I’m psyched about Leopard. I’ve been using it since WWDC 2006 (nearly full time since WWDC 2007), and it is the real deal. However, I’d be lying if I said it was perfect. Apple did an amazing job with Leopard, but there are still a few areas where I can’t help but be let down. Here they are, in no particular order.
1. No Finder Tabs. Safari’s had them from the start. iChat and the Terminal got them in Leopard. But still no tabs for the Finder. All of the other improvements to the Finder are welcomed, but the lack of tabs has me disappointed. Did Apple (or Steve) feel that tabs would confuse some people in the Finder? Why not make it an optional setting, like it is in all three apps that currently have tabs?
2. Still no frickin’ FTP from the Finder. Sure, you can mount an FTP share and browse it. But you can’t write to it. This bug (or feature, depending upon who you ask) has been present in Mac OS X since the beginning. I’ve filed a bug on it for every major OS release. Each time, some one makes like it is the first time they’ve heard about it. My guess is that Apple intentionally cripples FTP in the Finder, making .Mac seem all that more attractive. Sorry Apple, I’m not buying it (.Mac) anymore.
3. No ZFS read/write support. I guess Leopard is getting ZFS read support, but not write support.
4. Finder Icons. Someone in the UI department must have successfully pleaded their case that creating a unique, full color icon for each Finder item was way too time consuming. Badging icons with a single color, embossed icon clearly reduces the time it takes to produce the icon. It also reduces readability and is a big step backwards from the icons in Tiger. Thank god for CandyBar.
5. Appearance, Desktop and Screen Saver. Two separate items in the System Preferences, yet they all deal with Appearance. Consolidate them in to one item (with three tabs). Again, something that should have been done 5 years ago.
6. Sound effects. We’ve been using the same system alert sound effects since 10.0. They are in desperate need of an update.
7. The Dock. I have to say, I actually like the 3D look of the Dock. However, it does not work when positioned on the left and right hand sides of the screen. Additionally, it would be nice to have a few extra options for the Dock, like the ability to change the color of the highlight dot, or to revert to the previous, plain jane Dock, for those who aren’t fans of the 3D shelf look. Update: Apple apparently has fixed this in the GM build of Leopard. Go Apple!
8. Mail, and the lack of a formatting bar when composing an email. We don’t need anything fancy, but for those composing RTF emails, it would be nice to have RTF formatting options front and center. Give us the same formatting bar that you get inside TextEdit (styles, alignment, spacing, lists) and all will be forgiven.
9. iChat. I have a couple of issues with the updated iChat. First off, while it was nice to gain GTalk support, it would have been just as nice to get Yahoo! Messenger support. MSN would have been a bonus (although I can understand Apple wanting to leave it out).
Additionally, iChat’s interface when using multiple accounts is ridiculous. I’m forced to have completely separate lists of users for each account? So, if I have AIM, .Mac, GTalk, and Jabber (which I do), I have four Windows open of buddy lists. Why can’t this be consolidated to one Window, ala Adium?
10. iChat/PhotoBooth/ScreenSavers. The WWDC 2007 build of Leopard featured some really cool effects for iChat/PhotoBooth/ScreenSavers that were removed form later builds. For example, there was a Star Wars-esque “hologram” effect that was super cool for iChat/PhotoBooth. There was a “security” screen saver that took pics from your iSight while you were away from your computer. I was sad to see them go, especially the hologram effect, as it was one of the main ones we used at WWDC.
Category: News
Apple’s been firing on all cylinders for about 5 years now. It has transformed itself from a “beleaguered” computer company, in to a money making consumer electronics powerhouse. It has taken it’s perceived weaknesses – proprietary OS, non-conformist hardware designs – and turned them in to pillars of strength. Apple now has more than twice the market cap of Dell. In short, they are doing everything right and being handsomely rewarded for it.
Anyone who follows Apple remembers the late 90′s when Steve returned and killed the Mac OS clone market. It made sense at the time. The original contracts set a very low price for the OEMs to buy Mac OS from Apple, and the cloners made boxes that significantly undercut Apple in price. It was not a good deal for Apple at the time.
