Alien interest in Apple products...

> And I see little point in complaining about a product none of us would ever want, even if the price was cut in half.

The whole "lets make this thing an HTPC now" hype is part of this. It's the sort of thing that's going to draw in the crowd of people who already do the HTPC thing. So they are going to "kick the tires" and put in their 2 pence.

I got over that idea with the i945 Minis. ION buried the idea.

Now a half price Mini would actually be something interesting (as an HTPC).

PCgeddon

>> Only, people who still need to do actual *work* will continue to buy PCs, not tablets.

>

> Given the economy, we may see the end of the PC sooner than you think.

The economy will end sooner than the PC does.

Engineering nice soft bumpers.

To their credit, Apple has done much to make their DRM seem transparent.

If you are a good little cult member and don't stray out of the pre-defined boundaries, then the DRM in iTunes is not such a big deal. DRM seems to become much more of a problem when it is a vendor neutral standard or it's bolted on top of something that isn't designed to accomodate DRM.

Then things "break".

You see this happen with CDs, DVDs, and BDs all to a varying degree.

When problems do happen with those optical media, a lot of people might not recognize it as a DRM failure. Saying that the industry has successfully snookered consumers is hardly a compelling reason to suggest they should just continue.

Are you kidding? (yet again)

Bluetooth and wireless keyboard? Are you kidding? Those are hardly show stoppers.

Bluetooth is a $20 part. So is a wireless keyboard and mouse. Not that the Mini even comes with the latter anyways.

If anything, Bluetooth is a much better candidate for "just add it on later". Same even goes for whatever the current wifi standard happens to be. Although that's not even necessary.

No. What's hard is putting a decent GPU in the thing. That gets tricky real quick.

...and you don't need a noisy PSU or a big case.

Just quit swimming in the cool-aid.

Are you kidding?

> overpriced? can you build or buy the same

> form factor computer with similar or same

> components for less? last time i checked

> it was impossible.

This is a terribly generic configuration. The whole "CPU/GPU" thing pretty much seals it. All you need to replicate this is to get yourself a comparable Sandy Bridge motherboard. They even come in mini-ITX.

I was contemplating this very sort of thing myself MONTHS ago as potential replacement for ION machines.

Sticking with the onboard GPU makes it TRIVIAL to replicate this even at the same size as a Mini. Ditching the optical drive just makes it all that easier. At least with an nvidia GPU, it made things a little tricky (also something else I was already contemplating).

...ignoring specs again.

You might be solely fixated on the monitor. However, this machine seems to have enough muscle to do some serious number crunching and video. It may not be as nice as some 28" monitor, but then again it is a laptop and not a monstrous workstation.

When desktop monitors were that small, 1024x768 was about as much as made sense on them.

That screen format...

I suppose if they took an industrial saw to that machine and cut off the numeric keypad, they might get the aspect ratio you're after. Although I don't see the point really. So you've got a little unused space? Bit deal. Would you rather have a bunch of bezel instead.

At least you can use the extra space if you have a little imagination.

Devil's in the details...

> You cant say for sure if you buy an Android handset

> today that it will run an updated release next year

Actually, I have better chances with the Android phone because I am

far less interested in "rooting" it or "jailbreaking" it. In order to run the

latest version of PhoneOS, you have to de-jailbreak it.

Did that with my iPhone right before I got my current Android.

The experience was rather jarring. I wouldn't want to go back to a non-jailbroken iDevice.

The revenge of "geeky specs"

> Who in the hell #

>

> installs Windows from an optical disc?

Mac users.

Consider this an example of how you ignore the "finer points" at your peril. "specs" may be "geeky", but they are how stuff gets done. If you go out of your way to ignore them, you may find yourself SOL.

Myself, I am really curious how that HD3000 turns out. This box represents a very generic configuration in PC terms. Since there's no discrete GPU, it's pretty easy to slap the PC motherboard equivalent of this into the low profile case of your choosing.

Not all it's cracked up to be.

> I haven't read the article, but: I'd guess that

> the drive doesn't need anything like the

> bandwidth of a thunderbolt link and the

> thunderbolt cables are outrageously expensive.

That kind of flies in the face of a lot of rhetoric that has been spouted about Thunderbolt.

USB has it's own problems even if you compare it to current tech. Something like a bus powered firewire DVD drive would be a cool thing. The same goes for an equivalent with a newer interconnect.

Of course the 50 cables kind of spoil the party.

Based on speed and system overhead, I would still be inclined to favor firewire. I only use USB for the convenience factor (bus power & no wall wart).

Been there, done that.

Been there, done that.

Not terribly impressed with what Apple has done. Certainly their GUI shell for Unix is nothing to write home about. A lot of this comes down to just cultural mythology and a lot of noisy fans. Apple kit becomes sort of a hazy unknown because of the stiff entry price.

So few people are in any position to say better. So the accounts get more and more skewed towards those with blinders.

The Windows 7 UI is also a bit of a step back. It's nothing to brag about really.

Although Apple does deserve kudos for knowing most times what information hide. Although this can also backfire horribly if you are the least bit creative with how you use their gear.

Acessories?

