I mean look at Nintendo, they have released how many Gameboy Advance systems (3?) all with the same exact functionality.
They only released two that I know of, but I could just be out of the loop.
The GBA SP added functionality, like a built in rechargeable battery and backlit display, all at the same price as the previous model.
The iPod nano offers flash memory, increased battery life, a color display, ability to play photos, in a much smaller package. There's tons of added functionality.
while many, many competitors have been releasing music *and* video players for almost 4 years now *for cheaper than apple's music only players*..
I can release a cell phone the size of a VCR, have it play DVDs, DivXs, run various emulators, and do my taxes, that doesn't change the fact that it's poorly designed and not very attractive. Apple is about simplicity. If you want a swiss army knife MP3 player then there's manufactures catering to you, but you're a minority in that desire.
Exactly. It has been 7 or 8 years since I walked into a record store (at least to purchase music; many stores now sell DVDs). iTunes put me back in the market again, though I'm not sure for how much longer.
I'm left handed too, and until recently, I never realized that there were lefties who actually moused with their left hand. I'm kind of curious as to why some lefties end up using their left hand to mouse and others don't. Some possibilities I've thought of are:
Space limitations: Many desks are designed in a way that seats the keyboard to the far left, and leaves room for the mouse on the right. Even if lefty intuition said to use your left hand, it wouldn't be possible, so lefties force themselves to learn.
Priority of tasks: I'm pretty ambidextrous; I can use either hand for most tasks, with the exception of handwriting. However, tasks that require a bit of extra precision go to the left hand. The question would be, what do you give more priority to, the keyboard or the mouse? If you grew up using text-based operating systems, then it would be natural to give keyboard navigation a priority. I wasn't using a GUI full-time until 98 or 99 perhaps.
Left click/right click confusion. The other day I was fixing a machine, and was cramped in a way that I couldn't keep the mouse on the right. The only spare mouse I had was an Apple Pro Mouse I keep in my laptop bag, which has only one button. Surprisingly, I felt pretty comfortable using the one button mouse on the left, since there was no mental confusion about a left and right.
Imitation. Perhaps lefties continuously see the mouse on the right, and assume it's the most 'correct' way to use one.
Forced by design. A more recent phenomenon, the Logitech mice, force one to use the right hand. However, I can remember keeping my Commodore 64's mouse on the right side, perhaps because the joystick ports (to which the mouse connected) were also on the right. Apple has perhaps recognized this by putting USB ports on the left and right sides of their keyboards, and more recently, in the center.
A couple questions though. When lefties use a laptop, do they navigate the trackpad with their right or left hand? I use my right.
Who has witnessed people who use two hands to use a laptop trackpad?
What effect does when one started computing and in what environment have on this?
....the last of which, Apple did not get right by "mangling the metaphor": it makes no sense to use the trash can for ejecting media (without deleting files) AND for just deleting files.
I won't argue that it's logical, but as a user I always felt it made sense in some way. Moving the disk to the trash was kind of like saying, "I'm done with this, let's put it away." There's a strange connection between throwing something in a virtual trash can, and then seeing a disk eject from a drive. It always seemed right to me, though I get what you're saying.
What's really irksome to me is using a flash drive in Windows. The whole device removal process in Windows is way too complicated and annoying compared to OS X; most non-technical people I see just rip the drive out without unmounting it. There's also something to be said about newly inserted drives appearing directly on the desktop in Mac OS; when I put a CD in I want to click on it and access it immediately, not dig through My Computer.
As a consumer, your demographic is a minority. In Apple's case, it's a sizable minority, but still a minority.
The average person looking to buy or upgrade their machine mainly wants to know four things. Is it faster than what I have now? Does it have more features than my current machine? Will it have a reasonable life span? Does it meet my needs, and my future needs?
Does Apple's current line meet all of those requirements? Yes.
End of story. A teacher purchasing a laptop to create some Keynote/Powerpoint slides doesn't care if gcc compiles programs 25% faster than before, and my mom doesn't need a 25% increase in CPU power to use Safari and MS Office for work.
As far as legacy machines are concerned, most of the apps I've currently purchased would run in emulation on x86 Macs, cutting performance by 25-50% anyway, so what use is all this extra power I've suddenly inherited? Many of the apps I use are one generation behind the current release, and will likely never see an x86 port -- though they suit me fine.
