May 27, 2010
May 25, 2010
VP8 vs. H.264
A head-to-head comparison of the VP8 and the H.264 codec concluding,
"H.264 still offers better quality, but the difference wouldn't be noticeable in most applications."
So, if it's the difference between free and open source, and for-pay with very little noticeable difference, VP8 wins.
But if it means less battery-life and increased heat because the decoding has to be done in software, then H.264 on the iPad wins.
"H.264 still offers better quality, but the difference wouldn't be noticeable in most applications."
So, if it's the difference between free and open source, and for-pay with very little noticeable difference, VP8 wins.
But if it means less battery-life and increased heat because the decoding has to be done in software, then H.264 on the iPad wins.
May 20, 2010
Jobs responds to VP8
According to an email from Jobs, Apple doesn't feel that the VP8 codec is "ready for prime time".
What happens when YouTube videos encoded with Google's codec no longer play on the iPad or play with degraded performance?
What happens when YouTube videos encoded with Google's codec no longer play on the iPad or play with degraded performance?
May 19, 2010
VP8 Open-sourced and Adopted by Adobe
As expected, Google open-sourced the VP8 codec today. This means that there is now a patent-unemcumbered codec available to those concerned with using H.264 and Ogg Theora. Adobe agreed to support VP8 in Flash and in other content-creation tools.
Google's tablet will definitely use this codec.
Some uncertainties:
Google's tablet will definitely use this codec.
Some uncertainties:
- Will YouTube videos be re-encoded in VP8 to the exclusion of H.264?
- What happens to future versions of the iPad (it currently decodes H.264 in hardware)?
- Will the next version of the iPad still support H.264?
- Will the iPad support decoding VP8 in software, thus affecting battery life?
May 15, 2010
Ryan Tate's Email Discussion with Steve Jobs
One of the editors at Gawker emailed Steve Jobs, who responded, and a discussion ensued.
Do I think the iPad is a revolutionary product? Yes. (Meaning, there is currently no device of the same size and with the same interface as the iPad, and subsequent devices released by other companies will look and feel like the iPad, but will not be able to replicate the experience).
Do I think it's magical? Yes. (Meaning, that it is possibly the first "computer" that my Mom would be able to use with little to no instructions).
So, why haven't I bought one yet? Because they're not available in Canada. I've already waited a month from the original release date, I can wait 3 more weeks and see what's coming after the iPad.
Do I think the iPad is a revolutionary product? Yes. (Meaning, there is currently no device of the same size and with the same interface as the iPad, and subsequent devices released by other companies will look and feel like the iPad, but will not be able to replicate the experience).
Do I think it's magical? Yes. (Meaning, that it is possibly the first "computer" that my Mom would be able to use with little to no instructions).
So, why haven't I bought one yet? Because they're not available in Canada. I've already waited a month from the original release date, I can wait 3 more weeks and see what's coming after the iPad.
May 13, 2010
Analysis of the A4 Chip
EE Times has a detailed analysis of the A4 chip powering the iPad.
The biggest power consumer is the LCD (1-3.5W depending on brightness); the A4 chip consumes, at most, an impressive 520mW.
Another interesting observation is that the iPod Touch was (until now) the first device (amongst the iPhone, iPod and now iPad) to use new CPUs between generations; the iPad is the first to use the A4 chip and the iPhone HD (and presumably the iPod Touch) will have it next.
The biggest power consumer is the LCD (1-3.5W depending on brightness); the A4 chip consumes, at most, an impressive 520mW.
Another interesting observation is that the iPod Touch was (until now) the first device (amongst the iPhone, iPod and now iPad) to use new CPUs between generations; the iPad is the first to use the A4 chip and the iPhone HD (and presumably the iPod Touch) will have it next.
May 12, 2010
Early Adopters
Sunday Business section of the NY Times had an article about early adopters:
Economics professors may say that such behavior is irrational, but that doesn’t mean it makes no sense. People who stand in lines for the latest product may be buying it for what it conveys about them to others, says Jonah Berger, an assistant professor of marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
That’s true of music, clothes and cars, but not so true of dishwasher soap. Tech gadgets fall in between those extremes, he says. A new gadget can be a fashion item — a revelation that Apple embraced long ago.
