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- Apple's Billions and Billions
Yesterday, the New York Times published an article examining what it refers to as the upcoming "war" between computer chip manufacturers. It's an interesting read if you're desperately into that sort of thing, but what's most compelling is the assertion that Apple probably invested at least a billion dollars in the iPad's custom silicon.
As we reported here, Apple bought chip manufacturer P.A. Semi back in April 2008 for a cool $278 million, ostensibly to acquire the company's engineering talent and manufacturing expertise, and, perhaps, the use of its existing facilities to produce its own custom-designed chips. Perhaps this helped save Apple a little money up-front, if the NYT's is correct about the development costs of the chips alone;
Even without the direct investment of a factory, it can cost […] about $1 billion to create a smartphone chip from scratch.
Does this mean Apple saved a cool seven hundred million dollars when it bought P.A. Semi? If you're a company with almost forty billion dollars in the bank, finding the ready cash to develop your own groundbreaking processor doesn't seem quite such a mammoth undertaking. And I’ll be the first to admit I'm likely oversimplifying the whole thing, but y'know, that Jobs fellow is a wily old fox…
(Chip) War is Hell
From the New York Times;
Now, the chip wars are about to become even more bloody. In this next phase, the manufacturers will be fighting to supply the silicon for one of the fastest-growing segments of computing: smartphones, tiny laptops and tablet-style devices.
The fight pits several big chip companies — each trying to put its own stamp on the same basic design for mobile chips — against Intel, the dominant maker of PC chips, which is using an entirely different design to enter a market segment in which it has a minuscule presence.
Of course, Intel's favorite chip for mobile devices is still the Atom processor, commonly found nestling at the heart of netbooks everywhere. The Atom processor is small, energy-efficient — and terribly slow.
The challenge, then, is clear: make a smaller, ever-more-energy-efficient chip that doesn't trade performance for low-power-consumption. Steve Jobs, when announcing the iPad to the world in January, hinted that the iPad's A4 processor might have achieved this lofty goal;
iPad is powered by our own custom silicon. We have an incredible group that does custom silicon at Apple. We have a chip called A4, which is our most advanced chip we’ve ever done that powers the iPad. It’s got the processor, the graphics, the I/O, the memory controller… Everything in this one chip. And it screams.
Mind you, Steve Jobs is the King of Hyperbole, so we should take his claims of speed with a grain (or ten) of salt. It's encouraging, then, that the feedback from level-headed reporters, and specifically, beloved Mac-head Andy Ihnatko, confirms that, at least when compared to the iPhone 3GS, the iPad is unquestionably nimble;
This thing is FAST. I stretch-zoom a webpage and it keeps up with me now [sic] matter how fast I zoom and scroll. When you turn a page in iBook, it's not "an animation of a page turning"… you are TURNING a freaking PAGE.
I think, most importantly, this "$1 billion" investment speaks volumes about Apple's commitment to the iPad and iPhone product families. (We all fully expect the A4 to wind up in an iPhone sooner or later, yes? I mean, that much is obvious, right?)
The iPhone set the stage for mobile touch-based computing and the iPad will soon step into the spotlight. Let's not forget, also, that Jobs very deliberately (re)defined Apple as a mobile devices company. Apple is taking its touch-based, mobile-computing strategy seriously enough that it's prepared to spend real money investing in it.
Billions and Billions
Impressively, this isn’t the only billion-dollar investment Apple has made recently. I wrote here back in May 2009 how Apple’s still-under-construction server farm in North Carolina also represents an estimated $1 billion investment. Apple hasn’t confirmed what the server farm will be used for, but it’s sensible to assume Apple is looking to improve and expand its cloud-based services.
You see, a great many of Apple’s mobile devices are going to be connected to the web, so it makes sense that Apple should want to provide end-to-end software and services for its iPhones, iPads and MacBooks. Aside from the obvious aesthetic niceties of Apple-software running on Apple-hardware, the “it just works” ease-of-use of MobileMe and iWork on a MacBook or iPad more than make up for their expense.
Apple knows that if its software works exceptionally well, and is a pleasure to use, people will pay for it despite the existence of free alternatives. Sadly, MobileMe and iWork.com can only be described as “decent” and “adequate.” Perhaps the server farm is one step toward making them “exceptional?”
