Apple

Exchange Server for the Rest of Us?

After Apple's unveiling of MobileMe, touted as Exchange for the rest of us, I started wondering about the possibility of a potentially much more disruptive angle that Apple could take with the service(s).  What if Apple included all of the backend bits that power MobileMe into the next or some future version of Mac OS X Server?  What if any organization could roll out push email, contact and calendar to their entire workforce for only $999?  What if an organization could offer the same kick-ass web-based mail, address book and calendar applications that MobileMe users will have access to?  How many small and medium business would drop Windows and Exchange in a heartbeat to switch to OS X Server with these features?

WWDC Predictions Recap

Time to see how I did with my WWDC 2008 predictions.  Here goes:

3G iPhone

     Prediction: Although most "experts" seem to think this is a foregone conclusion, I can actually envision a reality where SJ does not give us new iPhone.  For some reason, I just have this feeling that it's not going to happen.  However, where there's smoke there's fire and there's an awful lot of smoke on this one.  If I had to bet my house on it, I'd say it will happen, but I won't be surprised at all if it doesn't.

     Result:  The longer the keynote went on the more confident I was getting that we were not going to be blessed with the iPhone 3G.  Ultimately, Steve gave everyone what they expected.  I sort of hedged my bets in my prediction.  I guess this one is a toss up.

Mac OS X 10.6 Preview  

     Prediction: Several stories popped up in the last couple weeks about the possible unveiling of Leopard's successor.  Early reports indicated that no new features would be included, but rather that it would focus on optimization and drop PowerPC support.  I think this sounds pretty plausible, but I'm going to do the rumor mill one better:  I think Apple will announce that they're taking Darwin—the open source core of OS X—to the next level.  When I say next level I mean run on generic X86 hardware.  I'm not saying that they're going to start selling OS X for any old PC, but I think they've seen enough interest from the "scene" to be willing to meet half way.  This one is crazy and has no chance of happening, but if it does you heard it here first.

     Result:  Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" was indeed introduced, but little was shared with the world.  Details have started to leak out a bit, but for the most part, we don't know a whole lot about it.  Of course, if they would have made as bold a move as I had predicted, word would have surely leaked by now.  I guess this one is a toss up, too.

.Mac Refresh  

     Prediction: This really needs to happen if not tomorrow then as soon as humanly possible.  Over the air syncing for iPhones should be the absolute minimum update to the service.  If not, subscribers are going to drop .Mac really fast.  I'd love to see a whole lot more, but, frankly, the service has never gotten the full attention of Apple at any time during its life and I'm afraid that's not going to change...yet.  Hope I'm wrong on this one.

     Result:  Sure enough, Apple came through with a complete rebranding of .Mac named MobileMe.  Over the air syncing for iPhones, Macs and PCs was part of the announcement, just like I had hoped.  Honestly, it was more than I thought we would get.  I can't wait for the service to be rolled out.  I'll say I nailed this one.

Mystery Device  

     Prediction: Isn't this a rumor before every Stevenote?  Uber-portable Macs have been predicted for almost as long as I've been alive.  While I can see a hardware refresh or two, I can't see a completely new device announcement tomorrow; not at WWDC.  Now, Macworld in January is a different story...

     Result:  No mystery device, as predicted.  I fully expect something to be announced at MacWorld in January.  I was right about this, but it was an easy call.

All in all, the keynote went about as I expected.  I'm really excited about iPhone 3G and MobileMe and the AppStore.  This summer should be a good one for Mac fan boys.

WWDC 2008 Predictions

Image via Wikipedia

It's time for the obligatory "predictions-on-the-eve-of-a-big-Apple-event" post.  Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference gets started tomorrow morning and the interwebs has been buzzing for some time now about Steve Job's keynote to kick things off.  Rumors have been flying furiously for weeks now about a new iPhone with 3G capabilities to complement the new iPhone 2.0 software already unveiled in March.  All of the usual suspects have weighed in with their predictions; some more aggressive than others.  Here are my predictions for tomorrow's big event:

3G iPhone:  Although most "experts" seem to think this is a foregone conclusion, I can actually envision a reality where SJ does not give us new iPhone.  For some reason, I just have this feeling that it's not going to happen.  However, where there's smoke there's fire and there's an awful lot of smoke on this one.  If I had to bet my house on it, I'd say it will happen, but I won't be surprised at all if it doesn't.

