The next wave of devices

For those of you that haven’t been keeping up with the Apple rumor mill, there’s big news brewing. Several sources have confirmed a September 12th Apple media event to announce the release of the next wave of devices from Cupertino. The only question is what are the devices that will be launched?

The device most likely to be talked about is the next generation of iPhone. Whether it’s the New iPhone or iPhone 5, we’ve had too many bits of evidence for it not to be close to being in the hands of consumers. We know some likely aspects: a larger screen, LTE integration, and some changes that will make accessory manufacturers cringe like a new, smaller sync port and the headphone jack being moved to the bottom.

There is strong evidence for a refreshed line of iPods as well. The iPod Touch is likely to be updated to take advantage of the production lines of the new iPhone. The iPod Nano is believed to have been reconfigured too; the updated chassis will look like a shrunken iPod Touch instead of its current quirky square form.

The last strong possibility is the long-rumored iPad Mini. The form is said to be identical to the existing iPad, just shrunken from 9.7 to 7.8 inches. The smaller tablet form factor has been shown to be a viable niche (contrary to the opinion of the late Mr. Jobs) and Apple would be negligent to leave the Nexus, Kindle Fire, and Nook Color unchallenged. No word yet on exact prices or construction; Google sells the Nexus at or just below cost, something Apple has had no interest in doing to date so I’d wager the starting price to be slightly more than the Nexus’ $199.

There are some not-so-likely devices that have been bandied about the rumor mill  as well. The Apple-produced television has been talked about for some time, but there has been no concrete evidence that such a device is even close to manufacture (if it will be made at all). Google is still attempting to gain traction with their Google TV line of set top boxes and integrated television sets made by partner firms, but to date it hasn’t been embraced by consumers. The Apple TV has sold respectably well for a device dubbed as a “hobby”, but it’s a big leap from making the diminutive input device to a full fledged TV set.

Lastly there’s the not-so-widely rumored changes to the Apple TV itself. Some have stated that Apple could make the Apple TV a competitor to lower-end gaming platforms like Nintendo’s Wii if they added Bluetooth and the ability to run iOS apps on the device. Access to the App Store would also open up a world of new content to the device, from TV shows via Hulu or streaming video from HBO Go or other provider-specific apps. While AirPlay provides a way to enjoy these services over an Apple TV now, a second device to push content is required; having native apps on the Apple TV would be a boon. The devices already runs a limited version of iOS and contains the same system-on-a-chip internals as other iOS devices, so the leap isn’t unreasonable even it if is unexpected.

I for one am rabidly anticipating getting a new iPhone (my current iPhone 4 has been a great handset, but I’m ready to upgrade). Thanks partially to AT&T’s two year contracts I held off upgrading to the iPhone 4S (the second ‘S’ version I’ve skipped). While I see the benefit of an iPad Mini, I doubt I’ll be buying one unless I have a couple hundred dollars lounging about with nothing else to spend it on. The smaller size would make it easier to hold in one hand and might be a bit better for personal media consumption, but I can’t see replacing my current iPad with one. The smaller form wouldn’t mesh as well with Bluetooth keyboards (like my current ZaggFolio case) and the extra screen space is handy when working with something like iWork Apps.

No matter what iOS device you prefer, you’re likely going to have some decisions to make come September. Start saving those spare coins now, the latest and shiniest doesn’t come cheap!

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Now that’s just cruel

 

 

Image courtesy of Bits and Pieces.

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Life with Mountain Lion (so far)

I tend to be one of those brave souls that are labeled ‘early adopters’- if there’s something new and shiny out there I gravitate towards it. Couple that with the aforementioned shiny thing being extremely affordable (such as OSX Mountain Lion‘s $19.99 price tag) and I’ll be one of the first in the queue.

Now that the not-so-long wait for the latest version of Apple’s operating system is out, what are the early verdicts? Yahoo News references several pundits in it’s review, and the buzz so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Many reference the iOS influences and iCloud integration as primary factors making OSX 10.8 a must-have for Mac users. The negative comments have been limited to halfhearted praise, with a smattering of complaints that 10.8 is merely an evolutionary step or a refinement of the prior version of OSX where Microsoft is introducing a radically different interface on Windows 8 in a bolder attempt to unify mobile and PC experiences.

