Of all the Apple complaints, I have never understood the hatred of the 30-Pin connector, outside the need to buy a new one if you lose it.
The problem is that it's a proprietary connector that Apple used to create an ecosystem that leaves everyone else out in the cold. Which was my whole point - Apple only espouses open standards when it benefits them. When it doesn't, they could care less about openness. It's the same logic behind why IBM invests money into Linux - and if you want to shift a Free Software fanatic's paradigm without a clutch, explain that logic to them.
Carlos Icaza and Walter Luh, former Adobe mobile engineers, said they were raising flags at Adobe in 2007 about the same complaints that Jobs detailed Thursday.
“Walter and I, being the lead architects for Flash Lite, we were seeing the iPhone touch devices coming out, and we kept saying ‘Hey, this is coming along,’” Icaza said in a phone interview. “You have this white elephant that everybody ignored. Half the [Adobe] mobile business unit was carrying iPhones, and yet the management team wasn’t doing anything about it.”
...
Adobe’s 2007 decision to focus on Flash Lite and feature phones instead of iPhone compatibility is the reason Adobe is behind and still has not offered a fine-tuned version of Flash for any smartphone, including the iPhone or any Android device, Icaza and Luh said.
The pair echoed many of the same concerns expressed by the Apple CEO.
“Flash was designed for the desktop world, for web and large screens, not the user experiences you want to create in these new devices with touch, accelerometers and GPS,” Luh said. “It wasn’t designed with that in mind at all.”
Luh was also formerly employed by Apple on the Final Cut Pro team. He said that because Adobe’s iPhone Packager didn’t use Apple’s toolchain to create apps, the resulting code would not work well on an iPhone or iPad. For instance, apps made with Packager are much larger than they would be if they were made with Xcode. A simple “Hello World” app created in Flash and compiled to work on the iPhone is substantially larger in file size, and it would take up 3.6 MB when it should be no larger than 400K when made with Xcode, according to James Eberhardt, a mobile developer who has tested iPhone Packager.
Of all the Apple complaints, I have never understood the hatred of the 30-Pin connector, outside the need to buy a new one if you lose it.
The problem is that it's a proprietary connector that Apple used to create an ecosystem that leaves everyone else out in the cold. Which was my whole point - Apple only espouses open standards when it benefits them. When it doesn't, they could care less about openness. It's the same logic behind why IBM invests money into Linux - and if you want to shift a Free Software fanatic's paradigm without a clutch, explain that logic to them.
Companies follow standards where there is a pragmatic benefit to doing so and go their own way when they think it will benefit them financially
well holy shit, hoss, you better contact the papers
Of all the Apple complaints, I have never understood the hatred of the 30-Pin connector, outside the need to buy a new one if you lose it.
The problem is that it's a proprietary connector that Apple used to create an ecosystem that leaves everyone else out in the cold. Which was my whole point - Apple only espouses open standards when it benefits them. When it doesn't, they could care less about openness. It's the same logic behind why IBM invests money into Linux - and if you want to shift a Free Software fanatic's paradigm without a clutch, explain that logic to them.
Companies follow standards where there is a pragmatic benefit to doing so and go their own way when they think it will benefit them financially
well holy shit, hoss, you better contact the papers
So, you agree that The Steve's little anti-Flash jerimiad is hypocritical?
The point is that Apple isn't supporting HTML 5 for any noble reason, and I find it offensive when they try to act like their actions are taken for any other reason than to improve their position.
I fail to see how it's hypocritical at all. They're supporting HTML5 because, well, they've been really active about web standards and moving the web forward. Dave Hyatt is on the committee. Web Kit is a big player in moving the web forward. The APIs they added were all submitted for standardization.
HTML5 isn't the only reason they aren't fans of Flash, but that's not hypocritical of them.
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KageraImitating the worst people. Since 2004Registered Userregular
So, you agree that The Steve's little anti-Flash jerimiad is hypocritical?
The point is that Apple isn't supporting HTML 5 for any noble reason, and I find it offensive when they try to act like their actions are taken for any other reason than to improve their position.
