Briefly: Windows Phone 7 US launch, Mac OS X 10.6.5 beta, Adobe Flash defended
Monday's U.S. launch of Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 was mixed, with some stores selling out and others selling just a handful of units. Apple has released another Mac OS X 10.6.5 beta, and Adobe's CTO defended Flash battery performance, claiming that the test was flawed and that Apple is inciting "negative campaigning" against Flash.
Windows Phone 7
Reports from various cities around the U.S. show that Microsoft's launch of its Windows Phone 7 platform has seen varied results. The prospect of free tickets to a launch concert featuring Maroon 5 drew a line of 200 people to one AT&T store in San Francisco, but only "a small handful" ended up making a purchase, according to a CNET report. Despite the crowd, the store had sold "less than half" of its initial supply of 20 devices by midday.
At a T-Mobile store in downtown San Francisco, CNET editors Josh Loensohn and Ina Fried could "hardly tell" that new handsets were on sale. According to the report, the display unit had been broken by accident, so the store was awaiting a replacement, selling "roughly 7 devices by noon." On the other hand, CNET notes that various Twitter users around the U.S. have reported that local stores were sold out of Windows Phone 7 devices, with one store reportedly selling out within 30 minutes of opening.
Early overseas response to Windows Phone 7, which launched in parts of Europe and Asia on Oct. 21, has appeared positive. According to Digitimes, the initial stock of Windows Phone 7-based HTC handsets quickly sold out in Germany and Australia, while Samsung and LG were also seeing "rising demand" from carriers.
Initial reviews of Windows Phone 7 were pleased with Microsoft's upgrades to the user interface, but found the mobile operating system lacking when compared to Android and iOS, both of which have both already undergone several revisions.
The Windows Phone 7 launch is a stark contrast to Apple's iPhone 4 launch in June. In what Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs called "the most successful product launch in Apple's history," Apple sold over 1.7 million units of the Phone 4 in its first three days of availability. Preorders for the iPhone 4 overwhelmed Apple and AT&T phone lines and servers. Apple received over 600,000 preorders for the smartphone on the first day that preorders were offered.
Mac OS X 10.6.5
Just three days after Mac OS X 10.6.5 build 10H571 was released to developers, Apple has issued a new beta of Mac OS X 10.6.5, labeled build 10H574, MacRumors reports.
Mac OS X 10.6.5 is expected to come soon, as the company has already issued the first beta for the next update, Mac OS X 10.6.6.
The release of Mac OS X 10.6.5 is partly tied to the upcoming iOS 4.2 update, as 10.6.5 will enable AirPrint wireless printing compatibility between iOS devices and Macs. Apple issued the golden master version of iOS 4.2 last week, indicating an imminent release.
Adobe Flash
Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch told Fast Company in an interview that reports of Adobe Flash causing reduced battery life are a "false argument." Last week, Adobe came under criticism after reviews of Apple's new MacBook Air showed as much as a 33 percent drop in battery life when the Flash plugin was enabled.
"When you're displaying content, any technology will use more power to display, versus not displaying content. If you used HTML5, for example, to display advertisements, that would use as much or more processing power than what Flash uses," explained Lynch, citing several studies that point to Flash as having higher battery life and more reliable playback than HTML5.
Lynch went on to take issue with Apple's behavior as of late. "I just think there's this negative campaigning going on, and, for whatever reason, Apple is really choosing to incite it, and condone it," said Lynch. "I think that's unfortunate. We don't think it's good for the web to have aspects closed off--a blockade of certain types of expression. There's a decade of content out there that you just can't view on Apple's device, and I think that's not only hurtful to Adobe, but hurtful to everyone that created that content."
Apple recently announced that beginning with the MacBook Air, Macs will no longer ship with Adobe Flash pre-installed. Though Apple cited user security as the reason for the change, the policy was picked up by the media as further evidence of continued conflict between Apple and Adobe. Earlier this year, Jobs spoke out against Flash in an open letter, labeling it unfit for the modern era of low-power devices. Adobe responded with its own letter and an ad campaign accusing Apple of "taking away your freedom."
Despite the growing tension between Apple and Adobe, Lynch remains optimistic about a future with room for HTML5 and Flash, asserting that the success of HTML5 is good for Adobe. "We support HTML. We're making tools for HTML5. It's a great opportunity for us. Flash and HTML have co-existed, and they're going to continue to to co-exist."
Windows Phone 7
Reports from various cities around the U.S. show that Microsoft's launch of its Windows Phone 7 platform has seen varied results. The prospect of free tickets to a launch concert featuring Maroon 5 drew a line of 200 people to one AT&T store in San Francisco, but only "a small handful" ended up making a purchase, according to a CNET report. Despite the crowd, the store had sold "less than half" of its initial supply of 20 devices by midday.
