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Abandoning 32-Bit Applications in Catalina

Posted on January 16, 2020 by admin Posted in Business, Software Leave a comment

What it is: 32-bit applications will no longer work in macOS Catalina and many software companies are abandoning the Macintosh.

Operating system updates are supposed to be improvements, and in many ways, they are. However, the biggest problem with the latest macOS Catalina update is that it finally abandons support for 32-bit applications. That means older Macintosh programs are most in danger of not making the upgrade to a 64-bit applications since this would require a major rewrite of the software.

Rather than rewrite their software from scratch, many companies are simply abandoning the Macintosh instead. SuperCard, the first HyperCard clone, is based on old 32-bit code and cannot be updated to run on macOS Catalina without a major rewrite.

Since SuperCard is owned by a smaller company, that company can’t afford to rewrite their entire program as a 64-bit application. Another company running into this difficulty is Inspiration, which sells an outliner/mind mapping program that has been around for decades.

Like SuperCard, Inspiration is based on old code and the company doesn’t see the worth in rewriting their application from scratch. AccountEdge, a small business accounting program, is yet another 32-bit application that the company cannot afford to rewrite as a 64-bit application.

For users dependent on older 32-bit applications, the choice isn’t easy. Either avoid upgrading to macOS Catalina (and future updates to macOS), or find an alternative.

As older software fades away, this could be the perfect time for developers to start creating alternatives to SuperCard, Inspiration, AccountEdge, and other 32-bit applications that will never be upgraded to run on macOS Catalina.

Of course, if these older 32-bit applications had a huge market share, the money would be there to justify rewriting the entire program from scratch. The fact that these companies deem it unprofitable to rewrite their programs is a clear signal that there’s not much of a market there in the first place.

Once macOS Catalina and future updates kill off 32-bit applications for good, the only ones left will be those capable of running on macOS Catalina. This shakeout of applications is unfortunate but inevitable.

Just remember that with every obstacle there comes an opportunity. It just takes a little bit of creativity to discover what that opportunity might be and whether it’s worth your time to grab it.

Cortana and Bing Fade Away

Posted on November 17, 2019 by admin Posted in Business, Software Leave a comment

What it is: Microsoft is no longer trying to make Cortana and Bing compete on their own.

Microsoft has one major business model and that’s copying others. This model has worked several times with MS-DOS copying existing operating systems at that time such as CP/M-80, and Microsoft Word taking on the word processing market to eventually take over from WordStar and WordPerfect.

However, Microsoft’s strategy of copying others means they also have a huge list of multiple failures. To compete against Turbo Pascal (popular in the 80’s), Microsoft launched QuickPascal, which quickly faded from sight.

To compete against CompuServe and America Online, Microsoft launched their own online service called the Microsoft Network, which faded rapidly. To compete against Adobe’s Flash, Microsoft created Silverlight, which disappeared quickly. To compete against Google, Microsoft created Bing and to compete against Siri and Alexa, Microsoft created Cortana.

Bing and Cortana aren’t bad products, but they’re simply me-too products, giving people little reason to use them. Microsoft recently announced that instead of promoting Bing as a general search engine, they’re focusing on making Bing into a specialized office search engine.

Instead of promoting Cortana as a stand-alone voice assistant, Microsoft is letting Cortana fade away while making deals with Amazon to use Alexa.

Microsoft does best when they aren’t trying to copy a leader and catch up to them. The sooner Microsoft can wean themselves off this business model of copying, the better off they’ll be. The biggest problem with copying the leader is that as soon as the leader struggles, Microsoft struggles as well.

Adobe’s Flash was once a standard for creating animation on web sites. When mobile computing took over, Flash consumed too much power, making it detrimental to mobile devices. As a result, Flash has slowly been dying.

So when Microsoft copied Flash with Silverlight, the fate of Flash also doomed Silverlight at the same time. Copying a leader means struggling to convince others to use your technology when it offers trivial advantages, so there’s little reason to abandon the leading technology.

Copying a leader then gives you the second drawback in that when the market changes to kill the leader, it also kills your copycat product too.

