AppleInsider is reporting that the latest build of Mac OS X 10.6.5 has been seeded to developers. One of the expected improvements is with 3D graphics support. As someone who as recently taken up the Steam habit this is welcome news for me.

According to this post on the AppleInsider forums it sounds promising:

From some I’ve the reports I’ve seen, Apple at the urging of Valve and others is really starting to get serious about their OpenGL implementation. With the drivers in development some willing to break the NDA have reported scores up to 3 times higher in OpenGL Viewer and significantly higher game performance on all cards.

I just can’t get over some of the stuff on Microsoft’s PC vs Mac argument page. Some of it is true, like the lack of Blu-Ray support. This is something that really irritates me about the Mac platform. Some of the other stuff is just simply stretching it such as the following:

Working smoothly.

Things just don’t work the same way on Macs if you’re used to a PC. For example, the mouse works differently. And many of the shortcuts you’re familiar with don’t work the same way on a Mac.

This statement really makes me want to wipe OS X off my laptop and install Windows 7, it really does. Then again, it really is amazing how I managed to adapt to the mouse and keyboard shortcuts.

But in the end, the thing that really makes me scratch my head is why the page exists at all, or rather, why it’s just so thin on real reasons to use Windows 7. Yes, Apple has been running a negative ad campaign for years poking fun at Microsoft and most of the time I thought they really did hit some of the weak points in Windows. Despite all of that, Apple still openly advertises that you can run Windows on a Mac and they even go so far as to provide the tools to do so. Their tools resize the OS X partition, create a new one for Windows and provide all of the drivers needed to get Windows running. You can then dual boot your Mac system between OS X and Windows. Point is, they’re not afraid to admit that sometimes a person really might want or need to run Windows for whatever function and they provide the tools to do so. Microsoft should be playing on this and attempting to convince people that they need Windows for whatever reason and that a Mac’s can also be a great PC.

Instead we have Microsoft making some incredibly weak arguments on how Windows 7 is superior to the OS X. Some of them are valid and some of them are simply wrong. Either way, Microsoft is primarily a software company and they shouldn’t be pissing on a potential platform. Microsoft has had Office on OS X for years but lets face it, it lags behind the Windows version and has never felt like a proper Mac application. The current 2008 version is incredibly slow even on the latest Macs. While Office 2011 may be set to change that it’s just too early to tell.

Apple today released upgraded iMacs with discrete graphics in all models. Also released was the Magic Trackpad which is basically the trackpad from the current MacBooks in desktop form. New iMacs are at http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/imac?mco=MTAyNTQzNjA and the Magic Trackpad is at http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC380?mco=MTM3NDcxNzI.

As Windows Phone 7 gets closer to release we keep hearing more and more about what Microsoft’s Phone operating system will and will not do. For the first time that I can remember, Microsoft appears to be incredibly focused on released a product that simply works and if that means not releasing features that everyone else has in 1.0 then so be it. And I applaud them for doing so.

Not everyone feels the same way however, pointing out some of the features Windows Phone 7 will initially lack such as copy and paste as well as multitasking. Although both are important features, neither are required for Microsoft to release a successful product.

It’s hard to argue that when the iPhone was introduced back in 2007 it destroyed everything else on the smart phone market, despite not having copy and paste or multitasking. It also didn’t have any way for developing native applications and developers were expected to build web applications to be run on the iPhone’s web browser. Speaking of the web browser, the iPhone still doesn’t have the ability to run flash which so many people claim is simply required for a proper web experience.

Apple’s iPhone of course has been a run away success, despite missing all of these “required” features. What the iPhone lacked in features it made up for with an as yet unseen level of polish, responsiveness and thoughtfulness in the smart phone market. With just two physical buttons it was incredibly easy to use and understand compared to other smart phones available at the time.

Unlike Google’s Android, which was already in development when the iPhone was released, Microsoft’s mobile phone OS was in no condition to compete with either and for Microsoft to compete properly in the smart phone market they really had to start from scratch. Windows Phone 7 is that from scratch effort and it makes sense that they’re going to have to cut some features in order to release a solid mobile OS in a timely fashion. Microsoft is always accused of simply buying or copy features from someone else and this time it is no different. Microsoft is clearly running the same plays from Apple’s play book and I don’t see anything wrong with that. When Microsoft releases Windows Phone 7 they’ll have a product that is neatly situated right between what iPhone OS, now known as iOS, offered initially and what it can do today. It should also be able to more quickly adapt and even out do its competitors in future releases. My only remaining concern for Microsoft is whether or not hardware makers can create new devices that can match or even rival that of Apple. That I think, will be the key to it’s success.