Mac OS X 10.6 Preview:  Several stories popped up in the last couple weeks about the possible unveiling of Leopard's successor.  Early reports indicated that no new features would be included, but rather that it would focus on optimization and drop PowerPC support.  I think this sounds pretty plausible, but I'm going to do the rumor mill one better:  I think Apple will announce that they're taking Darwin—the open source core of OS X—to the next level.  When I say next level I mean run on generic X86 hardware.  I'm not saying that they're going to start selling OS X for any old PC, but I think they've seen enough interest from the "scene" to be willing to meet half way.  This one is crazy and has no chance of happening, but if it does you heard it here first.

.Mac Refresh:  This really needs to happen if not tomorrow then as soon as humanly possible.  Over the air syncing for iPhones should be the absolute minimum update to the service.  If not, subscribers are going to drop .Mac really fast.  I'd love to see a whole lot more, but, frankly, the service has never gotten the full attention of Apple at any time during its life and I'm afraid that's not going to change...yet.  Hope I'm wrong on this one.

Mystery Device:  Isn't this a rumor before every Stevenote?  Uber-portable Macs have been predicted for almost as long as I've been alive.  While I can see a hardware refresh or two, I can't see a completely new device announcement tomorrow; not at WWDC.  Now, Macworld in January is a different story...

Possible Fix for iPhone Battery Problems

Having upgrading my original 1.0.2 version iPhone all the way up to version 1.1.4 and stopping at 1.1.1, 1.1.2 and 1.1.3 along the way, I noticed that the battery really seemed to drain much faster in versions 1.1.3 and 1.1.4 than it had using previous versions of the software.  I was perusing the hacktin0sh forums last night and stumbled upon a discussion where some were claiming that flashing a bootloader from version 3.9 to 4.6 helped return the iPhone's battery drain to its normal levels.  Because I recently used the dev team's fabulous pwnage tool, I had a copy of their bootloader flashing app, BootNeuter, on my phone.  Among other things, BootNeuter can upgrade and downgrade the iPhone bootloader to and from versions 3.9 and 4.6.  Without much hesitation, I fired up BootNeuter and "upgraded" to bootloader version 4.6.  The quick and painless process finished in only a few minutes after which I hard booted my iPhone.  Much to my surprise, my iPhone battery meter seems to not have even moved today.  Normally, it would have drained close to half just sitting idle.  It looks like it may have worked.  If you've experienced the dreaded 1.1.4 battery drain problem, give BootNeuter and 4.6 a shot.

The Morning After (Macworld)

After digesting yesterday's Stevenote, I decided to go way back—all the way to Christmas day—and revisit my predictions for the big event. Now, I'm not one to toot my own horn; and certainly a lot of what I predicted was already being buzzed about by the usual suspects. However, I do have to say I called a really nice shot on the Apple TV, but more on that later. Here's a recap of my predictions and my morning after analyses:

Prediction: Ultra-portable Notebook: Everyone seems to think this is a foregone conclusion. I'll buy it, although I don't see the love affair with a 13" notebook. It's got to have something special about it to set it apart from the Mac Book.

Morning After: Even though me and everyone else were expecting this, I think a lot of people were stunned at how thin and beautiful it turned out to be. I am amazed at what the industrial design team at Apple was able to pull off. I said that it would have to be special to set itself apart from the MacBook and it certainly is, in my humble opinion. Score one for me, and just about everyone else on the planet.

Prediction: iTunes Movie Rentals: I can definitely see this happening, although I think it may be a part of something bigger...

Morning After: Like the MacBook Air, this was widely predicted by most everyone who keeps up with the Mac Universe. However, I alluded to something bigger and it turns out I was right. More below.

