Deep Thought · mac

A Smartwatch Owners View on The Apple Watch

2014-09-11T16:34:53Z

Gosh, I bet everyone is tired of hearing about these commentaries on the Apple Watch. I almost didn’t want to bother you with another article commenting on my first impressions on a device. After all, first impressions change a lot, like that time with the Sega Dreamcast, or that whole thing with Windows 7. Anyway, I felt that I had to write about the Apple Watch because I love watches, and I own a now competing smartwatch (A Pebble), and I have some things I just need to say.

As a millennial I am just absolutely confused as to several things about what Apple did or failed to do on Tuesday (like the fact that streaming only worked on OSX, and only on Safari, and didn’t really work at all), I am absolutely baffled at the design of the Apple Watch. There is nothing about it that says or much less screams “Buy me!” other than the exchangeable wristbands. In fact, it seems that most of the features of the Apple Watch are gimmicks to attract the washed Apple masses to spend money on a smartwatch that barely challenges the competition.

It almost feels like the design team got lost in the woods on the way to Granny’s house.

In regards to size, I am glad that Apple is offering two different “Case Sizes” (the size of the face of the watch), however Apple seems to have just given up on creating a smartwatch with a design that was in any sense classic. Bizarrely the Apple Watch invokes the result of throwing an iPod nano, an iPhone 1st generation, and the back case of a Swatch and pouring the whole thing into a baffling item of design mediocrity. Apple has wowed us before with designs that are clean, solidly constructed, and thin. The Apple Watch is none of these, its large and confusing; it almost feels like the design team got lost in the woods on the way to Granny’s house. The fact that apple is selling a gold plated smartwatch that doesn’t meet the standard requirement of a dress watch of fitting under a dress shirts cuff. I don’t know a lot of people who wear gold watches that don’t wear at least business casual to work every day. Mens fashion is a huge market at the moment, and a watch is a must have accessory as a man. The watch working with your shirt to only be seen when you want to see it, that is a absolute must. My dress watch isn’t even a smart watch, currently its a metal watch from Freestyle USA which offers somewhat cheaper sports oriented watches, all quartz movement. If you collect watches, if you like watches, you know that you want mechanical movement as the end all to end all of high-end, classic watches.

In regards to the back of the case of Apple Watch, which seeks to replicate the iconic style of mechanical watch backs, I can only call it a gimmick. Among the other things on the gimmick list is the setting dial, the inclusion of what Apple calls “messaging”, which is simply the equivalent of talking to Siri on your wrist. Perhaps the only thing that one can gauge as a non-gimmick is the inclusion of Apple Pay, although that functionality truly belongs to the new iPhones. My pebble offers no gimmicks, its pretty basic as far as smartwatches go. That’s actually why I chose it over the competition. As someone who is getting ready to graduate college and enter the business world, I wanted something that would be seen as professional enough to blend into a workplace but not flashy enough to get told to take the watch off during a test, or lord forbid any situation with sensitive material. Looking forward smartwatches with microphones and cameras offer just another possibility for infringing on our personal privacy in the world.

Despite not being the new standard for smartwatches, the Apple Watch offers increased exposure for wearables. More importantly the Apple Watch could move wearable devices to a place where they become more mainstream and acceptable as opposed to a geeky niche. With a brand like Apple pushing wearable devices, even if the Apple Watch is a weak first foray into the wearable market in my mind; there could be an explosion in the market, similar to the explosion of smaller brand MP3 players that came along with the iPod. The Apple Watch will get better over time too, after all most things do, and we can’t expect Apple to kill the device after just one iteration. Apple may not have a market winner on their hands, but they will have at least a segment that will buy it.

An iOS app that lets me avoid people? Yeah, I can get behind that

2014-03-23T03:23:27Z

I’m not especially socially inclined. I can’t small-talk to save my life. Eye contact is just about the Worst Thing Ever™. And then there are those times where I’ll just about lose my shit if I have to interact with another human being. Thank goodness I live in a world where Cloak exists.

Cloak is an iOS app that warns you when people you’d rather avoid—an ex, that obnoxiously chatty coworker, whomever—is in your vicinity. It works its magic by scraping location data for your, um, “friends” from Instagram and Foursquare. What? Your friends don’t use either of those services? All bets are off, then; good luck, have fun, etc…

Cloak is a free download from the App Store and requires iOS 7 or later. Check it out if you dare. Or don’t. Just don’t expect me to acknowledge your existence if I see you out around town.

Follow Deep Thought on Twitter @dtgeeks.

Mac Heist 3 Begins

2009-01-06T20:38:46Z

Mac Heist three began today. They are offering Process, normally $39USD, for free just for logging in. Beware, the web server is buckling under the load of people. So it may take a long time to get anywhere.

Head over to www.macheist.com to join the fun!

UPDATE: It appears that the next piece of loot is MacDust

Note to Apple: Vista is fixed.

