100 years from now when kids learn history
you will be listed with Edison and Einstein.
A giant of our era … a visionary …
a genius.

Luminaries & business men will honor you,
pundits will parade their interviews and experiences
journalists will run pictures and video.
your life will be analyzed and evaluated.

I wonder if anyone will be able to vocalize that deep impact and change you brought
into our lives …

Magical, revolutionary, amazing, and great
words you used for the products that
were developed under your watch.

my phone and laptop … hold even more value
… the sentimental kind.

iron wil
2011.10.11

What I do see, is possibilities.

An Apple TV that is a “TV” would have to be more than just a media box like the 1st and 2nd versions of the Apple TV.  I think this device would have to be a media center or iTunes Server.  We know that Apple can make beautiful displays and fantastic hardware.  My vision is that this iTunes Server would need to have a few things to make it work.  It would need to contain a very large hard drive, Seagate recently announced a 4Tb hard drive, and the ability to update the software and hard drive.   The rest of the hardware might stand the test of time or need to be upgradeable over time.  That is the problem, it doesn’t fit Apple’s model.  Not only that but FaceTime Hd camera would have to be capable of upgrades also.

I understand where people want this to go and I have seen the videos’ of Alan Kay’s visionary tablet and Apple’s knowledge navigator.  I also ‘see’ how AirPlay is making some of the sharing possible with a combination of Apple devices.  My first thoughts and impressions are that they will be making a 3rd generation Apple TV that will allow and manage the ‘Cord Free’ connecting and syncing between iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.  My vision is 2 devices, one that has a large hard drive and one that is like the 2nd generation Apple TV.  My other feeling is that they are working with TV manufacturers to get  AirPlay working on TVs.  This could work as a widget or as an always on service running and ready to receive streams.

I really see a new Apple TV being an iTunes Server … I know I have said it a few times already.  It is the only thing that make sense to me.

ironwil

I know this is totally out on a limb; however, think of the stores that have been broken into because a car or truck was used to drive through the front glass panels.

Here is Scotty giving the formula away in 1984.

iron wil

Mr. Apotheker, please don’t be offended, this is merely my opinion.  Seriously, how could you take the 2nd best mobile OS [this is true and just for you Ryan] and put it on ice after weakly pitching it?  How could you?  do you not understand what is happening in the world with mobile computing?

I loved my Palm IIIc and m515.  They were great devices … they had problems, but they were the only real handheld for years!  They are still being used by some people because they work well and had a simple and easy to use interface.  They did lack a decent ecosystem and that was changed with webOS.  Palm made beautiful changes to the operating system and several of my friends got Pre’s and Pixi’s.  I was waiting on my contract to end so that I could move to an iPhone, by this point in time we had moved to Mac’s.  Yet, I was interested, and I grabbed my father-in-laws or friends phone when I had the chance to site down and play with it [that means I was interested in learning about the device because of the OS].  I was not impressed with the hardware.  I to be honest still am not.  The innovation of the pages concept and then the rumored and proven abilities of “tap to transfer”!  Wow!  I thought, how awesome that would be if it could be worked across different systems and then HP bought them and then they finished what Palm had started.

But they only finished what was started.

At this point I need to change directions.  What I was expecting when HP bought Palm was a rebirth of computing at HP and a move to actually compete with Apple.  I saw a future with webOS running on laptops and desktops and mobiles similar to the way OS X has moved into the mobile space [now let's not argue the semantics].  I envisioned HP being able to dual boot Windows and webOS; and I was not the only person envisioning that happening.  I believe, HP brought it up in the first place.  I was starting to see a lightweight fast operating system that would be faster than Windows and as secure as the rest of them.  I saw tablets, smartphones, touch handhelds [yes very similar to the iPod Touch]; and I saw an ecosystem being built or integrated, that would bring it to parity with Apple.  I mean, the computers looked good and were well made [from my personal experience with them].  HP could have spent more time on design even though this doesn’t seem to be a strong point.

Many people know and understand that Apple claims to be a hardware company and they maintain a 30% margin on their hardware and give away the OS [remember that this is a company statement made by Apple].  So, why couldn’t HP start to move in that direction … is it because Mr. Apotheker has no vision?  Yeah, and neither do those that work for him.   I am so disappointed because Android as much as it is touted an competition to iOS; many technologists that I follow and read feel the same way that I do.  Android was just a cheap, bad alternative.  webOS was the real threat to iOS.  It not only did things differently, but it also did them in a visually appealing way, similar to iOS.

