On improving the daily slog through better technology….

Now, Apple has apparently been doing some work around a water-cooled laptop. This is hopefully going somewhere interesting.

I don’t really see the need or have the capacity to install another large box in my office – so I suspect that most new purchases for me and many other people will be laptops.  Problem is, as my main workhorse at the moment is a Dell XPS M1710. Loaded with 4GB of RAM, it’s almost sufficient for my needs.  It’s relatively fast, and has enough RAM to run a VPC if I have to. Mostly, I use the new ‘boot from VHD’ functionality in Windows 7 to choose which OS to run, and have a number of images sitting on VHD.  This allows me to work on any number of OS’s at native performance, while keeping all my docs etc on a separate partition.

The 2 things I would improve in this machine is:

1. An SSD (native PCI-express type like OCZ makes for PCs) which I assume will eventually be available on Expresscard for some ridiculous amount.
2. And a decent cooling solution.

The machine runs hot – way too hot.  Having it on the whole day means I don’t need to have central heating in my office.  Having two of these in an office turns it into a boiler room.  And the noise is just terrible.

So, if Apple (or anyone) actually makes a decent water-cooled laptop that runs cool and silent, I’ll be first in line.

And those Expresscard SSDs – I’ll take 2 !

Zune HD – What would REALLY be better than iPhone….

So – rumours are all around that we’ll soon see a new Zune, and all those tales about the Zune dying or not being given new hardware was fake.

Well, there are some killer apps that the Zune could do with.  It already has software far superior to iTunes, so can they make the hardware and package irresistible?

First up, wireless sound – using Kleer, Bluetooth 3.0 or even audioengine.  It’s probably too late for Bluetooth 3.0, but let’s hope they have some plan.  This should not only be to the bundled headphones, but ideally include an adapter to connect to your stereo.

Just think, sitting on your couch, browsing the Zune marketplace and playing anything directly to your stereo courtesy of your Zune pass without wires.  Now that’s something to dream about!

Oh, and they could throw in a wireless power charger like the palm pre :)

Apple endangers the MIX

Joe Wilcox thinks OS 3.0 will kill Mix09.  But if we get Silverlight on the iPhone, maybe that helps a little?

What if all developers working on Silverlight apps (and WPF .Net apps) can suddenly target both iPhone and Windows phones?  Or even just the iPhone? How’s that for a START?

Silverlight on the iPhone? Time for some speculation....

Let's review what we know:

• Apple is opening up the iPhone (and iPod Touch) to all developers.  To quote Steve Jobs:

"We want native 3rd party apps on the iPhone"

• Microsoft showed a demo of Silverlight running on a Windows Mobile device at last year's Mix in 'Vegas.  Ongoing comments from various developers have shown that there will be a mobile release for Silverlight - but no-one has commented on when or how this will happen.
• I asked Scott Guthrie at Mix in London whether Silverlight would be available on the iPhone, to which he replied that Apple was not allowing 3rd party apps on the phone.  Clearly, that's changed.
• Silverlight is Microsoft's first real attempt to have true cross platform development.  They're even supporting the Moonlight initiative.
• Also demo'd at Mix in London was a Silverlight app that didn't require the browser to run...
• We also know that Apple is willing to work with Microsoft, as we have Silverlight on Safari already

Now - what can we gather from this.  Put aside the Microhoonanigans for a while, in which Microsoft is desperately trying to revive an online strategy and be relevant...

If they could convince Apple to allow them onto the iPhone, it seems they have a much bigger slice of a much bigger pie.

Scoble is already speculating that Google is quite happy to let Microsoft and Yahoo fight it out, as they have their eyes on the real prize - mobile apps.

Generally speaking - the market for mobile applications are still in it's infancy, but you already have a situation where most people have more than one phone - so the potential is huge.

So, can Microsoft pull this off?  More importantly, is anyone in the big house even thinking that this is strategically important?  You would think so - given their recent win with Sony Ericsson.  If not - that's why they're making desperate bids for Flickr...

This will be a great start in effectively countering Google's Android.

Of course - only time will tell, but what if it were true....

I keep thinking I complain too much...

I buy a new laptop roughly every two years.  As we don't get a new OS release every two years, there tends to be only one thing that drives me to do this - PERFORMANCE!

I get fundamentally frustrated when applications and OSses don't behave the way they should.  Having to wait a few several seconds on my blazing fast brand new Dell XPS with 2GB of RAM, seems stupid - what did I spend all that money for?

Obviously, there are a number of key culprits to this - primarily  things like Outlook.  But I'm not convinced I can or should blame Outlook for all my problems.  While Outlook may be a resource hog, it's by no means the only culprit.  And I refuse to take the line blaming Microsoft for all the world's software ills, because

1. I run some EXCELLENT Microsoft software on a daily basis.  I'm typing this using Live Writer, and I can honestly say it's one of the frostiest bit of code I've used recently.
2. Most companies make software that annoy me, with Adobe very high on the list :)  Acrobat Reader is like a crash waiting to happen... 
(see the comments in this scoble post)

I spent last night looking at a bit of demo code from Microsoft, showing developers how to implement a WPF client for RSS feeds.  What I found interesting frustrating is that while the layout is really cool, and the app looks beautiful, the behaviour is just plain BAD!  Using the system is non-intuitive, and doesn't lend itself to a great user experience.

