Briefly: Apple growth, 9-year old iPhone dev, WebKit update

[AppleInsider]

Apple's prospects for present and future growth land it on a Top 25 list, an iPhone app for kids authored by a 9-year old is gaining popularity on the App Store, and new animations could eventually make their way into Safari in this roundup of recent news.

Apple makes fastest growing tech list

Forbes has named Apple (AAPL) one of its 25 fastest-growing tech companies for the first time since the list began in 2003.

Apple ranks 14th with 20 percent projected growth on its earnings per share and 40 percent projected sales growth in the next three to five years.

To qualify, companies needed 12-month revenues of $25 million or more, annualized sales gains of at least 10 percent over the past five years, and a profit over the past 12 months.

List leader Illumina makes products and services for genetic analysis and research, while Google came in second. Salesforce.com, which Apple worked with to monetize the iPhone for business, was third.

Additionally, Apple partner Akamai and Genentech were 23rd and 25th, respectively.

Genentech chief executive Arthur Levinson serves on Apple's board of directors along with Google chief Eric Schmidt.

Nine-year-old crafts iPhone app

The creator of Doodle Kids, a finger painting app downloaded 4,000 times in two weeks from the App Store, is more than just a kid at heart. He hasn't even entered middle school.

Lim Ding Wen, 9, of Singapore, said he was just trying to give his siblings something to do.

"I wrote the program for my younger sisters, who like to draw," he told the BBC. "But I am happy that people like it."

Lim's father, Lim Thye Chean, is a chief technology officer at a Malaysian tech firm. He also writes iPhone applications, and the two like to compare statistics each night to see who has more downloads.



"Ding Wen is an above average boy with an interest in computers, especially Apple IIGS and Macs, likes to do programming, and that's it," the boy's father wrote on his website. "Doodle Kids is an extremely simple program that can be done by anybody. Everybody can program - if Ding Wen can, so can you."

Nonetheless, the younger Lim said the app took only a few days in Pascal to write, converting it from the original application he wrote on his computer.

In this photo posted by his father, Lim shows off the original program running on an iMac and the ported version for iPhone. | Courtesy RetroMacCast

Lim is working on another new app called Invader Wars. He is fluent in six programming languages and has been using computers since he was two years old, and he's completed more than 20 programming projects since age 7.

WebKit now supports CSS animations

The latest build of WebKit, which serves as the foundation of Apple's Safari browser, now support animations completely rendered in CSS, skipping the need to use JavaScript or Flash.

The feature uses keyframes to control the animations, according to a post on the WebKit blog.

"A keyframe defines the style that will be applied for that moment within the animation," the entry says. "The animation engines will smoothly interpolate style between the keyframes."

The technology is already built into Mobile Safari on the iPhone, meaning it will likely make it into the desktop version. To test it out, first download the latest nightly build of WebKit, then click to see falling leaves, bouncing box, and pulsing box, three demonstrations from the WebKit team.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[paxman]

Get in there Apple, put this kid on a retainer!

[nagromme]

I'm sure it's a fun toy, and good work for a 9-year old, but without Pantone support and color profiles it's useless for graphic designers.

Yes, I'm kidding.

[ncee]

Mini Steve … sort of. My guess is in a few more years he'll be easily excited and might make a great speaker of Apple products.

I wonder how he looks in Blue jeans and a Black turtleneck shirt

Skip

[gto65l]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

the boy's father wrote on his website. "Doodle Kids is an extremely simple program that can be done by anybody. Everybody can program - if Ding Wen can, so can you."

Way to support your kid! "You're not special, everyone can do it." I'm guessing he's just mad because his kid gets more downloads than he does.

[satchmo]

The big question is whether or not Apple can keep this torrid growth. This quarter will certainly be a tell tale sign of how well it's really doing.

Of course, either way, the stock will tank.
(granted, it's on the uptick the last few days).

[jido]

The demos do indeed work on the iPhone. Nice!

[esXXI]

Originally Posted by gto65l

Way to support your kid! "You're not special, everyone can do it." I'm guessing he's just mad because his kid gets more downloads than he does.

He's encouraging people to give coding a go, not dismissing what his kid has done.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by ncee

Mini Steve …

To be Steve he would have to be a tyrannical, sociopathic and selfish, and not create the software himself but get others to create his vision under harsh, yet somehow rewarding, working conditions.

Edit: Unless you meant Woz.

[Bageljoey]

Originally Posted by gto65l

Way to support your kid! "You're not special, everyone can do it." I'm guessing he's just mad because his kid gets more downloads than he does.

Originally Posted by esXXI

He's encouraging people to give coding a go, not dismissing what his kid has done.

Well, we also have to consider clutural differences. Bragging about your kid in public may fly well in some places (I know parents in the USA live for it) but modesty takes precedence in some cultures. I can't speak for Singapore, but I know many Asian cultures tend towards public modesty. That is not to say that the father does not give his son high praise--it might just be done in private.

[TenoBell]

The falling leaves animation works perfectly on the iPhone.

[carloblackmore]

A parent supporting a 9-year old creating a war game is very sad; it's precisely the kind of thing that is wrong with adults in this world.

