State of Innovation

Today's Apple a Day topic is the current state of innovation at Apple. As a former hater of but now long time fan of Apple's products, design and ideology I find the current state of Apple to be very interesting and quite concerning. The impact of Steve Jobs absence from Apple has been talked about at length by many people much more qualified than myself since his passing, however his absence has largely not been felt because of the product pipeline he left in Tim Cook's hands. Many had hypothesized that Job's left Apple with a good 5 years worth of products and that his absence would not truly be felt until that pipeline was empty. At the time I was one of those that believed this theory and figured Apple would continue churning out revolutionary world class products at a breakneck pace. Lately it seems that I may have been wrong.

In order to explain my concern we first have to look at how Apple has operated in the past. Traditionally Apple has stuck to a fairly rigid product release schedule that included product releases (and frequently keynote speeches) in January, March (iPad), May(iOS preview), June-July (iPhone), August-September (iPod) and sometimes a fall release in the November timeframe. While this schedule has occasionally shifted and some events like an event just for iPods have been eliminated as the business has shrunk, Apple has almost always maintained a fairly constant presence and released products throughout the year. Now let's look at 2013. It is almost June and there has not been a single major Apple product announcement or keynote this year. To say that is disturbing would be a vast understatement. Yes WWDC is coming up, but even that event is expected to bring few updates mostly to the shrinking MacBook segment. So what is the problem? In order to really dig into the cause of the current draught of products I think we need to look back at one facet of Steve Jobs leadership style that seems to be seriously lacking in Tim Cook.

Steve Jobs was known for his ability to create masterful world class products, many of which he is listed as one of the primary inventors for on Apple's patents. However it was not his technical ability that allowed him to contribute to the creation of those products, it was his ability to push people to their breaking point and get more out of his employees than anyone thought possible. Jobs was known for setting incredibly unrealistic timelines and someone pushing his to team to accomplishing the miracles necessary to make those deadlines. Additionally, he was known for being a brutal businessman when it came to making deals with forging partnerships, whether it was with record labels or movie studios. Tim Cook seems to be lacking the ability to get the same level of results out of his team and certainly does not have the business knowhow to strongarm other companies into doing what he wants. Proof of this can be seen in the repeatedly delayed iRadio service I mentioned yesterday. This service has been known to be in the works for quite some time but has been delayed due to Apple's inability to get the record labels to sign on. How is it that Tim Cook can't get record labels to sign on for a streaming service yet Jobs was able to get support from them when crafting the digital age of music?

Another prime example is a topic that I will cover in more detail later this week and that is the long rumored iTV. When Walter Isaacsons biography of Steve Jobs came out in 2011, it was revealed that Steve Jobs believed he had cracked a way to revolutionize the television experience and that Apple was working on a television product that employed his vision. The news was much with an enormous amount of excitement from the consumer electronics industry and rumors began to run rampant about the device and its' possible release date. Fast forward to 2013 and Apple still has not managed to release this product which has given way to companies like Samsung to release "Smart TVs" that do many of the things Apple's device is rumored to do, although admittedly the quality of these devices is pretty poor. Furthermore companies like Microsoft have taken a stab at simplifying the living room experience with devices like the Xbox One. I'm not saying that Apple has missed the boat quite yet but they are definitely in danger of it, especially considering that the latest rumors are now saying that device may not get released until the end of 2014. It's hard to imagine that this would be the case if Jobs were still in charge given his tact for pushing his employees to deliver a product at exactly the right moment.

So in closing it seems that Apple still has the ability to innovate and create good, if not great, products however their ability to maintain the pace they were known for under Steve Jobs' leadership seems to be gone which is unfortunate not only for Apple fans but for the industry as a whole. The forcast for 2013 looks pretty bleak. It is likely we will see an iPhone 5S announcement this fall, as well as a redesigned iPad and iPad Mini to follow sometime by the end of the year however it seems that the truly innovative new devices like the iWatch and iTV are unlikely to see the light of day until at least 2014. Can Apple really survive on just some minor refreshes to their core products or will the faithful start to jump ship to companies like Samsung and their hot selling Galaxy S4 and upcoming smart watches? Time will tell...

