Guide To Hacking OS X On A NetBook

If your hankering for a Mac Net Book, well, don't look to Apple to grant your wish anytime soon. However, if you got the time, the patience and the spare change, and your not afraid to get your hands dirty, well BoingBoing.Net has compiled a great compatibility chart of the best netbooks for that perfect hackintosh project that you've been dreaming about.

As you can see from the chart below, Dell's Mini 9/Vostro A90 tops the list, while the Eee 1000H, HP Mini 1000 and the Lenovo S10 complete the top four. Of the lot, only the Dell managed to score on all ten of the categories listed. The Amiga, obviously, was never a serious contender, but it sure adds a sense of humor to the list, does it not?

As BoingBoing points out, however, hacking OS X onto a netbook isn't easy or for the faint of heart. Personally, I would dearly love to try hacking it out on one of those sweet little Dell Mini 9's, but, unfortunately, I also happen to be one of those faint-of-heart types (yes, I'm also lazy and I admit it). I have to also admit that the challenge, though daunting, is most tempting.

As far as the Mini 9 goes, Gizmodo did a great post on how to hack OS X on that swell little Dell. After reading their 'how to', I got the distinct impression that while it's not all that easy, it's really wasn't all that hard either.

Some of the things that you'll need for your hackintosh Dell Mini, according to Gizmodo's post, are:

"• Dell Mini 9 With 16GB SSD or higher (8GB SSDs will techincally work, but it will take some fiddling not covered by this guide)

• Retail copy of OS X 10.5.x (NOT an OEM copy that comes with a new Mac)

• A USB flash drive 8GB or higher

• An external USB DVD drive

• The "Type11" Bootloader: DellMiniBoot123v8.01.iso.zip (download link in this forum post)

• Blank CD to burn bootloader image (I actually used version 8.0 of Type11 on my CD-if your boot process with 8.01 is different than what's spelled out in this guide, you can download 8.0 here. Both should work.)

• Windows PC for preparing the flash drive (if DVD drive works fine, this is optional)"

Well, there you go, that doesn't sound too bad, now does it? But remember: you'll also need time, patience and a strong will to pull it off. But, boy-oh-boy, just think of the pride and sense of accomplishment that you'll also derive - priceless!

In addition to reading Gizmodo's guide, you can also get a better idea of the whole experience simply by watching this nifty little YouTube video below:

So, in conclusion, I don't know about you, but someday, I just might seriously get around to trying this out myself, just to see if I can do it without blowing up the entire neighborhood! In the meantime, however, I'm rather hard pressed for time and the extra cash needed, but if you ever personally decide to try it out yourself, then by all means, drop me a line and let me know how you make out.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, July 31, 2009

Chart via:BoingBoing.Net; Dell Mini photo: Gizmodo

The iPod Touch and ZiiLabs Plaszma Copy Cat Wannabe!

I was waiting for this, because I knew it was bound to happen, sooner or later, and it just did - Creative has announced a new initiative to take on the iPod Touch!

Creative ZiiLabs is hoping to open the floodgates, allowing any would be OEM challenger to try and take a big bite out of Apple.

Will it work? Will it have what it takes to topple Apple's Touch?

Well, that still remains to be seen, since no devices are yet available.

ZiiLabs officially announced that it's iPod Touch killer, or "Plaszma", will be an open sourced project, based on Google's Android initiative. I don't know about you, but it sure seems that I see Android popping up in a lot of different places these days, and not just for mobiles.

As you can see below, in this YouTube video, it rather looks like an iPod Touch, complete with it's ten-point 3.5 inch multi-touch screen, which they call, for whatever reason, multi-gesture. The Wi-Fi enabled device will include a GPS receiver, front and back facing cameras, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, SDC card slot, an accelerometer, headphone socket, 256MB RAM, and up to a whopping 64GB of storage. Oh, and before I forget, as well, X-Fi audio.

Exactly how long it will be before OEM's release a working device still remains to be seen, but something tells me that it won't be too long now. One thing, I firmly believe, is that no matter how well this device is, or how well it is perceived, this wannabe's biggest obstacle will be decided more on it's software side then on it's hardware side.

For one thing, when it comes to the software side it's going to have to confront the iPod Touch's huge and almost insurmountable advantage - the APP STORE and it's huge and growing software library! This isn't going to be easily matched by the Zii Plaszma, or anyone else, anytime soon.

That doesn't mean this new copy cat device won't build up a respectable library of apps, but I have the sneaky feeling that by the time they do, the APP STORE's already enormous software library will already have grown far, far greater than it is now. Some have even predicted that it could grow to some 100,000 plus apps, and that before the end of this year!

Despite it's well over 60,000 plus apps, of all sizes, shapes, categories, and price ranges, I would tend to think that Apple will still be watching this development with some interest, but, on the other hand, I doubt if their going to be losing any sleep over it, at least for the time being.

It's amazing to me, that when ever Apple does something, how its not too long before others try to copy and then kill it off. Take the iPhone for instance, the iMac's form factor, iTunes, the APP STORE, or the super thin-and-slim form factor of the MacBook Air, and on-and-on, etc.

