Wikipedia now has a page on the Apple A4 SOC (system on a chip) with some specifics. It appears that it's a ARM-A9 multi-core chip combined with a PowerVR VXD. The article seems to suggest that OpenGL ES 3.x and OpenCL are both possibilities with this chipset.
No matter how you slice it, it's pretty fast for a mobile device and this bodes well for the next generation of iPhones if they can scale the A4 to the iPhone.
Showing posts with label Tablet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tablet. Show all posts
Thursday, January 28, 2010
GizModo Also Knows About Not Sucking…
Since I linked to them when they denigrated the iPad, it's only fair if I also link to them when they do the opposite, so here it is. Good article.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Same Ol' Same Ol'…
There seems to be a pattern that's formed over the last decade. Apple releases a product. It's different. It doesn't follow the rules. It defies a lot of widely accepted assumptions. Then, lots of people all over the Internet, both so-called pundits and everyday schmoes pronounce that it's a horrible device that nobody in their right mind would ever want. It doesn't support Ogg! It has no floppy drive! It has no multi-tasking! Product X already does this and it's cheaper!. Etc., etc. ad nauseum.
And then the product goes on to be a huge success, expanding the perception of who uses that type of device greatly. The iMac, the iPod, the iPhone.
So, here we go again with the iPad.
Here's the thing: It's not a general-purpose computer. It's not a Mac. They did this really subtle thing to tell you that: they didn't put "Mac" in the name anywhere. If it had been the MacPad1, then maybe some of these complaints would be perfectly valid. Maybe expecting it to act a certain way would be appropriate.
But it's not a Mac. It's a new consumer device. It's targeted at people who do e-mail, surf the web a little, play a few games, watch some movies, and listen to music. It's not a replacement for a computer if you do more than that on your computer. But most people don't. We geeks are the minority on that point, and for many people, a regular computer is both overkill and frustrating. The iPad is not a tablet computer in the sense that Windows tablets are. But what it is, is all that the vast majority of people will ever want out of a computer, and it fits in a briefcase, purse, or backpack and weighs less than two pounds.
Don't fault it for not being what it's not supposed to be and don't assume that in the handful of hours you've had since you first learned about it, that you've put more thought into this product than the engineers and designers at Apple. You haven't. I haven't either. But I see what they're doing, and it's brilliant.
Now, I very much understand the fear that we're on a slow march towards a completely enclosed platform, and that would be a bad destination. But, since Apple sold well over 3 million Macs last quarter, continues to contribute to open source projects like WebKit and Darwin, and is continuing to innovate on the Mac with things like GCD and OpenCL, I don't think that's really where we're headed. I think that Apple has realized that we all have different computing needs, and is trying to provide the best computing experience relative to our needs across the spectrum. I don't ever see the iPhone OS running on an eight-processor tower with two large screens. Just because some of Apple's products are locked down doesn't mean that the only possible destination is a future where all Apple products are. I think we're going to a place where both professionals and consumers can get what they want out of computing devices. If we go anywhere else, people will start abandoning the platform.
But as long as there are computers running Mac OS X for those of us who need the power and flexibility, this trajectory is actually a good thing2. For the bulk of consumers, ease of use trumps power or flexibility. If it doesn't for you, don't buy an iPad, or at least, don't buy it as your primary computer.
And if you doubt the efficacy of targeting the consumer market like this, just think about the fact that there are now more iPhone OS devices in existence than there are Macs, even before the iPad ships.
1 Like many others, I'd love a true MacPad - a device similar to this in hardware that runs unfettered OS X. But that doesn't mean this isn't a good product or won't be a success
2 Think of how much less time you'd have to spend being tech support for friends and family if they were all on a locked down device like the iPad. Just sayin'
And then the product goes on to be a huge success, expanding the perception of who uses that type of device greatly. The iMac, the iPod, the iPhone.
So, here we go again with the iPad.
Here's the thing: It's not a general-purpose computer. It's not a Mac. They did this really subtle thing to tell you that: they didn't put "Mac" in the name anywhere. If it had been the MacPad1, then maybe some of these complaints would be perfectly valid. Maybe expecting it to act a certain way would be appropriate.
