

Photo management and the iPad - lazugod
http://forums.camerabits.com/index.php?topic=5603.0

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ghshephard
Extraordinarily well written analysis of the market opportunities for ProImage
management applications on the iPad.

What I found particularly interesting, was how, in it's "Focus on the
experience and functionality" approach, that it, in many ways, mirrored Steve
Jobs concerns about Flash on the iPad.

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martythemaniak
Apparently we read two very different articles. I read an article that
showcased how the iPad's restrictive OS policies make it impossible to offer
users a good, working solution to their problems in this particular area.

"In summary, thank you again for considering Camera Bits as a solutions
provider for your mobile photo workflow. We will do our best to address your
needs as much as possible with regards to an app for the iPad, but for now we
suggest that you plan on using alternate, more open mobile solutions for
professional apps."

I don't know where you found "market opportunities on the iPad" and Jobs-on-
flash in that.

~~~
stcredzero
Possible interpretation: It's ironic that the same sort of problems Jobs sites
for Flash are evident when trying to edit photos on the iPad.

I need to do a comparison of my tc1100 with the iPad for this purpose.

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extension
I can't comment on the specific flaws mentioned in this article, but it is a
good anecdote to illustrate one of the general reasons that iDevice style
platforms can't completely replace the old fashioned all-purpose home
computer. Computers have acquired thousands of little niche uses like this and
there's no way an iDevice could support them all without compromising its
cherished simplicity. And I would speculate that a good chunk of the computer
buying market belongs to at least one niche.

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drewcrawford
iPhone developer here. There are plenty of ways to get around this.

* Wait another two days for OS4 to drop. I'm under NDA about OS4, but suffice it to say you can expect some api changes that will help.

* Just roll your own file handling; don't depend on the Photo database. The app can pull from a webserver, etc. and totally bypass the CCK. Check out www.eyefi.com - it's pretty easy to integrate with their products. Maybe a little pricey, but if you're market is pro photographers, they're not going to whine about a $150 wireless SD card. Plus, you have the "wow" factor of magical wireless photo import.

* Use one of your support credits. Apple has been known to waive restrictions for good apps in the past.

* Memory issues can be worked around, just do all your calculations on disk. It's slower, but it's not the end of the world. If you depend on Quartz or something, that might require a rewrite; not sure how the existing Mac software is implemented.

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pietro
5\. Create your own hardware for the dock connector, including a card reader
and additional memory.

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allertonm
Author of Windows app suggests customers choose a Windows netbook over an iPad
- film at 11.

FWIW, I don't buy the claim that it's impossible for applications to get hold
of photo metadata - I happen to know someone who is working on an iPad photo
application and they don't seem to be having this problem (as evidenced by
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/carlitos/4669066513/> )

~~~
miratrix
Camera Bits make both MacOSX and Windows versions of the Photo Mechanic, and
even says so in the article. I thought the netbook bit was for people who're
looking for lightweight solution, especially since there are many netbooks
with built-in network capabilities?

Considering that Photo Mechanic is a fairly expensive piece of niche software
for very specific use in the workflow of professional photographers, I thought
the points they made were fairly valid. Maybe the EXIF copying can be worked
around, but it still won't address the RAM size, no robust connection options
for CF, no names for the pictures, and all the other little things that the
article mentions that makes or breaks a software like that.

If you look in the flickr image you linked, I think the description basically
makes the point made in the article - In the flickr description, the author
describes 6 steps across 2 different apps to just take some pictures, upload
it, and share it with friends. Camera Bits guys are saying that until that
becomes a 3 step operation in a single app, it's a no-go in their specific
niche market.

~~~
allertonm
I pointed to that image only in relation to the EXIF metadata, since the
original article suggested that this problem was the "straw that broke the
camel's back" - i.e even if you were prepared to live with the 2-application
workflow, even that was not possible. This appears to be false.

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risotto
Thank you. File management is the clearest way the iPad demonstrates that it
is not a professionals tool, but a multimedia toy.

I'm hoping something is announced at WWDC that breaks the iTunes stranglehold
on managing iPhone OS devices but I'm not holding my breath.

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jrockway
_just like the thieves do to steal your photos and strip all of your
metadata._

I stopped reading at this point. I normally use any possible opportunity to
bash Apple... but this is called an API, not stealing. The only thing I hate
more than Apple is bad programming and bad writing, and this one phrase
captures both at the same time.

Yawn.

