Steve Jobs was a modern-day Thomas Edison whose achievements, including the rescue of Apple from near oblivion, will be studied by historians for generations to come. But as the world mourns his untimely death Wednesday at the age of 56, the time has come to face the fact that the company he co-founded probably never gave the public the straight picture about his health.
Read more: http://moneyland.time.com/2011/10/06/apple-was-never-straight-about-steve-jobs-health/#ixzz1bk5GFedR
Monday, October 24, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
10 Interesting Facts About Windows
These are some of the things that not many people would know about Windows. It is not a household knowledge. But, having knowledge of these would let you appreciate Windows in a whole new way. The development of Windows started a whole new era in the computing industry.
1. Windows was first called as interface manager when it was first strategized. It was based off of Apple’s Mac OS.
Windows has been around for 21 years now. Windows 1.0 hit the shelves in November of 1985. It is believed that Bill Gates got the idea of Windows OS from Steve Jobs.
1. Windows was first called as interface manager when it was first strategized. It was based off of Apple’s Mac OS.
Windows has been around for 21 years now. Windows 1.0 hit the shelves in November of 1985. It is believed that Bill Gates got the idea of Windows OS from Steve Jobs.
2. The Windows operating system has 50 million lines of code (a line averages 60 characters) and grows 20% with every release. It’s put together by 7,200 people, comes in 34 languages and has to support 190,000 devices–different models of digital cameras, printers, handhelds and so on.”
3. There were 103 million worldwide in 2005, and the growth rate seems to be around 10 to 15 percent per year. Windows operating system claims to have a market share between 35% to 40%. Wow, there are 400 million Windows users.
4. There are 250,000 to 300,000 applications for Windows
5. Although apple claims 1 million conversions from Windows to Mac, 85% of the computers worldwide run on Windows.
6. If you look at the list of viruses that are around, you should be able to see that most of the viruses are targeting Windows or any other Microsoft application. Windows comes under a lot of attack by people who exploit the security flaws in Windows. Vista which is being launched early next year is expected to set a high bar in security.
7. These are the canceled versions of Windows:
8. The Blue Screen of Death (sometimes called “bluescreen”, “stop error” or just “BSoD”) is a popular name for the screen displayed by Microsoft’s Windows operating system when it cannot or is in danger of being unable to recover from a system error. The term blue screen of death was coined by Erik Noyes while he worked for Charles Schwab and Co., Inc.’s technical support for the Electronic Service Delivery division in early 1991. Erik coined this phrase and shared it with customers and his co-workers. Soon, it became a standard phrase in Windows terminology.
9. Microsoft has a dubious record of having the most number of crashes. It is believed that there are around 25 million crashes everyday.
10. The next release of Windows is Vista which is due this year end or early next year. There are reports that 60% of the Vista code is being rewritten due to an internal error at Microsoft.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
10 Interesting Facts About: Apple
It can be argued that no consumer electronics company has captured the public’s fascination the way Apple has. Over the years it has morphed into more than just a company or corporation, but for many it has become a representation of a lifestyle or culture, and a status symbol complete with a larger fan base than most pop stars.
Here at Mashable, we’re also quite fascinated by Apple and its achievements. The company is known just as much for its veil of secrecy and ability to get the Internet buzzing with rumors, as it is for the actual products. You’re probably in on the gossip, but there are likely a few things you don’t know about Apple.
So read on for the origins of product names, factoids about the Apple logo, what Wozniak sold to finance the Apple I, and more wonders dug up from the archives of Apple’s past.
1. The First Apple Logo Featured Isaac Newton
Although the now-retro rainbow logo is arguably Apple’s most well known, the very first Apple logo featured Sir Isaac Newton sitting under a tree, with an apple about to hit his head. (Legend has it that he was literally hit on the head with an apple and that led to the concept of gravity.)
The Newton logo was designed by the lesser-known Apple founder Ronald Wayne (the guy who sold his stake — that today would be worth $22 billion — to Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak for $800 – ouch!) and was only used briefly in 1976, since its high level of detail didn’t really show up that well when shrunk down and stuck on a product.
The rainbow apple, designed by Rob Janoff, replaced Sir Isaac and remained the symbol of the company for many years until the simpler monochromatic apple logo was introduced in 1998.
2. Wozniak Sold His Scientific Calculator to Raise Capital
In order to raise enough money to buy parts and build the first few orders of the Apple I, Steve Jobs sold his Volkswagen van and Wozniak, then an HP employee, sold his Hewlett-Packard 65 scientific calculator for $500.
Those born after 1990 might be surprised that a mere calculator would raise any kind of capital, but back in 1976, a scientific calculator cost as much as a laptop does today, and the HP-65 was in fact marketed as “the smallest programmable computer ever.”
Woz got a decent price considering it retailed for $795, and we imagine any calculator in his possession would have been more than fairly well used. We wonder if the buyer knew he was getting a piece of computing history — just imagine how much that calculator would fetch on eBay today.
3. The Apple I Cost $666.66
The high prices of Apple’s current computers have recently been among critics’ biggest complaints. But historically speaking, Apple products have always boasted a higher a price tag. In fact, when you account for inflation, back in the day, the very first Apple computer would have been more expensive than the MacBook Air or even a 17-inch MacBook Pro today.
