My main issue with the new iPad (and I'll get one if/when I get a tablet of some sort, unless it's close to when the next iPad after this one is likely to come out) is that it's more evidence that Apple is eventually going to kill the Mac OS and leave everyone with tablets, phones, and iPods running iOS. The new iPhone and updated iMovie for the iPad are now approaching the feature richness of their desktop counterparts which haven't been updated since 2009. If the Mac exists at all in the future, it may be just as a niche for developing iOS apps, but again, that's only until Apple ports Xcode and its related tools to iOS and perhaps offers a way to have more local (iCloud doesn't cut it) external storage.
Mac Pro was updated in 2010 to add 12 core processors + SSDs as options. Mac minis and iMacs were both updated last year. There really isn't much else for them to do with the desktop line at the moment, as they don't have a strong footing in the desktop gaming and back-end worlds. It's all fine for editing any sub-Hollywood vid (cause you'd be using supercomputers for CGI at that point) considering HD editing is practically trivial on most hardware these days anyhow.
I'm not sure if they'd try to get in either the gaming or server/back-end markets, because it means converting existing Windows/Linux based eco-systems, and it might just not be that profitable? I think their hardware will always stay good enough for current professional video and graphic design work, but they'll always be behind on the other hardware intensive markets. So yeah, I do think they'll be for niche markets, but like everything except browsing the internet, playing basic games, and listening to music is basically a niche computing market anyhow. There really isn't a market for beastly computers than can do literally any task any more.
Also interestingly enough, Cook made it pretty clear that they're interested in post-PC tech in the iPad keynote:
9:59AM - “I’d like to get started by talking about the post-PC revolution, and Apple is at the forefront of leading this revolution.”
9:59AM - “We’re talking about a world where the PC is no longer the center of your digital world, but is just another device. The devices you use the most are more portable, more personal, and dramatically easier to use than any PC has ever been.”
I think their hardware will always stay good enough for current professional video and graphic design work, but they'll always be behind on the other hardware intensive markets. So yeah, I do think they'll be for niche markets, but like everything except browsing the internet, playing basic games, and listening to music is basically a niche computing market anyhow. There really isn't a market for beastly computers than can do literally any task any more.
Also interestingly enough, Cook made it pretty clear that they're interested in post-PC tech in the iPad keynote
They definitely aren't paying attention to their PC business like they used to. While the hardware may be up to snuff, the software might not be. They have MAJORLY pissed off their professional user base with Final Cut Pro X. At least a portion of them are going to wind up back on Avid as a result.
Yeah, I still think they must have underestimated how poorly the video editing world would respond to removing any features from FC. I just meant the hardware, tho, cause they could run Avid if it was actually developed for OSX. Maybe they're admitting defeat tho, and trying to drive a divide between certain professional levels. I don't think I've met a single person who could really explain why they did that w/ FCX though.
Yeah, I still think they must have underestimated how poorly the video editing world would respond to removing any features from FC. I just meant the hardware, tho, cause they could run Avid if it was actually developed for OSX. Maybe they're admitting defeat tho, and trying to drive a divide between certain professional levels. I don't think I've met a single person who could really explain why they did that w/ FCX though.
I still don't think they're keeping their high-end hardware up to snuff. It's been 2 years since they updated the Mac Pro, although you are right that they've been good with updating their other product lines. I mean, I'm not expecting some sort of massive new innovation with the Mac Pro -- but at least speed bumps with regards to CPU and graphics cards would be nice.
Hasn't Final Cut non-Pro always been a consumer level thing? Final Cut is high-end video editing for the average consumer. Is regular Final Cut Pro discontinued?
Hasn't Final Cut non-Pro always been a consumer level thing? Final Cut is high-end video editing for the average consumer. Is regular Final Cut Pro discontinued?
Final Cut Pro is the original version of the entire Final Cut product line. Later on, Apple released a high-end consumer version called Final Cut Express which was a more or less cut-down version of Final Cut Pro (still really good though -- I've used it to make some AMVs in my day). The problem with X is that apparently it seems to be (at least right now) closer in functionality to Express than to Pro.
But it's not called "Pro X", just "X", so what's to say a new Pro isn't coming down the line?
Apple. :P Apparently all their marketing materials, etc. have indicated that this is the replacement for Pro. They are even starting to [slowly] add some of the Pro features back into it.
I really want a Windows Surface tablet. If I need to get a new netbook, I might just jump straight to that and load Office 2010 or whatever new version on it.
