Category: 💻 Tech

You've likely heard that Apple has made the Swift programming language open source. Of course, this means that developers could potentially be able to use Swift to make software on other platforms. That could eventually include Linux, Android, Windows, and web applications. I'm not completely sure of all the reasons why Apple has made this move. But here are a few ideas and thoughts.

Popularity Means More OS X And iOS Developers

Likely, Apple would simply like Swift to become more popular. If Swift becomes so popular that it is used for other platforms, then developers who have learned Swift might be more likely to build native apps for OS X and iOS at some point.

I believe Swift's first and foremost role at Apple will continue to be building native OS X and iOS apps, likely using Apple's XCode development environment. And Apple's main goal is still likely to get developers making native apps for their devices and computers. But anyone who learns Swift will likely think of building an app for OS X or iOS at some point, even if they first used Swift to build an app on Android or another platform.

Read Full Post >

I guess Mozilla just couldn't wait until iOS was 10 years old. The Firefox web browser has finally been officially released for iOS, eight and a half years after iOS was first introduced with the first iPhone.

Syncing Bookmarks To Mobile Is (And Was) Important

In my mind, the release of Firefox for iOS is important for one main reason. We now have the ability to sync bookmarks to Firefox on iOS. For the majority of people out there, that is all that really matters.

You can count me as one of those people. Like many other people I'm sure, I used Firefox as my main browser for quite a number of years. When I bought my first iOS device, a 2G iPod Touch, I had to figure out which browser to use. For quite a while I still used Firefox on the desktop. My journey took me to drop Firefox on my desktop for Safari, then to Mercury which used Firefox Sync, then back to Safari, and finally to Chrome.

The only real reason I switched was because I couldn't easily sync my bookmarks in a fully supported way with an iOS Firefox app. I really think that Mozilla unfortunately underestimated this impact and  lost a boatload of dedicated users simply by not having an iOS app that synced bookmarks. While it might have mattered to Mozilla, it wouldn't have mattered much to users if it was a little slow or didn't use its own rendering engine. And a large majority of those people who switched to sync their bookmarks to their desktop aren't going to go back to Firefox now because they already switched.

Read Full Post >

We may have Android PCs and laptops by 2017, which could compete more directly with Windows and Mac computers. This has been rumored before, but this time it comes from the Wall Street Journal, a pretty reliable source.

Android PCs Make Sense

It makes complete sense to me that Google will eventually make "Android for PC". Android is an extremely popular mobile OS, so a lot of those apps could also run on a desktop OS. Google has been making an Android OS for pretty much every other platform over the last couple of years, except for the desktop. This includes their decision to make Android Auto, Android Wear, and Android TV. And thirdly, even though Google has focused on the cloud for desktop, there are still limitations to a desktop operating system like Chrome OS which doesn't support native applications.

Native Apps And Games Have Advantages

It's great to run software in the cloud so it is cross-platform. But there are still cases where native apps work better, and we can have the best of both worlds. Games is one of those categories. Google could make a large amount of money just from Android for PC games. Also any applications which could benefit from locally saved data will also work better with a native desktop OS. This includes productivity apps and even apps for photos and music.

I know browsers continue to get better with saving data locally, but just being able to have your own files on your computer is still better in many cases. Or to be able to install Dropbox for your Android PC if you use Dropbox instead of Google Drive. While most software is also moving online as well, there are still many people who will buy a Windows 10 computer instead of one with Chrome OS, just because they like having their files offline on their computer as well.

Read Full Post >

Could this hidden "ASUS E205SA" reveal an upcoming Windows 10 laptop to replace the excellent 11.6" ASUS eeeBook X205TA notebook?

While reading about Windows 10 budget notebooks I came across this interesting tidbit. It's a reference to an "ASUS E205SA", which has not been announced or mentioned anywhere by ASUS. I wonder if it could be the possible replacement for the 11.6" eeeBook X205TA, which was one of the best reviewed budget laptops with Windows, and a bit of a revival for ASUS of their old eeeBook netbooks. Here's what I found out, along with an overview of a number of cheap budget laptops that ASUS could release later this year with Windows 10.

