Los Angeles To Possibly Consider City Wide Wireless Internet Access

I've never been in a city where there is a city-wide Internet access provided by the city so I don't know what Los Angeles has planned.  But the city council is set to take up a motion to consider setting up and providing city-wide Internet access.

Read again.  It's only to discuss a motion to start thinking about how feasible it is to set up a city-wide WiFi access.

Newly minted council member, Bob Blumenfield, head of City Council's Innovation, Technology and General Services Committee, will introduce a motion, that requires approval, to ask city employees how this could be done.

Now, this is the City of Los Angeles.  Flat, spread out, pockets of the LA city, here and there.  Not concentrated like SF or NY.  So, I reckon they're probably talking about downtown Los Angeles, north of the 10, east of the 110, southwest of the 101 and 5.

The city could probably be talking about West Los Angeles and midtown.  But south of the 10, you know, South Central and Watts area?  I certain hope the city council does include that large segment of the city because that's where we need free WiFi access to many who truly cannot afford it there.

So, you can judge by my tone of voice that I'm not all that excited.  The move is only to ask for permission to begin talking about city-wide WiFi access.  Personally, I've been waiting for years to see what White Spaces could do for a big and spread-out city like Los Angeles.  I think only a wider range system could work here.

Still, it's good to get folks thinking and maybe this will get someone to innovate and figure out something even better than what we already have.

Gene Munster, Apple Analyst: In the Business of Being Wrong and Rewarded For It

Source:  Macrumors.

Through I love reading credible rumors, I don't like to talk about them here.  However, from time to time, I make exception on rumors to make a point or look at it from a speculative point of view.  Now, I'm gonna make a point.

See, Apple analysts have been in the business of writing reports to drive up or down Apple's stock price.  And they get rewarded handsomely for it whether they're right or wrong.  See, there is one Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray who is so wrong that it's incredible that Apple blog sites even bring him up at all.  It's like he's an one-man DigiTimes.

The latest out of him is that an upcoming low-end iPhones will not support Siri.  Are you kidding me?!

The lowest of the low iOS devices, the iPod touch, has Siri and dictation support.  How can a critical device like the rumored iPhone Color, a device to propel Apple's mobile dominance onto higher level not have Siri?

Maybe Munster isn't aware of this because he's got his head stuck up the you-know-what about Apple releasing its own HDTV that he doesn't realize what a critical future Siri has in Apple's mobile and computing plans.

I love rumors and speculations but this one, like those spread by Digitimes, just are plainly not worth posting. For Digitimes, I get that its click-baits.  For analyst reports, it's about fiance.  Apple bloggers should stop posting these nonsense and stick with true juicy rumors.

NOW, why does Munster think Siri will not be in the iPhone Color?  Well, it's because it wasn't available on the iPhone 3GS and 4, two devices that were released prior to Siri and the iPhone 4S.  And because the 3GS and 4 were low-end devices, he concluded the iPhone Color, being a low-end device will not have Siri.

Seriously, do these guys not even try to think just a little?

Founder of Telsa and SpaceX Reveals HyperLoop - As Smooth As Riding Space Mountain

Source:  CNet, SpaceX.

A press conference will be held soon to provide more details but we already know what Elon Musk, on his way to becoming this generation's Edison or Jobs with SpaceX and Tesla, now he wants to revolutionize long-distance travel with HyperLoop.

"It'll be a smooth as riding the Space Mountain at Disneyland" is the quote but I'm not sure it was all that smooth to begin with.  But we all get what he's trying to say.

So far, we know that it'll go up to 800 miles per hour on the ground through a series of tubes (according to one Alaskan senator, "series of tubes") and be sped up much like a railgun that we see in science fiction shows and books.

More details to follow.  I'm very excited about this.



My only problem with this, a major one, is logistics and find the space for this to be built.  Musk said the optimal range for this is between cities that are around 900 miles apart.  That's great and all except that in the US, I can see such an endeavor run into series of roadblocks - political, environmental, etc.