Big colored boxes don't do it for me. It looks too much like what they've bastardized the XBOX 360 interface into, and they've also riddled *that* with ads. Is Surface going to be riddled with ads?
I've heard there's a planned Intel version that will run native Windows apps. To me, that's a classic example of not understanding the use case for a device. A tablet is not a laptop.
I've heard there's a planned Intel version that will run native Windows apps. To me, that's a classic example of not understanding the use case for a device. A tablet is not a laptop.
I think the Windows 8 Pro version of the Surface is genius. It's not just a tablet or a laptop, it's both. I don't think the average person can justify owning, say, a Macbook Air and an iPad. That'd be ludicrous.
Based on the initial specs (i5 Ivy Bridge processor), the Surface should be able to compete with the Air, yet allow you to switch over to the tablet interface when you want to use it as your handheld entertainment device. I don't see the fail here.
I guess the fail is that often people just want an iPad, or they just want a laptop. Or theyre super into apple stuff and they just want everything. Microsoft is trying to bridge a massive market (casual mobile computing) with a relatively tiny market (lets get work done computing) when they've been shown to have very little crossover (look at iPad and iphone sales vs. laptop and desktop sales), and thats a dumb ass idea if you want to actually make a profit.
Not saying its going to be bad or anything, cause I dunno, but building a single device to try to cover multiple computing needs is just a bad idea w/ the shape of electronics and the consumer markets these days.
e: To be more clear, there is crossover between the two groups, in that it's likely a laptop/desktop computer buyer will also buy some kind of mobile smartphone/tablet device, but it doesnt go the other way (as mobile sales dwarf laptop/desktop sales), so a crossover device will logically be limited by the smaller consumer market.
To me, it all depends on the price. Organizations are finding exciting new ways to use tablets all the time - retailers are using them for checkout, schools are giving them to students, even salespeople are using them to dazzle potential clients. Most of these businesses are defaulting to iPad since it's the biggest name in town. This comes with some serious disadvantages - in particular, price and inflexibility. If Microsoft can cater to these markets, even moreso than the home market, they may be able to carve a niche for themselves.
However, I think it's pretty stupid that they didn't announce the price with the product. Now there's just a ton of speculation that it's going to undercut the iPad. If it doesn't meet these expectations, it's going to disappoint a lot of potential customers.
To me, it all depends on the price. Organizations are finding exciting new ways to use tablets all the time - retailers are using them for checkout, schools are giving them to students, even salespeople are using them to dazzle potential clients. Most of these businesses are defaulting to iPad since it's the biggest name in town. This comes with some serious disadvantages - in particular, price and inflexibility. If Microsoft can cater to these markets, even moreso than the home market, they may be able to carve a niche for themselves.
However, I think it's pretty stupid that they didn't announce the price with the product. Now there's just a ton of speculation that it's going to undercut the iPad. If it doesn't meet these expectations, it's going to disappoint a lot of potential customers.
So when does Apple play catch up and create a version of the iPad that runs full Mac software and not just apps?
I have a Kindle Fire that I purchased as an e-reader/Amazon media consumption device. I would never buy an iPad because of the devices app based software system. An iPad form factor device that runs full windows software??? That is something I would buy and depending on the graphic power I could see installing Steam on it.
Why does a tablet that behaves like a laptop appeal to you? With full applications, wouldn't you prefer to just have a hardware keyboard, mouse, the whole works?
An app based system for tablets just make sense. They're a niche device (that due to marketing, everybody thinks they must have)
^^^ Full PCs are actually going to be the niche devices soon. iPads are outselling the largest PC sales (Dell). God knows what smartphone sales look like in comparison to PC, but Ive read their sales are expected to be over a billion per year soon.
Theres no catch up to be played, as the market is shifting exactly where Apple is planning (mobility and ease of use). They're essentially way ahead of the game, as other companies arent really grasping that more traditional operating system devices are basically completely undesirable on a large scale. The gap is only going to widen, too, cause MS insists on keeping good relations with Intel and holds on tightly to x86/64 (the Surface models are split between arm and x86/64)... which means they'll always be lightyears behind in mobile application development.
So when does Apple play catch up and create a version of the iPad that runs full Mac software and not just apps?
They're going the opposite direction. OS X is going to become a fancy version of iOS! They know their users want to be coddled, so they are playing to their market.
As a Mac user, I've got to say that the one thing I regret about switching to Android is that my iPhone just synched photos, contacts, calendars, etc automatically when I plugged it in. Sure, there's some corporate shenanigans and lock-in going on, but even on Windows, Android doesn't just "work" when plugged in. Does Windows Phone?