However you look at it, the facts speak for themselves; Apple is gearing-up for a future that is focused on mobile computing hardware and services, and its recent sizeable investments and acquisitions are bold steps toward that goal.
$2 billion in two years doesn’t sound like a lot for a company as wealthy as Apple. But make no mistake, it’s still a huge bet, and a particularly brave one, too, given how many tech pundits and punters have failed to understand the utility of the iPad and what it means for the future of computing.
Переслать - My Big Question: iPad 3G or Verizon MiFi?
Because I hail from Massachusetts, where our politicians are famous for being against something before they are for it, I’ll just state this: I was dead set against another data plan for wireless Internet before I was for it. I pay $70 a month for my Edge iPhone contract. Adding in any sort of additional data plan would jump my “out of house” Internet access costs to over $100/month.
However, as I look to use an iPad to supplement my iPhone usage — or have a device that does sit between an iPhone and my MacBook Pro — I’ve been giving this question a lot of thought. I’m not a heavy traveller. Most of my “travel” time is spent on the commuter rail, and the MBTA has at least one or two Wi-Fi-equipped coaches per train. The service isn’t great — Edge access on my iPhone is faster — but it’s handy if I need to get my laptop online. Due to security reasons, I can’t get a device on the wireless network at work, so I would have to hope that if I needed to get a file onto the iPad, the rumored mounting solution would work.
So, assuming I always have my iPhone with me, the odds are very good I’ll not be without Internet access. The problem, though, is the more I check my e-mail, read blogs, Twitter, watch a video, etc. on the iPhone, I’m running the battery down and can’t use it as a phone. This is problematic for emergency uses, and a hassle when you get home and your wife asks, “Did you get my voice mail about picking something up for me?” As a result, I have a support line of charging cables (one by the bed, one in my home office, one in my work office, two in my bag, one in my truck) because the iPhone battery life is so abysmal.
Which gets me to thinking: if the iPad can handle that and the battery dies down, I’m not crap out of luck. I can wait until I get home, to the office etc. to charge it. Plus, there’s enough times during the year I want a device larger than an iPhone to get online with: My dad and I take road trips, and I’d like to leave my MacBook at home and not worry about getting online if the hotel doesn’t have free Wi-Fi. A month’s worth of iPad data usage is roughly 2-3 nights of paid Wi-Fi in a hotel. So, I came around to the idea that additional “always on” Internet isn’t a bad thing. Once I had that paradigm shift, I started debating the idea of a Verizon MiFi vs. the iPad 3G.
The MiFi is an interesting device. It’s about the same size as a credit card and can get up to five devices online, Without a two-year contract it’s $269 and then $60 a month. With a two-year contact, it’s $99 and $60/month. The iPad 3G is $130 more, and no-contract plans range from $15 (for an almost useless amount of data) to $30 for what they claim is unlimited.
On the surface, the 3G seems like a better economic model. If financial hardships befall me, I can cancel the 3G plan and suffer like the rest of the great unwashed masses, or, if I don’t use it much, I can just activate it when I need to. It’s very flexible.
Where the MiFi starts to shine is connecting more than one device , and each of those devices thinks it’s on a Wi-Fi network. This is very key when you think of the restrictions Apple has placed on the iTunes store. Want do download an album that’s over 20MB? You can’t. Also, apps that simply don’t work on 3G (like placing Skype Calls) now do. The extra frosting is it’s not on AT&T, so I’m doubly covered for data access.
In the end, I’m going to just get the 3G iPad. It’s cheaper with no contract, and if I really have to, I can use it as a bridge to getting data to and from my MacBook — I can’t tether, but if needed I can exchange Word files via sync. It’s also an all-in-one device; I won’t have to worry about extra charging cables or another battery life. Were I a more heavy traveller, carrying all three devices with me, I would be giving the MiFi serious thought. As an aside, for the rare times I need to get my MacBook online, I might look at the Virgin Broadband2go. It’s only $100, and pay-as-you-go prices range from $10-50.
How about you? Are you getting the iPad 3G, or looking into a device like the MiFi?
Related GigaOM Pro Research:
• 5 Tips for Developers Targeting the iPad
• Web Tablet Survey: Apple's iPad Hits Right Notes
• With The iPad, Apple Takes Google To the MatПереслать - The App Store Gets a Little Smaller: ngmoco Acquires Freeverse
Big news today as two of the iPhone’s biggest game makers become one through acquisition. ngmoco, makers of such hits as Rolando 2 and Eliminate Pro, has purchased Freeverse, another hit game maker with some significant successes under its belt, including many early App Store hits. Flick Fishing and Moto Chaser might ring some bells, sitting as they did on the top 25 list for long stretches.
