This already exists in the App Store, but the feature has to be coded specifically per-app. This adds an API to make it easier to implement. It will not be universal, but will likely be used for "lite" apps that exist on the store (as they do now, for free) that have a more fully featured paid version. This makes it easier to add an ad-supported stream to your free app, and not have to source the ad providers yourself.
Incidentally, is your wireless N network all "n" devices (no mixed b/g/n)? What other APs are around you? Where is the AP in relation to your machine? Are you comparing speeds for different APs in the same physical location or against other N networks in other locations?
The "shitty proprietary application" are the *drivers* for the Airport card, which is a standard Broadcom wireless card. Of course they are proprietary - the physical card needs the right drivers to work and the drivers and card are proprietary to Broadcom. You can use other Broadcom drivers with it on other OSes like Linux, or use the supplied one on the bootcamp disc in Windows, and then use the built in wireless config utilities in Windows to make changes (no need for a specific 3rd party 'shitty app' to configure it).
All of the current Mac lineup is standard with the exception of the logic board, which are custom to Apple. The rest of the parts (CPU, GPU, HD, RAM, optical drive, SSD, expansion ports, usb, firewire, ethernet etc) are all standard, making it easy to run alternative OSes on it if you like, with the odd issue here and there (Ubuntu on the older PPC hardware works but is a little flakey sometimes, especially with fan control).
I also find your *massive* non-sequitur that the non-update of a first gen iPhone means that "OS X and every other product from Apple" will also fail to be updated. Either way it can demonstrably be proven wrong.
If you're a geek, and you claim you are, you really need to look at actual technical facts here and not just spout some crazy fud.
OS X will never be available for generic whiteboxes officially - they make money selling the hardware. Either way, they are as close to "allowing" it as possible - the disc is unencrypted, has no serial numbers, no online activation, no phone home, no DRM. It just has a single text file that says "please don't copy OS X" that you remove for it to work. (note: it doesn't even say 'don't install on non-apple hardware' - it only says that in the EULA). If deleting a text file that essentially says what you suggested it says, and reburning the image to a DVD-R is "too much of a technical measure" to prevent OS X whitebox installs then perhaps the task is beyond you to start with.
Apple's original iMac commercials ran on the "Rip, Mix, Burn" campaign - remember that? It led into their goals for digital music as the technology changed, but they ran actual adverts encouraging you to rip your music, create playlists and burn CD-Rs.
So, if they're so heavily "into" platform lock in, they would have used some proprietary codec, I assume. Not H.264 and AAC. They would have made all their software formats like Office's binary formats, not open and well documented. Surely they'd have gone with a closed html engine and broken standards for Safari, and made no attempts to push CSS compliance, surely they would have embraced flash instead of html5...
The reason that the iPod and iPhone (and now the iPad) are tied to iTunes is not to foster lock in and profit (hell, the iTunes store barely breaks even, and if the platform was more open I'm sure they'd sell many more), it's about maintaining a particular user experience. This does mean that it doesn't make it a good product for those that want something like Android, but this is why Android exists.
There's a point where outright cynicism really doesn't get you anywhere. Is it so hard to think that anything that a company says isn't part of some grand Machiavellian scheme? Try taking a look at the past evidence of what the company has been doing rather than just saying "he told us what he wanted us to hear". They didn;t just give lip service - the history of OS X is littered with continuing openness and criticism of drm. They have *one* product line (iPhoneOS) that uses a walled garden approach - it is pretty easy to avoid if you don't want to use it.
My iPhone supports tethering (out of the box, no fees, no jailbreaking) and MMS. What iPhone do you have?
All of the iPhone updates were free (although iPhone OS 3.0 was a paid update for the iPod Touch, it was free for the iPhone).
Apple's OS X software updates are also free, with major changes ("major" in terms of similar difference from 98>XP, XP>Vista and Vista>7) have been relatively cheap compared to Windows updates.
I don;t think they "screw their customers but hype their product" - I guess you're not really paying attention, or perhaps you are just not the market they are after.
If you find OS X is "shit for a geek" then maybe you're just not geek enough. You can always put Ubuntu or some other flavour of Linux onto that MacBook if you really don't like windows or OS X - they don;t stop you from doing that (ie, the hardware is open, just like a regular PC, fancy that).
