Slashdot Mirror
Apple Creating Cloud-Based Mac?
hostedftp writes "In speculation news making the rounds — Apple's recent activities in the Cloud has been leading to conclusions of the what the innovative giant plans to unleash in 2011. The most recent news of Apple applying and securing a patent for a network-boosted OS has made speculators believe Apple is going to launch a Cloud-based operating system for the Mac."
Commentators believe the patent could allow Apple to create a subscription-based cloud OS that gives it more control over its users.
More control over its users.
On top of that, this whole cloud privacy relationship concept needs to be addressed -- especially when people see commercials advocating it without fully explaining that your photo, data, computations, whatever are being moved to and performed on other machine external to yours. That single Microsoft commercial has further muddied up how people understand what the cloud is.
I applaud Apple for their foresight and innovation in this but I see it in line with Tim Wu's fears of Apple further controlling your data and information. I'd have the same fears with Chrome OS and Windows utilizing a cloud of computers just the same. This ideal of executing what you want on your hardware in your property seems to be dying. And with it, privacy or any desire thereof.
My work here is dung.
It reminds me of an old (and unintentionally hilarious) Crucial memory ad: "Your computer...at Internet speed!"
How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
iCloudOS
Features include -
. Everything is rented. Why get fleeced once when you can get fleeced monthly. Yes its crazy but aren't fleeces warm and fluffy like how you feel buying Apple products. You get regular updates on all your software like before but now you're paying. You get go keep paying to access the media you used to own. And the best thing is that even if you dont upgrade your iAppliances regularly you still get to keep paying.
. iAppliance based. Run your iApp (be it movie player, image editor, skype or game) on any of your iPad/iPod/iPhone/iMac/iMini/iWhatever. Talk on your iPhone then when you get to work it shifts to your iMac. Play an iGame iApp on your iPad and when you get home shift it to your 42" iTV iAppliance.
. Safety. Our walled garden is totally secure. All your interactions are done through iApps.
. Legacy. If you really must access that dirty web with all its flash we route all your traffic through our content network. We filter it for all that bad stuff like porn, bittorrent and independent thought.
Admittedly the iAppliance bit is nice but mine is Ubuntu/Android based.
I am a free slashdotter. I will not be modded, blogged, DRM'd, patented, podcasted or RFID'd. My life is my own.
This ideal of executing what you want on your hardware in your property seems to be dying.
It's not dying, and will never die.
What is happening instead is that consumer choices are EXPANDING. Expanding to included choices where they really can have computers that are more secure and managed - as a side effect, they are also locked down. But it is a choice that I think is good for people to have, because most people simply cannot manage computers.
On the Mac, soon, you'll have a choice to get applications from anywhere - or to get them from a central source that is somewhat vetted, and furthermore ends the hodge-podge of software update mechanisms to one where you get updates when they arrive without fuss. That's a huge boon to most people.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
What is happening instead is that consumer choices are EXPANDING.
I liken it to Facebook's many privacy debacles. First let me explain how Facebook -- and I really think this is all Zuckerberg -- works. They want to increase information flow on Facebook. Even private information. But they realize that if they give the user a choice nobody's going to 'take the plunge' and the feature will largely be left as opt-in but never used. So they make it automatic and they deal with the privacy issue after it's been activated across the board. They put on a show about how they hear the users and now you have an option to disable that but it's not disabled because people have been living with it for a couple weeks and by and large nothing seriously bad has happened -- yet. A good example is the news feed debacle that caused users outrage and protests. But now everyone uses it. How did that happen? More importantly: could it have happened at all had not Zuckerberg stood up and made a decision for hundreds of millions of users? I think that answer is "no."
When I see the Windows commercial, I don't see an option. I see a feature. I see a feature like Facebook's News Feed. It's being marketed as a feature of Windows 7. The woman is using Windows 7 and then she says "To the cloud" real James Bond like and suddenly we're "in the cloud." And that's Windows 7. People then want that. There's no "I just need to upload my photo to Google's Picassa" or any sort of steps warning the user what exactly is happening in the background. No, it's all streamlined feature rich marketing crap. Are they explaining this can be disabled? No, we'll do that later. Where's my data? Who cares? You're in the cloud, you're sexy, you're hip -- privacy is old school for the squares!
On the Mac, soon, you'll have a choice to get applications from anywhere - or to get them from a central source that is somewhat vetted, and furthermore ends the hodge-podge of software update mechanisms to one where you get updates when they arrive without fuss. That's a huge boon to most people.
Okay but this isn't the cloud, this is just a really streamlined distribution service. Am I the only person that wants to have two columns for the Pros and Cons of using a cloud based service as the basis of your home operating system!?
My work here is dung.
ISP caps and slow down speeds will NOT work this.
A 1920 x 1200 desktop at 32 bits a lot of data.
In some area all you can get is DSL any where from 1.5 to 6 meg max. maybe 6 meg will work ok but some people can only get 1.5 or 3 meg dsl.
Cable has higher download speeds but a full block on a Node trying to use this at the same time.
satellite broadband with the FAP does not kill this the lag will.
3G 5GB cap will led to big costs for data over 5GB. And ATT's 2GB then $10 per GB will may this cost so much people will get a PC.
And if you have 2-3 systems then you may need FIOS just make it work good. And Fios is not all over.
Always fun seeing the new guys complain it could never work, even when I was doing it in the 90s with xwindows / nfs / vnc over a 14.4 modem ... and liking it ...
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
The same story was posted last night @ 8:20 PM EST- http://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/01/05/0035206/Apple-Patent-Hints-at-Net-Booting-Cloud-Strategy
Now all restaurants are Taco Bell.
I drank what? -- Socrates
Microsoft to steal this ?, they where earlier on cloud software, earlier with virtualization, and i advised them to use a online store with windows 98.
For years you have been able to buy 3th party software through their channels; but they never named it app store acka app shop.
The reason for this is there are many others who develop for Microsoft in fact everyone is free to create whatever they want; from porn games to autocad.
But those developers are never bound to Microosft alone they are free to run their own sites. (but you see Microsoft helping many startup companies).
Before you think the ipad is new... i dont see why. /video devices.
maybe i'm a power user and demand a bit more from a touch screen netbook then a ipad can deliver (i'm running vmware here on a touchscreen netbook....)
While i still am able to convert my own CD's to MP3 and use them on every device i have.. it is wonderfull magic.. its just different.
I'm less about the outside looks rather about inside performance; the kind of guy that does pay a bit more to get cowon audio
And no I dont even call it luxery or trendy, no it's simple quality, and freedom to exchange my music.
Like there are script kiddies using ipad and hackers who re-design their netbooks; and dont even want to be cool because of a cheap gadget..hilarious isnt it :)