"Funny how the interface that was so inherently superior in the iPod was abandoned entirely in the iPhone yet the iPhone is now praised for it's "simplicity". The fact is that whatever Apple's product is at any given time is claimed to be the standard by which everything is judged. That's called fanboyism."
The interface was changed because the iPhone has a touch screen. More importantly, though, the fact that Apple continues to improve upon already-admired interfaces is one of the reasons everyone is talking about this product.
"Contact and calendar syncing is a trivial process with every smartphone. Palm was doing it for years prior to the iPhone and they are, frankly, the gold standard, not Apple. The iPhone is exactly as easy and no easier to sync than the last several smartphones I've owned."
I, along with most, already have iTunes on my computer. I already know how to use it. Most people do. I have not been impressed by sync software from Palm or RIM. It says something that Apple sells a "smartphone" and doesn't even bother to include a software CD in the packaging.
Apple won the market on music players by providing an extremely easy way to manage your collection and sync your device. Call it flashy advertising or a fashion statement if it helps you to feel better about your electronics purchase, but simplicity and interface are key. Same goes for the iPhone. You can shout "features" until you're blue in the face -- and there are plenty who will agree with you and stay away from the iPhone for that reason -- but I've never seen a communications device that makes contact and calendar syncing so easy (bonus: it happens through the already-popular iTunes).
This smacks of the same sort of complaint-response attitude that drives the also-ran category in the music player market. Sure, it's open. Sure, it has features that everyone claims to need. Sure, it has a vaguely iPhone-ish interface. Wake me when it syncs with iTunes and automatically pulls my contacts, music, movies, TV shows, and calendar.
I would normally agree, but this is Steve's baby. You can bet that he's overseen every single step in the design process to ensure the absolute best possible outcome. Add to this the fact that the iPhone is possibly the most talked-about product in Apple's history, and it seems even more likely that QA has been working around the clock until the very last moment.
First-generation Apple hardware woes doesn't usually make national headlines. This would.
My fiance and I pay more for the same number of minutes on Verizon, and that's without unlimited data. The money saved will make up the cost of the phones in about a year.
I'm glad you mentioned Sony, since I believe that if anyone is poised to take over the "most hated" title, it's them.
Sony, like Microsoft, acts in such a way that it's tough to believe they even like their customers. They are quick to adopt restrictions, slow to correct their mistakes, and want to be in all markets, even when it puts the company at odds with itself.
Apple, on the other hand, is very careful not to enter new markets unless it feels it genuinely has something to contribute. More importantly, they dislike restrictions, as evidenced by their reasonable DRM in iTunes and lack of CD key for OS X. They assume that their customers are good, honest people. Sony and Microsoft like to assume that their customers are criminals.
Interestingly, where other companies try to give their customers what they ask for, Apple instead tries to give them what they really want. Some people hate this, but it's working very well for Apple.
Also, Apple has already made their huge, almost company-ending mistakes. They've bounced back better than anyone could have thought. I'd say they've earned the success and attention they're getting.
There is, as of yet, no laws prohibiting thinking about commiting a crime. The potential to change this is at least as scary as anything else the government or major corporations are doing to peel off our freedoms.
The video camera is another stupid Mac ad. Who cares if a notebook comes with a camera? Yet another feature Apple crams down your throat, increasing the cost of the system.
But the price didn't go up when they added it.
Many manufacturers still put them in. I'm about to purchase a Dell M2010 and it's got a camera built-in. If that's the sort of feature you need in a PC then there are plenty of options available.
Yet another feature Dell crammed down your throat, increasing the cost of the system?
Let's also not forget Apple initial solution for the camera on the notebook, the huge iSight that clipped onto the top edge of the notebook monitor. Not exactly an elegant solution.
Yeah, they totally should have done something better, like build it into the machine.
Are you an idiot or a troll? I honestly can't tell.
It's the NOC (eBay NOC, at that) we're talking about. Would you really want a group of geeks to get killed because you don't like PayPal's service? As an employee in another NOC, I'm just glad none of our people were hurt.
The one and only Windows program I use is City of Heroes/Villains. I've can get the updater running, which downloads the patches, but then it goes to "Loading", and while my fans go nuts, it never actually produces anything interesting. I've checked the forums, but I can't find anything which would help. Any Slashdotters attempting this?
This may have been mentioned before, but there's been some talk in interviews and whatnot that Shanks might leave SG-1 anyway to join the Atlantis cast (where, logically, he belongs anyway). Jackson is my favorite, and this would at least give me some hope for Atlantis.
My girlfriend loved Firefly, too. Several months back, she was sick for a while and was more or less stuck at home. She developed an interest in SG-1 from catching the occasional episode with me, so we spent a few months watching all 9(!) seasons.
It's her favorite show ever. I'm not looking forward to breaking this news to her.
Anyhow, if my experience is any indication, your wife will probably love Stargate.
