Apple announces Apple TV and iPhone

[Kitsune]

Neh.  The interface gravely fails to grab me on that thing.  I got the same vibe from watching the demos that I do when messing around with linux distros, the feeling that the interface falls into an uncomfortable place between the stark utility of Windows and the shiny of Apple, failing to achieve the benefits of either.

[Prospero]

I highly recommend Air Sharing for the iPhone crowd. It acts as a file server/web server and lets you store arbitrary files on your iPhone. You setup a web folder on your desktop and just drag and drop files to and from the phone. You can also view the files on your phone.

[Surlyboi]

*Giggle.*

Don't make me redname you.

Heh. Only if it comes with a grief title.   

[Sky]

*Giggle.*

Coming Soon....the iGiggle! Heard it on f13 first!

[schild]

*Giggle.*

Don't make me redname you.

Heh. Only if it comes with a grief title.   

Apple is a grief title.

[stray]

Apple guy that I am, I'd be happy if Google had something with Sprint right now.

[Trippy]

For a variety of reasons Sprint's initial Android phone has been delayed and it might be delayed even further if they decide to wait until their 4G network it is up and running.

[schild]

Sprint has the best prices if you're still working with a plan from 2001 like I am. But now their network is just too slow and coverage has become a little spotty. I have their HTC Mogul right now and I'm simply not willing to wait for their Android phone. I've been a Sprint customer for over 10 years, they done fucked themselves with lack of great phones and lack of evolution. Next!

[MrHat]

If I can email a photo directly from the iPhone, why can't I email a "buy from iTunes" music suggestion right from my iPhone.

That is, listening to a song using the iPod functionality of my iPhone, then touch a button that emails that song info to a buddy.

Shameful.

Edit: Fuck, give me 10c to my iTunes account for each song a buddy buys on my suggestion, and I just made your shit viral.

[Surlyboi]

*Giggle.*

Don't make me redname you.

Heh. Only if it comes with a grief title.   

Apple is a grief title.

Only to people like you. 

[stray]

As much as I love Apple (i mean, i've been a Mac user since the "Centris" days), I'd rather move to less centralized platforms. Especially UNIX and Linux ones -- with the same convenience and commercial polish as Apple. That would be my dream tech. I don't mind a Google universe, if that's the kind of products they'll release.

[edit] I say I'd like "less centralized" and "Google universe" in the same breath, but somehow, that's still a little more open than just Apple. Funny as it sounds.

[Prospero]

Isn't that what you get with Apple? I mean outside of their hardware, the software stack is either built on open source (BSD kernel) or has pretty nice, well doc'd APIs. Webkit is open source, as is SproutCore. Hell, even the chess game they ship is GNU Chess with a Apple-y skin. They are managing to be pretty dickish with the App Store, but their computers are pretty open.

[Venkman]

Wasn't worth a new thread. I'm considering iPhones for myself and the wife as Christmas gifts (mostly because she has said she's wanted one, oddly enough). The weather snowed me in so far today though so what am I looking at in terms of up-front and monthly costs? Apple doesn't seem to want to give it up until you register for some reason.

Edit: Oh, nevermind, got it from the AT&T site.

[Trippy]

Do it from the AT&T site to see the plan prices. Just search on "iPhone" and enter in your ZIP.

Upfront cost is just the cost of the phone.

Edit: plan prices are here actually:

http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/specials/iphone-info.jsp

[Venkman]

Yea, thanks man. The prices aren't nearly as high as I thought they would be. Good thing. This is the geekiest thing she's ever shown an interest in (yea, my life is hard ;-) ) so I'll be damned if we don't get two...

[Ookii]

I pay like 96 bucks a month, the 85 dollar plan + taxes.

[Venkman]

Just ordered two on the family plan. Went with the 8gb models since the wife doesn't do movies and I've got another 8gb of movie space on the Touch. Get to pick them up tomorrow.

I love the feeling of getting back to a company that groks end user/customer experience. I never had a problem with phone calls on my Sprint, but doing just about anything else on that phone, on their site, and well, anything that wasn't making a call was a PITA.

Next I'll be buying a Mac, getting some frameless glasses, wearing turtlenecks and going back to graphic design.

[schild]

Next I'll be buying a Mac, getting some frameless glasses, wearing turtlenecks and going back to graphic design.

Whoa there, don't clump frameless graphics and graphics design in with Apple. Turtlenecks? Ok. Try bottomless ego, air of superiority despite inferior hardware, and audio tools.

[Jain Zar]

Next I'll be buying a Mac, getting some frameless glasses, wearing turtlenecks and going back to graphic design.

