Celtic look alikes
Add comment 7th July 2010 Tristan
Posts filed under 'general'
Trend Watching
No, I’m not writing about those other seer-like trend watchers, I’m writing about Google Trends.
I’d known about Google Hot Trends for a while, but never found it that fascinating. What I do find fascinating is Google Trends. Google Trends allows you to search a database of search-terms people have put into Google between 2004 and 2010. I thought I’d have a play and post some results.
Search term: Apple (blue line), Microsoft (red line)
As shown above, searches for Microsoft have been steadily declining since 2004, with searches for Apple steadily increasing. I wonder if there is a correlation with market capitalisation?
Search term: iPhone (blue), iPad (red), Android (orange)
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For my next search, I thought I’d try the iPhone, iPad and Android to see how they’re going.
As is to be expected, the iPhone has the early movers advantage, having been released in June 2007. It’s interesting to note that the ’social buzz’ for the iPhone appears to have begun 6 months prior to launch, around December 2006. We can also see a significant spike in searches corresponding with subsequent releases of the iPhone 3G in July 2008 and the IPhone 3GS in June 2009. You’ll notice too that the trend takes a staircase like pattern (my term), jumping up each year, rather than being linear.
In 2007 and 2008, Android arrives on the scene, to little fanfare, much like somebody arriving late to a party and being too cool (or nervous) to announce their presence. 2009 marks the year when Android becomes more well known with handsets powered by Android starting to hit the market, the first of which was the HTC Dream. In 2010, the Android appears to be trending upward at a fast rate and well on it’s way to catching up with the iPhone, although another ’step up’ come July – and the release of the new iPhone – and “Android” may still be a way behind “iPhone”.
As for the iPad, it’s still the early days but Apple’s media magic seems to be working, with a huge spike in searches for “iPad” at the start of 2010 and another smaller spike occurring recently with the launch of the iPad.
Conclusions
Since i’ve written this much, I thought i’d put in some closing remarks.
Firstly, Google Trends is fun, although aspects of it require further work, such as the data displayed below the chart (not shown in this post) listing Regions, Cities and Languages. The bars look good but there is no scale or index like the chart. Anyway, have a go yourself and comment on any interesting comparisons you come across.
As for the results of my searches above, I’m particularly intrigued by the second chart. We all know that Apple are masters of media and ‘buzz’; and this shows in the chart. A familiar pattern seems to be that they ’seed’ some information about six months prior to launch using events such as MacWorld. They then get huge amounts of exposure at the actual launch. I don’t know how much of this is paid as opposed to general excitement, but here in Australia, the iPad seems to be on every breakfast/lunch/evening show on TV!
As for Android, it’s clear here that nobody is steering the ship in the same way as at Apple, however, as part of the Open Handset Alliance and with over 40 phones already using Android, as well as over 10 tablets, a few ereaders – and who knows what else – the future is surely bright for this one.
Add comment 1st June 2010 Tristan
New Web Folio
Enjoy! I’ve only put work sites on here for the time being. I’m looking to expand this in future. Also, if anyone desperately wants to see my student graphic design folio from ’06, I’m sure it’s still around somewhere.
3 comments 8th April 2010 Simon
20 Years of Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop turned 20 years old on Thursday. Initially developed by brothers Thomas and John Knoll in 1987 and published by Adobe on the Macintosh in 1990, Photoshop is now the industry standard image manipulation software application used by people in various creative fields and industries. And even today, Photoshop sets itself apart from its competitors with a combination of revolutionary technologies such as layers, channels, levels, curves and paths as well as various other tools, filters and features.
To celebrate, Adobe have launched a minisite, including a video (below) featuring the creators of Photoshop — Thomas Knoll, John Knoll, Steve Guttman, and Russell Brown. There are also various other celebratory posts on John Nack’s blog, Photoshop News et al.
Personally, although I have been using Macs for the past twenty years, and Windows for almost fifteen years, I had not really touched Photoshop until version 5, a little over ten years ago. Still, like many others, Photoshop has allowed me to study and have a career in the design industry. Ask anyone in photography, illustration, fashion design, product design, automotive design, publication design, graphic design, web design, animation, film production or visual effects and they’ll almost be guaranteed to have a copy of Photoshop running on their machine.
Add comment 20th February 2010 Simon
Happy Birthday To Ya!
Today marks the 3rd anniversary of Simantic.net… and to celebrate, we’re not doing anything.
More??… well, I suppose you can revisit our first anniversary post or have your say as to the future of the site. Thanks to everyone involved in this blog — particularly my thanks to Tristan, Charles and Chris. If you would like to become a writer or contribute in some way to Simantic, please let us know. We’re always open to new perspectives. We hope to have more features, a redesign and (worthwhile) podcasts ahead in 2010. ‘Til next post, have a good one.
Add comment 12th January 2010 Simon
24 Bits
Update: Bump! There’ll also be a limited screening at Fed Square on Wednesday night for those that can’t make the main screening. Otherwise, see you tonight.
That’s me, second from the left.
aim2009.net
1 comment 24th November 2009 Simon
LastRideMovie.com in Desktop Magazine
I was flipping through the pages of this month’s Desktop magazine on Friday night, and recognised a few of the images in their “Webguide” section. In this month’s Webguide, Hugh Edwards reviewed feature film websites including those for I Love You Man, The Hangover, Transformers, X-Men Origins and Harry Potter. Of Last Ride, Edwards said:
“From what I have heard about this film to date, on DVD release through Madman, it looks like yet another great Australian arthouse offering. The website perfectly reflects the film’s darkly proffered themes of isolation and vulnerability while delving inside the complexity of human relationships and interactions. You just can’t go wrong when you cast Hugo Weaving really.”
Yep, that’s exactly what we were going for. I don’t know how much of what he said refers to the website and how much refers to the film (which it sounds like he hasn’t seen). But I’ll take it 
You can read more about the Last Ride website on my previous blog post or see it for yourself.
3 comments 7th September 2009 Simon
So take me now, oh don’t you see I can’t get laid in Germany…
Sorry, but it had to be done. Rammstein have just announced the release of their latest single, entitled simply ‘Pussy’. This may be their most Rammstein-like album yet. Not because it is German, or because it involves a lot of pyro-technics, but because it is designed to shock and annoy in they way that only Rammstein can.
And besides, there isn’t nearly enough German transmetal on this blog for my liking 
From their management “After four years of studio-abstinence, the first single of the new album is coming out September 18th! PUSSY! Carried by a gigantic wave of testosterone, Rammstein unsheathes its sword and presents what makes man an animal. So start your engines. With pedal to the metal on the Autobahn of German clichés, where homage is paid to the hand-to-hand battle between the sexes with words like Bratwurst, Blitzkrieg, and Mercedes-Benz… to destinations abroad, past Heidi with her burgers and away from the German Fräuleinwunder. There, pleasure lurks like a yawning abyss”.
Why don’t you take a look?
1 comment 6th September 2009 Charles
