But why is the concept of a 'family' iPad so problematic? A phone is personal, sure. But the best use case I have for a tablet is to use it as a laptop replacement.
I have an iPad and sometimes my wife uses it. It's so frustrating to come home to find lots of random notifications and her having logged into her accounts (and me out). I also wouldn't mind things like my emails being private, not that I have anything to hide.
Why is the only solution (short of banning her) to purchase a second device? I'm sure this is not a niche use case.
I've used Uber once or twice and I struggle to see much of a difference between their business model and that of private hire companies (private hire taxis being similarly licensed by authorities, but different than 'official' taxis).
Private hire / radio cabs:
- Operate on a pre-booked basis only (you cannot stop one in the street). - Are booked by speaking to an operator, who co-ordinates the drivers affiliated with their firm. - Comes to you and the driver gives you a call to let you know he has arrived.
It seems that Uber's technology largely replaces the role of the operator. Their business model is hardly new or unique (in the UK and Europe), and their automation of part of the process, using an app and some servers, is to be applauded but doesn't negate the fact that they are simply a big private hire firm.
Navigation Apple Maps can be invoked with your voice using Siri, without having to touch the device. Very useful in the car (and frustrating that it's limited to Apple Maps).
This is its biggest advantage over Google Maps (for iPhone users). And despite it solely being an artificial limitation, as we've seen with other historical instances of software bundling, it will prove to be very advantageous to Apple.
Hmm..so, it is like a FireTV stick, but you use your phone as a remote with the chromecast thing...?
The Chromecast offers a significantly inferior user experience (in my opinion) when compared to the FireTV stick.
When you control your FireTV stick with the remote control, you're navigating a UI and have full control. You might even find that your TV remote can control actions such as pause, play, next and back.
With the Chromecast, there is no UI and there is no remote control. You use compatible apps on your phone/tablet, such as YouTube/Netflix etc, to find content. Then you press a button to 'cast' to the Chromecast, which launches the specific stream you've asked it to play.
As there is no remote control, pausing a Chromecast stream typically involves opening the app on your phone/tablet, reconnecting to the Chromecast, and then pausing it.
We've found the Chromecast to be useful for quick streams like YouTube, but we use our FireTV stick for the children's shows (and Kodi for the stuff we download).
I think we should be able to reset the Operating System of a modern device to a default configuration, without impacting personal data files.
At home and work I do store data files on network storage, but I'm aware that Windows 10 does offer the option of resetting the OS while keeping documents.
My phone (Apple) is more complex in that I need to store a backup of my settings and data files in the cloud and then restore it after resetting the device. I think Android works in a similar way.
"Alexa, play songs by xyz band" is much easier than unlocking my phone, opening Spotify, searching for the band and then connecting to my speaker before actually playing the tunes.
Likewise, "Hey Siri, wake me up at 6am" is easier than going into the app and manully configuring the alarm.
However, looking up an actor or actress on IMDB is something more suited to a screen, allowing me to browse their previous movies at my leisure.
I also find that any unusual words/phrases are wholly unsuited to dictation. Such as flight numbers or other combinations of characters. I recent had to send some commands to my dad to configure his Raspberry Pi - that was definitely a keyboard job!
There's a lot of comments recommending that users disable notifications for apps. Unfortunately, this is a rather simplistic way of looking at it.
I became particularly frustrated with the ASDA groceries app (ASDA is a supermarket chain in the UK, owned by Walmart). They send push notifications to advise on order status, expected delivery time, etc. However, they also send push notifications simply to advise that xyz product is discounted this week.
Very happy to receive the first kind of notification, not so happy to receive the promotional messages. There is no way to select the type of notifications that I'm happy to receive (confirmed with ASDA directly).
Companies aren't allowed to adopt an all-or-nothing approach with text messages or emails or even phone calls / letters (data protection laws in UK/Europe). I'm honestly not sure of the legal position around in-app notifications, but it's certainly frustrating that many organisations don't allow users to filter the types of notifications sent.
MS Office is my preferred office suite software at home and at work, but I wouldn't pay $100 per year (or equivalent in GBP) for personal use, even to cover my whole family. I think it's too expensive considering our typical level of usage at home - things like managing the budget in Excel, updating resumes, capturing text in a nicely formatted way.
I currently have Office 2013 which I picked up for c. £10 via the Microsoft Home Use Program. I might upgrade to the latest version at some point, but only if the price is right.