I for one think Apple has a better strategy. As I’ve argued before, the user experience on mobile devices like tablets and smartphones is markedly different from laptops or desktops. While even Apple is moving to integrate the platforms and offer a smoother user experience, they still recognize that there are enough differences to warrant separate operating systems (for now, at least). Touch interface isn’t optimal for upright screens on laptops and desktops, and tablets lose their value if tethered to both a keyboard and mousepad (as Microsoft’s Surface tablet keyboards have sported)- you may as well have a full laptop. True hybrids like Asus’ Transformer models might show the future of mobile computing, but to date they haven’t caught on in any meaningful way.

So how has life been in the few days I’ve used it? Overall it’s been a very welcome update, offering a more noticeable improvement than my transition from Snow Leopard to Lion (I bought my first Mac just after the release of Snow Leopard and was given a free upgrade, so never used Leopard). New features aside, the biggest changes I’ve noticed have been speed and clarity.

I don’t have any empirical data to prove it, but Mountain Lion is noticeably snappier than it’s predecessor. I had already done what I could to optimize my iMac with extra RAM and was more than happy with it’s performance, but 10.8 feels quicker. Safari rivals Chrome at it’s best now, and other non-Apple apps like Steam boot much quicker.

The second impression has been the clarity of the screen. Nothing changed with my iMac hardware-wise, but icons look sharper, colors are brighter, and the new look Dock is visually pleasing. One admission- I did tweak the color settings from the default iMac settings, so your mileage may vary. The color change was a subtle one, but the screen does seem more vivid.

Sadly, not all of 10.8′s functionality is with us yet. I love the new Sharing icon in Safari (I had been using plug ins in both Safari and Firefox for sharing websites or images via social networks or email), but the advertised Facebook integration isn’t active yet- only email, Twitter, and Messages. iCloud sync allowing Safari to show all open browser tabs on your mobile device at your Mac hasn’t worked for me yet either; I’m assuming the upcoming iOS 6 release will be required.

A majority of the new features have gone unnoticed or unused. I haven’t needed to use iCloud documents yet, but I am thankful to have it. Notes and Reminders have been ported from iOS, but again in the past couple of days I’ve had 10.8 I haven’t had an instance to use them.

iChat‘s replacement Messages is another matter. I had installed the beta of Messages shortly after it was offered by Apple and had really enjoyed the extra flexibility it afforded. I use Google Talk extensively, and being able to send iMessage texts to iOS devices was very handy. The final version in Mountain Lion is more polished but essentially the same.

Migrating all updates to the App Store was a common-sense move. While you can still manually check for updates via clicking the Apple icon in the upper right corner of your screen and selecting ‘Software Updates’, instead of launching an independent update routine it launches the App Store. I still plan on perusing non-Apple sources for software, but I do appreciate the additional security and stability that the App Store’s gatekeepers afford. For those that aren’t so adventurous or demanding the App Store will likely have just about any software you would need for daily computing.

The ultimate question is should you upgrade? The easy answer- provided your Mac is Mountain Lion compatible- is absolutely. This is the least expensive upgrade to OSX Apple has provided to date, and the additional features and performance improvement makes upgrading a no-brainer. Even my 2009-era Mac Mini runs 10.8 like a champ. The only negative I have noticed in daily operation has been my iMac being very slow to wake from sleep. Once running it tears through anything I ask of it, but I’d love to see an early bug fix for this minor issue.

If you’ve been nervous about adopting a “.0″ version of an operating system, fear not. Mountain Lion may not be a paradigm shift from Lion, but my experience has been very positive to date.

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Turnabout is fair play

When OSX was first released Apple didn’t have their own browser to bundle with it. The Browser Wars were just forming, leaving just one viable choice- Internet Explorer. That’s right, the dirty secret is out: OSX came bundled with IE. Microsoft’s browser was the default for OSX from 1998 until 2003 when Apple released their own browser Safari. Microsoft ceased development for the OSX version of Internet Explorer in 2005, and removed it from their download offerings altogether a year later.

