Top Bananas | Monthly Archives: September 2017

The Gradual Evolution of Independence

Posted on September 30, 2017 by admin Posted in Software Leave a comment

What it is: Apple’s latest Apple Watch offers an option for cellular connection, making it independent of an iPhone.

The progress of technology is easy to spot. When PCs first appeared, they were derided as “toys” that couldn’t compete against mainframe and minicomputers. Then PCs got more powerful while still being far cheaper than mainframes and minicomputers. Even when PCs weren’t as powerful as mainframes and minicomputers, their low cost made them far more appealing.

To use a mainframe or minicomputer, you had to use a dumb terminal, which looked like a PC but without any processing power of its own. PCs were often used as dumb terminals too, but gradually PCs weaned themselves away from dependent on mainframe and minicomputers to the point where they could be useful on their own.

When the iPhone first appeared, it wasn’t that useful. You couldn’t add apps so you had to just settle for what came with it. Most people connected their iPhone to a computer to backup data and synchronize information. That’s because most people still relied heavily on computers where the iPhone was just an accessory to the computer. Then the iPhone got more powerful to the point where many people rely more on their iPhone and do far less with a computer.

When the iPad first appeared, you couldn’t even turn it on without first connecting it to a computer. Gradually the iPad weaned itself off dependence from a computer to the point where an iPad can be essentially free of relying on any computer.

When the Apple Watch first appeared, it had to rely on an iPhone for Internet connectivity. Now with the latest Apple Watch offering optional cellular connectivity, the Apple Watch is gradually freeing itself from the iPhone. Pretty soon, like computers, smartphones, and tablets, the Apple Watch won’t need to rely on any other device and will become a separate entity all by itself. When that happens, the true potential of the Apple Watch will merge.

Remember, if it wasn’t for smartphones like the iPhone, a whole host of businesses like Uber and AirBnb could not exist. When the Apple Watch becomes an independent product, it will likely spawn new businesses as well in ways that are unforeseen, just like few people could predict the arrival of ride-sharing services like Uber when the iPhone first appeared.

The trend of any product is to get more powerful and become independent. That’s the future of the Apple Watch. Its cellular capabilities may be primitive for now, but watch each new generation make it more powerful each year. One day the Apple Watch will become commonplace and people will forget that they ever questioned the purpose for a wearable computer like the Apple Watch. Then something new will appear, like smart glasses, and people will start wondering about its purpose and need all over again.

Apple Acquires French AI Startup

Posted on September 29, 2017 by admin Posted in Programming, Software Leave a comment

What it is: Apple recently acquired a French AI startup focusing on photo analysis.

For the longest time, people feared Apple was falling behind in the artificial intelligence (AI) world. Google was one of the first major companies to focus on self-driving cars and Amazon has been using AI to help customers find related merchandise whenever they purchase something. Apple seemed to be lagging, which only seemed worse given that Apple once banned their researchers from publishing papers at AI conferences.

That’s all changed. Apple now lets their AI researchers publish papers and Apple has moved into self-driving cars along with adding machine learning to Xcode projects, making it easy for developers to use machine learning in their apps. Apple has also acquired several AI companies and their latest acquisition is a French startup called Regaind, which focuses on photo analysis.

Apple is simply acquiring AI talent because acquisition is faster than trying to create AI talent from scratch. While Apple likely has engineers working on AI projects from scratch, they’ve also acquired multiple AI companies to bring those seasoned AI researchers into the company. Apple’s AI efforts are still growing and Siri’s gradual improvement is evidence that Apple isn’t lagging in the AI market.

AI will only continue to grow in importance and Apple may not be a leader, but they won’t be too far behind. Companies like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are all focusing on AI research so it’s a matter of seeing how each company applies AI in their own specialty.

While Apple is letting developers add machine learning models to apps, look to see how Google responds in making AI easier to add for Android apps. Then look to see how Microsoft is responding to make it easy to add AI to Windows programs. For seemingly being behind in the AI market, Apple now seems to be moving closer to being in the front.

Apple will likely continue acquiring AI startups so look for those AI technologies to filter their way into future products. Most likely you won’t see AI appear in a flashy new product but quietly appear in the background of an existing product such as adding improved image recognition and analysis in the Photos app or boosting Siri’s ability to understand the context of spoken language.

AI is becoming an important field for every major technology company to develop and it’s only going to continue getting more hectic in the future. If you want a solid future, focus on AI. Who knows? You might end fay get a job working for Apple or one of their competitors.

Bill Gates Abandons Windows Phone

Posted on September 28, 2017 by admin Posted in Hardware, Software Leave a comment

What it is: Bill Gates admitted he uses an Android smartphone instead of a Windows Phone device.

When Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, stops using Microsoft software, it’s safe to say that software is dead. That’s when happened recently when Bill Gates admitted that he switched to an Android smartphone and no longer uses a Windows Phone smartphone. If the founder of Microsoft sees no reason to use a Windows Phone smartphone, why would anyone else?

