I don’t think that Apple will move off OS X unless it is to another desktop OS [11?].  I don’t think that they will move to iOS for their “Trucks” either, how else would people program for Apple products [pro & consumer]?  I think that if they move to a touch based OS for “OS 11″ then we will see programming change to a modular and visual interface and the keyboard will still be needed for some functions.  The only way the keyboard could be minimized is if a Star Trek like voice command is implemented.

What I think will happen is Apple will develop it’s Siri acquisition to build a more robust voice command interface and then over time move it into the desktop computer while beefing up the touch interface.  I also think that the home desktop will turn into a media server that will be connected via Wi-Fi to the TV, stereo, and hand-held devices [iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touches].  We will use the Knowledge Navigator [hand-held device] to interface with the home server and it will do the heavy lifting and data crunching.  It will store and back-up all the data from our devices and allow for the transfer of songs, movies, and other data back and forth via Wi-Fi.  Yes, this will work with the iPod Nano and Classic too!

The future of Apple is the Federation.  No really, the future is going  to be both trucks and cars, the desktop or work horse machine and the hand-held device.  The number of desktop machines will diminish because a family will own one & then they will all have hand-held devices.  The delivery of media will continue to be in two places the TV and the hand-held.  We will see the ability to move from one device to another and the media will follow seamlessly.

Ahhh, the future, please come now!!!

iron wil

So, last time I wrote about Air Mouse Pro I was really negative about it.

Since then, I stopped trying to use it as a regular mouse and started using it as a remote for my iMac to surf and watch movies and TV shows.  My wife and I both love the app and use it daily.  I was very wrong in my first impression and attempted use of this application.

If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch and you need across the room access to a windows or mac computer.  This is the way to go.

Air Mouse Pro connects over your network via Wi-Fi.  There is a small piece of software that you install on you computer that allows the App to interact with the OS.  Here is a list of  Features:

• Accelerometer based mouse
• Trackpad with vertical and horizontal orientation
• Media keys with volume and eject controls
• Web keys
• Application switcher/launcher
• Application notifications
• Unlimited custom media and web remotes with scripting capabilities
• Remote keyboard with modifier keys
• Function keyboard with arrow keys
• Oversized numeric keypad
• Programable hotkeys (can be set to run a program or keyboard combination)
• Scroll pad
• Multitouch gestures (supports scrolling & right click)
• Remotely wake up and put your computer to sleep
• Password protection
• Custom sensitivity settings
• Foreign language keyboards
• Supports Bonjour or static IP
• Works over Bluetooth PAN (requires carrier support, currently not available on AT&T)
• No screen size limitation. Works with multiple monitors
• Works over WIFI, no line of sight limitations
• Built from the ground up for Mac and Windows

iron wil

I was on Yammer the other day and the group was asking about the iSlate and what our predictions were for next month.  As I thought about the question and thought about rumor mill this is what I thought of =  JooJoo + Sports Illustrated Demo + Kindle + Lala + built in battery + Inkwell + Wi-Fi/3G.

Okay, we already know that whatever Apple and Mr. Jobs are doing is going to look great and fit into the architecture that already exists and the JooJoo is a good idea of what can be done today.  Since we don’t have to worry about design [it's not a mouse] we know that it will look great!  Some of my favorite concepts can be found here.  We also know that it will work with iTunes in some way, have built in Wi-Fi [iPhone/iPod Touches and possibly some 3G/4G if the Verizon rumors are true], and a built in battery.

The next thing it will have to cover is the usefulness and ease of use.  What if they left in Inkwell, the handwriting recognition software and allowed for capacitive writing with your finger?!?  … Or a puff ball … which would allow for quick note taking and editing, like the Windows Courier project?  Now, allow for Sports Illustrated Tablet demo functionality with books, magazines [I would love to get Wired like this!!!], and mixed media.  This would make the Kindle and other eReaders look last decade.

Now add iTunes with subscriptions or Lala, which Apple bought in December 2009, and then you don’t have to port your entire library … you can stream it through your iTunes account to the new device!

Well, I don’t know about you, but I want one!!!  I don’t know if I am even half right; Apple is making waves and the rumors are in the water.  We will see on the 27th of January.

