schininis's Profile

  • Oct 12, 2007
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Latest comments made by: schininis

  • Leopard will ship on time, Steve said so . . . ; ) besides not much has slipped the last few years. The new "secret" features could simply be introduced in the form of a new program (like BootCamp was). That would be the best of both worlds. We get the new shiny toys to play with, and Apple keeps their promise of secret stuff. We help Apple by being beta testers (not the angry mob with crashing computers - even if they do) and they don't have to worry so much about it messing up the perception that Leopard is rock solid. Besides, maybe the REALLY interesting stuff will show up as integration with iLife 07, or a new version of .Mac. They are up to some sneaky stuff I'm sure of that. Don't forget this is the same company that ALREADY had written OS X for intel chips years ahead of time!
    schininis had this to say on Mar 28, 2007 Posts: 8
    What If There Are No Top Secret Features in Leopard?
  • Yes . . . I will hold onto some apple stock . . . but don't think I haven't been taking a little profit now and again! How else could I afford to keep buying new apple gadgets to play with all the time . . . I'm optimistic but not NUTZ. I think you missed my point, but I completly agree with you about iPhone sales. I was not talking about being able to just sync to OS X or windows, I was talking about the fact that many new devices will be running OS X. So then . . . somewhere down the line there isn't an "I just don't understand how to use a Mac" attitude out there anymore because many (MANY) more folks will already be using a limited version of OS X on other devices. Forget the iPod halo effect . . . it's the opposite . . . the iPod (and iPhone) will BE mini Macs running OS X. Then the jump to OS X on a laptop or desktop is a no brainer . . . you like it already. Plus, I think apple will make many products in between the iPod and the MacBook. With that lean and mean OS X running in flash on those sub-laptop products they will OWN mobile computing in not time I think . . . which of course is the fastest growing segment of the market.
    schininis had this to say on Mar 15, 2007 Posts: 8
    iPhone Realizes Steve's Dream to Exploit Mac OS
  • Chris, your article made me think a bit about just how many people could be using OS X in the next few years. Sure there will be millions of more adopters through the iPhone . . . but it just occured to me that the other foot is about to drop! The next version of the iPod could never be less than what was shown in the iPhone version . . . so it's logical to assume that the next versions of iPods will ALSO run OS X. I've even heard a little speculation that Apple TV will be runing it. Let's see . . . add all that up and the number of OS X users could be huge. I think I'll hold my apple stock just a little longer!
    schininis had this to say on Mar 14, 2007 Posts: 8
    iPhone Realizes Steve's Dream to Exploit Mac OS
  • Look a little closer at that patent application. I design stuff so it's easy for me to understand what's going on . . . and I forget that it is a little hard to "get it" if you aren't used to reading this kind of stuff. What apple means by overlays are PHYSICAL 3-D REAL keys. It will function EXACTLY like a normal keyboard. But the way it will work is the interesting part. There will be a big touch screen that will work like the iPhone. Then when you want to use it as a REAL keyboard you will place a special plastic keyboard with moving keys on top of the touchpad. The keyboard (or any other type of interface) is nothing more than a series of keys with special surfaces on the bottom that will act on the touchscreen as if your finger is touching it. There is no electrical, USB, or any other kind of connection between the touch screen and the keyboard!!! All you will have to do is tell the computer which overlay you are using, so it will know what the key touches mean. The only problem might be if the large touch screen is too expensive and drives the cost of the device up . . . but I'm thinking it's too cool an idea not to try!
  • OK . . . check this apple patent out . . . http://www.macnn.com/blogs/?p=182 Imagine this on a ultra thin portable . . . you tactile guys get exactly what you desire . . . you ultra thin guys can type away on the included emergency touch screen keyboard. Plus, you get free touch screen "special use" keyboards specific to programs you know and love like Final Cut. If you are serious about the special use you can buy the 3rd party physical overlay and use real knobs everyday. PERFECT for musicians . . . can you say soundboard! When apple brings this out . . . maybe even this year . . . jaws will drop . . . it will be sa-wwweeet!