Propaganda only gets you so far - to be successful in business, you need good marketing and good products. Good marketing only gets you part of the way. They would have been "found out" long before now if it has been *all* hype. There is clearly something to it, hence the continued profitability. They're not perfect (what large company is) but they're far from the "worthless propaganda mill with useless products" that you make them out to be.
So their whole stated goal of removing DRM from the iTunes Store and never wanting it there in the first place... where does that fit?
Rip, Mix, Burn?
"We encourage you to back up your iTMS purchases [back in the days where they had mandatory RIAA-imposed drm] to Audio CD using iTunes as soon as you download them".
What about Apple's open source commitments? (and yes, they are doing *way* more than they are "legally obliged" to do).
"DRM and lock in" are not "central to the Apple value system" - they happen to run two product lines with a closed App Store model and now suddenly they're "going down the DRM road" for "a long time now" despite opening up OS X far beyond what OS9 was, pushing open standards, championing the removal of DRM from online music sales (it was their idea from the outset, they were just not allowed to by the music industry), contributing to OSS projects far beyond what the licences require, giving away their dev tools for free.
Apple fought the music industry to sell content via the iTMS with no DRM. It was only after compromise (the variable pricing structure) and a considerable "run in" period that they were able to do this. They are still working on the movie industry (iTMS movies and TV shows still have DRM). They are encoded in H.264 though, and the music in AAC format - both open (note, patented, but open standards) rather than some proprietary codec like WMV or WMA.
Their fundamental aim is to make nice products that some people may want to buy. If the iPod/iPhone/iPad doesn't suit your requirements, I suggest you don't buy one. Don't try to force some wilfully ignorant opinion about what Apple are doing on us like it's fact, in the face of considerable evidence to the contrary.
Open source is not the enemy to Apple - you may want to get yourself acquainted with http://opensource.apple.com/ before you start spouting stuff like that. The reason that you can't activate an iPad from Linux is that iTunes doesn't run on Linux (officially). You can't activate it from Win7 64 bit yet either (unless iTunes 9.1 is running on that platform now). It's not some conspiracy because they hate OSS.
And claiming they are foes of "intellectual freedom" is just pure hyperbole. There are enough genuine criticisms of Apple that you don;t need to resort to that sort of nonsense handwaving.
Oh I agree with many of your points - a netbook has many advantages over the iPad, but vice versa, the iPad itself has benefits over the netbook. Both are competing for a slice of the same space - the extension of your main PC.
I don't think there are that many people who have made the move to have their netbook as their sole computer (especially with no optical drive) although there will doubtless be some, I'll wager it's not the norm.
Even as a major Apple fan, I can't see myself picking up an iPad just yet. The major beneficial points for me would be to use it like an electronic textbook if all my course books were available on it (in colour, with animations, searchable, hotlinked) for university use - my copy of Warren [Organic Chem] alone would be a net win for weight and portability, and to watch videos on it when I'm not in the living room and don't want to sit in front of my computer.
I have the Mac version of XBMC running on my iMac at the moment, and am going to grab an ion-based small PC for the living room in the summer - no doubt the XBMC remote that I have on my iPhone at the moment will be ported to the iPad, but whether it will be able to extend function (like being able to stream videos to itself) remains a question (even assuming all your videos are in H.264 to begin with).
Re:The difference being...
on
The Apple Two
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· Score: 1
Oh I know, I just wanted to make a joke about his $1 salary.
I think he gets quite a lot of compensation by renting the jet that Apple bought for him back to them, as well as his shares and so on.
And as an aside, you can replace the RAM on modern Macs - on almost all models it is accessible via an external door or fitted in such a way that a user can replace it. Some models also have this for HDs too, eg via the battery bay, or by removing a bottom plate.
I replaced the HD in my intel iMac, PB 15", iBook and several other Powerbooks. I replaced the screen on my sister's iBook when she dropped it and broke the clutch assembly on one side.
I changed the battery in my iPod, added more RAM to my friend's iLamp iMac back in the day (the supposedly "impossible" RAM upgrade).