2008-10-22T04:32:38Z

Apple’s relentless anti-Vista smear campaign continues, with its latest round of “Mac vs. PC” commercials accusing Microsoft of spending money on marketing that it could be spending to “fix Vista.”

Here’s a note to Apple: Vista is fixed. It’s called Service Pack 1, a release that, by all accounts, addresses the vast majority of issues Vista had at launch. Windows Vista with SP1 is fast, stable and highly capable, and despite Apple’s relentless smear campaign, people are gradually beginning to realize that Vista isn’t as bad as they’d been led to believe.

It’s time for Apple to stop the smearing and go back to focusing on the positive aspects of Mac OS X.

Adium Adds Facebook Chat Support

2008-10-21T00:41:23Z

For years iChat has been the best bet for a instant messaging program on OS X. At least in my opinion, the old Adium lacked in many features, and the new one still lacks some. These are excused by one simple feature that iChat is no where near beating. Facebook Chat support.

Facebook chat is possibly the ugliest thing ever invented. It plagues the bottom part of your Facebook page, blocking links, obstructing pokes, and making me piss blood I am so angry. I mean why in the name of all that is good and holy in the world of technology would Facebook ever think that something like a pop-up chat bar at the bottom of the screen would be anywhere near a good idea? Honestly, I have nothing that relates to any kind of clue as to why they did this. I just know it pisses me off. The chat interface when a window is opened takes up about 400 pixels. So depending on what computer your using to look at Facebook, the chat window may eat anywhere from 20% of your screen to 100%.

Seriously though, this chat interface is possibly one of the worst I have ever seen. Even irc was better planned when it came out in the 1990’s. This completely obtrusive chat window keeps popping up and blocking me from clicking on one of those adds that has the half naked girl on it! Cause I am totally interested in womens underwear Mark Zuckerburg. Yeah that’s totally the case there buddy, you got it completely right. Anyway, back to my point. There is a reason why Facebook is not growing as fast as it was before the remodeling; and that reason is called Facebook Chat.

However, there is a solution now to this hideous thing that makes us wanna puke when we get on Facebook. Its called Adium. Adium just added Facebook Chat support in their multi-protocol instant messenger client. This means that we can still chat on Facebook, but not only is it prettier, but it also gets logged. So now your Facebook chats can be read later in the day, and you can reminisce about the cute girl that you talked to for five hours that day. So all Mac users rejoice! We are free from the tyrants grasp once again!

Adium can be downloaded at: http://www.adiumx.com/
Facebook can be turned off by pressing the little red circle at the top of this window. Please do this now.

WWDC 08 Keynote wrapup and postmortem

2008-06-09T18:35:00Z

The WWDC keynote has come and gone. Now it’s time for pundits (or wannabe pundits) to pick apart every detail about the keynote. Let’s do just that. Before we go any further, be sure to take a look at my WWDC predictions to see where I stood before today.

In general today’s keynote had no surprises. And I expected it to me almost entirely iPhone (which it was). Let’s take a closer look at what was announced, and what wasn’t.

What we saw

iPhone apps, OS 2.0 and SDK

Again, no big surprises (though some new features that’ll make developers a little happier, including the iPhone’s “push” notification system). What we did see is that the iPhone may become a pretty damn good mobile gaming system. I’m not going to det too into detail here, since there was nothing really new announced, except to ask, what will these apps mean for iPhone battery life?

My prediction: I pretty much nailed this one, right down to there being 3rd-party app demos (I’d go so far as to say there were too many app demos, but whatever).

3G iPhone

Anyone who predicted a more radical change in form factor (larger iPhone, etc...) was proven wrong. Let’s be honest, the iPhone is a perfect pocket size right now. What good would it do for Apple to release a larger one? As for the appearance, the black-and-white-back rumor was spot-on, even with the non-recessed headphone jack. So once again, this was pretty much what everyone was expecting: 3G iPhone with GPS and relatively minor cosmetic changes.

My prediction: Captain Obvious strikes again! The one thing I didn’t see coming was the price drop. There were some rumors of subsidies and a price drop, but I didn’t really buy into them. FAIL on my part there.

MobileMe

So Apple took .mac, added some iPhone-friendly features, pitches it to Windows users too, and rebrands it. And they still charge $99 for it. I never really had a problem with .mac’s price tag before, and I still don’t have a problem with MobileMe’s price, but I’m sure there are a lot of people there—particularly those who don’t own iPhones—who will still see MobileMe as not worth the price. The only thing I see missing at this point is file syncing. Aside from that, MobileMe looks to be a great service. I’m not a big fan of web apps, even with all the AJAX-y goodness around today, but I’ll take MobileMe’s new web apps for a spin and write about them whenever MobileMe is launched.

My prediction:I felt there was a good chance of MobileMe making its debut today, and sure enough, we saw it. Now when will I have a me.com email address?

What we didn’t see

Tablets

Anyone who expected these need to get a reality check. Seriously.