  • Of course! (sound of slap on forehead) . . . best article on the iPhone I have read. Very honest assesment. I tried FOREVER to like my RAZR . . . really . . . we get these things and even if it's hard to dial or sync or hear . . . we forgive them because we are delighted with how thin it feels in our pockets, and we're hoping the really hot girl will notice and ask us about it when they see it. (they NEVER do) It will be the same for the iPhone . . . masses WILL buy it and the price hurdle will drop every 3 months to allow more people to join the cool club. I will be helpless too, as I have a need to be cool and am not willing to smoke or get a tattoo. I do kinda have a hunch though that apple will in the end get the interface details right . . . or better . . . or just bigger so the over 40 crowd can see the buttons. Maybe the best news is that since it's one big software interface they can keep modifying things until they DO work better, without a complete retooling. If you look back on the iPod each generation slowly brought mostly good changes. The current 30gig is my all time favorite . . . so far. With the iPhone I believe they have develped a platform that will allow for continued refinement in much faster cycle. That's the real secret weapon here, apple does listen quite well to it's users, and in an industry when new phones are constantly coming out . . . this platform will allow them an easy way to stay ahead . . . as needed. The growing number of iPhone critics (those who realise that they are hopelessly uncool and would like to prevent others from being cool) will still be scratching their heads saying that their Blueberry X5000 Genius Phone can technically do more than an iPhone . . . of course us cool folks will stop their rant by yelling "look a puppy" and then rudely checking our apple stock on our iPhone! BTW thank god I bought some apple stock last summer . . . otherwise I couldn't afford to get the next instument of coolness, and I'd be forced to keep my . . . gulp . . . RAZR!
    schininis had this to say on Jan 18, 2007 Posts: 8
    Ultimate Death Match: iPhone Versus RAZR
  • Seems to me Apple has already taken care of all this with a patent they filed a few months ago. I design stuff for a living, and when I read the patent I knew exactly what they were up to. They will be doing some sort of removeable overlay on top of a trackpad/screen that will allow a user to change out the input style as needed. The keyboard overlay comes with the computer, but other special overlays (like for video editing) could be added as needed, and for many other functions you just remove the keyboard overlay (or slide it out of the way) and you have a nice big trackpad/screen to enter info onto like on the iphone. The overlays can have real physical keys, dials, whatever, but they are recognized by the trackpad/screen underneath to automatically provide the right input. So you get a REAL keyboard AND the flexibility to input information in a new way. Brilliant really . . . that's why I love apple products . . . they DO sweat the details. As for the iPhone I think since there is no really good way to type on ANY dinky object, there will be 3 solutions. Make the touch screen keyboard as good as possible, add a portable real keyboard that rolls up or folds as an accessory, and use other techniques like syncing to limit the amount of typing you need to do.
  • Wow . . . what a nice series of interesting points of view. Let me add a couple of tidbits to consider. iTMS is not just a store. I gave my son my 1st gen iPod and bought a new one. The very next day he had ripped all his CD's and was a happy camper listening to the same music he WAS listening to using his portable CD player. I didn't show him how, or dig up the instruction manual . . . iTunes just worked the way it was supposed to. That sounds easy, to write software that will rip CD to play on a digital device . . . but it isn't . . . I know this because I've messed with plenty of software that can't! The fact that I can also buy music at iTMS is the extra bonus I don't HAVE to need or WANT at first . . . but it does become irresistable eventualy, or handy, or just more conveineint. When my other son needed Hawaiian music for a skit he was doing . . . well who's gunna drive to a store and pay 14$ when you can pay 1$ and have it in less time than it would take me to find my darned keys. I also agree with the enormity of what is now the iPod. Stand in an Apple Store and listen to the folks who come in to buy. I listened to a middle aged woman who was looking at iPods and she wanted to know if Apple ALSO sold MP3 players. The sales guy just started right in explaining things as if he got that question a million times a day. Most consumers have heard 2 terms, MP3 and iPod, and that's the extent of their knowledge when they come to the Apple store with cash in hand. The other factors, like the iTMS, great industrial design, or the simplicity of use only really come into play after I own the product. Those are the things that MS won't be giving me anytime soon, and it's also those things that make for loyal repeat iPod brand customers.
    schininis had this to say on Jan 21, 2006 Posts: 8
    Want to Marginalize the iPod? Ask Steve Jobs How!