May 11, 2010
Preliminary iPad Usability Tests
Jakob Nielsen published some preliminary usability tests of the iPad (all 7 testers had previous iPhone experience and one had iPad experience). His summary:
iPad apps are inconsistent and have low feature discoverability, with frequent user errors due to accidental gestures. An overly strong print metaphor and weird interaction styles cause further usability problems.
May 10, 2010
Canadian iPad Pricing
The price-list for iPads:
- 16/32/64 Wifi model: CAD$ 549.00/649.00/749.00
- 16/32/64 Wifi+3G model: CAD$ 679.00/779.00/879.00
- Data-plan with Rogers: $15 for 250MB or $35 for 5GB
May 9, 2010
(Lack of) Flash on the iPad
The iPad was available for sale on April 3, 2010 and Flash sites didn't work in the Safari browser. There was a lot of complaining.
A few days later, Apple went so far as to change the developer licensing agreement and ban Apps not written in authorized programming languages so that applications written in Flash and then cross-compiled to run on the iPhone. There was even more complaining.
There was so much speculation as to why Flash was banned, that Apple released a public statement on the matter.
On May 7th, there was a non-demo of a beta mobile Flash on the Nexus One; there is still no mobile Flash solution available a full month after the iPad has shipped.
Apple's decision is vindicated.
An aside on demos: many years ago, as a software developer, we did monthly demos to a client as proof that milestones were being achieved as stipulated by the contract. Several lessons were learned from these demos as enumerated below:
A few days later, Apple went so far as to change the developer licensing agreement and ban Apps not written in authorized programming languages so that applications written in Flash and then cross-compiled to run on the iPhone. There was even more complaining.
There was so much speculation as to why Flash was banned, that Apple released a public statement on the matter.
On May 7th, there was a non-demo of a beta mobile Flash on the Nexus One; there is still no mobile Flash solution available a full month after the iPad has shipped.
Apple's decision is vindicated.
An aside on demos: many years ago, as a software developer, we did monthly demos to a client as proof that milestones were being achieved as stipulated by the contract. Several lessons were learned from these demos as enumerated below:
- only demo features that work (the current (and any past) milestones)
- practice the demo before hand and perform it exactly as practiced (your demo will otherwise very likely fail)
- the person doing the demo controls the demo (don't let the client touch the mouse)
Delayed Gratification
The iPad becomes available internationally for pre-order tomorrow with delivery scheduled for May 28th; 3G data-plan prices have not been announced for Canada. I intend on buying the iPad 3G model because my parents don't have an internet connection and it will be easier for me to pay for their cellular connection.
On June 7th, a week after the iPads are delivered, the WWDC conference will begins. Steve Jobs will announce the the next version of the iPhone (which rumours say will be designated iPhone HD, and will have a 5MP camera and HD video recording) and the iPod Touch with a camera (I hope it won't be last year's 2MP or 3MP model which didn't ship with a camera due to manufacturing problems with the camera) during the keynote.
At this time, I have decided to wait until after the WWDC announcements before deciding on whether I will be an early adopter of the iPad. I could change my mind tomorrow.
I do not own an iPod. I currently carry a Sony Clie SJ33 as an MP3 player and either a Canon S30 (3MP) point-and-shoot camera or a Canon EOS 50D camera.
An iPod with a 5MP camera would be a welcome alternative. An iPod with anything less than a 5MP camera would be a waste of time for me.
My photo albums:
On June 7th, a week after the iPads are delivered, the WWDC conference will begins. Steve Jobs will announce the the next version of the iPhone (which rumours say will be designated iPhone HD, and will have a 5MP camera and HD video recording) and the iPod Touch with a camera (I hope it won't be last year's 2MP or 3MP model which didn't ship with a camera due to manufacturing problems with the camera) during the keynote.
At this time, I have decided to wait until after the WWDC announcements before deciding on whether I will be an early adopter of the iPad. I could change my mind tomorrow.
I do not own an iPod. I currently carry a Sony Clie SJ33 as an MP3 player and either a Canon S30 (3MP) point-and-shoot camera or a Canon EOS 50D camera.
An iPod with a 5MP camera would be a welcome alternative. An iPod with anything less than a 5MP camera would be a waste of time for me.
My photo albums:
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