Prediction: Mac Pro Refresh: Those in the know say OS X 10.5.2 is very nearly ready and supports Intel's newest Xeon chips, which are currently only used by the Mac Pro and Xserve. Macworld is a consumer show, however, so I hesitate to think he'll spend much time talking about a decidedly professional product.

Morning After: My initial hang up with this rumor was that it wouldn't be presented during Macworld because it didn't make sense to announce professional products during a consumer show. It turns out I was right about that, too. Apple released updated Mac Pro and Xserve models, based on Intel's latest quad-core Xeon chips, several days before Macworld.

Prediction: iPhone Software 2.0: Some of the rumor sites have started to buzz about an iPhone hardware upgrade, but I'm as much or more convinced that Uncle Steve will hit us with a big software upgrade for our beloved iPhones. Despite all of its awesomeness, the iPhone still lacks some basic features that most all other phones possess. My gut says Steve unveils a major iPhone software update that will bring us among other things, video capture, MMS, copy and paste and the previously seen Notes syncing. One would also have to think that such an update would prepare the way for installation of the third party apps that will be coming once the iPhone SDK is released in February. I think SJ will use Macworld to tout the SDK and invite a few choice developers to show off the apps they've been working on with an advance release of said SDK.

Morning After: I was wrong on this one. I though the leaked firmware making the rounds over the last couple weeks were only a sliver of what we would get from Jobs at Macworld. In reality, the leaked firmware was exactly what was released yesterday—even a bit-for-bit copy according to Nate True. My guess is that we'll get another update in February to pave the way for third-party apps created with the forthcoming SDK.

Prediction: Apple TV: Some have already written the inscription on the Apple TV's tombstone, but I believe Steve has other plans. I believe something big will happen with Apple TV at Macworld, either in the form of a major software upgrade or a new hardware configuration or both. I can see iTunes movie rentals playing into this, but I think it would be much more than that. I think we're going to see some way(s) to get HD content from Apple and onto our TVs. I think we'll see improvements to media sharing with iTunes. I think we may even see some more integration with YouTube and possibly other content providers. I really think every attempt will be made to make the Apple TV relevant.

Morning After: I really nailed this one and most of what I saw from the blogosphere was a prediction of Steve holding a funeral for Apple TV. The only thing I didn't predict was a price drop, which should make it even more desirable. I called the major software update (Steve even went so far as to call it version 2). I was right about HD content. I was right about media sharing, with the ability to procure content directly from the device and sync it back to Macs or PCs. I was right about YouTube. I was right about other content providers (in this case, it a provider—Flickr). I predicted Steve would make every attempt to make the Apple TV relevant and I believe he did just that.

Overall, I didn't do a bad job, although I went with some fairly safe predictions. Save for Apple TV, every prediction was being thrown around by most, if not all, of the Mac rumormongers on the interwebs. Now, it's time for me, and all fellow Apple fanboys, to turn our attention to NAB and WWDC. Until then, I'll be praying for someone to buy me a MacBook Air

What’s Left For Macworld?

This year was quite a busy one for Uncle Steve and the rest of his crew. Typically, this time of year finds Apple fan boys like myself salivating over what new hotness SJ will bestow upon us at the annual Macworld Expo. Other than an ultraportable notebook and iTunes movie rentals, I've not yet seen or heard much rumormongering concerning Macworld. The Apple-centric rumor sites are usually buzzing in late December about possible product and service announcements, but this year has been uncharacteristically quiet.

As I thought about why this might be the case, I realized that there just may not be much to talk about. Consider the major announcements out of Cupertino this year: iPhone, Leopard, iPod Touch, new iMacs, iWork '08 and iLife '08 were all headliners. The Mac Pro, Mac Book Pro and Mac Book all were refreshed this year as well. Even the Mac Mini got some upgrade love in 2007. Simply put, almost every product in Apple's lineup got some sort of attention this year. Which leads me to wonder if maybe there isn't a whole lot for Steve to talk about during the Macworld keynote. However, Jobs has to have something to talk about for two hours, right?