What the hell is a "noble reason" to adopt a standard?
They are adopting it to make their product better. That's good enough for me.
I fail to see how it's hypocritical at all. They're supporting HTML5 because, well, they've been really active about web standards and moving the web forward. Dave Hyatt is on the committee. Web Kit is a big player in moving the web forward. The APIs they added were all submitted for standardization.
HTML5 isn't the only reason they aren't fans of Flash, but that's not hypocritical of them.
Yes, Apple is pushing HTML 5 because they "want to move the web forward". Not because they benefit from a commotizied web standard that doesn't have gaps that need to be filled by third party solutions.
I fail to see how it's hypocritical at all. They're supporting HTML5 because, well, they've been really active about web standards and moving the web forward. Dave Hyatt is on the committee. Web Kit is a big player in moving the web forward. The APIs they added were all submitted for standardization.
HTML5 isn't the only reason they aren't fans of Flash, but that's not hypocritical of them.
Yes, Apple is pushing HTML 5 because they "want to move the web forward". Not because they benefit from a commotizied web standard that doesn't have gaps that need to be filled by third party solutions.
it's not really clear what you want out of apple, hedgie
they've eschewed a closed, proprietary, crappy standard in Flash, in favor of an open, superior standard in HTML 5
and your complaint is that they used a non-standard but suitable and functional port on iPods so therefore they're hypocrites?
So, you agree that The Steve's little anti-Flash jerimiad is hypocritical?
The point is that Apple isn't supporting HTML 5 for any noble reason, and I find it offensive when they try to act like their actions are taken for any other reason than to improve their position.
What the hell is a "noble reason" to adopt a standard?
They are adopting it to make their product better. That's good enough for me.
Have you read The Steve's little love note to Adobe? He tries the whole "for the users" argument to defend the banning of third party middleware, and for Apple pushing HTML 5.
I fail to see how it's hypocritical at all. They're supporting HTML5 because, well, they've been really active about web standards and moving the web forward. Dave Hyatt is on the committee. Web Kit is a big player in moving the web forward. The APIs they added were all submitted for standardization.
HTML5 isn't the only reason they aren't fans of Flash, but that's not hypocritical of them.
Yes, Apple is pushing HTML 5 because they "want to move the web forward". Not because they benefit from a commotizied web standard that doesn't have gaps that need to be filled by third party solutions.
"A commotizied web standard that doesn't have gaps that need to be filled by third party solutions" is moving the web forward.
Are you saying Apple may only advance personal computing if they don't benefit from it?
I fail to see how it's hypocritical at all. They're supporting HTML5 because, well, they've been really active about web standards and moving the web forward. Dave Hyatt is on the committee. Web Kit is a big player in moving the web forward. The APIs they added were all submitted for standardization.
HTML5 isn't the only reason they aren't fans of Flash, but that's not hypocritical of them.
Yes, Apple is pushing HTML 5 because they "want to move the web forward". Not because they benefit from a commotizied web standard that doesn't have gaps that need to be filled by third party solutions.
So Apple really wants a much, much better program that everyone the world over would be happier with because it benefits them.
So, you agree that The Steve's little anti-Flash jerimiad is hypocritical?
The point is that Apple isn't supporting HTML 5 for any noble reason, and I find it offensive when they try to act like their actions are taken for any other reason than to improve their position.
What the hell is a "noble reason" to adopt a standard?
They are adopting it to make their product better. That's good enough for me.
Have you read The Steve's little love note to Adobe? He tries the whole "for the users" argument to defend the banning of third party middleware, and for Apple pushing HTML 5.
I fail to see how it's hypocritical at all. They're supporting HTML5 because, well, they've been really active about web standards and moving the web forward. Dave Hyatt is on the committee. Web Kit is a big player in moving the web forward. The APIs they added were all submitted for standardization.
HTML5 isn't the only reason they aren't fans of Flash, but that's not hypocritical of them.
