A few loosely-formed notes related to Apple's latest announcements:
- The Retina Macbook Pro is lovely. I'm not planning on purchasing it, though. If I were going to get it, I'd spring for expensive upgrades (16 GB of RAM, largest hard drive), as I've read that there is apparently no way to upgrade this machine. I also have a more existential concern: if were to buy a Retina laptop, would I still be able to tolerate my crappy external monitor?
- The $20 upgrade fee to install Mountain Lion on all your Macs is a good deal.
- I'm lamenting the unmistakable signs that the desktop hierarchical file system is going the way of the floppy drive. App libraries are in, in which each app houses its own files and data, iOS style. I suspect that, within the next iteration or two of OS X, the file system will join Console, Terminal, and Activity Monitor in the utility bin. And as with most Mac utilities, it probably won't be used by many. Still, as long as access to the file system remains, I'll be OK.
- Here's one thing that worries me about app libraries. A lot of people organize files on the Mac by topic, not by app. For example, I have documents (created with many different apps) that are related to my house that I've tagged and filed away in one place. How will a walled-in app library solution allow me to organize documents across apps? Maybe a tagging solution will be offered. And what of plain text files, which may be opened and manipulated by scores of iOS and desktop apps? That's the beauty of the flexibility of Dropbox text file storage. It's so very flexible.
- Speaking of files, I love my PathFinder. And EagleFiler. And Launchbar. With every OS X release, my insecurity grows about the future of these and many other desktop apps. Imagine how the developers feel.
- Every time I see more iOS features come to the desktop, I can't help but think, 'Winter is coming!'
- Apple demos of new OS features are consistently drool-worthy and slick, but they need to help us users more in terms of follow-through. My point is that Apple could do a much better job in documenting how to use their apps and operating systems. Updates come fast and furious, but new features and usage scenarios are poorly documented.
- I'm surprised that Apple has yet to offer a better password solution for logging in to web-based accounts across devices. Stated another way, I'm surprised that Apple hasn't yet Sherlocked 1Password. Couldn't you see Apple offering a password solution that syncs across your Mac(s) and devices via iCloud, but only works with Safari to encourage browser lock-in. Speaking of, does anyone know of a site that lists all third party apps that have been Sherlocked over the years?
- Passbook looks promising. I hope it expands to include supermarkets, chain stores, and gas station membership bar codes. It's the 21st century. Why do I still need a Petco plastic dongle on my car keychain?
- What of Dragon Dictate? Curious that I received a newsletter from Nuance for the first time in a long while on the day of the WWDC keynote offering a special discount to buy Dictate for Father's Day. And I received another similar email today. So I'm wondering if the new OS X dictation feature will obviate the need for Dragon Dictate ... or if this product will differentiate itself by offering a more robust voice-recognition package for Mac. I should note that I'm a happy Dragon Dictate user.
- Facebook integration thoughts: blah. I'm not a fan.
- Siri's new ability to open an app by name isn't enough. What if I don't remember the name of the app? This is a good step forward, but we need more and better ways to navigate our hundreds of iOS apps. By keyword, for example. Wouldn't it be nice to ask Siri to serve up all weather-related or board game apps?
- The Mac Pro update was weak. Did you see that the Mac Pro had a little 'new' tag on it in the Apple Store on the day of the keynote? The next day, that notation disappeared ... no doubt because of the deluge of feedback from outraged power users who were expecting a real update. That won't come, apparently, until next year.
- iTunes remains a bloated mess.
- When on Earth is the iWorks desktop suite going to be refreshed?
- iOS, iTunes, iLife, iEverything. Am I the only one who is sick of the 'i' thing?
Dropbox to ferry files around using the public folder, don't miss this time-saving