diamond.g
Mar 24, 01:54 PM
It would be very well possible. Remember, Thunderbolt is derived from LightPeak. One of the reasons to develop LightPeak was to transmit data at very fast rates over a distance. Essentially, not have everything so closed together.
In other words, you can the CPU in room A and the RAM in room B which is 20 feet away and get the same result. This is one of the reasons Intel developed LightPeak. There are many other reasons for development obviously.
However, Thunderbolt in its current stage is not suited for such lengthy exchange due to its copper nature. However, say you have a GFX cradle on your desk, you could well use Thunderbolt's current implementation to feed data. However, you'd need multiple implementations of Thunderbolt in order for it to work great. Currently, many GFX solutions use PCIe x16 interface which pretty much uses 8 GB/s bandwidth so one Thunderbolt interface will do fine and still have a nice 2GB/s overhead. However, the newer PCIe 3.0 interface pushes 16GB/s now so you'd need two Thunderbolt interfaces.
The one thing I wonder about is DRM. As it is now the connection to the display (and through DP) are protected (with either HDCP or DPCP). Do we know if LP/TB supports that protection (especially since the DP stream is actually separate from the PCIe stream)?
In other words, you can the CPU in room A and the RAM in room B which is 20 feet away and get the same result. This is one of the reasons Intel developed LightPeak. There are many other reasons for development obviously.
However, Thunderbolt in its current stage is not suited for such lengthy exchange due to its copper nature. However, say you have a GFX cradle on your desk, you could well use Thunderbolt's current implementation to feed data. However, you'd need multiple implementations of Thunderbolt in order for it to work great. Currently, many GFX solutions use PCIe x16 interface which pretty much uses 8 GB/s bandwidth so one Thunderbolt interface will do fine and still have a nice 2GB/s overhead. However, the newer PCIe 3.0 interface pushes 16GB/s now so you'd need two Thunderbolt interfaces.
The one thing I wonder about is DRM. As it is now the connection to the display (and through DP) are protected (with either HDCP or DPCP). Do we know if LP/TB supports that protection (especially since the DP stream is actually separate from the PCIe stream)?
moobookpro
Oct 23, 11:05 PM
yes, my macbook pro will not support 64 bit instructions. i was fully aware of that when i bought it.
leopard is confirmed to be 64 bit all the way through -ie the user interface is as well. i do agree that 64 bit GUI applications will surface but you can't say that all 32 bit machines will be massively disadvantaged and become redundant.
what you have implied is that the 64 bit thing will be so massive and make so much of a difference to your computing experience that a 64 bit notebook computer is essential.
btw - the g5 has been out for years. umm wait. it's 64 bit too :rolleyes: where are the MAINSTREAM apps that utilise the 64 bit facility of tiger??
aussie_geek
Considering we are talking about a Pro machine I hope you are not refering to "consumer" when you say "mainstream". If so, then get a clue. Fact of the matter is, 64-bit will improve the experience across the board but specifically it will aid the intended users of this machine most: pros. There is a Pro there for a reason. But I'll bite: I'm pretty sure Final Cut Pro, Aperture, Logic and Photoshop (I could go on, but to help you save face I'll stop here) are all mainstream pro apps and will all definitely benefit from having an OS built to do more than simply accomodate 64-bit, but actually utilize it properly. Not to further strike you down but the only place that 64-bit instructions are possible (at least on the Intel side) is in Unix terminal apps in Tiger at the moment. That would seem to answer your question a bit. I'm pretty sure the people that this machine is targeted towards will appreciate the benefits of 64-bit processing more than I could summarize (and way more than you could refute).