Earlier this summer, it looks like ASUS announced or released information for three different lines of Windows 10 notebooks in the E series, some of which were previously known as eeeBooks. They have product pages for each of these laptops, with features and specifications.

However, I don't believe any of these have been released yet and their product specs could even change possibly. For instance, the 14" E402MA is listed with Windows 8.1, but I would guess it will come with Windows 10 when released. These laptops will most likely all be released later this year, as a whole line of new budget Windows 10 laptops from ASUS.

Read Full Post >

Since the Apple Watch launched, it hasn't sold quite as well as some people thought it might. Here's my quick take on the key reasons why the sales for the Apple Watch might be lower than expected. From what I've read it sounds like it hasn't been as big of an initial success as the iPod, iPhone, or iPad. I wonder if the low sales could be boiled down to just one or two reasons, even though reviews focus on so many technical specifications and cool features.

The Apple Watch Is Simply Too Expensive

Like any tech product or gadget, the Apple Watch has been reviewed and analyzed excessively and in-depth. Every review has a different opinion about what features should make you want to get yourself an Apple Watch. Or conversely, reasons why it isn't worth buying or isn't selling well. Things like battery life or features that don't work perfectly.

And with a typical price of about $600 US, and a low price of $400 US, I think it is likely much too high of a price to reach any kind of mainstream adoption like we saw with the relatively low-priced iPods, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

But often in the end, I think the large majority of regular consumers focus on price first. And the price of the Apple Watch might simply be too high over competing products, even in its lowest price version. So it might not matter that much if you need an iPhone to use all of the Apple Watch features, or how great the interface is, or even that the battery might not last long enough. While Apple can get people to pay a certain premium for their products, they also may need the price to be in the same vicinity of the products it is replacing or competing with.

And with a typical price of about $600 US, and a low price of $400 US, I think it is likely much too high of a price to reach any kind of mainstream adoption like we saw with the relatively low-priced iPods, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. While the smaller size is $50 less, it doesn't actually hit a significantly lower price point. Which leads me to the other reason why I think the sales of the Apple Watch haven't been as great as previous products.

Read Full Post >

One thing that I didn't see mentioned in the newest rumors about the next iPad Mini is how much it will weigh. I have a feeling that the new iPad Mini could have its weight reduced significantly, to somewhere around 250 grams or lower. Maybe anywhere from about 220 to 260 grams. Here's how I came up with that number, along with my thoughts about the potential release date.

I figured this out from looking at the weights of previous iPads and previous iPod Touches.

iPad Mini 4 Weight

When Apple released the iPad Air, the WiFi version went down from the 650 gram iPad 4th gen to just 450 grams. Apple also reduced the weight of the iPod Touch over two generations from the 115 gram 3rd generation to the 88 gram 5th generation. The drop in weight for each was around 70-75%.

And now it looks like the next iPad Mini should be much thinner and have the same thinner design that the iPad Air and iPod Touch 5g used. So I wonder if the iPad Mini will go down in weight to 70-75% of the 330 gram weight of the iPad Mini 3rd generation. So somewhere around 250 grams or lower.

It would be amazing if they figured a way to get the iPad Mini to be under 200 grams. That would be asking too much I think. But I wouldn't doubt if Apple has thought about 200 grams as a target weight for the Mini. However, for this release I think getting it to under 250 grams is a more realistic possibility.

iPad Mini 4 Release Date

And when will the iPad Mini 4 get released? Apple has an event scheduled for September 9th. Some of the products that have been in the rumor mill include the iPhone 6s, iPad Pro, Apple TV with new remote, iPad Mini with thinner design, and retina 21.5 inch iMac.