And yet, as Musk pointed out, there is now already an over-budget and very late high-speed train system in California, home to Musk and myself, that cannot come close to the HyperLoop. I imagine this is where he came up with the idea of promoting it.

Apple Event: "Nope", Promotion Periods, and September 10th

Source: All Things D.

Is that time of the year when we expect Apple to put on its annual media event introduce its fall lineup to get again crush the Christmas sales. So that means guess games. Rumors will fly and people will try to guess and second guess one another.

Typically, the first ones you'll hear about are going to be false. Just like this September 6th date that was immediately debunked by Jim Dalrymple of The Loop Insight, Apple fan legend (I know that's probably not the right description).

I could have "nope" that myself. Seriously, when has Apple ever launch a device on a Friday!?

Then last night, All Things D posted that the fall event should take place on September 10. So far, no one seems to be disputing that. It also falls on a Tuesday so this make sense though it's far from confirmed. Still, it does appear legitimate at this time.

However, this does not mean that Apple will beginning selling and shipping the next iphone, iPad, or whatever new product they'll be introducing right away.  For that, let's look at the promotions that Applies currently running at this time.

For the first time ever, Apple has included in its back-to-school promotion the iPhone.  Also included are the Macs and the iPads. The promotion ends on, you guessed it, September 6th, the likely source of the wrong Apple event date.

The 10th falls on the immediate Tuesday after the end of the promotion.

Given the enormous pressure Apple has been under to demonstrate that its capable of innovating without Steve Jobs, I am sure Apple is eager prove its naysayers wrong and full of crap.

Bigger Screen iPad or iPhone: Finding the Right Balance

I want a bigger screen iPhone.  And given the talk recently of a bigger screen iPad, I'm interested in that as well.

There are a few issues, all very important that Apple has to address if it wants to release a bigger screen iPad.

• Right the right size screen - it's not so simple.  Apple designers have to find one that balances the needs of the users, the UI and gesture experiences, and the technical feasibility.
• Bigger screen would also mean a CPU with the right graphics processing power to potentially drive more pixels.  This new chipset would have to be able to do that without drawing too much power.
• A newer battery design and packaging to allow for a bigger battery to drive the screen and new internal components.

When you put all of the factors above together, it also comes down to timing - when the screen, battery, and chip technologies are all ready at the same time to fit Apple's product and design philosophy.  Even if you have two of the three factors, it would mean that any such Apple device would be crippled like many devices from its competitors.

The screen size might be perfect from a UI standpoint but only if the mobile chipset can provide the adequate amount of processing power new features and graphics muscle to drive it all without compromising the battery life.  Then Apple has to make sure battery design has progressed to the point where it can provide enough power for screen and the electronics.

All that will then have to fit within the new thinner design that Sir Jony Ives has come up with.

Apple’s Philosophy on Products: Finding the Right Balance Between Experience and Technology, Not Making Compromises