My prediction: These aren’t the tablets you’re looking for. Move along.

Snow Leopard

OK, sure it got a quick mention earlier in the keynote, but nothing about it will be shown until Bertrand Serlet’s afternoon session, which, as Gruber notes is under NDA. So it seems that the “no new end-user features” prediction was spot on. I would expect some new developer goodies, though.

My prediction: I didn’t give Snow Leopard a great chance of rearing its head today, so I was partially right and partially wrong. I was right in that Apple didn’t really spend any time on it during the keynote, but I was wrong because it does exist.

OS X for Windows boxes

All I’ll say is I would have loved to see the looks on people’s faces if Jobs did announce this today.

My prediction: As I said form the beginning, we probably won’t see this. And we didn’t.

10.5.4.

My guess is we’ll see this come out either to coincide with the iPhone 3G launch or MobileMe’s launch.

My prediction: I gave 10.5.4 a small chance of being mentioned, so I was mostly right on this one.

Mac Fusion

This rumor popped up late last night (by which point I had already written my WWDC predictions article), It seemed possible, considering we usually don’t see fakes unless it’s a rumor that has been circulating for a while and there’s a good chance Apple would announce it at some point. And at first glance, the photos seemed convincing. But at the same time, all I could think of is, well...why? What’s so special about this that warrants a separate Mac, considering every other Mac can do what Mac Fusion is capable of doing. So needless to say, we didn’t se it.

My prediction: Over on The Apple Blog, I noted that Mac Fusion could be real, but was probably just a well-done hoax. Sure enough.

So...?

I may not be alone when I say this was one of the most uneventful WWDC keynotes in a while. That doesn’t mean it was a bad keynote; after all, we did see some cool new features and products. But at the same time, there weren’t any surprises, nor anything particularly stunning. So a solid keynote, if somewhat unentertaining to non-programmers. The real fun starts Jully 11th.

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Absolutely absurd WWDC predictions

2008-06-07T07:01:01Z

All right, my predictions won’t be that absurd; I think I’ve filled my quota for absurdity for a while, thank you very much. But in the spirit of unending Apple speculation, and to kick off our WWDC coverage, here is yet another WWDC 08 predictions article. The likelihood of each rumor coming to fruition is measured in meatballs (in keeping with fixation on food¹); the fewer the meatballs, the less likely it is that Lord Steve, Controller of Apple, Our Destinies, and Lesser Kingdoms will unveil it.

And now it’s time for my most favorite disclaimer: the contents of this post are a figment of my own imagination. I have no insider sources, so these predictions, like Miss Cleo, are for entertainment purposes only.²

OS X for Windows boxes

As fun as it was for me to speculate, I don’t see this actually happening, and I never did for that matter. And I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised that some people took what I said (read the article) as anything more than “cloning probably won’t happen, but if it did, this is how it could work.” At any rate, while the dropping of the word “Mac” from Mac OS X is interesting, and we can never entirely rule things out with Jobs, I don’t see a clone revival happening. I give this one half a meatball (out of five).

.mac rebranded to MobileMe/Me.com

The MobileMe name came up in rumors once before. Since a good portion of .mac features revolve around syncing data and connecting to other hardware remotely (Back to my Mac), extending it to the iPhone seems to be the next logical step. And since the iPhone goes beyond the Mac, a rebranding may be in order. This is how I see it working: “Me” or “Me.com” will be the umbrella name for the services known as .mac today. “MobileMe” will be a subset of the services targeted towards iPhone users. This may include Push IMAP email accounts, data syncing, and so on. Given the fact that this rumor makes total sense, and would be classic Apple in integrating everything, I give this one four out of five meatballs.

OS X iPhone 2.0

WWDC is a developer conference. Apple is pushing the iPhone as a new mobile development platform. Considering the fact that the OS X iPhone 2.0 update is due in June anyway, it would make perfect sense to launch it at WWDC. We should also see the App Store either at WWDC, or in the near future. We’ll definitely see some iPhone app demos. Five meatballs. OS X iPhone sucks as a name, though.

3G iPhone

Again, I think we’re looking at a near-certainty of seeing a 3G iPhone at WWDC. It would be a perfect tie-in with the iPhone OS update, especially since signs point at OS X iPhone 2.0 supporting 3G. So again, I give this one five meatballs. The question is, how will it look? I doubt we’ll see much in the way of major changes in appearance. Maybe it’ll be a little more streamlined, and maybe the headphone jack will no longer be recessed. And I definitely don’t think we’ll be seeing a larger version iPhone or a thin iPhone. Just...why?

Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6)

Uh, I’m not really sure to make of this one. It’d be really close to 10.5, though Apple has shipped new OS X releases within months of each other before. It wouldn’t be a very sexy update if the rumors of it being a bug fix/security release (though WWDC is a developer conference, not a consumer trade show). But it’s not totally out of the realm of possibility. The thing that gets me is that none of the banners we’ve seen give any hint to a new Mac OS X release being unveiled, unless Jobs has One More Thing up his sleeve. I’m going to err on the side of caution with this one and say two meatballs.

