As many of you know I am a designer and I own a company named BulletTrain which is a computer company. Recently we introduced two revolutionary accessories for the Apple iPad and iMac. I thought it would be nice to share an overview with of these two great products.
The first product I designed reinvents the desktop keyboard and it's named the BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform for the Apple Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard and Apple Magic Trackpad. Essentially, the Express Keyboard Platform is a dock, that mates the Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Trackpad into one cohesive structure.
The BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform is pictured on the left, next to a standard 15 inch Apple Macbook Keyboard. Notice that the BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform is more than an inch narrower and about a quarter inch shorter, yet its trackpad area is immensely larger than the Macbook. Having a trackpad so much larger translates into better gesture control and much longer scrolling, swipes and flicking.
In the photo below we see the BulletTrain Express Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard Platform sitting in front of, and controlling a 27 inch iMac. Having what essentially is a laptop keyboard form-factor frees up a tremendous amount of precious desktop space.
In the next photo below we see the BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform located in a specially designed drawer. Actually, you are looking at my 27 inch Apple iMac desktop office computer, where I research and write everything onRolexMagazine.com.
Also located in the photo below is my iPad attached to the second product we just introduced, know as the BulletTrain MagicStand for the Apple iPad, which we will take a closer look at shortly.
In this next photo below we see a front/side perspective view of the BulletTrain Express Keyboard, and you notice it looks like it is hovering on top of the table. One of the most outstanding features of this design is that it works as well as it looks.
There are many people who have an Apple Macbook laptop and love the ergonomic comfort of the built-in wrist wrest as well as the swiping gestures the trackpad has. If you use a Macbook and then you go to use a keyboard and mouse or trackpad on your desktop, it feels quiet different, so if you invest in a BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform you will benefit significantly. You can learn everything about this product in detail on BulletTrain.com.
The second product we introduced is the ultimate iPad accessory and it is named The BulletTrain MagicStand for the Apple iPad. The BulletTrain MagicStand for iPad is so profound with its features, that it fundamentally changes what the iPad is and how it works!!!
One of the unique features of the patent pending BulletTrain MagicStand for iPad is that you can instantly change its orientation from portrait to landscape, by simply flipping it clockwise, or counter-clockwise. It is shown below in both landscape and portrait.
The BulletTrain MagicStand is made from high-quality anodized aluminum that perfectly matches the iPad, and in the photo below, we see it sitting on a table. The BulletTrain Magicstand for iPad can be tilted to any angle from zero to 90 degrees, so you can instantly customize its position.
In this next photo we see the rear view of the MagicStand while it is sitting upright on a flat surface. Also notice the pyramid shape at the top can be used to hang the MagicStand on just about any nail or screw, so you can literally hang it on any wall like a picture frame!!!
In this next photo we see the MagicStand for iPad with the drawbridge foot closed. When the drawbridge foot is in the closed position, it is just over a quarter inch thick, and its shape is optimized to be as comfortable as possible in you hands.
In this next photo we see the BulletTrain MagicStand in what is know as the steep typing position, which allows you to type on the iPad like it's a laptop!!! If you look closely you will notice there is a secondary leg that helps support the MagicStand in this typing position.
You can learn much more about these two amazing product and you can also order them on BulletTrain.com. We are currently only shipping them in the U.S.A., but if you are a reader of Jake's Rolex Magazine and you decide you must have one of these amazing products, send me an email and we will get it to you. If you have any question, or comments, please let me know.
As many of you know, I was extremely excited for the iPad to come out since I knew it would completely revolutionize the viewing experience and quality of Jake's Rolex World and actually make it into a world-class digital magazine that was also very good for the environment.
When the iPad first came out, the first thing I did was check out Jake's Rolex World and it was one of the biggest disappointments of my life!!! The iPad was amazing, but Jake's Rolex World looked terrible and kept crashing the iPad!!!
The challenge was that in trying to make Jake's Rolex World future-proof, I over-shot the mark quite a bit!!!
Unfortunately, I have had to completely redesign the html infrastructure and UI which is terribly time consuming and challenging and required a lot of math skills I typically don't use.
The great news is that doing so was a blessing in disguise and now Jake's Rolex World is looking better and loading faster than ever on the desktop, on laptops, as well as on the iPad and iPhone!!!
