imat

About

Username
imat
Joined
Visits
66
Last Active
Roles
member
Points
192
Badges
0
Posts
221

Reactions

123Like3Dislike15Informative

  • DuckDuckGo could have been Apple's private search engine

    imatimat
    As Apple is right now, I don't think they could really improve DuckDuck Go very much even if they acquired it. Apple still is VERY MUCH a US company. Google and even Meta are much more international than Apple as a mindset and services.

    Examples:
    - how long did it take for AppleTV to have all the promised services in countries outside the US (back in the day when you could buy TV shows on AppleTV but only in the US)
    - how long did it take to sell the OG HomePod in other countries beyond English speaking ones? Related to that: how long did it take to have Siri speak languages other than English and have feature parity (like person recognition based on voice)
    - how long is it taking to release "News" App worldwide (still not available in many countries
    - Apple Card availability?

    Apple is getting better at it, but it still has a long way to go before becoming a truly global service provider. Don't get me wrong, I know some of these involve complicated negotiations and do not entirely depend on Apple alone. But operating a search engine worldwide, with all the rules in place, is not that different...
    williamlondonAlex1Nwatto_cobra

  • DuckDuckGo could have been Apple's private search engine

    imatimat
    I use DuckDuck Go as the default search engine on all my devices. It performs well with English prompts and I like that it is less cluttered than Google. But, as soon as you search for something in another language (Italian) and/or something more local or specific (like the construction rules for a town in southern Switzerland) Google really has no match as it stands right now.

    For general queries and general search DuckDuck Go is plenty good, but for more localized searches or for searches in Italian (haven't testet other languages so I cannot tell whether they are as good as English) it really doesn't help much.

    I also, sometimes, have the feeling that Google's own searches are updated more frequently.
    Alex1NpulseimagesFileMakerFellerwatto_cobra

  • Apple's new iCloud+ big data plans start at $30 per month for 6TB

    imatimat
    If only Apple would discount the prices when part of an Apple one subscription… please… 
    pulseimagesargonautwatto_cobra

  • macOS Sonoma beta review: Few major updates, but very welcome

    imatimat
    SHK said:
    I really wish this article had more details about how these new "features" affect overall OS speed / performance. Perhaps even provide some benchmarks? I know it's an early release, but I'd find this useful.

    I don't think it is possibile to evaluate that on a Developer Beta 1. 


    I think these things, very important ones, can be reviewed when the Release Candidate is available or, better still, the final shipped version.
    dewmeStrangeDaysforgot usernameAlex1N

  • Which upgrades are worth it for the Mac Studio

    imatimat
    Let me bring an example. Architecture.
    for the most basic CAD design we used to need the most powerful workstation available. A single 3D basic render would crush any system (which we let run over the whole weekend for a 1 minute video of a frankly nowadays embarrassing result). Then the machines got a lot faster, but then came BIM. BIM developed fast, but the machines faster. Suddenly, with a specced out iMac we could do most of what we needed without going “full pro”. Then the software developed further and faster, now suddenly the iMac was struggling. Apple Silicon changed all that. With a mid-line system on a chip (M1Pro) we had a powerful enough machine for most tasks. What I mean is that, besides the most demanding workloads, many creative professionals will find their sweet spot for years to come in these new machines. Because they are well ahead of the times now, and by the time they are struggling, the investment will have been well worth (5 years in my case in architecture).

    Of course we plan and design in BIM but are not “specialized” in high def rendering. So, a software rendering without specialized additional software covers our needs.
    tmayAlex_V