Mac OS X 10.5.4

This may get a brief mention, but it’s more likely that it would just be pushed out through Software Update. Two meatballs.

Mac tablet

Would someone please take this rumor out back and shoot it? Please? Put the friggin’ thing out of its misery already! Okay, so maybe one day we’ll see a Mac tablet, but not before OS X (the desktop OS, not the iPhone OS--stupid branding is going to cause confusion, I can see it now!) is better optimized for multitouch. Some areas suit multitouch well, while others don’t. And don’t mention a stylus. There’s no way I see Apple using a stylus. Also, a tablet release would be better suited for a consumer event, not a pro/developer event. So no tablet today. One meatball. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: these aren’t the tablet Macs you’re looking for. Move along.

Only a couple more days to go before we’ll get our dose of reality distortion! Anyway, I’d love to hear what you guys think. Am I totally off the mark? Or do I have some psychic ability to read Lord Jobs’ mind? Sound off in the comments.

¹An earlier example of me using food items for my rating scale.↩
²Except we won’t charge you $1.99 for the first minute and 99 cents for each additional minute.↩

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Fun with semantics: speculation versus rumors

2008-06-06T05:57:00Z

I have a couple of questions: When does speculation become a rumor? When is a rumor really speculation?

Here’s why I ask: yesterday afternoon I wrote up a piece for The Apple Blog regarding the photos of the banners hung in Moscone Center for next week’s WWDC. I noted John Gruber’s belief that dropping the “Mac” from Mac OS X is an attempt to unify the OS X brand (OS X iPhone and OS X Leopard), and I noted that “this is probably the simplest and most logical explanation.”

And then I jumped into speculative fun times: is Apple planning to license the Mac OS again? Considering the fact that rumors are pointing toward Apple turning .mac into something more platform-agnostic, and the fact that Apple has yet to do anything publicly in regards to Psystar, maker of the “Open Computer” Mac clone, as well as some other conjecture, I put this all together and raised some questions. Do I really think we’ll really see Apple jump into cloning again? I don’t think so. But you can never count anything out when it comes to Steve Jobs (see also: Apple switching to Intel—who saw that one coming?). So I offered my admittedly absurd speculation (said so in the article), and it somehow ended up on MacRumors.

Yes, that’s right. My article. On MacRumors, one of the biggest Mac sites out there. Excuse me while I pass out.

That’s the backstory. So I’ll ask again, when does speculation become rumor, and when is a rumor really speculation?

Let’s take a second and analyze what a rumor is, as it pertains to Apple. The Oxford American Dictionary¹ defines “rumor” as “a currently circulating story or report of uncertain or doubtful truth.” So insofar as Apple rumors go, a rumor could best be described as a story of what Apple is planning to do from a purported industry insider. This insider may present the rumor openly, like Kevin Rose when he ”leaked” details about the iPhone, but it usually comes from anonymous tipsters. Sometimes these tipsters are onto something, sometimes they’re totally off the mark. And sometimes, they take “spy shots” of purported new products in elevators. So to sum up, a rumor is a claim made by someone who says they know something you don’t.

That leads us to speculation. The dictionary definition of “speculation” is “[to] form a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm evidence.” So in the context of the Mac universe, this means taking the rumors and synthesizing them into a theory of what Apple is up to. Sometimes it seems totally possible, sometimes it seems totally off the wall. In regards to my speculation on Mac cloning returning, I think it falls somewhere in between. It’s not totally out of the realm of possibility given Apple’s track record of doing things nobody expects, but at the same time there are some holes in the theory (and as I said in my original article, it was some “absurd speculation” on my part).

So a rumor is not speculation, and speculation is not a rumor. The thing is, though, sometimes, some people conflate the two, and refer to any bit of speculation as a rumor. It’s especially embarrassing when media outlets make this mistake, and doubly so when they report a combination of speculation and rumors as fact.² Speculation should never, ever, be taken as anything more than that speculation, not as rumor. Because once a few people start calling a bit of speculation a “rumor,” it can build momentum as a “rumor,” and can lead to it actually being reported as a rumor. Speculation-passed-as-legitimate-rumor can lead to inflated expectations, which can be a bad thing. So the next time you see an article where the writer dives into speculating, consider the possibilities and have fun with it, but always remember that speculation is just that: speculation.

Hungry for something to read? Feed your newsreader!

¹Props to OS X’s Dictionary app.↩

²Of course in that case, Apple did eventually unveil a movie-downloading service, but rumors of that were around for long before the article I linked to surfaced.↩

This is why Macs aren’t right for business? You gotta be kidding me.