Microsoft poured billions into the Xbox before it finally became profitable, but game consoles are no longer the major way to play games. As mobile gaming and PC gaming increases, the market for game consoles will shrink, hurting Sony and Microsoft alike.

So watch Cortana and Bing fade away. They’re not bad products, but there’s little reason for anyone to use them so you might as well use other products instead. Hopefully Microsoft will wean themselves off this copycat business model and start developing truly useful products for a change.

Apple Acquires a Virtual Animation Company

Posted on October 10, 2019 by admin Posted in Business, Software, User Interface Leave a comment

What it is: Apple acquired U.K.-based iKinema, which provided 3D motion animation tools to movie and game developers.

The best way to see the future of Apple is to track its latest acquisitions. Long before Apple introduced the iPhone and iPad, they acquired a company called Fingerworks, which specialized in touch gesture interfaces.

Then before Apple introduced augmented reality through their ARKit framework, they acquired a German company called Metaio, which specialized in augmented reality.

Now Apple has acquired a UK company called IKinema, which creates tools for creating virtual characters in animation. This technology could be used to beef up Apple’s game frameworks but will also likely help Apple improve their augmented reality features by allowing the creation of virtual characters.

Augmented reality is likely a target for Apple’s other recent acquisition of Akonia Holographics, which made augmented reality lenses. Combine all of these technologies together and you can see how augmented reality and smart glasses are going to appear in the near future.

Of course, it could be years before we see any products based on iKinema’s technology since Apple will take time to integrate it into their current frameworks, but you can be certain those technologies will arrive soon.

The future is continuing to look bright because whatever Apple introduces, Google will likely follow and advance the state of mobile and wearable technology. The next time you read any news about Apple, it could be through an augmented reality set of smart glasses.

Augmented Reality in Driving

Posted on July 25, 2019 by admin Posted in Software, User Interface Leave a comment

What it is: Apple filed a patent for an augmented reality design to help drivers navigate.

Augmented reality is still in its infancy but the potential is vast. Basically, augmented reality is enhanced vision and one area where people can use enhanced vision involves driving. Apple’s latest patent shows a possible use for augmented reality to not only give driving directions, but also display which lanes a driver should choose.

Augmented reality by itself is relatively meaningless other than from games like Pokemon GO. However when designed to work with crucial tasks that involve vision such as driving, augmented reality offers a huge potential.

At the simplest level, augmented reality in Apple Maps could provide directions. At a more complicated level, augmented reality could improve vision by allowing night vision capabilities or simply alerting the driver if objects appear on a collision course.

Initially, augmented reality will be restricted to smartphones and tablets, but eventually they’ll need to migrate to smart glasses where the iPhone will do the heavy processing and a wirelessly linked pair of smart glasses will provide the optics.

Right now, today’s virtual reality headsets try to do everything, which results in bulky, cumbersome, and heavy headsets. Augmented reality will require light weight glasses with the heavy processing done by the iPhone, which will soon have a processor faster than most computers currently on the market.

Augmented reality is coming to improve safety and optimize tasks that require vision such as driving. To benefit from augmented reality, it’s time to learn its capabilities and adapt them as rapidly as possible.

Remember, the first time people started accessing the Internet, they didn’t just transfer files but started asking themselves how they could build a business based on this new technology. The same will happen with augmented reality.

There will be companies specializing in developing and refining augmented reality and then there will be others specializing in using and applying augmented reality. The future for mobile computing and wearable computers will be augmented reality.

To learn more about Apple’s latest augmented reality patent, click here.

Competing Against Apple

Posted on July 3, 2019 by admin Posted in Business, Software Leave a comment

What it is: Apple adds new features to macOS all the time, and many of those features compete against third-party developers.

If you’re an independent developer, how do you compete against Apple? The simple answer is how you compete against any bigger company. You offer a better product.

The latest macOS Catalina will offer a feature called Sidecar, which will allow a Macintosh to use an iPad as a second screen wirelessly. This directly competes against a product called Duet Display, which also lets you use an iPad as a second screen for a Macintosh.

So how can Duet Display compete against the free Sidecar feature? The answer is easy.

