* Posts by flameresistant

33 publicly visible posts • joined 7 Jun 2010

Murdoch & Co unveil iPad news rag The Daily

flameresistant

Take A Look Before Slagging

I've taken a good look at the first edition.

Regardless of your opinion of the Daily's content, the companies involved or the personalities - there is no doubt that this app is the first serious attempt to publish in a dedicated format suitable for a tablet instead of simply regurgitating the output of a newspaper. To do it properly you have to break the ingrained culture of newspaper publishing organisations that are all about getting tomorrow's print out. Easiest way to do that is to start a new organisation from scratch like they did.

I think they have done a good job too. The Daily is better than The Times app and will improve over time I'm sure. Seems like the way forward to me.

I hope some of the UK news organisations emulate this so we can have some better multi-media journalism on tablets over here and we can all choose our flavour just like with newspapers.

Apple tightens screws on hardware hackers

flameresistant

Non issue

What's all the fuss about?

I think Wiens's speculation is rubbish and El Reg bit on a piece of iFixit marketing bait.

Most people I know who shell out ~£1K for an Apple computer buy the AppleCare 3 year warranty. They don't give a stuff about what screws are used to hold the box together. Sure I can repair computers but why would I bother when I can buy an excellent warranty for so little money?

By the time the AppleCare runs out, the tools are readily available if you need or want to effect a DIY repair. I recall having to swap a hard drive in a five year old desk lamp iMac. The screws were unusual when the computer was new but after that time getting hold of the correct screwdriver bit was no drama at all. El Reg is right, Apple owners do tend to hold on to their kit and it does last a long time. That iMac is now over 7 years old, still works great and used every day by a member of my family.

Apple have a track record of very close attention to detail in the engineering of their products and relentless improvement of every aspect of their design. I suspect the new screw heads afforded some sort of practical engineering advantage and using them has nothing to do with wanting to keep DIY repairmen out of the boxes. I don't believe Apple give a rat's ass about that issue.

Apple iPad vs... the rest

flameresistant

Yawn ...

"It used to work, but not any more."

Rubbish. In fact the gift card isn't even required. I just mentioned that as a way for your friend to give his child credit to use without risking unintentional abuse of his credit card. Apple even publish an illustrated support article that is top of the google list on how to create an iTunes account without a credit card that explains how to do it and it works.

When you tried to create the iTunes store account, you or your friend ticked the box that said "I have read and agree to these terms and conditions." before you were prompted for your age. It's quite clear there that you have to be 13 or older.

flameresistant

What a load of old tosh ...

You are of course entitled to your own opinion but get your facts right if you want anyone to give credence to your rantings.

"Or even better, try registering for an iTunes account without giving Apple access to your bank account in one way or another. That one took me all night, ...."

Just because you couldn't work it out easily doesn't mean it can't be done by legitimate means. Just buy an iTunes card and redeem it.

flameresistant

How Refreshing ...

... to read informed comment from someone who can make an objective comparison.

Thanks jamie 5.

BlackBerry boss renews disdain for Steve Jobs

flameresistant
FAIL

Epic Fail

Poor Jimbo seems a bit desperate and sad to me. His ass must be so sore from the daily whipping he is bound to be getting from his company's stakeholders.

That's a really lame attempt to deflect criticism for being very late to the party, having no app strategy, declining market share in their primary market of smart phones and, worse still, Apple starting to nick the corporate business they once completely owned.

As many others pointed out, Jobsy already failed to convince people that all you needed were web apps. If he couldn't pull it off, Jimbo has no chance.

What's really funny is that these comparative performance boasts have such a short shelf life and now Jimbo has goaded the Apple faithful bloggers into trying to tear his new product to shreds - when it finally ships that is. Furthermore when the next model of iPad comes out they will have a field day making the PlayBook look like an antiquated POS. You can bet your life that Apple will make the javascript performance great for them without shouting about it themselves.

Jimbo might just as well have written out a cheque for Apple to run another marketing campaign because it would have cost him less in the long run.

Apple must be wetting themselves with laughter at this.

Dixons drops exclusive Toshiba Android tablet

flameresistant

Surprising ...