But it's not a Mac. It's a new consumer device. It's targeted at people who do e-mail, surf the web a little, play a few games, watch some movies, and listen to music. It's not a replacement for a computer if you do more than that on your computer. But most people don't. We geeks are the minority on that point, and for many people, a regular computer is both overkill and frustrating. The iPad is not a tablet computer in the sense that Windows tablets are. But what it is, is all that the vast majority of people will ever want out of a computer, and it fits in a briefcase, purse, or backpack and weighs less than two pounds.
Don't fault it for not being what it's not supposed to be and don't assume that in the handful of hours you've had since you first learned about it, that you've put more thought into this product than the engineers and designers at Apple. You haven't. I haven't either. But I see what they're doing, and it's brilliant.
Now, I very much understand the fear that we're on a slow march towards a completely enclosed platform, and that would be a bad destination. But, since Apple sold well over 3 million Macs last quarter, continues to contribute to open source projects like WebKit and Darwin, and is continuing to innovate on the Mac with things like GCD and OpenCL, I don't think that's really where we're headed. I think that Apple has realized that we all have different computing needs, and is trying to provide the best computing experience relative to our needs across the spectrum. I don't ever see the iPhone OS running on an eight-processor tower with two large screens. Just because some of Apple's products are locked down doesn't mean that the only possible destination is a future where all Apple products are. I think we're going to a place where both professionals and consumers can get what they want out of computing devices. If we go anywhere else, people will start abandoning the platform.
But as long as there are computers running Mac OS X for those of us who need the power and flexibility, this trajectory is actually a good thing2. For the bulk of consumers, ease of use trumps power or flexibility. If it doesn't for you, don't buy an iPad, or at least, don't buy it as your primary computer.
And if you doubt the efficacy of targeting the consumer market like this, just think about the fact that there are now more iPhone OS devices in existence than there are Macs, even before the iPad ships.
1 Like many others, I'd love a true MacPad - a device similar to this in hardware that runs unfettered OS X. But that doesn't mean this isn't a good product or won't be a success
2 Think of how much less time you'd have to spend being tech support for friends and family if they were all on a locked down device like the iPad. Just sayin'
Multi-Resolution Device
I can't post SDK 3.2-specific code because it's under NDA, but I can post SDK 3.1 code. Now, let's say you wanted your application to be future-proofed to run properly in full-screen on some theoretical new device with more pixels than an iPhone. You might do something like this:
This assumes that your nib is set up using autosize attributes to properly scale. If you need separate nibs, that's another blog posting that'll come after the NDA is lifted.
- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions
This assumes that your nib is set up using autosize attributes to properly scale. If you need separate nibs, that's another blog posting that'll come after the NDA is lifted.
Tablet Post Mortem
Okay, so even some of my "safe" predictions were wrong. This thing is basically an iPod Touch on steroids - bigger screen, faster processor. It does run the iPhone OS, which is still called the iPhone OS, and not all that much has changed. I can't talk specifics because the new SDK version that supports the iPad is under NDA, but if you know how to program the iPhone, you know how to program the iPad. They didn't even change the major version number (much to my joy, given that we've got the version number in our book titles).
My thoughts: at $499, it's amazing. Now a lot of developers are a little disappointed. Frankly, we're not the main intended audience. For a lot of people, this is the perfect computer. For my mom, who doesn't really like computers, for example. This combined with the keyboard dock is all the computer she wants or needs. Her music, her movies, she can e-mail, browse the web. That's all she does and would do. That's all she wants from a computer. The iPad does all that and doesn't confuse her with a desktop paradigm, she doesn't have to remember to empty the trash, or try to traverse the file system to find things.
A lot of people are wondering if there's a place for this. I have no doubt. At this price point, a lot of people will go with this over a frustrating $350 netbook. I'm actually considering going with the iPad for my kids when they need new computers. At this price, I can afford to. They would have iWork, Mail, Safari, and can play some games, and that's the vast majority of what they do.
Now, for me, I don't really have much of a use for this. I'll buy one, maybe even two, so I can develop for it and play with it. But it would never suffice for my main computer, and I'm not sure there's really a need for it since I have my iPhone. My interest in this device is professional, but I'm not a typical consumer.
The iPhone wasn't successful because geeks liked it. It was successful because everybody (well, almost) liked it. I think that's what's this is going to be. This is a non-geek's computer. This is the perfect computer for somebody who does e-mail, surfs the web, plays a few games.
