27 August 09
Whilst I was browsing Apple’s site for info on Snow Leopard, I came across the “leap forward” we can expect with the new release of QuickTime - QuickTime X.
I have to say that I like the new branding. The integration with the Q and the X and the lens-like treatment are nice touches. The new minimized application interface is slick and takes its cues from the iPhone.
Coincidentally, as I was searching for a video to include with my last blog post I first landed on a page with an embedded QuickTime movie. My immediate reaction was “ugh”. Somehow QuickTime has become associated with “heavy” and “sluggish” - at least for me.
Why is that?
Well, on the flip side of things, I also associate QuickTime with “image quality”. I watch all of my movie trailers on Apple’s website (or my AppleTV).
But in the span of a typical week, I watch all/most of my videos through some type of Flash-based player. And for myself, along with countless other bloggers, embedding these Flash players onto our sites is super-simple. Not so, for QuickTime movies.
When I came across that embedded QuickTime today it made the site feel dated too.
In Apple’s pursuit of quality they missed a huge part of the market. I’ll be honest, I have no clue what their strategy is there. With YouTube using Flash (and possibly the speculated new Google format in the future), it will be tough for Apple to make a dent. Arguably they’ve missed the boat on this one.
And does the average Mac user even really get what QuickTime is? Between apps like iTunes or Front Row kicking in when a user inserts media, when do people have the need to launch QuickTime?
For video professionals however, the QuickTime brand is very relevant. So has QuickTime mostly become the stuff of pros?
Let me know what you think.
07 August 09
A few weeks ago QuickSilver Software Longbox, Inc. announced that their LongBox Digital comics reader would be forthcoming. Longbox is being called the iTunes for comics.
Demand for this type of service is being generated by several factors.
- Printed comics are expensive ($2.99 and higher). LongBox issues are .99
- Your local comic shop can’t carry everything. And some comics quickly sell off the shelf.
- Customer expectation. Everything is becoming available digitally: music, movies, TV, books, news.
A few weeks ago I met the first person I know who reads all his comics on his computer. He truthfully told me that he downloads them all illegally as he can’t afford the print editions.
Longbox has its own proprietary format (LBX), but it will also support the CBZ and CBR open formats. Meaning that my acquaintance will still be able to read his bootlegged copies, but maybe he might consider purchasing legal ones that now cost a third of the price.
I have to be honest that between being a collector in my younger years and now a casual reader, it’s hard to imagine replacing the experience of visiting the comic shop and the tactile experience of flipping through a beautifully printed edition with a computer screen.
But Longbox’s announcement combined with the success of the Kindle and the recent rumors of the Apple tablet are clearly signaling to me that digital comics’ time has come (or near enough).
And while hesitant, I think I’ll be a convert.
Cnet has a good write up. Interesting to see the user comments there too.
31 July 09
In a recent interview with Nevil Brody on the Design Matters podcast, a caller asked if he thought the proliferation and evolution of digital cameras will bring about the death of film-based photography.
His answer was “yes”, but his worry wasn’t about loss of quality, or the demise of an art form. His concern was that the infinite options that digital enables brings with it an overwhelming amount of choices. And too many options negatively impact the creative process.
“If only my computer had a ‘no’ function and could tell me that I was done”, he wished.
I remember reading an interview in the 80’s with Geddy Lee from the band Rush. He was complaining about the same challenges they had in the studio as they introduced more and more digital into their recording production. They never knew when the record was done.
Very early in my career I founded the short-lived magazine d8. As the founder, Creative Director and primary designer I pretty much had free creative reign. Therein lied my biggest enemy. Without any real limitations I frequently experienced decision anxiety. Looking back at the work it seems as if my design decisions were totally random - they were, actually. And the truth is, back then I lacked the experience and the discipline to create my own boundaries. It was design for design’s sake.
I’m thankful to have experienced a freedom there that most never get outside of art school. But having been there I can tell you that it’s overrated. The greener grass.
Limitations create focus, they channel the mission, they breed innovation.
Whether it’s the budget, the schedule, the client, your team, the medium, or the attention-span of your audience - welcome the limitations. If they’re not there - tighten the brief, push the team, trim the schedule, tie both hands behind your back and put the blindfold on.
08 July 09
After 30 years AOL has decided to shut down CompuServe Classic. The news had me recall the days of yore when I would tap my elite buds to download updated drivers for my hot rod PC. In the pre-Internet boom it was mind blowing to me that someone could log on to this service and get me my patch on a floppy within minutes. But then I got myself a Prodigy account and all was right with the world.
22 June 09
Flash Catalyst is a product from Adobe that’s sure to play a powerful role in rapid prototyping. What’s unique to this product is its seamless integration with other Adobe products such as Photoshop and Illustrator.
