Not only will Apple remove it but hackers will absolutely find a way around it. I guarantee both the lockdown and the jailbreak.
So what you're saying is that you predict that an attempt at DRM will be defeated by hordes of dedicated nerds?
I bet that the sun will rise tomorrow. But wait, I'll go one step further. I also bet that it will set tomorrow. Is anyone brave enough to take my bet?
EDIT: I also echo the slippery slope sentiment. I mean, you're right - they could go there. But you're saying "I TOLD YOU SO! I WAS RIGHT BECAUSE THEY COULD GO THERE!" That's the definition of the slippery slope fallacy.
Hardly a prediction that one of the major operating systems in the world will become a walled garden in the near future? That's a big deal. That changes the landscape fundamentally.
Apple also has a history of getting media companies to do what Apple wants, and they have a huge monetary incentive for weakening the recording and film industry's grasp on media rights. As their sales grow and their device ecosystem becomes even tighter, they'll basically be able to wield access to their customer base as massive clout over media companies' heads.
Apple also has a history of removing technologies they want to drop if it fits in with their revenue model -- going all the way back to dropping floppies with the 3.5" iMac. They do, however, often keep transitional technologies around just long enough to get people to move only to drop it later. Examples:
"Classic" support for Mac OS 9 and earlier on OS X. Dropped with the port to Intel (although this may have been a legitimate technical reason as it did require some 68k to PowerPC emulation that they probably didn't want to rewrite)
"Carbon": an API that was (at least on 32-bit machines) source and binary compatible on both OS 9 and OS X. Deprecated when they moved to 64-bit since they never ported the API to 64-bit
"Rosetta": PowerPC emulation on Intel. Dropped with OS X Lion
The ability to run non-App Store apps is probably another transitionary feature to get people to jump to the App Store model as it'll become more and more annoying for people to install non-App Store apps. Once the App Store reaches a certain critical mass (i.e., probably once Adobe CS and MS Office are being sold on there), they'll probably pull the plug on non-App Store apps.
I think you guys are being alarmist, and I think the option to disable Gatekeeper isn't going away anytime soon. I think this is a feature introduced for the lowest common denominator. The same people who need those warnings on Windows every time a program tries to access the internet. Maybe I'm an optimist. On the other hand, maybe you guys are crazy conspiracy theorists.
Perhaps. But I do remember being a little wary when the original MacBook Air came out and had a non-removable battery. I have had many problems with Apple batteries (one almost exploded in my laptop), and was concerned that it would spread to the other laptops. In 2009 my suspicions were proven right. That was when they announced the unibody MacBook Pros, and announced a new, even better battery! That would have to be removed by an official Apple service provider on top of the cost of a replacement battery. Not to mention batteries are considered by Apple to be consumable and ideally you should buy a new one every year (Yes, they really think that, according to the repair shop I go to). In the past, I've gotten batteries that lasted more than a year, and I don't know what they were thinking.
I have a copy of CS5. It is not going to be signed because it is older software. I was concerned that the new iMacs (it's that time of year again, -_-) might ditch the optical drive. I've been wondering if I should switch to Windows. This makes me a bit nervous, and I'm now at a loss, because switching to Windows would mean upgrading CS5 sooner than I wanted too (because I only have a Mac license). Is it a bit paranoid? Maybe. But knowing the track record with the battery, I'm not sure I want to find out.
Hardly a prediction that one of the major operating systems in the world will become a walled garden in the near future? That's a big deal. That changes the landscape fundamentally.
Hasn't Apple been sort of a walled garden for the majority of its existence? There is certainly cross-platforming, but the Apple experience has always been fairly isolated from the rest of computing experiences. The actual walling off would still be a big deal, but the foundation was dug a long time ago.
I guess I just always saw that as being the goal of Apple. When a company does everything they can to offer you their wares as a fully integrated experience, what they're really trying to do is get you into a position where you only use their stuff and become dependent on it. Scientific supply companies do it all the time.
Perhaps. But I do remember being a little wary when the original MacBook Air came out and had a non-removable battery. I have had many problems with Apple batteries (one almost exploded in my laptop), and was concerned that it would spread to the other laptops. In 2009 my suspicions were proven right. That was when they announced the unibody MacBook Pros, and announced a new, even better battery! That would have to be removed by an official Apple service provider on top of the cost of a replacement battery. Not to mention batteries are considered by Apple to be consumable and ideally you should buy a new one every year (Yes, they really think that, according to the repair shop I go to). In the past, I've gotten batteries that lasted more than a year, and I don't know what they were thinking.
Apple batteries are often too large to be user replaceable (like take up a significant portion of the device's size), and are integrated into the unibody industrial design, which is why their products can be so tightly built. Take a look at a Macbook Air teardown.
The recommendation is also for like 1000 cycles, which yes is about 1 year of time @ 8hrs battery life if you never run on AC power and completely discharge your battery every 8 hours or so, but will realistically last a couple of years. It's also like $120 for a replacement, which is comparable to other replacement batteries.
Serious question: What do you need an optical drive for anymore?
X-plane ships on 9 dual layer DVDs. Enough said. :P
Hasn't Apple been sort of a walled garden for the majority of its existence? There is certainly cross-platforming, but the Apple experience has always been fairly isolated from the rest of computing experiences. The actual walling off would still be a big deal, but the foundation was dug a long time ago.
