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Podcast Episode #8 – Apple takes over the work
We’re back! It’s been a long time since our last podcast and we apologize!
This week we talked about why Apple is looking at purchasing ARM, the iPad and some questions we have about Ubuntu’s user experience research.
- Apple to purchase ARM (appleinsider.com)
- Ubuntu and notification area elimination (design.canonical.com)
- Ubuntu and making my freaking network settings disappear, disabling alt-tab, and disabling my task-bar when I tried to fix it…
- iPad hmmmm
16
Apple and AMD/ATI should merge
So a friend at work showed me this article on macrumors.com today. It talks about Apple potentially looking to AMD for their next processor line up, due to Intel’s production shortcomings.
Now that’s interesting, AMD has been in Intel’s shadow for a long time and it would be great to see them get something good going again. It would be huge if Apple decided to use AMD processors in their computers. AMD has ATI which has been making great budget graphics cards. AMD also has a really decent platform for their CPUs right now. While both Intel and AMD are screaming about hex-a-cores there appear to be some differences between the platforms that Apple could indulge in. For example, AMD’s processors appear to use less power. This would be huge for laptops and cooling issues.
So here is what I think…
Apple should buy AMD.
I think it would just make sense and be a benefit to both companies. Apple could then have in-house CPU and GPU production and they wouldn’t have to worry about production delays. They would also have the ability to have their hand in the development of new CPU/GPU platforms which they have already expressed an interest in by purchasing P.A. Semi for the development of the A4 chip in the iPad.
Apple would have the ability to really open up their creativity for a bargain price!
AMD’s market cap is $6 Billion…that’s just 1 quarter’s revenue for Apple ($223 Billion market cap). Of course, I’m using these numbers wrong, but I just want to put into scale the difference in the sizes of the companies.
So these thoughts have really made me wonder, “What was AMD really doing at the ApplePlex?”
7
Windows Mobile 7 has a chance (an article I thought I’d never write)
WARNING: Pretty pointless rant ahead…
Ok, let’s be real here. Windows Mobile hasn’t really seen an update since PC2000 back in April of the year 2000(Wikipedia). That’s a decade of not really putting money into this OS and it dominated the phone OS market for a long time.
Microsoft made what I believe to be a good decision when they decided to no longer support Windows Mobil 5/6 applications. Some people may be upset by this but let’s be honest, all your windows mobile 5/6 applications are not that good. The applications have been driving the leading mobile OS’s for the last few years. The iPhone lead the way with their very large and hyped app store and then Google’s Android followed suit. I mean really, what’s the point of having a powerful and awesome phone if there’s nothing you can do with it? Which leads me to the next question…
What applications are going to be available for Microsoft new mobile OS? Or will Microsoft leave the ability to use their shiny new operating system behind?
What Microsoft is offering is “SkyMarket”. I couldn’t find a ton about SkyMarket but it appears that Microsoft is going to have an app store!
So the next question of course is, how good is their SDK?
Well you can download it here http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=71deb800-c591-4f97-a900-bea146e4fae1&displaylang=en
I guess you’ll have to play with the SDK your self.
Overall I think Microsoft is heading in a better direction than they have in the past but I don’t see any innovation or excitement around this release, which leads me to believe that it will not be nearly as successful as the current leaders in mobile operating systems.
Microsoft had a real chance to come out with guns blazing but I think they missed their chance again. I guess we’ll see on April 12th when Microsoft unveils their shiny new mobile operating system.
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Where did the iPad go wrong?
Apple is undoubtedly an epic company with a history filled with controversy, success, failure and inspiration. Apple has brought us amazing things that have altered the course of history over the years. Brilliant products like the iPod, iPhone, MacBook and iMac are all products that when people buy them, they end up using them every day and you usually enjoy using these products.
I am critiquing the iPad in this post even though I have not used one and I probably will not get the chance just like I’ve never had the chance to use a Newton.
Now Apple has some great ideas and their products push not only technology but also many other industries. I think this may be the only thing that the iPad has any chance of accomplishing.
The hope that I noticed, seemingly being the agenda of Apple in this product release, is the hope of helping, if not solving the plight of the publishing companies in this digital age.
Bringing magazines and newspapers to a device isn’t a new thing(note: Amazon Kindle) but bringing the shiny,glossy look of a high class magazine or other published work doesn’t work so well on an e-ink screen. This fancy GQ, Vogue published material venue is, I believe, what the iPad is trying to shoehorn into.
A noble ambition and one with some potential for profit however it is a very risky one.
Firstly you have to get publishers on-board, and Apple has been working with them to get things started. They have not fully succeeded yet. Amazon and Barns and Noble have quite a lead in this arena.
Secondly, you have to get these published works into the hands of many. I’ve had a subscription to Wired for 3 years…and I only paid $30! The iPad is not cheap($499), but Apple says “oh, but you can use the iPad for so much more! Like work documents and…some websites”. I could, or with the time I’d save using a real keyboard I could go watch a 2 hour movie each week.
Apple’s stock was on a great rebound from all this insane recession business, especially noted during the time leading up to the keynote announcing a new product that Apple was going to show off! However after the keynote…the stock dropped considerably. Now I don’t think that the stock market is some kind of oracle but when you release a product and afterwards people think your company is worth less money than before…there might be a potential problem.
Apple hasn’t had a serious blunder in quite a while but I think this might be one.
26
Newegg.com design refresh critique
Newegg.com has been pretty much my exclusive site to purchase computer hardware for the last 4-5 years. Recently Newegg.com has refreshed their website design. First, I would like to say that there are some key points that I really like about the refresh.
The good stuff…
I want to be positive at first here, while there are some glaring mistakes I would like to focus on the good parts.
The first thing I noticed, and I mean the first, was the text for the prices (reference #5) in the list of products that you’re browsing. This I really like a lot. It’s cleaner and easier to read. Which I think is why I noticed it first, along with people always want to view the prices of the products they’re interested in. Bravo!
Another thing I noticed, probably the second thing was that the “Compare” section had changed (reference #4). This is very nice now as well. I can see and remove the products I want to compare from this point and they carry over to the next page of products. Very cool in my opinion. The compare page itself was cleaned up a little as well.
The page turner is kind of middle ground (reference #3). I like it but I guess it didn’t really change enough for me to think it’s stellar like the previous two features. One thing that did change drastically with that work flow is the “Loading…” message you get when turning pages. I’m kind of indifferent about that as well.
Ok, now for the critique part…
20
Why Cloud Computing Doesn’t Make Sense For Me
Ever since the term ‘cloud computing’ became popular, I have failed to see what all the hype is about. With the recent talk about Chrome OS having no onboard programs, only webapps, and Google’s Nexus One focusing so much on web services, I began thinking about it and I realized that–the fact is–I hardly use the internet. Allow me to enumerate what I do on- and off-line.
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f.lux
I came across an interesting program today called f.lux. You configure it with your latitude/longitude and lighting settings and then it will manipulate the colors of your monitor to change with the time of day in your geographical area.
I’ve heard multiple reports that this will help you sleep better at night if you’re a regular late night computer user and the makers of f.lux have some research information here. I haven’t been sleeping too well lately so I’m giving it a shot. Let us know in the comments how it works for you.
