Or is Apple going to sell a lesser version first, in which case why haven't they already switched over to selling it to early adopters already. Yes there really are people who buy systems and wait for the applications to arrive later.
That isn't even neccessary sometimes. I've found that of my application use on my Mac, 95+% is Apple supplied (Safar, Mail, Terminal, iLife, etc). After that, MS Office (which I expect would be ready, but would run well enough in Apple's binary translator), and BBEdit (which is already available). For my useage pattern (which if you increaed Office could fit a LARGE percent of the userbase) it wouldn't be much of a problem.
I agree. The correct way is a Live DVD that can't run from the HD but lets you access the network, play in iCal and maybe iLife apps, and more. THAT would get converts. Especially if it was free or $5 or something like that.
I think it's called "Dual Strike". Check Gamespot (or even Nintendo's site). I believe it comes out August 22nd in the US (next Monday), the same day as Nintendogs.
I absolutely loved Advanced Wars on the GBA, and I liked Advanced Wars 2. I'm hoping this one is great also.
That's true, but Nintendo only had a 3 or 4 month head start. And yet they have many more games out and upcomming that I find exciting. I think Sony just forgot about the games (or more likely, no one could deliver what they promised and all the games got pushed way back).
I'm sorry to say there are no real games. I've been playing Hot Shots Golf a lot. I also liked Lumines. I've played one or two others. Hots Shots has kept me going for a long time. But there aren't that many great games yet.
They hyped the system, but didn't have the great games for it. They still don't. Things should improve later this year (Burnout, GTA, and more). THAT is when the PSP will become bigger. But they've been low on games. Compare that list (one game that I played for more than a week) to my DS. I've played Feel the Magic, Kirby, Yoshi's Touch and Go, and Mr. Driller tons. And with Advanced Wars, Nintendogs, and many other things comming out in the next few months (including a new Castlevania) I am VERY excited.
Nintendo didn't have the hype, but they've had the games.
I think the best thing for Apple to do would be to put out a Live DVD version of the OS os that people can give it a quick try on their machines. You wouldn't be able to install to the hard drive, just surf the internet and play around and stuff. That way people could see what it was like before taking the plunge. They could include them in magazines, put them at the checkouts at retailers (block buster, book stores, computer stores, etc). I think that would be a great idea.
I don't think they should ever release a version for "normal" computers are some here suggest. I also don't think they will. But this would provide a decent opportunity for trial.
Python. Python has everything you need and then some. It runs on every platform (Linux and OS X boxes already have it installed), and it's free.
Python (through the use of forced whitespace) forces them to learn to write more readable code (I remember taking C++ in high-school, the stuff people wrote would make your eyes bleed). The language has everything your students might need for intro programming (for loops, functions, etc). If they want to continue on will Python later (or you want to offer advanced classes later) it has bindings for all sorts of stuff (XML, OpenGL, QT, GTK, and many many other things). It also has all sorts of handy stuff like an interactive interpreter, a "for each" loop, and more. It's object oriented too.
Look into Python. It's easy to use and would make a great stepping stone if they want to later use a language like C/C++/Java. Or (as I said) Python is great in and of its self and they can stick with it.
As for the picture quality comment, my theory is this: VHS->DVD gave us better quality (by a landslide) but didn't effect the producers. DVD->(whatever) will give us better quality, but I have seen articles that the producers are worried because then you can see scars/makeup/etc. Thus the extra quality can actually make it less attractive, unlike the switch to DVD.
I've seen that before, but I'm not entirely sure it applies. In the VHS days, it made a BIG difference because it was the first time "perverts" could get porn at home and didn't need to go to XXX theaters. That meant a large market of people who couldn't go to theaters (or were chicken) now could get it.
When DVD came along, it offered a better picture, instant access to various scenes, multiple angles (if they use it), tons of space, etc. Again this was a big win. Also, DVDs don't wear out after use like VHS tapes do.
HD-DVD/Blueray offer more storage and a better picture. That better picture is not neccessairly a good thing (because it exposes flaws, etc), the space is a waste without the higher picutre (you really think people will be generating new 25 hour HD-DVDs of porn? They'd be VERY expensive). And there aren't any new killer features that let them do much more than a normal DVD.