What this says to me, is that Apple is clearly the leader in innovative technology. All others are just mere followers, mere wannabe's, aping it's every move. Even though their attempts have yielded some pretty interesting devices, most of them never seem to have quite the same impact, success, or the quality and lust factor of any of Apple's originals.

Again, will this new copy cat attempt to app one of Apple's more popular devices have any chance to succeed - maybe even to kill it off? Well, until they actually start selling these things, I will have to reserve my final judgement, but somehow, if history is our guide, then most likely not.

However, one thing is certain - it should help to keep Apple on it's toes, forcing it to innovate and improve upon the Touch in new and more interesting ways. Ultimately, I think that competition will be good for the Touch, provided that its fair, and, hopefully, that will be the case here.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, July 30, 2009

Future Safari Updates to Include Super Cool Animations

I've always loved Apple's 'Cover Flow' animation. It serves a very practical purpose by allowing you to visual see information in a way that makes searching fast, easy, fun and, as well, visually stunning to look at.

Cover Flow, as you probably know, is now also a part of Safari 4.0 where it is especially useful, at least I think so, for navigating through your web history. It's a big plus to be able to see, and thus better remember, what your looking for. The old way had you pouring over long, boring and tedious lists of similar looking words, that were and still are a pain in the old you-know-what?

Well, if your wondering what Apple could possibly visually add next to Safari, well you only need to look below. Here, in this YouTube video, you can get a taste of future. As you can see, Apple has developed some pretty amazing effects called 3D Transform. These were created for it's open-source project WebKit, on which Safari is built, plus several other browsers as well, including Google's Chrome.

Yes, as Surfin' Safari, a WebKit blog, points out, with 3D Transform, Safari will yet again transform how we view things on the net. Just some of the new 3D Safari animations features, that they highlight are as follows:

"translate3d(x, y, z), translateZ(z)

Move the element in x, y and z, and just move the element in z. Positive z is towards the viewer. Unlike x and y, the z value cannot be a percentage.

scale3d(sx, sy, sz), scaleZ(sz)

Scale the element in x, y and z. The z scale affects the scaling along the z axis in transformed children.

rotateX(angle), rotateY(angle), rotate3d(x, y, z, angle),

The first two forms simply rotate the element about the horizontal and vertical axes. Angle units can be degrees (deg) radians (rad) or gradians (grad). The last form allows you to rotate the element around an arbitrary vector in 3D space; x, y and z should specify the unit vector you wish to rotate around (we’ll normalize it for you).

perspective(p)

This function allows you to put some perspective into the transformation matrix. For an explanation of p, see below. Normally perspective is applied via the -webkit-perspective property, but this function allows you to get a perspective effect for a single element, with something like:

-webkit-transform: perspective(500px) rotateY(20deg);

matrix3d(…)

This function allows you to specify the raw 4×4 homogeneous transformation matrix of 16 values in column-major order. Have fun with that!

We’ve also extended one other CSS transform property, and implemented the four other 3D-related properties described in the spec:

-webkit-transform-origin now accepts three values, allowing you to specify a z offset for the transform origin.

-webkit-perspective is used to give an illusion of depth; it determines how things change size based on their z-offset from the z=0 plane. You can think of it as though you’re looking at the page from a distance p away. Objects on the z=0 plane appear in their normal size. Something at a z offset of p/2 (halfway between the viewer and the z=0 plane) will look twice as big, and something at a z offset of -p will look half as big. Thus, large values give a little foreshortening effect, and small values lots of foreshortening. Values between 500px and 1000px give a reasonable-looking result for most content."

Wow, and that's just for starters folks. In the meantime, if you interested in having and enjoying some of these cool, jaw dropping, features now then look no farther than Cooliris, a free photo-viewing utility that works on both Safari and Firefox. Cooliris gives you that photo-wall experience, and allows you to surf and view content from either Flickr or YouTube, or photos from your computer, in a flashy 3D environment that is sure to dazzle and amaze your friends. Trust me, I'm running it now and it works great and looks absolutely stunning! I'm pretty sure, if your anything like me - your going to love it! It will give you a glimpse of just what to expect in upcoming Safari releases, as Apple yet again goes all out and raises the bar of just what a browser can do.

Of course, all this visual glory comes at a price, namely performance, so it helps to have the latest and the greatest in hardware. But, from my own personal experience, I can tell you, quite frankly, that Cooliris works great even on an old eight-year old PowerPC system, the oldest that I have yet tried it on.

So, in conclusion, it's obvious that as exciting as the latest Safari release was, its only the beginning of what promises to be even a more exciting browser experience in the future. Yes, even though such dang-fangled contraptions can be big and nasty performance hogs its not that quite that bad, thanks to the latest advances in today's cpu's, graphic cards and OS technology, these issues are fast becoming increasingly mute. What's more, Snow Leopard and it's upcoming amazing Grand Central and Open CL technologies should utterly put all of those concerns to rest, once and for all!

