Either You Succeed or Explain

The Next AppleTV: more fun for some, less for others

This weekend, the tech blogs were flooded with rumors of a new incarnation for AppleTV. The news were "confident" that we will see a device which is:

• Based on iPhone OS 4 (the current device is based on a trimmed down version of OS X): it's like an iPhone in a small box with no screen that can pump out 1080p through HDMI.
• Instant on, like the iPhone/iPad.
• Based on a cloud service and very light on internal memory: enter iTunes.com.
• Can be connected to a Time Capsule for more storage.
• Rally cheap at $99.

Here's some of my takes about it...

It can be an Awesome Gaming Console

It is no coincidence that this comes a week after the GoogleTV announcement. This makes the rumors much more substantial. Probably deliberate. Expect a lot more rumors to culminate in the upcoming months. The rumors claim that it will not be revealed in the upcoming WWDC (next week), which makes it even more credible: Apple wouldn't have to leak this information if it was ready for official unveiling. 

How do you control the device?  Controlling the iPhone with a simple remote seems control would not work. We will probably be getting a Wiimote like device that translate movements to screen gestures (as described here and here).  We could see something more advanced like the Playstation Move or even Microsoft's Natal project. It will probably support a bluetooth keyboard as well like the iPad.

It is an Apple Gaming Console!  There are so many games in the Apple Store. You could be running them on your TV. True, you won't be getting games with realistic 3D graphics, nevertheless, it is fun, cheap and ready to roll when you are. Sometimes I sit in my living room and play with my iPhone and not my PS3 because I'm too impatient to wait for it to boot and load a game. It will not be Apples' first console.  

HD television at 1080p has a resolution of 1920×1080, which is much more than the iPad 1024×768. It will probably be the same transition as it was (still is) from the iPhone to the iPad. Eventually you will see native applications in full HD resolution. This means the current "HD" naming convention in the App Store should stop and wait for the new device. iPad apps should probably be "XL", and TV apps "HD".

A movement sensing controller needs a dedicated sensor or a camera. A camera also opens other options like having a chat running the living room. However, the rumors did not suggest there will be a camera or even a camera port. The patent linked above does not suggest there will be a camera used. It is more likely that we will see a dedicated sensor (like Wii or Natal, unlike PS3 Move). 

Another option for control could be through a paired iPad/iPhone/iPod touch, although I find it hard to believe that this will be the only control option. 

The connection to the Time Capsule raises some interesting questions. Does this means enabling simple file sharing?  Will it support other devices?  Currently, Time Capsule does not support UPnp or DLNA protocols for media streaming. This could be added to the Time Capsule using a firmware update. Personally, I would appreciate UPnp in the Time Capsule, which should've been there in the first place (my opinion on the Time Capsule is a subject for a separate post). 

The question of UPnp and DLNA is interesting. Having such support means you will be able to serve any content from your PC (or many other compatible devices) to your television. Basically it means you are free to stream any content to your TV. It means you won't have to pay for iTunes.com: simply set up your own streaming server on your home PC that doesn't have to physically be in the living room. There are already apps that support these protocols in the Apple Store. It won't be a surprise to see Apple change its' policy to ban such applications. 

The End of the Desktop OS? 

There's a wider question here, which I should probably be addressing in a separate post. It is clear that the iPhone OS and the "walled garden" approach is working nicely for Apple. It also feels that Apple reached a certain peek with Mac OS X. There are very few rumors on the next iteration of OS X. 

It is ironic: the biggest threat on the Mac OS X is not Windows. In fact, the ill-executed Windows Vista contributed a lot to the Mac market share growth. It is the iPhone OS.

It is like driving: in order to drive, you need to understand how to work a steering wheel and the gas pedals. You don't need to understand how to service the engine, install new exhaust system or even change oil. In the near future, we will all be using run-flat tires so you won't even have to understand how to change tires. Sure, there is a specific modders and tuners crowd, people that really like fiddling around and tweaking the machine. But they are a minority. Most of us would simply like the car to do what it was meant to do without interfering us with mundane activities. 

The same thing is happening to computing: the average user will need to understand how to work a word processor but not much else. Even the concept of file system is outdated. The common user should not deal with drivers, anti virus programs, firewall settings or video properties. Everything should just work. That's where we are heading. You may not like this, being the uber-geek that you are, but your mom will appreciate it.

iPhone, finally

 After years of waiting, I finally have an iPhone. 