To answer someone else's question, the current Core 2 Duo processor and accompanying chipset supports EM64T enabling 64-bit processing.
leopard is confirmed to be 64 bit all the way through -ie the user interface is as well. i do agree that 64 bit GUI applications will surface but you can't say that all 32 bit machines will be massively disadvantaged and become redundant.
what you have implied is that the 64 bit thing will be so massive and make so much of a difference to your computing experience that a 64 bit notebook computer is essential.
btw - the g5 has been out for years. umm wait. it's 64 bit too :rolleyes: where are the MAINSTREAM apps that utilise the 64 bit facility of tiger??
aussie_geek
Considering we are talking about a Pro machine I hope you are not refering to "consumer" when you say "mainstream". If so, then get a clue. Fact of the matter is, 64-bit will improve the experience across the board but specifically it will aid the intended users of this machine most: pros. There is a Pro there for a reason. But I'll bite: I'm pretty sure Final Cut Pro, Aperture, Logic and Photoshop (I could go on, but to help you save face I'll stop here) are all mainstream pro apps and will all definitely benefit from having an OS built to do more than simply accomodate 64-bit, but actually utilize it properly. Not to further strike you down but the only place that 64-bit instructions are possible (at least on the Intel side) is in Unix terminal apps in Tiger at the moment. That would seem to answer your question a bit. I'm pretty sure the people that this machine is targeted towards will appreciate the benefits of 64-bit processing more than I could summarize (and way more than you could refute).
To answer someone else's question, the current Core 2 Duo processor and accompanying chipset supports EM64T enabling 64-bit processing.
dongmin
Jul 19, 05:10 PM
This past quarter was all about the MacBook. I wonder how much of the 500,000 laptops sold were MacBooks; I'd hazard to guess 70-75% The PowerBooks are currently bad buys, in my opinion. Hopefully, Apple will update the MBPs with a new design and new processors.
The dropoff in the desktops can be attributed to a couple factors:
1. The initial pent-up demand for Intel consumer desktops have now cooled. Apple will refresh the line this quarter which should help move a lot more of these units.
2. Now that the cat is out of the bag, everyone is waiting for an Intel pro desktop. If Apple is able to do some sort of joint Mac Pro and Adobe CS3 release, they'll sell these Mac Pros is truckloads.
Shooting from hip: I expect bigger Mac sales in September with the refresh of the desktops plus MBPs. Maybe in the 1.5 mil territory with higher profit margins.
And for the Xmas quarter, we could get close to the 2 mil mark. OK, maybe 2 mil is too ambitious; but I'd expect nothing less than 1.8 mil.
The dropoff in the desktops can be attributed to a couple factors:
1. The initial pent-up demand for Intel consumer desktops have now cooled. Apple will refresh the line this quarter which should help move a lot more of these units.
2. Now that the cat is out of the bag, everyone is waiting for an Intel pro desktop. If Apple is able to do some sort of joint Mac Pro and Adobe CS3 release, they'll sell these Mac Pros is truckloads.
Shooting from hip: I expect bigger Mac sales in September with the refresh of the desktops plus MBPs. Maybe in the 1.5 mil territory with higher profit margins.
And for the Xmas quarter, we could get close to the 2 mil mark. OK, maybe 2 mil is too ambitious; but I'd expect nothing less than 1.8 mil.
MacinDoc
Sep 5, 12:12 AM
Would something in this realm be feasible for the mini updates? Just wondering while waiting for updates. Of course this is very vague on my part.
$499: Core solo - 1.5
$599: Core duo Yonah - 1.66
$699: Core duo Yonah - 1.83
$799: Core 2 duo Merom - low end (Not sure what that is)
Won't happen, all Core Solos are now the same price as the 1.66 GHz Core2 Duo. So, the Solo is dead. And, regrettably, a price drop is unlikely.
$499: Core solo - 1.5
$599: Core duo Yonah - 1.66
$699: Core duo Yonah - 1.83
$799: Core 2 duo Merom - low end (Not sure what that is)
Won't happen, all Core Solos are now the same price as the 1.66 GHz Core2 Duo. So, the Solo is dead. And, regrettably, a price drop is unlikely.
MacBoobsPro
Aug 7, 05:50 AM
An iPhone, not as a cell phone, but as a landline skype style wifi cordless phone to go with iChat. Wouldn't that make sense for Apple to make? Ties in with their computers & iLife, would work in all countries, and would be easy, and possibly cheap for them to make.
Steve Jobs, would probably want want to make a phone that transitions seamlessly between indoor wifi and the cell networks.
I was thinking that. Maybe thats why the iPhone pix look more like a house phone instead of cell phone?
Hmmmm... ?