The acquisition brings together two of the most significant developers in App Store history, both of which have built their considerable reputations exclusively through their efforts with the iPhone and iPod touch. It’s a step that represents a big milestone in the life of the App Store’s maturing ecosystem.
On the surface, it doesn’t appear at this point as though the merger will affect what most App Store users see. According to ngmoco’s CEO Neil Young:
Freeverse, much like us, is comprised of true game-makers. Now with our combined forces, their titles can reach more people and the talented folks at Freeverse can keep doing what they do best, which is making great games.
Freeverse won’t undergo any changes in terms of its name, branding or management now that its owned by ngmoco. All Freeverse games will likely now include Plus+ network features, which allow gamers to have a more social experience akin to an Xbox live for iPhone users. Freeverse was already a partner involved in that ngmoco-started endeavor, beginning with Flick Fishing.
Even if the effects of this acquisition aren’t immediately apparent or even visible to the average consumer, that doesn’t mean this doesn’t represent a significant change in how the App Store operates. Freeverse is just the beginning for ngmoco, and a way to diversify its brand. The maker of Eliminate Pro and Touch Pets Dogs has itself acknowledged a shift towards producing primarily free-to-play games in the press release announcing the acquisition, which depend on additional purchases of in-app content to generate revenue:
Last year ngmoco added top executives from the games, platform technology and web sectors and launched its leading player network, Plus+. The company shifted its production structures to build free-to-play games.
Now it can offer more traditional single-purchase games via Freeverse to get the best of both worlds while establishing strong, coherent brand identity. It will also quite easily be able to adopt and implement one model over the other if either one becomes much more obviously profitable or preferable to consumers.
Mergers and acquisitions will help smaller studios like ngmoco that made their name on the App Store go toe-to-toe with big production studios like EA Mobile and Gameloft, which were established players long before Apple’s mobile gaming device lineup ever existed. It’s good news for App Store shoppers, since ngmoco has been nothing but innovative to date and should now be better able to continue bringing quality titles to market.
But it’s also a sign that the tumultuous, super-heated forge that was the App Store in its inception is cooling, and that the landscape is taking on a much more static guise. A status quo is asserting itself, and with that, a definite aristocracy of content providers that will become harder and harder to knock off their perches. Games will become more less varied and surprising, but quality will improve.
I hesitate to comment on whether or not this is ultimately a good thing for iPhone users, but I think it is. As with any new market, the frontier days are fun, but maturity and establishment brings with it more focused efforts at improving quality and lowering cost for consumers. It’s time the App Store started getting much better at what it does well, even if some innovation is lost in the bargain.
Related GigaOM Pro Research: Is There Any Demand For a True Gaming Phone?
Переслать - How-To: Sync NewsFire on Multiple Computers
It seems like you can’t swing a dead cat these days without hitting a tech pundit eager to tell you that RSS is dead. Personally, I’m not buying it. RSS feeds and readers are the No. 1 way I stay up to date with online content, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
Over the years I’ve tried out a number of different feed readers including NetNewsWire, Google Reader, Fever, and on and on. Each time I switch though, I always find my way back to NewsFire. For me it’s just the perfect balance of form and function. Well, it’s almost perfect. To paraphrase Churchill I’d say that NewsFire is actually the worst RSS reader, except for all the other RSS readers. The major gaps in my mind are its inability to sync across multiple machines and the lack of an app for the iPhone. As with all things in technology though, there are a lot of ways to skin that cat.
As someone who splits his time among multiple Macs, having the ability to sync my news reader across those machines is a must. If I’m on my work machine paging through new items, when I get home I obviously want those items to show up as having been read. Out of the box NewsFire has no option for syncing but a workable solution turns out to be shockingly simple: Download the free version of Dropbox, create some symbolic links to a few key points on each computer and it’s done. Changes made on one computer are synced through Dropbox and show up on the other.
