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Archive for January, 2010

iPad : what is lacking…

January 27th, 2010 iAPX Comments off

The iPad is not perfect, even if it’s superb. There are many weaknesses and limitations on this product, that the presentation tried to hide…

The iPad is not HD

Steve Jobs presented the iPad playing “HD Movie”. In fact the movie might be in HD, 720p, not full HD, but due to it’s limitations, the iPad could not play it visually on 720p (1280×720) nor on the 9.7inch screen nor using VGA output, both limited to 1024×768. We could argue about better than SD, but it’s far from the first HD level, not talking about Full HD.

The iPad has no camera & no iChat

This is probably my main concern, to not have a 20$ camera included, facing the user, and iChat application (even if limited in resolution), to be bale to organize video chat and meeting. I dreamed about a means to do video conferencing, presenting powerpoint or keynote documents, exchange or share files. Maybe for 2G in 2011?

The iPad doesn’t support multitasking

When I use my computer for browsing, I use Adium (MSN and other IM client), browsers, emails, etc. I need them all at once, and be able to see them all, on the screen at the same time (on my MacBook Pro 17″) or using Exposé. Even if you consider the iPad for browsing and social medias on the web, you’ll need multitasking and the ability to see different windows or applications at once. This is lacking on iPad.

Lack of filesystem

It should be natural with Pages, Keynote or others to come (maybe Microsoft Office for iPad!) to create documents, store them as files, and be able to exchange them, using wifi, 3G, USB2 or even SD cards. Or use another software (says iPad Photoshop) to open files created in another application (ie: screen capture). Won’t be possible and iPad will be as closed as the iPod and iPhone.

No cloud storage

With Wifi and 3G connection, it should be natural to store your files on the Cloud, on your iDrive with Mobile Me account. It seems it’s not possible too :-(

Seems really weird from Apple to not offer Cloud Storage for iPad, knowing their massive and continuous investment on Mobile Me and gigantic dataserver farm!

No access to your computer files

You might synchronize files, but limited to a few amount of files depending on the storage capacity you choose, from 16GB to 64GB. If you are on the wild, connected wirelessly, and willing to retrieve this important document you have on your desktop computer, and doesn’t synchronize voluntarily, you are lost!

No desktop option, or perhaps the new rumored iMac 22″?

Imagine the same capability, with a desktop CPU, 22″ screen, with multitouch ability on the whole screen surface, and the ease of use of the tablet (without the ability to sense motion for games naturally). It could be of incredible value for people willing not to have a computer, handling OS, antivirus (windows), malware, and other things, but just doing things :-)

You need a Mac for your iPad

The iPad need a Mac. You could use a Windows PC, but you won’t have the full experience of the iPad and application file interchange (ie: keynote or Pages) that you will experience with a Mac. Worse you need a real computer to be able to put your music, videos, books, or any other documents inside.

Without this limitation, this is the computing device I will offer to my mom (she’s on her seventies), to replace her old PowerBook G4 12″, lighter, simpler to use, no more management. Kinda dream!

Conclusion

As first generation iPhone, the iPad is not perfect, far from perfect, kinda sketch of a dream, and as for iPod or iPhone, it will be refined generation after generation to stay ahead of the pack. In fact, as the first iPhone, there’s no competition for the iPad, and it won’t be until 2011 probably. You could build same hardware, but not offers the same music, video and application library!

For me the iPad is the beginning of a revolution of the computer culture, from computer to computation/entertainment devices, that everyone could use, as simply as an iPod or iPhone! This is real shift!

Categories: General Tags: ,

iPad is *NOT* what you think it is…

January 27th, 2010 iAPX Comments off

I was totally wrong, I thought it was just another form of netbooks, or lightweight laptop, but the main points are *NOT* is form-factor, nor it’s superb incredible design, the astonishing autonomy, the entry-level price of only $499.

No, for me the incredible bet in the iPad is a concept of totally new computer systems, that we may encounters as well as desktop, laptop, the iPad that is the first of it’s kind. It’s really a new computer concept.

You could forget about the personal computer, iPad changed it to the concept of personal interactive device. It’s a natural (r)evolution if you consider the Mac: forget about system or OS, forget about installing softwares, forget all you know about what makes a computer a personal computer.

The iPad is a personal device, that may do anything that a Personal Computer might do (at least on same size factor), it’s conceived as a Device, not as a platform you may do whatever you want. It’s limiting, but on the other way so promising in term of service quality that it might be a future for personal computing.

Business Model itself changed completely, no more buying boxes, using activation keys, or anything, just go online (using wifi or 3G) one click to buy and load your application. No more hacking (or probably less!), direct money stream from consumer to developers, checked and validated applications, the best seller won’t be the one with the big name, but the one that will innovate and break the rules (but not Apple’s rules! lol).

This is not a personal computer, it’s a personal device that do computing tasks. This is a revolution in itself.

D-Day

January 27th, 2010 iAPX Comments off

This is the day, the one that will be a quantum leap for computers, and probably the the best thing ever created since Turing Machine!

Just joking about the new Apple Tablet, that will be a mix of superb and expensive hardware, well designed, efficient software and incredible interface, to be more than the sum of it’s part, as any PC :-)

Categories: General Tags:

A MacPro is expandable…

January 12th, 2010 iAPX Comments off

I found a first generation Mac Pro on Craigslist, with a correct price-tag, that make me think twice about using my quad-core PC or using the “real thing” instead. 1500$ for an expandable computer that might least for 2  or 3 years is not too much for a developer.

Then, I checked graphic card, because I would like to have at least GeForce 8800 or equivalent (GT 130) for CUDA & OpenCL development, and maybe a Radeon 4870 for OpenCL and games too :-)

Naturally I needed to install Windows Vista 64bits, or Windows 7 64bits, planning to install 8GB at first and probably 16GB later on this MacPro.

Las… Apple doesn’t offer serious graphic card for this generation, they are all dubbed for Early 2009 Mac Pro, or at least 2008 Mac Pro, and this one isn’t compatible with 64bits Windows!

Prefer to forget it, a GeForce 7300GT is on a par with IGP 9400M, and having 3GB on Windows on a 16GB computer seems totally stupid!

Mac Pro might be expandable, as PowerMac were, but the real problem is Apple doesn’t offer any expansion for 3 years old computer, so it’s almost as closed as an iMac, if you don’t buy expansion cards when brand new!

[UPDATE 21/01/2010] Apple proves me that I was right choosing to keep my quad-core PC instead a first-generation Mac Pro: the Mac Pro, 64bits quad-core with Xeon processors, is *NOT* compatible with Vista 64bits or Windows 7 64-bits, and Apple ceased to support it for BootCamp (windows installation assistant and drivers). A 2-years old Mac Pro 4×2.66Ghz is officially unable to launch Windows 7 64bits, contrary to my 5 years-old PC!!! So stupid!

Categories: General Tags:

My hackintosh pro…

January 10th, 2010 iAPX Comments off

Yesterday I had time to try new path to install a distro, or an update DVD into my PC. I planned everything, noting every component of my motherboard, for Audio, Ethernet, Firewire, etc. Then I go to the web searching for solution for each one.

Then I found a french article about installing Snow Leopard on an Asus P5Q motherboard, and everything runs fine, just a CD to burn, use the installation/upgrade disc, then little tricks (for ethernet and allowing booting without Chameleon RC4 CD), and that’s all.

I will have to try to install it using RAID-0 boot partition, to have more responsiveness, but anyway I already am far over first generation MacPro, for a fraction of it’s price :-)

Categories: General Tags:
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