WWDC 2013

The first topic in this weeks series of Apple related posts is the upcoming Worldwide Developers Confeence (WWDC) keynote that is coming up on June 10th. Apple is expected to make a variety of announcements, some of which are confirmed while others remain rumors. I will  break down each of these and provide some personal thoughts on each.

iOS 7.0 & OS X

Two things that we know for sure will be unveiled for the first time are the new versions of iOS and OS X. These two announcements were confirmed by Tim Cook during his D11 interview last week so you can count on getting the full slew of details likely including price and release dates. I expect that the majority of the keynote will be devoted to these two topics for one very important reason. The release of these two pieces of software is going to be a defining moment for Apple. Whether that moment will be good or bad is yet to be seen but these operating systems are going to mark a huge change in the look and feel of Apple products. This is the first complete interface redesign that will be done without the input of Steve Jobs and it is impossible to overstate the significance of that fact. 

Many rumors point to a new "flat" design that has been concocted by hardware design genius Jonathan Ives. Ives has had enormous success being the lead hardware designer for Apple for quite some time, however in the past he always had a counterpoint in Jobs and that partnership ultimately ended up turning out countless revolutionary product designs. During the major management shakeup last year Ives took over the visual design of Apple's software in addition to the hardware and these two releases will be the first products developed under his supervision. Ives has long been known to hate the skeuomorphic design elements that Apple previously has employed throughout both their desktop and mobile platforms so it is all but given that he is going to eradicate these elements from the new versions. What does that mean for the end user? Well some simple examples are that your calendar, notepad, and address book applications will no longer visually mimic their real life companions. Skeuomorphism is a hotly debated topic amongst the design community so I expect that this change will ignite quite a bit of discussion. Personally I have always felt that the skeuomorphic patterns employed by Apple have mostly been instrumental in helping them achieve their goal of creating technology that lives at the intersection of art and the humanities. Something about these interfaces has made them feel more accessible and more personal to a lot of people so I am concerned that this change may bring Apple much closer to Android's style of interface which I find to be more cold and emotionless. 

Leaving interface changes aside for a minute there is likely a lot to look forward to with the new versions of these operating systems. Tim Cook has confirmed that Apple is going to be opening up their SDK for iOS in ways that they never have before which could lead to some interesting possibilities for developers. Additionally, it is highly likely that Apple will continue to incorporate successful elements of their mobile operating system into OS X which has proven to be successful with both the Lion and Mountain Lion releases. Rumors are also currently suggesting that this could be one of the first times in awhile where Apple begins moving functionality from their desktop operating system into iOS, specifically AirDrop. AirDrop wireless file sharing has been available in OS X since the Lion release and Apple is known to at least be internally testing a version of iOS that employs this functionality. Apple aficionados will understand that this would be a big step for Apple who has always been quite restrictive as to what files from the iPhone can be shared. It will be interesting to see if Apple blows the doors open and allows for things like music and video sharing , if it will be restricted to things like pictures and contacts, or if they will just scrap the feature altogether. 

In a world where Windows 8 has mostly been a failure and the line between desktop and mobile computing is getting less and less clear, it is going to be extremely important for Apple to put out a release that updates and modernizes both iOS and OS X while and creates a seamless experience that is accessible, versatile and cutting edge but still maintains the trademark quality and stability that Apple is known for. A failure in this arena could severely jeopardize Apples position in the market when it comes time to release new devices. 