I hope there's a way to get pictures and music onto this thing other than through the iTunes store or through a Mac. I hope this thing is capable of standing completely on its own. I'm not sure yet if it is, but to me that seems like the most important thing. If I ONLY have an iPad, can I get pictures off my digital camera and onto it? Does the keyboard dock have a USB port. I don't know, but if not, I think it will be its Achille's heel, because I think the biggest pool of potential users of this thing are non-geeks who will use this instead of a Mac, not in addition to one.
My thoughts: at $499, it's amazing. Now a lot of developers are a little disappointed. Frankly, we're not the main intended audience. For a lot of people, this is the perfect computer. For my mom, who doesn't really like computers, for example. This combined with the keyboard dock is all the computer she wants or needs. Her music, her movies, she can e-mail, browse the web. That's all she does and would do. That's all she wants from a computer. The iPad does all that and doesn't confuse her with a desktop paradigm, she doesn't have to remember to empty the trash, or try to traverse the file system to find things.
A lot of people are wondering if there's a place for this. I have no doubt. At this price point, a lot of people will go with this over a frustrating $350 netbook. I'm actually considering going with the iPad for my kids when they need new computers. At this price, I can afford to. They would have iWork, Mail, Safari, and can play some games, and that's the vast majority of what they do.
Now, for me, I don't really have much of a use for this. I'll buy one, maybe even two, so I can develop for it and play with it. But it would never suffice for my main computer, and I'm not sure there's really a need for it since I have my iPhone. My interest in this device is professional, but I'm not a typical consumer.
The iPhone wasn't successful because geeks liked it. It was successful because everybody (well, almost) liked it. I think that's what's this is going to be. This is a non-geek's computer. This is the perfect computer for somebody who does e-mail, surfs the web, plays a few games.
I hope there's a way to get pictures and music onto this thing other than through the iTunes store or through a Mac. I hope this thing is capable of standing completely on its own. I'm not sure yet if it is, but to me that seems like the most important thing. If I ONLY have an iPad, can I get pictures off my digital camera and onto it? Does the keyboard dock have a USB port. I don't know, but if not, I think it will be its Achille's heel, because I think the biggest pool of potential users of this thing are non-geeks who will use this instead of a Mac, not in addition to one.
Apple has an accessory called the Camera Connection Kit that allows you to pull pictures directly into the iPad from a digital camera or SD cardAnd, fortunately, it doesn't have Flash.
The Fabled Tablet
I've been studiously not making predictions about the iPad/iSlate/iTablet or whatever the product being unveiled today turns out to be, but like most people, I'm assuming it will be a touch screen device that's larger than an iPhone. Beyond that, I have some guesses, but not even that many of those. I've learned with Apple that it's generally best to play wait-and-see.
I do think it will be based on the iPhone OS rather than Mac OS X, although it could be a completely new variant of OS X that borrows features of both Mac OS X and iPhone OS. The reasons I don't think it will use the Mac OS is that touch handling isn't an integral part of the responder chain. Cocoa Touch is also "cleaner" than Cocoa. By that, I mean there are less legacy libraries so less code that uses design patterns from a different era of programming. And, finally, for reasons that John Gruber talked about on Monday, because Apple has control over the entire OS with the iPhone OS, and Apple likes control.
I've seen a number of "pundits" making dire predictions about the tablet being unpopular in business and have even read articles discussing how to keep the things off their networks. FUD. Probably written by bloggers who take money in some form or another from Microsoft. If not, then they're written by people with a complete lack of vision.
I also read this article. It's focused on one industry: Healthcare. But many of the points it makes are relatively universal. I spent many years working in so-called "Enterprise Software" for my day job, writing and implementing complex software in large corporate and government environments. From my experience, the vision in this article is spot on, just stated in terms that are too narrowly focused.
Think of all the specialty computing devices that get carried around on a daily basis. Think of the devices that the UPS drivers, FedEx Drivers, and Postal Carriers all have. Now think of all the jobs where a portable device COULD be used, but aren't. Think of the way the Apple Store employees use iPod Touches to check out customers. If today's announcement delivers on the unspoken promises, the possibilities are quite literally endless. A hotel concierge, for example, could be freed up to do his or her job anywhere in the hotel with a tablet. Maitre's D's could have their reservation information and access to their in-house beeper system under their arm, rather than be tied to a podium. School teachers could walk around their room and take attendance rather than having to sit at his or her desk marking in a gradebook or typing into a regular computer.