This is disappointing as the goal of the demo starter kit is specifically to show how you can create user experiences using WPF that are incrementally better than those you experience in a browser.

The sample does a great job of showing off the excellent layout and screen reading system in WPF, but at the same time does a horrible job of making it usable.

So the question is:

"Does this happen because Microsoft and developers in general doesn't care about user experiences enough?  Is Apple the only company that focuses on this?"

One of the fantastic things about the iPhone is that amazing responsiveness of the touch interface.  Now, how is it wrong of me to expect a more responsiveness from a computer with at least 10 times the processing power and memory?

How can we force developers to take responsiveness into account when developing apps?  Have they all become so used to a massive amount of available memory and processing power that they assume the hardware should solve there performance issues?

That may have turned into a bit of a rant but it truly annoys me.  I'll call this part 1, and follow up examining performance in more detail in a future post.

Air of Vista?

Vista in an envelope?

The MacBook Air gets a review over at Ars Technica, and reviewer Jacqui Cheng has a horrible time of it.  Remember those problems with Vista where it's al but impossible to transfer files across the network?  Well, it looks like the McAir is suffering the same problems.

To quote Jacqui :

"Well, my patience lasted about five hours. Five hours later, the transfer still had not started, because the Air still had not calculated the amount of time it would take."

That pretty much sums up my own experiences with copying files in Vista, so I wonder is somehow Microsoft and Apple have started sharing code?  Or maybe just bugs....

Ms Cheng goes on to complain about performance, with a full set of benchmarks available. One of the main culprits here seems to be the 4200rpm drive.  As noted before, we're really waiting for those first SSD reviews.  She plans to write a follow up as soon as those SSD numbers become available.

She does have a number of very good things to say about build,d quality, how pleasant the form factor and weight is, etc.

Overall, I suspect it's going to be up to individual users.  Regardless of how hard you try, a reviewer cannot get or give a true picture of a machine unless you use it as your main machine for at least a month or so.  Some will like it, some will hate it.  But will it become a true icon like some Macs of the past?  We'll have to wait and see.

MacBook Air

Engadget has plenty of good to say about the McAir, with the main gripe being the non-replaceable battery.  Still, the McAir comes off as a beautiful machine that should suit a large number of users.  Whether it will become the iPod of laptops as they suggest, we can only wait and see.

The main missing ingredient to all these reviews, is that we still don't have any info showing the performance and battery life of the SSD version.

We're waiting with bated breath...

The full review can be found here.

MacBook Air Reviews

Reviews for the McAir are starting to pop up, with my favorite quote so far from Walt Mossberg, the Wall Street Journal's respected technology / gadget columnist.  He says:

"It's impossible to convey in words just how pleasing and surprising this computer feels in the hand. It's so svelte when closed that it's a real shock to discover the big screen and keyboard inside."

He does go on to mention some of the compromises made by Steve & Co to produce this small wonder, but that will only put off certain classes of users.  He mentions frequent travellers as an example, but the main problem he sites is the lack of a replaceable battery.  Surely it must be possible to have an external battery working through the MagSafe connector?  That will solve that problem.

Additionally, I really don't use the optical drive on my notebook (a hefty Dell XPS) very often, and would happily go without.  Al programs I need are available on the network / web.

The key figures I'm waiting for though, are benchmarks that show the battery life improvement and performance improvement of using the SSD (solid-state drive).  The lack of moving parts should help the battery, and seek / load times should be faster, but no info has been released yet.

Another excellent quote comes from David Pogue, occasional columnist for the New York Times.  He says:

"It's a stunningly beautiful aluminum slab, three-quarters of an inch thick. Its edges are beveled to look even thinner. When it's on a table, you might mistake this laptop for a placemat."

and

"But for anyone who shares Apple's admiration for elegance, the trade-off is worth it. This laptop's cool aluminum skin and smooth edges make it ridiculously satisfying to hold, carry, open and close. You can't take your eyes or your hands off it."

Personally, I can't wait to get my hands on one, even though I've been a long-standing Microsoft supporter.  This thing is just too darn sexy :) 

The WSJ review can be found here.

The NYT comments can be found here.

Technorati Tags: McAir,MacBook Air,MagSafe,Walt Mossberg

iPhone sales fall short of O2 target

According to FT, iPhone sales have fell short of targets for the 1st two months.  Granted, that's only by 10 000, but most people (me included), expected actual sales to be  350K - 400K.  Will this get Apple to cut the UK price?

FT.com / Home UK / UK - iPhone sales fall short of O2 target

Technorati Tags: Apple,iPhone

Air

The McAir is certainly a dream worth talking about. I find it absolutely ludicrous that a number of idiots people on the web are complaining about it, claiming it's not useful, doesn't have enough features, not light enough etc...

Bottom line, this thing looks incredible, and it's great that someone finally decided to get rid of the optical drive. The whiners need to realise that Jobs & Co do a few things very well - and great design is one of those things.

Now, you can of course argue that the design is not all there is, or that it's not perfect for you or your needs, but face it - it will appeal to LOADS of people.

What I can't figure out, is why Steve seems to be the only one on the planet that's figured out that beautiful (useful) things will sell better than ugly things, as he keeps repeating this little trick and no-one else even comes close.