NetBooks and eReaders beware they are about to redefine your markets and youse will lose market share.

Listening to MacBreak Weekly #174 and I realized that I forgot something very important, the App Store!!!  It has been leaked that Apple has expressed to some developers that they will want to work on full screen coverage.  They have talked about my thoughts that I wrote about here!!!

iron wil

Okay, it is over and the new iPod Nano has been announced and it is live on the Apple Store.  It looks pretty cool.  Aluminum body and in color!!!  That is pretty amazing.  Okay, now I wonder if I could get the [now] old Nano at a good discount?

I am really looking forward to the new iTunes [9] and the ability to share across a home network.  That will allow my wife and I to separate our music and save her about 20 to 30 gigs on her hard drive.  That also makes me happy, because I have a lot more audio on my MacBook than she wants on her iMac.

I know what I will be doing this next week, update iTunes, change the iTunes accounts, install Snow Leopard, and make sure it works before she gets home.

iron wil

1. ‘Available networks’ tool on taskbar — already present in OS X, works great! It was called Internet Connect, but now is just part of the Network pane in System Preferences.
2. Fewer annoying pop-ups — true we get a bouncing dock icon if you want it; but pop-ups aren’t standard.
3. HomeGroup — oh yeah, I think we call that Bonjour.
4. Device Stage — sounds like more work, OS X launches the program and gets ready to work.
5. BitLocker support for removable storage — Now, for businesses, this has promise.  Home users get nothing from what I understand.  There is FileVault; however if you want whole drive encryption, you can get tools like TrueCrypt.
6. Speedier boot-up — yeah, that is working . . . my MacBook was still faster booting OS X than it was booting Windows 7.
7. Libraries — copycat?  Yeah, *Nix systems have been using this model for some time now.
8. User Account Control is less in-your-face — about time!!!
9. Multi-touch — okay, this is only available on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and ModBooks; we are still waiting for Apple to release a NetBook or Tablet PC that will blow our socks off.
10. It’s not Windows Vista — yeah, we never thought we would see something more busted up than Windows ME; but that has come & now they are ‘getting it right’.

Commentary added.

iron wil

Hosts: Tom Merritt, Ryan Block, Veronica Belmont, Roger Chang, Patrick Norton, and Robert Llewellyn

Chrome OS, outlet and laser data theft, $98 Blu-ray player, flat panel growth, memristors, and more.

Show Notes

MacBreak Weekly 149: Bump My iPhone

Hosts: Scott Bourne, Wil Harris and Justine Ezarik

Digital 45s, 1.5 billion apps, iPod Touch cameras, Eric Schmidt, Safari 4.0.2, and more.

Show Notes

Security Now 205: Lempel-Ziv

Hosts: Steve Gibson with Leo Laporte

Lempel-Ziv data compression, one of the most prevalent computer algorithms of all time.

Show Notes

I would also expect if the iPhone ‘Lite’ or iPhone Nano for 99$ would be an 8gb device with the exact same hardware as the standard model.  We will find out in a few weeks but no later than 2 months.  I also expect that we will see something like a MacBook Touch or something in the 10′ to 10.4′ screen size.  It only makes good sense to release a killer device that fills this space.  No, not a phone, but maybe a tablet running OS X: iPhone or something that runs that on the cover and then drop into full Leopard.  There is also a rumor that it will be on the 700mhz band that AT&T and Verizon will be opening up in 2010 for all hardware and devices.  I think that they will release the device for Verizon only and then after a year or even right away, it will be available on AT&T.

I am excited to see what happens.  This Fall, after my wife’s contract expires, should be our iPhone & service change.  I am not excited about having AT&T, my favorite carrier comes in a different color; however, I know my hardware needs & can see the solution in the iPhone.

iron wil

Hosts: Steve Gibson with Leo Laporte

Our regular mailbag episode with a dozen questions and comments from our listeners including our Great Idea of the Week…

iPhone & iPod Touch SDK [Software Development Kit], iPod Touch WiFi Security, Windows Home Server, UPnP Problems, Windows Vista, and Skype Supernodes.

get yours here.

iron wil.