[IQ78]

Originally Posted by carloblackmore

A parent supporting a 9-year old creating a war game is very sad; it's precisely the kind of thing that is wrong with adults in this world.

Give me a break.

I'd like you to show me any evidence that any boy in any culture at any time in history hasn't been initially fascinated with combat of some sort. It's hard-wired and comes in very handy during necessary conflicts or competitive situations. It's likely the result of natural levels of testosterone and male brain development. It is one of the things that makes-the-world-go-around (or destroys it... either way... it is what it is.)

[melgross]

Originally Posted by solipsism

To be Steve he would have to be a tyrannical, sociopathic and selfish, and not create the software himself but get others to create his vision under harsh, yet somehow rewarding, working conditions.

Edit: Unless you meant Woz.

Woz hasn't done anything successful since work on the first apple computers.

It's sad, really.

[wheelhot]

Not to bust anyone bubbles, but how the heck do this kid is able to fluent in 6 programming languages and even write a app at the age of 9??? A child can even barely read or speak at the age of 2 and he starts using computer at the age of 2? Heck how old he started learning programming? 4 years old? Yikes, and I know in Asian country, esp Singapore, they tend to be very competitive in their education, so assuming he goes to school, where the heck he finds the time to program, do school work and other activities. I dunno, but I remain skeptical. If he master only 1 programming language and written a iPhone app at 9 then I believe, but 6???

Not to be jealous or anything, just I find it hard to believe.

[SpamSandwich]

Originally Posted by nagromme

I'm sure it's a fun toy, and good work for a 9-year old, but without Pantone support and color profiles it's useless for graphic designers.

Yes, I'm kidding.

LMAO!

[SpamSandwich]

Originally Posted by wheelhot

Not to bust anyone bubbles, but how the heck do this kid is able to fluent in 6 programming languages and even write a app at the age of 9??? A child can even barely read or speak at the age of 2 and he starts using computer at the age of 2? Heck how old he started learning programming? 4 years old? Yikes, and I know in Asian country, esp Singapore, they tend to be very competitive in their education, so assuming he goes to school, where the heck he finds the time to program, do school work and other activities. I dunno, but I remain skeptical. If he master only 1 programming language and written a iPhone app at 9 then I believe, but 6???

Not to be jealous or anything, just I find it hard to believe.

[Zandros]

Am I not reading the article right, because the 5528.1 build of Safari 4 seems to be able to animate the leaves/boxes and it's several weeks old?

[ascii]

Originally Posted by wheelhot

Not to be jealous or anything, just I find it hard to believe.

I was programming at his age. Even writing original stuff. You don't have to be Einstein.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by melgross

Woz hasn't done anything successful since work on the first apple computers.

It's sad, really.

It is. While I am sure Jobs would have been successful in many other fields as I think it I'd his personality and that Woz would have never had the business accumen to make his PC a viable product, he was the catalyst. I do find it a bit odd that only after Apple's redmergence that Woz seems to be seeking the spotlight. Perhaps it only appears that way because the tech media is more interested in Apple's go-founder, but I don't think so.

[hezekiahb]

Originally Posted by wheelhot

Not to bust anyone bubbles, but how the heck do this kid is able to fluent in 6 programming languages and even write a app at the age of 9??? A child can even barely read or speak at the age of 2 and he starts using computer at the age of 2? Heck how old he started learning programming? 4 years old? Yikes, and I know in Asian country, esp Singapore, they tend to be very competitive in their education, so assuming he goes to school, where the heck he finds the time to program, do school work and other activities. I dunno, but I remain skeptical. If he master only 1 programming language and written a iPhone app at 9 then I believe, but 6???

Not to be jealous or anything, just I find it hard to believe.

Not that far fetched, my twins started using a computer at about 2 & a half. They like to build train tracks on PBSKids.

Computers came into my house when I was about 10 & I learned quickly how to use them through the motivation of games. It shouldn't be shocking that a kid starting at such a young age would grow up understanding the computers in a way that many of us never have. It's like language, earlier you start learning the better, your brain is able to absorb a lot more the younger you are.

I doubt anyone pushed this kid to much to play with technology, especially considering they're using Macs.

[Marvin]

Originally Posted by wheelhot

Not to be jealous or anything, just I find it hard to believe.

I'm usually skeptical when you get some amazing kid that does the exact same job as his dad. There's no reason his dad couldn't have handed him a template to modify into a useful app. He could also be going for a similar angle as the pretty girl developing an app all by herself. Women and children always get more support than if a man does anything.

However, I'm sure that the journalists who originally reported this flew over there and tested the credibility of the story. What kind of world would we be living in if the media lied to us on a regular basis?

It's perfectly possible for a kid to write simple apps though, they have quite a lot of free time and it's certainly better than sitting around playing a Wii all day.

Originally Posted by AI

WebKit now supports CSS animations

Looks very nice although the shapes don't have anti-aliasing. Plus this type of animation won't take off until Internet Explorer adds support for it in v8 (due this quarter) and there is an easy to use animation program for developing them. Dreamweaver is owned by Adobe so I'd imagine there will be some resistance there.