So, my request, Mr. Apotheker, is to bring me on board and give me 3 years before you actually shutter this HALF A BILLION business.  Let me have a chance to bring back a group that is failing.  I know I have vision and I have a desire to see some really good competition.

iron wil

The children of the base, Military Brats as they are called, I think are the most fascinating people. There is one common denominator amongst all of these brats; that is – They all know how it feels.

We have all been in that situation and knew exactly what the other was going through. It’s the same thing all over the world. Every couple of years there are new friends to be made, and new schools to attend.
Remarkable though, most kids that you come across hold that empathy in their hearts and just welcome you in without any reservations.

There is a quick name exchange, a brief history and the next thing you know you are playing what ever game they have already started. There is no “she’s an outsider” or “she’s not a cousin” mentality that I would
encounter later in my civilian life…we were all just family that hadn’t met before.

A child on an Air Force Base is absolutely complaisant to the fact that they grow up under different conditions then civilian kids. When you are told to clean your room, you are threatened with the “white glove” inspection. You have no idea that it is possible to make a bed without hospital corners, or that you can leave a bed unmade at all.

There are always boxes that never quite get unpacked. That was the stuff you apparently didn’t need to survive, so why unpack. You have C- Rations stashed in the cupboards that you sometimes played with. You knew that a square meal didn’t mean that it had all of the required food groups…but instead that it was more of, let’s call it a “style” of eating. We would never dream of moving, let alone speaking during the National Anthem. Our families had a WWIII plan.

And every single outdoors event was donned with those beautiful green, military issue, wool blankets. Everyone had them and you sat on them in the grass, curled up in them when you were camping, lined the bed of the truck with them when moving…they were used for everything and every car
had at least one in it’s trunk.

Another distinction, that I was not aware of until later in life, is that a Brat’s family vacations are usually more of a history lesson. I, at the time, assumed these vacations were to the places that every other child
was headed. Apparently that is not the case.

For sons and daughters of the military, “vacations” are usually trips to a wide selection of historic places, where you would be privileged to watch a civil war reenactment or take a tour through places like Mt Vernon
(George Washington’s home for you civilians). There were no great battles fought at Disney World, so there was never any reason to go there.

All of these things we took for granted as being completely normal. Why wouldn’t we, everyone we knew was living the exact same life. It isn’t until much later when your ID card is taken from you and you are pushed from the citadel that you find out that “normal” people have not heard of most of these things. That most people live in the same town for their entire lives! That we were not in fact normal children by most standards.

What we are however, is wonderful, patriotic, loyal, respectful people that offer an entire different outlook on life to people that know nothing of the gated, protected world we grew up inside.

We are awesome.

I have to admit that this speaks to the heart of my childhood.

ironwil

Mom and Dad thanks, I don’t know if I could ever put the words together to express my appreciation for your sacrifice.

To my brothers and sisters, I don’t think I need to say anything … you know.

Friends … there are so many of you now, so many that love me and care for me.  I am humbled and grateful for your affection and appreciation of me.  I hope that I can always express my appreciation for you especially when you serve me or my family.

Now, there are some Friends out there that are no longer friends; you are family.  Brian & HD, Jonas & Berry, and Brian & Rach to name a few … I am sitting here getting emotional trying to think of how I could begin to express my gratitude and love for you.

Brian, your FB post is beautiful and we have lived through some tough times together; and we share the gospel of Jesus Christ and we share His love.  I think that there is no other person that I can call and get a scriptural and gospel based answer – there have been many times that your wise counsel has served me well.  I am grateful that our friendship has lasted and will continue to last into the eternities.  Heather, my twin sister, how I miss celebrating our birthday together.  I can’t think of any thing else I would rather do than to sit down with our families and enjoy another birthday dinner together.

Jonas, we share the longest history, 20+ years…  I didn’t expect our friendship to last past high school; but because of a blond, French class, and reconciliation we have a wonderful friendship full of love and appreciation for each other.  I can’t imagine another April without Thunder.  We have such a good time with your family.  Berry, I can’t tell you how fabulous you are, nor can I express my gratitude for your love for and marriage to Jonas.  You have been a miracle and blessing to him that I will be forever grateful for.

