It has taken me a little while to gather the courage to begin writing this piece. I knew this day was coming, as did everyone else. 6 days ago, Steve Jobs stepped down as CEO of Apple, Inc., one of the most valuable companies in the world, which he built with the vision and ambition to change the world.

It isn't to say that Steve Jobs invented the markets in which he sought out to dominate, but he certainly did redefine them. This applies to most things Apple has touched since 1997, including all-in-one computers, MP3 players, mobile phones, and tablet devices. He drove Apple with the goal to make the best products possible, and nothing less. With this philosophy, which he is notorious for rubbing into CEO's faces, Apple has seldom failed at delivering best-selling products.

For many years, everything Steve Jobs has ever poured his heart into has come down to this very moment; What's next for Apple. It is now time to see Apple play itself out with the foundation and forward momentum that Steve Jobs has instated. The "foundation" that I speak of includes choosing a rock-solid executive team to carry out Apple's image, including Tim Cook, Scott Forstall, Jonathan Ive, Phil Schiller, and so forth.

I'll start off by saying that I have been a huge Nintendo fan for as long as I can remember. I like innovation, new ideas, companies trying new things, but I am also a realist. These things need to be fool proof, need to work properly, and most importantly, they need to DELIVER! This applies to any company out there, trying to sell any product. While the Nintendo Wii has been immensely popular with the general public due to its "mass playability," but the same feeling hasn't been shared by all of the game developers.

Brian Ashcraft of Kotaku stated the following about how the Wii fell behind on their promise:

"Wii games were never as interactive as that initial trailer promised—we never jumped behind sofas. The console ended up with a heavy casual game focus, and there was poor third party support—both of which Nintendo hopes to rectify with the Wii U."

The challenge Nintendo still faces with the Wii U

A Wii-owning friend of mine stated the following regarding Super Mario Galaxy:

"You shake the remote to spin. In a few levels you move by tilting the remote. That's it."

I couldn't have summed up my thoughts any better about the state of Nintendo's "motion" approach to gaming. Nintendo themselves never attempted anything TRULY UNIQUE with their games, and neither did developers. In result, the Wii has lost support from some major developers throughout the years. Continue reading for more thoughts...

Today, Apple played a lot of catch up with iOS 5. Features were unveiled that people have been wishing for since the iPhone's incarnation in 2007. For instance, how long have we been whining for a Notifications revamp? Over-The-Air updates and synching? An improved lock-screen?

I am happy about the direction Mac OS X is taking. Mission Control is one of my favorite features because I am already huge a fan of Expose, and making application windows with Expose and Spaces on crack puts a smile on my face. One other game changer is Resume/Auto Save in combination with Versions. With this trio, you technically never have to save or worry about going back to where you left off. Versions allows you to get a taste of Time Machine, meaning that you can access to previous versions of your document since you started working on it, just in case you made a booboo and need to revert.

Back when Apple bought the $1bn dollar datacenter in North Carolina, speculations of the grand agenda began. Everyone knew that it was obviously going to be cloud-based, such as a huge revamp to MobileMe, but now we know exactly what Apple has been planning, and oh boy is it huge!

iCloud, combined with all of the developer APIs that will be offered, certainly gives Google and Amazon a run for their money. Yes, Amazon has a concrete set of cloud-based offerings, but most of them are in a completely separate class, such as S3 (simple storage service) for application developers of all levels. We don't currently have a master list of all the APIs developers will be able to utilize with iCloud just yet, but, as Apple said deliberately that they're taking this very seriously, we are sure to find out its limits very soon. More after the jump...

It was only a matter of time until Nokia threw in the towel, but nobody guessed it was going to happen this way. Nokia almost completely abandoned the platform they've invested billions into, and sided with Microsoft, who will also end up dumping billions into the platform (simply because they can, easily).

In many ways, I see this as a match made in heaven. Microsoft, very late in the mobile OS game, but still with a pretty decent chance at gaining a healthy user base. Nokia, a phone maker virtually non-existant in the modern-day smartphone era, and in desperate need of a 360° overhaul. These two behemoths are... *ahem* ... a match made in heaven. More after the jump...

Just hours from now, Microsoft will officially unveil their Windows Phone 7 mobile platform. In a world saturated with iPhones, Android devices, and hundreds of thousands of apps, does Microsoft stand a chance? I guess the bigger question is, what do they hope to achieve with Windows Phone 7?

These days, people looking to buy a new Smartphone pretty much know what their options are. iPhone, if they're looking for a HUGE library of apps and don't care about the "openness" of the OS. Android (device), if they're looking for a phone that doesn't run on AT&T, and is "open" for you to download literally anything you want onto the device. Blackberry, if they're looking for a business-oriented phone. Windows Phone 7,  doesn't have a "thing" that people will go to it for, but the super-unique interface and a fresh take on social integration may do the trick.

I don't think any serious iOS or Android device user will switch to Windows Phone 7. Each of the two platform offer too much to leave behind in favor of a newborn platform. Microsoft could easily target the late adopters who haven't yet made the jump to Smartphones. This way, they can have a market of their own to grow with. We can only hope that Microsoft leaps through their infancy, and quickly become a serious contender in the Smartphone wars. More after the jump...

