News Corp. and Apple to Launch Tablet-Only Newspaper Later this Month

There have been many reports and rumors of a tablet only newspaper, and today The Guardian reports that the project will be unvailed unveiled later this month. Reports say the newspaper will be called "The Daily" and it will be exclusive to the iPad and other tablets in the future.

Apple were hailing the iPad as the future of newspapers, books and other publications. Apple are still trying to gain 

Zen Bound 2 to Release for Mac & PC

Secret Exit, the creators of Zen Bound, have recently announced that they’re bringing Zen Bound 2 to Macs and PCs via Steam, the popular digital game distributor. Zen Bound 2 is arriving on the 16th of November and will be priced at $4.99. However, no comments were made regarding a Mac App Store release...

A teaser announcement video was uploaded displaying the updated HD graphics and features: 

Zen Bound 2 is a relaxing and meditative puzzle game with a focus on wrapping rope around a wooden sculpture. Zen Bound is a highly-acclaimed iPhone and iPad game that has won numerous awards.

To celebrate the multi-platform announcement, Zen Bound is currently free for a limited time on the App Store. Grab it before it’s too late!

-- Mac App Menu - Keeping you up-to-date with the latest Mac apps à la carte. --

My "Back to the Mac" Event Prediction

That's right, I only have one prediction. If you were looking for something more, sorry to disappoint you. Basically, I predict that what everyone is saying about a new MacBook Air is false and that, instead of launching a new MacBook Air, Apple will kill it. Bold claims. Below, I will state the sole reason why I think Apple is going to kill the Air: iPad. If this prediction is false, I honestly think Apple would have made the wrong decision.

First, what are the current rumours surrounding the MacBook Air?

1. Appleinsider claims that the new MacBook Air will have upgradeable RAM
2. Engadget has a photo of the new insides. 

The first thing I want to say is Apple has always been about user experience. If the Air has upgradeable RAM, I will guarantee it will be a nightmare to upgrade. Apple would much rather lock you out and charge for an upgrade.

Now let's move on to the main reason why I think Apple would abandon the Air in favour of the iPad. As we all know, the Air is not a practical solution to anything. It's not good even for basic browsing as Flash is still out there, believe it or not, and people still play Flash games. If Flash can't run decently on a Mac Pro, don't expect it to on an Air. When Apple released the Air, it was to show off. It was a proof of concept, if you will. The MacBook Air was like the Cube and the Millenium Mac. It was a fashion statement and didn't fit for anyone who wanted to use their computer, not even a niche market. These computers are all examples of art. Beautiful to look at, but useless. And beauty is their main function.

Now, compare the Air to the iPad: 

1. The iPad is more beautiful than the Air. This may not seem like that important a detail, but when beauty is the best feature that the computer can boast, this is a killer.
2. The iPad is now the best-selling gadget of all time (official). It would be money better spent on marketing the iPad, rather than selling a new Air
3. The iPad is attractive to the consumer, because it's so easy to use and they don't have to worry about little details. I'm not saying OS X isn't easy to use, but comparing iOS and OS X, it's clear who's the winner
4. The Air is very slow and completely impractical. If you want ports, there is the MacBook for that.
5. The Air will undoubtedly still be more expensive than the iPad, if it were released. 

I hope it's clearer now why I think Apple will kill the Air. With no market, the Air just will not sell. Even the thinness and beauty factor won't matter anymore, when the iPad is thinner and better looking. This means the only hope that the Air had left, art collectors, won't bother as well. This leaves no-one to sell the Air to, and with no-one to sell to, there will be no profit. Once again, we, including myself, must be reminded that Apple is a capitalist company and exists for profit.

The World that Forgot About BlackBerry

In the midst of the new tablet rush, I completely forgot about RIM and when I came home today to see that they had released a tablet, I was stunned. Let me just start off by saying that I am completely blown away by the Blackberry Playbook. When I read the specs, I found out that this thing was a monster. A tablet packing a dual-core processor? Jeez. Two HD cameras, HDMI out, and much more. I think RIM made the right choice by waiting to enter the tablet market, because they just took features everyone wanted in the iPad, and put it in their product. And that new Blackberry Tablet OS, it looks great.

For people like me who don't want the size of the iPad, but also do not want a horrible Android tablet, this product is going to be a huge hit. I personally decided that if it is affordable for me, I will purchase one. I hope RIM releases more hands-on videos with the Playbook soon, and that when the SDK comes out in a couple weeks, developers flood in and create some high-quality applications that will be ready come launch in early 2011. So do you think that this could be an iPad killer? I personally do not think it will "kill" the iPad, but it will add some good competition in the tablet market. Let me know what you think.

Tek Nation Episode 7: iPad 2 Coming Soon?

This is the seventh episode of Tek Nation. Time just goes by really fast. Tek Nation is a show all about technology and the news that goes along with it. There's always something new in technology. So, I've dedicated my blog and videos to the technology news. In today's show we discussed the possibility of a Verizon iPhone, the iPad 2, and the future of video games. So, strap yourselves in for a new episode of Tek Nation. If you'd like to know my thoughts or share you're own please refer to the video above. 

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