In short, I don't see a compelling reason for porn to be a major driver of this new technology as it has been in the past. I'm not saying it won't be used, I just don't think it will play as crucial a role in the decision. Short of the entire industry saying "HD-DVD only" or such soon... I don't think it will matter.
I remember seeing that and it makes sense. If Sony isn't under pressure and can hold the launch back an extra 6 months or so to get more titles (especially AAA titles) ready for launch that is just a larger ability to crush their competitors. If the 360 launches strong that won't have that chance.
Sony is holding strong right now. The PS2 is in the lead by far and is quite proffitable with more games comming out in the next year or so (the new Burnout, for example). It's not like they'd be hobbleing along untill the new lauch. The system has plenty of life left for another 6 months to a year before the PS3 comes out and could be stretched farther if needed.
That said, if Sony delays too much then people might get the impression that it won't come out soon and they may just go for the XBox 360 instead of wait (lets face it, most games seem to come out on all three big consoles).
I think they should launch by summer of next year (just in time for summer break!), but Spring would probably be ideal.
I agree completly. I don't get the origional poster's logic at all. The PS crushed the N64 because it had great games, TONS of marketing muscle (thanks to Sony), and it was cheaper to develop/produce for (CDs vs carts). I don't think it had ANYTHING to do with piracy (at least in the US, maybe overseas).
HD-DVD is dead. It always has been (in my estimation). There is more about this new information over at Ars Techinca.
Having this new copy protection stuff should just seal the deal (great for studios, terrible for consumers). The fact that only one manufacturer is expected to ship a HD-DVD player this year (and for $1000) doesn't bode well. Early next year Sony will be shipping the PS3 which will not only play the blueray discs, but will also play PS1/2/3 games and DVDs. All for $500 (my guess at their "high price", but even at $700 it would be a bargain compared to $1000). There will be so many PS3 sales, it would be hard to beat that installed base even if HD-DVD was in the initial X-Box 360s (now we don't even know if that will happen).
The war is over. The only people who don't know it are the HD-DVD group.
I won't go into this forced diversity stuff (many other commenters already have). But I'd like to point out that programmer statistic. Why does that matter? As a white programmer, why is it I can't program a black character? I program what I'm told to program, right?
Argue about the designers, the artists, the producers, etc. Don't target the guys who just make the sprite/model (white guy, black guy, or a lemonade stand) display and move around.
It's official, I'll believe it. It's an interesting rumor, but it seems a little far out there. I suppose that Cisco would be one of the companies that would be big enough to purchase Nokia.
Other than just becomming a conglomerate, I don't see much point. Wireless like Nokia does and network like Cisco does are just too different at this point. So unless they were going to use it for a big push at becomming the dominate VOIP provider (hardware wise), I can't really see it. This could endup as another AOL/TimeWarner in some ways.
That said, it doesn't make that much difference to me. If they can get Sprint (my cell provider) to carry Nokia/Cisco phones (un-crippled) then I'll be happy. Otherwise it won't mean that much to me personally.
But what would we call them? Nisco? Cikia? Nokisco? Just don't see a good name. Not like Squeenix (Square-Enix, or at least as I like to call 'em because it sounds better).
OK, I just saw your HD requirement. That would make it tough. The Mac solution would still work, obviously the analog would be out. You may have to get yourself a professional camera (used, a few years old) might be able to do it. And now that this is "the year of HD" (ha), more camcorders will be comming out, so look around and keep your eye out, you may just have to wait if you can't afford something more professional and have to go prosumer.
My best suggestion would be a Mac (or you should be able to get a PC to do this). You would take a small Mac with you (a mini or a 12" PB) and hook it up to your recording device (either a camcorder via FireWire or an iSight) and record that way. You could plug in a better microphone if you needed one. Shouldn't be too hard to rig up, uses standard power outlets so you can recharge when available (and you could rig up a secondary battery). That would do it. You might be able to get a ultra-portable notebook to do the same thing on the PC side. It's too bad all those portable media players out now can't take video in. But if they did, they'd probably have battery life issues.
How about... analog? Is digital a requirement? A good quality VHS camcorder (like an old professional model) shoudl be able to tape for quite a long time and give you a great picture. Maybe even beta or VHS-C or 8mm or something. If you go out of the digital realm, you may have better luck. And there must be special VCR type things that can take those tapes and have FireWire to take the video off for you easily.