The suicide rate for Foxconn workers is actually lower than China as a whole. This could indicate that the workers at Foxconn are indeed happier than the norm.
I don't want or need a "smart TV". I have a Sony from a few years ago that has Netflix and iPlayer and a few other things that I've never wanted to explore. Same as I don't want to use Netflix or YouTube or even Catchup services via my cable box.
I do have a Chromecast and Pi hooked up to my TV. These give my TV smart capabilities, just not built into the TV. Whilst I have them hooked into Home Assistant and the Pi is linked to a Synology which automatically downloads new episodes, the average person isn't really interested in the effort required and is happy enough to be able to use Netflix or YouTube on a Smart tv - after all, why spend £30 on a Chromecast when the facility is already there?
It would be nice if all software was open source, but i don't think the business model always works. I think we have to recognise that software which is open source (free libre) quickly becomes available via other sources (legally), even if the original source charges for it.
For big organisations like Red Hat, despite the software being repackaged and made available for free as in beer, they make a lot of money on the support contracts for enterprise companies. So it works well for them.
For smaller companies or even one man shops, the business model of support for a fee just doesn't work. I bought Reflector and a particularly useful browser tab recorder in the past six months for business purposes. Would they have been developed if they had been released under an open source license? Probably not as the developer would not seen value from it.
I worked for an ISP when the blaster worm was a thing. We suspended internet access for customers whose computer(s) were infected and unpatched, by identifying the traffic that was coming from their pipe.
Now, you were saying something about your lack of understanding about network and technology?
The point is that we don't know what is on the 'real' iPhone - that's why they have recruited this team of experts. The people doing the work don't know what's on the iPhone either, so they will not know whether or not the iPhone they are working on at any given time is the real one or a decoy.
You can pick up a modern iPhone for under £20 per month in the UK. That's the price of two packets of cigarettes, or a meal for two at one of these burger restaurants that are all the rage at the moment.
I think it's definitely a case that your judgement is clouded by the phone you use (or indeed vice versa!) I am an iPhone user and feel negatively towards Android and neutral towards Windows Phone. We each have our opinions on this and the world would be a boring place without diversity.:-)
But I think this programme will attract the users who don't care about the platform they use. For a lot of people, all they know is that their new phone menu is a bit different or the SMS icon is a different colour. Apple is betting that a) this scheme will bring new users to the platform and b) that the customers will become loyal iPhone customers.
It will be a sponsorship deal to raise their profile. The people who will be travelling by helicopter to a film festival may well be potential influencers in the purchase of consumer or military products.
I look forward to the day when I can have a single micro USB cable (or whatever the future version might look like) on my desk and in my bag.
I have a device that still uses mini USB, several using micro USB, and proprietary Pebble, Fitbit and iPhone chargers. Manageable when I'm at my desk if a little messy; more difficult when I'm travelling and either take a whole bunch of cables or just the most important (usually one lightning and one micro USB).
I suspect you might well be surprised at the hardware used by people who use Slashdot. With a few exceptions, I think the majority of people here seem quite intelligent and logical but have somewhat of an aversion to change and unnecessary innovations.
Speaking purely for myself, I built my computer in 2011 with a i5 2500k and maxed out the RAM. Then I spent £60 on a low end graphics card because - why spend more when I have a console for gaming and a media player (WDTV at the time) for watching downloaded shows and movies?
I might be in the minority, but I don't think it will be a tiny minority.
I found hardware qwerty phone keyboards the most difficult to use and introduced the most errors. Probably because the keys are so small. I find the iOS software keyboard really simple to use, especially with autocorrect. I can usually walk and type with my thumbs (looking ahead rather than at the phone) and most of the time it is correct.
But nothing will beat the original 0-9 and T9 for ease of use and accuracy. I don't really remember which I liked the best - I used 0-9 (multi tap) for years and then one day I got a new phone and made a conscious effort to learn T9 and after that I was hooked.
Slashdot Mirror
But why is the concept of a 'family' iPad so problematic? A phone is personal, sure. But the best use case I have for a tablet is to use it as a laptop replacement.
I have an iPad and sometimes my wife uses it. It's so frustrating to come home to find lots of random notifications and her having logged into her accounts (and me out). I also wouldn't mind things like my emails being private, not that I have anything to hide.