They're only "locked down" in the sense of any big manufacturer. There's a note on it that says "no user serviceable parts inside" to discourage you from opening it. Doesn't mean I can't go down to a whitebox store, grab a SATA HD and put it into my iMac in an afternoon. It's just not as easy as putting it into a normal PC because you need to remove the LCD, and the latches that release the bezel are internal for aesthetics and a bit fiddly if you don't know where they are.
The tower Macs (G3, G4, G5, Mac Pro) are a joy to work on and upgrade compared to a normal PC tower - there are no screws. It's all latches, grips, slide rails and other things built into the case that make it easy. Changing a hard drive on a Mac Pro involves sliding it into two rails and twisting a latch and it's done (it mates with the SATA connector when you turn the latch). Some of them have caddies with handles, so you install it into the caddy and dock that with the machine. The RAM on the old DP G5 was installed on riser cards that you could easily remove to make it easier to fit the modules if you had lots of them. The G4 towers had the logic board on the hinged side, with the cables routed past the hinge so when you opened it up the board was laid out flat in front of you for easy access making installing PCI cards a cinch, and well away from the drive bays so it was easy to access those too. You could even run the computer in this open state if you wanted - you didn't have to disconnect any cables to get it open.
Ok, so the iPhone/iPod is locked down. That clearly shows a trend.....
Re:The difference being...
on
The Apple Two
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· Score: 1
Are you saying he's worth $1? That is his official salary as I remember, at least it used to be.
Re:Officially?
on
The Apple Two
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· Score: 3, Insightful
What the hell are you talking about?
The iPad is not, will never, is not designed to, and is unlikely to replace the personal computer as we know it. It's designed to complement your personal computer.
Your iPod didn't replace your music library in your home, did it? It just allowed you to go portable with it.
The iPad extends your computer into places it otherwise wouldn't go easily - like onto the couch, or into bed, or in your arm as you use it like a shopping list in a store, or any other use where a laptop *could* go, but would be inconvenient.
This is not replacing the computer, and it's disingenuous to suggest otherwise. Jobs may say it's a replacement for the Netbook, and it is in those situations where you wanted a second machine but didn't really need all the pieces (like a keyboard, CD drive etc), but it's more like an alternative tool rather than a straight replacement.
I don't think anywhere in the design process was the iPad intended as your main computer.
What update was that? Or did she select "restore to factory settings"?
I have been using my 3G since it came out and I only ever update it on my terms when I am ready, skipping out a couple of updates. It has never been "essentially disabled" until I updated it.
I'm genuinely curious which update this was, and what version of the phone it is. Did she update iTunes to the current version? Did she download an app?
You failed when you expressed disappointment in his decision to try. Let him find out for himself if a Mac is the "bouncer in a whorehouse" as you have come to see it. Maybe he might like it.
If it doesn't work for him, at least you've got a very small, quiet Linux box to mess about with.
Firmware locked harddrives? What bollocks are you spouting? I have a generic whitebox HD in my intel iMac right now. I know that because I bought it from a whitebox supplier and installed it myself. Works perfectly.
And while H.264 and AAC are patented codecs, they are open. They are similar to mp3 in that respect. The alternative is WMV and WMA.
The truly shocking quality of Flash on OS X is the reason I am so annoyed about the BBC adding swf verification to the iPlayer streams, thus breaking the XBMC iPlayer plugin, which I used with the Mac port of XBMC to catch up on shows. The CPU use was much, much better using XBMC compared to watching the streams through the browser due to the flash overhead. It's better if you watch fullscreen, but it it still crazy that a 480i TV stream causes a dual core intel box to use 25-30% cpu on both cores when playing full screen.
The iPhone *launched* with a YouTube app on the main home screen - it was one of the original Apple-supplied apps, and remains so to this day.
Lack of flash on the iPhone has nothing to do with trying to force people to not use YouTube - a service that they provide access to on the phone anyway!
And my big soccer mom MPV gets better milage than your Prius, and your Saturn.
Not all cars are created equal, and in general, it is proven that equivalent vehicles that only differ by transmission type (ie, manual vs auto) the manual transmission is more economical. It's just the nature of the two systems.
Slashdot Mirror
This already exists in the App Store, but the feature has to be coded specifically per-app. This adds an API to make it easier to implement. It will not be universal, but will likely be used for "lite" apps that exist on the store (as they do now, for free) that have a more fully featured paid version. This makes it easier to add an ad-supported stream to your free app, and not have to source the ad providers yourself.