My other suggestion is more decidedly low tech: 2+ camcorders. Switch one on when the other is about to run out of tape.
I'll just point out that I suggested this back around January/February when I just got a new Mac. I think it's on my website too.
It seems like it would be so simple to put one button under each side of the bar. If you turn it on, you have left and right buttons. If you don't, it acts as one big button. Works for everyone. Now if they would just implement it.
No, it won't happen. Despite all the other good reasons why it won't happen... here is my big one:
Portability. If MS were to move Office to X under MS-Redhat (or whatever), that would mean it should be possible to get Office running under Gentoo (which isn't the kind of lock-in MS would like). So they'd have to do something like make a special toolkit (which they would probably do anyways). But that toolkit would have to use X, so it could still be put on Gentoo. So they'd have to change X. That means either writing their own X server or adding patches to the existing one. If the patch it, they have to release it so that won't work unless you need their special kernel stuff. But they'd have to release that too (it couldn't be a module, so it'd have to be GPL). In the end, anyone with Gentoo (or whatever) and some time should be able to run the program that would run only on MS-Redhat.
The only way to fix it is patching the kernel or X, and then they'd have to release code. The other option is to write their own kernel/X from scratch... but that's what Longhorn is supposed to be (a complete rewrite). So... why bother?
Given the way MS operates, it doesn't make sense. Now to provide a better Unix on Windows environment (like better POSIX compliance, a version of BASH, etc) in the form of a good Services for Unix so that applications that are cross-platform can be run easily on Windows, that could help them (making it easy to run Unix/Linux/BSD programs on Windows opening up tons of applications and such). Out of the two, that would be FAR more likely.
But I doubt that would happen, because to allow people to easily port Unix stuff would mean allowing people to write Unix stuff and trade in their Windows servers down the line for Linux. To make it easier to keep running the platform that way would make it easier to switch off it. So it won't happen, it will stay crippled.
I've got to say, I don't buy any of this and I agree with you that he would be worse off if Apple did open OS X to any PC. That said, I think his reason is that by having Apple's OS X running on any PC, a large number of people would switch off of Windows (or at least realize that was possible). Once that happens, you have people to market towards. He can say his product is better than Apple's or Microsoft's based on X or Y. Right now he is trying to sell to consumers who (quite often) think Windows IS the computer and that there is nothing else. By getting smaller market share numbers for MS, it opens the possibility of more sales, ISVs writing software for more than Windows, OEM contracts (when Windows isn't required, the Microsoft Tax tactict may backfire), etc.
It could help him, but I think it's risky. I really liked Linux, but I don't see much of a point in it (as my personal desktop) now that I've used OS X. OS X is what the Linux desktop aspires to be. Easy to use, never know about Unix, but it's all there when you want it. This is a double edged sword, and I think if it happened, he would get cut BAD.
Don't forget that "The Guy Game", which no self-respecting man would ever touch, was on shelves for quite a while. The only reason it got pulled was a legal snafoo (one of their permission forms to allow a girl's image to be used was signed when she was under age, and thus invalid). You get games like Leisure Suit Larry's latest version (nothing wrong with it per se, but wouldn't it be a better example than the Sims 2) are still there. DOA: Beach Vollyball is on the shelves, you have a game like Bloodrayne that you could probably make an argument about. And let's not forget "Singles: Flirt Up Your Life".
I agree with my parent. There are much worse games out there (in the sense that they are "dangerous" out of the box, without a mod).
Very interesting. Thanks for the reply. Since I'm in the US (only one currency) and just do my checking account, it doesn't matter for me. It's sad when there is such a difference, but that's common. Oddly enough, it can be backwards though. I find MS Office on my Mac MUCH nicer in many ways than the Windows version. The floating pallets, the note-taking feature in Word, and a few other things.
I'm sure Quicken will be updated eventually. Maybe the next version. Too bad MS Money isn't available on the Mac to provide competition (Quicken has a monopoly on the Mac as far as I know).
Very little ($20?). That's my answer. Here is why.
People fall into three groups by and large. Here is what each will pay and why.
Mac People - They have iPhoto, or can buy iPhoto (as part of iLife) at a great value. That is an AMAZING piece of software. Good luck getting people to switch off it.
