One thing that the iPhone lags, is Flash. Whether for animations, or simply to playback video, it’s always been on the todo list. Some think it’s a glaring omission, but I believe there’s an underlying reason. Or two.
To be honest, I’m kinda glad Flash isn’t on the iPhone. Look at Safari, running on the desktop. Even when a Flash video from Youtube or even Vimeo is playing, processor usage is through the roof. I believe it’s mostly due to Adobe, but Apple is also in part at fault. I thought a better cooperation would have existed between the two, given that Apple needs Adobe to continue developing and supporting its pro apps.
But at the end of the day, it also boils down to marketing. Surely, a company like Apple would implement features that they can actively market, like voice commands, autofocus camera and video editing, on the new iPhone 3G S. Flash-enabled, is something that only a handful of people will understand, though a lot will appreciate it, after they’ve had the time to utilise it.
Be thankful that the iPhone doesn’t have Flash. It would run too slow, and consume too much of your battery, anyway.
Facebook, the social network that everyone seems to be on, is kinda flawed in some ways. But since all your distant cousins are on it, instead of something way better like Friendfeed, you have no choice but to use it.
One of the big annoyances after the ridiculous news feed, is the URLs. Facebook has always used horrible URLs from Web 1.0, with long chains of numbers. Today when I logged in, a little notification popped up, with the catchy title of “Soon you will be able to have a username”. Basically it’s just a pretty permalink to your profile. I’m hoping they roll this out site-wide, to groups, fan pages and all.
Facebook is finally embracing SEO. Perhaps now the search engine ranking pages will be populated by more nonsense. Great.
Lots of lovely announcements at WWDC today. Really dig the new MacBooks, they look more and more enticing with each update. What’s more controversial is the new iPhone 3GS. It’s essentially an iPhone ‘Pro’, loaded with more features than the iPhone 3G. The ‘S’ Factor, is how I like to put it.
Pricing and shipping information is still not very clear, at least in this part of the world. I’m still hoping that the iPhone 3G is much more affordable than before. Personally, I can live with 8GB and give up the compass (not really necessary in town), voice control (talking to my phone is still considered somewhat retarded). What I really like is the faster processor, increased battery life, 3MP camera and video.
But as I mentioned before, it’s hard to really make any concrete decisisons, without having a good look at prices. Will update this post in a week or two when the finer details are announced.
Apple banners and invitations have always provided clues to new products. This year at WWDC, the clue has been displayed prominently at Moscone West in the form of a poster. “One Year Later. Light Years Ahead”, it says. Cryptic as it might seem, I think I have an idea or two about what it means.
Let’s see, “One Year Later”. Implies that something happened one year ago. What happened? WWDC 2008. What happened at WWDC 2008? Apple introduced the iPhone 3G. Alright, we’re getting somewhere. The announcement has something to do with the iPhone 3G. How about ”Light Years Ahead”? What’s that supposed to mean. Light has at least two meanings; the opposite of heavy and the opposite of darkness. But I have a theory, however farfetched it might sound.
Perhaps “Light” is a name, as in iPhone Light (or Lite). This rings a bell, because the teaser for the MacBook Air’s introduction was “There’s something in the air“. Interesting ain’t it? The rumors so far have pointed towards a cheaper version, perhaps with several features trimmed, so I wouldn’t rule this guess out. In fact, I think this is the most likely guess.
But then again, with the heavy emphasis on the app store, it could be more than an “iPhone Light”. What do you think?
Darrell Etherington over at The Apple Blog recently listed some of the rumors that he thinks may pan out in a few days time. In particular, he mentioned that a Large-format Touch Tablet Device “could happen”. While it’s nice to have new stuff (who doesn’t like new stuff), do we really need any more devices?
Here’s my reasoning. It is improbably difficult, no, impossible to implement multitouch using the OS X interface, because the pointing needs to be super precise. Our tender fingers are simply too big and inaccurate, compared to the pixel-perfect accuracy of the mouse. So this so-called Large-format Touch Tablet Device (which I’ll abbreviate to LfTTD) will, in all probability, use an iPhone-esque interface. If I were to guess, it’d be the same interface, albeit at a higher resolution.
The problem with the iPhone interface on an LfTTD, is, well, the iPhone itself. The iPhone makes the LfTTD look like an iPhone that cannot call. So the LfTTD is basically an enlarged iPod touch. Think of it as it’s big brother, or distant cousin, if you will. If an iPod touch can perform all those features and more in a smaller form factor, any sane person would simply op for the smaller and sleeker device.
Perhaps I’m missing something here. Perhaps my decluttered-side of me is shouting to declutter and simplify my life. But perhaps, and just perhaps, Apple has a brilliant idea or two to ignite the LfTTD. The apple-side of me is hoping so. It’s hoping the LfTTD will be the start of a whole new revolution. And a great one indeed.
What do you think? And while we’re on the topic, what are your predictions for WWDC 2009?
Microsoft plans to redefine mini-notebooks that Intel has categorized as netbooks with a new term – low cost small notebook PC, according to Steven Guggenheimer, general manager of the Application Platform & Development Marketing Division at Microsoft.
Is “Low Cost Small Notebook PC” meant to be a rhyme?! Or a hiaku perhaps?
Recently, the rumor-mongering has been pointing towards a broader range of iPhones. In particular, we’ll see iPhones from 4GB – 32GB. Which made me wonder what the uptake might be.
With the smaller capacities, obviously, will come a price cut. The lower price will no doubt win lots of new customers, or even entice existing users to upgrade. I, for one, am about to make a purchase, but the price is currently putting me off. Paying S$1000 (or US$700) for a mobile phone is simply unaffordable for lots of my friends, if not ridiculous.
It seems like regardless of what Apple does, there will always be haters. They will argue that 4Gb is only adequate for Aunt Marsha who listens to her 60s music every now and then. But then again, they are the ones who usually end up splitting with their moolah to purchase the biggest model anyway. The Apple universe has a strange and certainly unique way to balance itself, so all’s well. In fact, for most people 4GB is probably more than enough. Of course, there will be others who want to carry their entire iTunes library with them. It all boils down to getting what you paid for, so that’s that.
I also believe that with a low cost iPhone, Apple may be able to sell it unlocked and without a contract. The main reason they couldn’t do it with the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G was because of the ridiculously high price. Unlocked phones will satisfy people like me, who really don’t want to switch carriers (and numbers, for that matter) just to get an iPhone. It really is a lot to ask for.
The only caveat I can think of, is that the 4GB iPhone could be limited on certain features. To keep costs down, Apple may forego stuff like GPS, sticking with a lower resolution camera, etc. To be honest, they can make the 4GB iPhone a hit or a completely useless flop. Let’s hope it’s the former. As for me, I will stick with an 8GB model, because of space constraints mostly. Take into account that the iPhone’s firmware will take up some of that space, plus music, podcasts (yea, I’m totally into that) and apps. Finally, it’s my time to experience multi-touch awesomeness. Can’t wait.
In recent days, Apple rumor mongering seems to have reached an all-time high. With talk about a new iPod Nano, leaked images and rumors of a Special Event on September 5th, things are certainly beginning to heat up. If you haven’t seen it, here’s a rendering from Gizmodo.
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It’s been a fairly long time since I’ve written anything here; but for a really good reason though. You see, valued reader, I’ve been busy with loads of other things elsewhere. Like organizing giveaways, doing some redesigning top-secret work and err, yet more top-secret work. Thankfully I’ve got a 2-week vacation lined up ahead, so you’ll be seeing more of me here.
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Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5) will be arriving later this year in October. For most people, 3 months is certainly a long time; plus, there is always the possibility of new hardware surfacing. In light of all that speculation, I’d like to answer the big question: is it worth waiting for a Leopard Mac (aka Leopard pre-installed on a Mac)?
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