There are four phases to optimizing Jake's Rolex World and as I complete each phase, I will update it here:
Phase 1: Figure out what was wrong and how to fix it!!! This was not easy and my brain is still hurting from all the math and experimenting with the User Interface. The challenge is that I did not want the new user interface to simply work on the iPad and iPhone, I wanted it to look and work perfectly. I also did not want to waste a single pixel. The biggest challenge was making certain it looked great on the desktop and on laptops as well as on the iPad and iPhone. (Status: Complete)
Phase 2: Redesign and resize all page and UI elements to optimally fit on the iPad and iPhone screen. (Status: Complete) Having completed this means Jake's Rolex World is not viewable on an iPad and iPhone with the following exceptions:
Phase 3: Redesign all story view shortcuts that appear on all pages on the sidebar (Status: Complete)
Phase 4: Take all large stories and break them into multiple segments so the iPad and iPhone won't crash on them. (Status: In Progress)
I am completely committed to providing you (my readers) with the absolute best viewing and reading experience possible and now Jake's Rolex World looks amazing on the iPad and iPhone!!!
I have been working on my detailed iPad review for Jake's Rolex World and it is going well. I have also been experimenting with optimizing Jake's Rolex World for viewing on the iPad which is a huge challenge =(
I posted this first video of the 2 year-year-old girl's first experience with the iPad earlier this week, and I decided to ad it to this story to contrast just how intuitive it is for a 2 year old girl and 66 year old man. I also included this second video of Charlie Rose discussing the iPad because I realize there are many people who don't understand exactly what the iPad is and what it does.
Inspirational iPad Videos of A 2 Year Old, A 66 Year Old & A Cat
All Jamming With The iPad!!!
I think this first video is very compelling because it illustrates how engaging the iPad is. I think most people are visual learners and the iPad makes learning fun and intuitive...
Charlie Rose Takes A Look At iPad
with Walt Mossberg
Charlie Rose is 66 years old and he seems to be as smitten with the all-new iPad as the 2 year old girl in the above video!!! I think this huge age delta just goes to show how universal the iPad's appeal is!!!
Sorry, but I had to add this video of a cat jamming on the iPad!!! It is like the iPad is Catnip!!!
Apple will release the 4.0 iPhone version this summer and the iPad version will be available this coming fall. The all-new 4.0 Operating System offers:
Multitasking
Bluetooth keyboard support for the iPhone
Customizable Wallpaper
Application Folders
iBook Reader for iPhone that syncs with the iPad so you never loose your place
This new OS will revolutionize the iPhone and iPad and represents a huge step forward!!!
On iPad launch day which was this Saturday, I had a chance to check out the new iPad and I was very impressed, particularly for its future potential more as a consumption device than a creation device, which ironically makes it more like a TV than a computer...
In the not so distant future I will be doing a detailed review, but I thought I would share this image with you. One of the most interesting aspects of this image is seeing an old-world (29 years to be exact) Rolex magazine ad, meeting and being viewed on next generation Apple iPad technology...
The very fact you are reading this article means you are a digital content consumer and as Thomas Edison once said, "There is a way to do it better–find it!!!" and that day has come.
Mark my words; for decades to come, today will be remembered as the day that computers took their most significant step forward, and this is all due to the advent of the Apple iPad. Many people have been criticizing the Apple iPad saying things like you should stay away from it since it is a 1.0 version or that it lacks a camera.
This is all nonsense. If you really think about it, it is more of a 4.0 version of the iPhone–than anything else. 1.0 versions don't have more than a 150,000 applications that can run on them on launch day!!!
Apple was actually brilliant to create the first version for soccer moms and grandparents. That is really the beauty of the iPad is that anybody can just start using it. In the next iterations we will see it geared with features that geeks desire. The iPad weight only 1.5 pounds and can run for more than 10 hours on one charge. In many ways it is a laptop replacement and for most people will be a laptop and desktop replacement, and it starts at only $499!!!
As an online publisher, I am extremely excited because I think the ultimate way to read and explore Jake's Rolex World Magazine will be on the iPad. On the day of launch, Apple has signed up every single major publisher to distribute digital books through the iTunes store with the bizarre exception of Random House. GQ Magazine is extremely excited about the iPad and put together the following video that shows how the digital iPad version of iPad will work:
I must say that GQ seems to totally "get it" when it comes to the power of publishing on the iPad. As you can see, you will be able to access GQ's complete library and check out and search any prior published version of their magazine going back to the very beginning–and this is a complete game changer. Information now becomes static, persistent, searchable and bookmarkable!!! Of course Jake's Rolex World Magazine has been this way from day one since it has always been online, but it is interesting to see paper publications going digital.