Earlier today, Adobe shares jumped nearly 12% on speculation that Microsoft will be acquiring them. Publications all over the internet went haywire saying how crazy this is, and that it may mean trouble for Apple. I think that's a load of bull. Technically, Apple's been doing just fine without Adobe, but there are some things that could hurt both companies.

Worse case scenario:
Microsoft + Adobe seize development of Creative Suite software, and creatives around the world are forced to use outdated software. Okay, let's wake up and smell the Americano. Adobe, even under Microsoft's evil wing will not cut Mac development, unless they're interested in losing the bigger chunk of their revenues. Creative agencies all over the world primarily run on Macs. Will they start switching to Windows? Yes, many will, but most will not.

Apple produce a fine bundle of applications known as Final Cut Studio. This will be Apple's chance to shine with the apps in their respective fields (as if it's not already). Imagine how badly Adobe's and Microsoft's reputation would suffer if they made these moves. Continue reading...

Check out Part 1 of this article if you haven't already.

Lack of Multi-tasking(?)

While the iPad can't run multiple apps, you can certainly enjoy the ability to switch seamlessly between applications. It's not often you need something running in the background, unless it's Pandora radio being streamed at all times (which can't be done to begin with due to lack of Flash support).

If you can achieve virtually anything without forcing apps to stay running in the background, then what's the point of having it? I would just be glad that I know it's better for my battery life. I honestly can't think of any real effects of not being able to run multiple apps simultaneously, so please enlighten me in the comments section.

The Price is Right

Starting at $499, one can't really complain that it doesn't do what a MacBook does. It's already cheaper than what everyone expected (which is good!). While the iPad physically resembles the iPod Touch, it's just not the same. It's not released yet, but the fact is that apps won't be designed the same way as regular iPhone/iPod Touch apps - they will be customized to take full advantage of the bigger screen and faster processor. This is a huge part of the whole "experience" of the iPad. Read on for more...

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Apple device everyone's been waiting for has finally landed with pinpoint precision. We were all expecting a bang, but most of us found the new iPad a pleasant surprise. As I predicted, Apple devoted their energy towards creating an amazing user experience, rather than a hardware phenomenon.

User Experience

It's designed to be what it is. It doesn't try or promise to do anything it's not supposed to do. This is the sole reason of why Apple's products are so successful. Would you run Photoshop on a device that's not designed to handle it? No, because you won't have a good experience. This is what Apple keeps in mind at all times - thus, why people always find things lacking in Apple products.

It's not designed to be the next revolutionary piece of hardware that will pop a piece of toast out its speaker holes, but rather to give users the experience they can't get on an a smaller and less powerful version of the same device (iPhone/iPod Touch). If you watch the iPad video on Apple.com, you will see the level of interactivity this device achieves is not really possible on a smaller screen. More after the jump...

Apple's "Come see our latest creation" event (Jan 28, 2010) is less than a week away, and rumors and soaring higher than ever. As with any other major Apple announcement (read: iPhone), rumors soar to the point where you don't know what to believe any more. The revolutionary iSlate device is supposed to change the market, as the iPhone did. Given Apple's track record of successful products, this will be one them (especially in the multi-touch department).

iPhone on Steroids

Nobody REALLY knows what Apple's hiding up their sleeve, but it most likely has to do with eReaders, portable computing beyond the Mobile Phone level, and a completely new way of consuming media.

An article from the Business Insider reported that Apple has had talks with NYT, WSJ, Conde Nast, Harper Collins and so forth about content distribution. On top of readable media, Apple's also interested in mixing video into the picture, which may be great for those on the go, provided there will be fantastic battery life. And as you may figure, Apple's definitely dabbling on the gaming side as well, teaming up with EA to show off what it can do.

Now, this is starting to sound a bit familiar, right? Yes, the iPhone. Just like how the iPhone introduced a new wave of portable computing and data consumption, Apple is aiming to do the same with the iSlate. They already have an established App Store, a fantastic base of developers, and a loyal user base. There's no better time to try and pitch a new product to those looking for the next greatest thing.

I read somewhere a long time ago that the display technology for this device was going to be revolutionary. If Apple is targeting both traditional media AND digital media consumers, they better have a screen that works superbly well for both tasks. It's one thing to introduce a fantastic new way of interaction with a device, but if you can't look at what you're doing for a long period of time, it goes to waste. Read on for more...

Spontaneity is a human characteristic that is unlike any other. The things that come out of spontaneity are, well... downright amazing. Some of the best ideas in the world (whatever they are) were sprung up this way, and that's a fact whether or not I prove it to you.

Impulse Wave is going to be a new series of posts based on impulse discussions, thoughts, ideas, and so forth. I am positive that this is going to be an interesting series, provided new installments get posted regularly. This series is going to require your feedback, so make sure you keep up by subscribing to the feed.

Style and Organization: Since a lot of the content for this series will come from text-based discussions, there will be excerpts posted from the dialogues. I am also considering posting full conversations (edited, of course) so you don't miss any juicy details... and the drama.

User contribution: This series will be the first to invite the public (that's right, you!) to participate. If you want to share your thoughts, email me. I'm waiting.