At a T-Mobile store in downtown San Francisco, CNET editors Josh Loensohn and Ina Fried could "hardly tell" that new handsets were on sale. According to the report, the display unit had been broken by accident, so the store was awaiting a replacement, selling "roughly 7 devices by noon." On the other hand, CNET notes that various Twitter users around the U.S. have reported that local stores were sold out of Windows Phone 7 devices, with one store reportedly selling out within 30 minutes of opening.
Early overseas response to Windows Phone 7, which launched in parts of Europe and Asia on Oct. 21, has appeared positive. According to Digitimes, the initial stock of Windows Phone 7-based HTC handsets quickly sold out in Germany and Australia, while Samsung and LG were also seeing "rising demand" from carriers.
Initial reviews of Windows Phone 7 were pleased with Microsoft's upgrades to the user interface, but found the mobile operating system lacking when compared to Android and iOS, both of which have both already undergone several revisions.
The Windows Phone 7 launch is a stark contrast to Apple's iPhone 4 launch in June. In what Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs called "the most successful product launch in Apple's history," Apple sold over 1.7 million units of the Phone 4 in its first three days of availability. Preorders for the iPhone 4 overwhelmed Apple and AT&T phone lines and servers. Apple received over 600,000 preorders for the smartphone on the first day that preorders were offered.
Mac OS X 10.6.5
Just three days after Mac OS X 10.6.5 build 10H571 was released to developers, Apple has issued a new beta of Mac OS X 10.6.5, labeled build 10H574, MacRumors reports.
Mac OS X 10.6.5 is expected to come soon, as the company has already issued the first beta for the next update, Mac OS X 10.6.6.
The release of Mac OS X 10.6.5 is partly tied to the upcoming iOS 4.2 update, as 10.6.5 will enable AirPrint wireless printing compatibility between iOS devices and Macs. Apple issued the golden master version of iOS 4.2 last week, indicating an imminent release.
Adobe Flash
Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch told Fast Company in an interview that reports of Adobe Flash causing reduced battery life are a "false argument." Last week, Adobe came under criticism after reviews of Apple's new MacBook Air showed as much as a 33 percent drop in battery life when the Flash plugin was enabled.
"When you're displaying content, any technology will use more power to display, versus not displaying content. If you used HTML5, for example, to display advertisements, that would use as much or more processing power than what Flash uses," explained Lynch, citing several studies that point to Flash as having higher battery life and more reliable playback than HTML5.
Lynch went on to take issue with Apple's behavior as of late. "I just think there's this negative campaigning going on, and, for whatever reason, Apple is really choosing to incite it, and condone it," said Lynch. "I think that's unfortunate. We don't think it's good for the web to have aspects closed off--a blockade of certain types of expression. There's a decade of content out there that you just can't view on Apple's device, and I think that's not only hurtful to Adobe, but hurtful to everyone that created that content."
Apple recently announced that beginning with the MacBook Air, Macs will no longer ship with Adobe Flash pre-installed. Though Apple cited user security as the reason for the change, the policy was picked up by the media as further evidence of continued conflict between Apple and Adobe. Earlier this year, Jobs spoke out against Flash in an open letter, labeling it unfit for the modern era of low-power devices. Adobe responded with its own letter and an ad campaign accusing Apple of "taking away your freedom."
Despite the growing tension between Apple and Adobe, Lynch remains optimistic about a future with room for HTML5 and Flash, asserting that the success of HTML5 is good for Adobe. "We support HTML. We're making tools for HTML5. It's a great opportunity for us. Flash and HTML have co-existed, and they're going to continue to to co-exist."
Comments
On the other hand, CNET notes that various Twitter users around the U.S. have reported that local stores were sold out of Windows Phone 7 devices, with one store reportedly selling out within 30 minutes of opening.
How much is MS paying these days for this? Might be worth getting a Twitter account...
Flash is an unmatched technology at the moment for making rich web content. People should still be given the choice to use it if they want to. I personally think a lot of this is more a hate campaign against adobe that saint jobs started. When adobe is dominating the market with html 5 creative tools and the browser is making the iphone's platform specific apps look crippled then we'll see saint job's true colors.
Does Jobs hate Flash? I think he does, but does he hate Adobe? I don't know. Like you said, Adobe can dominate the HTML5 creation tools market, but they must act quickly instead of taking rounds after rounds of flash-bashing.
Windows Phone 7 features a version of Internet Explorer Mobile with a rendering engine that is "halfway between IE7 and IE8"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows..._7#Web_browser
IE is such an awful browser to develop sites for. It's rendering engine is archaic and just a load of crap. Currently Webkit enjoys a >80% share on the smart phone base. Which makes a developer's life much better. We should fight to keep Microsoft and their rubbish web bowser out of the mobile space! Developers don't want to support it so users will just be treated as 2nd class citizens.
God, what is Lynch smoking? This has been my experience with Flash.