Brian & Rach …  Like Brian & HD we share the gospel of Jesus Christ and a love of life and an appreciation for our wives.  Rach, you came into our lives at a time when Lauren needed a girlfriend.  You have been such a blessing to her and our family.  Brian, I am so thankful that you and Rach met and married.  Your laughter and sense of humor are a boon to my soul.  I hope that our futures can become more entwined.

Now, if I have not mentioned you, I hope that you will not be offended.  I have not forgotten you … there are many of you, my friends, that I am grateful for and I could spend a week writing my thanks and appreciation.

Now, Lauren, “you are my miracle”.  We are agreed upon that.  I will forever be indebted to Mary for introducing us.  These last 6 years have flown by and I am amazed at how we have grown together.  I know we have our struggles and trials, we have our moments in the sun, and we have those glorious and wonderful days.  My memories of these years are full of joy and wonder.

I would almost be lost without you.  You are a bright and shining star in my heaven.  You are my better half and you help to bring out my best self.  Thank you for taking the risk and loving me and consenting to be my eternal companion, wife, friend, and lover.

iron wil

I was listening to a recent netcast, probably MacBreak Weekly #214 or Windows Weekly #176, and they were discussing the USB port on the back of the Apple TV.  I really started to think about that port and and the iTunes software.  I also felt that my iTunes Server could be met with Apple activating that port for external hard drives.  This could make the Apple TV an iTunes Server IF they add the ability to manage Accounts, Purchase Content, and allow iTunes to act as the intermediary.  Personal Profiles would allow one iTunes Account to manage multiple users (or device profiles) with Bonjour running Apple could enable Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Syncing.  This would solve the iTunes Server issue mentioned below.

I have noticed that a few videos and articles have surfaced over the last [thinking] 3 years and they are all pointing to the future of where Apple said it was going in the 80′s.  The Newton was their first attempt at a mobile product that would fill the space of the ‘hand-held communicator’ or Dynabook that was talked about by Alan Kay.  In my recent post, the video shared by TUAW, talks about being able to stream media on the fly.  To have total access to your books, music, movies, and documents no matter where an individual is located … they only need access to the internet.

Today we have 2 ubiquitous internet devices from Apple, the iPad and iPhone.  These two devices deliver the majority of the internet to you on the go.  We know that we can buy, rent, listen, and watch content as long as we are connected to the internet.  Yeah for 3G and GSM!!!  We now know that Apple is working on “The Orchard” a large data center in North Carolina.  Apple has now released the updated Apple TV that delivers all of your iTunes content to your TV plus NetFlix and hopefully much more as they continue to work on this platform.  I have heard some discussion for the Apple TV where we can push Hulu, MLB, or even games to our living room or bedroom TVs via AirPlay (or Apps).

With Apple rolling Apple TV and AirPlay out to their 160 million registered iTunes customers they have an instant [upon purchase] test bed.  To play with and work through all the bugs and legal issues.  They have a willing audience of “Fan Boys” that have already ordered their new Apple TV‘s.  They have users like me that will be purchasing one after they start shipping.

Now, what is missing?  One huge thing I think is missing is an iTunes server.  Yeah, I know that HP’s MediaSmart running Windows Home Server with the plug-in will act in this fashion.  What I am looking for is … think a Mac Mini Server form factor that we can add external hard drives to for increased capacity!  [The one extra cool feature would be that we could add more iTunes Servers and they would span the network.  I am thinking of a Drobo + AirPort Wireless Network Extender + SAN.]  We could stream right from that instead of from the family iMac.  It would function as the iTunes back-up for the whole family, accounts for each user.  This would then be coupled with “The Orchard” so that we have 3 copies of our media and we can then stream anything we own to anywhere! Now hold on and don’t forget that Apple purchased Lala.com and they had a really good balance of being able to push music that you already own for 10¢ each track and the ability to buy new music.

