We have a patent, so that we can not bet on anything. It depends on the decisions made ​​in Cupertino and whether some negotiations with banks and credit card companies have come out as they should, but in reality would be an explosion of these payments helped by the sales phenomenon that causes each new generation phone Apple.

iTunes Live: Apple announces brand protection online at iTunes

Apple could protect the brand and now iTunes Live bubbling the rumors: What’s up with iTunes Live all about? Is it possible for a music service for live concerts?

With iTunes, Apple, founded in 2003 the most successful music trading on the Internet, in so far have been more than 10 billion songs downloaded. Soon, probably will add a new section in iTunes. So far we only know for sure: Apple’s iTunes Live display the name as a brand to protect. The company from Cupertino would certainly not do so if he would not pursue a specific goal with this brand.How this strategy looks like it there are only rumors.

Perhaps iTunes Live marks the start of a special music service on the Internet, which is entirely devoted to the transmission of concerts. It is both conceivable that Apple could sell tickets to live concerts, where the listeners or viewers can follow the event live stream. On the other hand a kind of iTunes Live MTV Unplugged will be on the Internet, at a brand under the slogan special concerts, and then aligned as songs and albums will be sold. In addition to brand iTunes Live, Apple has also already secured the domain ituneslive.com. Read the rest of this entry »