And I'm sure many long time apple users are willing to stick it out another 6-9 months for a proper upgrade; I certianly am.
A proper upgrade to me would be waiting a generation or two after the switch occurs, letting other people endure the rough ride. Do you think all software manufactures are going to have x86 ports ready upon release? Do you really trust Rosetta is going to be flawless? Glitches will exist, and I'd rather let someone else be the guinea pig.
Will Apple lose some sales in the next coming months? Yep. Will it be as significant as people think? I doubt it.
If you let the Intel switch affect your purchase of an Apple product, at least now, you're being stupid.
The last PPC based Mac will be released in 2007. Judging from the 68k > PPC transition, that will likely mean PPC will be supported into 2010 -- at least.
So you'd be buying a machine that will be supported and up to date for 5 more years. Considering the average person probably doesn't even grasp what's going on under the hood in the first place, I wouldn't overestimate the impact of switching on sales. My friend who is fed up with his Viao is still going to buy an iBook in the fall, and that's probably the case of many people.
Not to mention, I'd happily buy a G5 PowerMac even in 2007, just to have the last of PPC machines. Remember, Apple had to keep the G4 PowerMacs around sometime after the G5s were released, just because there was still a sizable demand for OS 9 bootable machines.
Pages and Keynote use basic XML files, and hold all of the contents in uncompressed package files. You can open the package and find all of your document's pictures, sounds, and XML untouched.
I agree that this is maybe the worst "Ask Slashdot" interview ever, but I blame the questions more than the interviewee. It's not like the original thread gave him a lot to work with.
I agree. He probably saw the majority of the questions were basically jokes, and approached all of them with that state of mind. On top of that, he likely doesn't read/., so the questions gave him a false sense of who his audience was, and how to respond.
As far as him researching topics, he's not one of us. This was probably a random task he completed throughout the day, and was of little significance to him. Would you bother to do research in response to people asking questions like, "Who the fuck are you and why do I care?" Probably not.
If it were less than $300 I'd be willing to buy it. I'd rather have a card slot occupied than another noisy tower sitting next to me, along with all its wire clutter and cables, in addition to KVM.
Slashdot Mirror
Right, a growing market of people who don't like paying for things.
I mean look at Nintendo, they have released how many Gameboy Advance systems (3?) all with the same exact functionality.
They only released two that I know of, but I could just be out of the loop.
The GBA SP added functionality, like a built in rechargeable battery and backlit display, all at the same price as the previous model.
The iPod nano offers flash memory, increased battery life, a color display, ability to play photos, in a much smaller package. There's tons of added functionality.
while many, many competitors have been releasing music *and* video players for almost 4 years now *for cheaper than apple's music only players*..
I can release a cell phone the size of a VCR, have it play DVDs, DivXs, run various emulators, and do my taxes, that doesn't change the fact that it's poorly designed and not very attractive. Apple is about simplicity. If you want a swiss army knife MP3 player then there's manufactures catering to you, but you're a minority in that desire.
Exactly. It has been 7 or 8 years since I walked into a record store (at least to purchase music; many stores now sell DVDs). iTunes put me back in the market again, though I'm not sure for how much longer.
You forgot "Paint it Black."
Final Cut Express 2 is not the same as Final Cut Pro 2.
Until Apple releases an update that, intentionally or unintentionally, renders your FrakenMac crippled and stuck at say, OS X 10.5.4.
'Faster' is completely subjective.
Faster than the latest dual CPU G5 offerings? I doubt it.
Faster than the iBooks and Powerbooks running on 167mhz busses -- well, obviously.
Final Cut Express 1.0 maybe; 2.0 onward require a G4.
- Forced by design. A more recent phenomenon, the Logitech mice, force one to use the right hand. However, I can remember keeping my Commodore 64's mouse on the right side, perhaps because the joystick ports (to which the mouse connected) were also on the right. Apple has perhaps recognized this by putting USB ports on the left and right sides of their keyboards, and more recently, in the center.
A couple questions though. When lefties use a laptop, do they navigate the trackpad with their right or left hand? I use my right.Who has witnessed people who use two hands to use a laptop trackpad?
What effect does when one started computing and in what environment have on this?
in Ubuntu you do a right click and select unmount (or whatever they call it).
You can right click on a device to unmount it in OS X too.
....the last of which, Apple did not get right by "mangling the metaphor": it makes no sense to use the trash can for ejecting media (without deleting files) AND for just deleting files.