Yes, Apple is pushing HTML 5 because they "want to move the web forward". Not because they benefit from a commotizied web standard that doesn't have gaps that need to be filled by third party solutions.
it's not really clear what you want out of apple, hedgie
they've eschewed a closed, proprietary, crappy standard in Flash, in favor of an open, superior standard in HTML 5
and your complaint is that they used a non-standard but suitable and functional port on iPods so therefore they're hypocrites?
My point is that Apple's stance regarding openness in this case comes off as hypocritical when you look at how they view openness in other arenas.
I fail to see how it's hypocritical at all. They're supporting HTML5 because, well, they've been really active about web standards and moving the web forward. Dave Hyatt is on the committee. Web Kit is a big player in moving the web forward. The APIs they added were all submitted for standardization.
HTML5 isn't the only reason they aren't fans of Flash, but that's not hypocritical of them.
Yes, Apple is pushing HTML 5 because they "want to move the web forward". Not because they benefit from a commotizied web standard that doesn't have gaps that need to be filled by third party solutions.
it's not really clear what you want out of apple, hedgie
they've eschewed a closed, proprietary, crappy standard in Flash, in favor of an open, superior standard in HTML 5
and your complaint is that they used a non-standard but suitable and functional port on iPods so therefore they're hypocrites?
My point is that Apple's stance regarding openness in this case comes off as hypocritical when you look at how they view openness in other arenas.
So because he doesn't let porn or torrent apps on the App store, he isn't allowed to have an opinion on flash being shitty?
syndalis on
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Let's play Mario Kart or something...
So, you agree that The Steve's little anti-Flash jerimiad is hypocritical?
The point is that Apple isn't supporting HTML 5 for any noble reason, and I find it offensive when they try to act like their actions are taken for any other reason than to improve their position.
What the hell is a "noble reason" to adopt a standard?
They are adopting it to make their product better. That's good enough for me.
Have you read The Steve's little love note to Adobe? He tries the whole "for the users" argument to defend the banning of third party middleware, and for Apple pushing HTML 5.
I have. And I think he's right.
If only it was possible to support both, then everyone would be happy... Oh wait, it is perfectly possible to support both. Hell, you could even put flash as a toggle in safari's options and add a warning 'enabling this may cause poor battery life performance while using safari'
This is not for the consumers benefit, and has nothing to do with the web anyway. it is everything to do with making it hard to develop apps in a multiplatform way, which apple only wants to do in order to make developers locked in to working on their device, which only sells well due to all the developers making apps for it.
The iPhone is an awful device (I own one, it is LOUSY at every function but those which are developed by 3rd parties), with some amazing apps. Apple knows this, and is desperate to hang on to the app community.
The iPhone is an awful device (I own one, it is LOUSY at every function but those which are developed by 3rd parties), with some amazing apps. Apple knows this, and is desperate to hang on to the app community.
right. the iPhone is lousy at being a music player, a media player, a web browser and a phone.
That's why it's at the top of the market, right?
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KalTorakOne way or another, they all end up inthe Undercity.Registered Userregular
The iPhone is an awful device (I own one, it is LOUSY at every function but those which are developed by 3rd parties), with some amazing apps. Apple knows this, and is desperate to hang on to the app community.
right. the iPhone is lousy at being a music player, a media player, a web browser and a phone.
That's why it's at the top of the market, right?
That's only because people are blinded by the shininess of Jobs' head or something.
Of all the Apple complaints, I have never understood the hatred of the 30-Pin connector, outside the need to buy a new one if you lose it.
The problem is that it's a proprietary connector that Apple used to create an ecosystem that leaves everyone else out in the cold. Which was my whole point - Apple only espouses open standards when it benefits them. When it doesn't, they could care less about openness. It's the same logic behind why IBM invests money into Linux - and if you want to shift a Free Software fanatic's paradigm without a clutch, explain that logic to them.
who in blazes is a 30-Pin connector leaving out in the cold?
The iPhone is an awful device (I own one, it is LOUSY at every function but those which are developed by 3rd parties), with some amazing apps. Apple knows this, and is desperate to hang on to the app community.
right. the iPhone is lousy at being a music player, a media player, a web browser and a phone.