Windows People - They have Picasa. It's the closest thing on Windows to iPhoto. It's not as great, but is fantastic compared to everything else out there I've seen. It's made by Google and is FREE. Good luck getting people to buy your product.
Linux People - They want it free. Free OS, free software. Some will pay, but many will just use some OSS photo organizer and be happy with it because it's free. Not to start something, just my observations.
All that said I agree that pricing is a major mystery. Just a little too high and no one would touch it. A little too low and people will buy it, but as the blurb in the parent post states, you could have made much more money.
And then there are other cases. Like when I went from a PC to a Mac I purchased a little program for about $20 to turn my Outlook e-mail into something Mail.app could import. I HATED paying $20 for it, and I avoided it as long as I could. But after two days of fighting every free way I could, I bought the program and was glad I did (and wished I would have done it sooner). Had it cost less, I would have bought it sooner, but then they wouldn't have gotten much money ($5 probably would have done it). You also get things like TiVo. People balk at that (Why should I pay $12 a month for what I can get for free with my VCR?), but as a TiVo user I would gladly pay double that if they were going under at the current price. But how much trouble would they have selling them with a $25 per month subscription?
The only people who have it right are MS. They charge a ton, get a ton of money, and everyone is locked into (or at least thinks they are locked into) their software so they pay it. Everyone hates it, but most people don't do anything about it.
I can understand that. There are various pieces of software that I use that I would be willing to pay far more than I paid for them because of their worth.
But my question for you is... isn't there a Mac version of Quicken that would suit your purposes? I run the Mac version on my PowerBook, but I don't know if you mean something like QuickBooks that is for small business. There is a Mac version, I just don't know how it compares to the higher end offerings.
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Will happen:
Will not happen:
Possible:
That isn't even neccessary sometimes. I've found that of my application use on my Mac, 95+% is Apple supplied (Safar, Mail, Terminal, iLife, etc). After that, MS Office (which I expect would be ready, but would run well enough in Apple's binary translator), and BBEdit (which is already available). For my useage pattern (which if you increaed Office could fit a LARGE percent of the userbase) it wouldn't be much of a problem.
I agree. The correct way is a Live DVD that can't run from the HD but lets you access the network, play in iCal and maybe iLife apps, and more. THAT would get converts. Especially if it was free or $5 or something like that.
I absolutely loved Advanced Wars on the GBA, and I liked Advanced Wars 2. I'm hoping this one is great also.
That's true, but Nintendo only had a 3 or 4 month head start. And yet they have many more games out and upcomming that I find exciting. I think Sony just forgot about the games (or more likely, no one could deliver what they promised and all the games got pushed way back).
They hyped the system, but didn't have the great games for it. They still don't. Things should improve later this year (Burnout, GTA, and more). THAT is when the PSP will become bigger. But they've been low on games. Compare that list (one game that I played for more than a week) to my DS. I've played Feel the Magic, Kirby, Yoshi's Touch and Go, and Mr. Driller tons. And with Advanced Wars, Nintendogs, and many other things comming out in the next few months (including a new Castlevania) I am VERY excited.
Nintendo didn't have the hype, but they've had the games.
I don't think they should ever release a version for "normal" computers are some here suggest. I also don't think they will. But this would provide a decent opportunity for trial.
Python (through the use of forced whitespace) forces them to learn to write more readable code (I remember taking C++ in high-school, the stuff people wrote would make your eyes bleed). The language has everything your students might need for intro programming (for loops, functions, etc). If they want to continue on will Python later (or you want to offer advanced classes later) it has bindings for all sorts of stuff (XML, OpenGL, QT, GTK, and many many other things). It also has all sorts of handy stuff like an interactive interpreter, a "for each" loop, and more. It's object oriented too.
Look into Python. It's easy to use and would make a great stepping stone if they want to later use a language like C/C++/Java. Or (as I said) Python is great in and of its self and they can stick with it.
As for the picture quality comment, my theory is this: VHS->DVD gave us better quality (by a landslide) but didn't effect the producers. DVD->(whatever) will give us better quality, but I have seen articles that the producers are worried because then you can see scars/makeup/etc. Thus the extra quality can actually make it less attractive, unlike the switch to DVD.