So, when it comes to Safari and flashy animation goes, well, the future looks bright indeed, very, very bright. I barely can wait for Apple to start applying it's new open 3D Transform technologies not only in Safari, but also in future system-wide OS X upgrades as well, because, for one thing, this little tech-junky can never quite ever get enough of those dang-tooting, whiz-bang, freaking out cool visuals features for my liking, so I say - bring it on baby!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, July 29, 2009

China: Apple and Unicom Sign iPhone Deal

According to a report by Reuters, one of China's three largest mobile operators, Unicom, has apparently signed a three-year contract with Apple to supply iPhones to the massive country.

Reuters is reporting that:

"Under the agreement, China Unicom will purchase iPhones from Apple for 3,000 yuan ($439) each and guarantee annual sales of 1 million to 2 million units and at least 5 billion yuan in annual revenue, the newspaper said."

Unfortunately, contract talks between Apple and China's largest mobile provider, China Mobile (also the world's largest with 471-million users!), broke down because of disagreements over revenue sharing.

Well, all I will say is that it's bloody well about time! It has always struck me as a little strange that the world's biggest country did not have an official iPhone provider, especially since it's the country that just happens to build them all! Now, finally, Chinese lovers of the iPhone will no longer have to resort to the grey market, a market which is believed to have provided the country with up to 2 to 3 million unofficial and hacked iPhones.

What's really nice is that Unicom's guarantee of a minimum of 1 to 2 million iPhones per year should also guarantee Apple at least an extra $878-million in extra yearly revenue. This, in turn, should also help provide Apple's stock with a nice little lift at the end of the day. With an extra couple of million iPhone sales per year, these minimum Unicom sales could easily more than exceed those that Palm hopes to sell for it's iPhone killer, the Pre!

So take that Palm!

Of course, minimum is minimum, and there's no reason why Unicom can't maximize it's sales of iPhone's in such a massively populated country like China . And who knows, maybe they can even be able to double or triple those minimum numbers? If this is the case, then wowsie, wow-wow, because Apple's already high-flying stock could virtually explode into the stratosphere yet again!

Now if only I had a bucket full of Apple shares to call my own, because that would definitely be one of the sweetest iPhone calls that one could ever hope to make.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, July 28, 2009

New iTune Feature: 'Cocktail'

Its believed, that come this September, no less than Jobs himself, will be announcing a newer generation of iPods, complete with built-in cameras and, most likely, greater capacities.

However, what is also now emerging are reports that Apple will be announcing something else, something called "Cocktail".

Cnet news is reporting that Apple is working with all of the major labels to deliver a new and delicious 'cocktail' of features that would help, in effect, to re-create the heyday when people sat around with their friends to enjoy not only the music, but the album art that came with it - complete with notes, lyrics and other features that were not even remotely possible back in the olden days of vinyl.

According to Cnet:

"Under the purported plan, people going to Apple's iTunes store to download music would also be able to get an interactive bundle that includes material such as liner notes, lyric sheets, and photos, according to the Financial Times. The "interactive book" would let users play songs without having to return to the iTunes software, the story said.

The goal, apparently, is to spark sales of digital albums, with a nod to the music-listening habits of a bygone era. While Apple has long sold albums over iTunes, the online music store is renowned for the fervor with which customers download single tracks. Apple already makes album cover art available through the Cover Flow feature in iTunes."

Wow, that sounds good to me, really, really good in fact! I remember, like it was yesterday, when I would rush home, all excited, with my newest, latest and greatest album from the Beatles (yes, I'm really, really that old!) and do exactly that, go through the notes and album art. Ah, the good old days, when reading the covers of great albums like 'Rubber Sould', Beatles 65 (my favorite, by the way) and Sergent Pepper's was just so enjoyable and so much fun. That was an experience that, to me anyway, was easily worth the cost of the album itself, and one that, more-or-less, has become a lost art form.

Personally, if this happens, it would be another major plus for iTune's and it's users. No doubt about it, other services such as Napster, Amazon and Spotify will try to do the same, and not to mention Microsoft and it's Zune division. And why not? Why shouldn't the younger generation not get to experience the same joy that we, of the older generation, did?

Apparently, 'Cocktail' isn't the only thing that we might see soon for the iPhone/Touch, as reports of even more iTune goodies are rumored to be just around the bend as well.

These include reports that Apple may include music streaming as well. It's reported that Spotify, a highly successful and rapidly growing European music streaming service, has an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch ready to go!

Spotify has made a big impact in Europe and some think that it even has the capacity to kill off iTunes itself! Therefore, whether Apple would ever allow it is quite debatable. Since it's a major form of competition, I believe, like many others, that if music streaming ever does come to the iPhone, then it's most likely to be coming from Apple itself. After all, how hard would it be for Apple to build their own music streaming service?

So, if all goes well, in addition to a newer generation of iPods, I hope that 'Cocktail' and other new features, like music streaming, be it from Spotify or Apple itself, will also be forth coming, because these exciting new features could give newer generations of audiophiles the same opportunity to experience all of the joy that we, of the previous and older generation, got to experience, namely - getting as much fun and enjoyment from the outside of the package as what got from the inside of the package!