Apple supposedly does lets you reset all your authorization"
Yeah, I do it once per year (the allowed maximum). I still somehow manage to swap machines faster than this, though. Well, that, and friends who use my songs.
And the fact you have 'authorization', which means that if all this ever goes away, it will be DiVX all over again, except instead of DVDs you can't play anymore you'll have files you can't decode anymore."
I buy music by the album, then immediately burn it to CD for backup. Worst case scenario, I'll rip it back to MP3. Complain if you'd like about the loss, but I use my iPod in my car with stock speakers. I'll never notice the difference. Your milage will surely vary, but again, I have no complaints and find the whole thing to be quite reasonable.
I love music. I buy, on average, an album per week. Back in the day, it was CDs, then I gave up paying money for music and just grabbed what I wanted from Napster. Then it was a mess to find what I wanted on Gnutella or whatever, and I just stuck with what I already had.
Then iTunes came out for Windows, and I started buying my music that way.
My only complaint with the iTunes DRM in the couple of years I've used it is that when I sell/upgrade my computer, I forget to deauthorize it. Other than that, I haven't had a single problem with the songs I've purchased. Apple is as liberal as it can be with the DRM, and it doesn't hurt me in any way. As a consumer, I'm happy.
As a musician, I make far more money from iTunes downloads than I do from CD sales. Apple takes a very small cut, CD Baby takes an even smaller cut, and I end up with about 60 cents per song sold.
I understand the rights issues involved with DRM, and as general practice, I dislike it, but I fail to see how the iTunes DRM could even remotely be considered a mess.
As a Mac user, no. What I would like, however, is another path for converting friends and family to a platform I don't mind supporting on the rare occasions something goes wrong.
It's not about what you do on a Mac that makes you more productive. It's what you don't do. I switched because I was tired of endless reboots, hardware and software glitches, and the constant hand-holding that Windows needs.
Unless we're talking about Spotlight, Expose, Dashboard, and Finder's "Smart Folders". OS X is pretty helpful there.
This, just a few articles up from the "Vista sucks!" story.
The biggest road blocks I hear of for switching from Windows to a Mac are "price" and "games". I won't fuel the flamewars by making definitive statements about either point, other than to say that it looks like those blocks are starting to come down.
Slashdot Mirror
Many Higinbothams have died to bring us this information.
You talk of critical thinking while surfing (and posting to) Slashdot in a church?
AT&T, sure, but why the hell would Apple want to stop people from unlocking these?
"Funny how the interface that was so inherently superior in the iPod was abandoned entirely in the iPhone yet the iPhone is now praised for it's "simplicity". The fact is that whatever Apple's product is at any given time is claimed to be the standard by which everything is judged. That's called fanboyism."
The interface was changed because the iPhone has a touch screen. More importantly, though, the fact that Apple continues to improve upon already-admired interfaces is one of the reasons everyone is talking about this product.
"Contact and calendar syncing is a trivial process with every smartphone. Palm was doing it for years prior to the iPhone and they are, frankly, the gold standard, not Apple. The iPhone is exactly as easy and no easier to sync than the last several smartphones I've owned."
I, along with most, already have iTunes on my computer. I already know how to use it. Most people do. I have not been impressed by sync software from Palm or RIM. It says something that Apple sells a "smartphone" and doesn't even bother to include a software CD in the packaging.
You're saying Apple makes it a point not to allow syncing? I'm not sure I understand.
As for the interface, what matters is public perception.
.Mac isn't required or even used, unless you count the ability to pull down your email.
Apple won the market on music players by providing an extremely easy way to manage your collection and sync your device. Call it flashy advertising or a fashion statement if it helps you to feel better about your electronics purchase, but simplicity and interface are key. Same goes for the iPhone. You can shout "features" until you're blue in the face -- and there are plenty who will agree with you and stay away from the iPhone for that reason -- but I've never seen a communications device that makes contact and calendar syncing so easy (bonus: it happens through the already-popular iTunes).
This smacks of the same sort of complaint-response attitude that drives the also-ran category in the music player market. Sure, it's open. Sure, it has features that everyone claims to need. Sure, it has a vaguely iPhone-ish interface. Wake me when it syncs with iTunes and automatically pulls my contacts, music, movies, TV shows, and calendar.
I would normally agree, but this is Steve's baby. You can bet that he's overseen every single step in the design process to ensure the absolute best possible outcome. Add to this the fact that the iPhone is possibly the most talked-about product in Apple's history, and it seems even more likely that QA has been working around the clock until the very last moment.
First-generation Apple hardware woes doesn't usually make national headlines. This would.
You know what? You're right.
My fiance and I pay more for the same number of minutes on Verizon, and that's without unlimited data. The money saved will make up the cost of the phones in about a year.
I'm glad you mentioned Sony, since I believe that if anyone is poised to take over the "most hated" title, it's them.