Steve Jobs, would probably want want to make a phone that transitions seamlessly between indoor wifi and the cell networks.
I was thinking that. Maybe thats why the iPhone pix look more like a house phone instead of cell phone?
Hmmmm... ?
bluebomberman
Nov 29, 01:38 PM
Where else can they go? The brain, I guess?
jent
Apr 12, 11:13 PM
Is there a video of the announcement available?
darknyt
Sep 13, 10:56 PM
Well, I think the new one is thinner; 9-7, right? If you're looking for something temporary I would suggest a cheap generic case from eBay.
No Switcheasy? :(:(:(
Not yet :
Hello,
Sorry but SwitchEasy does not release any product information until it
becomes available for sale on our website.
We will put the information about a product on our website as soon as
we release it.
We can tell you that our designer and development team are currently
working on a new product for iPod Touch 4. If all tests pass it will
be soon available.
For product releases, stay tuned to our website and thank you again
for your patient.
Please feel free to contact us if you have additional questions.
Thank you,
Zoe
SwitchEasy USA Team
No Switcheasy? :(:(:(
Not yet :
Hello,
Sorry but SwitchEasy does not release any product information until it
becomes available for sale on our website.
We will put the information about a product on our website as soon as
we release it.
We can tell you that our designer and development team are currently
working on a new product for iPod Touch 4. If all tests pass it will
be soon available.
For product releases, stay tuned to our website and thank you again
for your patient.
Please feel free to contact us if you have additional questions.
Thank you,
Zoe
SwitchEasy USA Team
dernhelm
Nov 29, 07:53 PM
I'm glad that he confirmed this. Otherwise Macworld in January would be memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Mr. Jobs finished his keynote with the startling admission that there is nothing left: "That's all folks! We've got nothing else in development. See you in 2010."
:D
I'm tellin' ya! I'm in the wrong business. Forget all this deadline - get product out carp. Get in to journalism where all you need to do is restate the obvious with a few well-placed typos, and Bob's your uncle.
Ahhh! I'm blind!
:rolleyes:
Mr. Jobs finished his keynote with the startling admission that there is nothing left: "That's all folks! We've got nothing else in development. See you in 2010."
:D
I'm tellin' ya! I'm in the wrong business. Forget all this deadline - get product out carp. Get in to journalism where all you need to do is restate the obvious with a few well-placed typos, and Bob's your uncle.
Ahhh! I'm blind!
:rolleyes:
Evangelion
Aug 29, 09:27 AM
Most benchmarks show the difference between the 1.5 Ghz Solo and 1.66 Ghz Duo to be about 15% for single-core apps (games) and about 30% for dual-core aware apps. So not really more than 100% more performance.
And if you run several apps at once (like most of us do), the increase is quite big indeed. And dual-core/SMP makes the system feel smoother, because no app can consume 100% of CPU-cycles.
Why are people always talking about speed of a single app? How about running several apps at once?
And if you run several apps at once (like most of us do), the increase is quite big indeed. And dual-core/SMP makes the system feel smoother, because no app can consume 100% of CPU-cycles.
Why are people always talking about speed of a single app? How about running several apps at once?
SciFrog
Mar 5, 12:47 PM
Ditto!
I see some new folks putting up some points, designed, DistortedLoop, and MAcProCPO is back at it again, thanks for the effort to those and other newbies!
I had a problem with the MacPro after I upgraded to a 3 SSD raid for booting ... I forgot to set the machine to NOT go to sleep, DUH! I could not figure out why it was timing out of folding every so often with the remote Linux boards that I'm ssh'd into from the Mac. NOW that I have that figured out my points will pick up again. It was still impressive just running the 6 GPU's and 2 win clients at about 50k per day!
And congrats for 10mio points!
Still sIting for Gulftown to be released, and to see the price... My current 8 core 3ghz 2,1 mac pro isbbeyond my needs already... And still no GPU on OS X...
On the good news front, SMP2 is rock solid, haven't lost a unit yet even after reboots.
I see some new folks putting up some points, designed, DistortedLoop, and MAcProCPO is back at it again, thanks for the effort to those and other newbies!