Popular Mechanics has this very interesting video on the approach their design team took on developing their iPad version:
I don't want to confuse you, but the guy in the video above talks in this next video which was shot 3 months prior to the one above about their fascinating Mag+ platform. It is funny because if you look closely at 4:28 into the video there is a Rolex ad ;-)
All the big tech-reviewers have chimed-in and the absolute consensus is that the Apple iPad is amazing!!!
As many of you know, I am extremely excited for the introduction this weekend of the Apple iPad and I wrote a detailed review on why I believe the iPad will revolutionize publishing!!!! The Apple iPad will essentially turn Jake's Rolex World Magazine into a real digital magazine that can be viewed with all the benefits of a paper magazine or book, with the added features of being able to listen to podcasts and watching videos like the one below.
People ask me all the time if I plan to ever write a book or books on Rolex. They tell me if I write a book or books they would be happy to purchase them. My answer is no, I have zero plans to write paper books, but if you invest $499 in an iPad you can have the equivalent of about 50 free books on Jake Rolex World Magazine. Also, you are welcome to hit the Donate button located two feet down the page on the right sidebar if you would like to buy me a cup of coffee. You can also learn much, much more about why making a contribution to Jake's Rolex World Magazine helps support the acquiring and preservation of Rolex history.
Yesterday Apple officially showed off their revolutionary all-new tablet form-factor known as the iPad. Some people say it is a huge iPhone, and others say it is like a small laptop.
I think it is much, much, much more than just an oversized iPhone. I believe it will completely revolutionize digital publishing and if you are a fan of Jake's Rolex Watch Blog it will revolutionize the way you enjoy it.
The coolest part about the iPad form factor is that is only weighs 1.5 pounds and is a half-inch thin. It also has a 1024 x 768 screen with 132Pixels per inch on its IPS LED backlit LCD panel which means it will look great!!!
In my mind, Jake's Rolex Watch Blog is the only real online magazine on the web. I did not say I thought it was the only Rolex magazine online, I said it is the only actual online magazine. Most online magazines have tiny images you have to click on and reading a detailed story requires you to click through many, many pages.
Jake's Rolex Watch Blog is the only large format photo magazine I know of on the web. To me it is like combining the best of the old LIFE Magazine with National Geographic and People Magazine, all with huge colorful photos that tell the story well. Readers ask me all the time if I intend to do print books and the answer is NO!!!!!!!! You can't update books with new information and books don't allow you to listen to podcast interviews or watch high-resolution movies. Books are also expensive and terrible for the environment.
Don't get me wrong, I like books, I just personally prefer to view content digitally and that is what is so great about the iPad. You can sit in front of the fireplace on a cold winter evening and surf the web, or read about great Rolex history on Jake's Rolex Watch Blog.
Steve Jobs Showing Off The All-New iPad in San Francisco
So let's take a closer look at the all-new Apple iPad. It starts at just $499 for a 16GB version which is amazing!!! Depending on how you spec it, you will be able to spend up to $829 for one with 3G and 64GB of Storage. All iPad models come with 802.11n wi-fi which is fine for people who don't travel much, but if you commute or travel a lot, you can get an unlimited 3G data plan for only $30 per month, or if you don't need that much bandwidth, they offer a 250MB plan for $15 per month.
The cool thing is that neither plan requires any kind of contract, so you can turn it on and off whenever you want. ATT is also offering free WiFi spot access for iPads. On of the unanswered questions is how much is ATT going to charge for iPhone tethering? I imagine it would be close to the same pricing as the options for the iPad, so if you already have and iPhone, when ATT begins offering 3G Data tethering it might make more sense to use your iPhone 3G connection for the iPad, because you could also tether it to a Macbook or other laptop.
The iPad works just like an iPhone in the sense that you use your fingers to do just about everything. As you can see from the photo below, the form-factor is stunningly cool, simple and elegant. The iPad measures 7.5 inches wide x 10 inches tall x .5 inches thick.
The side view below really shows off how cool the all-new iPad is:
As you can see in the following images, the all-new iPad should be the ultimate web-surfing device.
One of the obvious question is whether or not the iPad can really replace a laptop? I think the answer is simple. It really depends on what you do. I would never try to publish Jake's Rolex Watch Blog using an iPad, but if you just surf the web and do light email, it should be great.
I believe among other things, the iPad will slaughter the Netbook market and a good part of the laptop market, including Apple's own Macbook line. I think the iPad will be really popular with guys, but also very popular with women because they can easily travel with it in their purse. This is a huge benefit for the ladies because they no longer have to carry around a separate goofy laptop bag.
