Strange thing about Venice: it’s full of shops selling incredibly elaborate (and expensive) masks.
The iPadification of Mac OS
Hmmm… Apropos my column pondering the implications of iOS for Apple computers, here are some interesting thoughts on the same subject.
But it is the changes coming in Lion that are inspired by the iPad's user interface that will have broader ramifications for the future of all Macs, even desktops. These include the Launchpad screen and its folder-creation method, (OS-level support for) full-screen apps, auto-save and auto-resume. As with the iPad-inspired hardware changes, these will bring tradeoffs. Many of these make computing more accessible to newcomers, a path that Apple has doggedly pursued since the dawn of the Mac. To Apple's benefit, they also differentiate Mac OS further from Windows and tie together Apple's products better.
For veteran users, though, the changes may not represent an ideal execution. For example, auto-save can be a lifesaver, but for productivity applications it is ideally implemented with version control that is generally not in iPad apps today and which can be a confusing concept to new users. Similarly, the Launchpad interface may be effective for a world without mice or hierarchical folders, but Apple already offers the dock and the Applications folder for easily browsing programs. And with tried and true aids such as list view and sorting, one can take advantage of larger displays to view more apps at a glance without having to wander among screens, particularly when hunting for apps that are used less often.
But the hope is that Apple will blend them into the Mac OS rather than graft them on. Just as with the new MacBook Air, the key is to recognize what is relevant and what is not.
Apple hasn't yet offered extensive details on how these iPad calques will work in Lion; there doesn't seem to be any requirement for users to use these in Lion. But the hope is that Apple will blend them into the Mac OS rather than graft them on. Just as with the new MacBook Air, the key is to recognize what is relevant and what is not. For example, while Apple has dismissed physical keyboards on its iDevices, it continues to treat them as sacrosanct on the Mac, ensuring that its smallest notebook still has a keyboard with full-sized keys with spacing…
John Gruber has some interesting thoughts about this — as usual. For example:
iOS apps do run on Mac OS X, today, in the iPhone/iPad emulator that ships with the iOS developer kit. Ends up they’re just not that pleasant to use on a Mac. Gestures that are natural and fun with direct touch are awkward and clumsy using a mouse or touchpad. I never hear iPad developers — who run their own iOS apps on their Macs during development, for testing and debugging purposes — wish that they could ship them as-is to Mac users. Ever try a game like Pac-Man on the iPhone? A game that’s designed from the ground up around a hardware joystick or D-pad just isn’t very good on a device without a joystick. Everything about iOS apps is like that when you run them on a Mac. (And, conversely, popular iOS games like Angry Birds tend to feature controls that only really make sense with a touchscreen.)
iOS 4.2 for iPad: the gist
Really useful walkthrough for those of us too busy to poke into the innards. Summary:
iOS 4.2 on iPad is a revelation. It’s the way iPad is meant to be. That’s not to say it’s perfect or has every feature on every geek’s wish list — it certainly doesn’t — but it has enough new functionality to make iPad much more valuable.
Like with iOS 4 on iPhone, multitasking and folders extend the existing UI in a way that gives power users what they need, but keeps casual users either grounded in familiar metaphor, and feature-phone types blissfully unaware it’s even there.
AirPrint addresses an important bit of functionality for home and business alike, and AirPlay has the potential to turn the TV video scene upside down.
Worth browsing in full. I learned a lot from it.
Why I’m not a sailor
Something missing?
Raymond Williams once quoted an observation that his father had made about someone in their village. “He’s the kind of man”, said Williams Snr, “who turns on a switch and isn’t surprised when the light comes on”.
Apologies for the absence of apostrophes in the captioning, but it came with the embed.
Thanks to Hap for the link.
The night gondola
Outside my hotel this evening.
Ballmer unloads
From Good Morning Silicon Valley.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer last week sold 49.3 million shares in the company worth $1.3 billion, according to an SEC filing. The shares Ballmer sold amount to 12 percent of his stake in the world’s largest software maker, and still leaves him with a 4.2 percent stake, according to Reuters.
The timing, coinciding with high-profile product releases of the Kinect and Windows Phone 7 — which are now on sale in the United States — might be curious. But in a statement on Microsoft’s website, Ballmer cites tax planning and financial diversification as reasons for his first stock sale in seven years, and says he plans to sell up to 75 million shares by the end of the year. “Even though this is a personal financial matter, I want to be clear about this to avoid any confusion. I am excited about our new products and the potential for our technology to change people’s lives, and I remain fully committed to Microsoft and its success,” Ballmer said.
Tech industry veteran Don Dodge estimates that the move will save the outspoken CEO $100 million in capital gains taxes before they rise next year.
As the man said, a billion here and a billion there and pretty soon you’re into some serious money.
Alumni magazines: bah!
There’s something nauseatingly smug about almost all university alumni magazines, but this one takes the biscuit.
The Mac Apps store: a harbinger of … what?
This morning’s Observer column.
A couple of weeks ago, Apple announced some new products, including a fancy new lightweight laptop and the latest version of the OS X operating system. In the midst of all the techno-porn, however, Steve Jobs dropped a little bombshell: Apple is opening an online store to sell Mac apps, ie small programs akin to those sold for the iPhone and iPad.
So what? you say. And you may be right. But since Apple is now one of the biggest companies in the world (by market value), nothing that it announces will go unexamined. In the blogosphere, there has been much speculation about what the Mac app store portends.
Opinions vary from the bored to the apocalyptic…
Don’t try this at home if you’re aged 6 or over
Thanks to John Hagel for the link.