I had a problem with the MacPro after I upgraded to a 3 SSD raid for booting ... I forgot to set the machine to NOT go to sleep, DUH! I could not figure out why it was timing out of folding every so often with the remote Linux boards that I'm ssh'd into from the Mac. NOW that I have that figured out my points will pick up again. It was still impressive just running the 6 GPU's and 2 win clients at about 50k per day!
And congrats for 10mio points!
Still sIting for Gulftown to be released, and to see the price... My current 8 core 3ghz 2,1 mac pro isbbeyond my needs already... And still no GPU on OS X...
On the good news front, SMP2 is rock solid, haven't lost a unit yet even after reboots.
lordonuthin
Nov 26, 09:08 PM
congrats to SciFrog for getting 3 million points!
yeah i don't think we'll get those points back. oh well. i'm also thinking about getting something to fold on as well. i'm wondering, would have a machine and putting in several video cards and running the gpu2 in windows be better? or just an i7 and run bigadv units? i was hoping some i7 systems would go onsale, but i can't really find any under $1,000
Woo hoo, the big three O-O-O-O-O-O-O :p
It would be nice to see some comparisons of ppd for gpu vs bigadv, I'll try to find something.
well i finally got 2 million now. i started this thread on 10/4/2009. today is 11/26/2009. so what is that, 53 days? considering how long it took for me to get to 1 million to begin with, i'm pretty happy with that
Congrats! may the next mil go quickly by.
yeah i don't think we'll get those points back. oh well. i'm also thinking about getting something to fold on as well. i'm wondering, would have a machine and putting in several video cards and running the gpu2 in windows be better? or just an i7 and run bigadv units? i was hoping some i7 systems would go onsale, but i can't really find any under $1,000
Woo hoo, the big three O-O-O-O-O-O-O :p
It would be nice to see some comparisons of ppd for gpu vs bigadv, I'll try to find something.
well i finally got 2 million now. i started this thread on 10/4/2009. today is 11/26/2009. so what is that, 53 days? considering how long it took for me to get to 1 million to begin with, i'm pretty happy with that
Congrats! may the next mil go quickly by.
Fubar1977
Feb 20, 07:48 AM
Seriously though, it's like they are intentionally trying to cause that wrist problem (I forget the name XD) with those keyboard drawers!
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ;)
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ;)
Bengt77
Aug 25, 04:56 PM
7. iMacs will get:
Core 2 Duo E6700 - 2.67 GHz (4 MiB L2, 1066 MHz FSB) and
Core 2 Duo E6600 - 2.40 GHz (4 MiB L2, 1066 MHz FSB)
Man, that sounds good! I'll take one. To take away, please. Djeez, I am so ready for a new iMac! :o
Core 2 Duo E6700 - 2.67 GHz (4 MiB L2, 1066 MHz FSB) and
Core 2 Duo E6600 - 2.40 GHz (4 MiB L2, 1066 MHz FSB)
Man, that sounds good! I'll take one. To take away, please. Djeez, I am so ready for a new iMac! :o
Akme
Mar 31, 12:23 PM
Anyone else having their menu bar go black regularly? Have to switch into Launchpad (or similar) to get it back to normal. It's often accompanied by the fan spinning up, so I'm assuming it's some sort of issue related to graphics switching/drivers.
thejedipunk
Jan 7, 01:36 AM
Not that any more predictions from anyone from this point on matter any longer, but what the hell? ;)
LEOPARD LEOPARD LEOPARD
IPOD IPOD IPOD
MACS MACS MACS
iTV will be named with release/ship date
My thoughts on the phone:
I've read much stuff on here about this much epically fabled device. Several good and bad points. First, if the rumor gods are saying that they will release a basic/media phone as well as a smart phone, then, as some have already pointed out, what can Apple bring that is new to the table of basic/media phones? I think Apple should just make a smart phone, considering that more and more people are looking towards smart phone market, which I think has some room for innovation. Plus, at the same time, they can capture that oh-so-crucial enterprise market. SWITCHERS GALORE!!! Even with that, I don't see them being stupid enough to cannibalize iPod/nano/shuffle sales. At most, 2 gigs of space on the phone, which will have to be shared with the phone and any media files.
