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Apple’s Magnum Opus

brooksreview.net

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Re: Apple’s Magnum Opus

#21

Post by WiseWeasel »

joebadmo wrote: post #8

Am I the only one that thinks Apple is using revolutionary technology to work toward the perfection of a deprecated computing paradigm? I mean, yes, iCloud makes computing work like magic, but it sort of ignores what post-web computing means . Computing anymore isn't just about working on the same documents on any device that you own seamlessly (that part is, to be sure, great), it's about sharing and collaboration.…

The deep Twitter integration into iOS 5 says that Apple is happy to let others do the foundational legwork in that domain. The fact that there is no public Photostream, for example, that you could publish to certain audiences, speaks volumes to Apple's conservative approach to the iCloud rollout.

Conceptually, it may be a lot to thrust on a user all at once that iCloud is not only your own personal magical data synching tool, but that it also publishes your data to others, which has data privacy implications. Maybe a gradual roll-out of social features gives time for people to be comfortable with using the existing features without worrying about the social implications of their actions.

Re: Apple’s Magnum Opus

#22

Post by bane »

podperson wrote: post #2

I think this article pretty much nails a key part of it. What Apple wants to do is implement a seamless digital world that Just Works. (It remains to be seen whether it does in fact Just Work.) Oddly enough, you could accuse them of, once again, stealing ideas from Xerox PARC (and, once again, be redirected to Douglas Englebart et al) ... the kind of thing Apple is demonstrating with iCloud, iOS5, and Lion is essenti…

Oddly enough, you could accuse them of, once again, stealing ideas from Xerox PARC

Some people criticize Apple for this, but I think I'm actually quite okay with it to an extent if you think of this as just a natural example of science & engineering working hand in hand to make cool stuff.

Xerox PARC did the science, Apple is doing the Engineering. It's not really much different than basic R&D in materials science and physics modeling getting turned into a bridge or a skyscraper. Or basic academic research in medicine becoming the next billion dollar drug.

A side question is, with these kinds of R&D shops now quite rare (Microsoft Research and....) and seeing how Xerox and AT&T not able to capitalize on their research, what does this mean for the modern version of these places? Is some other company going to just come along and build what Microsoft is researching today? Or is there a chance for one of these companies to actually benefit from these paradigm shifting revolutions in research?

Re: Apple’s Magnum Opus

#23

Post by bane »

blantonl wrote: post #18

Quote: "Apple’s keynote message was loud and clear: iOS 5, Lion, and iCloud are not feature bumps — they are revolutions in how consumers are to think and use computing devices." My emphasis above highlights an amazing observation. Per this, Apple has now crossed over the line of "what people want" to "what people need."

I think Apple crossed this long ago with the iPod.

"No wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Lame."

Re: Apple’s Magnum Opus

#25

Post by nostromo »

ImperatorLunae wrote: post #20

"Documents you’ve written, presentations you’ve prepared, spreadsheets you’ve made — your iWork apps can store them in iCloud. Which means you can view and edit the same document, in its latest state, on all your devices. And since iCloud automatically updates any changes you make, you don’t even have to remember to save your work." But I already do this on Google Docs, and I don't have to buy a Mac to do it. In fact…

I think Apple is trying to differentiate by having the best of both worlds (native software and webapps). Personally I think it's really compelling.

I love Google Docs, but can find the interface really frustrating. If you told me I could have all of the benefits of Google Docs with a native software experience, I'd be at least willing to try it out.

Re: Apple’s Magnum Opus

#26

Post by stretchwithme »

Its all about using what you've already done to save you unnecessary work, even if you move from one device to another. That's been a dream of mine for a long time.

The vast majority of bits on your computer are just copies from somewhere else. It is the things you do and the data that should be creating that are the valuable things.

These should be preserved and leveraged to serve YOU, not advertisers, wherever you happen to be.

Re: Apple’s Magnum Opus

#27

Post by nwatson »

matthew-wegner wrote: post #14
joebadmo wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Deprecated was probably the wrong word. The things you cite are clearly still an important part of computing life, but it's still strange to me to use the connective tissue of the internet to enable computing, but completely ignore the actual connection part, the new part of what the web promises. It feels a bit to me like publishing companies using the web to make their old publishing models better, instead of grapp…

Doesn't one lead to the other? What's the technical difference between allowing person to touch the same document on 4 devices, and two people touching the same document on 6 devices?

ICloud + sharing + permissions --> google wave. i wish google had delivered on the promise.

Re: Apple’s Magnum Opus

#28

Post by banjomonster »

rayiner wrote: post #15

Re: the "this is how it should have always worked" comment. I've watched my girlfriend use her computer, and this is essentially how she works. She just leaves everything open, never saving anything. She's comfortable using Expose to manage the million windows she ends up having open, but doesn't bother exiting apps when she's done with them and then starting them when she needs them again. If she could do this and h…

My girlfriend does exactly the same thing. I wonder if its a gender thing? Her PC kept freezing, but she loves her new Mac Air.

Re: Apple’s Magnum Opus

#29

Post by ghiculescu »

banjomonster wrote: post #28
rayiner wrote: post #15

Re: the "this is how it should have always worked" comment. I've watched my girlfriend use her computer, and this is essentially how she works. She just leaves everything open, never saving anything. She's comfortable using Expose to manage the million windows she ends up having open, but doesn't bother exiting apps when she's done with them and then starting them when she needs them again. If she could do this and h…

My girlfriend does exactly the same thing. I wonder if its a gender thing? Her PC kept freezing, but she loves her new Mac Air.

More likely it's a non-tech-person thing. Leaving everything open and clicking around in expose until you find stuff is easy: closing programs and then trying to find where you saved stuff via a file manager is hard.

Re: Apple’s Magnum Opus

#30

Post by pwthornton »

ImperatorLunae wrote: post #20

"Documents you’ve written, presentations you’ve prepared, spreadsheets you’ve made — your iWork apps can store them in iCloud. Which means you can view and edit the same document, in its latest state, on all your devices. And since iCloud automatically updates any changes you make, you don’t even have to remember to save your work." But I already do this on Google Docs, and I don't have to buy a Mac to do it. In fact…

Google Docs is a limited suite of Web apps trying to mimic Microsoft Office. iCloud has an API that 3rd party developers can use for all sorts of applications. Neither Microsoft Office nor Google Docs is anything near the caliber of using Omnioutliner for note taking and doing great outlines. iCloud will allow the developer to store documents on iCloud and provide syncing across computers and mobile devies, which Omnioutliner for the iPad currently can't do.

Google Docs big selling point is collaboration. That's what I use it for, and I love it. But sometimes I need a richer and more powerful experience, and that's what dedicated apps provide. I'm glad that Apple is pursuing this strategy, because I believe there is a need for both.

The other big plus of Apple's iCloud strategy is offline support.

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