MacBooks, Mac Pro and iMac

In the category of not confirmed but still basically guaranteed announcements for WWDC is updates to Apple's computer line, with a particular emphasis on the Macbook Pro lineup. Given that Intel is going to be launching their newest line of Haswell processors, it seems only natural the Apple would update it's lineup to include the latest from Intel. Perhaps more interesting though is the rumor that Apple will be revealing some minor tweaks to it's 13" Retina MacBook Pro that was released less than a year ago. The tweaks are rumored to be fairly minor but will result in an overall slimmer (yes you read that right) design for the already incredibly thin notebook. Expect the array of ports and probably even graphics support to remain fairly similar to their current state. One thing that is not clear is whether Apple plans on any special updates for the MacBook Air lineup. Enthusiasts have been salivating over the idea of a Retina MacBook Air since the first retina machines came out last year, however given the current technology behind the displays. high cost and supply chain issues Apple continues to have, I don't expect that we will see retina displays make their way into the MacBook Air lineup this go round. 

One last interesting note is that supplies of Mac Pros have begun to wane in the weeks leading up to WWDC so it is likely that the Mac Pro will finally get some long overdue attention to bring it up to par with the current standards for insanely expensive cutting edge machines. Don't expect this to get much attention, if any, during the keynote though given that the Mac Pro accounts for an almost nonexistent amount of revenue for Apple. 

iRadio

Last but not least is something in the category of, could happen but pretty unlikely, is Apples long rumored iRadio service. For those unfamiliar with Apple rumors, iRadio is Apple's long gestating subscription music service (kinda like Pandora). Apple has been known to be working on this service for quite some time but has had major problems getting music labels to sign on. The only thing that makes an announcement of this service possible is that Apple is alleged to have finally gotten Warner and Universal to both sign on, leaving Sony as the only holdout. It is possible that Apple could announce the service to try and drum up some hype and strongarm Sony into giving in. What remains to be seen is if there really is even a market left for this. The streaming music market is already pretty packed with the likes of Pandora, Rhapsody, Spotify, I Heart Radio and the new Google Play Music All Access. If Apple is going to join the fray they are going to need to bring something new to differentiate themselves from the mob. Look for some kind of combination of iTunes Match with this service as a means to accomplish this differentiation. My personal feeling is that we will see iRadio launch this year but probably not until the iPhone 5S announcement. 

An Apple a Day

Stay tuned this coming week as each day I present some thoughts on Apple related topics including the upcoming WWDC keynote, the rumored iTV and iWatch devices and more. 

In Defense of Xbox One

As most of you know Microsoft's announcement of the Xbox One last week has been met with a firestorm of criticism. While I agree with some of what has been said about this new console and Microsoft's presentation of it, I am believe that a lot of what Microsoft showed is extremely compelling for a variety of reasons. Let's break down the presentation into 3 main components: hardware, software and games.

Hardware

This is the one category where there doesn't seem to be too much debate from a design standpoint. The combination of flat and glossy black of console itself essentially looks like any other box you would find in your typical home theater setup. My first reaction upon seeing the design was that it looks like a home theater receiver you might find from the likes of Denon or Pioneer, which is not necessarily a bad thing but also doesn't really stand out. 

Many people have slammed Microsoft for not living up to the hardware specs set by the Playstation 4 that Sony partially unveiled a few months prior. Given that the Xbox One uses a custom processor it is difficult at this point to compare how the processor will compare to the AMD Jaguar chip employed by the PS4. Memory is another story. Both units employ 8GB of on-board RAM  however the DDR3 memory used by the Xbox One is slower than the more cutting edge GDDR5 memory used by the PS4. How much of a difference this is going to make remains to be seen. 

One additional hardware innovation that Microsoft has introduced, to which Sony does not have an answer for at this time, is the next generation Kinect sensor. The new sensor is similar to the previous one in terms of overall concept and but comes with a vastly improved array of sensors (including 1080P cameras) and a much sleeker design. I will discuss the real value of this piece of hardware in the software portion of this article but for now I will just say that it has the possibility to be a real game changer in the home theater space. 