That’s why Windows Phone’s market share has plummeted recently and shows no signs of ever improving. The whole idea behind Windows Phone is an exercise in frustration. First, Microsoft actually had a decent share of the smartphone market with Windows Mobile. Pal Computing even adopted Windows Mobile because their own PalmOS operating system was no longer competitive.

Windows Mobile was clunky and cumbersome to use because it forced the Windows desktop interface on to the smaller form factor of the smartphone. When Apple introduced the iPhone, that caused everyone to adapt quickly or die. Android managed to adapt quickly. BlackberryOS, PalmOS, and Windows Mobile did not so they died.

Microsoft knew that Windows Mobile couldn’t compete against the iPhone, so they took a few years to develop Windows Phone, which wasn’t a bad operating system. The huge problem was that smartphone manufacturers could pay a license fee to use Windows Phone, or they could use Android for free. Not surprisingly, they chose Android. Microsoft tried to force the desktop interface on to smartphones with Windows Mobile, and then they tried to use the licensing model of Windows on smartphones.

Even worse, Microsoft made Windows Phone 7 incompatible with Windows Phone 8. Many Windows Phone 7 devices couldn’t update to Windows Phone and many app developers had to rewrite their Windows Phone 7 apps to run on Windows Phone 8. This incompatibility helped drive away customers and developers alike.

Then Microsoft switch from Windows Phone to Windows 10, making Windows Phone apps incompatible once again. This constant rebooting process meant that Microsoft’s smartphone operating system was always back at the starting line while Android and iOS kept moving forward. With the lack of apps, Windows Phone had no chance to survive and that’s why it’s dead to the point where even Bill Gates won’t use one any more.

If Microsoft couldn’t make Windows Phone successful, what chance does Samsung have with Tizen? The smartphone operating system market is over and the two choices are iOS and Android. No computing smartphone operating system can offer enough apps and if apps aren’t available, nobody will want that new operating system. Just like most people used Windows in the 90s because of software and hardware support, most people use Android or iOS because of the app market for both of them. Windows Phone is dead and it’s just a matter of waiting for Microsoft to officially declare it over.

Without a mobile operating system, Microsoft has lost its leadership in the computing market. In the old days, everyone followed Microsoft because they defined the PC market. Nowadays, everyone follows Apple because the iPhone and iPad define the mobile market. Microsoft will still be profitable, but they’re no longer a leader. They could come back like Apple did, but chances are good they won’t. They don’t control of the mobile market and they killed Microsoft Band so they don’t have a stake in the growing wearable computer market.

Microsoft’s best days are behind them. From now on, Google, Amazon, and Apple are taking the lead with Apple doing most of the innovating and the others following along. The only exception is Microsoft which has resigned themselves to being an app developer for Android and iOS. Microsoft can still be profitable, but they won’t be a leader. When Bill Gates won’t use Microsoft’s own products, that’s a clear sign that product is dead for good.

The Adoption Rate of iOS vs. Android

Posted on September 27, 2017 by admin Posted in Software Leave a comment

What it is: Apple released iOS 11 a week ago and already it’s been installed on 25% of iOS devices.

When Android was being developed, it was meant to be a clone of BlackberryOS. Then when Apple introduced the iPhone, Android rapidly shifted gears to become a clone of what’s now known as iOS. although Android behaves mostly like iOS and sometimes has more advanced features, the difference between iOS and Android is most apparent when it comes to adoption rate.

Android device makers have zero incentive to update their older devices to the latest Android version because they can only make money selling newer Android devices to the public. That’s why companies like HTC, Samsung, and LG drag their feet on issuing Android updates for their devices. First, it takes time and money to test the latest Android version on older devices. Second, it doesn’t bring in any additional revenue and actually hurts revenue by keeping potential customers from buying new Android devices. Given these twin disincentives to updating Android on their devices, it’s easy to see why Android’s adoption rate lags behind.

The latest version of Android (Oreo) isn’t even on a significant number of devices with most Android devices running versions of Android that are two or three years old. That means no matter what new features Android offers, it will never be available to the majority of Android users for at least a few years. Even then, any new features will need to be tested on multiple hardware configurations, making it unlikely that Android can keep up with the rapid progress of iOS.

In a little over a week, 25% of iOS devices are running the latest iOS 11, which means new features of iOS 11 can be accessible by owners of older iOS devices. That increases the chance for newer features to be adopted like augmented reality. Android actually offered augmented reality before Apple, but Android’s version of augmented reality ran on so few Android devices that it’s largely ignored.

As Apple keeps introducing new features like machine learning and augmented reality to iOS, expect Android to fall further and further behind. It’s easy for Android device makers to copy hardware and lower their prices. It’s much harder for Android device makers to get their users to adopt the latest version of Android without buying new devices. The Android business model is geared for inefficiency when it comes to adoption of the latest version. The iOS business model is optimized for rapid upgrades to the latest version of iOS. In the long run, iOS will win in terms of user experience and features.