I am looking at the camera connection kit right now.

Really, it just looks like an unecessary bit of nonsense that's just bound to get lost or forgotten about. It makes a lot more sense to build a better device to begin with. Doesn't matter if it's an Apple device or an Android.

If you need that "great ecosystem" then the design has failed.

It's far better just to have a proper USB port to begin with. Even "mom" can appreciate that.

Fanboy silliness

> That's why Audi/ Mercedes/ BMW Porsche/ Ferrari/ Aston have disappeared...

Apple is comparable to none of these.

They are a Ford with a slightly dressed up outer body and lawn furniture for seats.

That's why they need to sue the competition.

If only... as if.

> ...INNOVATE don't COPY.

When I buy an Android device, I don't buy it because it is some Apple clone.

I buy it specifically because of how it is NOT an Apple clone.

I buy non-Apple devices for the things that Apple refuses to do.

Fanboys are just sticking their heads in the sand here.

What's really nonsense...

> Well, that's one way of making Android look

> better. I don't think it makes sense to join

> together all the different handset makers

>because these companies are competitors.

...kind of like Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Acer.

Fanboy silliness.

> No one can compete with Apple on price.

Of course they can.

That's why Apple no longer owns the smart phone space and lost the PC space to the IBM 5150.

History and tech ignorance...

> Keep telling yourself that, while we all use iCloud,

> beam to Apple TV, and integrate totally with all our

> other iDevices.

Why should you need some 3rd party on the Internet to deal with basic file sharing duties that 68K based Macs were doing quite effectively before Microsoft even had a suitable version of Windows built?

Apple sells cages.

> Since I bought an iPad my netbook has been

> sitting in a cupboard gathering dust. Have not

> turned it on once since.

Since we bought an iPad, we've still needed to lug around the netbook to do those occasional tasks that an iPad intentionally refuses to do. It's not that it can't do those things. It's just not allowed.

It's terribly silly really.

Oddly enough, I've seen the household iPad fan do more and more iPad-y things on her desktop or netbook lately. Perhaps the initial glamor is starting to wear thin.

Apple running scared.

> If you want something better... → #

>

> In Galaxy Tab still legal in the Netherlands

>

> then just go and buy a netbook/laptop already.

...except I don't need to.

That is the key point about these new non-Apple tablets. They address many of the crticisms and limitations of Apple products. These new Android tablets are much more capable of displacing a netbook.

It doesn't matter if a particular product is something that you happen to like. The fact that the local thug can bully it out of the market is still a problem. That same thug might be able to bully your favorite product out of the market.

A Yankee in East Texas...

Being a Yankee in the podunk parts of Texas is not necessarily a strength.

Such a company might be viewed as equivalent to any other foreign company.

Fanboy silliness

Garage band and iMovie? Are you on crack.

No. The "flagship apps" for an alternate tablet don't have to be anything like that.

Their lock on smaller tablets (the ones called phones) are slipping. It's only a matter of time before that erodes their mindshare for larger tablets.

Even better!

> He is not saying the PC is dead, he says that

> "while PCs will continue to be much-used

> devices, they’re no longer at the leading edge

> of computing"

That's even funnier and more pathetic.

Someone who does or has worked for IBM should really know better.

Looking good while completely missing the point.

> Dean's spot on. Hardware is essentially a solved

> problem compared to UI. That so many geeks think

> otherwise is the reason UI is so crap still.

The main reason I find myself pulling out the bash shell is the fact that most people who fancy themselves HID acolytes managed to drop the ball when making their GUIs.

People think that a few pretty pictures and an appearance that doesn't scare away people is good enough. It isn't. It's thoughtless in a subtle sort of way. You may have to be a "geek" to understand what's broken.

...a tad premature

Anything that can fully replace the PC will look an awful lot like one.

Although the really bit problem with this declaration is the fact that most Post PC devices are still entirely dependent on conventional old school PCs. Either they are tethered to a real PC or they need the computing power of a real PC to help deal with certain limitations.

It doesn't look like the PC is going anywhere any time soon. It still needs to linger in order to make things like Apple and Android tablets useful.

It's not all point and click...

This "argument" all boils down to one important question. Is everything you do all just "point and click". If so then you might be suitably serviced by a tablet. Otherwise not. That is what a tablet is. It's essentially a device limited to a mouse only. It's not something that looks like a mouse so it it doesn't get recognized as such. However, that's what it really is.

If all you need is a mouse, that's fine. A lot of people need more flexibility and efficiency in their input devices.

This even includes people interfacing with databases.

It's almost like a reprise of the GUI vs. CLI argument.

Who doesn't like slabs?

People responding in the web forums. That's who.

Outdated?

No. The PC isn't outdated. The Turing Machine has just found a few new input methods that are allowing them to slither better into some new niches. Although they have been actually doing this for awhile already. You probably just didn't notice. You needed Apple to make it obvious for you.

It's like saying birds are going to wipe out all animals that still wander around on legs.

Problems with reality.

> seems to be a disconnect between real life and

> sci-fi. Dr Who, Minority Report and Avatar did not

> actually happen - they are fiction.