In case anyone missed it, Apple revealed iPhone 4 yesterday along with all its improvements. There is a lot of coverage out there on it so I’ll just concentrate on my reactions to the device.

The new iPhone is thinner and made with glass on both the top and bottom. In between the two pieces of glass is a stainless steel bezel which also doubles as the antenna so in effect the antenna has been moved to the outside of the phone. Unfortunately, it does nothing to improve reception on the Verizon network.

Apple has also (finally) decided that iPhone OS isn’t a fitting name for their devices and instead of renamed it to iOS. It really should have been called this from the beginning because the iPod touch came out immediately after the iPhone and the iPad was already in the works. In fact, in a recent interview (D8) Jobs revealed that the iPad was in development before the iPhone and that the iPhone was created based from the iPad idea. At any rate, this is the first time I think of where Apple has renamed such a major product at this stage in the game. I always figured Microsoft was the only company that couldn’t stick with a name.

iPhone 4 also finally gets the forward facing camera everyone has been clamoring for and frankly, I just don’t see this being as big a deal as everyone claims. Of course, a front facing camera is useless unless you have a reason to use it and Apple’s reason is the new FaceTime app. FaceTime is really nothing more than iChat for iPhone but if you are to believe what you hear in Apple’s promotional video on their site it’s the second coming of Christ. I’m an Apple guy but they talk up FaceTime as if we haven’t been doing video chatting for over ten years. Am I the only one who remembers the black and white quikcam?. I just don’t see it catching on today any more than it has prior to iPhone 4.

The killer quote

HP is not satisfied with Windows 7 as a tablet operating system

I’ve said it before. You can’t use a full desktop OS on a tablet, it isn’t going to work.

Read more: Source

According to Kaspersky, the iPhone will be niche player in the smartphone market by 2015.

http://www.macworld.com/article/150904/2010/04/iphone_prediction.html

I don’t think even the biggest Apple haters of the world could agree with this guy.

If you spend any time reading tech news at all then you’ve noticed that Apple’s iPad has dominated the news. This apparently upsets a great number of people and they just don’t understand why people are spending so much time talking about the iPad and really wish they would all stop.

Well good news! The JooJoo was also recently released into the wild and if you find yourself hating the iPad because it lacks flash or you can’t stand Apple’s App Store then point your browser right over here and order one.

But before you do, should probably ask, “is the JooJoo any good?” Well apparently, despite being what so many seem to want, a 16:9 format display, a USB port and a camera, it doesn’t quite make it. It turns out the JooJoo is actually quite a turd. The Engadget video review is particularly interesting because it shows exactly what the device is going to be like for an average user.

So what happened? Well it turns out that throwing features into a device just so they can show up on a spec sheet doesn’t make for a good product. It’s the software and how it works with the hardware. It’s the total package. What’s the point of having flash support if the system can’t actually handle it? Or using a 16:9 format display on a device meant to be held in both orientations?

iPad naysayers are quick to point out the shortcomings of the device without thinking about everything it does right. Unlike other companies, Apple isn’t attempting to out do anyone based on specifications. Instead, Apple is attempting to provide the end user with an excellent end-to-end experience. Apple spent time making sure the device did exactly what it is capable of. Meaning, if flash doesn’t work perfectly then it is better not to include it than give the end-user some half-assed experience.

A lot of people give Macs grief because they included mouse doesn’t include a right mouse button. Apple mice have supported right click in some form since OS X was introduced, it’s just designed differently. In fact, cI often find that people who don’t like an Apple product simply don’t know anything about the product they’re so fervently against or have been misinformed. Maybe they heard from some source that the device lacked some arbitrary item on a spec sheet or maybe they just don’t see past the marketing hyperbole and have since written Apple off completely. If you fall into this category, I invite you to head on over to Apple’s site and read through the features while keeping in mind that every feature listed works and works well. Anything you think is missing from the device was more than likely left off because they couldn’t perfect the experience.

To be fair, the JooJoo is but one competing tablet on the market and there are many more on their way. Android devices have the best chance at competing and competing well with Apple. However, the key with Android devices is if to get rid of the fragmentation in the market and make sure that the majority of Android devices are running a compatible feature set and OS. 2010 will be the year of the iPad, but 2011 will be the year of the tablet.