When DVD came along, it offered a better picture, instant access to various scenes, multiple angles (if they use it), tons of space, etc. Again this was a big win. Also, DVDs don't wear out after use like VHS tapes do.
HD-DVD/Blueray offer more storage and a better picture. That better picture is not neccessairly a good thing (because it exposes flaws, etc), the space is a waste without the higher picutre (you really think people will be generating new 25 hour HD-DVDs of porn? They'd be VERY expensive). And there aren't any new killer features that let them do much more than a normal DVD.
In short, I don't see a compelling reason for porn to be a major driver of this new technology as it has been in the past. I'm not saying it won't be used, I just don't think it will play as crucial a role in the decision. Short of the entire industry saying "HD-DVD only" or such soon... I don't think it will matter.
Sony is holding strong right now. The PS2 is in the lead by far and is quite proffitable with more games comming out in the next year or so (the new Burnout, for example). It's not like they'd be hobbleing along untill the new lauch. The system has plenty of life left for another 6 months to a year before the PS3 comes out and could be stretched farther if needed.
That said, if Sony delays too much then people might get the impression that it won't come out soon and they may just go for the XBox 360 instead of wait (lets face it, most games seem to come out on all three big consoles).
I think they should launch by summer of next year (just in time for summer break!), but Spring would probably be ideal.
I agree completly. I don't get the origional poster's logic at all. The PS crushed the N64 because it had great games, TONS of marketing muscle (thanks to Sony), and it was cheaper to develop/produce for (CDs vs carts). I don't think it had ANYTHING to do with piracy (at least in the US, maybe overseas).
Having this new copy protection stuff should just seal the deal (great for studios, terrible for consumers). The fact that only one manufacturer is expected to ship a HD-DVD player this year (and for $1000) doesn't bode well. Early next year Sony will be shipping the PS3 which will not only play the blueray discs, but will also play PS1/2/3 games and DVDs. All for $500 (my guess at their "high price", but even at $700 it would be a bargain compared to $1000). There will be so many PS3 sales, it would be hard to beat that installed base even if HD-DVD was in the initial X-Box 360s (now we don't even know if that will happen).
The war is over. The only people who don't know it are the HD-DVD group.
To ignore races and their differences (ie; colorblind) IS RACIST because it means you are ignoring the minorities.
Anyone else see something backwards there?
Argue about the designers, the artists, the producers, etc. Don't target the guys who just make the sprite/model (white guy, black guy, or a lemonade stand) display and move around.
Other than just becomming a conglomerate, I don't see much point. Wireless like Nokia does and network like Cisco does are just too different at this point. So unless they were going to use it for a big push at becomming the dominate VOIP provider (hardware wise), I can't really see it. This could endup as another AOL/TimeWarner in some ways.
That said, it doesn't make that much difference to me. If they can get Sprint (my cell provider) to carry Nokia/Cisco phones (un-crippled) then I'll be happy. Otherwise it won't mean that much to me personally.
But what would we call them? Nisco? Cikia? Nokisco? Just don't see a good name. Not like Squeenix (Square-Enix, or at least as I like to call 'em because it sounds better).
OK, I just saw your HD requirement. That would make it tough. The Mac solution would still work, obviously the analog would be out. You may have to get yourself a professional camera (used, a few years old) might be able to do it. And now that this is "the year of HD" (ha), more camcorders will be comming out, so look around and keep your eye out, you may just have to wait if you can't afford something more professional and have to go prosumer.
How about... analog? Is digital a requirement? A good quality VHS camcorder (like an old professional model) shoudl be able to tape for quite a long time and give you a great picture. Maybe even beta or VHS-C or 8mm or something. If you go out of the digital realm, you may have better luck. And there must be special VCR type things that can take those tapes and have FireWire to take the video off for you easily.
My other suggestion is more decidedly low tech: 2+ camcorders. Switch one on when the other is about to run out of tape.
It seems like it would be so simple to put one button under each side of the bar. If you turn it on, you have left and right buttons. If you don't, it acts as one big button. Works for everyone. Now if they would just implement it.