At least I hope thats the case?

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, July 27, 2009

Palm And Apple: It's On Baby!

It's on!

The battle between Palm and Apple goes to the next level. After disabling the Pre's sneaky and underhanded theft of Apple's iTune's, Apple came out, as promised, and blocked the Pre's ability to pretend that it was an iPod, and thus sync with iTune's.

Now, as many know, Palm, who apparently has no scruples or shame, the other day just updated their software to unblock Apple's recent iTune's block, thus allowing Pre users to once again sync their music via their competitor's software.

So, what's next? Will Apple update iTunes once again to prevent Palm from using software that it designed exclusively for the iPod and iPhone? Will Apple finally say, 'enough is enough' and take possible legal action against Palm for it's blatant copyright and patent violations?

After all, it doesn't make much sense that after spending considerable time and money to create iTune's for the benefit of it's iPod and iPhone users, that Apple will somehow just allow anyone, like Palm, to just come in and use it's software willy-nilly and to literally help steal customers away from it's own iPhone and iPod! Such a move would be suicidal on the part of Apple.

It's probably safe to say that Apple is not too happy with Palm these days and rightfully so. As Dan would say, "I mean think about it," not only is Palm shamelessly using it's exclusive software, without it's permission, for the benefit of the Pre, but the Pre itself was developed by Palm first coming in and poaching Apple's employees (over 250 of them!), including John Rubeinstein, the former head of Apple's iPod division, and not to forget it's blatantly disregard for Apple's ideas and multi-touch patents!

Clearly, in my mind, if ever a company deserves to get legally smacked hard on the back of it's head it's Palm. I'm totally mystified and, completely intrigued, at just how openly blatant and arrogant Palm has been in it's development of the Pre. Palm was in the dumps surely, and it was very desperate to say the least, but somehow that doesn't make what it has done, and is continuing to do, somehow legal or acceptable!

I don't know if it can, or if it will, but I would tend to think that it's quite reasonable to assume that Apple is presently considering some type of legal action against Palm, if it can't technically stop Palm from it's arrogant use of it's software and patents..

In conclusion, I don't think that we heard the last of this little tit-4-tat. Palm might be desperate, but I also think that their completely dead wrong and that their probably going to end up paying the ultimate price for their arrogance! As Seeking Alpha reported today, when it comes to Palm vs Apple, it's no contest!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, July 24, 2009

Image via: Gizmodo

Premium PC's: Apple Controls the Market With 91% Share!

When much of the PC world is suffering from the recession, Apple, on the other hand, is posting record-breaking records. Yes, Microsoft's 'Laptop Hunter' ads may point out the fact that cheap Windows PC's belong to Microsoft, but the reverse is true when it comes to premium PC's costing over $1,000 - that market clearly belongs to Apple!

Yes, Apple!

According to NPD, Apple now completely dominates the premium end, those costing $1,000 and up. NPD reports that it's share is now a whooping 91%, or some 9 out of every 10 dollars spent in this most important category! No wonder Apple is making money by the barrels full! Most units sold may be under $1,000 and PC's, but when it comes to making money no one, and I mean no one, does it better than Apple.

As Joe Wilcox points out, last year Apple's share was only some 66%, so it's obvious that as things get worse for PC makers, things are actually getting better and better for Apple and it's stylish Mac's.

Some of the things, that Joe goes on to point out, that the Mac has going for it are as:

• Mac OS X, iLife and hardware design differentiate Macs from PCs
• Most households have Windows PCs -- so a Mac is something fresh, new
• Most Windows PCs come with Vista, which has gotten lots of bad press
• Apple retail stores offer a singular purchasing experience
• Apple excels at lifestyle marketing; there is a Mac lifestyle
• Sales halo effect from satisfied iPod and iPhone customers help Mac sales
• Design priority: Apple emphasizes different features, such as super long battery life for MacBook Pro, than most Windows OEMs

The proof, they say, is in the pudding, and Apple is serving up a very delicious pudding these days as witnessed by it's incredible stock performance which is up, in a down market, almost doubling in the past six months alone!

The Windows fan boys can shout and jump up-and-down all they want. They can tout Windows 90% market share all they want, but when it comes to the best computers, the premium priced ones, it's not Windows - it's the Mac that dominates! If they want to brag that they control the cheap PC market, well that's their problem. For me, and obviously a growing percentage of people, it's not quantity, but quality that matters.

I agree with Joe, that even though Microsoft claims, without offering any proof, that it's 'Laptop Hunter' ads are a success, I say they are a failure, or as Joe puts it:

"Microsoft might want to reconsider its marketing, too. Apple's premium sales success means that from one perspective, Microsoft's "Laptop Hunters" commercials are a failure."

A failure indeed!

Because, when it comes to the PC business, it's not really how much market share that you have, but rather, more importantly, what segment of the market that you have. Apple's now familiar posting of record breaking sales and profits testifies that when it comes to generating profits, Microsoft still has a lot to learn from Apple. Personally, I much rather have a brand new, and fully paid for, Mercedes SL 550, than a dozen or so ten year old Lada's, because quality triumphs over quantity any old day in my book.

