"3 G" stands for Third Generation, and as we always say at thalo.net... wait, wait, wait (say it three times) for the third generation of ANY Apple product.

Let's imagine what would happen if somebody like, oh I don't want to name names... BROTHER MIGHTY bought his iPhone NOW, instead of back when the Apple cultists were waiting in long lines to pay the ridiculous pricetag on the prop tricorder that they got, and which barely worked.

He'd be getting some actual speed, usability, some features that aren't simply a dress rehearsal for future development, funded by rubes.

I say this is the first time you can really LOOK at the iPhone, and see it as a device, and not a semi-working mock up or prototype/proof-of-concept.

Where Apple has been brilliant in their con, is charging people for these proofs of concept. In effect selling people the IDEAS for things, instead of the things themselves. I'd love to sit in on some of their product meetings. Where they have to face things like: ok, guys, we have something that SORT OF works, it's cool looking, it's a fun IDEA... but we really need another couple years of development. Anybody want to chip in? Uh, no, of course you don't. Hey, I KNOW, why don't we sell this crap... as is, to all our faithful scient-I mean Appleologists, and have them foot the bill? It's perfect.

They get to show off the cool toy, and we can use their feedback to point out the stuff that we've fucked up and done wrong. That way, we don't have to lift a finger or spend a dime on product testing. We'll actually make money, by putting an imperfect, untested gizmo out there on the market! Damn, we're good.

I think the compass program on the iPhone is a perfect analogy. You start by making a fake program of a compass turning while you change the orientation of the screen. That's hard enough. THEN you go ahead and try to figure out a way to make it act as a REAL COMPASS, which could be kinda useful, if you were, say, LOST SOMEWHERE.

If watching spinning gears cured cancer, too, we'd really have something.

As I harp on all the day long on this site, there has always been a disconnect at Apple between marketeering, and creating things based on function. It seems they always start, in the manner of true dreamers, with style over substance, form over function. But that KIND of dreaming is the kind of dreaming scam artists do... as in, how can I MILK these rubes for more money? The TRUE dreamers, the BEST dreamers, are the ones that ask, what can I do to make a great, useful, working product? In scenario b, the money still comes pouring in... but the intent is other than simple corporate greed. That's how you build good tools. Anyone can fool people some of the time.

And I understand that. At least they start. That makes them innovators. But unfortunately, they often act like big fucking soul-selling sellouts, instead of guys who try to give you and me quality.

quote:

Where Apple has been brilliant in their con, is charging people for these proofs of concept.

Apparently Microsoft has learned that trick as well. My Microsoft insider tells me that the coming "Windows 7" is basically the final realization of the features that were promised in Vista. With Vista, you were paying to be a beta tester. But word is (very early word, mind you) is that Windows 7 is a smooth finished product....or nearly so.

My friend tells me that those who have installed the latest betas say that it is "snappier." And even Ballmer is apparently saying in so many words that Vista was a beta:

quote:

Bill Gates, in an interview with Newsweek, suggested that the next version of Windows would "be more user-centric".[25] Gates later said that Windows 7 will also focus on performance improvements;[26] Steven Sinofsky later expanded on this point, explaining in the Engineering Windows 7 blog that the company was using a variety of new tracing tools to measure the performance of many areas of the operating system on an ongoing basis, to help locate inefficient code paths and to help prevent performance regressions.[27]

Senior Vice President Bill Veghte stated that Windows Vista users migrating to Windows 7 would not find the kind of device compatibility issues they encountered migrating from Windows XP.[28] Speaking about Windows 7 on October 16, 2008, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer confirmed compatibility between Vista and Windows 7,[29] indicating that Windows 7 will be a refined version of Windows Vista.[29]

I never installed Vista because it just seemed like its main feature was to break stuff while offering little more than just another superabundant interface. If I was a big cell phone user, I might consider the iPhone. But I don't like talking on the phone that much and the service plans are all over-priced and more than I want to afford. Maybe I'll take a serious look at Windows 7 though.

Holy crap, you're right. I just perused the iPhone 3GS plans. I couldn't believe the highway robbery. Then I went to the Apple site, and it was a bit better. I'm already an AT&T customer, so there's a bit of a better deal.

For me, adding the "data plan for iPhone" would be another $30/month, adding an unlimited "text plan" (which I wouldn't do, because I think text messages are basically stupid) would be another $20 on top of that.

Then the phone itself is $299 for the 32 gigger. The 8GB is down to $99, but screw that second gen crap.

