It says it has "headphone outputs" - but does this mean the 4-con one with microphone as well as headphone? Or are you restricted to output when using this
He claims the app will be $10. But you will get a voucher for a free copy in the box with the $99 keyboard.
There's no provision to do app specific vouchers through iTunes. I've not heard of Apple doing that for anyone. So it's not clear how they will pull that off.
What they could do is use in-app purchase to unlock the Akai app if the hardware isn't present.
BUT: What's after 27th? We might have from Steve a 10 inch device which fits an onscreen keyboard large enough to fit two hands even in two rows :-) I am sure that they will support 10 finger touches.
AND: iPhones have USB ports, and there so many USB keyboards out there already. Apple needs to open up this connectivity. We even do not need additional hardware here. The USB cable you already get with an iPhone. And the software driver to write should be quite easy if Apple would allow that!
BTW: Same for audio copy and paste: Apple needs to simply tell developers their standard what they forgot to do (they did this for all kind of other stuff too like text, pics etc) That's is a design work of roughly 3-5 man days for Apple.
Wow...very exciting news. I was pondering the price point this morning and figured that it wouldn't sell for less than $150, so I'm very pleasantly surprised.
I agree though that it seems unlikely that this will work with other apps except for Akai's. Perhaps Akai can generate its own revenue stream by allowing additional apps to "tie into" the iPK25.
Regardless, I'm very interested and will definitely run out and get this as soon as its available.
BTW, I've only just now realized that Akai's US offices are located in Cumberland, Rhode Island, which is just down the road from where my parents live!
Promo codes are only good in the US iTunes App Store, and you only get 50. No one has been able to get Apple to budge on these details.
(I have been surprised that Apple has yet to create a mechanism to allow people to gift apps. You can gift music and other iTunes stuff. But not apps. Just think. They could have sold 1 billion more apps over the holidays.)
> BTW: Same for audio copy and paste: Apple needs to simply tell developers...
If you haven't already, please file a radar bug against this. I've filed bugs for all the undefined audio types like kUTTypeAudio a while ago. All audio developers need to let Apple know. The more the better.
The rep I spoke to on Thursday did not provide as much detail about price. Frankly, I don't see how they are going to provide a voucher for the app, and having spoken to many sales reps at NAMM, sometimes those things aren't really set by the time of the show and things change by the time of the release.
It occurred to me that Apple does already have a system for vouchers for free downloads from the iTunes Store—song download cards that are given out at Starbucks (in the USA at least).
So, a system exists and perhaps as part of the rumored Apple announcement coming later this month, we will also see an opening up of this system or something new. Maybe Alesis has advance knowledge of what is going to happen.
"did anyone else notice the Ion keyboard is the same hardware in white?"
Yes. Ion is a sister brand to Akai, Alesis and Numark. I noticed that their booth this year included Ion with the other three (for the first time I think). Seems like Ion is more consumer oriented. Anyway, all 4 are effectively one company now. Look at the Akai Miniak, for example, which seems basically to be a repackaged Alesis Micron.
17 comments:
That's excellent news. A sensible price point, battery powered, synth looks good (at first glance) and an open API. Thank you Akai!
Not seen anyone really playing it yet in any of the videos so some questions remain. Get JR in there to demo it and make us all buy it immediately!
It says it has "headphone outputs" - but does this mean the 4-con one with microphone as well as headphone? Or are you restricted to output when using this
I doubt this or the Ion will work with anything but their own softwares.
My dreams of seeing a midi adapter for the apple platform is fading away.
Wow! Now I'm really excited. I've been wanting something like this for quite awhile.
Hmm, good point Andy. That wouldn't be so cool if you wanted to use, say Vocoder SV-5 or Jasuto with mic input if it didn't support it.
He claims the app will be $10. But you will get a voucher for a free copy in the box with the $99 keyboard.
There's no provision to do app specific vouchers through iTunes. I've not heard of Apple doing that for anyone. So it's not clear how they will pull that off.
What they could do is use in-app purchase to unlock the Akai app if the hardware isn't present.
But this looks good.
Cool stuff, yeah!
BUT: What's after 27th? We might have from Steve a 10 inch device which fits an onscreen keyboard large enough to fit two hands even in two rows :-) I am sure that they will support 10 finger touches.
AND: iPhones have USB ports, and there so many USB keyboards out there already. Apple needs to open up this connectivity. We even do not need additional hardware here. The USB cable you already get with an iPhone. And the software driver to write should be quite easy if Apple would allow that!
BTW: Same for audio copy and paste: Apple needs to simply tell developers their standard what they forgot to do (they did this for all kind of other stuff too like text, pics etc) That's is a design work of roughly 3-5 man days for Apple.
Strange world?
Wow...very exciting news. I was pondering the price point this morning and figured that it wouldn't sell for less than $150, so I'm very pleasantly surprised.
I agree though that it seems unlikely that this will work with other apps except for Akai's. Perhaps Akai can generate its own revenue stream by allowing additional apps to "tie into" the iPK25.
Regardless, I'm very interested and will definitely run out and get this as soon as its available.
BTW, I've only just now realized that Akai's US offices are located in Cumberland, Rhode Island, which is just down the road from where my parents live!
Good news all around.
Pierre
I will get the app, not the keyboard.
Isn't a promo code like that? Gives you one-off free access to an app?
Promo codes are only good in the US iTunes App Store, and you only get 50. No one has been able to get Apple to budge on these details.
(I have been surprised that Apple has yet to create a mechanism to allow people to gift apps. You can gift music and other iTunes stuff. But not apps. Just think. They could have sold 1 billion more apps over the holidays.)
@temporubato
> BTW: Same for audio copy and paste: Apple needs to simply tell developers...
If you haven't already, please file a radar bug against this. I've filed bugs for all the undefined audio types like kUTTypeAudio a while ago. All audio developers need to let Apple know. The more the better.
The rep I spoke to on Thursday did not provide as much detail about price. Frankly, I don't see how they are going to provide a voucher for the app, and having spoken to many sales reps at NAMM, sometimes those things aren't really set by the time of the show and things change by the time of the release.
@Johnnyg0 - they did say they're releasing the code so other devs can access the hardware. Can they be held to that? Who knows.
did anyone else notice the Ion keyboard is the same hardware in white?
Interesting.
The press release says " It has a U.S. Retail Price of $199.00 and an estimated street price of $149.00 "
Where does the $99 come from?
It occurred to me that Apple does already have a system for vouchers for free downloads from the iTunes Store—song download cards that are given out at Starbucks (in the USA at least).
So, a system exists and perhaps as part of the rumored Apple announcement coming later this month, we will also see an opening up of this system or something new. Maybe Alesis has advance knowledge of what is going to happen.
"did anyone else notice the Ion keyboard is the same hardware in white?"
Yes.
Ion is a sister brand to Akai, Alesis and Numark. I noticed that their booth this year included Ion with the other three (for the first time I think). Seems like Ion is more consumer oriented. Anyway, all 4 are effectively one company now. Look at the Akai Miniak, for example, which seems basically to be a repackaged Alesis Micron.
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