Of course, I know that Windows fan boys will point out that the premium market is a lot smaller, but in business that's not the point - making profits is! In that case, Microsoft is clearly the loser here. PC hardware may be cheaper than that found on the Mac, but the software, however, is also far more expensive. A Windows upgrade can be as much as three to five times that of OS X, and that's before Apple lowered it's previous upgrade price of $129 to that of a measly $29.

Apple has built up an impressive 91% of the premium market in dollar share, based on it's quality hardware and software. I don't know about you, but I rather pay a little more for a premium PC, and one with premium software, than less money for a cheaper computer that gives me a lot more problems and far less satisfaction!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, July 23, 2009

Image via: Apple

Apple Blows Past Google In Market Cap After Latest Earnings!

For the third of fourth time, Apple's market cap has surpassed that of Google's. At the time of this writing, Apple's cap was an astounding $141.32 billion vs Google's 135.06 billion!

The primary reason for this, of course, is yesterday's impressive quarterly results. After reporting sales of some 2.6 million new Macs, 5.2 million new iPhones and another 10 million plus iPods it's not surprising. These results would be quite impressive at anytime, but during one of the worst economic times in history, well it seems almost down right miraculous!

The iPhone and the iPod, and especially the Touch, have a lot to do with Apple's impressive quarter. However, despite the huge number of iPods sold, they are, for the first time, down somewhat. A lot of that has to do with cannibalization from the iPhone itself. However, what I find most impressive about Apple's terrific numbers is the growth of the Mac - up some 4%, despite lacking any cheap netbooks in it's line up!

Indeed, Apple's latest results are impressive, but what has me most excited is what is surely to follow. Namely, newer, faster and more capable, but also cheaper and more sophisticated models of the iMac, rumored to be just around the corner, and, as well, also for future models of the iPhone and iPod Touch. Apple's purchase of PA Semiconductors is expected to provide Apple's upcoming products with more power, speed and other capabilities that it's competitors will have a very difficult, if not impossible, time to compete with.

Who knows? Maybe, just maybe we will see a model of the iPhone with an actual physical keyboard? I'm hoping so, because finally, at long last, maybe people will stop bitching about it's lack thereof? Maybe also, and I'm really hoping for this one - an all-in-one iMac with a built-in, slide in/slide out, MacBook! Ever since I seen a patent for one I've been drooling for one, as I think it's one of the coolest concepts ever!

Whether I get my wish or not, I'm sure that Apple's next quarterly results could easily blow past yesterdays results by a considerably wide margin, baring unforeseen circumstances, such as the recession turning into a depression or something? Despite the recession, the Mac, as Joe Wilcox points out, seems to be defying gravity. Imagine what Apple could do once the recession is nothing more than a bitter memory?

In that case, then Apple's future quarterly earnings just might make yesterday's results look down-right pathetic in comparison. Here's hoping, anyway.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Apple Quarterly Results: What To Expect

Later today, at 2:00 PM Pacific Time, Apple will announce it's latest quarterly financial results.

These results will be especially interesting in light of the world's worst recession in recent memory. Apple did extremely well in it's last results, but can it continue to maintain, or possibly even do better this time around, or will the economy finally have caught up with it?

We are about to find out in a few hours, but, in the meantime, reports are already suggesting that Apple will do just fine, thank you very much. One such report says that MacBooks were flying off the shelves last month, and it goes on to say:

“Mac NPD for the month of June needs to be flat in order for the entire quarter to be tracking in line with Street Mac consensus,” he wrote, (Gene Munster) adding — in a golfing metaphor salesman slang — that he expected “slight upside to the flat bogey for the month of June, between flat and +5%” year over year.

Well, the NPD numbers came out and they blew past even his most optimistic expectations. Rather than up 5% in June, as he hoped, they were up a whopping 16%."

Siting the same report, AppleInsider says that Apple could be flirting another"with record quarter as Mac sales jump 16%." Wow, to post record sales in a time of economic expansion is something to behold, but to do so in one of the weakest economic climates since the great depression is doubly so, and maybe even triple so!

If it's true, and Apple does post another record busting quarter, than expect Apple's stock to soar into the stratosphere. That is, unless, of course, it's future conservative estimates are not too low? Such low future estimates could send Apple's stock crashing, as it has done in the past. Go figure? Apparently, however, in the financial world, future sales and performance projections weigh much more heavily then either past or present performance results.

However, if Apple can get past any negative downside to any possible low conservative earning call, plus coupled with the news that Apple may now be on the verge of finally bringing the iPhone to China, and along with news that the iPod Touch is about to get a major update, featuring both a microphone and camera, then Apple's high-flying stock may just fly all the higher still.

So, in conclusion, based on recent reports of high-flying Mac and iPhone sales, it appears that we can reasonably expect to see yet another block-busting quarterly result from Apple, and, hopefully, as well, yet another big boost in it' stock price.