My guess is the September event will be about the iPhone and Apple TV, and the availability of iOS 9. While a second October or November event will highlight iPads. That would include the new iPad Pro, along with the new iPad Mini 4th generation.

The main reason for thinking the iPad Pro and iPad Mini will be launched in a separate October event is the fact that in both 2013 and 2014 they held a separate event. It was at that special event that iPads were announced. The iPad Air and Mini retina in 2013, and the iPad Air 2 and Mini 3 in 2014.

So it might make sense that they might stick with this schedule and announce the iPad Mini 4, alongside the new iPad Pro, in October or November of this year. It's worth noting that they also announced different laptop Macs and desktop Macs at each of the October events. So we might expect the new retina 21.5 inch iMac to be announced at the October event as well.

I wonder if the rumour about the 12.9 inch iPad might not be the whole story, or even the correct story. There is a good chance the rumor is correct. However, here are a few possibilities I thought up of what Apple could do. Maybe this is more wishful thinking on my own part. Ideas that have been going on in my mind of what could happen next with iOS, tablets, laptops, and mobile computers.

As I mentioned in an earlier article, I think it's possible that smaller 8 and 7 inch tablets could become much more popular. If that happens, 10 inch and larger tablets could fall out of favour. Or more likely, the role of the laptop and tablet could change for some people, and merge into a single device. So, what are some other options of what the 12.9 inch iPad rumour could really be? And what are some options that Apple could consider in the future for the design of iPads, MacBooks, and other portable computers.

1. A New iPad With Built-in Keyboard. iBook?

Could it be possible that Apple has seen how popular keyboard accessories are for the iPad? Maybe they feel an extra accessory is a poor experience and they could offer a larger "iPad" which is actually a laptop? What I'm saying is this would not be either an iPad or a convertible tablet. It would simply be a laptop form factor with a keyboard that cannot be disconnected. A 13 inch laptop with a keyboard that runs iOS. It could be superlight. It would have crazy battery life. If they kept the same resolution it would still have a PPI of 200, which isn't perfect but is still much higher than laptops. They could even bring back the old name of the "iBook".

Separately, what if even though a keyboard was attached you could still stand the computer on its side to put it in portrait. You could swivel the keyboard backward and behind the device so it stands up with the display facing you. The keyboard would be at the rear of the device and turned off. You could kind of lay it in your lap in portrait mode too. Maybe it would allow the full yoga form factor where you can also swivel it all the way around. Though I bet Apple might not do that unless they had a second LCD where the keyboard normally is so it doesn't feel weird holding it with the keys facing out. I wouldn't expect an LCD keyboard/touchpad with better predictive text input at this point yet.

Read Full Post >

Steve Jobs was quoted as saying 'I think PCs are going to be like trucks. Fewer people will need them.' It seems to be happening. However, in my mind there has been a significant evolution of the tablet landscape in the first 4 years since the iPad's introduction. And I believe this may have a bigger impact than we currently realize on what role tablets and PCs will play for people in the future, and what other PCs or devices we may use.

It might be obvious at this point, but to me it's looking more and more like tablets that you can easily hold in one hand will become the future of tablets, while larger tablets will merge with laptops and also include a detachable or even an attached keyboard. This means tablets of about 8 or 9 inches, but not nearly as wide as the original 9.7 inch iPad. And certainly not larger screen sizes of 12 or 14 inches that are used for laptops with keyboards built-in. Instead, these larger 10 to 14 inch tablets will merge with laptops, while tablets of 8 or 9 inches will really be the largest pure tablet size. Again, phones and pure tablets will be devices you can hold comfortably in one hand. Larger "tablets" or laptops will more likely include a keyboard, unlike the original 9.7" iPad.

If this happens, it could mean that a tablet may not be as good at completely replacing a PC or laptop as some people were hoping. Basically, as smaller tablets become more popular, it becomes more likely that more people may also need a laptop or desktop PC with a keyboard, even if it also includes a touch screen like a tablet. Meaning, the small tablet may not be their only device, and may not have a large enough screen and keyboard to do everything they need their main computer to do.