The Apple I wasn’t priced at $666.66 with any Satanic connotations, but rather for more practical reasons, asSteve Wozniak once explained at a news conference:
“I was into repeating digits,” he said, and explained that the wholesale cost to stores was $500, and adding a third to get the retail price made it around $667, which Woz changed to all one repeating digit — $666.66 — “was just easier to type.”
4. Apple Invented the “Dogcow”
Ever heard of “Dogcow?” Early Apple users probably have, as she — yes she — was included in the Cairo font as part of the original Macintosh. After the Cairo font was discontinued, Dogcow lived on with LaserWriter Driver 4.0 and then became a sort of mascot for the Apple tech staff.
Designed by Susan Kare, Clarus — Dogcow’s given name — makes a “moof” sound and was found on all versions of the Mac operating system until OS X. In the late 1980s, she surged in popularity and started to be used by other developer groups — even Microsoft once used Dogcow in an advertisement.
As you could guess, Apple was none to fond of this, and the tech staff decided to write a Technical Note to stop the misuse. Later on, Technical Note #31 was included on the first Apple Developer CDs as an Easter egg, and Apple even registered trademarks for both Clarus the Dogcow, and her “moof” sound.
5. The Name “Macintosh” Was Inspired by an Apple
It’s often cited that the Apple Lisa was named after Steve Jobs’ daughter, but where did the name “Macintosh” come from? Apple employee Jef Raskin is responsible for coining the machine after his favorite variety of apple, smartly tying the whole fruit theme together.
Macintosh was just a code-name, and Steve Jobs is said to have tried to change the project’s name to “Bicycle” while the McIntosh-loving staffer was out of office. But Raskin clearly knew a good name when he coined it, as Macintosh just had too much staying power and stuck right to the end of the product cycle.
6. Apple Made the First Mass-Market Color Digital Camera
Back in 1994, Apple actually launched the first mass-market color digital camera in the U.S. The Apple QuickTake 100 could snap an amazing eight photographs and connected to a Mac via a serial cable.
It cost $749, which is about the equivalent of $1,000 today, which seems ridiculous for a camera boasting less than one megapixel resolution and no digital display.
The QuickTake line expanded to two more models before Steve Jobs shut it down in 1997 when he returned to the helm at Apple and streamlined its product line.
7. The Name “iPod” Was Inspired By 2001: A Space Odyssey
Clever copywriter Vinnie Chieco is credited with coming up with the iPod name as part of a team assembled by Jobs to create a consumer-friendly moniker for the new device.
The story goes that Jobs had already decided the MP3 player’s tag-line was to be “1,000 songs in your pocket,” which left naming options wide open since it wouldn’t have to explicitly refer something music related.
“As soon as I saw the white iPod, I thought 2001,” Chieco told Wired in 2006. “Open the pod bay door, Hal! Then it was just a matter of adding the ‘i’ prefix, as in ‘iMac.’”
Of course, Hal has another place in Apple history, in the sinister Y2K warning ad that Apple aired to advertise the fact that Macs would not implode with the whole 2000 switchover, unlike those pesky PCs people insisted on using. Oh wait…
8. The First iPod Had A Secret Easter Egg
Apple’s first iPod came with a little secret — an Easter egg — in the form of a game that could be accessed if you knew the right combination of buttons to press.
How to find the game is described in Nick Triano’s early 2002 Geek.com review of the iPod (memorable quote: “I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that it will change the way you listen to music”). “Go to the ‘About’ menu, hold down the center button for about three seconds, and you’ll get a Breakout (Pong) game to play while you listen.”
Breakout, the hidden game itself, is notable in Apple’s history as it was a product that both Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak worked on together at Atari, where legend has it Jobs cheated Wozniak out of thousands of dollars of bonus money.
9. Who Is John Appleseed?
The name John, or Johnny Appleseed comes up time and time again in Apple history, but so far there is yet to be an official explanation as to why.
As many students will know, Johnny Appleseed was an 18th century American pioneer, missionary, and gardener. He was a kind-hearted folk hero with a penchant for apples, which appears to be the only tenuous connection to Apple Inc.
The earliest Johnny Appleseed reference we can find relates to Apple investor and former CEO Mike Markkula — it was apparently the pen-name he used when he wrote programs for the Apple II. Then there’s the letter that could be seen when the Leopard TextEdit icon was enlarged. Yes, there is an actual letter composed on that icon, and it’s Apple’s “Think Different” campaign that ran in print and television ads in 1997:
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things.”
That letter, is addressed to “Kate” and signed “Take Care, John Appleseed.”
And most notably, John Appleseed shows up in the iPhone ads and related iPhone and Mac imagery. We fully admit to being geeks, as we actually called John Appleseed’s number. Sadly, all we got on the other line was a voicemail box that hadn’t yet been set up, and when we e-mailed to appleseed_john@mac.com it came back with a “delivery to the following recipient failed permanently,” which seems like a missed marketing opportunity to us.
10. Jony Ive Sticks to the Same Shirt Too
Although much is made of Steve Jobs’ uniform outfit (black St. Croix turtle neck, Levi 501 jeans, New Balance trainers) it turns out he is not the only senior Apple staffer to stick to the same styling year in and year out.
Apple’s senior vice president of Industrial Design Jony Ive appears to have worn, if not the same, then the samestyle of t-shirt in every single Apple intro product video to date. For the last ten years, at least. Hey, we’re on the same page as Jobs and Ive on this style sheet — if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. (source)
Monday, July 18, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
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