We are currently in the middle of one of the busiest Apple seasons that we have seen in a long time, with substantial new products and software. But before looking at the present and future, today is a good day to look back at the past. In this year, when Apple is 50 years old, it was 25 years ago today that Apple first announced the iPod—the product that changed Apple from a company making computers used by a small segment of the market into one of the most successful and influential companies of all time. The definitive book on the history of the iPhone is The Perfect Thing by Steven Levy, a fantastic read. But if you want to hear a fantastic story on how the iPod came to be, I cannot recommend more highly the Designed in California podcast by Jason Snell and Myke Hurley. They do a fantastic job recounting Apple history, with tons of amazing stories. Even as someone who has followed Apple for decades, many of the stories were new to me. This is actually the third chapter of that amazing podcast series: the prior two chapters looked at the origin of the Apple II computer and Apple’s Mac operating system crisis of the mid-1990s (which led to Steve Jobs returning to Apple). All three chapters are great.
Looking to the present and future, today is the day that the iPhone Duo officially goes on sale. Based on the initial reviews, which came out this week, I am fascinated by this device. On the one hand, it looks incredibly delightful to use. Unfolding a beautiful small device into something with a larger screen will be fantastic for many tasks. But on the other hand, when this device is closed, it seems to be the worst iPhone ever. As if that were not enough, we have new product announcements from Apple next week, the Apple HomeView arriving in homes soon after that, and much more.
During this incredibly busy time in the world of Apple, I also happen to be tied up with work commitments right now, so I won’t be able to post a lengthy In the News post today. But here are a few news items of note that you should check out:
- The iPhone Duo review that I found most valuable this week was this review by John Gruber of Daring Fireball. He does a great job explaining why, when the Duo is closed, it is often not a good experience—a step down from other iPhones. But when the Duo is open, using the inner display, it can be something very special. Given these incredible advantages along with these distinct disadvantages, I am very curious to see how many people conclude that the Duo is right for them.
- Lex Friedman of Lex on Tech did a nice job of providing a meta-analysis of many of the initial reviews of the iPhone Duo. If you don’t have time to read all of the other reviews, just read this article.
- I enjoyed both the article and the video review of the iPhone Duo by Nilay Patel and Allison Johnson of The Verge.
- If you want to get a new Apple product on the day that it first goes on sale, you typically have a choice of either placing a pre-order or showing up early to line up at an Apple Store. Hartley Charlton of MacRumors reports that Apple’s supply of iPhone Duo models is so limited right now that showing up early at a store today is unlikely to work for many people. When Apple released the iPhone 3G on July 11, 2008, I showed up very early to purchase my very first iPhone. I seem to recall that I was third or fourth in line. Unfortunately, my local AT&T store ran out of stock after just a few people entered the store before me. If you are unsuccessful in getting an iPhone Duo today even though you tried to get in line early—I’ve been there, done that.
- John Gruber of Daring Fireball reports that Apple acknowledges iPhone Duo demand is far outstripping supply.
- On October 28, Apple is holding another product announcement event. Apple is calling this one Pro and Tell. As Chance Miller of 9to5Mac reports, many expect to see new MacBook Pro models with Apple’s first touchscreen display for a computer, a new iPad mini with an OLED screen, and new iMacs and entry-level MacBook Pro models.
- I thought that Season 4 of Ted Lasso was great, so it seems like it should be a no-brainer that Apple would produce a fifth and sixth season. However, Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac reports that nothing is certain yet.
- And finally, here is a video review of the iPhone Duo from Joanna Stern. And in typical Joanna Stern fashion, it is both very informative and incredibly entertaining: