That might possibly be the worst post title thus far, but my mind is elsewhere. Besides I’m not one for snappy titles promising gold and glory, while delivering a list of things on my mind at the moment. Which of course is what I’ve got for you. (more…)
Tag: Apple
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Så tyckte jag om iOS 7, nya Mac Pro med mera
Om man gissar inför en tillställning, så måste man förstås berätta mer efteråt också. Här är min post mortem på WWDC, för den som är intresserad av sådant.
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WWDC 2013 Post Mortem
I’ve been having a rough couple of days, which is why I haven’t followed up on my WWDC predictions until now. All in all I think I did alright. I was surprised that the MacBook Pro line didn’t even get a speed bump, but the Air got a nice upgrade at least.
What else? Let’s take this in bullet form. (more…)
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WWDC 2013 Predictions
WWDC 2013 logo I’m not much for making public predictions about events, but the past few weeks have been littered with conversations about what Apple will and will not show and/or release on WWDC this year. So here you are, my predictions, pulled out of the blue, just like every other analyst out there.
- No new iPads or iPhones. Sorry, these are core products that warrant their own event(s). I would love a new iPad and although that’s less of a stretch than a new iPhone, I doubt it’ll happen.
- iOS 7. This will happen, a beta and a lot of developer information, along with a brushed up but not completely revamped, and certainly not monochrome, UI. Apple iterates, they rarely remake, so don’t expect a completely different look, rather an evolved one.
- OS X 10.9. Just as with iOS 7, I expect Apple to show off the next Mac OS, with more in common with iOS, but still completely different.
- New MacBooks are coming. I expect a revamped line, not just upgraded innards, but Apple sticking with the current models wouldn’t surprise me either. The MacBook Pro line might be in for a retina only future, but the Air might very well be available in both retina and non-retina, if retina at all. Lots more graphics, still far from being a gamer’s choice.
- iMac and Mac mini bumps. I think we’ll get basically the same shells, just more juice. No retina iMac, sorry folks.
- New Thunderbolt Display makes sense, but Apple seems to be in no rush with this one. They usually let the Thunderbolt Display follow the iMac in terms of housing and screen, but that hasn’t happened yet. I’m not sure this is big enough to be mentioned in a keynote, might get a silent update whenever appropriate instead.
- We might get a new Mac Pro. In fact, I believe we will, and it’ll be US made. Expect a powerhouse that the tech press will deem too pricey, but it really won’t be. Just like its predecessor, up until Apple started to ignore it.
- No iPods at all.
- Finally, we just might get a new Apple TV. This might just be a sneak preview that opens up the Apple TV to apps, but if it happens it’ll tell us what we need to know about the Apple TV platform, even if the new hardware won’t be out immediately.
I’m looking forward to see what WWDC will bring. The tech press will no doubt be disappointed, but that’s how the song goes these days. Luckily you can still make up your own mind based on hard facts and your own experience, and I urge you all to do just that.
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Fearing iCloud
I’m among the few who think that Apple’s iCloud is doing a pretty good job. Sure, I would like a better overview of my content, and some apps have trouble syncing, but since there are apps that just plain work, I tend to think that this isn’t actually iCloud’s fault. Maybe it’s hard to develop apps that use iCloud, and perhaps it’s unnecessary so. Maybe the apps that work well with iCloud are just made of better stuff. I don’t know and frankly, I don’t care at this point.
It’s over a year ago since I stopped using Simplenote, instead relying on Apple’s stock Notes.app. It’s not as pretty as Simplenote, and I’m not as organized perhaps, but since I process all my notes on a regular basis I found out that Notes.app did its thing. The iCloud sync gives me access to all my notes, on both iOS and OS X. Simplenote did that too, but I just don’t see the reason for additional apps on both iOS and OS X. And Notes.app just works, thanks to iCloud.
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Announcing The MacBook Fury
Fast asleep, I dreamt up the MacBook Fury, a fusion of the retina MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air. Not too much to say about that, but here’s the disturbing part.
My head dreamt up a press release where Apple announced the MacBook Fury. In my dream, I read about it on some Apple blog or other, quoted obviously. I visited Apple’s Swedish site to read the press release in Swedish, where it was available in the stilted language these things are usually presented in. Then, making a mental note of the crappy translation, I proceeded to tell my girlfriend about the MacBook Fury, quoting said press release myself.
In other words, I dreamt of a new Apple product. Then my mind created the press release for said product, so that I could “read” about it in English. And then, in my dream, said press release is translated to Swedish so that I can tell my girlfriend about it. To top things off, the moment I woke up I stumbled out of bed to jot these things down on my retina MacBook Pro, hungover and miserable, yet flabbergasted about the whole thing.
I need help. And a MacBook Fury.
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Apple Won, Google Maps Is Available Again
Google Maps is out for iPhone, which means that Apple won. The whole point of throwing out Google Maps was to get a better map experience on iOS, since the Google Maps app prior to iOS 6.0 was sorely lacking when compared to the Android offering. Despite all its troubles, Apple’s Maps.app is a better technical achievement and will no doubt be a great map alternative in the future.
I think Apple knows this. I think Apple wanted Google Maps for iOS, but they wanted the same great Google Maps experience that Android users were getting, with turn by turn navigation and whatnot. I think that Apple’s Maps.app was just as much a pressure tool made for getting Google to release a proper Google Maps app for iPhone, as it was a declaration of independence from the largest mobile competitor.
And thus Apple won, not only getting free of Google where maps are concerned, but also getting the Google Maps app they wanted.
The job is just half done though, now comes the tricky part. Apple’s Maps.app can’t be allowed to be so bad compared to Google’s offering, that won’t look good. Maps.app is an embarrassment for Apple, and while they did get what they wanted with Google Maps, they also got a whole load of additional pressure where their own Maps.app is concerned.
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Will Apple Really Give the iPad mini a Retina Display in 2013?
The iPad mini is a nice little piece of hardware, light and featuring an overall nice design. It works surprisingly well in both portrait and landscape mode, something I was a bit worried about due to the small form factor. As for writing on it, well I’m tapping away at it right now and it works well enough, I’ll be doing speed tests later.
One thing that really does bother me however, is the lack of a retina screen. Sure, the iPad mini might share the resolution with the aging iPad 2, and thanks to the smaller screen each pixel is smaller, making text look less jagged than on the iPad 2. If I had never seen a retina iOS device I might not have been bothered by this.
But I have, and I am.
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10 Million iPad Minis and Millions Spent on Patent War
Apple is rumored to have placed an order for a whopping 10 million iPad Mini units. This long time rumored 7″ sibling to the successful iPad is said to be announced at an event in October, and hit stores in November. 10 million units are to get Apple through the fourth quarter, and is twice the amount of Kindle Fire HD’s ordered by Amazon, all according to the Wall Street Journal.
The patent war with Google-Motorola, among others, have made Apple invest more in its patent portfolio than in R&D. Read the The New York Times feature iEconomy for an interesting insight in how a modern day successful technology has to keep up with the patent system.
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iPhone 5: The games angle
This is not an iPhone 5 review. In fact, I have yet to hold the phone in my hand, and although I obviously will buy it, I will do so unlocked and without a contract. I’ve read the reviews and that, combined with the fact that I trust Apple knows what they’re doing, is good enough for me.
I wasn’t always so sure about the taller form factor though. In many ways I think the iPhone 4/4S size is perfect, and I really don’t want my phone to be larger than that. Sure, the iPhone 5 is lighter and thinner, but I already think that the smartphones of today are taking up too much room in our pockets. A more elongated design isn’t exactly helping out there, but again, I trust in Apple’s design skills here.
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Linux and the inconvenience
Gnome contributor Miguel de Icaza writes, among a lot of things, the following in his post about why he left Linux behind for OS X:
As long as you had an operating system that was 100% free, and you could patch and upgrade every component of your operating system to keep up with the system updates, you were fine and it was merely an inconvenience that lasted a few months while the kinks were sorted out.
Only a few months, huh.
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Tre tankar om Mountain Lion
Jag vet, jag är sen till diskussionen, första punktsläppet till Mountain Lion är redan på beta 2 så det här är gamla nyheter. Fast inte för mig, för när Mountain Lion släpptes (och ni gnälled om installationstider på timmen) så satt jag och mådde bra vid en sjö i skogen. Inte längre dock, så nu kör jag Mountain Lion på min Air, men fortfarande Lion på såväl Mac mini-servern som MacBook Pron och iMacen.
Så, tre tankar om Mountain Lion.
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Snart kan du inte uppgradera din laptop själv
Läser lite lagom roat kritik och klagomål på att Apples retina-Macbook inte går att uppgradera. Allt sitter fast, precis som i Macbook Air, och det betyder att du inte kan får större hårddisk, mer internminne, eller vad du nu vill göra.
Det här är framtiden för Apples bärbara datorer.
Det är också framtiden för alla som vill hänga med i utvecklingen, för ska datorerna bli små och slimmade, som Airen och retina-Macbooken, så måste det vara så här. Vill du verkligen kunna öppna din dator så får du en klumpigare produkt.
Så jag läser klagomålen och ler, speciellt i de fall då Apple påstås skjuta sig själv i foten. Få öppnar sin dator idag, något som i synnerhet gäller laptops. Det här är framtiden och vi driver fram den med vår önskan att allt ska bli mindre och lättare. Det är bara en tidsfråga innan övriga datortillverkare kommer till samma insikt.
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Några ord om kvällens #applevaka
Ikväll får vi iPad 3 och ny Apple TV! Eller? Jag har skrivit några ord om hur Apples tillställningar lever ett eget liv på Nutopia.