Now if only I had a boat load of Apple stock!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Image credit and, as well, a live feed to Apple's Quarterly results, can be found here.

Web Apps, or Dedicated Hardware Based Apps: Which Will Prevail?

Google's Vic Gundortra, speaking at the MobileBeat 2009 conference, boldly predicted that the Web would prevail over the kind of dedicated apps presently found in Apple's extremely successful App Store.

Of course, Palm and Nokia agree with him on this point, but are they correct in their assumption? Well, it's only their assumption, of course, and one among many. At the very same San Francisco conference, for example, the BBC reports another assumption, this one, more-or-less, the complete opposite. Accordingly it states that:

"Apps will be as big if not bigger than the internet," according to Ilja Laurs, chief executive of GetJar, a leading independent application store.

"They will peak at around 100,000 by the end of the year. That will be a tipping point and after that there will be a gradual fall in the rate of development.

"The full blossom will come in ten years and mobile apps will become as popular as websites are today with consumers..."

Well, the question is: Whom do you believe?

Personally, even though I think that both web based apps, as well as dedicated hardware apps, will both flourish, in the end, I think it's clearly the dedicated hardware apps that will eventually prevail, and regardless of what some, like Vic, Palm and others may think, say, or are hoping for.

One of the main reasons is that Apple originally tried the web only based route already. Back then, even though it was a welcomed by developers, they themselves complained bitterly that it wasn't enough! Developers wanted more, no they even demanded more, and namely that Apple open up the iPhone itself and give them full access to the device full capabilities. It was their contention that it was needed in order to bring out the best, most powerful and rich apps that they could possibly create. Even though Apple relented for a long while, the developers proved conclusively that this was indeed the case, and after eventually giving in to their demand, the results are here for everyone to see..... the unbelievably successful App Store!

I can't imagine, after all of the fuss that developers originally made to get full access to the iPhone's internal hardware, that somehow, all of a sudden, they are going to accept the notion of going back to the limited prospects of simple based web apps. It just doesn't add up.

In fact, many reports have been recently made, such as this one from Gizmodo, that clearly highlight the limitations of web based apps. To put it plainly, for some things, such as high-level gaming, web apps - suck, and they suck big time! Don't expect, in other words, rich-like gaming apps appearing anytime soon on a Pre or Android based mobile, because for one thing - it's technically impossible!

Of course, for some apps, simple ones, then web apps are more than adequate, but if you want a device that can excel as both a dedicated hand-held gaming machine, and also a device that can run web apps, then Apple's approach is by the best, as it covers all the bases, both on the software and hardware side.

So, are people like Vic Gundortra correct when they predict that the web will prevail over stores like the App Store?

Hell no!

Whether apps are web based, or hardware based, app stores will still be crucial to the delivery of those apps. The biggest advantage of Apple's approach is that it can easily handled both - web based apps just as easily as it can the other. This is something that neither Palm, Nokia or Google's Android, and other simple web based devices will be able to do. Apple approach doesn't limited developers to the web, and as such, is by far the approach most likely to win in the end.

Yes, I know that web based apps, via HTML 5, will improve in the future, but so will dedicated hardware apps that have full access to the underpinnings of ever increasingly more powerful devices such as the iPhone. In the end, web based apps may become increasingly more powerful, but they will never be equal to the power of apps currently found in the App Store, and apps that can take full advantage of both the web and, as well, the full power of the device itself.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, July 20, 2009

Vic Gundothra photo via: MobileBeat 2009

Apple Begged Microsoft To Stop 'Laptop Hunter' Ads - I Doubt It!

Microsoft's COO, Kevin Turner, set Microsoft fan boys hearts all aflutter when he said that he received an alleged phone call from Apple legal that, more-or-less, begged and pleaded for them to stop their 'Laptop Hunter' ads, such as the 'revised one above (this one's a parody by the way, but funny).

Did that call really take place? I don't know, maybe it did, maybe it didn't, but increasingly I'm of the opinion that if they got a call, it probably wasn't from Apple, but rather one simply claiming to be from Apple. I'm not alone in being skeptical either. Tom Reestman stated pretty much the same, as did the fine folks over at Macknightowl.

As Dan would say, "I mean think about it", why would Apple beg Microsoft to pull their ads? For one, I would think that if those ads were really questionable, or illegal in anyway, then any response from Apple's legal department would be handled like those of any other legal request - done formally and in writing!

Second, anyone could have phoned Kevin, saying that they were from Apple legal, but without proof no court in the world, other than a kangaroo court, would ever, in a million years, take such anonymous statements half-seriously, and I suggest that neither should we.

I'm not saying that this is the case, but thirdly, this call could be nothing more than a bold face lie for all we know? Microsoft has certainly made similar like statements before. For example, when they did their own version on Apple's famous 'Switcher Campaign." As it turned out, Microsoft's version was a FAKE!

That's right, were Apple's campaign featured 'real' people, Microsoft' used 'fake' people, people who their ad agency simply just made up out of thin air! Good thing some sharp-eyed folk noticed that those fake profiles also included stock photos, thus helping to expose this particular lie. Many people may have forgotten this incident, but I haven't.