Take this also into consideration. Why would children even need Apple branded cell phones? Most children today are obviously on a family plan. Which means they get the free phones. The Apple phone would not be priced reasonably enough for me to buy all my kids (if I had kids) such a phone. What if Apple just decides to make the iPod into a super device that can even cook breakfast for you. That kills off all iPod music player sales. Not everyone would buy the phone because what they really wanted was just a music player and not a Digital Age Swiss Army Knife.
But I still want an Apple smart phone. :)
LEOPARD LEOPARD LEOPARD
IPOD IPOD IPOD
MACS MACS MACS
iTV will be named with release/ship date
My thoughts on the phone:
I've read much stuff on here about this much epically fabled device. Several good and bad points. First, if the rumor gods are saying that they will release a basic/media phone as well as a smart phone, then, as some have already pointed out, what can Apple bring that is new to the table of basic/media phones? I think Apple should just make a smart phone, considering that more and more people are looking towards smart phone market, which I think has some room for innovation. Plus, at the same time, they can capture that oh-so-crucial enterprise market. SWITCHERS GALORE!!! Even with that, I don't see them being stupid enough to cannibalize iPod/nano/shuffle sales. At most, 2 gigs of space on the phone, which will have to be shared with the phone and any media files.
Take this also into consideration. Why would children even need Apple branded cell phones? Most children today are obviously on a family plan. Which means they get the free phones. The Apple phone would not be priced reasonably enough for me to buy all my kids (if I had kids) such a phone. What if Apple just decides to make the iPod into a super device that can even cook breakfast for you. That kills off all iPod music player sales. Not everyone would buy the phone because what they really wanted was just a music player and not a Digital Age Swiss Army Knife.
But I still want an Apple smart phone. :)
KnightWRX
Apr 27, 06:20 AM
As far as I know the "App Store" trademark hasn't been granted to Apple yet, therefore Amazon can use it for now. On the other hand Apple just cannot sit there and do nothing about it, they must deffend the trademark they are trying to register even if it hasn't been registered yet.
They should also be careful with their quotes in their financials. Tim Cook in the last conference call basically gave Microsoft and Amazon ammunition when he said things "We have the largest app store", making the term quite generic and descriptive. This doesn't help their case at all.
They should also be careful with their quotes in their financials. Tim Cook in the last conference call basically gave Microsoft and Amazon ammunition when he said things "We have the largest app store", making the term quite generic and descriptive. This doesn't help their case at all.
jephrey
Jul 14, 10:53 AM
I thought that there were other benefits to BD, therefore I've been backing their effort. I read that the scratch resistance of a BD is amazing. I know that there's a size issue at this point, but 25G on one layer is nicer than 30 on 2. Yes, you're going to pay for it, but there's much more "potential" with BD. We justified the expense of our macs using a similar argument. Finally, I think that in the future, we'll be needing that extra space on the 2-6 layers of a BD for uncompressed or losslessly compressed Hi-Fi audio/video. And is BD limited to MEPG-2, or can't it do MPEG-4 h.264 ? But all this may be bunk. I'm waiting for the first HVD to come out, then I can just stour a few TB on each disc. I'll just burn a main and a backup and keep all my digital data on them.
Jephrey
Jephrey
markfc
Oct 23, 07:48 AM
Well, if you want to hear from my reliable source, stocks of macbooks and macbook pros are due in on the 27th/28th October.
You heard it here first!
:-)
You heard it here first!
:-)
BriChi
Oct 23, 08:43 AM
Of course tomorrow, I just purchased the white Macbook 2.0 Tuesday. If they come out tomorrow looks like I am returning mine for the new c2d. I will pay the restocking fee if I have to
NameUndecided
Apr 2, 04:56 PM
That block of graphite at the top should contain your Address bar, Back/Forward and search bar. DP2 autohides the tab bar and the favorites bar until you bring your mouse to the top of the screen. There's a screenshot of it earlier in the thread.
Yeah, I'm aware that it should contain those thing. ;) It's just that mine is blank, and the option to "hide toolbar" doesn't make it go away either. (Hiding the toolbar does continue to work in non-fullscreen mode though.)
