Categories
Technology

Windows 8 Consumer Preview

I was going to write something big and profound about the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, but I just don’t have the heart to (plus, the danged OS isn’t even out yet). So, here are just some general thoughts on the current release:

  • It IS going to be confusing for people.
  • Metro has a lot to like.
  • I like that Microsoft is pushing forward here.
  • Why not just give the Metro portion it’s own, new name and make a clean break?
  • At least at the start, people will still expect Windows to be Windows and it is not.
  • We still haven’t seen any hardware.

After using Windows 8 even a little bit I think the major issue will be one of perception. This is Windows 8, not Microsoft Metro (or something else). It has been beaten to death, but perhaps a clean break in the OS naming would have done Microsoft more good because expectation would/could be reset by consumers to expect something new.

We’ll see how it all pans out, but that’s all I’ve got.

iPhone and 4G

AT&T 4G

With the iOS 5.1 update, an iPhone 4S attached to a HSPA+ network will display a little “4G” after the network provider name (in this case, AT&T). Before, it displayed “3G” instead.

This has put parts of the technology blogosphere into a tizzy (and what doesn’t these days) about this faux-controversy. Here are some facts at the moment:

  • No carrier has a 4G network … not one in the USA at least … by the definition of 4G. They are ALL marketing terms. There is stuff coming down the pipeline, but no one has launched a true 4G network.
  • 4G is AT&T’s marketing term for their HSPA+ network while 4G LTE is their marketing term for their LTE network.
  • Apple is making the distinction in its own software between 4G and 4G LTE on the iPad (which is their only device that supports 4G LTE).

Coverage Map

I think sometimes that people think Apple somehow can just walk into any board room and demand that a company do what it wants. AT&T is using 4G to define its HSPA+ network and that spills over into their coverage maps as well. If anything, using the marketing terms that AT&T has defined for their own network allows people to make a better-informed decision because they will know how their phone will perform in certain areas as defined by AT&T.

Yes, this is 3G technology and it would be better if Apple could just stick with labeling it as 3G and be done with it, but they are tied by what the carriers do and this time they needed to change the labeling to, perhaps, better server their customers.

The only people who really care about the change are those looking for something to complain about.

Categories
Life

Building Products

While I am not expert, I really liked the slides from Justin Searls’s presentation called The Mythical Team Month — obviously a riff off of The Mythical Man Month by Frederick Brooks.

This is my favorite slide:

How often are we just asking the wrong questions.

Categories
Business

The Money Will Follow

In the latest issue of Minnesota Business Magazine they have a profile on My Wonderful Life, a website for helping people plan funerals. It’s a quick look at the founders and focuses on their recent appearance on Shark Tank.

There is a quote that just bugs me to no end. Sue Kruskopf, one of the founders, is talking about the increase in traffic to their site after the airing of the Shark Tank episode.

Which proves we have an idea that people are looking for. Now the money will follow.

REALLY!?

NOW the money will follow? That way of thinking terrifies me. They have traffic, they have a site, yet they are not making money right now and it doesn’t sound like they have any idea what they are going to do to try and make money either. It is the same “get eyeballs first” mentality that plagues many of the Silicon Valley startups.

I was very disappointed after reading the whole thing.

Categories
Technology

The new Apple TV

I love my current Apple TV, and now Apple has announced its follow-up.

The Hardware

It looks the same. It feels the same. It IS the same … well, not quite.

Only notable changes are switching from a single-core A4 processor to a single-core A5 processor and the ability to output 1080p to the television. Of course, those two are related.

The A5, even with just a single-core, allows the Apple TV to now decode 1080p content and output it to the television. The 2nd generation Apple TV (the one I have) was only able to do the same for 720p content. So …

The Content

Apple has announced that movies and TV available on iTunes will now be available in 1080p (for free) for those who have purchased the old 720p versions. They are still updating all of their offerings (and some will be delayed because of other content and licensing deals), but that is good news.

iTunes in the Cloud

Apple also announced an expansion of their cloud offering by moving movies into the cloud as well. Now you can download (again) the movies you have purchased in the past. I believe you can also purchase new movies from your Apple TV without the need to work with iTunes on your Mac or PC. All good news.

There is also the iTunes Digital Copy as well, which will allow you to stream movies that you bought in the store. It is kind of like iTunes Match for Movies. Also, more good news.

The Software

The Apple TV (2nd generation) and the new Apple TV also get a complete refresh of the UI and software. It is far more “app like” and puts pretty much everything on equal footing. So far I’ve updated my Apple TV and I like it a lot better than the last version. The fact that it came as a free update to your Apple TV is really cool and further cements that the Apple TV is far more like an iOS device than the old, first-gen Apple TV.

Another update thrown out was to the iOS Remote application. The main addition is that you have controls for your iTunes Match library right within the application. It is a HUGE update as far as convenience goes when choosing music you have stored with iTunes Match.

Other Things and Conclusion

It is interesting to note that the Apple TV was brought into the iPad event even if it makes a lot of sense. The content updates were needed for the new iPad, but the Apple TV needed a slight refresh in order to take advantage.

More and more of Apple’s outlook on the importance of iCloud is coming into view, which is fun to see. The devices are becoming endpoints for the data which is stored by Apple … which is really, really nice. I don’t need to have a computer with my iTunes library awake to play music, I just play the music through iTunes Match. I don’t need to have a computer awake to watch a movie, I just watch the movie through my Apple TV.

These are good things.

It will be interesting to see if the Apple TV gets a boost in sales by getting more exposure from the higher-profile iPad event. Another thing to think about.

Also, thank goodness there was no Apple TV Set.