Not to mention video support. Cross platform streaming video comes with Flash. Unless they somehow mandate Mpeg-4 video into the new standard, you still can't reliably embed videos without Flash and expect to hit a wide audience. From the looks of the standard, you will be able to choose any type of video meaning people who don't have the codec will be left without video or coerced to download and install some random codec that might be a trojan of some sort.

Perhaps this is where Quicktime X comes in for Mac users. The only hurdle really is Windows media support.

[zeasar]

Originally Posted by Marvin

What kind of world would we be living in if the media lied to us on a regular basis?

Its a sad time we are living in, and SOME medias do tend to lie to us on a regular basis. I live in the uk, and if I wanted to get some unbiased news or report, BBC is the last channel I would go for, except for David Attenborough's natural programes of course.

But that do not mean I dont believe the report, I'd just take it with a little gain of salt.

[Messiah]

Isn't that the kid who has the world record for memorizing Pi, already has an O level in Chemistry and is currently studying a degree in Chemistry?

I'm sure I saw a documentary about him on thw TV the other night there...

[melgross]

Originally Posted by wheelhot

Not to bust anyone bubbles, but how the heck do this kid is able to fluent in 6 programming languages and even write a app at the age of 9??? A child can even barely read or speak at the age of 2 and he starts using computer at the age of 2? Heck how old he started learning programming? 4 years old? Yikes, and I know in Asian country, esp Singapore, they tend to be very competitive in their education, so assuming he goes to school, where the heck he finds the time to program, do school work and other activities. I dunno, but I remain skeptical. If he master only 1 programming language and written a iPhone app at 9 then I believe, but 6???

Not to be jealous or anything, just I find it hard to believe.

My daughter was using a computer all by herself when she was 2 1/2. She was reading basic books by three. She was a computer wiz by the time she started kindergarden at 5. I can understand it.

Mozart wrote his first symphony when he was 6, I believe, so why not this?

[melgross]

Originally Posted by solipsism

It is. While I am sure Jobs would have been successful in many other fields as I think it I'd his personality and that Woz would have never had the business accumen to make his PC a viable product, he was the catalyst. I do find it a bit odd that only after Apple's redmergence that Woz seems to be seeking the spotlight. Perhaps it only appears that way because the tech media is more interested in Apple's go-founder, but I don't think so.

He started a couple of companies that bombed. I just think hes like a bunch of other technical guys who were in the right place at the right time.

Really, what he did wasn't so difficult. No one had bothered to do it before for a personal computer. Thats about all. I would imagine that he and Jobs talked about what they needed, and he built it with his engineering skills.

While he is a likable guy, he's never shown any real talent other than those first few fairly simple designs. If he took that full time job at Hp instead, we likely would never have heard of him.

I'm not dissing him, but sometimes people do get lucky.

[Marvin]

Originally Posted by Messiah

Isn't that the kid who has the world record for memorizing Pi, already has an O level in Chemistry and is currently studying a degree in Chemistry?

I'm sure I saw a documentary about him on thw TV the other night there...

You're not implying they all look the same are you?

http://www.humorscore.com/videos/Fam..._-_Jackie_Chan

Originally Posted by melgross

While he is a likable guy, he's never shown any real talent other than those first few fairly simple designs. If he took that full time job at Hp instead, we likely would never have heard of him.

I'm not dissing him, but sometimes people do get lucky.

Very true, there are universities all over the place full of people who are very talented and intelligent and yet the people who reach the media with fame and wealth are generally airhead celebrities and politicians. Without that same recognition and financial status, those people may never get the chance to make any progress in their respective fields.

Luck, social factors among others are required besides just being good at something.

[Cubert]

The CSS animations in WebKit is HUGE, folks.

[tarZen]

It's a free app. 4000 downloads for a free app is not impressive. I don't really care about whether the kid can really program, but I find the whole marketing angle of "This app was done by a 9 year old" cheap.

[wheelhot]

hmm, interesting (as in good responses and make me believe its possible) but I really wonder to what extend he is fluent in 6 programming languages, he must have some kind of super memory or something.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by wheelhot

hmm, interesting (as in good responses and make me believe its possible) but I really wonder to what extend he is fluent in 6 programming languages, he must have some kind of super memory or something.

At that young age, I'd say that the impressive part is his ability to focus, not his ability for long term retention.

[msm859]

well my granddaughter just turned 18 months and she can take my iphone hit the home button to wake it up, slide the button to unlock, go to the photo albums, open up the album and scroll to her favorite picture and open it up (her and mickey mouse on mine - her crying in a car seat with grandmas?) She can also go to videos and play music videos. I am hoping by age 2 to teach her how to call specific people.

[jaypres]

Originally Posted by wheelhot

hmm, interesting (as in good responses and make me believe its possible) but I really wonder to what extend he is fluent in 6 programming languages, he must have some kind of super memory or something.

6 languages to do "Hello World!"??

[CU10]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Lim...is fluent in six programming languages and has been using computers since he was two years old, and he's completed more than 20 programming projects since age 7....

Good for you kid.

My projects included watching Transformers and playing with Transformers at that age. Can you beat that?