I miss plugging in my phone to charge and having all the photos I'd taken that day just load into iPhoto without thinking about it.
Anyway, that's off topic.
Tablets only have ease-of-use going for them when you're consuming media or doing light convenience tasks. They fall down completely for any sort of productive work. There will be a market for laptops/notebooks for a long time.
Well, netbooks are pretty much already dead. Android probably had a bigger hand in that than iOS. And right, that's certainly where tablets excel, but thats the vassssttt majority of computer use.
Also, "productive work" is super duper relative, and I'd imagine you mean "productive computer work." I do sound and lighting, and I use my smartphone/iPad to wirelessly control my theater's lighting rig, making working on stage about 100 times easier than if I was using my full lighting board or a PC (I can turn lights on and off when I'm 30ft off the ground). Other times I use a sound analyzing app to target feedback frequencies. Also use the camera to save pictures directly into the lighting notes I'm taking. All stuff that would be super annoying with a PC.
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I'm not sure if they'd try to get in either the gaming or server/back-end markets, because it means converting existing Windows/Linux based eco-systems, and it might just not be that profitable? I think their hardware will always stay good enough for current professional video and graphic design work, but they'll always be behind on the other hardware intensive markets. So yeah, I do think they'll be for niche markets, but like everything except browsing the internet, playing basic games, and listening to music is basically a niche computing market anyhow. There really isn't a market for beastly computers than can do literally any task any more.
Also interestingly enough, Cook made it pretty clear that they're interested in post-PC tech in the iPad keynote:
9:59AM - “I’d like to get started by talking about the post-PC revolution, and Apple is at the forefront of leading this revolution.”
9:59AM - “We’re talking about a world where the PC is no longer the center of your digital world, but is just another device. The devices you use the most are more portable, more personal, and dramatically easier to use than any PC has ever been.”
http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/default.aspx
OK, so far so good...
I've heard there's a planned Intel version that will run native Windows apps. To me, that's a classic example of not understanding the use case for a device. A tablet is not a laptop.
Based on the initial specs (i5 Ivy Bridge processor), the Surface should be able to compete with the Air, yet allow you to switch over to the tablet interface when you want to use it as your handheld entertainment device. I don't see the fail here.
Not saying its going to be bad or anything, cause I dunno, but building a single device to try to cover multiple computing needs is just a bad idea w/ the shape of electronics and the consumer markets these days.
e: To be more clear, there is crossover between the two groups, in that it's likely a laptop/desktop computer buyer will also buy some kind of mobile smartphone/tablet device, but it doesnt go the other way (as mobile sales dwarf laptop/desktop sales), so a crossover device will logically be limited by the smaller consumer market.
However, I think it's pretty stupid that they didn't announce the price with the product. Now there's just a ton of speculation that it's going to undercut the iPad. If it doesn't meet these expectations, it's going to disappoint a lot of potential customers.
I have a Kindle Fire that I purchased as an e-reader/Amazon media consumption device. I would never buy an iPad because of the devices app based software system. An iPad form factor device that runs full windows software??? That is something I would buy and depending on the graphic power I could see installing Steam on it.
An app based system for tablets just make sense. They're a niche device (that due to marketing, everybody thinks they must have)
Theres no catch up to be played, as the market is shifting exactly where Apple is planning (mobility and ease of use). They're essentially way ahead of the game, as other companies arent really grasping that more traditional operating system devices are basically completely undesirable on a large scale. The gap is only going to widen, too, cause MS insists on keeping good relations with Intel and holds on tightly to x86/64 (the Surface models are split between arm and x86/64)... which means they'll always be lightyears behind in mobile application development.
I miss plugging in my phone to charge and having all the photos I'd taken that day just load into iPhoto without thinking about it.
Anyway, that's off topic.
Tablets only have ease-of-use going for them when you're consuming media or doing light convenience tasks. They fall down completely for any sort of productive work. There will be a market for laptops/notebooks for a long time.
Netbooks are gonna die off, I think. Soon.
Also, "productive work" is super duper relative, and I'd imagine you mean "productive computer work." I do sound and lighting, and I use my smartphone/iPad to wirelessly control my theater's lighting rig, making working on stage about 100 times easier than if I was using my full lighting board or a PC (I can turn lights on and off when I'm 30ft off the ground). Other times I use a sound analyzing app to target feedback frequencies. Also use the camera to save pictures directly into the lighting notes I'm taking. All stuff that would be super annoying with a PC.