Why is the only solution (short of banning her) to purchase a second device? I'm sure this is not a niche use case.
Unfortunately third party music apps can't use SiriKit due to Apple limitations.
As an iPhone user who prefers Spotify, it is extremely frustrating and very typical of how Apple seeks to control everything.
I've used Uber once or twice and I struggle to see much of a difference between their business model and that of private hire companies (private hire taxis being similarly licensed by authorities, but different than 'official' taxis).
Private hire / radio cabs:
- Operate on a pre-booked basis only (you cannot stop one in the street).
- Are booked by speaking to an operator, who co-ordinates the drivers affiliated with their firm.
- Comes to you and the driver gives you a call to let you know he has arrived.
It seems that Uber's technology largely replaces the role of the operator. Their business model is hardly new or unique (in the UK and Europe), and their automation of part of the process, using an app and some servers, is to be applauded but doesn't negate the fact that they are simply a big private hire firm.
Navigation Apple Maps can be invoked with your voice using Siri, without having to touch the device. Very useful in the car (and frustrating that it's limited to Apple Maps).
This is its biggest advantage over Google Maps (for iPhone users). And despite it solely being an artificial limitation, as we've seen with other historical instances of software bundling, it will prove to be very advantageous to Apple.
Hmm..so, it is like a FireTV stick, but you use your phone as a remote with the chromecast thing...?
The Chromecast offers a significantly inferior user experience (in my opinion) when compared to the FireTV stick.
When you control your FireTV stick with the remote control, you're navigating a UI and have full control. You might even find that your TV remote can control actions such as pause, play, next and back.
With the Chromecast, there is no UI and there is no remote control. You use compatible apps on your phone/tablet, such as YouTube/Netflix etc, to find content. Then you press a button to 'cast' to the Chromecast, which launches the specific stream you've asked it to play.
As there is no remote control, pausing a Chromecast stream typically involves opening the app on your phone/tablet, reconnecting to the Chromecast, and then pausing it.
We've found the Chromecast to be useful for quick streams like YouTube, but we use our FireTV stick for the children's shows (and Kodi for the stuff we download).
Meanwhile are there any stories of macs actually compromised by this bug? I haven't seen any.
You can bet that any Macs seized by the likes of the FBI won't have had the security patch applied....
I think we should be able to reset the Operating System of a modern device to a default configuration, without impacting personal data files.
At home and work I do store data files on network storage, but I'm aware that Windows 10 does offer the option of resetting the OS while keeping documents.
My phone (Apple) is more complex in that I need to store a backup of my settings and data files in the cloud and then restore it after resetting the device. I think Android works in a similar way.
It's all about different use cases.
"Alexa, play songs by xyz band" is much easier than unlocking my phone, opening Spotify, searching for the band and then connecting to my speaker before actually playing the tunes.
Likewise, "Hey Siri, wake me up at 6am" is easier than going into the app and manully configuring the alarm.
However, looking up an actor or actress on IMDB is something more suited to a screen, allowing me to browse their previous movies at my leisure.
I also find that any unusual words/phrases are wholly unsuited to dictation. Such as flight numbers or other combinations of characters. I recent had to send some commands to my dad to configure his Raspberry Pi - that was definitely a keyboard job!
There's a lot of comments recommending that users disable notifications for apps. Unfortunately, this is a rather simplistic way of looking at it.
I became particularly frustrated with the ASDA groceries app (ASDA is a supermarket chain in the UK, owned by Walmart). They send push notifications to advise on order status, expected delivery time, etc. However, they also send push notifications simply to advise that xyz product is discounted this week.
Very happy to receive the first kind of notification, not so happy to receive the promotional messages. There is no way to select the type of notifications that I'm happy to receive (confirmed with ASDA directly).
Companies aren't allowed to adopt an all-or-nothing approach with text messages or emails or even phone calls / letters (data protection laws in UK/Europe). I'm honestly not sure of the legal position around in-app notifications, but it's certainly frustrating that many organisations don't allow users to filter the types of notifications sent.
MS Office is my preferred office suite software at home and at work, but I wouldn't pay $100 per year (or equivalent in GBP) for personal use, even to cover my whole family. I think it's too expensive considering our typical level of usage at home - things like managing the budget in Excel, updating resumes, capturing text in a nicely formatted way.
I currently have Office 2013 which I picked up for c. £10 via the Microsoft Home Use Program. I might upgrade to the latest version at some point, but only if the price is right.