I'm not saying, of course, that this is the case here, because, for one thing, I simply have no way of knowing whether it's true, or if it isn't. However, I will say that it wouldn't surprise me one bit, like the fake switcher campaign, if it was.

Microsoft fan boys would love, I'm sure, for us all to believe that Apple is running scared of Microsoft and it's 'Laptop Hunter' ads, but I don't believe that for one moment. I tend more to agree with PCWorld's David Coursey, who wrote:

"Microsoft will never win a war of words with Apple. And it should give up trying. The result is never good: Better to ignore the annoying fly than to look stupid trying to swat it and repeatedly missing.

I am not sure why Microsoft feels the need to respond to Apple's taunting. When it does, all that happens is Apple comes off looking good and Microsoft looks like a lumbering, one-eyed ogre. But, I disagree with Macworld's Dan Moren who says Microsoft is "running scared." More like running stupid". (emphasis mine)

Microsoft is a company that is very well known for copying others, and especially Apple, who's influence on Microsoft can easily be seen in it's products, such as Vista and Windows 7, the Zune and it's creation of it's Windows Mobile version of the App Store, among others.

So, in conclusion, maybe Kevin Turner really did get a call from someone, maybe even someone one from Apple legal who really did request that they stop running it's 'Laptop Hunter' ads? I really don't know, but the more that I think about it, the more I tend to think that this is not the case, or, at least if it is, it's completely blown out of proportion.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, July 17, 2009

iPhone 3GS: This Is Crazy, Foolish, But Ever Oh So Fun And Cool!

People use their iPhones for a lots of things, whether it's playing games, surfing the net, monitoring their sugar levels and, believe it or not, even making phone calls.

Some people, however, use their iPhones for much more crazy, daring and nerve-racking, but much more down-right fun and cool purposes!

And that would definitely include the folks in the above YouTube video. Yes, they might be crazy and daring with their nerve-racking idea of taping an expensive 3GS to the underbelly of a RC airplane, but you got to admit this is fun, and it is definitely way, way cool!

Not sure if I would be as crazy and daring as these guys, but, then again, I'm no where near as fun or as cool as these tethering dare-devils either!

Nice work boys.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, July 16, 2009

Thanks to Engadget

Exotic Hotels: The Strangest of the Strange!

Above, you can see a rather intriguing picture, but exactly what is it?

Is it some kind of giant Chinese statue?

Well, if you guessed that maybe it was a giant statute of Fu Lu Shou, you would be correct - sort of!

That's because your looking not at a statute, but rather a real live working ten-story hotel, and one that just happened to be shaped as Fu Lu Shou, the Chinese symbol for good fortune, prosperity and longevity.

You can see more shots of this amazing and strange looking hotel from the fine folks over at KillerDirectory. They state that this hotel was built sometime around 2000/2001 in the Chinese province of Hebei, and that this particular hotel also holds the Guiness World Record for being the world's 'biggest image building'.

Now that I can believe.

If you noticed, the peach being held on the left side of the hotel, or by Shou, is in reality an entire hotel suite. No doubt too, this must also make it the one of the peachiest, if not the peachiest hotel suite in the entire world!

Boy, looking back, I have to admit that I've seen a lot of different hotels in the world. Some where beautiful, some exotic, some drab, some down-right ugly, and still others that were down-right breath taking, but never, ever have I seen, or would have ever imagined seeing, a hotel looking quite like this - no not even in fabulous Dubai!

I certainly find this hotel to be as interesting, as much as it is strange, but some how, I'm not really sure if I really like it? Sure, I have to admit that it's certainly colorful, bright and interesting and all, but it's probably, at the same time, just a little bit too strange for a conservative fellow like myself.

In fact, I would imagine, if anything, that this particular hotel would be somewhat of a tourist draw in-and-by-itself. I, for one, would certainly go out of my way to visit this part of the great nation of China, just in order to see this most fascinating hotel with my very own two eyes.

And I can't think of a better hotel in which to stay, once I got there!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Image via: KillerDirectory, via Gizmodo

Reaction To Huge Apple Product Line Ups

The video above is blurry, it's shaky and yet it's absolutely amazing - it's the recent long, long queue of people waiting patiently to be among the very first Singaporeans to get their hands on the new iPhone 3GS!

As Tom Reestman said in his blog, TheSmallWave - Wow!

Yuppers, this is certainly one hell of a wowser of a line up.

However, what I really find interesting, about these now famous long Apple queues, is the reaction of many detractors on just why that is. For one thing, these detractors will state that these huge line ups are due to nothing more than simple minded, dumb and clueless Mac fan boys, all of whom where just brainwashed by Steve's 'reality distortion field', and Apple's marketing machine, into buying anything and everything that Apple cares to cram down their throats! Certainly, they won't imply or say that it has anything to do with the fact that maybe, just maybe, Apple's offerings are really worthy offerings.