2008-06-01T07:01:00Z

One thing I hate is when people criticize for criticism’s sake. OK, we all do it—I do it from time to time—I won’t deny that. But if you need to do it, at least make it look like you tried to come up with some meaningful criticism. A couple days ago, Fortune Small Business posted an article entitled Why Macs still aren’t right for most businesses (via Gruber). Some of the points raised are perfectly valid, like some incompatibilities with VPN clients, but many are, well, downright absurd. Let’s dive in.

The article starts off well enough. Author Jonathan Blum discusses a small business that successfully switched to Macs, then states the following:

“My verdict? Though Apple computers can produce excellent results for small business, expect issues: Macs remain a niche product. Your transition from Windows will not be without bumps.”

OK, so far it’s not too far off point. Macs are a niche product in terms of their small overall share and the fact that Apple basically focuses on three markets: home, creative, and education--though that doesn’t make them unsuitable for business. And with any transition, there are going to be ~~bums~~ bumps¹ in the road.

But then the wheels fall off:

“No matter what you do with a Mac, you have to face Apple’s peculiar vision of all things computerish. First off, the packaging is seriously overdone: The slogan “Designed by Apple in California” posivitively shouts at you from the box. Like I care.”

Seriously? You’re criticizing this? Somehow Apple’s packaging makes the Mac less suitable for business use?

Like most business users will care what the box says.

“Once out of the box, the iMac is lovely; the keyboard in particular is my hands-down favorite. And the screen is an excellent value - although hardly the absolute best on the market, as Apple makes it out to be. But why should locating the “on” switch be such a struggle? Just stick the thing where I, and my employees, can find it: right up front.”

Again, this is your criticism? The location of the power switch?

“But - as ever, with Apple boxes - there were not enough USB ports. I was forced to dump my USB hard drive in favor of an Ethernet enablement unit.”

I can understand needing more USB ports, but that’s where USB hubs come in. You can buy one at any electronics store, and they’re really quite affordable. And since what counts as “enough” USB ports is totally subjective, this hardly counts as a reason to not consider a Mac for business. Again, convince me that the Mac might not be right for my small business. You’re 0-for-3 so far.

And what on Earth is an “Ethernet enablement unit”?

“Then came the software issues. We found that Citrix’s (CTXS) GoToMyPC, my shop’s VPN (virtual private network) tool, was unstable on our iMac. Our Web-based backup service, Mozy, did not support Mac solutions when I started testing, but has since released an upgrade.”

Finally, something relevant!

But then…

“Offsetting all this speed are some curious features clearly not aimed at the average small business. The desktop is divided into quadrants that extend beyond the screen’s edge. Only with some complex keyboard commands can I slide from one to another.”

Uhm, Spaces is a power-user tool. Oh, and it’s off by default for this very reason. In other words, most users likely will never ever see it. This is hardly a reason to criticize Mac OS X. How does Spaces make the Mac less capable for business?

“All the goofy Apple-centric commands leave PC-trained users constantly fighting to parse out what the control, option and command keys do.”

It’s no different than a Mac user trying to learn Windows shortcuts. And Mac OS X’s keyboard shortcuts are no more goofy than Windows’ keyboard shortcuts.

Again—do I need to repeat it?

“Apple devotees swear by the touch-sensitive shell of the ‘Mighty Mouse,’ but its top left- and right-click buttons still look an awful lot like just one.”

Judging by the mediocre-at -best reviews from users on Apple’s own online store, I don’t think “swear by” is the right choice of words to describe the prevailing attitude toward the Mighty Mouse. Jonathan, buddy, just because Mac users love the Mac doesn’t mean they love everything about it. And feel free to replace it with the USB mouse of your choosing.

And again, I should think twice about the Mac because of the mouse it comes with that can be easily replaced? Seriously, a little critical thinking goes a long way.

“The real eye-rolling winner is Time Machine, quite possibly the silliest operating system extension in history. Must I really sit through a full round of special effects - the desktop slides away to reveal some mysterious star in full supernova disappearing into infinity behind my various backups - just to find a what I said to a client in a lost e-mail? Honestly.”

Silly as it may be, remember what the core audience for Time Machine is: average users who have never touched backup software before, and probably never would if not for Time Machine. If that’s the goal, Apple better make something as unglamorous as backup interesting to average users.

It’s not that I entirely blame the writer; after all, it can be difficult to come up with something when you’re on deadline and need to come up with 500 words by 5 PM. As a freelance writer and editor, I know the feeling. But at the same time, criticizing the packaging, the number of USB ports, the power button’s location, etc..., in an article explaining why the Mac isn’t ready for most businesses is a bit of a reach. There’s an article to be had here. This sure as hell isn’t it.

¹There may be a few bums too. ↩

Teens banned from Apple Store after jailbreaking iPhone

2008-06-01T00:28:00Z

Four Palo Alto, California teens claim they were banned from the Apple Store after jailbreaking an iPhone on display, according to an article in the Palo Alto Daily News. Here’s the gist of how it went down: Three friends were waiting for a fourth friend, so they decided to wait at the Apple Store on University Ave. in Palo Alto. while there, they jailbroke a display iPhone, downloaded a game, and started playing it. The fourth friend shows up, and after a few minutes, the four of them leave the store. While walking away from the store, the manager and a security guard called them back in and held them for two and a half hours. The manager purportedly took their photographs to send to other Apple Stores — think of “Wanted” posters — and told them they would be banned from the Apple Store.