Whoa there, don't clump frameless graphics and graphics design in with Apple. Turtlenecks? Ok. Try bottomless ego, air of superiority despite inferior hardware, and audio tools.

You are a Sony supporter.  Apple is to computers what Sony is to videogames.  We iTards should be like your brothers in arms or some shit.

Overpriced hardware, lack of software... yep.  You gots no room to snicker here hoss.

[schild]

You are a Sony supporter.

Look dingbat, we'll go over this one more time. I support games. I go where the games I like happen to be. I give praise where it's deserved. My Life as a King was the best experience I've had on the Wii and since then very little has been of any appeal to me at all. I wish Disaster: Day of Crisis had been better received, but what can I do?

The 360 is merely (much like the first xbox) in the unfortunate position of being second to anything already on the PS3 due to the controller (much like the PS2). Though I hate the dpads on both, I hate offset analog sticks even more.

I still own more 360 games than I do PS3 titles, but the highs on the latter (MGS4, Disgaea 3, Uncharted) have been higher than the highs on the 360 (Lost Planet, Dead Rising, Culdcept Saga). And for cross platform games like Gundam Musou, I picked it up for the former, as mentioned.

It's always about games for me, unfortunately Nintendo is now in the shovelware and trash category, perhaps on purpose, or perhaps because the world is poor. In fact, I've played more PC games this gen than all the other systems combined because EVERYONE has too few great titles that take up any time to beat (the majority of great titles have been 10-20 hour games at most with the rare exception like Disgaea 3).

On that note, the PS2 still has the best games in the last 2 years thanks to Persona, FFXII, and Disgaea 2.

[Jain Zar]

[
On that note, the PS2 still has the best games in the last 2 years thanks to Persona, FFXII, and Disgaea 2.

While I have played and enjoyed 2 of those games you list there, neither one is REMOTELY best game in the last 2 years.  One is an endless grindathon regardless of what you say, and the other is an RPG where you barely have to pay attention to it while playing.
(Sorta like Dungeon Siege, except with a semi interesting story, and Fran's badonkadonk on full display most of the game. )

[schild]

[
On that note, the PS2 still has the best games in the last 2 years thanks to Persona, FFXII, and Disgaea 2.

While I have played and enjoyed 2 of those games you list there, neither one is REMOTELY best game in the last 2 years.  One is an endless grindathon regardless of what you say, and the other is an RPG where you barely have to pay attention to it while playing.
(Sorta like Dungeon Siege, except with a semi interesting story, and Fran's badonkadonk on full display most of the game. )

I'll bite, what do YOU think are the best games in the last 2 years?

[Velorath]

[
On that note, the PS2 still has the best games in the last 2 years thanks to Persona, FFXII, and Disgaea 2.

While I have played and enjoyed 2 of those games you list there, neither one is REMOTELY best game in the last 2 years.  One is an endless grindathon regardless of what you say, and the other is an RPG where you barely have to pay attention to it while playing.
(Sorta like Dungeon Siege, except with a semi interesting story, and Fran's badonkadonk on full display most of the game. )

I'll bite, what do YOU think are the best games in the last 2 years?

I'd throw out an answer here, but this sort of thing is really better suited to a GOTY 2008 thread.

[schild]

[
On that note, the PS2 still has the best games in the last 2 years thanks to Persona, FFXII, and Disgaea 2.

While I have played and enjoyed 2 of those games you list there, neither one is REMOTELY best game in the last 2 years.  One is an endless grindathon regardless of what you say, and the other is an RPG where you barely have to pay attention to it while playing.
(Sorta like Dungeon Siege, except with a semi interesting story, and Fran's badonkadonk on full display most of the game. )

I'll bite, what do YOU think are the best games in the last 2 years?

I'd throw out an answer here, but this sort of thing is really better suited to a GOTY 2008 thread.

I was just asking Jain Zar because he's The Overnerd and likely not to be even a little trusted with what is and isn't entertaining.

[Venkman]

* eh, nevermind *

[Jain Zar]

I know there are plenty of games I would rate as better.  (I'm pretty sure they are all 07 and 08 titles.)

Fallout 3, Advance Wars Days of Ruin, Dragon Quest 4, FF3 remake, Bionic Commando Rearmed, Pac Man Championship Edition, Guitar Hero World Tour, Forza 2, Dead Rising, Jeanne D Arc, Warhammer 40K Squad Command, Castlevania Dracula X Chronicles.
Just off the top of my head or quickly flicking through my small compared to Schild game library.