How many of us out there want a 5" iPhone? I imagine millions of hands went up. And how about this one. Macbook Air with Retina Display with the same 9 to 12 hours of battery life? Still, millions of hands. And iPad mini with Retina Display? The same thing. Well, you can forget about it for the moment until Apple finds the right balance between providing the best user experience allowable by any technical breakthrough it can bring to the market at the right time. The more and more I think about it, Apple products all fit this philosophy, one that has benefitted users whether its a lowly iPod to the iPhone to the Retina Display Macbook Pro. And balance is something that is taken seriously. However, do not mistaken it for compromise. How does Apple know what that is? Well, imagine Steve Jobs and Jony Ives sitting around tinkering around with different designs and, then suddenly, it just sort of hit them. You just know it. More than just finding the right designs, Apple will not, I repeat, will not make compromises to products. Take for instance why Apple has not released a bigger screen iPhone when all of its competitors have 5”-6” screen phablets. Even a couple to be released later this year that go beyond 6”, pitting them ever closer to the 7” tablets. While Apple might be able to give the market a 5” iPhone now, it probably won’t be able to do that without compromising its form factor and, more importantly, the battery life of such a device. And with respects to many reviewers or Android fans regarding phablet use, I find the battery life lacking for the most part and their uses awkward at times. From the sound of things, Tim Cook, who had addressed the idea of a bigger screen iPhone, isn’t opposed to the idea. That has me believing that Apple already has something in the works. Apple is unwilling to make a compromise with the device such as a shorter battery life. So, Apple engineers and designers will continue to work on it until it finds the absolute right balance of a bigger screen iPhone. And that is an example of how Apple works. Also, don’t forget the transition from 2G in the original iPhone to the 3G iPhone and from iPhone 4 to the iPhone 4S with LTE. Sure, tech pundits complained about how Apple should have gone earlier with 3G or LTE antennas but no one complained about th battery life like users did with the HTC Thunderbolt, one of the earliest LTE phones that, by some accounts, barely lasted 5 hours of use.

13" iPad - If Apple Can Make This, Maybe Retina Macbook Air Won't Be Too Far Off

I don't know how I feel about carry around a 12" or 13" iPad (a 13" version is widely being reported as something Apple is looking hard at).  I suppose I will learn to like it.  I'm sure it'll be light enough and capable of doing more in terms of productivity than today's 9.7" iPad or the iPad mini.  And if that's the case, I'm probably for it and may even buy one.

Right now, I'm on the 11.6" Macbook Air as I write this post.  A 12" or 13" iPad would have a slightly bigger screen, not to mention that it'll probably have a Retina Display that even late-2010 Air and the current models does not support.

I'm talking about this now for a couple of reasons. One, more and more people I know want one. Especially the older folks in my life, grandparents, aunts, and uncles.  Including my mom.  For whatever reason, they want Candy Crush bigger and brighter than it already is on the iPad.

Another reason is that even as the market races to the bottom in terms of screen sizes and prices, having a bigger screen gives Apple an opportunity to have a premium product and be able to charge more for it and maintain industry leading margin.  For the average mobile warrior like ourselves, we don't care one bit but for the market, bloggers, and narcissistic pundits, it's kinda important.

And lastly, hate to say it, there is more chatter about it in one form or another - rumors, insiders, and supply lines all point to Apple testing a bigger screen iPad.  And rightfully so.  Apple probably has gone through dozens if not hundreds of screen sizes before settling on the 9.7" screen for the iPad and 8.75" screen for the iPad mini.

I'm sure Apple engineers and designers have also tested bigger screens than the 13" version. Maybe even screens closer to 20" as well.  And why not? There probably will be a niche demand for it.  More importantly, it's research that Apple has go conduct so that it can learn from it.

And while no one but Apple's higher-ups know whether it'll release an iPad with a screen bigger than the 9.7", I'm betting that it'll happen.  Not 2013 but 2014 seems plausible only because work on the iPad and iPad mini will be easier to deal with and for Apple engineers and programmers to move on putting more attention on designing a bigger screen iPad.

Still, this is only a speculative post on my part.  Others have taken things a step further beyond reading about bigger iPad rumors.  Macrumors, aptly named, has a mockup of what a 13" iPad will look like relative to its smaller siblings (yes, it does sound like I have arrived at a conclusion that Apple will indeed release this iPad, doesn't it?) and the Macbook Air.

The mock-up of this 13" iPad next to the Macbook Air shows just how far Apple has come (or could come) with the tablet compared to the traditional laptop form factor.

The question then becomes just how will the market receive such a device, how it fits into Apple's mobile vision and philosophy, and what it could mean for the Macbook Air.  Apple will not design and release a 13" iPad for the sake of doing it.  So, we'll have to see if the designers feel that there are needs that are not currently addressed by the current iPad line and how the users will benefit from a bigger screened tablet.