For example, one of my nephews (who I won't name) said, of the following video, on the opening of the very first Apple store in Tokyo's fabled Ginza district:

"Of course, that's because their just only CRAZY MAC FAN BOYS! What else do you expect? Of course their going to line up, but most people don't want toy computers, they want real computers, computers that cost less, with higher specs, and ones that can run real software. Apple is just too small and irrelevant; it doesn't matter, it's not important. These line ups don't mean a thing. But, I will grant you though, at least they look good!"

Well, that's pretty amazing when I think about it. How come, it is, that when people line up to buy something from Apple, their all labeled as being just mindless fan boys, and simple minded idiots who are brainwashed into buying every piece of junk that Apple tells them to?

It's funny, but I don't remember hearing anyone say that about the much smaller lines of people who lined up to buy the Pre, or the BlackBerry Storm, or even when people lined up to buy Microsoft Windows 95!

Why is it, that when people line up to buy one of Apple's competitors products, such as the Palm Pre, that you don't hear any one saying it doesn't mean a thing, because we all know that they are just a bunch of mindless fan boys?

Trust me, if Microsoft, or Palm, or whom ever, could actually command the kinds of line ups that Apple has been known to get, well, they would be shouting it from the mountain top, and stating that it's because their products are so cool, so wonderful and so fantastic! Surely, you won't hear them, or anyone else, saying it's because those lining up are a just a bunch of meaningless fan boys!

Maybe I''m wrong, maybe I''m missing something here, but this unfair treatment of dicing all Apple customers, by some, as being nothing more than a bunch of meaningless fan boys is not only unfair, but it's clearly the work, and propaganda, on the part of some other fan boys, namely those of the Windows and Linux kind, as well as to some high priced marketing by Apple's competitors such as Microsoft!

Mind you, there's nothing wrong with being a fan boy. If you love OS X, or you love Windows, Linux, or what ever, that's ok and fine by me. It's when it gets to the point of one fan boy denigrating another that bothers me. In other words, being a fan boy is NOT wrong in and of itself, but being an EXTREME fan boy certainly is! For a Linux or Windows fan boy to attack and paint all Apple loving fans as being nothing but a bunch of blind, mindless slaves of Steve Jobs is just plain wrong! And that goes the other way as well, when Mac fan boys attack, as I have sadly seen, their Windows or Linux fans.

Just because I personally prefer OS X to either Linux or Windows, doesn't mean that my Windows or Linux friends are anything less then human, so why denigrate them the way some do with Apple fans? Sadly, however, this is what extreme fan boys to like to do and their reaction, and corresponding statements, to Apple line ups, like those in Singapore and Tokyo are particularly childish and shameful.

I just wish this attacking others, for their choice of OS, phone, etc., would stop! It's childish, dehumanizing and just plain wrong!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, July 14, 2009

New MacTablet, MacNetBook: Coming This October?

The weekday starts off with yet another Apple rumor. This one, if true, is one that has been expected and long rumored for some time now - a real live Apple touchscreen netbook, or tablet.

InfoTimes is confirming that a 9.7 inch Wintex touchscreen is expected to ship as early as this October.

The actual form factor for such a device hasn't been reported, but the 9.7 - inch screen is actually some what smaller than many of the cheap $500 netbooks that Apple has denounced are nothing more than just plain junk. It's fully expected that any Apple's netbook, or tablet, will be priced more in line with Sony's premium device, the VAIO P, at around $800.

One of Apple's biggest complaints with current netbooks is with their components, or precisely that they are inferior to the traditional ones found in laptops. Since we know that Steve Jobs is very picky, it's most likely that any new Apple device will incorporate more traditional components, and, according to Electronista:

" but it's unclear whether the design would try to improve on the keyboard design or scrap it altogether for a touch-only design. Performance has also been a worry of Apple's and may leave it reluctant to use existing netbook components, particularly the combination of an Atom processor and Intel's own integrated graphics."

Whether, or not, Apple reveals something alone the lines of a netbook, or a tablet, I clearly expect that it won't be anything like the current netbook/tablet offerings, any more than the iPhone was anything like any of the other smart phone that came before it. I fully expect that Apple will create a premium and quality type of device, and one that will define both the netbook and tablet category for sometime yet to come. In other words, Apple is Apple, and since Apple tends to 'Think Different' we too should also expect to see a different type of device, and one that goes far beyond the current offerings of today.

Exactly what form it will finally take, we'll just have to wait and see what October brings, if anything. However, I'm personally hoping to see yet another block buster from Apple. Of course, looking back at the Apple TV, I thought the very same and so far at least that hasn't been quite the case. None-the-less, I expect that this will indeed be the case for any Apple portable touchscreen device, regardless of it's final form or factor.

So, with these latest reports coming out of China, I'm eagerly looking foreword to October. If all goes as I hope, well, I clearly expect to be wowed. I also expect that the competition will go into panic mode, and into over drive, as they shift course, once again, to respond to the juggernaut that Apple has become in the world of high-tech gadgetry.


And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, July 13, 2009



Image via: SlashGear via Gizmodo and Adam Benton