But... But... This user found the solution!
9. May 27, 2010 11:05 AM in response to: mac__user
Re: High CPU usage on sites with flash content
Here's what fixed the problem for me. In the end, Flash wasn't the culprit (totally).
My laptop is a Core 2 duo and now 3 years old. I never thought that dust will go in through the CPU Fan vent and will accumulate there, causing the fan to work inefficiently and not cooling the CPU as much as required. I read on some Forums that cleaning this dust and taking out the congestion on the Fan solved their problem of high CPU. First I couldn't believe that. Yesterday I thought I will give it a try. I took my Vaccum Cleaner and used it across the vents. I couldn't believe the amount of dust came of out that thing. I cleaned it all up. Then I prayed and turned on my machine. Anyway I wanted to watch the last episode of LOST, so I thought that testing this fix on Hulu would be the best test. I watched the whole episode of length 1:45 mins with only few hickups. It was unbelievable. Now my machine is behaving like what a Core 2 duo should.
So, my advice is that. If your desktop/laptop is 1-2 years or more old, then the CPU fan definitely needs some cleaning. It made difference for me, no kidding. Just take that Vaccum Cleaner and fix it.
Hope this helps some of you!
...When adobe is dominating the market with html 5 creative tools and the browser is making the iphone's platform specific apps look crippled...
Well, not going to happen.
The ad campaign for the new phone seems to be kicking into high gear. The ads are cute but don't show how the phone works. I still don't like the asymmetry and the tile concept but it is bothering me less than it used to.
Adobe and Microsoft have a habit of defending technologies AGAINST the interests of customers, to the benefit of their hegemonies.
Wndows phone - 20 units per outlet?? 10 sold?! Sounds like DOA to me.
Well, not going to happen.
Why not? They have demoed the best HTML5 creative tools so far and adobe are already the company every designer turns to for any web design work. Its like saying back in the 90s that MS won't dominate the browser market. Everyone already used their software, so of course they ended up using their web browser.
IE is such an awful browser to develop sites for. It's rendering engine is archaic and just a load of crap. Currently Webkit enjoys a >80% share on the smart phone base. Which makes a developer's life much better. We should fight to keep Microsoft and their rubbish web bowser out of the mobile space! Developers don't want to support it so users will just be treated as 2nd class citizens.
I hate to be the one to break it to you but trying to convince people not to do something to keep developers happy a dead end argument
It will actually be interesting to see what happens with mobile versions of websites and WP7. My guess is that most sites will just re-direct WP7 to the full version of the website which will still have to support IE7.
Microsoft are going to have IE9 on WP7 before long so it hardly seems worth it to update the mobile version of a website to support IE7 as well.
I'm so glad I installed ClicktoFlash. I've only had it for like a week, but my Macbook Pro doesn't even get warm any more while browsing.
That's great! Same here.
Perhaps Mr Adobe should start thinking about why products like ClickToFlash start to emerge. It's not like Apple wrote it. Neither did Apple do any official testing/statement on MacBook Air with/without Flash in terms of battery power. That's the community.
The scary thing is when HTML5 is the default way of showing irritating adds screaming for attention. Then there is gonna be much harder to avoid stupid content.
Steve Jobs started nothing, he provided a high profile voice for dissent which had been around for years in the Linux and Mac communities.
Adobe brought this on themselves with their abysmal support for any platform that wasn't windows.
I avoid Flash as much as possible, I don't miss it at all.
Edit:-
Crippled Apps:-
http://youtu.be/q4MTaQ8KkUM
wtf you smoking?
Flash is an unmatched technology at the moment for making rich web content. People should still be given the choice to use it if they want to. I personally think a lot of this is more a hate campaign against adobe that saint jobs started. When adobe is dominating the market with html 5 creative tools and the browser is making the iphone's platform specific apps look crippled then we'll see saint job's true colors.
Jobs hating Flash is him voting for the customer, not for Apple
That's BS. It's not like I don't think we would have a better web if Flash wasn't abused like it is at the moment, but let's not pretend like Jobs is being all warm and fuzzy and doing it all for us.
Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch told Fast Company in an interview that reports of Adobe Flash causing reduced battery life are a "false argument." Last week, Adobe came under criticism after reviews of Apple's new MacBook Air showed as much as a 33 percent drop in battery life when the Flash plugin was enabled.
Again, it's not like I don't think we would have a better web if Flash wasn't abused like it is at the moment, but Lynch is actually not far off the truth with this comment. The review mentioned only really tested how much battery life advertising takes up.
What happened to Frontpage, after a while not many people ended up using that?
Why not? They have demoed the best HTML5 creative tools so far and adobe are already the company every designer turns to for any web design work. Its like saying back in the 90s that MS won't dominate the browser market. Everyone already used their software, so of course they ended up using their web browser.