It's more like the App Store being the only store I'm allowed to visit.
The suicide rate for Foxconn workers is actually lower than China as a whole. This could indicate that the workers at Foxconn are indeed happier than the norm.
I don't want or need a "smart TV". I have a Sony from a few years ago that has Netflix and iPlayer and a few other things that I've never wanted to explore. Same as I don't want to use Netflix or YouTube or even Catchup services via my cable box.
I do have a Chromecast and Pi hooked up to my TV. These give my TV smart capabilities, just not built into the TV. Whilst I have them hooked into Home Assistant and the Pi is linked to a Synology which automatically downloads new episodes, the average person isn't really interested in the effort required and is happy enough to be able to use Netflix or YouTube on a Smart tv - after all, why spend £30 on a Chromecast when the facility is already there?
It would be nice if all software was open source, but i don't think the business model always works. I think we have to recognise that software which is open source (free libre) quickly becomes available via other sources (legally), even if the original source charges for it.
For big organisations like Red Hat, despite the software being repackaged and made available for free as in beer, they make a lot of money on the support contracts for enterprise companies. So it works well for them.
For smaller companies or even one man shops, the business model of support for a fee just doesn't work. I bought Reflector and a particularly useful browser tab recorder in the past six months for business purposes. Would they have been developed if they had been released under an open source license? Probably not as the developer would not seen value from it.
I worked for an ISP when the blaster worm was a thing. We suspended internet access for customers whose computer(s) were infected and unpatched, by identifying the traffic that was coming from their pipe.
Now, you were saying something about your lack of understanding about network and technology?
The point is that we don't know what is on the 'real' iPhone - that's why they have recruited this team of experts. The people doing the work don't know what's on the iPhone either, so they will not know whether or not the iPhone they are working on at any given time is the real one or a decoy.
You can pick up a modern iPhone for under £20 per month in the UK. That's the price of two packets of cigarettes, or a meal for two at one of these burger restaurants that are all the rage at the moment.
I think it's definitely a case that your judgement is clouded by the phone you use (or indeed vice versa!) I am an iPhone user and feel negatively towards Android and neutral towards Windows Phone. We each have our opinions on this and the world would be a boring place without diversity. :-)
But I think this programme will attract the users who don't care about the platform they use. For a lot of people, all they know is that their new phone menu is a bit different or the SMS icon is a different colour. Apple is betting that a) this scheme will bring new users to the platform and b) that the customers will become loyal iPhone customers.
It will be a sponsorship deal to raise their profile. The people who will be travelling by helicopter to a film festival may well be potential influencers in the purchase of consumer or military products.
I look forward to the day when I can have a single micro USB cable (or whatever the future version might look like) on my desk and in my bag.
I have a device that still uses mini USB, several using micro USB, and proprietary Pebble, Fitbit and iPhone chargers. Manageable when I'm at my desk if a little messy; more difficult when I'm travelling and either take a whole bunch of cables or just the most important (usually one lightning and one micro USB).
No-one on a plane has ever questioned the small square bluetooth device clipped onto my collar, or the headphone cable coming from it.
I really hope they don't become mainstream.
I suspect you might well be surprised at the hardware used by people who use Slashdot. With a few exceptions, I think the majority of people here seem quite intelligent and logical but have somewhat of an aversion to change and unnecessary innovations.
Speaking purely for myself, I built my computer in 2011 with a i5 2500k and maxed out the RAM. Then I spent £60 on a low end graphics card because - why spend more when I have a console for gaming and a media player (WDTV at the time) for watching downloaded shows and movies?
I might be in the minority, but I don't think it will be a tiny minority.
I found hardware qwerty phone keyboards the most difficult to use and introduced the most errors. Probably because the keys are so small. I find the iOS software keyboard really simple to use, especially with autocorrect. I can usually walk and type with my thumbs (looking ahead rather than at the phone) and most of the time it is correct.
But nothing will beat the original 0-9 and T9 for ease of use and accuracy. I don't really remember which I liked the best - I used 0-9 (multi tap) for years and then one day I got a new phone and made a conscious effort to learn T9 and after that I was hooked.
The market for mobile devices which might run ARM is far bigger than the market for laptops and desktops.
I'm in the UK and have an iPhone purchased here and a UK-based account. The app appeared on my phone along with the rest of iOS 9.