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Only Apple and Google are skating to where the puck is going

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Re: Only Apple and Google are skating to where the puck is going

#31

Post by kevinconroy »

mpyne wrote: post #7
InclinedPlane wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's continue this digression. Fun fact I learned recently about guided missiles (I have diverse interests), modern ones don't adjust to aim directly at the target, they adjust to keep the target at the same relative angle (the same position on the imager). This has the effect of leading the target and flying an intercept course instead of a following course, which is more efficient and effective.

Interestingly, the fun fact is something any mariner could have told a missile designer. We call it CBDR; Constant [relative] Bearing, Decreasing Range. Stay in CBDR for long enough and you're pretty much guaranteed a collision.

I heart comment chains like these. Thanks for the wonderful side trip of interesting but unrelated facts!

Re: Only Apple and Google are skating to where the puck is going

#32

Post by levesque »

atrus wrote: post #10
Gotttzsche wrote: post #8

can't one just install a different OS? or is the chromebook pixel using some weird hardware?

Nope, people have Linux Mint on the pixel now.

Which has non-existant support for high pixel density displays. I hope they enjoy messing with DPI settings which mess all apps you use.

Linux support for such displays it not there yet.

Re: Only Apple and Google are skating to where the puck is going

#33

Post by snowwrestler »

Hi-res is the future of laptops because the future of laptops is to become specialty tools for content creators. Everyone else will be using phones and tablets for mobile computing.

So I don't understand the purpose of a hi-res "cloud" laptop. The hi-res screen is ideal for high-end photographic and video work--the two areas of content creation that are still struggling to move to the cloud.

Re: Only Apple and Google are skating to where the puck is going

#34

Post by jsnell »

cek wrote: post #27

Shockingly short-sighted post. Apple does not make it's profits from feeds & speeds (e.g. Retina display). It makes its profits, and delights its customers through its vertical integration; its excellence at every point of the customer experience from design, to supply chain management, to manufacturing, to distribution, to marketing, to advertising, to retail, to sales, to post-sales, to support, to software, to ser…

Except that in this particular case:

- Google is vertically integerated, at least to as high a degree as Apple is with Macs

- Google is trying to sell a physical product at high margins

- Google is heavily rumored to be setting up its own retail presence

Honestly, you'd think that at least when we're discussing a $1300 laptop, the lame "you're the product" cliche could be avoided.

Re: Only Apple and Google are skating to where the puck is going

#35

Post by deepblueocean »

mbreese wrote: post #30
martythemaniak wrote: post #5

I use an old MBP that I'd like to replace soon, but there's no way I can get the Pixel - it just doesn't do stuff . I think Chrome OS needs a great virtualization solution - just how chrome handles PDFs and Flash fairly well. I want to be able to open a "windows" tab or an "ubuntu" tab, use them normally.

Don't they include a Citrix/RDP client? I thought that was one of their main features when they pitched ChromeOS to the enterprise. With that and VNC, I'm sure it would be possible to roll your own virtualization. I think there are just too many variables for them to deploy a generic system. unless you want Google to host the VMs as well. That could be interesting.

I've had good luck with Chrome Remote Desktop:

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/chrome-remote-desk...

It works from two instances of Chrome, which could be on any platform (not just Chromebooks).

Re: Only Apple and Google are skating to where the puck is going

#36

Post by ams6110 »

kevinconroy wrote: post #3

Some context for non-hockey fans: "A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be." - Wayne Gretzky

Actually a good hockey player plays his position, so he is where he needs to be when his teammate gets the puck.

Re: Only Apple and Google are skating to where the puck is going

#37

Post by recoiledsnake »

davidcollantes wrote: post #24
recoiledsnake wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>1080p is not a synonym of a high density (PPI) display. Not on a 24" screen, but 11" at 1080p is pretty much there.

Macbook Pro (retina): 2560x1600 at 227 pixels per inch. 1080p: 1920x1080 (assuming 16:9) Really can't compare. I do not mean I have seen all, but no display I have seen (on notebooks) gets near Apple's "retina display." None. Google is trying with the Pixel.

You left out the DPI number for the 11" 1080p display.

Let me try:

Retina iPad: 264 PPI

13" Retina Macbook Pro: 227 PPI

10.6" Surface Pro: 208 PPI

11" Vaio Duo 11: 190 PPI

There is a difference but it is minor and I disagree with your statements you can't compare or that it doesn't even "get near". You'll be hitting the point of diminishing returns.

Re: Only Apple and Google are skating to where the puck is going

#38

Post by FigBug »

kevinconroy wrote: post #3

Some context for non-hockey fans: "A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be." - Wayne Gretzky

Except Walter said it, not Wayne. And it was advice for junior players, not pros.

Re: Only Apple and Google are skating to where the puck is going

#39

Post by stevenameyer »

Apple and Google are able to take risks because the companies are all but guaranteed revenue every year. Google specifically does not really need a lot of their hardware to succeed because of their massive revenue from search. They are able to make risks on products that would result in more people online if they succeed because if it works they make more money off search, and if it fails they have a lot of revenue to fall back on. Companies like Sony, Asus, and Lenovo (while I do maintain that they are innovating in their own ways) can't take these risks because if they get a rep for making bad laptops they have nothing to fall back on. Hardware is an expensive game and it's difficult to justify taking risks in it if you have no solid revenue stream to fall back on if it fails.

Re: Only Apple and Google are skating to where the puck is going

#40

Post by cooldeal »

jsnell wrote: post #34
cek wrote: post #27

Shockingly short-sighted post. Apple does not make it's profits from feeds & speeds (e.g. Retina display). It makes its profits, and delights its customers through its vertical integration; its excellence at every point of the customer experience from design, to supply chain management, to manufacturing, to distribution, to marketing, to advertising, to retail, to sales, to post-sales, to support, to software, to ser…

Except that in this particular case: - Google is vertically integerated, at least to as high a degree as Apple is with Macs - Google is trying to sell a physical product at high margins - Google is heavily rumored to be setting up its own retail presence Honestly, you'd think that at least when we're discussing a $1300 laptop, the lame "you're the product" cliche could be avoided.

>Google is trying to sell a physical product at high margins

Reference?

The Chromebook Pixel is still heavily geared towards Google's services, be it Docs or Storage. 1TB of Google Drive storage currently runs $600/yr if you get it by itself which comes to a $1800 subsidy for a $1300 laptop!

That either means their Drive storage is horribly overpriced, or that they're heavily subsidizing the Pixel.

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