Tech Thoughts
iCloud unveiled at Developers Conference
NEW York – On Monday Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled iCloud, which is a free wireless storage and syncing service, at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference in downtown San Francisco’s Moscone Center. The service automatically stores a user’s content to all their Mac Computers & Apple devices. This is definitely not a feature to be overlooked! Both Google and Amazon users have to upload the songs themselves. Users will receive 5GB of storage for free, with the option to upgrade. For a $25 fee users can store up to 20,000 songs on iCloud, which is a great deal compared to Amazon’s $200 price tag. We may indeed be seeing a bidding war in the future.
iCloud is comparable to Amazon’s Cloud Drive, but integrates seamlessly with iTunes, which currently is the software that controls all syncing of media to Apple computers or devices. A feature known as iTunes Match, will scan users’ hard drives and automatically make the songs it finds available on iCloud.
Besides music, iCloud will be able to sync apps, books, documents, contacts, photos, and videos to any apple device the user owns. Set to be officially released this fall, and is said to replace Apple’s previous cloud service, MobileMe. Being fair, Apple plans a refund for users already paying the $99 a year for the same service. Anyone having an active MobileMe account as of today will have their service extended at no charge through June 30, 2012.
The plan for this service is undoubtedly to sell more iPods and iPads, and seems like the next necessary step for Apple to compete with Google and Amazon. Definitely something to keep in mind when it comes time to plan your online media storage.
Microsoft Officially Reveals Windows 8
REDMOND, Wash. – June 1, 2011 – At the D9 Conference, Microsoft officially unveiled their new operating system, internally named “Windows 8” for the first time. The operating system leans heavily on the Windows Phone User Interface, with a tile-based Start screen, optimized for touch screen users. Don’t worry though, Microsoft says that the operating system still works “equally well” for users using the mouse and keyboard.
Windows 8 looks like a natural progression for Microsoft, as the company tries to compete with the popular touch screen devices, like Apple’s iPad line and its iOS software. The operating system is not complete, but the current prediction is that it will launch in fall of 2012.
The video from YouTube below shows off a few of the basic elements of the new user interface.
Some of the key features included will be:
- Fully touch-optimized browsing, as Windows 8 will come with Internet Explorer 10.
- Web Applications built in HTML5 that will work great with the full power of the PC.
- Fast launching apps from a tile-based Start screen, which will replace the Windows Start menu, which will include live application tiles.
- Possibly the new Protogon file system that may replace the current NTFS file system.
- A new “Hybrid Boot” option that uses “advanced hibernation functionality” on shutdown to allow for faster startup times.
- The swipe up login screen.
- Allegedly, the OS will also come with its own PDF Reader.
Another key feature, if you can afford the Windows 8 Enterprise edition is the ‘Portable Workspace’. This great feature will allow you to run Windows 8 from a USB storage device.
So be prepared! With tablets taking over the world and everyone attached to their cell phones doing anything but calling someone, it is only natural that the Windows Platform would adapt as well. The live applications, touch screen functionality, and HTML5 Web Apps will enable Windows 8 to brings laptops and PCs up to speed with their highly portable cousins, the tablets & smartphones.
Flash For Froyo!
In May, 2010 we published this blog;
In an interview with the New York Times, Google’s Vice President Andy Rubin tells the world that Adobe’s Flash will be supported on the Android Operating System 2.2 or Froyo (Frozen Yogurt) as it is usually referred to.
When asked about Apple’s decision to not allow flash development for the iPhone, Andy compares Apple to North Korea, due to the removal of choice. “When they can’t have something, people do care. Look at the way politics work. I just don’t want to live in North Korea.”
The whole thing started after Apple updated its iPhone developer program license. The updated version included this paragraph:
“3.3.1 – Applications may only use Documented APIs in the manner prescribed by Apple and must not use or call any private APIs. Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs (e.g., Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited).”
The definition of stupidity is: doing the same thing twice, expecting different results. There must be some reason that even though, Macs have better graphics, better nano-technology, and less bugs, they still lose in the market to PCs. Hmm. Could it be Price or Compatibility?
Andy Rubin also said: “Open is open and we live by our own implementations.” This should be Google’s new slogan! Truer words have never been spoken! In the end, Andy Rubin feels that it is only a matter of time before Android sales exceeds iPhone sales, and with an all encompassing, universal Google-rich, open source solution that includes Flash (which is already widely used), it may seem, that the world is about to see the “Rise of the Droid” era, while iPhone may get ironically shut out, just like they have done to Adobe.
Now just over a year later the “Droids” are everywhere, have things changed in one year?
Do you think that Apple is making the same mistake twice? I look forward to your thoughts…