OK, I know what you’re thinking; is this for real? After all, Apple denied banning the four. My gut feeling is yes, or at the very least, it was the product of a gross misunderstanding. One of the four is Eric Vicenti, a former writer with us here at Deep Thought. While Eric wasn’t with us for much more than a few months, he always came across as very honest. And I think the manager overreacted. Jailbreaking an iPhone at the Apple Store? Probably not a great idea. But anything more than a warning to me seems like overkill. Anyway, that’s my take on it. What say you? Leave a comment!

A quick look at Times 1.0

2008-05-03T06:03:01Z

If there’s one product category where there is no shortage of options for Mac users, it’s newsreaders. NetNewsWire, NewsFire, NewsLife, and company are being joined by Times, a newsreader that takes a different approach.

Many of the existing newsreaders approach news feeds like an email client handles emails: you have a list of headlines and you click on each headline to read on. For the most part, these newsreaders do what they do well.

Times approaches feeds differently. Times looks and feels less like a desktop app, and more like a physical newspaper. The result is a newsreader that, like a newspaper, allows you to quickly glance over the headlines and article blurbs all at once. So how well does it work? Let’s find out.

The main Times window. The page headers in blue indicate new
unread articles. Click thumb for full-size image.

Times’ user interface isn’t exactly standard, but it isn’t overdone either. The visual effects are subtle natural extensions of the user interface. And the non-standard interface reinforces the newspaper metaphor that Times uses, which works well for more visual people.

By default, Times breaks down articles into five “pages” — World, Technology, Science, Entertainment, and Sports. You can add pages, delete them, and rename them as you please. Adding feeds to each page is as simple as dragging and dropping a feed to a page. Feeds are displayed in a Dashboard-like collapsable panel:

Looks kinda familiar, eh?

Each page has three sections for feeds; two sections display “featured” feeds of your choosing, the third section shows all feeds listed on a page. In my opinion Times is not ideally suited if you subscribe to lots of feeds, but if you subscribe to a handful of feeds per page, Times works reasonably well.

One nice touch is that TImes will auto-detect feeds for any web site. Enter the URL and Times will find the feeds for you. Times ties into your Safari bookmarks, allowing you to instantly add feeds for any bookmarked site. And yes, it will detect multiple feeds belonging to a site, and will allow you to choose which you want to subscribe to.

One more feature I want to mention is the shelf. The shelf is basically an organization tool allowing you to set aside articles for later reading. Drag a headline, and the shelf will appear, allowing you to drop the article onto the shelf. The shelf has four spots, but each spot on the shelf allows you to “stack” articles. For example, you can have one stack with sports articles, another for Mac articles, and so on. The shelf and stacks works much like the Dock; mouse over an article or stack of articles to preview the titles, click an article to read it, drag an article off the shelf to remove it. The shelf is not expandable; four spots is all you have. Also, you can’t rearrange items on the shelf, aside from moving them into stacks. Still, it’s a clever idea, and will make setting aside articles easier.

Times is definitely worth a look. It’s a 1.0 release (technically 1.0.1), so some features are less developed than they could be, but it shows great promise. Times requires Mac OS X 10.5, and the developer suggests a broadband connection. It costs $30, but a 14-day demo is available. For details, visit http://www.acrylicapps.com/times/.

When Mac Zealots Embarrass a Mac Zealot

2008-03-31T15:58:27Z

I’m sure everyone has heard the news about how Apple is pushing Safari 3.1 to Windows iTunes customers through the Apple Software Update utility. If you don’t have Safari installed, it still offers you Safari 3.1 and it’s checked, by default, to be installed. How is new software an update?

I thought it was just common sense about how sleazy this is. I thought everyone would agree that Apple should do this differently. But no! The Mac message boards are loaded with the Mac faithful defending Apple’s right. I find it amazing.

The arguments submitted by the Mac zealots are typically the following:

1. You aren’t forced to do anything and it’s your own fault if you install it accidentally.
2. Microsoft has been doing it for years.
3. Apple told us they were going to do this.

In response to #1, I tell them to remember this argument the next time they accidentally install some malware on Windows. This argument is just really weak. Yes, you can uncheck Safari and not install it, however I agree with John Lily of Mozilla that people should trust their software updater to just update their existing software and not use it to push software onto people who didn’t ask for it.

In response to #2, I don’t think it is true that Microsoft has done this for years. I have a fresh install of Vista Home Premium and the default behavior is to only offer me updates for Windows. There is a link that will take me to a Web page to install software that will allow it to offer me other software. This is an option that can be turned on from an off default. Also, Microsoft labels their software updates as either Important or Optional. Optional is not checked for installation by default like Safari 3.1 is with Apple Software Update.