Setting up the Sync
First, move the follow folder and files into your Dropbox:
~/library/Application Support/NewsFire
~/Library/Caches/org.xlife.NewsFire
~/Library/preferences/org.xlife.NewsFire.plistYou’ll then need to replace them with symbolic links. To create a symbolic link just fire up the Terminal and use the ln command. The format will be (ln -s) (filepath to target) (filepath to link), for example:
ln -s /Users/yournamehere/Dropbox/newsfiresymlinks/org.xlife.NewsFire.plist /Users/yournamehere/Library/Preferences
When you finish making the symlink for the preference file you’ll need to lock it to prevent the application from overwriting it when you quit. To lock it, just right click the file to “Get Info” and select the Locked option.
Now just use the same Dropbox account to link up NewsFire installs on your other machines and you’ll be able to stay in sync. There is one caveat: In order to add new feeds you’ll have to first unlock the .plist file on one end, make the change and then re-link it. For the most part, however, my feeds are already set and I’m really just interested in making sure that the status of an item can be passed back and forth between machines.
Obviously, this approach is not as good as baked-in support would be. But I’m hopeful that we’ll soon see an updated version of NewsFire that will not only support syncing but also close that other major gap, iPhone support. It’s been a long while since NewsFire’s developer David Watanabe dropped this tease about a possible iPhone app. I just hope he can tear himself away from Xtorrent updates long enough to show NewsFire some love.
Переслать - Delicious Library Fix for New iMacs, Retail Boxes, and More!
When Apple updated the new iMacs with the Core i5 and i7 processors, it also quietly introduced a change to the built-in iSight camera with a new lens and a different focal length. An improvement to the barcode scanning algorithm for Delicious Library is coming soon that will provide a fix for the new iMacs and promises better accuracy for all other cameras as well. In addition, Delicious Library is coming to retail stores later this year.
I had a quick chat with Wil Shipley, the founder of Delicious Monster, and he shed some light on all of the above.
Barcode Scanning Now 7x Better
Unlike the original external iSight that featured an auto-focus system, the built-in iSight has a fixed focus. The new iMacs have a lens that shifts the fixed focus from 1′ to 2′. While this change is probably better for focusing on your face when videoconferencing, it didn’t work very well for trying to scan a barcode that is a bit small when held 2 feet away or too blurry when held close enough to fill the camera frame.
Wil has spent the last few months working on improvements to the barcode scanning algorithm that improve accuracy up to 7x. The best part is that these improvements are coming in a free update to all Delicious Library 2 customers that will improve barcode recognition on all computers, not just the new iMacs.
The new scanning is up to 700% more sensitive than it was before. It almost beeps before you’re ready. It’s kinda like that old knock, knock joke about the interrupting cow…
Knock Knock
Who’s There?
Interrupting Cow
Interrupting Cow wh… Moo!!!!I actually have a test harness set up to test so I can measure the exact difference in recognition and it’s working great. I rewrote the DL algorithm from scratch to unblur the image as you move the book around. It just works great.
A beta release for DL2 is coming soon.
Delicious Library Coming to Retail Stores
Wil also shared that Delicious Monster has reached an agreement with Dr. Bott to distribute Delicious Library to retail outlets.
We are finally going to retail boxes and are going to be in stores. I’ve been putting it off for a long time because, you know, I was really firm against it because the retail chain takes so much money out of the product. So it took a while to get here. But now we have an agreement with Dr. Bott and a really beautiful box. We’ve heard stories of people using Delicious Library to sell Macs – come see this, this is cool – and now we can be in the stores.
I’m really proud of the box design itself. I think it’s some of the best work we’ve done yet as far as graphic feel.
Will We See Delicious Library on the iPad?
Delicious Library on the go would be great, but Shipley has run afoul of Amazon’s limitations on using data from the Amazon product info API on a mobile device in the past. The software runs fine in the iPad simulator, but the real question is if Amazon will consider the iPad to be a mobile device in the same class as a smartphone. Wil also has some frustrations about the lack of a MobileMe syncing framework for the iPhone when it exists on the Mac desktop and the lack of a public USB syncing framework for hybrid desktop/iPhone apps.
While we might not see Delicious Library for iPad, Wil did let out that he is excited about the possibilities of the new device and has a project in mind.
I’m still in the planning stages for our next program, well this idea has been gestating for five years now. I don’t have code yet so any release is 1 or 2 years out, but I think this idea could be even bigger than Delicious Library.
Personally, I can’t wait to see it.
Переслать
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