I won't argue that it's logical, but as a user I always felt it made sense in some way. Moving the disk to the trash was kind of like saying, "I'm done with this, let's put it away." There's a strange connection between throwing something in a virtual trash can, and then seeing a disk eject from a drive. It always seemed right to me, though I get what you're saying.
What's really irksome to me is using a flash drive in Windows. The whole device removal process in Windows is way too complicated and annoying compared to OS X; most non-technical people I see just rip the drive out without unmounting it. There's also something to be said about newly inserted drives appearing directly on the desktop in Mac OS; when I put a CD in I want to click on it and access it immediately, not dig through My Computer.
Lin what?
Exactly.
As a consumer, your demographic is a minority. In Apple's case, it's a sizable minority, but still a minority.
The average person looking to buy or upgrade their machine mainly wants to know four things. Is it faster than what I have now? Does it have more features than my current machine? Will it have a reasonable life span? Does it meet my needs, and my future needs?
Does Apple's current line meet all of those requirements? Yes.
End of story. A teacher purchasing a laptop to create some Keynote/Powerpoint slides doesn't care if gcc compiles programs 25% faster than before, and my mom doesn't need a 25% increase in CPU power to use Safari and MS Office for work.
As far as legacy machines are concerned, most of the apps I've currently purchased would run in emulation on x86 Macs, cutting performance by 25-50% anyway, so what use is all this extra power I've suddenly inherited? Many of the apps I use are one generation behind the current release, and will likely never see an x86 port -- though they suit me fine.
And I'm sure many long time apple users are willing to stick it out another 6-9 months for a proper upgrade; I certianly am.
A proper upgrade to me would be waiting a generation or two after the switch occurs, letting other people endure the rough ride. Do you think all software manufactures are going to have x86 ports ready upon release? Do you really trust Rosetta is going to be flawless? Glitches will exist, and I'd rather let someone else be the guinea pig.
Will Apple lose some sales in the next coming months? Yep. Will it be as significant as people think? I doubt it.
If you let the Intel switch affect your purchase of an Apple product, at least now, you're being stupid.
The last PPC based Mac will be released in 2007. Judging from the 68k > PPC transition, that will likely mean PPC will be supported into 2010 -- at least.
So you'd be buying a machine that will be supported and up to date for 5 more years. Considering the average person probably doesn't even grasp what's going on under the hood in the first place, I wouldn't overestimate the impact of switching on sales. My friend who is fed up with his Viao is still going to buy an iBook in the fall, and that's probably the case of many people.
Not to mention, I'd happily buy a G5 PowerMac even in 2007, just to have the last of PPC machines. Remember, Apple had to keep the G4 PowerMacs around sometime after the G5s were released, just because there was still a sizable demand for OS 9 bootable machines.
I noticed the exact same thing. Maybe the graphics chip gets too hot.
How is this different than a schema? Haven't we known this since the 70's?
Pages and Keynote use basic XML files, and hold all of the contents in uncompressed package files. You can open the package and find all of your document's pictures, sounds, and XML untouched.
See this.
It's because people are getting married later than before.
Why is it front-page-newsworthy when Apple updates their product line, but it is not newsworthy when Dell, Microsoft, or Intel updates theirs?
Because they suck.
I agree that this is maybe the worst "Ask Slashdot" interview ever, but I blame the questions more than the interviewee. It's not like the original thread gave him a lot to work with.
/., so the questions gave him a false sense of who his audience was, and how to respond.
I agree. He probably saw the majority of the questions were basically jokes, and approached all of them with that state of mind. On top of that, he likely doesn't read
As far as him researching topics, he's not one of us. This was probably a random task he completed throughout the day, and was of little significance to him. Would you bother to do research in response to people asking questions like, "Who the fuck are you and why do I care?" Probably not.
Your question was discussed pretty throughly here a couple days ago.
One could use a mobile processor on the card. Like I said earlier, even at 1ghz, it would perform better than VPC.
Actually the only G4s with two 5.25" bays were the MDDs.
If it were less than $300 I'd be willing to buy it. I'd rather have a card slot occupied than another noisy tower sitting next to me, along with all its wire clutter and cables, in addition to KVM.
I always wonder why PC compatibility cards don't come back. Even a lowly 1ghz x86 CPU would perform better than VirtualPC.