That's why it's at the top of the market, right?
Is it?
That's not meant to be a snark, I would be interested to see how many iphones are sold relative to other handsets, but I can't seem to find any decent stats.
Anecdotally, I see more blackberrys and nokia n-series than I do iphones.
EDIT: Apparently the most sold handsets in the UK are made by Samsung. Huh.
The iPhone is an awful device (I own one, it is LOUSY at every function but those which are developed by 3rd parties), with some amazing apps. Apple knows this, and is desperate to hang on to the app community.
right. the iPhone is lousy at being a music player, a media player, a web browser and a phone.
That's why it's at the top of the market, right?
What market are you talking about?
You ought to really be specific or check your numbers.
End on
I wish that someway, somehow, that I could save every one of us
I fail to see how it's hypocritical at all. They're supporting HTML5 because, well, they've been really active about web standards and moving the web forward. Dave Hyatt is on the committee. Web Kit is a big player in moving the web forward. The APIs they added were all submitted for standardization.
HTML5 isn't the only reason they aren't fans of Flash, but that's not hypocritical of them.
Yes, Apple is pushing HTML 5 because they "want to move the web forward". Not because they benefit from a commotizied web standard that doesn't have gaps that need to be filled by third party solutions.
is.... is that a bad thing?
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Irond WillWARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!!Cambridge. MAModeratormod
The iPhone is an awful device (I own one, it is LOUSY at every function but those which are developed by 3rd parties), with some amazing apps. Apple knows this, and is desperate to hang on to the app community.
right. the iPhone is lousy at being a music player, a media player, a web browser and a phone.
That's why it's at the top of the market, right?
What market are you talking about?
You ought to really be specific or check your numbers.
The iPhone is an awful device (I own one, it is LOUSY at every function but those which are developed by 3rd parties), with some amazing apps. Apple knows this, and is desperate to hang on to the app community.
right. the iPhone is lousy at being a music player, a media player, a web browser and a phone.
That's why it's at the top of the market, right?
Is it?
That's not meant to be a snark, I would be interested to see how many iphones are sold relative to other handsets, but I can't seem to find any decent stats.
Anecdotally, I see more blackberrys and nokia n-series than I do iphones.
EDIT: Apparently the most sold handsets in the UK are made by Samsung. Huh.
The iPhone is an awful device (I own one, it is LOUSY at every function but those which are developed by 3rd parties), with some amazing apps. Apple knows this, and is desperate to hang on to the app community.
right. the iPhone is lousy at being a music player, a media player, a web browser and a phone.
That's why it's at the top of the market, right?
Is it?
That's not meant to be a snark, I would be interested to see how many iphones are sold relative to other handsets, but I can't seem to find any decent stats.
Anecdotally, I see more blackberrys and nokia n-series than I do iphones.
EDIT: Apparently the most sold handsets in the UK are made by Samsung. Huh.
Possibly because iPhones are hideously expensive over here. I'd have to pay twice as much per month as I do right now for the same contract, as well as spending £180 up front.
I've been pretty vocal at my annoyance at Apple's refusal to incorporate Flash, but I've got to say that calling the iPhone "lousy" is just plain goosery. I've tested a lot of touchscreen smartphones for my job, and the iPhone is far and away better than all of them except possibly the Droid Incredible, and I'm currently going back and forth in my head over which one I prefer.
Hell, that's a lot of my motivation for my gripes... after the camera improves and multitasking comes in, lack of Flash is really the iPhone's sole weakness.
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KalTorakOne way or another, they all end up inthe Undercity.Registered Userregular
Hell, that's a lot of my motivation for my gripes... after the camera improves and multitasking comes in, lack of Flash is really the iPhone's sole weakness.
Don't forget the AT&T network (as a pretty significant weakness); how many iPhones did Apple sell this quarter, 8.5 million? Over Motorola's 8.4 million? All of those iPhones are on the AT&T network, while I imagine the Motorolas are spread more or less evenly over the big four. The new iPhone is just going to put more strain on the network (assuming they stay exclusive). AT&T really needs to step up its game.