OS X will continue as it always has.
At least it will be less of a mess than Linux audio.
All forces are attractive at near infinite distance.
Incidentally, is your wireless N network all "n" devices (no mixed b/g/n)? What other APs are around you? Where is the AP in relation to your machine? Are you comparing speeds for different APs in the same physical location or against other N networks in other locations?
The "shitty proprietary application" are the *drivers* for the Airport card, which is a standard Broadcom wireless card. Of course they are proprietary - the physical card needs the right drivers to work and the drivers and card are proprietary to Broadcom. You can use other Broadcom drivers with it on other OSes like Linux, or use the supplied one on the bootcamp disc in Windows, and then use the built in wireless config utilities in Windows to make changes (no need for a specific 3rd party 'shitty app' to configure it).
All of the current Mac lineup is standard with the exception of the logic board, which are custom to Apple. The rest of the parts (CPU, GPU, HD, RAM, optical drive, SSD, expansion ports, usb, firewire, ethernet etc) are all standard, making it easy to run alternative OSes on it if you like, with the odd issue here and there (Ubuntu on the older PPC hardware works but is a little flakey sometimes, especially with fan control).
I also find your *massive* non-sequitur that the non-update of a first gen iPhone means that "OS X and every other product from Apple" will also fail to be updated. Either way it can demonstrably be proven wrong.
If you're a geek, and you claim you are, you really need to look at actual technical facts here and not just spout some crazy fud.
OS X will never be available for generic whiteboxes officially - they make money selling the hardware. Either way, they are as close to "allowing" it as possible - the disc is unencrypted, has no serial numbers, no online activation, no phone home, no DRM. It just has a single text file that says "please don't copy OS X" that you remove for it to work. (note: it doesn't even say 'don't install on non-apple hardware' - it only says that in the EULA). If deleting a text file that essentially says what you suggested it says, and reburning the image to a DVD-R is "too much of a technical measure" to prevent OS X whitebox installs then perhaps the task is beyond you to start with.
Apple's original iMac commercials ran on the "Rip, Mix, Burn" campaign - remember that? It led into their goals for digital music as the technology changed, but they ran actual adverts encouraging you to rip your music, create playlists and burn CD-Rs.
So, if they're so heavily "into" platform lock in, they would have used some proprietary codec, I assume. Not H.264 and AAC. They would have made all their software formats like Office's binary formats, not open and well documented. Surely they'd have gone with a closed html engine and broken standards for Safari, and made no attempts to push CSS compliance, surely they would have embraced flash instead of html5...
The reason that the iPod and iPhone (and now the iPad) are tied to iTunes is not to foster lock in and profit (hell, the iTunes store barely breaks even, and if the platform was more open I'm sure they'd sell many more), it's about maintaining a particular user experience. This does mean that it doesn't make it a good product for those that want something like Android, but this is why Android exists.
There's a point where outright cynicism really doesn't get you anywhere. Is it so hard to think that anything that a company says isn't part of some grand Machiavellian scheme? Try taking a look at the past evidence of what the company has been doing rather than just saying "he told us what he wanted us to hear". They didn;t just give lip service - the history of OS X is littered with continuing openness and criticism of drm. They have *one* product line (iPhoneOS) that uses a walled garden approach - it is pretty easy to avoid if you don't want to use it.
My iPhone supports tethering (out of the box, no fees, no jailbreaking) and MMS. What iPhone do you have?
All of the iPhone updates were free (although iPhone OS 3.0 was a paid update for the iPod Touch, it was free for the iPhone).
Apple's OS X software updates are also free, with major changes ("major" in terms of similar difference from 98>XP, XP>Vista and Vista>7) have been relatively cheap compared to Windows updates.
I don;t think they "screw their customers but hype their product" - I guess you're not really paying attention, or perhaps you are just not the market they are after.
If you find OS X is "shit for a geek" then maybe you're just not geek enough. You can always put Ubuntu or some other flavour of Linux onto that MacBook if you really don't like windows or OS X - they don;t stop you from doing that (ie, the hardware is open, just like a regular PC, fancy that).