Toshiba is a pretty reputable manufacturer so this comes as a surprise. It will be interesting to see if they fix the issues or just pull the product altogether.

it would seem that it is not as easy to build a useful and competitively priced tablet as you might think.

Anyone bought a Galaxy tab yet? Be interesting to see what people think of them after using them in anger for a while.

Nvidia poised to challenge Jobs on tablets

flameresistant

It will be interesting to see ...

... when Tegra tablet products become available and how much they cost.

Anyone know who the 'partners' that are going to produce them are?

First Windows Phone 7 handsets sell out

flameresistant
Welcome

How Refreshing!

Have I warped into a parallel universe or am I genuinely reading a post on El Reg?

Someone posts about why they chose a product and gives their real world experience of it without vilifying those that picked something different?

Well done whiteafrican! Your opinion is worth considering in my view.

flameresistant
FAIL

Wait And See Eh?

Mock funerals for iPhones on the Redmond campus are unreliable indicators of future success in the market.

It will be interesting to see shipment figures for the next two quarters.

I reckon all this is just Microsoft's marketing department getting their excuses in early for continued failure to stem the obliteration of their market share.

Windows Phone 7 wasn't my idea™

Apple coughs to time zone problems

flameresistant

Poor Testing

Apparently it is fixed in the iOS 4.2 beta. Let's hope it doesn't come back in a future release like the emergency phone call hole has.

To those that think Apple's workaround advice is to switch the alarms off and switch them on again, read the support document referenced in the article again.

Samsung: we'll sell a million-plus Android tablets this year

flameresistant
Joke

Bold prediction?

When can Samsung chalk it up as a sale? When it goes to the inventory of a retail outlet/carrier or when it is purchased by a consumer from that retail outlet?

If the former then I can see how Samsung might have already cut enough deals with their global channel to be fairly confident about that 1 million unit number which is a very bullish prediction. It would put their pro-rata market share at over 17% even if the market doubled this quarter to 8.8 million units.

Whether or not there will be loads left on the shelves after Christmas is another matter entirely.

Anyone seen someone using one in public yet?

iOS bug unlocks iPhones sans password

flameresistant

I can replicate it ...

iPhone 4 running iOS 4.1 (8B117). Can't seem to get into anything else but the phone app though.

That's not very good considering there was a similar vulnerability before now.

Probably wouldn't be too much of an issue if your phone was in the UK when lost. One call to the phone company and they can disable it pretty quickly. Can take longer if you are roaming abroad though.

I suspect an update will be quickly released to fix this.

Apple bolts chastity belt on super svelte MacBook Air

flameresistant
Jobs Halo

Such a cynic

> What's with the three sizes/shapes of batteries?

Apple has developed it's own special battery chemistry and charging circuitry that means the batteries last ~1,000 full charge cycles (about 3x the norm). Because they have to make the batteries anyway, their design choices aren't constrained by standard battery form factors. They are exploiting an opportunity to assist with the miniaturisation.

One-third of iPad fanbois don't download apps

flameresistant

Warped Logic

>Good to hear an ardent fan confirming Job's constant harping about the size of his App store really is irrevelant.

How bonkers is that conclusion? I didn't say I didn't use any of the apps I bought or don't find them useful.

flameresistant

Quite possibly

I use my iPad every day. I love it and prefer it to using a laptop for many things. I have paid for downloaded apps but the vast majority of my daily use is confined to the pre-loaded ones. I can quite believe that there are large numbers of people who don't need it to do any more than what it does out of the box. I know quite a few people with iPhones that are like that.

I love the way these articles provoke responses of bigotry toward Apple customers. It's like they are all in a race to post the first or most extreme comment.

Hands on with the new Apple MacBook Air

flameresistant

Why would you want that?

When a MiFi is so cheap and more flexible so you could use it with multiple devices. The premium you would pay for on-board 3G would be far higher.

flameresistant
Grenade

Nicely Balanced Article I Thought

Looking forward to the in-depth test.

Cheers

HP whips out iPad challenger Windows 7 fondle-slab

flameresistant

Dig?