So Apple has a device like this today?

Probably not.

I think it's you that doesn't quite grasp the reality of the situation here.

In truth, Apple's patent is no less of a fantasy than my childhood daydreams. The difference is that Apple will get to shake down the guys that actually make this product real.

OS centric drives...

OS centric drives simply are not future proof. Anything that forgoes the obvious standard USB driver for something more bothersome is not only locking out current alternatives. It's also going to create extra support headaches in the here and now as well as a whole bunch in the future as tech moves on.

If you have to load a driver to use the disk then it's a big fat FAIL.

...missing the point.

This is not supposed to be a single box solution.

> The software was clunky

This is something that you use together with suitable 3rd party software just like you would any other video device or card. Whining that this thing doesn't come with it's own software is much like whining that a GPU doesn't come with it's own games.

The software that comes with this thing is really just to let you make sure the card is working before you try and integrate it with something else.

Struggling for content?

> If Google are struggling with Android 3 for content

As far as "content" goes, an Android device is very accomodating. I might not be able to buy some DRM laden movie with extra vendor lock included from Google but then I don't really need to. Android devices will more easily accomodate whatever I might have.

What happened to the BMW?

> Can you please also list the hardware issues

> that are plaguing your users that are not the

> same hardware issues that would affect any

> make of computer.

What happened to all of the "Macs are BMWs" nonsense?

So suddenly because people come out of the woodwork with their Mac horror stories, you're going to pretend that this somehow hasn't been a standard Apple marketing point for the last 20 years? If a Mac is little more than a Chevy with a prettier exterior (as some of us say) then what's the point really?

In my own personal experience, Apple rates at the bottom for reliability of brand name ready made PCs. The way they build their boxes probably doesn't help. They're probably very prone to cooking themselves.

RFID cards run amok...

....it sounds like wallets need to be turned into Farraday cages.

Come on Think Geek.

Next by next April you should have one as a gag, and have it as a shipping product by next June.

MacOS and Unix collide

The windowing model on MacOS collides with the concept of virtual desktops and makes them less useful. You can't split windows across multiple desktops.

There is nothing "pure unix" about MacOS.

The only reason for anyone to bother with MacOS is where it deviates quite distinctly from every other Unix out there in a highly proprietary manner. Otherwise, you could just run a real BSD.

It's much like calling Windows "a real Unix" just because you can run cygwin on it.

False Idols

> Basic rule is, there is an actual job/profession that is called user interface/interaction design

...and these people get it wrong so consistently then it would be insane to keep on holding them up as people to pay any attention to.

The problem here is when "professionals" try second guess the users rather than actually listen to them.

It sounds like the real issue here is accepting end user feedback and acting on it. That's more of a Quality Assurance thing then any sort of "design" thing.

HID posers

You don't have to be Physics chair at Oxford to realize that apples fall out of trees.

You've got things backwards. "Designers" don't tell users what to do. Users tell "designers" what to do.

Your brand of nonsense is why corporations can spend a King's ransom on a new project and it will be perfectly useless as no one bothered to actually ever listen to the users.

Yeah. Normal people...

Like fashionistas such as yourself have any idea about what "normal people" want or need.

Apple fanboys and HID posers are no closer to the average user than "geeks".

Android has shortcuts too...

The problem with pegging these new UIs as "phone interfaces" is the fact that not even all phone interfaces are the same. Android allows for "shortcuts". So it's not just a "phone UI", it's an Apple infatuated one.

Non-Apple users have bought into all of the hype and nonsense and have started blindly following Apple's lead without actually using this stuff first to see if any of it really makes any sense.

A lot of it doesn't.

The blind accolades for Apple need to end.

Lemmings all jumping the shark...

Yeah, but what happens when everyone is jumping off the same cliff?

What do you do then?

You are left with few choices anymore except old versions that have been abandoned in favor of the new insanity.

Of course that leaves the new users in a bit of a pickle then because they aren't familiar with all of the old standbys like dfm or windowmaker and have to start sorting out this crap from scratch.

Macs? Yeah, I have a couple.

> What's more, it is trivial to configure each application

> to start in a different virtual screen to reduce the

> overlapping clutter of all applications on one desktop.

No. We've been there and done that and we're not impressed.

It's not enough to make it easy to merely jail your apps onto one desktop. You also need to be able to easily move them around. You also need to be able to have windows from the same app spread out across different desktops. Don't need to "configure" anything.

That's the 1994 level of X functionality.

MacOS still isn't there yet and has a really crappy switcher.

No backstabbing at Buzzards Nest

No. What Apple is pulling is a bit different. CD and DVD stores may be struggling these days but they still can buy product wholesale. They don't have to buy product at the same price that Apple gets to sell it on the iTunes store.

That's a considerable difference and not something to be casually glossed over.

Amazon does well as a web vendor either way. Spinny disks aren't really out of style quite yet.

Fanboy silliness.

...I am surprised that the silly fanboy didn't try to frame the act of subsidizing the sale of an Android phone as some sort of grave patent infringement. It would go better with the rest of the days nonsense.

Android phones are sold the way any other phones are including Apple and Nokia.