Propaganda only gets you so far - to be successful in business, you need good marketing and good products. Good marketing only gets you part of the way. They would have been "found out" long before now if it has been *all* hype. There is clearly something to it, hence the continued profitability. They're not perfect (what large company is) but they're far from the "worthless propaganda mill with useless products" that you make them out to be.
So their whole stated goal of removing DRM from the iTunes Store and never wanting it there in the first place... where does that fit?
Rip, Mix, Burn?
"We encourage you to back up your iTMS purchases [back in the days where they had mandatory RIAA-imposed drm] to Audio CD using iTunes as soon as you download them".
What about Apple's open source commitments? (and yes, they are doing *way* more than they are "legally obliged" to do).
"DRM and lock in" are not "central to the Apple value system" - they happen to run two product lines with a closed App Store model and now suddenly they're "going down the DRM road" for "a long time now" despite opening up OS X far beyond what OS9 was, pushing open standards, championing the removal of DRM from online music sales (it was their idea from the outset, they were just not allowed to by the music industry), contributing to OSS projects far beyond what the licences require, giving away their dev tools for free.
Apple fought the music industry to sell content via the iTMS with no DRM. It was only after compromise (the variable pricing structure) and a considerable "run in" period that they were able to do this. They are still working on the movie industry (iTMS movies and TV shows still have DRM). They are encoded in H.264 though, and the music in AAC format - both open (note, patented, but open standards) rather than some proprietary codec like WMV or WMA.
Their fundamental aim is to make nice products that some people may want to buy. If the iPod/iPhone/iPad doesn't suit your requirements, I suggest you don't buy one. Don't try to force some wilfully ignorant opinion about what Apple are doing on us like it's fact, in the face of considerable evidence to the contrary.
Open source is not the enemy to Apple - you may want to get yourself acquainted with http://opensource.apple.com/ before you start spouting stuff like that. The reason that you can't activate an iPad from Linux is that iTunes doesn't run on Linux (officially). You can't activate it from Win7 64 bit yet either (unless iTunes 9.1 is running on that platform now). It's not some conspiracy because they hate OSS.
And claiming they are foes of "intellectual freedom" is just pure hyperbole. There are enough genuine criticisms of Apple that you don;t need to resort to that sort of nonsense handwaving.
The same could be said about OSS fanboys, except it's not freedom for security, it's usability and features for ideology. The rest is the same though.
You just Godwinned the thread. GTFO.
Oh I agree with many of your points - a netbook has many advantages over the iPad, but vice versa, the iPad itself has benefits over the netbook. Both are competing for a slice of the same space - the extension of your main PC.
I don't think there are that many people who have made the move to have their netbook as their sole computer (especially with no optical drive) although there will doubtless be some, I'll wager it's not the norm.
Even as a major Apple fan, I can't see myself picking up an iPad just yet. The major beneficial points for me would be to use it like an electronic textbook if all my course books were available on it (in colour, with animations, searchable, hotlinked) for university use - my copy of Warren [Organic Chem] alone would be a net win for weight and portability, and to watch videos on it when I'm not in the living room and don't want to sit in front of my computer.
I have the Mac version of XBMC running on my iMac at the moment, and am going to grab an ion-based small PC for the living room in the summer - no doubt the XBMC remote that I have on my iPhone at the moment will be ported to the iPad, but whether it will be able to extend function (like being able to stream videos to itself) remains a question (even assuming all your videos are in H.264 to begin with).
Oh I know, I just wanted to make a joke about his $1 salary.
I think he gets quite a lot of compensation by renting the jet that Apple bought for him back to them, as well as his shares and so on.
Where did he say that it was?
And what's stopping you installing your video player of choice?
Ah, you're talking about the iPhone rather than the Mac itself. I hear the Xbox 360 also has a similar restriction.
And as an aside, you can replace the RAM on modern Macs - on almost all models it is accessible via an external door or fitted in such a way that a user can replace it. Some models also have this for HDs too, eg via the battery bay, or by removing a bottom plate.
I replaced the HD in my intel iMac, PB 15", iBook and several other Powerbooks. I replaced the screen on my sister's iBook when she dropped it and broke the clutch assembly on one side.
I changed the battery in my iPod, added more RAM to my friend's iLamp iMac back in the day (the supposedly "impossible" RAM upgrade).
