There is an impressive number of extensions already, so why doesn’t Apple have a central gallery for all of these?
Category: Apple
Safari Reader
Tech and Humanity
We’re not just a tech company. Apple is more than that. It’s tech and humanity. It’s the hardware and the software working together. It’s not just a great new camera system, it’s the editing too, it’s not just a front-facing camera, it’s that plus 18 months of work on the software side. It’s the complete solution, so all of us don’t have to be system integrators.
On iPhone 4’s Screen
On existing iPhones (and iPods, and iPads), there is not a lot of distance between the glass surface and the LCD, but there is some. There’s also a very narrow amount of air between the touchscreen glass and the underlying LCD. If you’ve ever got a bit dust under your display, that dust is in the air between the glass and LCD.
It’s mentioned briefly in Apple’s promotional video about the design of the iPhone 4, but they’re using a new production process that effectively fuses the LCD and touchscreen — there is no longer any air between the two. One result of this is that the iPhone 4 should be impervious to this dust-under-the-glass issue. More importantly, though, is that it looks better. The effect is that the pixels appear to be painted on the surface of the phone; instead of looking at pixels under glass, it like looking at pixels on glass. Combined with the incredibly high pixel density, the overall effect is like “live print”.
HTML5 on an Apple Newton
D’Arcy Norman, on visiting Apple’s “HTML5 Showcase” on an Apple Newton:
The content displayed just fine, as best as could be handled by a 15 year old handheld computer. Sure, some of the bells and whistles are missing. But the site is usable.
Standards, especially ones that support graceful degradation of presentation by devices at runtime, ensure we have access to our content long after it’s built, on devices we didn’t have in mind when we built it.
Apple PR Leaks Safari 5?
Engadget has a post up outlining Safari 5, complete with an Apple-supplied press release.
Oddly, Apple’s Safari page doesn’t mention the new version, and I can’t find anything on Apple’s PR page. It seems that someone got a little excited and pulled the trigger early.
When it does show up, Safari 5 will sport a feature called “Safari Reader,” that is sure to make web advertisers ( ahem, Google) upset:
Safari Reader makes it easy to read single and multipage articles on the web by presenting them in a new, scrollable view without any additional content or clutter. When Safari 5 detects an article, users can click on the Reader icon in the Smart Address Field to display the entire article for clear, uninterrupted reading with options to enlarge, print or send via email.
The Most Precise Thing
Steve Jobs, on the new iPhone:
You gotta see this in person. This is beyond a doubt, the most precise thing, and one of the most beautiful we’ve ever made. Glass on the front and back, and steel around the sides. It’s like a beautiful old Leica camera.
For the first time, I prefer the black model over the white.
iPhone 4
Video conferencing, a new design, A4 processor, iOS 4, better display and HD video, all in one new, smaller package.
WWDC 2010 Stevenote Predictions
The Next iPhone
I don’t think anyone will be surprised by the device Steve pulls out of his pocket. Expect to see a demo of the front-facing camera and video calls — which I have a feeling will be Wi-Fi only, at least for now.
As far as the name, I see it being called “iPhone HD” or just plain-jane “iPhone.” No “iPhone 4G” or “iPhone 4.”
This version of the iPhone will be on AT&T only. No mention of Verizon, Sprint or any other carrier will be made.
The Genesis and History of the Macintosh Project
“The Genesis and History of the Macintosh Project” is a paper written by Jef Raskin, Apple Employee #31 in 1981.
It’s a fascinating look into Apple in the days before the Macintosh.
AMD-Powered Mac Clones? Give Me a Break
Austin Leeds published a piece titled “Apple, AMD, and the Potential for New Mac Clones” over at Low End Mac today, and as soon as I read the title, I sent it to Instapaper. I just finished reading his article, and boy, I want some of whatever he took before coming up with it.
Let’s break this down, mind-blowing bit by mind-blowing bit.
With Apple rumored to be in the midst of talks with AMD, the possibility of AMD-powered Macs is very real, if far off. Let’s face it - Intel’s chips are becoming more the staple of cheap, hot PCs than AMD’s pricier and cooler offerings.
iPad TV
Adam Lisagor suggests that the iPad could be the AppleTV he’s always wanted. He lists the iPad’s “Video” app in his argument:
For one, what of the massive $1 billion data center Apple’s building in North Carolina? I’ll just echo what others have speculated: this will be where our video originates when we pluck it out of the sky and siphon it through all our devices (including the cheap, tiny new box that sits by the TV).