The rapid rise of the iPod (and later iPhone and iPad) was soon followed by millions of downloads of the device’s companion software iTunes. For good or ill, iTunes and it’s background update software became a way of introducing Apple’s browser to Windows users. Safari was offered by default during updates for iTunes; some users weren’t even aware they were installing the browser. Even with this somewhat disingenuous means of introducing users to the browser, Safari never became a popular browser like Firefox or Chrome with Windows users.

A recent posting from MacRumors now brings the affair full circle, as Apple appears to be in the process of discontinuing Safari for Windows. Safari 6, the latest incarnation of the browser, comes packed with new features that include tight integration with iCloud and iOS devices. This integration with Apple’s entire product line left those few that use Safari on non-OSX PCs in a lurch as they aren’t afforded the same level of access to iCloud.

The actions by Apple leave little doubt as to the fate of Safari for non-OSX users. As mentioned before Apple won’t be offering Safari 6 to any OS but their own, furthermore they pulled the download link for the last version of Safari for Windows, 5.1.7, from their Windows downloads page.

I’ve slowly transitioned from Firefox as my default browser on my iMac to Safari as my iOS device use has increased. The lack of Firefox for iOS and the ability to sync bookmarks and passwords between Safari on my desktop and iOS devices were the first push, and the expanded functionality that Safari 6 and iOS 6 will bring sealed the deal. I’ve found Safari to be an exceptionally fast browser, just as it’s cousin Chrome is (both are built on Webkit foundations), but with some extra features that other browsers lack. While it doesn’t have the same plugin support of Firefox or Chrome, I find that I haven’t needed it; the only plugin I currently run is 1Password (and that’s only to integrate my saved passwords between browsers). While Chrome and Firefox are both fine choices for OSX browsers, I’ve returned to Apple’s answer. Like many things in their ecosystem Safari simply offers the best overall user experience for me.

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The next Apple wave

Now that Apple has revealed their staggering financial success last  the way is now clear for the next wave of highly anticipated Apple products to finally reach consumers.

The first will be July 25th Wednesday’s release of Mountain Lion, the latest incarnation of Apple’s OSX operating system. The rumors were all but confirmed when multiple sources cited Apple store employees being tagged for all-night shifts the previous Tuesday night in preparation; Apple had previously announced that Mountain Lion would be released in July. The next incarnation of OSX will bring tighter integration with iOS and a slew of new features. Customers that have recently purchased a new Mac will be able to download the new operating system free, others will be able to obtain it for just $20. Like the previous OSX edition Lion, the Mac App Store will be the only retail source; unlike Lion there will be no hard copy available. Those that wish to have a DVD or USB to install the OS will have to make their own; Apple had offered a USB stick with Lion for customers that requested it (although it was at a higher price than the download).

MobileFun.co.UK has confirmed the upcoming iPhone 5′s form via a slew of new cases they have seen from Chinese manufacturers. The iPhone 5′s new physical features have been discussed for a couple weeks now at various sites; the cases shown by MobileFun support the new 4″ screen, relocated headphone jack, and new smaller sync cable port (said to be a 19-pin input instead of the current 32 pin one). Anticipation of the new handset has picked up with industry indications that the device has already started production for the rumored September or October release. Some Chinese resellers have even begun taking preorders for the handset.

Accompanying the new iPhone is the long-rumored iPad Mini. The smaller version of Apple’s industry-standard tablet has been bandied about for over a year, and now with the mild success of Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color, and Google’s own Nexus 7 the time is apparently right for Apple to enter the niche with a smaller, less expensive iPad. No firm information other than the screen size is available, but pundits have surmised that the device will likely rely on Apple’s A5 system-on-a-chip used in the iPhone 4. Like the iPhone 5, there are industry clues pointing to the device already being in production for a September or October release.

Further in the future are more Retina display Macs. The iMac, 13 inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air have all been thought to be receiving a Retina version, but release dates aren’t uniformly known.