Of course there will be the requisite update on Apple Retail Store successes, iTunes sales figures, etc, but what's he going to fill the time with? I've got a few ideas:

Ultra-portable Notebook: Everyone seems to think this is a foregone conclusion. I'll buy it, although I don't see the love affair with a 13" notebook. It's got to have something special about it to set it apart from the Mac Book.

iTunes Movie Rentals: I can definitely see this happening, although I think it may be a part of something bigger...

Mac Pro Refresh: Those in the know say OS X 10.5.2 is very nearly ready and supports Intel's newest Xeon chips, which are currently only used by the Mac Pro and Xserve. Macworld is a consumer show, however, so I hesitate to think he'll spend much time talking about a decidedly professional product.

iPhone Software 2.0: Some of the rumor sites have started to buzz about an iPhone hardware upgrade, but I'm as much or more convinced that Uncle Steve will hit us with a big software upgrade for our beloved iPhones. Despite all of its awesomeness, the iPhone still lacks some basic features that most all other phones possess. My gut says Steve unveils a major iPhone software update that will bring us among other things, video capture, MMS, copy and paste and the previously seen Notes syncing. One would also have to think that such an update would prepare the way for installation of the third party apps that will be coming once the iPhone SDK is released in February. I think SJ will use Macworld to tout the SDK and invite a few choice developers to show off the apps they've been working on with an advance release of said SDK.

Apple TV: Some have already written the inscription on the Apple TV's tombstone, but I believe Steve has other plans. I believe something big will happen with Apple TV at Macworld, either in the form of a major software upgrade or a new hardware configuration or both. I can see iTunes movie rentals playing into this, but I think it would be much more than that. I think we're going to see some way(s) to get HD content from Apple and onto our TVs. I think we'll see improvements to media sharing with iTunes. I think we may even see some more integration with YouTube and possibly other content providers. I really think every attempt will be made to make the Apple TV relevant.

Even if all of these announcements were made, there may still be room for something unexpected and totally unforeseen, which SJ seems to love to spring on us. I guess we'll find out on January 15th.

Leopard Reaction

I was fortunate enough to snag a copy of Leopard on Friday. After a quick (less than 30 minutes if I recall correctly) upgrade I was up and running. My initial thoughts are that this is one bad operating system and by bad I mean really good. Below are just a few of the things that have stuck out to me over the first 24 hours with it.First, boot and shutdown times seem to have halved on my 1.6 Ghz Core2Duo-based Mini. It's very noticeably faster.Almost every application seems to load faster. The Apple apps seem to load a lot faster (read almost instantly) I've heard people say, after every OS X upgrade, that they felt like they had a hardware upgrade. I've never noticed enough improvement in performance in previous upgrades to agree with that sentiment, but Leopard really does feel like a hardware upgrade.The new Mail rocks, especially with my newly IMAP'ed Gmail accounts. The new stationery won't get used by me any time soon, but my wife will be flooding friends' and family's inboxes with HTML mails as soon as she finds out about it. Quite frankly, Apple needs her to find that feature, and features like it, useful more than it does me.Time Machine is very cool and not just because of it's innovative user interface. This feature will save my wife someday and she won't be able to tell enough people about it when it does. Again, not so much useful to me as it is the "average user", but that's a good thing for Apple.System Preferences seem to be much more streamlined. Case in point is the sharing module. Much better grouping of like objects in System Prefs in Leopard.Safari seems to have had its issues ironed out. I've been using the beta of 3 since it's public release and it's always been plenty fast. Now it's plenty fast and stable. I haven't had a chance to use web clippings yet, but I hope to soon. From what I've read, it works just as advertised.Dock stacks work for me more than I thought they would. I especially like it when viewing the Applications folder I keep in my dock.Finder is eleventy billion times better than it's been in previous version of OS X. Network browsing is better and doesn't completely bog down your machine. CoverFlow can come in really handy, especially for designers like me. QuickLook is really nice, too. Those two features alone will save me a ton of time going forward.The thing that's most impressed me is the fact that I have not had a single application fail on me in Leopard. I wish I could have said the same thing after my first experience with Windows XP to Vista upgrade.That's it for now, but I'm sure I'll post more observations as they come. Bottom line is Leopard is definitely worth the price of admission. If you were on the fence about upgrading, get off of it and go the store to pick up your copy.