They backshifted from this in the OS X and even early iMac days to an extent -- I mean, instead of using Apple Desktop Bus, they switched to industry standard USB for keyboards and mice. They were all about open standards on OS X, but that was partly because it was the only way they could get traction when they were so small in the market. Now that their market share is growing -- especially with wanting to tie people in to using their iOS devices, they can wall things in again.
Apple batteries are often too large to be user replaceable (like take up a significant portion of the device's size), and are integrated into the unibody industrial design, which is why their products can be so tightly built. Take a look at a Macbook Air teardown.
The recommendation is also for like 1000 cycles, which yes is about 1 year of time @ 8hrs battery life if you never run on AC power and completely discharge your battery every 8 hours or so, but will realistically last a couple of years. It's also like $120 for a replacement, which is comparable to other replacement batteries.
Too large to be user replaceable? What does that mean? There are plenty of large batteries. I've had no trouble using large batteries. Hell, my car battery is larger, and that's user replaceable. How on earth could they not find a way to make it user replaceable? And yes, realistically a battery should last a couple of years. I never charge from empty. I always charge, regardless of how much battery life is left. Why, then, does it not last two years?
Sorry, I just can't wrap my head around "too large to be user replaceable." O_O
Too large to be user replaceable? What does that mean? There are plenty of large batteries. I've had no trouble using large batteries. Hell, my car battery is larger, and that's user replaceable. How on earth could they not find a way to make it user replaceable? And yes, realistically a battery should last a couple of years. I never charge from empty. I always charge, regardless of how much battery life is left. Why, then, does it not last two years?
Sorry, I just can't wrap my head around "too large to be user replaceable." O_O
It's relative. Your car battery is small compared to your car.
A chunk of your laptop that big shouldn't be removeable, that's poor design that weakens overall case durability and also means the computer couldn't be as slim as it is (removeable battery needs some kind of housing/ latching area).
The idea of a non-removable battery kind of sucks, but you have to admit that for a device as thin, light, and slick as the MacBook Air, it makes sense. Having it that integrated into the device makes the battery last longer and the whole machine sturdier.
A chunk of your laptop that big shouldn't be removable, that's poor design that weakens overall case durability and also means the computer couldn't be as slim as it is (removable battery needs some kind of housing/ latching area).
It seems like another case of design over function. If it causes that sort of issue, you shouldn't do it at all.Yes, making it removable would require making it bulkier. The MacBook Pro is supposed to be professional. It's in the name even. Professional suggests practical. That is not practical for a professional user. If I had known switching to OS X would mean that I would be forced to upgrade to this, I would have stuck with Windows.
The idea of a non-removable battery kind of sucks, but you have to admit that for a device as thin, light, and slick as the MacBook Air, it makes sense. Having it that integrated into the device makes the battery last longer and the whole machine sturdier.
For the MacBook Air, that makes sense. For a professional laptop, no.
I'll go in for $60 on George's side. In three years (as of today), you will still be able to install unsigned apps (after checking/unchecking the setting) on Apple computers.
I'll go in for $60 on George's side. In three years (as of today), you will still be able to install unsigned apps (after checking/unchecking the setting) on Apple computers.
Comments
I bet that the sun will rise tomorrow. But wait, I'll go one step further. I also bet that it will set tomorrow. Is anyone brave enough to take my bet?
EDIT: I also echo the slippery slope sentiment. I mean, you're right - they could go there. But you're saying "I TOLD YOU SO! I WAS RIGHT BECAUSE THEY COULD GO THERE!" That's the definition of the slippery slope fallacy.
But that's hardly even much of a prediction anyhow. Every single large business wants to be a monopoly.
- "Classic" support for Mac OS 9 and earlier on OS X. Dropped with the port to Intel (although this may have been a legitimate technical reason as it did require some 68k to PowerPC emulation that they probably didn't want to rewrite)
- "Carbon": an API that was (at least on 32-bit machines) source and binary compatible on both OS 9 and OS X. Deprecated when they moved to 64-bit since they never ported the API to 64-bit
- "Rosetta": PowerPC emulation on Intel. Dropped with OS X Lion
The ability to run non-App Store apps is probably another transitionary feature to get people to jump to the App Store model as it'll become more and more annoying for people to install non-App Store apps. Once the App Store reaches a certain critical mass (i.e., probably once Adobe CS and MS Office are being sold on there), they'll probably pull the plug on non-App Store apps.I have a copy of CS5. It is not going to be signed because it is older software. I was concerned that the new iMacs (it's that time of year again, -_-) might ditch the optical drive. I've been wondering if I should switch to Windows. This makes me a bit nervous, and I'm now at a loss, because switching to Windows would mean upgrading CS5 sooner than I wanted too (because I only have a Mac license). Is it a bit paranoid? Maybe. But knowing the track record with the battery, I'm not sure I want to find out.
I guess I just always saw that as being the goal of Apple. When a company does everything they can to offer you their wares as a fully integrated experience, what they're really trying to do is get you into a position where you only use their stuff and become dependent on it. Scientific supply companies do it all the time.
The recommendation is also for like 1000 cycles, which yes is about 1 year of time @ 8hrs battery life if you never run on AC power and completely discharge your battery every 8 hours or so, but will realistically last a couple of years. It's also like $120 for a replacement, which is comparable to other replacement batteries.
Sorry, I just can't wrap my head around "too large to be user replaceable." O_O
A chunk of your laptop that big shouldn't be removeable, that's poor design that weakens overall case durability and also means the computer couldn't be as slim as it is (removeable battery needs some kind of housing/ latching area).