Read Full Post >

I wish that Siri and Spotlight search were integrated so that holding the home button was just "Search".

Notes

• It would bring up a search text box at the top and Siri at the bottom so you could search by text or voice depending on what you wanted to use.
• It would search both your device and the web when you are connected to the internet, but only search your device and use better voice control options when you aren't.

Even though we get used to the fast paced way that software gets updated, it can be hard to understand at times. Sometimes I look at some decisions on software support and wonder why it's so different than other industries. I wonder why it has to continue to move so quickly and not allow for standards that can be agreed upon or last long enough to become common, platforms that exist for more than about 3 years, devices that exist for more than about 2 years, or software that exists in a similar form for more than about 1 year. For instance, the following.

Google Apps has dropped support for IE9. IE 9 was released on March 14th, 2011, just 2 and a half years ago. IE9 isn't even installed on Windows 7, but is an upgrade to IE 8. And Windows 7 is the most used OS in the world and was released on October 22nd 2009, just 4 years ago. What this means is that over 90% of the people who have a PC or notebook need to update their built in web browser to run Google Apps. Forget about people on even older operating systems like Windows XP, who can't update their browser to IE 10.

I understand that software within an OS, and even an OS can often be updated easily and freely. And even operating systems are now being updated freely and somewhat easily in many cases. Both Windows Update and App Stores on mobile devices were great advances in the software industry. But why is everyone being "forced" to update so quickly?

Being a tech junkie and software developer I like new features, getting new software, and playing around with cool new apps. But even for me, the speed at which software is getting updated is now creating more negatives than positives in many cases.

Read Full Post >

• I think Apple might have messed up with the new design of the iPhone 5 and iPod Touch.
• The one thing they really needed to update after 5 years was the screen size, and I don’t think they did that correctly.
• It should have a 1280x720 screen from 4.3 to 4.6 inches and there should be no home button on the front.
• They needed to change the design and screen more, making the screen cover most of the device.
• The home button could be a button on the side.
• Yes it would hurt compatibility with old apps a bit more, but they would still run.
• And this is finally the device they made with a bigger screen.
• The new design feels half-hearted with just the longer 4.0 inch screen.
• They really needed to make a bigger change.
• And why not move to a more common resolution like 1280x720 when finally making the screen larger.
• A much larger screen covering most of the device and no home button is what they needed to do in my opinion.

Here are 5 predictions for Apple hardware and devices that could be released this year at various Apple events. I'm leaving out any thoughts about an Apple TV, partly because my guess is that it still might not come this year.

1. iPhone 5

Apple releases iPhone 5 in July with 4.6 inch screen and all new 1280 x 720 resolution display with new aspect ratio and curved glass. If they keep the same aspect ratio as the iPhone 4, the resolution would be something like 1200 x 800. Either resolution would have 300+ ppi display, which is similar to the iPhone 4. Previous iPhone apps would work at their original resolution covering only 3.5 inches of the screen and all new apps for iOS 6 would fill the screen. 4.0 inch display for the iPhone with the same 960 x 640 resolution is my second, more realistic guess, and much more likely.

2. iPod Touch 5G

iPod Touch released in September with same sized screen as iPhone 5 and a 3-5 megapixel camera. Possibly renamed to simply iPod. Likely won't happen but could finally get GPS and 3G version with some kind of data plan or new type of 3G plan that pleases carriers enough to make some money off iPod users while encouraging most people to still get an iPhone because of LTE or better and more powerful cell plan features.

3. iWatch 1G

iWatch 1G is released in September with iPod Nano OS and possibly a curved glass screen. It will have Bluetooth 4.0 which allows it to work with iPhone and other iOS or Mac devices in interesting ways and will focus on some built in fitness features. I've thought for years that Apple would get into the watch business and this could be the year. Good chance it may not happen until 2013 though and the Nano stays around for another year or two.

