I'm with Microsoft. There must be something wrong with the implants: I've been here for years and still don't understand the culture. I don't understand why people use "ask" as a noun instead of "request"; I don't understand why almost every here uses "Microsoft Tag" instead of universal, ubiquitous-in-the-outside-world QR codes; and I don't understand why we still create websites using Silverlight instead of moving to Flash or HTML5.
Don't people realize how transparently sycophantic they look when they use a technology that's dead to the outside world? Depending on the day, I feel like either 1) some people are so insulated from the outside world that they believe Silverlight yet lives, 2) they know Silverlight is dead and are terrified of the wrath of LCA coming down upon from for installing non-Microsoft software on their work computers, or 3) they're savvy, but trying to use as much jargon and proprietary stuff as possible in order to project a false image of group cohesion and loyalty come review time.
Funny, I believe that is what Netflix uses to stream to the desktop. Also, given the install base of Windows, I am pretty sure most everyday users have it installed.
I'm a Mac person myself and only fire up Chrome when I need Flash. I've got silverlight installed across all browsers -- mainly due to netflix. That said, I see "web designers" doing more annoying sites with Flash (mmm...embedded video that auto plays with volume) than I do with Silverlight.
The install base of silverlight is pretty low, but way higher than I expected. Its hard to get hard reliable numbers but I've seen from 50% all the way up to 70% or so. Its much higher than I expected, but not high enough to count on. I don't get the draw when flash has an install base in the higher end of 90%. Once again its hard to get reliable numbers, but there is no doubt it trounces silverlight.
Even java plug-in install base beats silverlight's which is pretty bad. I know netflix and mlb.com use it, but I don't know a lot of others. I'm sure they are there, but it doesn't scream lively tech to me.
I realize that Silverlight is not pre-installed with Windows but it I read that some OEMs (Dell for example) do bundle it for their customers. Anyone can verify this?
Palm used to allow syncing through iTunes as well. Every time Apple updated iTunes, it would lock out the Palm Pre; Palm, then, would issue a software update that re-enabled the functionality:
> Since the Palm Pre first became available this summer, Palm has issued several updates to its mobile operating system, causing iTunes software to recognize the phone as an Apple music player, allowing it to synchronize and transfer files between the phone and a personal computer. Apple has repeatedly disabled the syncing feature in subsequent software updates to iTunes. [1]
Eventually, "Palm filed a complaint with the USB Implementers Forum", but the forum "rebuffed" Palm's claims. From then on, the Palm Pre could no longer sync with iTunes.
I see that Microsoft isn't masquerading their phone as an iPod (or iPhone?) like Palm did, and is instead releasing a separate app on their own (MacSync, according to Wired [2]), so it's harder for Apple to stop them. I would guess that they're directly importing the iTunes files on the disk, but if the idea is so simple, why didn't Palm do the same thing? Why would they risk going through iTunes?
The harder it was for Microsoft to implement, the easier it will be for Apple to disable. I wonder what Apple will do now.
Palm got rebuffed because they masqueraded as an Apple product. The USB-IF understandably didn't like that.
It won't be "harder for Apple to stop" Microsoft because Apple is unlikely to even try to do so. Apple has a documented method for accessing the iTunes library (RIM and others used it). Even if there were not an approved way to do it, the database is in XML so it should be relatively easy to work with it. Why Palm took the route they did mystifies me.
So what will Apple do now, you ask? Nothing, more than likely.
I didn't see the event, do you happen to know how this is different than the Windows Phone Connector stuff for WP7 on Mac? It hooks into Aperture/iPhoto/iTunes and lets you sync with them (I really miss the Aperture integration after moving my photo workstation to Lightroom on my desktop PC, actually—it was super convenient).
Or is it for syncing WP music to iTunes on Windows? Don't think there's any built-in way to do that currently for WP7.
It sounded like the same exact Windows Phone Connector as the current one. It's not bad, but I've got a lot of music, movies, etc. outside of iTunes that I'd like to sync to the device.
You can get the current time in the other time zone (try time in <location/code>), but yeah, an actual conversion would be pretty handy. And seemingly a very simple step from there.
You'd think a launch would be geared to play to the widest audience. Disappointing that the presentation requires Silverlight to view. Wasn't Silverlight EOLed?
I think you're reading a bit much into the symbolism there. I mean, if he didn't put it in his pocket, one could have just as well said "Hey Nokia, how does it feel being left out in the cold?"
They'll never learn.