Portability. If MS were to move Office to X under MS-Redhat (or whatever), that would mean it should be possible to get Office running under Gentoo (which isn't the kind of lock-in MS would like). So they'd have to do something like make a special toolkit (which they would probably do anyways). But that toolkit would have to use X, so it could still be put on Gentoo. So they'd have to change X. That means either writing their own X server or adding patches to the existing one. If the patch it, they have to release it so that won't work unless you need their special kernel stuff. But they'd have to release that too (it couldn't be a module, so it'd have to be GPL). In the end, anyone with Gentoo (or whatever) and some time should be able to run the program that would run only on MS-Redhat.
The only way to fix it is patching the kernel or X, and then they'd have to release code. The other option is to write their own kernel/X from scratch... but that's what Longhorn is supposed to be (a complete rewrite). So... why bother?
Given the way MS operates, it doesn't make sense. Now to provide a better Unix on Windows environment (like better POSIX compliance, a version of BASH, etc) in the form of a good Services for Unix so that applications that are cross-platform can be run easily on Windows, that could help them (making it easy to run Unix/Linux/BSD programs on Windows opening up tons of applications and such). Out of the two, that would be FAR more likely.
But I doubt that would happen, because to allow people to easily port Unix stuff would mean allowing people to write Unix stuff and trade in their Windows servers down the line for Linux. To make it easier to keep running the platform that way would make it easier to switch off it. So it won't happen, it will stay crippled.
I've got to say, I don't buy any of this and I agree with you that he would be worse off if Apple did open OS X to any PC. That said, I think his reason is that by having Apple's OS X running on any PC, a large number of people would switch off of Windows (or at least realize that was possible). Once that happens, you have people to market towards. He can say his product is better than Apple's or Microsoft's based on X or Y. Right now he is trying to sell to consumers who (quite often) think Windows IS the computer and that there is nothing else. By getting smaller market share numbers for MS, it opens the possibility of more sales, ISVs writing software for more than Windows, OEM contracts (when Windows isn't required, the Microsoft Tax tactict may backfire), etc.
It could help him, but I think it's risky. I really liked Linux, but I don't see much of a point in it (as my personal desktop) now that I've used OS X. OS X is what the Linux desktop aspires to be. Easy to use, never know about Unix, but it's all there when you want it. This is a double edged sword, and I think if it happened, he would get cut BAD.
Don't forget that "The Guy Game", which no self-respecting man would ever touch, was on shelves for quite a while. The only reason it got pulled was a legal snafoo (one of their permission forms to allow a girl's image to be used was signed when she was under age, and thus invalid). You get games like Leisure Suit Larry's latest version (nothing wrong with it per se, but wouldn't it be a better example than the Sims 2) are still there. DOA: Beach Vollyball is on the shelves, you have a game like Bloodrayne that you could probably make an argument about. And let's not forget "Singles: Flirt Up Your Life".
I agree with my parent. There are much worse games out there (in the sense that they are "dangerous" out of the box, without a mod).
I'm sure Quicken will be updated eventually. Maybe the next version. Too bad MS Money isn't available on the Mac to provide competition (Quicken has a monopoly on the Mac as far as I know).
People fall into three groups by and large. Here is what each will pay and why.
All that said I agree that pricing is a major mystery. Just a little too high and no one would touch it. A little too low and people will buy it, but as the blurb in the parent post states, you could have made much more money.
And then there are other cases. Like when I went from a PC to a Mac I purchased a little program for about $20 to turn my Outlook e-mail into something Mail.app could import. I HATED paying $20 for it, and I avoided it as long as I could. But after two days of fighting every free way I could, I bought the program and was glad I did (and wished I would have done it sooner). Had it cost less, I would have bought it sooner, but then they wouldn't have gotten much money ($5 probably would have done it). You also get things like TiVo. People balk at that (Why should I pay $12 a month for what I can get for free with my VCR?), but as a TiVo user I would gladly pay double that if they were going under at the current price. But how much trouble would they have selling them with a $25 per month subscription?
The only people who have it right are MS. They charge a ton, get a ton of money, and everyone is locked into (or at least thinks they are locked into) their software so they pay it. Everyone hates it, but most people don't do anything about it.
But my question for you is... isn't there a Mac version of Quicken that would suit your purposes? I run the Mac version on my PowerBook, but I don't know if you mean something like QuickBooks that is for small business. There is a Mac version, I just don't know how it compares to the higher end offerings.