My overall assessment of the differences between PS4 and Xbox One in terms of hardware is that it seems that Sony has invested heavily in making the more impressive console from a technical specification standpoint. In other words if you go strictly by what is on paper in terms of the theoretical performance of the machine the PS4 wins. However, with that said Microsoft seems to have gone the route of investing money to include a wider array of new or improved technologies. Their primary emphasis seems to be on putting out a piece of hardware that will be the connecting point for an ecosystem of devices including televisions, mobile phones, tablets and Kinect into what will hopefully be a truly seamless and immersive experience.

For a detailed comparison of the technical specs of the two consoles click here.

Software

Software is the category that seems to have gotten the most attention following Microsoft's press conference which isn't all that surprising given that they spent the vast majority of the time discussing the software that comes with the Xbox One as opposed to focusing on games. For those who aren't familiar with the event, Microsoft announced a wide array of software features including TV integration, Skype, web browsing, and instant switching between running "applications". Let's go through these one-by-one. 

Skype is perhaps the least interesting of the new software related features however it is a natural fit given the native integration of the Kinect sensor which is now no longer optional. Microsoft showed off the ability to make and receive calls and also multi-task while in a call. Overall it was pretty standard stuff that has previously been available on top tier smart TVs with built in webcams. This is the kind of feature whose inclusion won't really be a major selling but if omitted is something that people would have complained about so it. The one thing I am not entirely sure about is how well this type of feature will work for those who have a larger living room. Giving that Kinect already requires you to be a considerable distance from your TV it seems that it could make something like Skype more complicated. 

Web browsing is a feature that has long been lacking on the Xbox 360 so it's inclusion on the Xbox One is definitely something to be excited about, although admittedly Microsoft did not showcase much of the browser and it's capabilities. I do feel that this feature is one area where Microsoft can really set themselves apart from Sony whose web browser on the PS3 is atrocious to use. The ability to use SmartGlass to control the web browsing experience is extremely compelling and is something I had long hoped Apple would implement with their Apple TV set top box. If I can use any mobile device with the SmartGlass app to swipe, pinch to zoom and use a keyboard when surfing the net from the comfort of my couch I will be a very happy man and given that the Xbox One is running a version of Windows 8 there shouldn't be any problems with regards to compatibility with plugins such as Flash or Silverlight. If Microsoft is smart they will really invest in hardening up the software for this feature and use it as one of their flagship features to set them apart from the PS4.

Instant switching and really multitasking in general is something that is completely new to console world. Previous generations of gaming consoles have always only allowed the user to done thing at a time, even to the point of pausing downloads if you are playing a game. The Xbox One has been shown to have the ability to almost instantly switch between TV, games, browsers and Skype conversations as well snap multiple running applications onto the screen at the same time. As someone who generally focuses primarily on my game or movie when I have my console on, i'm not sure how much use I will get of this particular feature however it could be compelling for those who want to have a Skype call while keeping an eye on a sporting event or whom frequently switch back and forth between TV and the web. Theoretically the Xbox will save your state and immediately return to your previous place which is a must have feature that needs to work correctly for the idea of multitasking on a game console to be successful. Overall this is another feature that I think is a neat innovation that will  satisfy a small subset of overall console owners but more importantly is another example of how Microsoft is trying to expand beyond just games with this new console.

The announcements Microsoft made regarding TV integration is the entire reason that I was inspired to finally start this blog and to write this particular article. I am a huge fan of Apple products and have been anxiously waiting for the last couple years for Apple's rumored TV revolution to finally come to fruition and unfortunately have been disappointed thus far. If you think about the current state of personal electronics and technology, the living room is one area that seems to be vastly lagging behind in terms of usability and advancement in technology. Yes, we have progressed with higher resolution TVs with the advent of HD and more recently the introduction of 4K but in reality the experience of interacting with a television has not changed much since the remote control was first invented. Imagine for a second that every time you wanted to go to a website you had to remember and enter the IP address of the website into your browser. It sounds crazy right? Well if that is so crazy and unthinkable why do I have to remember channel numbers for anything I want to watch on TV? Personally I am a subscriber to Directv and have something like 500+ channels and having to remember which station maps to each of those numbers is archaic to put it lightly.