Flash forward to 2007. Apple is in great financial condition. They have strong sustained business in their iPod and iPhone divisions. Mac shipments are way up, as are pre-orders of the next release of OS X, Leopard. Microsoft, in contrast, has had a harder time with Vista adoption than they would have liked. Sales of Vista are OK, but it isn’t driving sales of new PC hardware like their OEMs had expected. Many PC users are looking at alternatives because of Vista’s high hardware requirements and restrictive licensing terms.
Which brings me to my question: Is now the perfect time for Apple to license Mac OS X to other hardware vendors?
Think about it. Apple isn’t solely reliant upon its Mac business, as it was back in 1999. Mac OS X already runs on Intel processors. Public perception of Microsoft and Vista, in particular are at an all time low.
Apple could tackle cloning in a number of different ways. The most unlikely way would be form Apple to simply sell an unlocked version of the Mac OS that would run on any vanilla x86 hardware. I say this in the most unlikely scenario because 1) it would require a huge effort on Apple’s part to craft/test/QA drivers for hardware components/configurations that are beyond their current offerings and 2) Apple would still probably like to ensure that the OS X “experience” is as controlled and pleasant for consumers as possible.
A more likely scenario would be Apple bringing on a couple of “partners”, like HP and Dell, who would build machines with a specific hardware spec. In this regard, Apple could charge a premium for the OS license, and they could further extend the reach of OS X. Additionally, every new OS X customer out there would also be a potential customer for Apple’s other software – iLife, iWork, Logic, Final Cut Pro, Aperture and more. Whatever Apple lost on the hardware sale, they would have plenty of options to make it back on the additional sales of their consumer/professional applications.
The biggest risk with the cloning scenario is that clone sales would undercut Mac sales. I believe that so long as Apple controls who does the cloning, and what cloning products are produced, reduced sales of Macs would be minimal.
Apple currently has one Mac under $1000 – and that is the Mac mini. Apple’s actions have clearly dictated that they do not believe competing with low cost PCs is in their best interest. The Mac mini serves little more purpose than to deny nay sayers ammunition to call Apple’s products “over priced”. What if Apple ceded the sub-$1000 market entirely to clones from Dell and HP? Neither of these companies have bettered Apple’s designs in the portable market. So it is safe to assume that Apple would probably not see diminished sales in the portable market. The iMac is a thing of beauty that no one (not even Gateway with their Uno machine) has been able to replicate. And Apple has positioned their Mac Pro as a workstation powerhouse, that while expensive, is still competitive with other workstation offerings from Dell and HP.
So, Apple brings in HP and Dell as partners to sell low cost consumer desktop CPUs in the $500-$999 range. What does Apple gain in this?
Well, by having another hardware vendor for the Mac OS, Apple suddenly becomes an option in many places it never was. Many Government agencies are prevented from buying Macs solely because they need to receive at least two competing quotes on hardware purchases. This same practice is prevalent at many corporations as well.
Additionally, Apple expands Mac OS share well beyond what they can do as one company. As Mac OS market share expands, so will sales of Mac software, hardware and peripherals. As Mac OS market share expands, Microsoft’s market share decreases.
Personally, I believe Apple is headed for a situation where they will add hardware partners who can sell Mac OS X desktop CPUs. I don’t believe this will happen under Steve Jobs though. He has long shown a disdain for the cloning market. However, Steve Jobs can’t run Apple forever. At his age, he could have anywhere from 5-12 years left in him as CEO. With his string of successes, Apple is his to run as long as he likes (or as long as he’s successful). But Jobs isn’t a materialistic person. As he ages, with his list of successes, he will eventually choose to retire and enjoy his family.
When this happens, you will probably see Apple do an about face on many of their positions. It would not surprise me to see them send in the clones under these circumstances.
Category: News
I’ve owned quite a few iPods (at least five to date). Many people complain about the iPod headphones. I’ve never been overly enthusiastic about them, but they did the job and sounded decent enough. The iPhone headphones are essentially the same as the iPod headphones, with a microphone/clicker on the right side wire, about 5 inches from the earbud. The micrphone/clicker is about half an inch long, and protrudes from the wire.