Of all the Apple complaints, I have never understood the hatred of the 30-Pin connector, outside the need to buy a new one if you lose it.
The problem is that it's a proprietary connector that Apple used to create an ecosystem that leaves everyone else out in the cold.
Holy revisionist history
The 30-pin connector was created along with the original iPod (edit: I'm wrong. the first and second gen iPod were firewire only. The dock connector came in with the 3rd gen and PC support - ie. when they needed to support USB and Firewire in the same device). At the time, the only major connect mp3 players were using was USB 1.1, which was slow as shit. Apple had created the IEEE 1394 standard (aka Firewire) and wanted to use that, because it was about 400 times faster for data transfers, but they also wanted to be able to extend support to people who only had USB.
Now USB and, especially, Firewire ports are quite thick, and they didn't want to stick two holes in every iPod, and have to add another hole if at any time they wanted to add another interface in the future. So they came up with a thin connector on the iPod side that let them support multiple interfaces on the client side, and they kept using it for backwards compatibility.
So your assertion is what? They should turn back time and use a USB 2 mini connector in the original (edit: third gen) iPod and throw out firewire? Or they should throw out backwards compatibility?
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KalTorakOne way or another, they all end up inthe Undercity.Registered Userregular
edited April 2010
I thought the original iPod was FireWire only, and the dock connector came with the 2G or something.
And lets not forget, for all of Adobe's hand-waving and oh-god-isn't-Apple-so-mean-to-us histrionics, they have yet to deliver a non-beta Flash player for any mobile handset, and the beta version would only support the 3GS even if it were allowed.
So when Adobe says that battery life and user experience claims are bogus, they really have nothing to back that up with.
The iPhone is an awful device (I own one, it is LOUSY at every function but those which are developed by 3rd parties), with some amazing apps. Apple knows this, and is desperate to hang on to the app community.
right. the iPhone is lousy at being a music player, a media player, a web browser and a phone.
That's why it's at the top of the market, right?
What market are you talking about?
You ought to really be specific or check your numbers.
non-business smartphones
Worldwide, I doubt that's true. In the US and Europe, though, yeah, sounds right, although I don't even know how to measure that.
If there's anything the iPhone wins at though, it'd be mind share.
End on
I wish that someway, somehow, that I could save every one of us
Hell, that's a lot of my motivation for my gripes... after the camera improves and multitasking comes in, lack of Flash is really the iPhone's sole weakness.
Don't forget the AT&T network (as a pretty significant weakness); how many iPhones did Apple sell this quarter, 8.5 million? Over Motorola's 8.4 million? All of those iPhones are on the AT&T network, while I imagine the Motorolas are spread more or less evenly over the big four. The new iPhone is just going to put more strain on the network (assuming they stay exclusive). AT&T really needs to step up its game.
Well, that too. I was just thinking of the device itself.
Every time you haters post about the latest tremors from cupertino and attempt to provoke a multi-page discussion about NON STANDARD DATA CONNECTORS OHMIGOD you are just raising the hated company's profile even further
Well, Apple is shutting down Lala in a month. I didn't think they were going to be that evil.
To be honest, Lala was probably losing money and the owners cashed out.
Apple is at least giving people credit for the songs / a check for all their web-only songs instead of just turning it off.
That's unfounded speculation. What I do know is that Apple bought out, then shut down the only service that lets me listen to an album before I buy it. The only way that I won't be pissed at them is they come out with a super-secret web-based platform where you can listen to songs before you buy them that offers MP3s and has a nice, slick interface. Which doesn't seem terribly likely.
RandomEngy on
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AtomikaLive fast and get fucked or whateverRegistered Userregular
Well, Apple is shutting down Lala in a month. I didn't think they were going to be that evil.
To be honest, Lala was probably losing money and the owners cashed out.
Apple is at least giving people credit for the songs / a check for all their web-only songs instead of just turning it off.
