Category: 💻 Tech

This is a response to a great blog post by Joe Hewitt entitled Airplay TV.

Thoughts

• I agree that it won't matter if people have cable or DVDs in the future when the real IPTV comes, which looks to be more about apps on smart TV devices which could eliminate the need for a traditional set top box with "On Demand" or "IPTV" services.
• However, I wonder if Airplay isn't just a temporary solution, though a pretty good temporary one.
• The real improvement to some of the limitations he talks about may come with a new version of Apple TV that doesn't need Airplay and another iOS device to work, but just works on its own with its own user interface improvements.

That Apple TV May Have The Following

• A wand gyroscopic remote with trackpad.
• A version of iOS with an improved user interface which works with the remote from 10 feet away.
• Its own App Store for apps and games which work with the remote.
• Possibly a "TV" app that has a guide with content providers for live channels as well as previous archived shows for a price.
• Possibly a camera and microphone for FaceTime and Siri input as well.

The Wand Gyroscopic Remote May Have The Following

• A single power button to turn on the TV.
• Tilt up, down, left and right to highlight items on screen.
• Other waving gestures could perform different commands.
• Trackpad to perform clicks and other gestures with thumb.
• Possibly a touchscreen on opposite side of trackpad for keyboard, landscape game controls, and other controls when needed.
• Possibly remotes that include the touchscreen on the opposite side could be sold as an accessory since the cost would be more than with just a trackpad and people would need multiple gaming remotes.

I don't like pop ups, tooltips, mouseover menus, and information popups used in the design of software and websites.

On Windows 95 and 98 I used a program called TweakUI to disable tooltips throughout the operating system, but I miss it when using Windows 7. So I don't think I have ever really liked tooltips or mouseovers, but having used iOS for a couple years now I feel even stronger about this. I feel that tooltips or anything that automatically pops up in a little window or changes the interface when you move your mouse over it is distracting to the user interface and gets in the way of the user interacting with the computer. I think if software and websites were designed completely without mouse rollover effects and tooltip popups that the user's experience with computers would benefit greatly.

What Is A Tooltip Or Mouseover?

First of all I'll define what I mean by a tooltip or mouseover so you know what I am talking about. I am referring to any time you move your mouse over an object on screen and anything on the screen other than the mouse cursor changes. A simple mouseover effect on a menu or button can be useful and not too intrusive, but it is the simplest type of mouseover. A link on a website being underlined when you move your mouse over it is another example that isn't too annoying. A tooltip such as used often in Microsoft Windows supposedly to provide you help with what you will be clicking on is a bit annoying. A little window popup of information when you move over a link or other object is even more annoying. Special OS features like a small window of an application showing when you move your mouse over it on the taskbar is also a mouseover. All of these I refer to as mouseovers and while it may seem extreme I think all of these should be eliminated from user interface design.

1. The Interface Actions Should Be Simple And Clear

We simply don't need extra information coming up on a mouseover because the interface should clearly show where the user should click the mouse to provide actions or more information. We can now design interfaces that are more simple and clear so that people understand where they need to click. They can see the menu, the buttons, the links, and any other information that they need to click. Rollovers might look fancy but at this stage in human computer interaction and software design if a user does not know where to click simply by looking at the screen then the design of the software is very poor.

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Here are some predictions for what I think could be launched at Apple's next media event. Most likely Apple will have an event to announce some media hardware and software like iPods in the fall of 2010 sometime around September.

1. The Entry Level iPod Touch Will Become More Affordable At $150 Or Even $100

I think Apple wants to get everyone onto their iOS mobile devices which basically includes the iPhone and iPod Touch. The main reason for this is they can sell apps, games, books and other content on these devices and they can really only sell music on the older devices like the iPod Classic and iPod Nano. Because of this I think they will drop the price of the entry level iPod Touch even more. Of course this would cut into the price of the iPod Nano which I'll talk more about in a bit. The iPhone 4 may be quietly updated with a 64GB version replacing the 32GB version too.

• iPod Touch 3GS - 16GB - $150
• iPod Touch 4G - 64GB - $300
• iPod Touch 4G - 128GB - $400

2. The iPod Classic And Possibly The iPod Nano Will Be Discontinued

I think the iPod Classic will finally be discontinued since the iPod Touch will now have a flash hard drive with 128GB of memory. It's pretty remarkable as it will truly be the end of an era for the hard drive based iPods without a touch screen which started 9 years ago in 2001. I also think that eventually the iPod Nano will be discontinued. My guess is that once the base iPod Touch hits the price of the iPod Nano at $150 it basically makes the iPod Nano redundant. I think that may happen this year, and if not in 2011.

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This is a respone to an article titled 'The world doesn't need an Apple tablet, or any other', by Joe Wilcox of BetaNews.

It's an interesting article where he basically states that tablet computers can't become as popular as PCs, laptops, mp3 players, and smartphones, because it is a niche product and is too much of a middle product between laptops and smartphones. He has some interesting points. Tablets have definitely had trouble becoming mainstream devices and part of that problem has been overlapping market segments and the fact people may not buy four separate computers including a desktop, laptop, tablet, and phone.

I disagree with his article though. The main reason that I believe tablets will succeed and become popular is because I think they will replace laptops for regular users. It's that simple. Eventually, a typical home user will have a desktop all in one computer, a tablet portable computer, and a mobile smartphone. They may have only one or two of them. So the addressable market is anyone who currently owns a laptop or netbook. Below are some points answering some of the questions he poses. These advantages that a tablet has over a laptop and other reasons are why I think Apple's tablet and other tablets will replace laptops and netbooks.

One Good Point Is That Tablet Computers Won't Have A Keyboard

Not having a regular keyboard is the big issue and a really good point. It was the same argument with the iPhone and makes an even better argument for tablets trying to replace laptops. But while touchscreen typing isn't as quick as a physical keyboard I think it will be good enough for a lot of people to provide the other benefits that a tablet computer gives you over a laptop. Also it will be better than an iPhone, allowing for four, six, or eight finger typing. That was a weird sentence I know. Anyway, there will eventually be small wireless keyboards that you can take on longer trips that work with tablets for whenever you can get to a desk and stand your tablet up. Or you can sync and do your longer typing on your desktop. I will admit that I think that touchscreen tablets that also have a keyboard like a traditional laptop will be popular for quite awhile, but I do think the great form factor of a tablet will be extremely popular as well and will win over every day users who don't need to type long articles. Just as now the iPhones and iPod Touch are quite popular but so are Blackberry devices and the Palm Pre with a hardware keyboard.

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