I also inform them that they are arguing that Apple is as bad as Microsoft, which is amusing since most Mac zealots like to go around believing Apple is more noble than Microsoft. I personally think Windows is crap, but I don’t believe Apple is good and Microsoft is evil.

The other point I’d like to make about this notion that Apple is just doing what Microsoft does is point out that Microsoft AutoUpdater for OS X, which comes with Microsoft Office, does not push me Silverlight for OS X or Windows Messenger for OS X. It only pushes me updates for Microsoft Office. That’s it.

In response to #3, I say that telling us that they are going to do something sleazy doesn’t excuse the sleazy act. I mean, crap, The Borg warns everyone that they will be assimilated. I thought Microsoft was The Borg and Apple was Jean-Luc Picard?

If Apple wants to push unrelated software through Apple Software Update, they should rename it Apple Software Downloader. They should have two tabs or categories - one for updates and one for offers. The offers should be unchecked. You should have the option of not receiving the offers. That would be the classy way of doing things. That’s what John Lennon and Ghandi would do.

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Okay Apple, we get the point

2008-03-21T23:24:44Z

So Apple unveiled a new “Get a Mac” web ad today. That’s well and good, and the ad itself is amusing, but I think it’s time to quit the Vista bashing. Yes, we get the point; Vista sucks (though I beg to differ), and Mac OS X has been on the receiving end of generally positive reviews, but is it really necessary to point and laugh at the class loser? ("HAHAHA OMG VISTA IS T3H SUX0RZ!!!!11!11!") I mean, the poor thing has suffered enough! Just leave Vista alone!!!¹

In all seriousness, here’s the thing: it’s been pounded into people’s head that Vista sucks. Whether or not that is really the case depends on who you ask, but the perception is already there. Apple has already added to that perception with their earlier ads, and the press is certainly doing their part too. Why keep at it?

There are so many things Apple could be highlighting about the Mac, but aren’t. They could be spending more time answering the question, “What makes the Mac so great?” And they’ve done it before. The Time Machine ad is nothing short of a stroke of genius. It demonstrates a clear advantage of the Mac: an easy-to-use backup system. Viruses is another good one because it highlights the Mac’s better overall security record. ”Now what” does a good job at explaining how buying a Mac is easier than buying a PC. And then Santa Claus is just plain clever. Each of these ads extol the virtues of the Mac, and while they might dig at the PC a little, they’re not overly smug, and they’re more accurate. The Vista attack ads, while amusing, and initially focusing on legitimate concerns (for example, Choose a Vista highlights the potential confusion over Vista’s multiple editons), have grown kind of tired.

So yes, thank you Apple. We get the point. Now let’s find something new to talk about.

¹See also this.↩

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What not to do with your MacBook Air

2008-03-12T05:50:01Z

Here’s a quickie…

After Newsweek’s Steven Levy threw out his MacBook Air with the trash, I started thinking, what else should you not do with your MacBook Air? Here’s what I came up with in, oh, about ten minutes:

Use it as floatation device: As light as air? Maybe. Able to save you if you were drowning? Probably not.
Use it as a beverage tray: It would work as one, but it’s a little costly for use at your local Applebee’s or Chili’s.
Leave it on your spfa while hosting a party:Beware your uncle who doesn’t look before he sits.
Fry an egg on it: Computers don’t like gooey messes.
Use it as a frisbee: Your dog probably wouldn’t care if you played frisbee with a MacBook Air, but the MacBook Air may not be slobber-proof.
Dance with it: This one isn’t entirely outside the realm of possibility, but if you value your social standing at all, just don’t.
Use it to stabilize a wobbly table: Uhm, no.
A shield: What’s more important? Your personal safety or a $1800+ piece of computer equipment? The computer. Duh.
Whack your annoying younger sibling upside the head: For the sake of the MacBook Air, don’t do it.

Okay, I’m going to stop here before I embarrass myself further, but you get the idea. What would you recommend againt? Leave a comment!

iPhone event roundup

2008-03-07T05:26:01Z

Earlier today Apple held an iPhone-oriented media event, covering topics including the iPhone in enterprise to the long-awaited SDK. Here are some of my initial thoughts on the announcements made today.

And yes, I wrote this as I followed the announcements, so they’re very, very early first impressions.

Enterprise

First of all, it seems strange to see Apple even discuss the enterprise market, considering their focus has been on the consumer for years and years. But considering almost every other smart phone out there is designed to be enterprise-friendly, it makes sense that Apple would do the same with the iPhone, especially since some corporate users are already using the iPhone.

Apple announced the addition of a good number of enterprise-friendly features for their next iPhone software, ranging from push email support and better calendar integration to better VPN support to the all-important Microsoft Exchange support. And as it turns out, Apple licensed the ActiveSync protocol for use on the iPhone. As Macworld reports, “With ActiveSync, the iPhone talks directly to Exchange. So the iPhone will get push e-mail, push calendaring, push contacts, global access lists, and remote wipe, all while talking to Exchange. And it’s built into the existing applications—mail goes into the same Mail program, calendar into the same Calendar, and so on.”