When wearing the headphones, you will notice that if you turn your head to the left or right, and you are wearing a shirt with a collar, that the microphone/clicker routinely gets snared on the collar. The reason I say they are defective by design is this: After several months of usage, that constant snaring takes a toll on the wiring in the ear bud connection. Eventually, it will short out, and ultimately, it will stop producing audio altogether.
Obviously, I’ve experienced this problem personally. Normally I wouldn’t care too much, except that because Apple made the headphone jack non-standard on the iPhone, I can’t just replace the included headphones with a new set (the market has changed – see below). I’m not interested in an adapter either, as I would lose the microphone and clicker (one of the coolest things about the iPod functionality in an iPhone).
So I called Apple Technical Support about a replacement. I am, after all, still under warranty. At first the nice lady said no problem. They would need a credit card number, just in case I didn’t return my defective pair. This was not a problem for me.
However, as we were wrapping up the call, she informed me that I would have to take the ‘phones to an Apple Retail store for the swap. There are a couple near me (within 30 miles), but frankly, I don’t have the time to drive down there, wait for a Genius, and drive back. I’m kind of stunned that Apple is making me jump through this hoop for a replacement pair.
So, sometime this weekend, I’ll be pulling my grumpy self in to an Apple Store for a replacement pair. Hopefully I won’t be made to wait too long.
Side note – I looked around for some 3rd party replacement ‘phones, and found a set for $12.95 from HD Accessories. I don’t have high hopes for them, but I’ll let everyone know if they are worthy of their price.
Category: Opinion,Reviews
Did you hear that? It’s the sound of thousands of Mac developers breathing a sigh of relief. Apple has today stated that a true iPhone SDK will be coming in February 2008. From Steve’s communiqué:
Third Party Applications on the iPhone
Let me just say it: We want native third party applications on the iPhone, and we plan to have an SDK in developers’ hands in February. We are excited about creating a vibrant third party developer community around the iPhone and enabling hundreds of new applications for our users. With our revolutionary multi-touch interface, powerful hardware and advanced software architecture, we believe we have created the best mobile platform ever for developers.
It will take until February to release an SDK because we’re trying to do two diametrically opposed things at once—provide an advanced and open platform to developers while at the same time protect iPhone users from viruses, malware, privacy attacks, etc. This is no easy task. Some claim that viruses and malware are not a problem on mobile phones—this is simply not true. There have been serious viruses on other mobile phones already, including some that silently spread from phone to phone over the cell network. As our phones become more powerful, these malicious programs will become more dangerous. And since the iPhone is the most advanced phone ever, it will be a highly visible target.
Some companies are already taking action. Nokia, for example, is not allowing any applications to be loaded onto some of their newest phones unless they have a digital signature that can be traced back to a known developer. While this makes such a phone less than “totally open,” we believe it is a step in the right direction. We are working on an advanced system which will offer developers broad access to natively program the iPhone’s amazing software platform while at the same time protecting users from malicious programs.
We think a few months of patience now will be rewarded by many years of great third party applications running on safe and reliable iPhones.
Steve
P.S.: The SDK will also allow developers to create applications for iPod touch
Looks like the lack of a true IM client won’t be a problem this spring for iPhone owners.
Category: News
Leopard includes a few new open source underpinnings. Apple trumpets Ruby support in Leopard. Ruby is elevated beyond just a scripting language in Leopard, with a Ruby to Cocoa bridge available to developers in XCode.
Additionally, many open source packages have been updated to much newer versions in Leopard.
Apache: 2.2.6
Ruby: 1.8.6
Rails (New in Leopard): 1.2.3
Subversion (New in Leopard): 1.4.4
PHP: 5.2.4
Perl: 5.8.8
Python: 2.5.1
The one disappointment is that Apple didn’t include MySQL in Leopard (Apple utilizes SQLite for many database related tasks in the OS). However, many developers (especially those in Web Development) use MySQL for obvious reasons. It isn’t difficult to get MySQL running on OS X (there are several binary packages available). The reasons for its omission are obvious, as Apple touts MySQL inclusion as one of the features of Mac OS X Server.
Category: News
Apple has setup a page listing each and every one of the 300 features touted in Leopard. While many on this list are questionable as “new” for Leopard, there is one big one that Apple has left off of the list.