Sony, like Microsoft, acts in such a way that it's tough to believe they even like their customers. They are quick to adopt restrictions, slow to correct their mistakes, and want to be in all markets, even when it puts the company at odds with itself.
Apple, on the other hand, is very careful not to enter new markets unless it feels it genuinely has something to contribute. More importantly, they dislike restrictions, as evidenced by their reasonable DRM in iTunes and lack of CD key for OS X. They assume that their customers are good, honest people. Sony and Microsoft like to assume that their customers are criminals.
Interestingly, where other companies try to give their customers what they ask for, Apple instead tries to give them what they really want. Some people hate this, but it's working very well for Apple.
Also, Apple has already made their huge, almost company-ending mistakes. They've bounced back better than anyone could have thought. I'd say they've earned the success and attention they're getting.
There is, as of yet, no laws prohibiting thinking about commiting a crime. The potential to change this is at least as scary as anything else the government or major corporations are doing to peel off our freedoms.
I'm no tinfoil-hatter, but wow.
Too bad it's not happening in Texas.
Are you an idiot or a troll? I honestly can't tell.
It's the NOC (eBay NOC, at that) we're talking about. Would you really want a group of geeks to get killed because you don't like PayPal's service? As an employee in another NOC, I'm just glad none of our people were hurt.
I recommend a minimum of eight pieces of flair.
The one and only Windows program I use is City of Heroes/Villains. I've can get the updater running, which downloads the patches, but then it goes to "Loading", and while my fans go nuts, it never actually produces anything interesting. I've checked the forums, but I can't find anything which would help. Any Slashdotters attempting this?
This may have been mentioned before, but there's been some talk in interviews and whatnot that Shanks might leave SG-1 anyway to join the Atlantis cast (where, logically, he belongs anyway). Jackson is my favorite, and this would at least give me some hope for Atlantis.
My girlfriend loved Firefly, too. Several months back, she was sick for a while and was more or less stuck at home. She developed an interest in SG-1 from catching the occasional episode with me, so we spent a few months watching all 9(!) seasons.
It's her favorite show ever. I'm not looking forward to breaking this news to her.
Anyhow, if my experience is any indication, your wife will probably love Stargate.
Apple supposedly does lets you reset all your authorization"
Yeah, I do it once per year (the allowed maximum). I still somehow manage to swap machines faster than this, though. Well, that, and friends who use my songs.
And the fact you have 'authorization', which means that if all this ever goes away, it will be DiVX all over again, except instead of DVDs you can't play anymore you'll have files you can't decode anymore."
I buy music by the album, then immediately burn it to CD for backup. Worst case scenario, I'll rip it back to MP3. Complain if you'd like about the loss, but I use my iPod in my car with stock speakers. I'll never notice the difference. Your milage will surely vary, but again, I have no complaints and find the whole thing to be quite reasonable.
DRM-encrusted mess?
I love music. I buy, on average, an album per week. Back in the day, it was CDs, then I gave up paying money for music and just grabbed what I wanted from Napster. Then it was a mess to find what I wanted on Gnutella or whatever, and I just stuck with what I already had.
Then iTunes came out for Windows, and I started buying my music that way.
My only complaint with the iTunes DRM in the couple of years I've used it is that when I sell/upgrade my computer, I forget to deauthorize it. Other than that, I haven't had a single problem with the songs I've purchased. Apple is as liberal as it can be with the DRM, and it doesn't hurt me in any way. As a consumer, I'm happy.
As a musician, I make far more money from iTunes downloads than I do from CD sales. Apple takes a very small cut, CD Baby takes an even smaller cut, and I end up with about 60 cents per song sold.
I understand the rights issues involved with DRM, and as general practice, I dislike it, but I fail to see how the iTunes DRM could even remotely be considered a mess.
As a Mac user, no. What I would like, however, is another path for converting friends and family to a platform I don't mind supporting on the rare occasions something goes wrong.
I find it interesting that nobody is making a move in the other direction. OS X virtualized in Windows, anyone?
Then again, the market would mostly be curious PC users who end up switching, and I don't know how much money there is to be made there.
It's not about what you do on a Mac that makes you more productive. It's what you don't do. I switched because I was tired of endless reboots, hardware and software glitches, and the constant hand-holding that Windows needs.
Unless we're talking about Spotlight, Expose, Dashboard, and Finder's "Smart Folders". OS X is pretty helpful there.
This, just a few articles up from the "Vista sucks!" story.
The biggest road blocks I hear of for switching from Windows to a Mac are "price" and "games". I won't fuel the flamewars by making definitive statements about either point, other than to say that it looks like those blocks are starting to come down.
Microsoft has to be worried about this.
Disregard (or mod down) my post; I was reading the comment ID. I'm also retarded.
I thought it was odd that Slashdot was already up to fifteen million users.