Enter the Xbox One and it's new television integration capabilities. Leveraging the power of Kinect and an HDMI passthrough for connecting with your existing cable/satellite boxes, Microsoft has enabled users to control their TV using an easy combination of voice commands and gestures. If I want to watch CNN I can just say "Watch CNN" and the Xbox will find the station and immediately tune to it. It is easy to say that Microsoft beat Apple to the the punch on this one, although it is likely that Apple's revolution will run much deeper in that it may change the entire structure of the way television programming is delivered. The technology behind this is impressive and makes the Xbox One much more than a simple gaming machine. Instead it is the first device that I believe truly deserves Microsofts much worn title of "Media Center". This is a device that is designed to be the core foundation of an ecosystem of devices that will including gaming, web, television and communication. Many have said that the Xbox One is supposed to be a game console and that Microsoft has clearly forgotten it's core gamer audience I disagree wholeheartedly. With the Xbox 360 Microsoft began walking down the path of turning Xbox into more than just a gaming machine and that change has been widely embraced by gamers who could suddenly use their system for purchasing arcade titles, renting movies, buying music and watching game and movie trailers. The Xbox One continues along that road in a way that I think most gamers will embrace when they start actually using the console.

Games

Finally we get to what has been probably the most controversial part of Microsoft's announcement of the Xbox One. Ironically it is the most controversial but despite being the least talked about topic during the press conference. It is true that Microsoft spent the vast majority of their time talking about the new software enhancements I mentioned previously and only briefly covered gaming and mostly focused on a select group of sports and shooter titles when they did. This has ignited outrage on the internet with people claiming Microsoft has forgotten about gaming and that they only care about the huge selling titles like Madden and Call of Duty. In my opinion these reactions are extraordinarily naive and narrow minded when you consider that E3 is coming up in a matter of weeks and Microsoft has another keynote speech scheduled for that event. It seems clear to me that Microsoft's goal for the unveiling event was to generate as much hype, press and internet debate as possible and they succeeded in that in a way that Sony failed. Microsoft chose to discuss the features that are some of the most innovative and would appeal to the widest group of people and highlight unique features that Xbox One has that Playstation 4 doesn't. At the PS4 announcement Sony showed almost nothing, opting to not show the final hardware and only provide some cursory glances and ideas of upcoming titles. Microsoft came out swinging by announcing features that Sony won't be able to compete with at launch. The upcoming E3 conference will undoubtedly focus heavily on the sure to be impressive array of launch titles that will arrive with the Xbox One which will then reinvigorate excitement and online discussion about the console. 

Summary

There has been much debate over Microsoft's announcement of the Xbox One. Many have said that Microsoft totally ignored their core gamer base and has lost their focus on gaming. My personal feeling is that Microsoft chose a different path than Sony in that they decided to focus on providing a console is much more than just a gaming console. Ultimately I think this strategy is going to pay huge dividends for Microsoft in that their console is going to enable a much more complete, robust experience spanning a much wider gamut than just gaming. They have proven their ability to make great game consoles with some of the best games in the industry and I have no doubt that the Xbox One will that tradition, which we should get proof of in a few weeks at E3.

Welcome

First and foremost welcome to my brand new blog. This is a space where I will discuss my own personal thoughts on any and all technology related news. I don't exactly have a particular agenda and plan on just writing about whatever sparks my interest at the time. I am a software engineer and have a history in the consumer electronics industry so I have the fairly rare situation of having been on both the consumer and development side of software and electronics.

I really have no expectations for how many, if any, people will end up reading this blog however if you do find something interesting and would like my thoughts or have any questions you would like answered please don't hesitate to ask and I will do my best to answer.

Hope you enjoy the babble!