"This, then, isn't a dig at the iPhad or this Windows option, but perhaps it is at the people who buy them and their ilk."

Why do you feel the need to have a dig?

Like you I was a complete skeptic until I used one for a few hours (not playing in a shop). Afterwards I was surprised to find that I really liked it, bought one and now prefer using an iPad rather than my laptop for almost everything except authoring something big. I don't regard it as a toy - unless you regard every consumer computer a toy.

I don't see an application for them in my business. But there are some organisations that have gone on record as finding them useful: http://www.apple.com/ipad/business/profiles/. In addition there are several articles in the press about organisations like Mercedes Benz, SAP and Wells Fargo rolling them out for various purposes. For most applications they it seems to be convenience of the form factor, mobility, instant on and long battery life that justified their use.

Apple signals disk free notebooks way to go

flameresistant

SSD can be replaced.

iFixit did a teardown of the 11" model showing the SSD to be a module that is plugged into the motherboard. So it is replaceable but you would probably need Apple to do it for you as it is a custom part.

http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook-Air-11-Inch-Model-A1370-Teardown/3745/1

Never seen any data on comparative reliability of SSD and hard drives. That would be very interesting to see. I doubt Apple would bet the future of their notebooks on technology that is likely to be unreliable.

You can just be unlucky with hard drives. The one in my last Mac lasted over 5 years. The one in my new MacBook Pro went pop within six weeks.

God I hope my backup practices are never bad enough to need something like DiskWarrior.

flameresistant

Definitely The Way Forward

The light weight, instant on, long battery life, fantastic screen and small size will make the airs attractive to many. Bit pricey compared to an equivalent MacBook Pro right now so I'll hang on until the price drops before I upgrade.

It will be really interesting to see how much the Windows machine manufacturers charge if they follow suit and produce models with flash instead of hard drives. Since Apple buy more flash than anyone else by a long way, it will be interesting to see what advantage any associated buying power gives them. I don't think the day will come when you don't have to pay a premium for Apple's engineering quality but I suspect the gap will shrink.

flameresistant

64GB surprisingly adequate for a Mac

Agreed. Looking forward to the prices coming down.

64GB is sufficient for OS X and a notebook that is not your primary computer. It requires nothing like the 30GB you say is required for Windows. 5GB is the minimum for OS X but you use a bit more in practice.

Many of us use a lot of multimedia files so 64GB isn't anything like enough if you wanted to use an 11" air as your primary computer. That said, it would probably only be the lightest type of computer user who would choose the 11" model as a primary computer anyway.

Apple rolls out two new MacBook Air models

flameresistant

You need to read about Apple's battery technology

The batteries in Apple's latest notebooks are good for 1,000 full cycles unlike the ~300 of their predecessors and those found in most Windows machines. This is because of the sophisticated charging circuitry and the specially developed battery chemistry. After nearly a year of daily use, my cycle count is ~190 cycles. So if it was an old style battery, you would be right. I would need a new one next year but, the way its going, I reckon I'll get four years out of it easily.

In any case, you don't need to buy a new machine if the battery fails, you can get it replaced by Apple or as someone else said do it yourself. I know people who have had their older style battery replaced under AppleCare within 3 years of owning one because it didn't achieve the predicted 300 or so cycles.

I don't think Apple are worse than other manufacturers with regard to obsolescence. If anything they are better. My previous Mac lasted me over five years and several major OS upgrades. The Windows box I had five years ago wouldn't have a prayer of running Windows 7 effectively and was creaking at the seams with XP.

flameresistant

Many People Are Prepared To Pay For Quality

Don't all of the machines in that group test have hard drives instead of flash memory? That would explain a lot of the price difference. Even taking that into account the airs would still have a premium price tag.

Just because some people are prepared to pay a premium price for a premium product doesn't make them fools.

I use both a MacBook Pro and an equivalent Dell notebook bought about the same time. I was given the Dell by my employer and I spent my own money on the MacBook. They had a similar price differential. By your logic, you would conclude that both computers are the same and only a fool would waste his money on the MacBook particularly when he already had a free equivalent Windows PC.