4. New iMac

The new iMac is introduced in the summer with Mountain Lion OS X and a new slimmer design similar to the Apple Thunderbolt Display. Ivy Bridge and maybe even 8 GB RAM standard. Possibly also bumped to 23.5 and 30 inch displays. Comes with no optical drive or hard drive, or even an option to install an internal hard drive. 128 GB or even just 64 GB SSD standard, especially if Apple also markets a new external drive peripheral or Time Capsule for always on networked media libraries. New Bluetooth 4.0 peripherals including keyboard with even slimmer profile, new Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad. Possibly a keyboard with integrated Magic Trackpad that will also work well as a single peripheral to have on your lap when using AirPlay Mirroring from a Mac to an Apple TV 2.

5. New Time Capsule

Though I don't think this one will happen, I wish Apple at some point would release a new external drive peripheral or new version of Time Capsule used for always on, Internet connected, networked storage. It would be a person's or household's own file storage and media library that could be connected to from their Wifi network or over the Internet from any Apple devices. If everyone had their own personal storage device that was always on at their home and Internet connected then they would only need 64 or 128 GB flash storage in all of their devices and would not need to pay for higher storage capacities on services like Dropbox, Skydrive, Google Drive, iCloud, and iTunes Match. Because of the money they can make and the investment in iCloud and iTunes Match they likely won't do this, so this is more my own vision of the way I wish things would go. But Apple could change the game if instead they switched course from everyone else and instead offered hardware for a person to host their own simple always on file library and server at their home instead of relying on pay cloud storage services like Dropbox and iCloud.

What I'll Buy

I'd probably buy an iWatch if it was made and sold for $199 or less as it would be pretty cool, though I might wait for version 2 like I did with both the iPod Touch and iPad. I also have an iPad 2 and the new Apple TV, so Apple is obviously reeling me in to buy their stuff like they are much of the population. But really what I'm excited for and really ready to buy is a new iPod Touch if it comes out this year with an all new design. I still have a 2G iPod Touch, which is the only iPod I've ever bought and of course it runs too slow and is getting old. Mobile computers dating back to the early Palm Pilots are really what has always fascinated me. Even with how common they've become as they've evolved into subsidized smartphones it is still fascinating to me to have a powerful computer in your pocket and hand, and it always will be. Before my iPod Touch I had a simple Palm Z22 that I liked just as much or more than my iPod Touch.

There is an outside chance I might spend the extra money and finally make the switch to Mac OS X from Windows 7 with the new iMac this year. I've wanted a completely silent desktop computer since only about 1992 and have been disappointed that computers have been so loud and hot in the last 20 years, and that it has taken so long for quiet and cool computers to be common. Though I know they are already very quiet, the new iMac or Mac Mini could finally offer a really silent desktop at a reasonable price if they are sold with an SSD as standard at their current price and with Ivy Bridge bringing some more improvements in thermal efficiency. That, along with so many other well known reasons that have made Macs a much better option in the last 5 years, I might finally be pursuaded to make the Switch and get my first Mac. But maybe I'll just stick with Windows 7 for a couple years until about 2014 when some new version of Mac OS or Windows 9 are running on 64 bit ARM processors, don't even need any fans, and 256 GB SSD drives are in cheap machines. But I just don't know if I can stand my current Windows machine sounding like a jet engine is on all the time under my desk now that I'm used to completely silent iPods, iPads, and Apple TVs.

• If Apple does release a new 5-7 inch iPod Touch this Thursday I think it could have a resolution of 1920x1280.
• That would be double the current retina display. All of the iPhone apps would work on it, but not the iPad apps.
• A possible name for the device could be iBook, the name previously used for their consumer and education focused laptops in the early 2000s.
• If they release an iPod between 4-5 inches it will probable stick with the same 960x640 resolution.