That's unfounded speculation. What I do know is that Apple bought out, then shut down the only service that lets me listen to an album before I buy it. The only way that I won't be pissed at them is they come out with a super-secret web-based platform where you can listen to songs before you buy them that offers MP3s and has a nice, slick interface. Which doesn't seem terribly likely.
You can preview songs on iTunes. Not the whole thing, but I can't think of too many situations where I'm looking to buy a song I've never heard before.
Well, Apple is shutting down Lala in a month. I didn't think they were going to be that evil.
To be honest, Lala was probably losing money and the owners cashed out.
Apple is at least giving people credit for the songs / a check for all their web-only songs instead of just turning it off.
That's unfounded speculation. What I do know is that Apple bought out, then shut down the only service that lets me listen to an album before I buy it. The only way that I won't be pissed at them is they come out with a super-secret web-based platform where you can listen to songs before you buy them that offers MP3s and has a nice, slick interface. Which doesn't seem terribly likely.
You can preview songs on iTunes. Not the whole thing, but I can't think of too many situations where I'm looking to buy a song I've never heard before.
I, on the other hand, am often looking for new music that I've not heard before. Sure, I can cue up a station on Last.fm or something and wait for new stuff I like...or I can browse around an actual music store and listen to previews on demand.
Unfortunately, it seems like half the time iTunes chooses parts of the song to preview that are in no way representative of the song (and that's assuming we're talking about less complex songs that can be represented easily by a 45 second snippet anyway).
If they just want to prevent people from using their previews as a personal jukebox, that's easy...just lower the quality, either by reducing bitrate, making it mono, or both.
Posts
The problem is that it's a proprietary connector that Apple used to create an ecosystem that leaves everyone else out in the cold. Which was my whole point - Apple only espouses open standards when it benefits them. When it doesn't, they could care less about openness. It's the same logic behind why IBM invests money into Linux - and if you want to shift a Free Software fanatic's paradigm without a clutch, explain that logic to them.
Companies follow standards where there is a pragmatic benefit to doing so and go their own way when they think it will benefit them financially
well holy shit, hoss, you better contact the papers
So, you agree that The Steve's little anti-Flash jerimiad is hypocritical?
The point is that Apple isn't supporting HTML 5 for any noble reason, and I find it offensive when they try to act like their actions are taken for any other reason than to improve their position.
HTML5 isn't the only reason they aren't fans of Flash, but that's not hypocritical of them.
What the hell is a "noble reason" to adopt a standard?
They are adopting it to make their product better. That's good enough for me.
Yes, Apple is pushing HTML 5 because they "want to move the web forward". Not because they benefit from a commotizied web standard that doesn't have gaps that need to be filled by third party solutions.
it's not really clear what you want out of apple, hedgie
they've eschewed a closed, proprietary, crappy standard in Flash, in favor of an open, superior standard in HTML 5
and your complaint is that they used a non-standard but suitable and functional port on iPods so therefore they're hypocrites?
Have you read The Steve's little love note to Adobe? He tries the whole "for the users" argument to defend the banning of third party middleware, and for Apple pushing HTML 5.
"A commotizied web standard that doesn't have gaps that need to be filled by third party solutions" is moving the web forward.
Are you saying Apple may only advance personal computing if they don't benefit from it?
So Apple really wants a much, much better program that everyone the world over would be happier with because it benefits them.
I have. And I think he's right.
My point is that Apple's stance regarding openness in this case comes off as hypocritical when you look at how they view openness in other arenas.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
If only it was possible to support both, then everyone would be happy... Oh wait, it is perfectly possible to support both. Hell, you could even put flash as a toggle in safari's options and add a warning 'enabling this may cause poor battery life performance while using safari'
This is not for the consumers benefit, and has nothing to do with the web anyway. it is everything to do with making it hard to develop apps in a multiplatform way, which apple only wants to do in order to make developers locked in to working on their device, which only sells well due to all the developers making apps for it.
The iPhone is an awful device (I own one, it is LOUSY at every function but those which are developed by 3rd parties), with some amazing apps. Apple knows this, and is desperate to hang on to the app community.