That boys and girls, is that iCal in Leopard finally sports a Dock icon that will correctly reflect the date.
Now, I’m wondering why Apple isn’t touting this as a new feature, considering it’s essentially been broken since iCal made its debut.
Category: News
The Apple Store (online) has been updated with information regarding Leopard. Mac OS X 10.5 “Leopard” will be released on Friday, October 26th at 6PM. Pre-orders are being taken now online, and will be delivered on Oct. 26th with free shipping.
Leopard contains over 300 new features, including Time Machine, QuickLook, Spaces, updated versions of Mail, Safari, and iChat, along with Bootcamp.
I’ve been beta testing Leopard since WWDC 2006. It has come a long way since that first public release. Apple has really outdone themselves. I’ve read in a few forums that some don’t feel Leopard offers a whole lot. I have a simple test I use to determine if any software upgrade is worthy. If after 1 week of using it, you are unable to go back to the previous version, it is worth it. Leopard is so good that, even in beta, I was unable to revert fully back to Tiger.
If you’d like to countdown to the release date with our own LeopardCountdown widget (whipped up in the new DashCode), please download it here.
Category: News
Dear Apple,
I have finally figured out a way for you to fix the Finder in Mac OS X, and do it for considerably less money than you are currently spending. Since you are fond of three step descriptions, I have used the format here in my suggestion.
Step 1: Fire the entire Finder development team. I’m sure they could be put to better use somewhere else inside the company.
Step 2: Assemble a new Finder team. First, bring on John Siracusa as a consultant. He, more than anybody else, I believe, understands the current Finder’s weaknesses. Next, hire Steve Gehrman, the genius behind Path Finder. Steve has done a better Finder all by himself than your entire team of developers has done. Finally, make sure Mike Matas handles all of the visuals.
Step 3: Give the new Finder team a simple mission statement that sounds like this:
Create a new Finder that appeals to both new users and professionals. Make it easy to use, extremely responsive, and extremely powerful. Make sure it has every feature the past Finder has had since its inception in 1984. If a feature must be dropped, a better idea must be implemented to achieve the same goal.
The only part of Leopard that I find a disappointment is the Finder. Is it better than the Finder in 10.4? Hell yes. Is it as good as it can possibly be? Hell no.
Jobs tried to pass the Finder off as a whole new Finder back at WWDC, but it isn’t. It is an evolution of the original Mac OS X Finder, with many improvements, and many more lingering bugs.
It’s time to get serious. Kill the Mac OS X Finder and assemble a small, ninja-flexible team to do the work that you have not been able to accomplish in 7 years.
Category: Opinion
People, this is getting out of hand. There will be no Newton revival at Apple. Sit back, take a deep breath, and repeat after me. The Newton is dead. The Newton is dead. Now, let’s review why there will never be another “Newton” product at Apple.
First, the Newton was the pet project for then CEO John Sculley. In case you’re not up on your Apple history, John Sculley is the CEO that fired Steve Jobs back in 1985. Steve Jobs hates John Sculley.
Second, the Newton as a product is irrelevant. Apple currently has a hand held device that usurps the Newton in every feature. It’s called the iPhone. Maybe you’ve heard of it.
Finally, I think it is safe to say that “iPhone” has much better name recognition now than “Newton”. Most people know about the iPhone, and most people associate iPhone with hip, cool, sleek and sexy. I don’t know about you, but when I hear “Newton”, I think of dark grey plastic, green monochrome screens, and terrible hand-writing recognition software (OK, it got better towards the end of the product). Why would Apple want to introduce a new product with that kiind of stigma attached to it?
They wouldn’t.
So please. Let it die already.
Category: iPhone,Opinion
Although Apple has publicly stated that they will not be offering new NBC content on iTunes in 2007, two new shows have popped up for sale. Both “Chuck” and “Journeyman” are available now on iTunes. “Chuck” is available as an individual episode and a Season Pass, while “Journeyman” is available only as a single episode.
New episodes of “Heroes”, which premiered on Monday 9/24, do not seem to be available on iTunes, as Apple had stated previously.
Why Apple caved on allowing two new NBC shows on iTunes, when last years big seller “Heroes” isn’t available, is anyone’s guess.
Category: iTunes