Well in practice, the Dell is a piece of s*** that I only use when I am forced to. It's big, cumbersome, loud, has a poor display, a shockingly bad keyboard, a pathetic trackpad and runs like a slug. The Dell often locks up to the point where a power off is the only solution. That has never happened with the MacBook which is a joy to use. I gladly pay the premium for the superior engineering and quality in the Apple product that only becomes apparent when you use one on a daily basis.

I do think the MacBook Airs are expensive but in comparison to a MacBook Pro not a sub-notebook Windows PC.

flameresistant

In Between

"where does this new air fit in?"

In between.

The iPad is a portable option but not suitable for authoring anything significant. For example, there is no way you would edit a big report, develop a website or do some image editing on one. You could do that on an air. The iPad is currently good for web browsing, email, media consumption, games and large screen versions of iPhone style apps. I prefer using my iPad for all these activities. Until you want to use a site that runs flash that is.

flameresistant

Underwhelming Special Event

That was the most underwhelming Apple special event for ages. Nearly half the time was spent demonstrating what seem like modest enhancements to iLife applications. I use all the ones they demonstrated and I was bored stiff.

That said it is a good thing that Apple seem to have remembered that Mac's are still important to their company.

The new MacBook Airs look like very nice notebook computers indeed. I think the light weight, long battery life and instant on will make them attractive to many people. Can't see the point in the 11" model personally.

I need deeper pockets to get one mind you. The configuration that approximately matches my current MacBook would cost an eye watering £1600! I know that 250GB of flash isn't cheap but phew that's a lot of wonga to spend on a notebook computer.

Jobsy reckons all notebooks will be built this way in the future. Hopefully the price will have come down by the time my existing one needs replacing.

flameresistant

Battery Life

"What's with the battery size and life - specially on the 11" machine?"

Jobs referred to new. more realistic measurements of battery life so that you can expect to enjoy the figures they quote. Forget the precise terminology he used to describe them now.

The 11" enclosure has less room in for battery cells than the 13" that's why there is a difference.

I bet you would easily get a day's real world use out of both of them.

Road test: putting the iPad to work

flameresistant
FAIL

Wrong Title For The Article

"Road test: putting the iPad to work

Can the Apple tablet hack it as a laptop substitute?"

Answer: It was never intended to so why bother subjecting it to the test?

What a crap article.

Apple TV: Third time unlucky, Mr Jobs

flameresistant

Don't Agree With El Reg On This One Either

SSR is right on with both posts.

Apple TV also turns your nice big flat screen into an excellent photo frame and let's you conveniently play your digital music through your HiFi system. I say convenient because you use the TV as a big display instead of having to peer at a tiny screen on a docked player. In fact that is why I originally bought an Apple TV. The ability to rent movies was an unexpected plus because I never anticipated Apple TV for that instead of my Sky HD box. I do now though because it is much easier to browse the very wide choice of titles, get more information on them and watch trailers before buying.

Be interesting to see if Apple continue to let you buy films on iTunes that you expect to watch over and over again e.g. films that your kids watch that would make a nonsense out of the rental model.

I don't see it ever displacing traditional broadcast TV boxes though due to the fragmentation of the content industry but boy would I like to chip that Sky subscription down a bit.

UK set for eBook pricing showdown

flameresistant

Apple iBook Store Uncompetitive Too

Been using iPad and iPhone to read books for a few months. Kindle Store is streets ahead in choice of titles compared to UK Apple iBook store. Haven't yet even found a book I wanted to buy on the Apple iBook store yet so can't yet comment on title for title price competition.

If we end up being forced to go to a dedicated UK Kindle store, I hope we don't get stung on prices.

Prisoner of iTunes - the iPad file transfer horror

flameresistant

Re: No Shit Sherlock!

"The file transfer stuff is however crud, and I don't know where you saw the adverts that said this."

I didn't, that was my point. Where did you see it advertised that it should transfer files in conformance with your expectations?

flameresistant

No Shit Sherlock!

Very disappointing article John. The device functions as advertised but doesn't conform to your expectations. Ergo you're a prisoner and experiencing horror! A trifle over dramatic I think.

It would be much more interesting, informative and useful if you wrote about how the device helps you.