Going iPhone would be a serious investment. It is looking better to me. The phone seems to finally work, and has some applications that actually seem intuitive and useful. But jesus, you think then you need all new crap like a car charger and holster and everything. It's much more money than you think.

I thought the 3G stands for the network connection?

3GS - the "S" stands for speed. Lol. Add another S to each new model that will be released. ... Err, i can't continue this gag now.

quote:

I thought the 3G stands for the network connection?

It does, the network is called the third generation of mobile phone standards and technology. 3G for short.

Um. Have you guys actually checked out any of the iPhone and iPhone 3G(S) apps available? Oh my holy christ, the widgetification of the world continues.

Deal Breaker

There's a Sirius satellite radio app for the iPhone, but they're censoring Stern. Fuck that.

Actually, this could be a good thing. Because Howard will go after Apple. I can't wait.

What a pile of wimpyness...

I wonder if that had anything to do with Howard Stern just savaging some of Obama's voters.

I love that bit... it's the one where he sends an interviewer in to Harlem, and asks people on the street why they are voting for Obama... but he uses McCain's policies in place of Barack's, and nobody picks up on it.

Yeah…and they didn't vote for him because he was black. Isn't Al Gore still on Apple's board of directors? I may not be so petty as to exclude Howard Stern for political reasons but they might be.

Just when iPhone apps were getting interesting.

Bravo to Apple for Pulling Plug on Porn

quote:

"I can think of no beneficial effects of pornography whatsoever. As a society we need to move towards eradicating it"

Absolutely. I heartily, heartily concur. No, I’m serious. Why are you looking at me like that?

The first iPhone suicide

Man, what a soap opera is going on over there in China over the new prototype iPhone!

Let me give you the reader's digest... Apple, surprise surprise, is doing another proof of concept iPhone. Well, a new prototype turns up missing. The police lean on this one kid, and employee of the sweatshop that's gonna manufacture them. Later, that same kid offs himself.

The iPhone Killer.

A demonstration.

Well, I don't know if it will kill anything, but it does LOTS OF STUFF and it does it WITH LOTS OF COLORS ON THE SCREEN AT ONE TIME. That would seem to make it a viable alternative to the iPhone. Oh....and I think it's a phone as well.

I don't like the idea of swooshing apps off the top of the screen to close them. That doesn't make any kind of intuitive sense. Maybe down, but not up. But maybe in practice it's something that works well once you get used to it. I don't know. Oh, and you can use it as a phone.

Or maybe the Blackberry 'Storm' is the iPhone killer.

Demonstration. On no. A no-button screen. I'll give it this, the buttons are much more less-is-more. The interface on it appears to be sluggish. Price: $49.99 plus the service plan. (Don't know how much that is.) The general consensus on this phone is that it is very laggy.

The Palm Pre sells for $199.99 after rebate from Sprint. I'm looking through the plans here and one is $99.99 for unlimited minutes, web, email, text messaging, and other crap. I guess if you blab incessantly (I should talk) and need to text "How RU?" to your friends every 5 minutes, this could be the phone for you. All this is still too expensive. Show me a $40.00/month plan with reasonable minutes and reasonable internet access, and I'm on board. I'm just not all that bowled over by all the junk they throw on these. But internet on the go could be useful. But these phones, of course, aren't marketed to me. They might market two tin cans and a string to me, but not this stuff which is meant for a different market.

Oh Please

Hmmm, I guess there's trouble in paradise, brothers. AT&T is mulling over hitting high data users with a premium pricetag. I think that'll go over real big, what do you say? lol.

They have got to be kidding. What will Apple have to say about that? Buy our iPhones, everyone... er, but whatever you do, don't use them!

By all means, demonstrate them to your friends, show how cool they are... but before they actually become useful data devices, stifle yourself. Or else pay a price.

All this tells me: the network is being choked by iPhones. Which means they probably operate slow. AT&T probably doesn't have the infrastructure (so the Verizon ads nailing them for their maps are probably true)... and instead of improving the network, gasp, which would cost money... the answer is to squelch the customers, or milk them.

There's a political lesson/symbol here. Do even hafta? Do I?

Someone's going to have to find a better codec for compressing the porn, that's all.

Bwahahahahahaha

I'm sorry, but it's so marvelous to have been so right about this whole thing. And so great to see the con blown.

OK, now I've heard it all. There's two apps for the iPhone that make absolutely no sense to me. And for a similar reason. Distraction.

We have laws that stop people from using cell phones while DRIVING, remember.

iPhone app for the battlefied, and text walking app