They're only "locked down" in the sense of any big manufacturer. There's a note on it that says "no user serviceable parts inside" to discourage you from opening it. Doesn't mean I can't go down to a whitebox store, grab a SATA HD and put it into my iMac in an afternoon. It's just not as easy as putting it into a normal PC because you need to remove the LCD, and the latches that release the bezel are internal for aesthetics and a bit fiddly if you don't know where they are.
The tower Macs (G3, G4, G5, Mac Pro) are a joy to work on and upgrade compared to a normal PC tower - there are no screws. It's all latches, grips, slide rails and other things built into the case that make it easy. Changing a hard drive on a Mac Pro involves sliding it into two rails and twisting a latch and it's done (it mates with the SATA connector when you turn the latch). Some of them have caddies with handles, so you install it into the caddy and dock that with the machine. The RAM on the old DP G5 was installed on riser cards that you could easily remove to make it easier to fit the modules if you had lots of them. The G4 towers had the logic board on the hinged side, with the cables routed past the hinge so when you opened it up the board was laid out flat in front of you for easy access making installing PCI cards a cinch, and well away from the drive bays so it was easy to access those too. You could even run the computer in this open state if you wanted - you didn't have to disconnect any cables to get it open.
Ok, so the iPhone/iPod is locked down. That clearly shows a trend.....
Are you saying he's worth $1? That is his official salary as I remember, at least it used to be.
What the hell are you talking about?
The iPad is not, will never, is not designed to, and is unlikely to replace the personal computer as we know it. It's designed to complement your personal computer.
Your iPod didn't replace your music library in your home, did it? It just allowed you to go portable with it.
The iPad extends your computer into places it otherwise wouldn't go easily - like onto the couch, or into bed, or in your arm as you use it like a shopping list in a store, or any other use where a laptop *could* go, but would be inconvenient.
This is not replacing the computer, and it's disingenuous to suggest otherwise. Jobs may say it's a replacement for the Netbook, and it is in those situations where you wanted a second machine but didn't really need all the pieces (like a keyboard, CD drive etc), but it's more like an alternative tool rather than a straight replacement.
I don't think anywhere in the design process was the iPad intended as your main computer.
What update was that? Or did she select "restore to factory settings"?
I have been using my 3G since it came out and I only ever update it on my terms when I am ready, skipping out a couple of updates. It has never been "essentially disabled" until I updated it.
I'm genuinely curious which update this was, and what version of the phone it is. Did she update iTunes to the current version? Did she download an app?
You failed when you expressed disappointment in his decision to try. Let him find out for himself if a Mac is the "bouncer in a whorehouse" as you have come to see it. Maybe he might like it.
If it doesn't work for him, at least you've got a very small, quiet Linux box to mess about with.
Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria.
Firmware locked harddrives? What bollocks are you spouting? I have a generic whitebox HD in my intel iMac right now. I know that because I bought it from a whitebox supplier and installed it myself. Works perfectly.
And while H.264 and AAC are patented codecs, they are open. They are similar to mp3 in that respect. The alternative is WMV and WMA.
I'm not sure it does - the GPS hardware was on the 3G board in the FCC teardown shots, unless they have moved it since those pre-production photos.
It must be terrible having such a cynical worldview, or to have such little faith in open source.
The truly shocking quality of Flash on OS X is the reason I am so annoyed about the BBC adding swf verification to the iPlayer streams, thus breaking the XBMC iPlayer plugin, which I used with the Mac port of XBMC to catch up on shows. The CPU use was much, much better using XBMC compared to watching the streams through the browser due to the flash overhead. It's better if you watch fullscreen, but it it still crazy that a 480i TV stream causes a dual core intel box to use 25-30% cpu on both cores when playing full screen.
Flash performance is awful on OS X.
The iPhone *launched* with a YouTube app on the main home screen - it was one of the original Apple-supplied apps, and remains so to this day.
Lack of flash on the iPhone has nothing to do with trying to force people to not use YouTube - a service that they provide access to on the phone anyway!
And my big soccer mom MPV gets better milage than your Prius, and your Saturn.
Not all cars are created equal, and in general, it is proven that equivalent vehicles that only differ by transmission type (ie, manual vs auto) the manual transmission is more economical. It's just the nature of the two systems.