I do notice though that when I should have a tabs bar, that blank graphite bar does expand when I move the mouse to the top of the screen as you say. It's still all blank though. Clicking around on the blank toolbar also doesn't behave as if I'm clicking on buttons that just happen to be invisible. I also can't drag buttons onto the blank bar from the Customize Toolbar options and have them show up there.
Oh well. I thought it was funny and it didn't/doesn't seem like anyone else has had it happen or mentioned it. Other applications in fullscreen mode seem to work just fine.
Yeah, I'm aware that it should contain those thing. ;) It's just that mine is blank, and the option to "hide toolbar" doesn't make it go away either. (Hiding the toolbar does continue to work in non-fullscreen mode though.)
I do notice though that when I should have a tabs bar, that blank graphite bar does expand when I move the mouse to the top of the screen as you say. It's still all blank though. Clicking around on the blank toolbar also doesn't behave as if I'm clicking on buttons that just happen to be invisible. I also can't drag buttons onto the blank bar from the Customize Toolbar options and have them show up there.
Oh well. I thought it was funny and it didn't/doesn't seem like anyone else has had it happen or mentioned it. Other applications in fullscreen mode seem to work just fine.
SpinThis!
Apr 12, 09:43 PM
Yeah, I will not be shocked if this ends up being a Lion-only application.
Definitely. For better or worse...
The audio aligning features are going to be underrated but nice.
Definitely. For better or worse...
The audio aligning features are going to be underrated but nice.
rlhamil
Apr 21, 06:44 PM
The existence of this data has been known for some time now.
Further, some googling suggests that Apple had already responded to some congressmen's inquiries on the subject, again, well before it got this level of publicity.
From what I've read, they apparently collect locations, WiFi MAC addresses, etc, _anonymously_ (not retaining information that would track any particular person or phone, unless you _choose_ to track a lost or stolen iPhone).
Now...why would they do that? I just thought of one reason.
Geolocation by WiFi MAC address (the only way iPod touch or non-3G iPad can geolocate, if they can't use cell towers and don't include GPS) depends on a database of locations and WiFi MAC addresses. Apple probably has previously used one licensed from Skyhook or Google. I imagine that was built with equipment carried in delivery vans, or in the same vehicles that take Google's "street view" panoramic photos. Licensing access to that database must cost Apple something.
Now...what happens? Somebody says "duh, an iPhone has WiFi and a GPS, that means we've got a fleet of surveying equipment already deployed." Doesn't matter that they can't schedule the coverage; sooner or later, someone is likely to drive near just about every fixed WiFi AP on the planet with an iPhone. Now...the data quality wouldn't be as good...but even whoever did the earlier database must've had that problem (people with mobile access points would confuse the heck out of things, for instance). So maybe it takes multiple hits to confirm something as fixed, or to improve the accuracy. But eventually you still get to the same end result - a WiFi MAC address vs location database that Apple owns free and clear.
They might even be able to do some work with cell tower location data, and perhaps produce data good enough to compete with the existing geolocation database providers. After all, Apple does have to maintain some infrastructure for various functions: their notification servers, software update servers, etc. Anything they can get as a side-effect of the normal operation of iDevices and their infrastructure, that helps pay for it, lets them make a bigger profit and/or be more competitive (remember, for all Apple's rep for high prices, the iPad 2 supposedly is as well or better priced compared to competing devices with similar specs).
The question here probably isn't whether the data is being abused; and raising that question is IMO _pandering_, not surprising for a liberal, who after all must have idiots for constituents, or they wouldn't have been elected. (I mean, really, Heinlein summarized economics concisely with TANSTAAFL, and there _is_ something usually ignored called the Tenth Amendment, which basically says the states can be socialist if they want, but the federal government can't.)
The _real_ question is what safeguards are in effect to minimize the potential for abuse. Ok, we theoretically need a warrant for this sort of thing (although I wouldn't put it past individual states to play fast and loose). But what about foreign governments, already inclined towards police state behavior? What about people _knowing_ what risk they're putting themselves at in case of some civil suit?
