Apple
To preface this, I'm an oldschool hacker who began teaching himself MS-DOS and GWBASIC at the age of 11. I spent the greater part of almost two-decades insulting Apple lovers. This blog entry is nothing less than a surrender and acceptance of a future that is not "on the horizon", but has already come. The end is not nigh; it is now.
On November 6th of 2006, Joel Garreau (author of "Radical Evolution") gave a speech on the NJIT campus about the evolution of technology and its link to human evolution. In his speech, when approaching the evolution of computers, he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket, declaring this device "the future". I watched this video when it was released to the public on January 8th of 2007, knowing immediately that he was correct in his statement. A day later, on January 9th, Steve Jobs announced the iPhone to the world.
Today, not even two-years following the release of the iPhone, more than 20-million devices run the iPhone OS. It provides mail, music, videos, applications, web browsing and thousands of other features. Just two years ago, I couldn't go more than a day without hearing someone complain about their phone. Now, people can barely look away from them. The entire market was hit and hit hard, spinning about face. They've been re-acting to the onslaught of this new creation ever since... and none have compared.
PDAs and trios, the early signs of this evolution, had short battery life, well-known issues syncing with computers and they limited developers greatly in how applications could be created for these rather bulky devices. None of those early limitations exist in the iPhone, nor in the iPod touch that I use. I have more computing power in my pocket than nearly every computer I've ever owned.
The iPhone has won and much of the industry must not even realize it. But its victory is not limited solely to the phone industry. While HD and Blue-Ray were caught up in their "format wars" for nearly two-years, the consumer market was moving away from such permanent storage formats and over to data. I and others like me began storing our files online, somewhere off on a server we will likely never see... but can access from anywhere in the world that has a Net-connection. Apple has been eating into the PC market, but even this war is smoke and mirrors. Laptops will still have a place with producers and designers, but more than 90% of users are end-users, not producers. The majority of users will not even be using laptops in a few short years as computers move from the lap top and into the pocket... where Apple already owns the market. No, more than that. It now defines it.
So take a good look at the future. It's already here.
Do you know where I watched Garreau's speech at NJIT? I downloaded it thru iTunes from iTunes University, where colleges and other educational institutions around the world can upload content for free download to anyone in the world. It doesn't matter who is downloading their speeches and videos. It can be a student or laymen, it's still free. In fact, if you have iTunes, this link will open iTunes to Garreau's speech for you to download and watch. A world of education, entirely free from iTunes University.
If you don't feel that, then it hasn't hit you. Knowledge, in the form of data, is floating in the air all around us and into my pocket. Apple has created an SDK for developers designed to give them as much power as possible so that they can create the best applications for these new computers. Apple has watched what hackers have done with iPhones, then replicated the most popular of these "mods". Apple has paid attention, taken action, and worked to create something that has without a doubt changed the world.
On a closing note, I am providing full disclosure. I've worked for Apple previously (twice, in fact). I loved it, with rare exceptions. I've seen how they evolve to better serve their customers and how they aim time and again to make sure each customer who needs assistance leaves happy. Having been a worker, and seen how they treat us as well, is what gives me the extra inspiration to cede my hatred of the Apple that once was in order to love the Apple that now is.
To preface this, I'm an oldschool hacker who began teaching himself MS-DOS and GWBASIC at the age of 11. I spent the greater part of almost two-decades insulting Apple lovers. This blog entry is nothing less than a surrender and acceptance of a future that is not "on the horizon", but has already come. The end is not nigh; it is now.
On November 6th of 2006, Joel Garreau (author of "Radical Evolution") gave a speech on the NJIT campus about the evolution of technology and its link to human evolution. In his speech, when approaching the evolution of computers, he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket, declaring this device "the future". I watched this video when it was released to the public on January 8th of 2007, knowing immediately that he was correct in his statement. A day later, on January 9th, Steve Jobs announced the iPhone to the world.
") gave a speech on the NJIT campus about the evolution of technology and its link to human evolution. In his speech, when approaching the evolution of computers, he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket, declaring this device "the future". I watched this video when it was released to the public on January 8th of 2007, knowing immediately that he was correct in his statement. A day later, on January 9th, Steve Jobs announced the iPhone to the world.Today, not even two-years following the release of the iPhone, more than 20-million devices run the iPhone OS. It provides mail, music, videos, applications, web browsing and thousands of other features. Just two years ago, I couldn't go more than a day without hearing someone complain about their phone. Now, people can barely look away from them. The entire market was hit and hit hard, spinning about face. They've been re-acting to the onslaught of this new creation ever since... and none have compared.
PDAs and trios, the early signs of this evolution, had short battery life, well-known issues syncing with computers and they limited developers greatly in how applications could be created for these rather bulky devices. None of those early limitations exist in the iPhone, nor in the iPod touch that I use. I have more computing power in my pocket than nearly every computer I've ever owned.
The iPhone has won and much of the industry must not even realize it. But its victory is not limited solely to the phone industry. While HD and Blue-Ray were caught up in their "format wars" for nearly two-years, the consumer market was moving away from such permanent storage formats and over to data. I and others like me began storing our files online, somewhere off on a server we will likely never see... but can access from anywhere in the world that has a Net-connection. Apple has been eating into the PC market, but even this war is smoke and mirrors. Laptops will still have a place with producers and designers, but more than 90% of users are end-users, not producers. The majority of users will not even be using laptops in a few short years as computers move from the lap top and into the pocket... where Apple already owns the market. No, more than that. It now defines it.
So take a good look at the future. It's already here.
Do you know where I watched Garreau's speech at NJIT? I downloaded it thru iTunes from iTunes University, where colleges and other educational institutions around the world can upload content for free download to anyone in the world. It doesn't matter who is downloading their speeches and videos. It can be a student or laymen, it's still free. In fact, if you have iTunes, this link will open iTunes to Garreau's speech for you to download and watch. A world of education, entirely free from iTunes University.
If you don't feel that, then it hasn't hit you. Knowledge, in the form of data, is floating in the air all around us and into my pocket. Apple has created an SDK for developers designed to give them as much power as possible so that they can create the best applications for these new computers. Apple has watched what hackers have done with iPhones, then replicated the most popular of these "mods". Apple has paid attention, taken action, and worked to create something that has without a doubt changed the world.
On a closing note, I am providing full disclosure. I've worked for Apple previously (twice, in fact). I loved it, with rare exceptions. I've seen how they evolve to better serve their customers and how they aim time and again to make sure each customer who needs assistance leaves happy. Having been a worker, and seen how they treat us as well, is what gives me the extra inspiration to cede my hatred of the Apple that once was in order to love the Apple that now is.
2 comments:
...and as an afterthought, when Verizon told Apple that they wouldn't allow the iPhone on their network, I believe they made the greatest mistake since Bill Gates stated that 640k of memory should be enough for any user.
Eye opening as most of insights usually are m'friend! It is insane to the power of an Iphone in use.
Peaceful Blessings,
todd
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