Simply Apple iPad

Finally the Apple tablet reviewed to the public, it was named an iPad. It is a 9.7 inch touch pad, price from USD499. It just like a 10 inch size iPhone (or iPod Touch).

Apple iPad

With this latest Apple iPad, Apple fill in the gap between iPhone and notebook. More specifically, the netbook market which Apple has been absent for years. In terms of price, size and weight, the Apple iPad just fit in nicely.

Apple show an e-book reader application call the iBooks. With the iBooks application iPad will looks like Amazon Kindle.

This iPad power by an Apple A4 1GHz CPU. Remember Apple bought a CPU design company P.A. Semi (Palo Alto Semiconductor) earlier? This is not Intel or ARM base processor, is very new and still not sure about the performance yet.

iPad has 3G (WLAN) version, USD130 more than the non-3G version. iPad is not available yet, Apple iPad webpage is up, you can check the details there.

A complain on DiGi call center

You don't call to get your problem solved, you need to go to the service center, show your sour face, bang the table and get your problem solved.

This time I want to complain about DiGi call center.

I have some enquiries for my phone bill. Since I can't go to the DiGi center, I call to the help center.

"I suppose to have rebate for my data charges, but it doesn't shown on the account statement, can you check it for me?"

"When you subscribe, it doesn't have the data rebate plan yet."

"Can you check when I subscribed? The rebate plan should be available."

"No. The rebate plan is not available yet when you subscribed."

"I subscribed last december, the offer should be available."

"Oh, you already have your phone rebate, so you will not have data rebate."

"But your representative told me I will have both offer, that's why I subscribe to the plan."

"No..."

"Ok. Since you know I have my phone rebate, but it doesn't shown on my account statement as well."

" [err...] if you still have the receipt, you can go to the nearest DiGi center ..."

Wow, wow, wow... now you know something really go wrong.

Since DiGi have all my information, and they should know something must have gone wrong, why can't they just report the problem, and get back to me?

The call center support always speaks in polite tone, but polite tone doesn't means polite. I think anyone can be help desk, if you know how to answer, "You can go to the nearest DiGi center."

You have to go the DiGi center, bang the table, show your anger, to get your problem solved.

No. You don't have to bang the table. You bang the table just to release your pressure. Go to the DiGi center, they will solved the issue, I believe.

Need a new one? by Ballmer

An event while Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer visit to Trevecca Nazarene University, one of the students ask Ballmer to sign on a MacBook Pro.

Steve Ballmer sign on a MacBook Pro

This is a bad PR. If it doesn't turn into a disaster, it will remain as an all time Internet joke.

Why can't he sign at the corner and write properly. This is the first time I saw Steve Ballmer's writing. Oh! His writing is bad. As a CEO, may be he should start practice his writing. You think this is not from Steve Ballmer, check the youtube video here.

Microsoft Windows is able to run on a MacBook Pro these days. Why Ballmer have to laugh and talk sarcastically? I don't get that.

Other posts on it:
Ballmer desecrates MacBook Pro
... running Windows, of course
Microsoft CEO sign a Mac

Ballmer, ya. After the way you sign on it, I will need a new one.

The big Mach-O in Mac OS X

This is a bit technical, but I try to write it as easy as possible to be understand by layman.

Mac OS X support both PowerPC and Intel platform, and is possibile to run the same executable on PowerPC and Intel Mac, provided it is an universal binary.

Is no big deal for Intel Mac users, but is a big deal for old PowerPC Mac users. The lastest software might not have PowerPC support unless you download the universal binary executable.

The Mac OS X originally written to support PowerPC Mac. Steve Jobs announced Mac switch to Intel at year 2006.

Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger (the updated version) is the first version of OS X to support both PowerPC and Intel platform. New Mac users who start using OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard may not interested, because Snow Leopard drop PowerPC and support Intel only platform. For those people who are still using PowerPC Mac, you will love the universal binary.

Universal binary help the operating system transition from one platform (PowerPC) to another platform (Intel) smoothly. Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard is the last version that you can used for PowerPC Mac.

To support two different platform (PowerPC and Intel), you need two different set of binaries, one for the PowerPC Mac and one for the Intel Mac. Apple introduced universal binary to support two platform with a single binary, this single binary contain the code for PowerPC and Intel. Is easy for user without CPU architecture (PowerPC or Intel) knowledge, just download the universal binary and it should work on your Mac.

The universal binary also called as "fat binary" or multi-architecture binary, which include more than one binary code in a single executable file, so it is usually bigger in size. Sometimes the universal binary file also refer as big Mach-O (Mach Object, Mach not Mac) file. Snow Leopard which only support Intel platform, the size are smaller compare with Leopard which support both binary code. (Code optimization may help to reduce the binary size as well)

If you know Mac OS X history, it based on NeXT Computer's NeXTSTEP operating system code. Before Apple bought over NeXT, NeXTSTEP is capable to run on Intel platform (and SUN's SPARC!). Is not so surprise for you that Apple can switch to Intel platform in a short period of time.

Next time, I will talk about how to create universal binary using Xcode development tools.

It must be an Apple Tablet

Some of my friends ask me, what is the next Apple product? Will it be a tablet?

It must be a tablet.

Techcrunch and macrumors reported that France Telecom executive "confirm" that.

I am just curious how Steve Jobs going to present it. What is the size of the device? 10 or 12 inch?

What so special about tablet? Tablet is everywhere at CES, but tablet from Apple does matter. Even we all know that is tablet, we want to know what's so special with Applet tablet. Is it something which surprise us like iPhone?

May be Amazon should start worried now. Some people say that tablet can be a good ebook reader, just like the Amazon Kindle.

Apple may start selling ebooks online. There are news reported that Apple start talking with HarperCollins and other book publisher.

Is so natural that Apple sell books online. Apple already have music store, app store. They sell music, movies, TV program, application online. Selling books are just one step away.