With the upcoming release of Windows 8 and Microsoft’s first foray into hardware Apple is likely looking to redirect public attention back to their supremely successful product line with timely offerings. In the past they’ve been masterful with their marketing, considering the quantity and quality of their upcoming lineup I’d wager that their unrivaled sales and profits will likely continue.

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The end of do-it-yourself computers?

If you’ve kept up with recent tech news you’ve likely seen Apple’s recent withdrawal from EPEAT environmental standards, only to reverse that decision. For the uninitiated, EPEAT is an organization dedicated to encouraging environmentally sound manufacturing in electronic devices. Apple had long been a part of the rating organization, allowing its products to be purchased by local and state governments that require EPEAT certification. Apple caved to public pressure and re-certified much of their product line with EPEAT days after leaving it. So why the short lived abandonment?

The fault lies in a few areas. One is the age of EPEAT’s guidelines; some pundits have stated that their standards have not been adapted to newer, less user-serviceable but longer-lived devices. For example, EPEAT doesn’t evaluate any of the latest (and best selling) devices like smartphones or tablets. According to Jim Dalrymple “Companies like Dell have 171 products listed…[but] none of their computers are even Energy Star compliant.” (quote courtesy of DrBobTechBlog).

Another issue is the changing manufacturing process of Apple’s new products. The iPhone and iPad aren’t made to be user-serviceable; the devices are sealed and all components are soldered onto or glued to the motherboard. The new Retina MacBook Pro shares some of the manufacturing bloodlines of its smaller siblings: to reduce device thickness and weight the laptop’s aluminum case acts as the frame for the LCD screen, eliminating the need for an additional glass cover over the LCD. The downside of this manufacturing feat is that the screen becomes almost impossible for users to change should it be damaged. This and other changes (like the soldered-in memory) earned it an “almost unrepairable” designation from iFixit. This may seem unnecessarily restrictive, but bear in mind the vast majority of computer owners lack the skill needed to plumb the depths of their machine’s guts. Most opt to have a third party do the dirty work or repairs, and Apple seeks to keep your experience (and money) within the ecosystem by channeling you to their repair associates instead of your local vendor. Who better to repair your device than the ones that made it? Couple this with the convenience of an AppleCare plan and it’s like owning a luxury car; the service is excellent provided you keep your business in house.

Even some of their earlier computers aren’t so user-friendly inside. I upgraded the memory of my early 2009 Mac Mini and can personally attest to the difficulty of doing something Apple didn’t have in mind when they designed the device. As with many aspects of their ecosystem, things are effortless if you follow the path Apple has engineered (in this case relying on buying the device built to order and Applecare for repairs). Woe be to those that deviate from this course; while there may be tutorials and instructional videos out there, tinkering inside the aluminum confines of a Mac isn’t a task for the faint of heart.

Despite my earlier statements the design of Macs is one of the factors that made me switch. I was a digital shade tree mechanic for years, building PCs that I’d keep until the latest game I was infatuated with would overcome it’s components and then upgrade. While building your own PC can be a fun hobby I eventually tired of it and opted to abandon my frankencomputer for Apple’s alternative, ditching the rubber-coated copper spaghetti trailing from the back of my PC and cluttering the floor behind my desk for the iMac‘s clean, power-cable-only form.

A recent article from TechHive makes the argument that Apple isn’t the only manufacturer to accept the benefits of non user serviceable products. For most of its lifespan the iPhone has been lambasted for not having a removable battery, yet some of Motorola’s new handsets (like the Droid Razr MAXX) have the same construction. The iMac has seen several competing all-in-one desktop competitors hit the market over the past year, inspiring this post from PCWorld pining over the pending death of the PC. Mini-computers like the Raspberry Pi further the trend by making the computer so small and inexpensive it would be easier by far to just replace the entire PC should it fail.

