Home Automation, Linux, X10, TiVo, iPods and other technology around the home
This Saturday December the 11th LTZ organizes an iOS Development Code Kitchen, hosted by one of LTZ’s chief developers, Mike Ziray. The code kitchen will be held on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, and is free of charge!
Join them in a day-long, hands-on iOS experience. Unfortunately I can’t make it this weekend (we have major maintenance scheduled on our database environment), but I’m looking forward to the next code kitchen.
Ghostbusters by benyupp
One thing to put on your right-after-christmas wishlist: the iPad 2. Foxconn is rumored to have been notified they will ship Apple’s iPad 2 within 100 days – i.e. by the end of February 2011. Initial shipments should be reaching 400,000-600,000 units.
The iPad 2 will probably sport a front-facing camera to allow FaceTime and other video applications, an improved display copying the Retina Display of the iPhone and iPod, and a lighter body offering better mobility. If Foxconn will indeed start shipping iPad 2′s by February, the official launch will most likely be by April 2011.
So, how did I do for the event? Let’s revisit the predictions:
| Rumor | Result | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion” |  | And a nice upgrade. Several things from the mobile (iOS) platform rolled into OS X. |
| Updated versions of iWork and iLife | | Yay. Love the photo and movie editing and publishing capabilities. GarageBand has now stooped to the level of “any idiot can make music”. |
| A smaller version of the MacBook Air | | Smaller, but also the old 13″. And improved battery life! |
| Facetime on Mac | | Can’t wait for integration with the PC! |
| iPhone on the Verizon network |  | They’ll have another event for that. |
| The iMac Touch is announced |  | Well, sort of: Apple explained why they don’t think a touchscreen desktop is a good idea, and showed us the alternative. |
| Apple buys Facebook | | They may have another event for that… |
All in all, 4 1/2 out of 7. Not a bad score I think, considering the craziness of some of the rumors.
The rumor mill is buzzing for tomorrow’s “Back to the Mac” event. And we have a few lined up for you, from “very likely” to “highly unlikely”.
The new version of OS X will be announced, and it will be called “Lion”. This is a safe bet – the invitation sports a lion peaking around an apple.
Likeliness: Very likely. Just look at the invitation fercrissake!
If a new version of OS X is announced, it normally is accompanied by a new version of iLife and iWorks. On top of that, the German version of Amazon.com announced iLife ’09 for sale with a release date of 10/20/2010. Coincidence? I think not.
Likeliness: Very likely, based on the fact that a new OS is very likely.
An 11.6″ MacBook Air version is expected, in addition to the current 13.3″ model. There is even a leaked photo to “prove” this.
Likeliness: Likely. There are too many rumors, and even though the picture may be doctored, it’s another hint.
Assuming the new version of OS X and the new versions of iLife/iWorks are coming, wouldn’t it be nice to have Facetime included? It would be the logical extension of the phone paradigm, where the handset calls the “home base”. And since Facetime doesn’t use the cellphone network but requires a WiFi connection, it would be a small step.
Likeliness: Likely. And fun too!
More and more rumors of the iPhone going to other networks appear as AT&T’s exclusivity ends. Verizon is the most mentioned name. And although this may change one of the strengths of the iPhone (surfing the web or using the data connection, while talking on the phone – which seems to be impossible with CDMA), it makes more sense to put the iPhone on Verizon than on T-mobile or Sprint. Why? AT&T’s network can barely keep up with the iPhone traffic – put it on a network that’s as larger or even larger!
Likeliness: Likely to happen, but probably not the focus of an event named “Back to the Mac”.
There have been a few rumors about a larger touchscreen version of the iMac. And although Apple has the technology, it would mean a second OS with touch screen capability, competing for roughly the same market segment as the iTouch and iPad. At a higher price point.
Likeliness: Unlikely. It would mean touchscreen capability in OS X, or replacing the OS with iOS. And I’d rather have a $500 iPad in the kitchen than a $1500 iMac.
I just heard this rumor this morning. And yes, Apple has had a fabulous quarter, and yes, I think the fact that Ping has no link with Facebook pissed off Steve Jobs. But Facebook was valued at over $11 billion early this year, and it’s unlikely to have devalued. So say we’re looking at $15-25B. That’s about 5-10% of Apple’s market cap – a significant chunk of change. And would Microsoft let that happen? Chairs would fly…
Likeliness: Very unlikely. And once again, nothing to do with “Back to the Mac”.
OK, I don’t care if you can duplicate any of this technology with Qik or anything else that exists right now: you gotta give it to Apple that they can just put their finger on the right sentiments:
Like a pregnant woman showing the ultrasound to her husband in the Army, or the two people using sign language. Isn’t that the coolest thing??
Next on the list is undoubtedly a front-facing camera for the iPad. Imagine the slightly larger screen displaying the same picture.
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