Apple, Get Out of China

Last week, in what was certainly not the first time, concern has been raised over the working conditions/age of the men and women who actually assemble Apple's iPods, iPhones, and other products. First in Apple's defense, these latest revelations come from their own, sanctioned review of product suppliers, something other companies don't even do. 

The fact of the matter is, as long as Apple relies on third parties to produce their products, they won't be able to tightly control leaks, or the manner in which workers are treated. Rather than continue to risk product leaks, and the bad publicity of worker abuses, Apple has a unique opportunity to do something other tech companies can't: Move to automated manufacturing... in the United States.

Sure, any manufacturing plant is exceedingly expensive to get off the ground, but with $40 billion in cash, Apple is one of the few companies that could pull it off. Again, this isn't just a plan to raise the image of the company (further) as a symbol of social change, but rather a strategic decision, allowing Apple to further control their products from start to finish. 

Wii Transfer at Macworld 2010

Leave it to an enterprising Apple developer to come up with a solution that the big guys either can't (or won't) find. Manton Reece of Riverfold Software has developed Wii Transfer, a small utility to allow streaming of audio (mp3's or non DRM'ed AAC files) and video to the wii from your Mac on the local network. The videos are converted by the software first to FLV, and you won't be able to watch HD (hey, write to Nintendo!) but if you have one console, and its the Wii, then this is a solid streaming option. Heck you can even move your Miis over to the Mac. Why? Because you can!

Here's our talk with Manton at Macworld:

Missing From the Super Bowl? Digital Media Ads

There was something missing from this year's Super Bowl. No, it wasn't a Manning; there was one of those. It wasn't played out GoDaddy ads, there were more than enough of those. No, missing this year? Digital Media ads.

In the past we've seen Apple partner with Pepsi for music giveaways, buymusic.com take on Apple, and Microsoft's Zune. It would've been logical to expect Amazon to push the Kindle, or Barnes & Noble to promote the nook. No Droid ad, not even a hulu ad. What does it mean? Has Apple conquered digital media so thoroughly, and has the e-reader industry so frozen in their tracks, that no one bothered to compete?

With the exception of FLO tv which is only a competitor to Apple in a vague sense, and an ad for fifth/sixth place Boost mobile, (and we'll throw in the google search ad) it was the first Super Bowl in maybe ten years to not feature any direct competitor to Apple. Is it the biggest sign of Apple dominance, or merely the calm before the storm?

A Chat With The Mac Observer's Dave Hamilton About the iPad

Almost a week has gone by, and opinions are still trickling out on the iPad. I know for me, I had a few hours of weakness over the weekend when the device made sense. I quickly returned to my current wait and see attitude. I asked Dave Hamilton from The Mac Observer to join me to discuss his thoughts on the iPad and changes within the Mac community through the years. We barely scratched the surface of Dave's thoughts on the iPad, so be sure to visit his blog for his full ruminations on the iPad:

Seven Tweaks to the iPad Before It Ships

It's a strange position to be in, and frankly, I think this is a first for us, but we've got seven tweaks, of varying difficulty that would make the iPad better before it ever ships:

1. Simplify lineup.

Is this an Apple product? Six different SKUs to differentiate two features? How about at most, three models: 16GB wifi only $499, 32GB with 3G $699, and a 64GB with 3G for $799. Simpler pricepoints, simpler lineup.

2. Add a camera, maybe two.

No camera? No iChat? No iMovie on the go? Give us something here. I'm trying to think of a device other than an e-book reader that shiips without a camera these days. Apple, you surely don't see the iPad as simply an eBook reader, do you?

3. Really allow all iPhone apps to run.

Early on in the presentation, it seemed promising that all iPhone apps could run on the iPad. Later Jobs used that wiggle room word "most." What about VoIP apps? What about the apps that rely on the camera? 

4. Include the keyboard in the high end.

At the high end of the line, you're getting pretty close to a decent laptop in price. And that laptop will include... a keyboard! Apple is conceding that a keyboard will be handy for some power users, so why not add it in at the high end.

5. Include the dongles. 

While we're in a giving mood, how about including the USB and SD card dongles. First, we were all surprised there were even dongles to begin with, but if you're going to make them, you might as well include them.

6. Make iWork standard.

From the keynote, the iWork apps looked like the only apps that are currently ready to potentially take this device beyond being a giant iPod Touch. They're internal apps, and so the cost of including them would be minimal. If the iPhone could ship with a YouTube player, which helped differentiate it from other devices, then it certainly seems like Apple's own apps should be part of the iPad.

7. Change the name.

iPad? Un-inspired, and sounds like a hygiene product. Is that the best that Cupertino could do? We're sticking with our choice: Canvas.