People will still buy Android devices because of the variety available at different prices. Yet the future of the smartphone industry still lies with iOS. Android will keep following iOS’s lead, which means Android will always be behind. Meanwhile, rivals like Windows Phone and Tizen are all but dead with no hope of challenging iOS or even Android. If you want to see the future of the smartphone, you can only get it through iOS. If you’re willing to wait on the future, then use Android.

Clean Install macOS High Sierra

Posted on September 26, 2017 by admin Posted in Hardware, Software Leave a comment

What it is: Apple recently released the latest version of macOS.

The more you use any computer, the slower it will get. That’s why you need to optimize your files by deleting files and programs you don’t need. However, even deleting a program can leave files behind so the best way to completely optimize your computer is to do a clean install of an operating system.

Such a clean install basically wipes out everything on your hard disk and installs the operating system on the computer as if it were a brand new machine. Of course, before you do a clean install, make sure you copy any critical files. Then do the clean install.

Over time, using any computer will result in files clogging the hard disk, and if you’ve upgraded your operating system several times, that upgrade process alone will likely leave hundreds of useless files scattered across your hard disk. So you have a choice of doing a simple upgrade (and preserving your files) or doing a clean install and optimizing your computer from scratch.

Generally if you want convenience, do an ordinary upgrade. However if you want to optimize your computer, do a clean install. This will dramatically improve your computer’s speed so it will be ready to go another few years of ordinary upgrades.

Just remember that a clean install takes time. First, make sure you copy everything off your computer. (You’ll eventually have to put everything back on your computer again, which will give you time to organize them more efficiently.) Second, do a clean install and wait for an hour or more. Clean installs are time-consuming so don’t do them when you need to use the computer. Finally after a few hours, pray that the clean install actually works properly. Then you’ll be ready for the final step of copying your files back on to your computer again.

Is a clean install worth it? For newer machines, probably not. For older machines, probably yes. Whatever the case, upgrading to the latest version of macOS High Sierra will give you bug fixes that older versions of macOS may by missing. So in general, keep your Macintosh up to date to the latest operating system it can support. Eventually you’ll Macintosh will get too old to support the latest operating system, but until that sad day occurs, keep your old Macintosh alive as long as possible through constant macOS updates. Best of all, macOS updates are free so you have nothing to lose but time.

Stopping Rootkits and Other Malware on a Mac

Posted on September 25, 2017 by admin Posted in Hardware, Software Leave a comment

What it is: The latest version of macOS High Sierra will check weekly for changes in the firmware of a Macintosh.

One of the biggest problems with any computer are malicious software otherwise known as malware. Malware can take many forms including viruses, Trojan horses, rootkits, and spyware. Whatever form malware takes, it usually causes problems for the user and the computer.

In the PC world, Microsoft has had to battle malware for decades because MS-DOS and later Windows became the default operating system for most people. That’s why hackers targeted MS-DOS and Windows so heavily with occasional forays into other operating systems. Yet because most people (targets) used MS-DOS and Windows, most hackers wrote malware to infect MS-DOS and Windows.

Microsoft has made great strides in making Windows more secure, but the fact remains that Windows still is home to the most malware in the world. It’s not Microsoft’s fault, but they have to deal with the problems.

In the smartphone world, Apple tightly controls which apps people can install on their iPhone or iPad, which limits the spread of malware. It’s not perfect, but it greatly reduces the spread of malware that Android allows through its openness. While Android users must worry about malware, iPhone and iPad users generally do not.

With the Macintosh, Apple has had fewer problems dealing with malware than Microsoft has had to do with Windows. That’s because fewer people used the Macintosh so hackers mostly ignored it although you can still find plenty of malware written for the Macintosh. As more people use the Macintosh, more hackers are writing malware for the Macintosh.

To limit the possible spread of malware, Apple created GateKeeper, which attempts to block suspicious programs from being installed on a Macintosh. It’s not perfect, but it’s helpful. Now with the latest version of macOS High Sierra, Apple has added a new feature to detect firmware changes.

One of the toughest forms of malware to eliminate is a rootkit, which gets its name because it takes complete control over a computer. Rootkits can infect a Windows PC and hide from all attempts to find it because it literally controls the operating system and what data it sends back to technicians and anti-virus software. Once infected with a rootkit, a computer can only be fixed by wiping out the entire hard drive and reinstalling everything all over again.

That’s why macOS High Sierra checks a Macintosh computer’s firmware weekly. If it detects changes, then it’s likely the change occurred through a rootkit. If the firmware has been changed, then the Macintosh can contact Apple and Apple can (hopefully) find a way to fix the problem.

This new feature of macOS High Sierra is simply meant to make the Macintosh more secure. It won’t be perfect, but it’s better than nothing and it makes malware harder to spread on a Macintosh (but not impossible). As more people switch to the Macintosh from Windows, they can expect a far less troublesome computing experience. If Windows users could tolerate the strange user interface of Windows 8, they should have no problems adjusting to the slightly different ways of the Macintosh.

Now that macOS High Sierra adds an additional security feature, macintosh users can also expect far fewer malware problems than if they had used a Windows PC.