To be honest, Lala was probably losing money and the owners cashed out.
Apple is at least giving people credit for the songs / a check for all their web-only songs instead of just turning it off.
right. the iPhone is lousy at being a music player, a media player, a web browser and a phone.
That's why it's at the top of the market, right?
That's only because people are blinded by the shininess of Jobs' head or something.
who in blazes is a 30-Pin connector leaving out in the cold?
Is it?
That's not meant to be a snark, I would be interested to see how many iphones are sold relative to other handsets, but I can't seem to find any decent stats.
Anecdotally, I see more blackberrys and nokia n-series than I do iphones.
EDIT: Apparently the most sold handsets in the UK are made by Samsung. Huh.
What market are you talking about?
You ought to really be specific or check your numbers.
is.... is that a bad thing?
non-business smartphones
http://www.technewsdaily.com/apple-is-now-largest-us-phone-maker-0499/
Weird. The UK seems to be wildly different:
http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/814489-iphone-and-android-use-surges-as-phone-fans-turn-to-apps
Possibly because iPhones are hideously expensive over here. I'd have to pay twice as much per month as I do right now for the same contract, as well as spending £180 up front.
EDIT: wait, those are worldwide figures. Hrmm.
Hell, that's a lot of my motivation for my gripes... after the camera improves and multitasking comes in, lack of Flash is really the iPhone's sole weakness.
Don't forget the AT&T network (as a pretty significant weakness); how many iPhones did Apple sell this quarter, 8.5 million? Over Motorola's 8.4 million? All of those iPhones are on the AT&T network, while I imagine the Motorolas are spread more or less evenly over the big four. The new iPhone is just going to put more strain on the network (assuming they stay exclusive). AT&T really needs to step up its game.
Holy revisionist history
The 30-pin connector was created along with the original iPod (edit: I'm wrong. the first and second gen iPod were firewire only. The dock connector came in with the 3rd gen and PC support - ie. when they needed to support USB and Firewire in the same device). At the time, the only major connect mp3 players were using was USB 1.1, which was slow as shit. Apple had created the IEEE 1394 standard (aka Firewire) and wanted to use that, because it was about 400 times faster for data transfers, but they also wanted to be able to extend support to people who only had USB.
Now USB and, especially, Firewire ports are quite thick, and they didn't want to stick two holes in every iPod, and have to add another hole if at any time they wanted to add another interface in the future. So they came up with a thin connector on the iPod side that let them support multiple interfaces on the client side, and they kept using it for backwards compatibility.
So your assertion is what? They should turn back time and use a USB 2 mini connector in the original (edit: third gen) iPod and throw out firewire? Or they should throw out backwards compatibility?
I could be wrong.
So when Adobe says that battery life and user experience claims are bogus, they really have nothing to back that up with.
Worldwide, I doubt that's true. In the US and Europe, though, yeah, sounds right, although I don't even know how to measure that.
If there's anything the iPhone wins at though, it'd be mind share.
Well, that too. I was just thinking of the device itself.
No, we're arguing about something completely not-topic to the thread.
That's unfounded speculation. What I do know is that Apple bought out, then shut down the only service that lets me listen to an album before I buy it. The only way that I won't be pissed at them is they come out with a super-secret web-based platform where you can listen to songs before you buy them that offers MP3s and has a nice, slick interface. Which doesn't seem terribly likely.
You can preview songs on iTunes. Not the whole thing, but I can't think of too many situations where I'm looking to buy a song I've never heard before.
I, on the other hand, am often looking for new music that I've not heard before. Sure, I can cue up a station on Last.fm or something and wait for new stuff I like...or I can browse around an actual music store and listen to previews on demand.
Unfortunately, it seems like half the time iTunes chooses parts of the song to preview that are in no way representative of the song (and that's assuming we're talking about less complex songs that can be represented easily by a 45 second snippet anyway).
If they just want to prevent people from using their previews as a personal jukebox, that's easy...just lower the quality, either by reducing bitrate, making it mono, or both.