I’m not exactly an expert when it comes to the enterprise, but I think Apple just answered a lot of people’s prayers with these additions. Do I think this means we’ll see Apple making a more general push into the enterprise market? Somehow I doubt it. For Apple, this seems to be more of a reactive move. They saw that enterprise was interested in the iPhone, so they filled the gap with enterprise-specific features.

The SDK...

As this video shows, iPhone gaming will be like nothing else out there. There’s a lot of potential for opening the iPhone to third-party developers, and the unofficial apps have shown lots of promise. Now that developers will have a fully-documented API to play with, I can’t wait to see what people come up with.

Scott Forstall came onstage to discuss the iPhone SDK. And what an SDK it is! iPHone development will be based on a new application framework based on Cocoa named...wait for it...Cocoa Touch (those clever folks at Apple). Why a different framework? Cocoa, which many Mac developers use to create apps, is designed around a keyboard-and-mouse user interface, so Apple needed to develop something for the touch-based interface of the iPhone and iPod touch.

Forstall also briefly went over the other layers of the iPhone OS: the core OS almost the same as what is on the Mac, but there are some different core services built atop to. One such service is Core Location, which, according to Macworld, “uses cell tower and wi-fi data to figure out where you are.” Nice to see that Apple isn’t keeping that to themselves.

iPhone development will take place inside Apple’s XCode and Interface Builder development tools. Yay. Apple’s also including an iPhone simulator so you can test your apps without using an iPhone. Weren’t there rumors about a simulator a little while back?

It appears developers will be able to take advantage of the iPhone’s motion sensor. Forstall demoed a photo distortion app, and to remove the distortions you applied, you...shake the iPhone Etch-a-Sketch style. They also wrote a game that leverages the accelerometer to steer a ship. Sweet. Reminds me of a portable version of Nintendo’s Wii.

Forstall stressed how simple it is to develop for the iPhone, even for people who have never developed for OS X, and invited developers from EA, Salesforce, and other companies to discuss their experiences working with iPhone development.

What I hoped to see come out of the iPhone SDK is fairly simple: a decent AIM client for iPhone. Many phones--smart or otherwise--include AIM support. iChat works with AIM. Why didn’t the iPhone support AIM from the very beginning? It looks like I’ll be getting my wish, as AOL is bringing AIM to the iPhone. Score! I’ve never been impressed with AOL’s own desktop client, but I would expect an iPhone client to work better.

As for distribution, Apple will include a new application, App Store, to the next iPhone update. Were they inspired a bit by Installer.app for the iPhone and their own iTunes WiFi Music Store? Signs point at yes. And, of course, you can purchase and download applications through iTunes on your computer. It looks like the speculation and rumors of Apple controlling application distribution were true. Developers can pick the price, and developers keep 70% of the revenue from iPhone app sales (apple keeps the other 30% for distribution). Free apps won’t cost developers a penny to distribute. It should be interesting to see how developers react to this, but it seems to be a pretty fair scheme.

Apple will put some limitations on what apps can be sold so nothing illegal, malicious, or otherwise questionable makes it onto people’s iPhones.

The new features discussed today will be introduced with the iPhone 2.0 update. A beta version is being seeded today to developers, and a final version will be released in June (be patient!). Apple is also introducing the iPhone Developer Program, which you need to join if you want Apple to distribute your app. Joining the Program costs $99 US.

iFund

Also announced was the iFund, a $100 million startup fund backed by venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins especially for iPhone developers.

Apple closed with a Q & A session for the press. Macworld’s coverage includes the Q & A session if you’re curious.

Put it together and what do you get?

Trouble for the competition, that’s what!

The iPhone is already selling well in the United States. Now that it will include serious enterprise tools, I think it’s safe to say that the iPhone will make inroads into the enterprise world. Maybe eventually it will help get the Mac into the enterprise world, but I don’t see that happening on a large scale.

What Apple managed to do today is turn the iPhone into a better phone for enterprise users, and an even better consumer toy. I’ve held off on purchasing an iPhone so far because I have my iPod, and I do little more with my cell phone than make the occasional call. I’m lame like that. Maybe now I’ll break down and buy one (or at least consider buying one).

Now what about jailbreaking? Will there still be a market for that? I think so. I doubt Apple will allow developers to distribute iPhone hacks through their app store. So while most users will be satisfied by official apps, more technical users may still want to consider jailbreaking, so don’t count out the unofficial iPhone app community just yet.

All of this is a result of something simple: Apple listening to their customers. It’s something Apple hasn’t seemed to be very open about doing until fairly recently. You can’t add every requested feature, of course, but by listening, Apple made the iPhone a much more attractive device from consumers and business alike.

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