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iPhone OS 4.0: Predictions and Assorted Thoughts

So, Apple will hold a media event on April 8th to give us a sneak peek into the future of iPhone OS 4.0. As you can guess, the 4.0 update will be one of the most important updates the iPhone will go through this year, as it will mark the path Apple is following regarding its mobile phone, most of all when compared to the recently releases iPad.

Will it be nothing more than a performance update issued for a new device to be released in June? Or will it bring brand new features to make the iPhone a complete different device from the iPad?

I say both, with some exceptions.

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The Finder Is Dead, And So Are Geeks

I remember when I was a kid I asked my parents to buy me a computer. I didn’t ask for a Mac or a Pc, I just wanted “a computer”. Maybe I should have been more specific in my request, because my parents did buy me a computer, but one of those fake ones kids use to play around with english words and learn basic word processing. Just like this one. Thing is, I wanted a computer, but I had to get along with that. Assuming that we’re calling my first computer an actual computer, I reckon that thing had some sort of desktop with icons to switch back and forth between “programs” and choose which would have been the next step. Should I open the word processor or the dictionary? That’s what was bothering me back then. But even though that was nothing more than a toy, that computer initiated me to the concepts of desktops and apps, the basics or modern computing life.

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Why You Shouldn’t Read The “Why You Shouldn’t Buy An iPad” Posts (Now)

Some people just don’t get it.

Gina Trapani (founding editor of Lifehacker) has posted a new entry on Fastcompany’ blog called “Why You Shouldn’t Buy an iPad (Yet)”, giving us some arguable points about why we should skip the current iPad generation (let’s simply call it iPad 1st gen) and wait for better, less buggy, cheaper device next year.

I’ve never understood this way of thinking, and never will.

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The Super-Taskers

The New York Times:

“A few brains may do better than others. That is the finding of a new study from the University of Utah where researchers say they’ve discovered a class of “super-taskers.”

The researchers found that about 2.5 percent of the college students they studied were able to simultaneously talk on the phone while navigating in a driving simulator. By comparison, the other students in the study saw their driving performance on fall 20 to 30 percent, according to David Strayer, a psychology professor involved in the study.”

These people will be getting a limited edition, multi-tasking capable iPad. As for Flash, scientists haven’t found references of super-human speed enabled beings yet.


Posterous Founder: “The Finder is Dead”

Sachin Agarwal:

“The Finder hasn’t been updated with anything sexy in years. I think this is because Apple doesn’t want to devote major resources to something that should die. Expose, Dashboard, Spaces, and Spotlight are all hacks to make the final years of the Finder tolerable.

When you launch iTunes, you see your music. When you launch iPhoto, you see your photos. When you launch Mail, you see your email. Where is it all stored? Who cares.

I want to be able to access all my data on my iPhone, iPad, and iCar. And I want them all to be in sync. I want the data to be managed automatically, backed up, secure, and fast. If I buy a video on my iPad, sync it to my TV instantly. If I take a photo on my iPhone, sync it to my iPad. Don’t ask me anything, just make sure everything is everywhere.”


Gifting Apps Doesn’t Affect Ranking in the App Store

Just in case you were still wondering:

“There was almost no effect on rank. The small visible bump can be entirely accounted for by actual increase in regular sales. If the 500 daily gifts counted as purchases, we would guess that we would at least be in the Top 25 of Strategy/Adventure, and in the Top 100 of All Games.”

Link


Wired: The iPad Is Already Reshaping the Internet

Wired:

“The reason the iPad could have a more pronounced effect on the internet than the iPhone actually really is simply because it’s bigger. The challenge of best displaying your content on the iPhone wasn’t simply making sure you had a Flash-less site — it was fitting it all into a 3.5-inch screen, reducing it to the utter essentials to fit the way people use their phones, a task that might’ve gone beyond a mobile-optimized site in many cases. With the iPad, two of the biggest restrictions — the tighter screen, those smaller windows of time — aren’t there, so content producers very well might not need an app to fit their content onto the iPad. In other words, they really can just build a site instead of an app, which is why the iPad might have a more profound effect on the internet than the iPhone.”

I’d say is the Internet that was desperately waiting to be reshaped. Developers, designers, site owners - they all were waiting for a new way to experience their creations, and it will be available in 4 days.


Apple’s Refinements, Changes and Improvements to iPad UI

The iPad is set to be available in 5 days, but I bet you guys have been watching the latest guided video tours on Apple.com for the entire afternoon. Someone at least 5 times, I guess.

What’s interesting, though, is that the quality of these videos is so high that they provide us an easy way to look at the interface of the device and spot little differences and elements from the screenshots we’ve been provided so far. Actually, I’ve spent some time today analyzing the videos (yeah, I’m one of those nerds) and I’ve noticed some interesting touches Apple has applied to the UI.

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MacStories’ Fuel Collective Week. An Interview with Stephen Korecky.

So Federico and I have been casually tweeting about this big thing that’s happening this week, and here it is. We’re going to be hanging out with the guys at Fuel Collective, who make some truly great Mac software. And because this is MacStories, you can expect reviews and giveaways throughout the week. I’m really excited about this, because it’s the first time we’ve ever done an event like this, and it’s just super that we have Fuel Collective on board.

To kick things off, we wanted to get personal with the folks who’ve brought you all sorts of great software, from Snippet to Contents. Stephen Korecky, Fuel Collective’s master paintbrush and artisan, was kind enough to take the time out to answer some of our questions.(And because of a technical error, not once, but twice!)

As you read the interview, Fuel Collective is a prime example of what makes the Mac community so great. Meeting new people. Putting passion into your work. It’s what makes the Mac breed genetically different from everybody else. And overall, they’re really just a couple of fine fellows.

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