I waited for the iPhone to be properly sold and distributed in Israel. It was a very long wait, and, at hindsight,  I would probably should've gotten it sooner. On the other hand, the device I'm getting is far more polished and complete. It runs very fast (3GS) and speed is not an issue. I take many recent features for granted like the copy/paste, MMS and tethering. It really works well for me. I should mention that it is not Jailbroken. 

From now on, I will add some iPhone content to my blog. I'm sure people will find it interesting. 

I've been using my iPhone for over a month now and here are some highlights of what I found so far. It is just some random thoughts. I really should cover some of the mentioned topics in future posts.

• Tethering works really well. Just to make all you guys jealous, my 3G provider, Pelephone, gives me about 2 MBPs downstream (tested with SpeedTest). 
• The WiFi works really well, just as it does in my Mac. Auto-joining a network is seamless. 
• I like the auto-switching between 3G and WiFi. I can listen to Last.fm using my 3G network and, when I arrive home, it switches to WiFi without missing a beat. I really like having Last.fm to go and in my living room (still pissed off that they won't support streaming to PS3).
• I like the GMail exchange support which gives me email push. I don't like the fact that only one account can be defined using exchange (I have 4).
• I like BeejiveIM. I like having push notifications for my IM accounts and the fast launch. It completely compensates for the lack of multi-tasking. I wish I could define my offline hours in Beejive, though.
• I use Beejive in conjunction with Olark: I have an online chat box on my web site which pings me on my iPhone even when a visitor needs assistance, even when I'm out of the office. So far, it works well (and deserves a separate post).
• I'm not really missing "multi-tasking" that much. 
• I like being able to SSH my server using TouchTerm Pro. It's a neat little terminal application for ubergeeks. 
• I am still looking for a good application that will provide easy access to my server database. I use Sequel Pro on my Mac, I love it and I need something similar for my iPhone. 
• Evernote is OK. I use it for accessing my notes and when I need to transfer text from my Mac to my iPhone. They really should fix their text direction support: they do not support Right-to-Left notes.
• Flicker is nice. I like it a lot. They should keep improving it (Check out the Gallery/Picasa app on the Nexus One...).
• Safari is fantastic. Clearly one of the best things about the device. I love the Flash blocker :-)  Would like to see ability to add plugins like true ad blockers.
• I'm doing fine with the keyboard. The text correction works OK. However, more than once it corrected against my will when I pressed "send". This shouldn't happen. Auto-correction should only work when you type passed the word (space, dot, comma, etc.). I'm missing a spell checker.
• Come on, Skype, it is time to release Skype over 3G. Apple allows it now, so do us all a favor and stop messing around.
• I need a good RSS reader. The online version of Google Reader is slow and annoying. 
• On that note: not having "trial" for apps is a big minus. Dear Apple, it's time to enable trial period as part of the App store.
• The battery life is so poor. This is shocking for somebody who is used to plug the phone every couple of days or so. I spend most of my day stationary in my office. I don't see how people who spend most of their day in meetings get by.

Overall, I love it. 

Missed Opportunities

My mobile phone, a not-so-trusty Nokia, broke. I took it to the shop for repair. Nowadays, they don't do repairs on the spot. You leave your phone and get it two days later. In the mean while, they give you a replacement phone. 

I submitted my phone and the CSR took it backstage to transfer my phonebook to the replacement phone. I waited for about 5 minutes and realized that the feeling is almost the same as the feeling you get when going to rent a car (at least for me, I'm a petrol-head): you are really excited to find out you are going to get. Is it any good?  Maybe better than what you have?  "Better than a deed, better than a memory, the moment... of anticipation!" (quote from the Simpsons, possibly my favorite).

The guy came back. Of course he had this crappy Nokia, looks like he fished it from a cereal box. I can't even write which model it is because I honestly don't know (and don't care). I took it and went on my way. 

Then it hit me: what a waste. 

Here I am, about to spend two days with a phone which is not mine. I have no other phone, so I simply have to get along. I have to use it. How many marketers get that chance?  Get a completely captivated non-customer forcefully trying out your product for two days?

If I was a Sony-Ericsson or a Samsung marketing guy, I would pay to have my mobile carrier carry a stock of loaners to give out to Nokia customers. I would make sure these are the latest models. I would have the CSR ask me, at the end of the two days: "do you really want your phone back or would you prefer to get a new phone like the one you tried?"