Im not even saying my picks are BEST ever in the last 2 years, but I would say all of the above are better than Dis. 2 and FF12.  Most of the above I actually fucking completed.  (Outside of Forza 2, Jeanne, and GHWT unless 1 instrument tour counts.  And obviously Pac Man is an arcade game and not really completable.)

I'm sure other folks can add in other titles that were better.  I'm pretty sure there are a LOT of them.

[Venkman]

'bout time they caught on. Melting snowflaked has melted.

[Jain Zar]

'bout time they caught on. Melting snowflaked has melted.

Apple users never were unique and special.  For a generation of nerds we all used them in school anyhow.  Shitty, horrible, crappy Apple 2s over god's own 8 bit, the Commodore 64.

Which is what nearly killed Apple.  Being snooty, stuck up, and more about education and smarty man apps is what brought them low.  Entertainment is what saved them.

People aren't really using iPods and iPhones as much more than toys.  And people like those toys so lets look at the big fancypants toys.  (Which actually need more toys on them but that's a given.)

[Venkman]

Err, what else would you use an iPod or an iPhone for? They're masterful tools for the two or three things they're intended to do.

I agree they screwed up with the early positioning on the Mac during the days of being all corporate/highbrow, but that's more because of bullshit middlemanagement people who ran process meetings than actually had any ounce of inspiration in them. Some people think inspiration is bottom up. It often is. But if your management is too stupid to recognize it, and then too focused on their own self-worth to let it percolate up and out, then you need to drive that creative inspiration from the top down. Basically, Apple got all corporate stuffed shirt before they had any real right to it.

But what's with the Apple // hate?

[Jain Zar]

Err, what else would you use an iPod or an iPhone for? They're masterful tools for the two or three things they're intended to do.

I agree they screwed up with the early positioning on the Mac during the days of being all corporate/highbrow, but that's more because of bullshit middlemanagement people who ran process meetings than actually had any ounce of inspiration in them. Some people think inspiration is bottom up. It often is. But if your management is too stupid to recognize it, and then too focused on their own self-worth to let it percolate up and out, then you need to drive that creative inspiration from the top down. Basically, Apple got all corporate stuffed shirt before they had any real right to it.

But what's with the Apple // hate?

It was an overpriced, underpowered hunk of shit?  There is a reason most people only used the things in school, but most home computer owners of the age had cheaper machines like the Atari x00 series, the Commodore 64/128, and the Spectrum in the UK.

They were generally better machines for way less price.  (Some would say Apple can still be guilty of this.  They are not entirely wrong.  But OSX and their hardware design helps a LOT.  Not entirely, but it really does help!)

And then the mighty king of 80s computers, the Amiga arrived which did more than even PCs did for much less money. 

Yet Commodore (US) managed to be even more inept than mid 80-90s Apple and failed with a machine that had no right being anything but the KING of home computers.  1984-85 and we had a machine that was for all intents and purposes a Sega Genesis, which wouldn't show up stateside till 89.  4-5 YEARS ahead of its time, more if you count its video and audio editing, integrated graphical OS, multitasking, and abilities to do some seriously amazing shit. 

Read "On the Edge: The Rise and Fall of Commodore".  It'll break any Commodore nerd's heart to read it.   

[Tebonas]

No Atari ST love?

The Amiga was a game console, while on the Atari I could emulate PCs and Macs...







... to play PC and Mac games as well.

[Venkman]

Definitely agree with you on the pricing of Apple stuff. That's a label that has stuck with them even until now. If it wasn't for people ripping off their ideas, computers would still be $5k. And they'd probably be nothing more than an iPod company if not for OSX. In fact, I'd wager there wouldn't be an iPod without OSX, but that's another topic.

But while I appreciate your Commodore love, there's a long history of how technically better anything doesn't mean a) the consumers understand the benefit of it; nor, b) the company knows how the heck to deliver it.

[Sky]

People aren't really using iPods and iPhones as much more than toys. 

You aren't a musician, are you?

[Righ]

The Amiga was a game console, while on the Atari I could emulate PCs and Macs...

I can understand why emulating something else would be a priority when using an ST. Shame it wasn't up to the job of emulating an Amiga.

[Tebonas]

I didn't let myself get baited into those ridiculous flamewars in their heydays, why should I start now? 

I had both computers (my father owned a computer store) and I know what each could do and what software each had available. Most games had both versions and the exclusives almost balanced each other out, slightly favouring the Amiga.

For that Gem was the better OS compared to AmigaOS and you could do more things beside gaming.

What a complete derail. Whats next? Will be compare the Amstrad with its 8bit competitors? Will we cry over the untimely death of the Ti99 and the Acorn Archimedes?