I think it will also be great as a digital book and magazine reader. In other words, the Amazon Kindle book reader just got blown to smithereens!!!! Just one of the amazing advantages the iPad has over the Kindle is that it has a vivid color backlit screen v. the Kindle having a stupid, small, black and white screen with ZERO backlighting.
In other worlds, if you want to read in bed at night in the dark with the Kindle, you can't because it has no backlight, whereas the iPad has an ultra-bright, super-high-contrast screen with strong LED backlighting. Not to mention, the iPad is black with a fine chromed edge with an aluminum body and real glass where the Kindle is all plastic and beige!!! Beige is so 1995!!!
In this next Sizemodo comparison from Gizmodo, you can see a great size comparison between the Apple iPhone, Amazon Kindle and Apple iPad, which obviously speaks volumes.
Also, if you are a serious photographer, you can use the iPad as a portable digital photo viewer and storage device, so you can travel light, but still be able to check out your images as well as be able to upload or email them.
In the future I will write a review of the iPad to share my real-world observations with you, but I think the iPad is going to revolutionize computing and digital publication. Apple has a great overview movie and you can alsowatch the Steve Jobs iPad Introduction Keynote with took place in San francisco. The iPad also runs almost all of the 140,000 currently available iPhone apps!!!!!!!
Here is a video from Engadget that shows how blazingly fast the iPad is. Apple brough a company that made its own chips so Apple could design their own chips and the fruits of that effort are in the iPad. Namely the all-new Apple i4 Processor, and man does it fly!!!!!!!
By the way, for anybody that complains that the iPad lacks cameras or any other significant features, remember that Leonardo da Vinci said that "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" and I argue it's smart of Apple to make the 1st generation version as bullet-proof and simple as possible. They can, and will add additional functionality in future generations.
PC Magazine
"What this thing can do is Mind-Boggling!!!"
Tim Gideon, from PC Magazine reviewed the iPad and said "First off, what this thing can do is mind-boggling!!!" He continues: "New apps and games developed specifically for the iPad do amazing things with the additional screen real estate, but if you think it's just a toy, you're wrong."
A Serious Game Changer
The iPad heralds in a whole new generation of computing. Basically, in the world of computing and publishing, the ceiling just became the new floor. It is almost difficult for me to express in words how profound the impact the iPad will have on the world will be!!!
No, the iPad is not just another Microsoft Tablet, or a netbook killer. The challenge in the past, the iPad overcomes is with the ultra-simple and fun user-interface, coupled with an extremely cool looking aesthetic and a lightning fast processor that allows everything happen in real time.
For instance, in the book reader, you go to turn the page, and it turns just like a real book–in other words, there is zero delay. Not to mention, there is almost zero learning curve and if you have an iPhone or iPod touch, there is zero learning curve.
The Ultimate Learning Tool
First, let's examine the impact it will have on education. There is or was a movement in the world named One Laptop Per Child. The idea, is that if somebody could figure out a way to make a very simple laptop that was indestructible and dependable, and would cost only $100 to make, that if every child on planted earth received one, it would not only level the playing field, but significantly improve the overall education level or humanity, in the short and long term. The notion that a rising tide should lift all boats. The idea was noble, but the actual product left much to be desired.
Fast forward several years to the iPad. I argue the iPad delivers on the dream of 1 Laptop Per Child, except it will be 1 iPad Per Child, not only in wealthy countries but it will also become the standard in third world countries. Why? Because the iPad will replace ALL school textbooks, and even paper for taking notes, and even using as an art tool for doing things like finger-painting and drawing.
The current iPad with 16GB of RAM and Wi-Fi is only $499 retail, and with a student discount it will probably be $449. With Moore's law, and a very-high adoption rate, the same model a year from now will be half the price. In two years, following Moore's law and with economies of scale, the same machine will probably retail for around $125 and eventually $100.
Instead of children breaking their backs with a backpack full of heavy, expensive books, and notebooks, they will carry just an iPad. Teachers will be able to create and distribute coursework digitally over the internet.
Probably the most important thing, is all students gain the ability to simply educate themselves with extremely powerful tools like Wikipedia. Pretty soon, for the first time in history, we will have a level playing-field where the only limitation to anybody's education will be their curiosity and desire to learn.
