shamino

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shamino
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  • Ex-Apple engineer explains why the first iPhone didn't have copy and paste

    shaminoshamino
    Beats said:
    It’s insane how much work Apple has to do to invent the first iPhone. Swiping, scrolling and pinch-to-zoom were insanely great innovations.
    Apple may have been the first to deploy these technologies on a consumer device, but they didn't invent it.

    Before there was any iPad/iPhone, we were all fascinated by multitouch UI demos produced by Jeff Han (researcher at NYU and founder of Perceptive Pixel, which was since acquired by Microsoft).  For example:

    I don't think Apple ever used Jeff Han's code, and modern multitouch display panels use a completely different technology from what Han was using, but I can guarantee that lots of important people there (like the rest of us) saw these videos and drew inspiration from them.  Including swiping, scrolling and pinch-to-zoom operations.
    williamlondon

  • Elon Musk wants Apple to bend more App Store rules for X

    shaminoshamino
    If anybody really cares, I'm sure they can subscribe via the web site and avoid the mobile app altogether.

    And if not, why not?
    williamlondonkillroywatto_cobraFileMakerFeller

  • These ultra-rare Apple sneakers can be yours -- for $50,000

    shaminoshamino
    Wow.  Apple's random marketing schwag is bringing in big bucks.  I wonder how much anyone will pay for my used "Shop Different" shirt from the opening day of the first Apple Store (Tysons Corner, Virginia).  :smile: 

    I've got some pristine marketing schwag from other companies, but somehow I doubt they'll ever become collectibles.

    Anybody want a set of Kia branded earbuds?  :smile: 
    FileMakerFellerbyronlwatto_cobra

  • Pre-Apple Jobs and Woz check sells for $135,000

    shaminoshamino
    bloggerblog said:
    I used counter checks before, I remember having to handwrite my account number in a blank area on the check, I do not remember the number being printed on the check.

    You're obviously older than me.  When I opened my first checking accounts (in the early 90's), the bank had a laser printer with a MICR toner cartridge.  They printed a few sheets containing (I think) 3 checks each for me to use as starters while waiting for the officially printed ones to arrive in the mail.
    baconstangwatto_cobra

  • Drivers love CarPlay as car infotainment systems get worse overall

    shaminoshamino
    Unfortunately, automakers have decided to integrate the "infotainment" features into the car's main computer.  There is no longer a radio you can replace - it's all integrated with the rest of the computer's interface.  If there's a discrete radio at all, it's going to be a bare-bones tuner and antenna, controlled by software on that computer.

    And this is why infotainment systems today are so bad.  There's literally no competition.  Back when you could rip out the GM (or Honda or Toyota or whatever) radio and replace it with a good one from Sony (or JVC or Pioneer or whatever), there was some competition.  Radio manufacturers had to compete with each other, and customers would compare these aftermarket radios with factory radios (which were always significantly worse).

    But today, the manufacturers don't even have to pretend to care.  It is physically impossible to replace what they give you, and they know it.  So they'll install complete junk and either tell you to pound sand, or they'll offer an "upgrade" for several thousands of dollars in order to give you what you used to be able to buy for $300 from Best Buy or WalMart.
    Xed said:
    rob53 said:
    Does anyone know how much Apple charges for CarPlay?
    Apple doesn't charge anything for CarPlay. I don't see how they could since the UI is in your iPhone and everything it run from your iPhone.
    There is still a proprietary communications protocol running over that USB or Bluetooth connection.  Apple may require payment for access to its specification.  There is probably a mandatory certification program for any product to use the "CarPlay" branding, which is probably not cheap.  It is also likely that the firmware running in the car's radio is (in whole or in part) using library code licensed from Apple.

    Even if auto manufacturers are able to download a free spec and develop the software from scratch, it is highly unlikely that they actually will, since that development work would likely cost more than licensing software from Apple and hiring an Apple consultant to assist them with the integration.
    sflagel said:
    At some point, regulators will require to separate devices, UI and data, enabling car manufacturers (and others) to develop their own apps that have access to all the users data (appointments, contacts, music files, FB friends, etc). That’s when we will see real competition. 
    Not likely to happen.  The industry trend is in the exact opposite direction.  Fewer and fewer components can be replaced at all, even by a skilled mechanic.  And the government doesn't care.
    sflagel said:
    Does this mean that Tesla has access to iCloud to sync Contacts and Calendar? To be honest, that would be pretty nice. 

    I don't know what Tesla, specifically, is doing, but the ability to sync contacts via Bluetooth is nothing new.  We had a 2012 Kia Sedona do this as a part of its normal speakerphone integration, and without anything remotely resembling CarPlay either.  It pulled the data from the phone via Bluetooth (not iCloud) as a part of the Bluetooth connect process.  It did that so the car's built-in voice system for making calls could look up numbers.  It worked remarkably well.
    watto_cobra