Oh God
Just when it was starting to quieten down a bit. Coincidence?
An avalanche of Apple rumors has hit, starring two upgraded iPads powered by ARM Cortex A9–based processors; an AMD-powered, cloud-centric Apple TV; and a redesigned, metal-backed, CDMA iPhone from Verizon that would break AT&T's subscriber-vexing exclusivity. While none of the rumors are entirely new, a Monday report by the …
Too bad the Verizon version won't be able to talk and web at the same time. That'll probably kill any likely hood of cellular Face Time. I can't wait to hear all the Verizon complaints once they get the iPhone. I'll stick with AT&T, they do good by me. Too many people are easily sheeped into "the other side of the fence"
The new smaller iPad will be available in black and white, will be called the iPad Nano and will finally feature a front facing video camera and a rear camera. This will link in nicely with location services to provide onscreen overlaid directions and information without requiring the bandwidth of a streetview-like download. It will also contain full phone functionality, but will (obviously) require a headset of some sort. The maxi iPad ('iPad classic') update will follow two months later.
Screen technology will be unchanged, as will the general look. No squaring off, no visible screws, and no external antennae.
This will coincide with the arrival of iOS4.5 - the most impressive piece of new UI functionality will be known as 'platelets', a clever cross between dashboard gadgets and popups. Why 'platelets'? Because you'll be able to drag them together, where they'll stick or coagulate - merging their respective UIs, collating, sharing and aggregating information whilst they're together and joined - becoming standalone again if dragged apart. The Stocks and Weather apps will finally return as platelets.
This will finally help to break the whole separate one app per screen model, an interesting circular trip back to the original Newtop soup days.
I'm just being pragmatic -- in the US, CDMA coverage is much better, and tends to be more reliable. Not just with Verizon, but with a lot of the regional carriers as well. The (analog or TDMA)->CDMA->EVDO upgrade path cost a lot less than (analog + TDMA)->GSM->UMTS->HSPA; Verizon not only has spent a lot but also got more "bang for their buck" than GSM competition.
As for simultaneous voice and data -- currently it doesn't work. But, the CDMA(1X) and EVDO technically can operate simultaneously, and Verizon plans to roll out tech to do so once there are any phones that can use it. As for FaceTime -- really? It really sets up a data connection, streams ONLY video, then sets up a seperate phone call for voice? I mean, maybe it does, but I can't think of any reason why it couldn't just run a single stream for data and voice, which would work fine on a CDMA phone as-is.
Wow, i feel my life being enrichened by Jobbs and his fab company with it's fab user experience products, even as I type.
Apple just make things better. Much more so than that nasty Microsoft bunch, whose products have made so many so unhappy, for so many years.
Does anyone really believe that a bunch of cglossy onsumer access products are going to change the world, apart form to reduce the already microscopic and shallow attention spans of many of their users.
Oh, got it - The iCloud is the answer. Silly me. Apple going to reinvent the global data centers next, then reinvigorate the world Stock Markets. They could probably solve the problem of 500m people in china living on less than $1500 a year income once they get iphone sales going behind the Red Curtain. A richer user experience does go such a long way.
Apple are riding high for sure. Getting arrogant? Maybe. But recent history is littered with over valued corporations whom then perculate to their true worths. Cisco and Msft spring to mind as leviathans who soared, but now glide with the rest.
Still, I fancy a 7" coffee table browser. Who wouldn't? But then only plebs would queue for one.
Exam question: The iPad/phone/mac are all the new Tech Messiahs. Discuss. You should highlight how many Messiahs you have followed in your answer,