Fifteen Minutes

I'm famous! I made it to the front page of macosxhints! OK, I'm not famous, but I did submit a hint MOH's editors thought worthy of publishing. My hint details how to "correctly" setup IMAP Gmail in Mail.app.

Check it out here.

Cheap Labor

Phone conversation carried out (on iPhones, of course) between Steve Jobs and Randall Stephenson.

Ring...Ring...Ring...

SJ: "Hello."

RS: "WTF Steve? People are already hacking your iPhone to pieces. I thought we had a deal."

SJ: "Chill Randog. I've got, and I'm thrilled about this, an army of the best engineers in the world working to secure and completely lock down the iHolyGrail."

RS: "I know that's not true. You've got all of your best devs on Leopard trying to hit the October deadline."

SJ: "Hold up Randizzle. When did I say my devs were on it? I'm outsourcing it."

RS: "WTFBBQUPPERCUTPWNSAUCE!? You're outsourcing this shizzle? I'm about to fly down there and give you an iAssKicking."

SJ: "Slow your roll Mike Tyson. I've got the iPhone Dev team on the scene."

RS: "Who the F#$K is the iPhone Dev team?"

SJ: "They're a collection of the brightest devs on the planet. There's about a hundred of 'em who work 'round the clock to QC each firmware release and find all the bugs in each one. They're really good and really fast."

RS: "A hundred F#$%ING devs? How much are these guys costing us? WTF are you trying to pull Steve?"

SJ: "They're free as in beer."

RS: "Free?"

SJ: "Yeah, it's really simple. All we do is tell them they can't run useful applications on their iPhones and BOOM! They get uber motivated to find bugs. They figured out how to make malformed TIFF..."

RS: "You had me at free, Steve. You had me at free. I'm going to go delete the accounts of some dissenters. Have a good one"

I'm pretty sure that's how it went down.

iOwn an iPhone

That's right. I've finally procured what is probably the most hyped personal electronics device in history. While I could, and probably will, go into great detail about my experience so far, I'll post a few random "stream-of-consciousness" blurbs to get the ball rolling.

First, the iPhone is beautiful in every way. From its industrial design to its sfotware UI, every aspect of the device is very much aesthetically pleasing.

The touch screen works flawlessly. I'm actually a bit surprised at how well it works, which is saying something as I bought into the pre-launch hype as much or more than anyone.

The keyboard took all of about 6 minutes to get used to. I don't understand how some of the first day buyers still complain about it.

The screen is amazing. Crisp, clear, bright and anything else you could want in a mobile device.

Speakers are decent. Not great, but not bad. However, I didn't acquire an iPhone to supply a room with music. Ditto for phone calls. I just don't use speaker phone that often. This one is not a deal breaker for me, although it might be for some.

I suggest using the quasi IMAP method for accessing GMail as its POP implementation leaves a lot to be desired.

Google Maps is a killer application for the iPhone. I find it much more useful than the YouTube app.

Mobile Safari works as advertised. Not much more to say other than it just works and that's a good thing. Flash support will make it killer. I say will because I know it will happen one way or another.

The camera is better than I thought it would be. Can't touch my wife's digital camera, but it's not supposed to. I'll say this: It's the best phone camera I've ever seen or used and there's not really a close second place.

iTunes syncing is flawless, but that's to be expected. I'd love to see over the air (OTA) syncing at some point. Maybe that could be a .Mac feature...hmm...

EDGE is EDGE. WiFi is great if you can get a connection. EDGE will get the job done if need be. 3G will come at some point, but until then EDGE will suffice.

One last thing...I was not an AT&T customer last week. I'm still not an AT&T customer.