Such trends as cloud computing, service oriented architecture (SOA), social media, software as a service (SaaS), and virtualization are combining and overlapping to upset the client landscape. If more of what more users are doing with their clients involves services, then shouldn't the client be more services ready? Should we expect one client to do it all very well, or do we need to think more about specialized clients that might be configured on the fly?
Today's clients are more tied to the past than the future, where one size fits all. Most clients consist of a handful of entrenched PC platforms, a handful of established web browsers, and a handful of PC-like smartphones. But, what has become popular on the server, virtualization, is taken to its full potential on these edge devices. New types of dynamic and task specific client types might emerge.
Imagine that you have your own personal Windows OS, that maybe you have signed up for Microsoft’s new Intune service to manage that from the cloud standpoint. Then, you have another Google OS that comes down with applications that are specific from that Google service, and that desktop is running in parallel with Windows, because it’s fully controlled from a cloud provider like Google. Something like Chrome OS is truly a cloud-based OS, where everything is supposed to be stored up in the cloud.
Those kinds of services, in turn, can converge into the PC, and virtualization can take that to the next level on the endpoint, so that those two things don’t overlap with each other, and a level of service, which is important for the cloud, certainly for service level agreements (SLAs), can truly be attained. There will be a lot of flexibility there.
Virtualization is a key enabler into that, and is going to open up PC architectures to a whole brave new world of management and security. And, at a platform level, there will be things that we're not even seeing yet, things that developers can think of, because they have options to now run applications and agents and not be bound to just Windows itself. I think it’s going to be very interesting.
When we talk about the client, we're mostly thinking about the web-browser based client as opposed to the client as an entire virtualized OS. When you're using a business process management system (BPMS) and you involve people, at some point somebody is going to need to pull work off of a work list and work on it and then eventually complete it and go and get the next piece of work.
That’s done in a web-based environment, which isn’t particularly unusual. It's a fairly rich environment, which is something that a lot of applications are going to. Web-based applications are going to a rich Internet application (RIA) style.
We have tried to take it even a step further and have taken advantage of the fact that by moving to some of these real infrastructures, you can do not just some of the presentation tier of an application on the client. You can do the entire presentation tier on the web browser client and have its communication to the server, instead of being traditional HTML, have the entire presentation on the browser. Its communication uses more of a web-service approach and going directly into the services tier on the server. That server can be in a private cloud or, potentially, a public cloud.
What's interesting is that by not having to install anything on the client, as with any of these discussions we are talking about, that's an advantage, but also on the server, not having to have a different presentation tier that's separate from your services tier.
You go directly from your browser client into the services tier on the server, and it just decreases the overall complexity of the entire system. That's possible, because we base it on Ajax, with JavaScript that uses a library that's becoming a de-facto standard called jQuery. jQuery has the power to communicate with the server and then do all of the presentation logic locally.
Next Rich Internet Application of Web Base will be more interactive using HTML5, let's wait up to HTML5 finish the Virtualization on the next release.
HTML5 For Client Architectures and Virtualization Loom
2:27 PM
Reinhart
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Dont Add your Gmail Inbox To Public Bookmark
2:56 PM
Reinhart
If you have added the web address (URL) of your Gmail inbox to your browser bookmarks, make sure that the bookmarks are not getting synched with a public service like Delicious or Google Bookmarks.
That’s because when you bookmark your Inbox or any other folder in Gmail, your email address is added to the title of the bookmark. When this bookmark becomes public, your email address automatically gets exposed to spam bots.
This may sound like an obvious thing but just search for “mail.google.com” or “Gmail Inbox” on Delicous, Xmarks or even Google Bookmarks and you’ll tons of “working” email addresses in the title of the bookmarks.
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Forget iPhone 4, Buy new Mac Mini
2:48 PM
Reinhart
Today's WWDC speech by Steve Jobs was in some ways, surprising. Despite a veritable armful of rumors, Steve mainly talked about a handful of tech, with emphasis on the new iPhone 4. So what did he leave out, and when may it come true anyway?New Mac Minis
The Mac Mini is a much-beloved little computer, widely use as a home theater device and even as a server workhorse (due to its petite size and reasonable pricing). So why didn't Apple lavish any WWDC love on their smallest Mac? Strong rumors hinted at a big refresh with HDMI connectivity, after all.Because the Mini is not a high profile world-beating device, like the iPhone or iPad, it's not high on Apple's priority list and simply isn't going to garner many headlines online or in the traditional press. Apple probably didn't want to water down the excitement about the iPhone 4 by announcing other new hardware. (Leaks have already muffled a bit of the thunder around the new iPhone as it is.)
When will we hear this news? Soon. We think it'll happen, and Apple will just slip out a special press release with some Jobs quotes and a splashy new Web page to advertise it.
HTML5, in the shadows
Jobs did mention HTML5 briefly during his address. But it was literally a mention in passing, and he didn't even play up the new promotional HTML5-ready Apple demo page. Instead Jobs noted HTML5 is one "platform" the company supports, an "open, uncontrolled platform that is forged and defined by standards alone." Apple is "fully behind" it, and its browsers are "in the lead" in supporting it. Apple's second platform is the "curated" iPhone OS (now iOS) for comparison.