So,  if I have a DVD or digital copy of a movie, then I have to pay the 30¢ licensing fee and Apple drops a copy in my Orchard account.  Then if something happens to our Mac we have a copy of everything in the “Cloud”.  The way I see this service really being delivered is via MobileMe.  I am not sure if it would be 99$ still or if it would be free.  I think that free would ‘force’ people to move their content there because there is no barrier to entry.  I know that I would start right away.  I know that it would cost me; but if I could have the guarantee … I would be compelled to do it right away.  We have 2 Macs and 2 iPhones and it would be a no brainer for my wife and I to jump on that right away.

It is very clear to my mind what this will look like and how it will work.  Unfortunately, I don’t actually know and if I did, I wouldn’t be able to write this.

iron wil

After watching this video and seeing the September iPod announcements and the new Apple TV; it really solidifies even more the direction that I think Apple is headed.  If they get there watch out, it will be amazing!!  Think of ubiquitous computing to the next level.  Your TV is connected to your network and you can push video or anything else to it.

I can use my iPad to push a Keynote that I am working on to the TV to check the scale and get an idea of how it will look.  I will be able to put up a spreadsheet and a website I am working from and other resources.  Using the Apple TV and the iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone.  It allows for a family or coworkers to share and collaborate in the office.  It moves us closer to the Star Trek interface.  Where the screen changes and we can use voice commands to navigate, work, and interact with the computers that will surround us.

What really surprised me was that the TUAW writer didn’t even get to these points.  He missed the kid pushing his project to the ‘chalk board’ from his hand-held device.

The future is coming and Apple is bringing it!!!

iron wil

“The Course of Human Events”:
I really liked this lecture from Mr. McCullough, because it seems to me that his main point is the Founding Fathers were men with vices and problems of their own. He also points out that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States need to be looked at and understood from that context. I agree that if we as nation looked at they documents in the context of when they were written and could understand these brilliant men, we as a nation would do a much better job of choosing those that are to govern and lead our nation.

“The Last Lecture”:
This book written by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow does a really good job of expressing why it is important to not only follow your dreams; but living a good life … a life of principles and values.  I related to Mr. Pausch and his story quite well.  It was also heartening to learn that there are so many more people that try to live the best they can.  I just wish that it was more evident in and to our society.  American’s are primarily viewed as Ugly Americans; rude, vulgar, brash, spiteful, and uncaring.  We are a better people than what others realize of know.

“Where Have All the Leaders Gone?”:
I was not really sure what I was getting into when I picked up this book. I had heard of Mr. Iacocca, but knew very little about him. I learned enough about his life and career to understand where Mr. Iacocca is coming from.  I admit that I agree with much of what he has written, I also really like his 9 C’s of leadership:

1. Curiosity
2. Creative
3. Communicate
4. Character
5. Courage
6. Conviction
7. Charisma
8. Competent
9. Common Sense

I agree that we have become a nation of ‘what’s in it for me’ and ‘special interest’ and ‘entitlement minded’.  We need to be a better people, we need to have great mentors and follow great leaders.  We need to become a nation of leaders.

iron wil

I love this device.  I really like the 802.11n and I really like the Price Point!  I can afford the 99$ and that makes this an easy buy.  Having access to NetFlix and my iTunes Library in the same place really makes me love this.  I see 3 things that will happen to the device over the next year or two:

1. The Orchard will hold and deliver personal content to any iPhone, iTouch, iPad, and Apple TV.
2. Apple will develop a home iTunes server that will allow for several accounts and multiple account access.  Think HP’s Windows Home Server with the iTunes plug-in.
3. Apple will allow for App development which will bring in more content and some games.  This may require a new Apple TV to handle multiple iPhones, iTouchs, and iPads … to act as game controllers.

Once, Apple puts these pieces into place, it defines the paradigm and concept of what that device in the living room is that handles TV Shows, Movies, Music, and Gaming!

I need to pre-order mine.

iron wil

P.S.

Others Thoughts

1. Wired’s Epicenter, How Apple Just Disrupted the Cable Guys.
2. Ars Technica, No longer a hobby? $99 Apple TV drops storage, integrates Netflix.
3. Fortune Tech, Apple TV swings hard but misses.

I  have to disagree with Fortune, I think that they are wanting a solution to a problem that everyone is searching for.  Wired & Ars, I think are on the same train of thought as I am and Apple.  It isn’t the answer yet … another step or iteration on the path to getting it right.  I look forward to seeing what comes next.  I hope they see and realize that this can’t be a stand alone box; it has to have a robust back-end of content.