Sidecar only works with the latest macOS Catalina and with the latest iPad models. If you have an older version of macOS or an older version of an iPad, then you won’t be able to use Sidecar.

In addition, Sidecar only works with the latest Macintosh models. If you have an older Macintosh, you won’t be able to use Sidecar either.

So Sidecar is a great feature but only for those with the latest equipment. That’s where a product like Duet Display can offer more features.

First of all, Duet Display works by connect a USB cable between a computer and the iPad, which makes a wired connection less convenient (because you need a cable) but also faster and more reliable.

Second, Duet Display can work with older versions of macOS and older Macintosh models. Duet Display can even work with Windows PCs so you can use your iPad as a second screen for a Windows computer.

Even better, Duet Display works with older iPad models. That means Duet Display offers compatibility with more devices than Sidecar while offering a faster and more reliable connection through a cable (at the expense of needing a cable).

Some people might be perfectly happy using Sidecar but Sidecar won’t necessarily displace Duet Display or similar products. Apple has no interest in supporting older Macintosh models or iPad models, nor do they care about supporting Windows PCs either.

Duet Display is like Sidecar but with more options. So if you ever want to compete against a big company like Apple, simply offer more features to reach a broader market.

Sidecar may be free, but if you don’t meet those exact requirements to use Sidecar, you’ll have no choice but to rely on Duet Display or a similar product.

It’s easy to compete against larger companies as an independent developer since you just need to go deeper in features than the larger company may wish to do.

Competing against larger companies may not be easy, but it’s not impossible. Sometimes a free option like Sidecar can actually promote greater awareness of a competing product.

Once people realize what Sidecar can do, they may find they can’t use it or that it’s too limited for their purposes. Then they may find a product like Duet Display is better.

If you’re a third party developer, just focus on making the best product possible. Chances are good you’ll have a product someone will be willing to pay for. If not, then you’ll still have plenty of experience creating something worthwhile.

To learn more about Duet Display, click here.

Adobe Alternative

Posted on June 20, 2019 by admin Posted in Business, Software Leave a comment

What it is: Affinity Publisher is a low-cost but highly capable desktop publishing program that rivals Adobe InDesign.

Adobe sells some of the best graphics and desktop publishing programs in the world. Unfortunately, Adobe products are also expensive and require a subscription service. For anyone who wants the results that Adobe products can create but without the expense of buying an Adobe subscription, look at Affinity Designer, Affinity Publisher, and Affinity Photo instead.

Affinity Designer is a vector graphics program similar to Illustrator while Affinity Photo is similar to Photoshop and Affinity Publisher is similar to InDesign. Best of all, each program costs around $40-$50 with no ongoing subscription fee. Once you buy it, it’s yours to use for as long as you wish without paying any additional fees.

Naturally, if you’re already familiar with Adobe products, you may not want to switch to a rival product. However, if cost is a major factor, Affinity’s product line can easily replace Adobe’s products for all but the most sophisticated users.

One particularly useful feature of Affinity Publisher is its live link option to Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer. This means that if you need to edit a graphic image within Affinity Publisher, you can access Affinity Designer or Affinity Photo right within Affinity Publisher.

With Adobe products, you might be editing a graphic image in InDesign, which would require you to load Illustrator or Photoshop, and then edit that graphic image. Then you’ll need to add that edited graphic image back into InDesign again. By eliminating this process, Affinity Publisher makes it easy to edit graphics without leaving your desktop publishing document in Affinity Publisher.

Although Affinity products are much less expensive than Adobe’s products, they offer the features most people need, even experienced graphic designers. Before spending money on Adobe, take a close look at Affinity product line to see if they might match your needs instead.

For anyone learning graphics and desktop publishing on a budget, Adobe’s products are out of reach so look to Affinity’s product line instead. Once you understand the basics of using Affinity’s products, you can easily apply those same principles to using Adobe’s software if you wish.

The bottom line is that Adobe’s software is just too expensive for most people, even professionals. Look at Affinity’s products. They may be all that you need after all.

To learn more about Affinity Publisher, click here.