Will Apple hit the news with HTML5? Possibly not in a special event, unless you're talking about a dedicated Jobs blog. Apple thinks its support for HTML5 is now self-sustaining in terms of news and media coverage, and probably didn't want to bring any hint of the Apple versus Adobe "war" into the Apple WWDC event.
iTunes in the cloud
Not a peep about iTunes during Steve's speech, which may be a surprise to some who were expecting news about a move to cloud-based storage and content streaming (possibly using tech from Lala, the streaming music platform that Apple recently acquired). The only mention of iTunes is in the new iPhone's specs page on Apple.com, where it's noted the device needs "iTunes 9.2" whereas the current version is 9.1.1.
Will iTunes 9.2 have cloud elements? We don't know. It'll have to ship before the new iPhone 4 goes on sale on June 24th, so it has to happen soon. We suspect a cloud-based iTunes would be a big enough revelation that Jobs would mention it in a big event so it won't appear in June. But it may merit a special "Come Feel Music's Future in the Air" Apple-style special event later this year.
MacBook Air revisions
Intel's got new silicon on the way that'll give Mac's slenderest model a big boost, and it's a premium piece of tech for Apple--they'll definitely support it through a basic spec upgrade.
When will the Air laptop get some love? Soon. Probably on a Tuesday, Apple's traditional new hardware launch day, as a minor mention in a press release.
External trackpad, the "Magic Slate"?
Many folk will have been saddened to not see this announced today--it's a device that'll surely sell by the boatload, thanks to Apple's marketing and impressive lead in multitouch technology. But the rumors about it today did reveal the "leaked" hardware had a copyright sign from 2009, so they may have been of a prototype, rather than shipping hardware.
When will the Slate go on sale? Sometime this year, we hope. If it does, we're guessing around October, a year after the Magic Mouse came out, as the two peripherals are kinda complementary.
Safari 5, OS X 10.6.4
Kinda surprising that these two "flagship" pieces of code didn't get much of a mention at Apple's developer conference. But maybe Apple's already supremely confident in its software offerings and doesn't feel the need to advertise single-point code updates. And don't forget Apple will be revealing more stuff to developers throughout this week's WWDC sessions.
Maybe Safari 5 and the new OS X tweak will get a proper "private" reveal to devs this week and a quiet launch soon.
UPDATE: In an email sent hours after the keynote, Apple announced the release of Safari 5 today.
Free MobileMe
Hmmm. We're scratching our heads on this one, as a free user level in MobileMe would be such a powerful boost to the iPhone's already prodigious powers. Maybe Apple's not got all its code in order yet, as they've been too busy messing with iPhone 4s, iPads and new versions of OS X and Safari.
Will we see this? Yes, we think so. But possibly as a big mention during another hardware/software release later in the year.
iPhone 4's HD video output powers
So here's something you probably didn't know, as it's not surfaced yet online: One thing Steve didn't mention is that the new iPhone outputs 720p-resolution video over a 30-pin to VGA connector cable, meaning it can drive your HDTV with HD-quality video. That beats the existing standard-def resolution, and almost rivals the existing Apple TV's powers.
Does this hint at a 1080p-capable Apple TV revamp? Very possibly, if you apply some twisty logic about why Apple didn't highlight this power.
Source: fastcompany.com
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Is Apple TV 16GB with OS iPhone 4 released?
1:46 PM
Reinhart
Alleged details on a forthcoming update to the Apple TV set top box were revealed on Friday, with the device reportedly based on iPhone OS 4, powered by Apple's custom-built A4 processor, and offering 1080P cloud-based streaming content -- all starting at just $99.
Engadget editor Joshua Topolsky said the information came from a tip and was confirmed by a source "very close to Apple." The new hardware will reportedly have just 16GB of storage, but will be capable of full 1080P HD video with 99$ only.
"Not only will this be priced to sell (like hotcakes), it seems that Apple is moving away from the model of local storage and will be focusing the new ATV on cloud-based storage (not unlike Amazon's streaming scheme, though we're talking instant-on 1080P, a la Microsoft)," the report said. "For those still interested in keeping their content close, there will be an option to utilize a Time Capsule as an external storage component, but the main course will be about streaming."
The new hardware, said to be small with only a power plug and video out, was described as "an iPhone without a screen." Sources could not say whether or not the new hardware would be compatible with software from the App Store, though Topolsky noted "it makes sense given the shared platform."
Engadget reported that Apple will not announce the new hardware at the forthcoming Worldwide Developers Conference, but the development is currently "full steam ahead."
The project has allegedly been in development since long before the Google TV was introduced last week. Google's offering will run on the Android operating system, and will be integrated in set top boxes as well as on HDTV hardware itself from major manufacturers. Google TV, which will run applications from the Android Market and stream Internet video, is scheduled to be released this fall.
Currently, the Apple TV costs $229 and comes with 160GB of storage. Last September, Apple discontinued the low-end 40GB Apple TV.
The set top box software was updated last October to Apple TV 3.0. The update added a redesigned main menu that aimed to make navigating content simpler and faster. It also allowed useres to watch iTunes Extras and iTunes LP content in full screen on their TV.
However, the software update failed to boost sales for the device, and Apple executives maintained their position that the Apple TV is simply a "hobby" for the Cupertino, Calif., company. In February, Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook said the set top box market does not compare with the other categories in which Apple competes, particularly media players, smartphones and computers.
Engadget's rumors would suggest that Apple would continue to sell the product as a set top box, while Google TV will be integrated with some HDTVs starting this fall. But analyst Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray has long believed that Apple could release its own connected HDTV, with Apple TV functionality built in to the device, in the next 2 to 4 years.
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