Tremendous Green Environmental Impact
Imagine all the paper and toxic ink that will be saved by distributing books and magazines so they can be read on an iPad!!! Also, you can't read a book, or magazine or newspaper in bed in the dark in bed, or on a dark airplane, but you will be able to with the iPad.
Leo and I are in the process of significantly overhauling every aspect of Jake's Rolex World and we will be optimizing EVERYTHING around being as easy as possible to use on the iPad. Think about the possibilities!?!
The iPad Potential For Rolex Enthusiasts
Today, I know many Rolex Authorized Dealers send their employees and sales-people to Jake's Rolex World to educate them about Rolex history which gives them many excellent stories they can pass along to customers, not to mention it allows them to speak more intelligently, insightfully and passionately about Rolex. AD's also have their sales-people listen to our podcasts to improve their understanding and knowledge of Rolex.
We are also underway with an extremely ambitions project to build a world-class database and Rolex Reference Library that will contain high-resolution photos of every Rolex ever made, all shot in 3-D, so you as an end-user will be able to spin them around and examine all the great detail.
As and end-user you will be able to view Everything Rolex however you wish. So as an example, you will be able to view all the Rolex historical ads, by model, or in chronological order. The coolest aspect is that, we will be taking an open-source approach, so anybody will be able to contribute to or benefit from the library.
What does this have to do with the iPad? I imagine the Apple iPad as being the ultimate tool for exploring all this rich Rolex History. If we get half-way, where we intend to go with this project, everybody, including AD's, Vintage Rolex Dealers, and Collectors and Enthusiasts will all be able to access everything from one kindergarden-simple User-Interface, from the web, on an iPad.
And yes, it has crossed my mind to bundle this all as an iPad application that can be accessed on the iPad without a persistent internet connection, and of course, whenever you wished to update the app data, so long as you have an internet connection, you would be able to.
The greatest challenge is that I am absolutely committed to keeping all this rich history and data free to everybody. If it is not free to everybody, it is not worth doing. The days of exclusivity are over. Taking an inclusive approach is where the best days ahead will be found.
The online Rolex community is still very-much in its infancy, if not still in the incubator, but it never ceases to amaze me how powerful a tool the internet has become as a mechanism for sharing valuable information and making new friends who share our interests. These are truly amazing times to be living in, and I believe the Apple iPad will go down in history as the most revolutionary platform that completely transformed and delivered on the promise of the internet and computing in general, as well as the helping humanity achieve much higher levels of knowledge, understanding and education!!!!
Captain Piccard on iPhone Love
Sir Patrick Stewart who was the Captain on the Star Trek does not like Twitter, but Methinks he will love the iPad!!! It is fascinating to consider the dude who played the captain of the Enterprise on TV had all these tech-toy props that showed how cool the future would be, then fast-forward a few short years later and he is an iPhone junkie and he is talking about how the iPhone is so much more powerful than anything from Star Trek!?! Live long and prosper!!!!
Charlie Rose On iPad
Walt Mossberg, Michael Arrington & David Carr had the chance to sit down with Charlie Rose and discuss the implication of the future for the iPad.
Update: On February 10, 2010 Interview Magazine put together this video to show what its magazine would look like on the iPad:
Wired Magazine's Wired Reader
Update: Here is Wired's idea of how their magazine will look on the iPad using software named Wired Reader which uses Adobe Air. I am not certain how they plan to run this application on an iPad, since Apple does not appear to intend to support Adobe Flash on the iPad. On Jake's Rolex World Magazine we intend to use the exact same user interface for the Desktop/Laptop version as well as the iPad. It does not make sense to me to have to have 3 or 4 different versions of the same "Experience."
Reinventing The Book & Magazine
In the next two videos we see the CEO of Penguin books, John Makinson talking about the future of his books and in the video below he shows off just how amazing an ebook can be on the ipad!!!
Historically Rolex has always been extremely secretive and discreet, and no journalists in the past have ever been invited "INSIDE ROLEX" to explore and report on all four Rolex Manufacturing faclities in Switzerland.
In November 2013, this changed when Rolex invited Jake to take an unprecdented journey into the heart of Rolex to learn and report on everything he witnessed and learned.
This Super-Detailed 3 Part Story is a "MUST READ" story for anybody who wants to understand what really makes Rolex tick.
The BulletTrain MagicStand is made from high-quality anodized aluminum that perfectly matches the iPad, and in the photo below, we see it sitting on a table. The BulletTrain Magicstand for iPad can be tilted to any angle from zero to 90 degrees, so you can instantly customize its position.