One prediction I feel comfortable making: The tablet, like the iPhone, will be a programmable device priced so that even consumers can afford it. Also, the touch screen will mean that its interface can adjust to whatever task needs to get done, not unlike the bridge controls on the U.S.S. Enterprise back in Star Trek:The Next Generation. That means it can be made to do most anything somebody needs it to do.
There are a lot of small and medium-sized businesses out there that can't afford to have a specialty device designed and programmed the way FedEx can, but certainly could afford a couple of consumer-priced tablets and the cost of developing a small, special-purpose piece of software, or to license a piece of niche software. There are a lot of jobs that involve walking around and where even a laptop computer isn't practical, but a touch-based tablet would be. The tablet and the iOS SDK (or whatever it ends up being called) could revolutionize and democratize custom software development by extending it into jobs where computers have been a viable option before.
I think the opportunities for experienced Cocoa and Cocoa Touch programmers are huge, whatever Apple releases today.
I do think it will be based on the iPhone OS rather than Mac OS X, although it could be a completely new variant of OS X that borrows features of both Mac OS X and iPhone OS. The reasons I don't think it will use the Mac OS is that touch handling isn't an integral part of the responder chain. Cocoa Touch is also "cleaner" than Cocoa. By that, I mean there are less legacy libraries so less code that uses design patterns from a different era of programming. And, finally, for reasons that John Gruber talked about on Monday, because Apple has control over the entire OS with the iPhone OS, and Apple likes control.
Breaking: I've heard a rumor that the next version of the iPhone OS will be renamed to something along the lines of iOS, and that the device will use it. The rumor is from a credible source, so I give it a pretty high likelihood, though wouldn't say it's 100%Beyond that, I don't know. Will it use window like OS X, or will every application take over the whole screen like the iPhone OS? My guess is the former. Will it have background processing? I'm betting on some form, but not necessarily full, unfettered daemons like OS X. I'm betting it has standard IO ports such as USB-2 and Mini DisplayPort, and will use a more powerful chip than the iPhone. And those are all safe bets, I know, but I don't profess to be a prophet.
I've seen a number of "pundits" making dire predictions about the tablet being unpopular in business and have even read articles discussing how to keep the things off their networks. FUD. Probably written by bloggers who take money in some form or another from Microsoft. If not, then they're written by people with a complete lack of vision.
I also read this article. It's focused on one industry: Healthcare. But many of the points it makes are relatively universal. I spent many years working in so-called "Enterprise Software" for my day job, writing and implementing complex software in large corporate and government environments. From my experience, the vision in this article is spot on, just stated in terms that are too narrowly focused.
Think of all the specialty computing devices that get carried around on a daily basis. Think of the devices that the UPS drivers, FedEx Drivers, and Postal Carriers all have. Now think of all the jobs where a portable device COULD be used, but aren't. Think of the way the Apple Store employees use iPod Touches to check out customers. If today's announcement delivers on the unspoken promises, the possibilities are quite literally endless. A hotel concierge, for example, could be freed up to do his or her job anywhere in the hotel with a tablet. Maitre's D's could have their reservation information and access to their in-house beeper system under their arm, rather than be tied to a podium. School teachers could walk around their room and take attendance rather than having to sit at his or her desk marking in a gradebook or typing into a regular computer.
One prediction I feel comfortable making: The tablet, like the iPhone, will be a programmable device priced so that even consumers can afford it. Also, the touch screen will mean that its interface can adjust to whatever task needs to get done, not unlike the bridge controls on the U.S.S. Enterprise back in Star Trek:The Next Generation. That means it can be made to do most anything somebody needs it to do.
There are a lot of small and medium-sized businesses out there that can't afford to have a specialty device designed and programmed the way FedEx can, but certainly could afford a couple of consumer-priced tablets and the cost of developing a small, special-purpose piece of software, or to license a piece of niche software. There are a lot of jobs that involve walking around and where even a laptop computer isn't practical, but a touch-based tablet would be. The tablet and the iOS SDK (or whatever it ends up being called) could revolutionize and democratize custom software development by extending it into jobs where computers have been a viable option before.
I think the opportunities for experienced Cocoa and Cocoa Touch programmers are huge, whatever Apple releases today.
Monday, January 18, 2010
January 27th is On
Media Invites for the special January 27th event at the Yerba Buena Gardens are now out and it's official. It's still not official what's being announced, though most people are assuming it will be the fabled and long-awaited tablet.
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