As components have become more powerful and smaller manufacturers have made devices sleeker, but at the cost of configurability. The integrated GeForce or Radeon GPU in your all-in-one or laptop might be plenty powerful for most things, but the avid gamer won’t be able to change that integrated part out for something newer and more powerful when the heir to Crysis comes out. Consumers may need to be more aware of exactly what they are buying due to the inability to upgrade the internal components of their device; tailoring the product line to the majority of users that would never even consider swapping out their 5400 RPM hard drive for a solid state one isn’t without a price. While I doubt that self-built PCs will disappear entirely in the near future, the cobbled-together power machine may soon be a thing of the past.

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Sync an Android device with a Mac

While iOS was designed to work hand in hand with OSX, those of you that prefer Android devices haven’t had as seamless an experience. What’s a tech aficionado to do without iTunes or iCloud to sync the data on your Mac to your handheld device?

TUAW (the Unofficial Apple Weblog) has a recent post with tips on how to do just this. While not as effortless as the iOS sync framework, there are workable solutions for just about any Android device. Check out the short video content of the post for the quick and dirty how-to.

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More Game Sale Madness

This in courtesy of TUAW (The unofficial Apple Weblog): more game sales! The aforementioned Steam sale is listed along with numerous others from Crescent Moon Games, EA, SNK, Ubisoft, and others. Many of the sales listed are for iOS devices, from free to 99 cents (including arcade favorite The King of Fighters).

Many of these sales will be ending soon, so if you’re in the mood for a new game or two act soon!

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Summer games sale going on now at Steam

Mac Life announced a huge sale going on now at my favorite game source, Steam. For the uninitiated, Steam is essentially an iTunes for gaming- the free downloadable client acts as a multi-OS store (even supporting Linux), library, and social platform with other gaming enthusiasts. Whether you’re a hard core gamer or just an occasional casual game player, they have something to suit your tastes. 

The current sale has some fantastic offerings: Valve‘s Orange Box collection has been marked down to just $9.99. This includes Half Life 2, all following episodes, and Portal- some of the best First Person games ever made. Other favorites like Psychonauts, Portal 2, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas have been marked down to ridiculously low prices. If you haven’t enjoyed some of these classics now is the time!

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More retro gaming on iOS? Yes, please!

Casual games were the first big wave of gaming on iOS; there were numerous simple but addictive apps that have made small indie developers a great deal of money. Angry Birds, Doodle Jump, and Fruit Ninja were huge hits. This explosion was soon matched by the second wave: more complex casual PC games like Plants Versus Zombies. Soon thereafter iOS gaming began to show an identity of its own with perennial complex hits like Infinity Blade.

During this cascade of gaming another, quieter movement was spawned by an April Fool’s Joke. The iCade may have been a prank, but consumer interest caught fire and it soon became a reality. This opened the door for one of my favorite categories: classic games. While some like MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator, a software emulator allowing the user to run the software behind their favorite classic arcade games) were short lived, many more found life in iOS. Many of Atari’s hits have found their way back to the hearts of gamers via the Atari’s Greatest Hits app. Final Fantasy, Street Fighter, and Duke Nukem are just a sampling of the games revived by nostalgic iOS users.

For those that crave something even closer to your old school gaming days I have good news (courtesy of TUAW) in the form of a soon-to-be-funded Kickstarter campaign. The GameDock turns your iOS device into an old-school console game system, but unlike the iCade it goes the full Monty by making your device a defacto cartridge. The GameDock consists of a small docking station for your device with USB ports in front for classic rectangular Nintendo Entertainment System game pads and a video out on the back to connect to your TV.  Just drop your iOS device into the dock and enjoy some of your favorites all over again, and this time you can sit as close to the TV as you like. Those without a TV (or those that would rather not tie up their set) can opt to using the screen on your device instead via built-in Bluetooth connectivity. The GameDock is compatible with all iCade games or any other dock-ready game that supports two players and the GameDock’s 1080p video output.

The makers have upped the ante even further by including a dashboard function allowing you to change your game via the controller. Had I been able to do so with my childhood’s game console I might have lost the ability to walk altogether as I wasted away in gaming bliss. While I love the concept of the iCade, the GameDock is a welcome addition to the ranks of gaming accessories.

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