IMO, Apple needs to provide and prominently _document_ a way to clear the saved data, and/or document the degree to which disabling location services prevents its retention (let alone anonymous reporting) in the first place. (For jailbreakers, I gather there's already a Cydia app that once installed, will automatically delete data older than a few minutes.) People need to understand that encrypted backups would make the information sync'd back to their Mac or PC safer. And so on.
Generating hysteria is perhaps a useful political tool, for those inclined to address themselves to the least common denominator. But asking the more specific questions which would lead to real answers takes more than PR, it takes a functional brain, or at least the sense to hire a staffer who has one or can consult one.
Further, some googling suggests that Apple had already responded to some congressmen's inquiries on the subject, again, well before it got this level of publicity.
From what I've read, they apparently collect locations, WiFi MAC addresses, etc, _anonymously_ (not retaining information that would track any particular person or phone, unless you _choose_ to track a lost or stolen iPhone).
Now...why would they do that? I just thought of one reason.
Geolocation by WiFi MAC address (the only way iPod touch or non-3G iPad can geolocate, if they can't use cell towers and don't include GPS) depends on a database of locations and WiFi MAC addresses. Apple probably has previously used one licensed from Skyhook or Google. I imagine that was built with equipment carried in delivery vans, or in the same vehicles that take Google's "street view" panoramic photos. Licensing access to that database must cost Apple something.
Now...what happens? Somebody says "duh, an iPhone has WiFi and a GPS, that means we've got a fleet of surveying equipment already deployed." Doesn't matter that they can't schedule the coverage; sooner or later, someone is likely to drive near just about every fixed WiFi AP on the planet with an iPhone. Now...the data quality wouldn't be as good...but even whoever did the earlier database must've had that problem (people with mobile access points would confuse the heck out of things, for instance). So maybe it takes multiple hits to confirm something as fixed, or to improve the accuracy. But eventually you still get to the same end result - a WiFi MAC address vs location database that Apple owns free and clear.
They might even be able to do some work with cell tower location data, and perhaps produce data good enough to compete with the existing geolocation database providers. After all, Apple does have to maintain some infrastructure for various functions: their notification servers, software update servers, etc. Anything they can get as a side-effect of the normal operation of iDevices and their infrastructure, that helps pay for it, lets them make a bigger profit and/or be more competitive (remember, for all Apple's rep for high prices, the iPad 2 supposedly is as well or better priced compared to competing devices with similar specs).
The question here probably isn't whether the data is being abused; and raising that question is IMO _pandering_, not surprising for a liberal, who after all must have idiots for constituents, or they wouldn't have been elected. (I mean, really, Heinlein summarized economics concisely with TANSTAAFL, and there _is_ something usually ignored called the Tenth Amendment, which basically says the states can be socialist if they want, but the federal government can't.)
The _real_ question is what safeguards are in effect to minimize the potential for abuse. Ok, we theoretically need a warrant for this sort of thing (although I wouldn't put it past individual states to play fast and loose). But what about foreign governments, already inclined towards police state behavior? What about people _knowing_ what risk they're putting themselves at in case of some civil suit?
IMO, Apple needs to provide and prominently _document_ a way to clear the saved data, and/or document the degree to which disabling location services prevents its retention (let alone anonymous reporting) in the first place. (For jailbreakers, I gather there's already a Cydia app that once installed, will automatically delete data older than a few minutes.) People need to understand that encrypted backups would make the information sync'd back to their Mac or PC safer. And so on.
Generating hysteria is perhaps a useful political tool, for those inclined to address themselves to the least common denominator. But asking the more specific questions which would lead to real answers takes more than PR, it takes a functional brain, or at least the sense to hire a staffer who has one or can consult one.
likemyorbs
Mar 22, 12:35 PM
But then, I don't believe that's what many really believe when they say it... instead, I get the vibe that what they mean to say is 'why can't you just closet yourself and act straight?'.
I do think some people genuinely believe it's a choice. It's hard for some people to imagine that not everyone's minds work the same as theirs, and not just related to homosexuality. Chances are, someone who considers homosexuality a choice likely has issues with other groups of people as well.
I do think some people genuinely believe it's a choice. It's hard for some people to imagine that not everyone's minds work the same as theirs, and not just related to homosexuality. Chances are, someone who considers homosexuality a choice likely has issues with other groups of people as well.