First I wanted to thank the many folks who through Facebook, twitter and other social media found out that I had a heart attack that led to a triple bypass. So many of you sent get well notes and notes of prayers and good thoughts and they were all greatly appreciated. The doctors told me I was 30 minutes from a major stroke and 60 minutes from losing 50% of my heart muscle. I am glad I listened to my body and went to emergency and that saved me.
I am now in serious healing mode and am told I will be good as new by Sept . That is why I have not written any columns here at Tech.pinions for about 6 weeks. Only now am I getting my strength back to start writing again.
One interesting by product of this is the fact that for 2 weeks I was completely disconnected. I suppose if you keep a guy on morphine you can keep him disconnected. So once I was switched to a regular room the first thing I asked for was my iPad and Macbook Air. It took me a week to catch up and when I got home I devoured as much industry info I need to do my job.
Although a lot of news passed under the bridge, to be fair, I found nothing earth shattering. Even more disappointing was as I perused the products from Computex and they all seemed the same. Most of what I saw was just some type of variation on the same theme. This was played out later in the week when Microsoft introduced their Surface Computer. It too was a variation of things already done albeit with their version with their unique touches to it.
It seems to me that the industry is at a standstill. Where is the innovation going to come from? Where is the next iPad that revolutionizes personal computing? Where is the new user interface that change how we interact with our computer? Where are the flexible screens that would change the way we view things? When does the network become the computer?
It appears to me that Apple leads and then the industry spends the next 5 years catching up. That has been good for Apple but devastating for competitors. At some point, the industry needs to step up and make some bold steps of innovation on its own. HP has one of the richest labs known to man. They need to commercialize some of their great technology. Xerox PARC is known for their technology and mostly for things that got away such as Postscript, The Mouse and the graphical User Interface. They have great stuff Inside. In fact, nearly all of the OEM’s have innovation labs of their own and it is time for them to dig deep and start innovating from within.
I expect Apple to continue to innovate and lead, but for this industry to really make some strides and start changing the compute landscape dramatically, it is going to take more then Apple to make it happen. I am normally an industry optimist but those two weeks away from everything has made it clear that we are kind of stuck in a circle. Apple innovates and the rest of the industry spends the next 5 years playing catch up. Apple should innovate but the rest of the industry needs to innovate as well and at warp speed. If they do, the future of personal computing can be bright. If not, it will only be bright for Apple.
First, my condolences on your recent health issue and my very best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery.
I look at things the other way around. I think that the tablet (including tablet phones) is a brand new category of computer that, when combined with the various App stores, is breathing new life into computing. The iPhone is only 5 years old and the iPad is only two years old and their run at transforming computing, and the world we live in, may easily last another dozen years or more.
I don’t think we’re at the end of innovation, I think we’re at the beginning. The tablet is going to take the computer into new areas (third world countries, standing, walking, leaning back, etc) and new, as of yet unthought of tasks that have never been touched by the power of computing before.
Further, even if the hardware stagnated (which isn’t going to happen) the tablet and the app stores are the bedrock foundation of the rebirth of software innovation. We haven’t even begun to begin to see the kinds of programs that the combination of easy to do programming, easy access, low costs and instant distribution will wrought. The sky’s the limit. There will be brand new, never before seen generic programs purchased by tens of millions of users and tens of millions of tiny, little, entity and company specific programs, used by small groups of individuals. Both types of program will help to transform our world in very broad and very personal ways.
And that’s not even counting the “next big thing”.
No, I’m not concerned about innovation or the future of computing. I think that we’re living in a second golden age, the second coming of the personal computing revolution. I intend to enjoy the ride.
Best wishes on your recovery, Tim.
I think advancement will have to come with applications for new sensors and materials. Perhaps roll-up displays and electro-fluidic keyboards over the touch screen? Also wearable computers like Google Glass for Augmented Reality applications like security and maintenance where even a tablet is too big for the job.
I think we will also see advances in battery life that will bring a whole new raft of applications as these devices get long battery life and lighter weight especially networked arrays of sensors distributed geographically.
Get better first!
Tim, I am so glad you are alright. You have been a voice of reason in tech for so long, I can’t even remember that far back.
Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon on a daily basis.
Is it okay if I share this piece from you? It’s really good advice worth passing on! My subscribers will get a lot from this too.
Good post! We will be linking to this particularly great post on our site. Keep up the great writing
very satisfying in terms of information thank you very much.
I’m uncertain about this post. Your premises are well structured, but sadly it’s foolish to base things on what other people may believe. Please elaborate, because I find you to be a worthy writer and I hope to learn more from you!
You ought to take part in a contest for one of the finest
blogs on the net. I most certainly will recommend this web site!
Your way of explaining all in this article is in fact good, all be
capable of without difficulty know it, Thanks a lot.
Aw, this was an incredibly good post. Finding the time and actual effort to generate a really good
article… but what can I say… I hesitate a whole lot and don’t seem to get nearly anything done.
I was able to find good information from your articles.
At this time it sounds like Movable Type is the top blogging platform available right now.
(from what I’ve read) Is that what you are using on your blog?
Appreciating the time and effort you put into your blog and detailed
information you present. It’s nice to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same old rehashed material.
Excellent read! I’ve saved your site and I’m adding your RSS
feeds to my Google account.
With havin so much written content do you ever run into any issues of plagorism or copyright infringement?
My site has a lot of unique content I’ve either created myself or
outsourced but it seems a lot of it is popping it up all over
the internet without my authorization. Do you know
any methods to help protect against content from being stolen? I’d definitely appreciate it.
Excellent items from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you’re simply extremely great.
I actually like what you’ve got here, certainly like what you’re saying and
the way in which by which you assert it. You’re making it enjoyable and you still take care of to stay it smart.
I can not wait to read far more from you. This is really a terrific site.
naturally like your web-site however you have to test the spelling on several of your posts.
Many of them are rife with spelling problems and I in finding
it very troublesome to inform the truth however I’ll surely come again again.
For most recent information you have to pay a visit world-wide-web and
on the web I found this website as a most excellent website for latest updates.
Wonderful post however I was wanting to know if you could
write a litte more on this subject? I’d be
very thankful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Bless you!
Do you have a spam issue on this website; I also am a blogger,
and I was curious about your situation; we have developed some
nice practices and we are looking to exchange solutions with others, be sure
to shoot me an email if interested.
Hey, I think your site might be having browser compatibility issues.
When I look at your blog site in Ie, it looks fine but when opening in Internet
Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up!
Other then that, amazing blog!
Great post.
This is the right website for anybody who wishes to find out
about this topic. You understand so much its almost hard
to argue with you (not that I really would want to…HaHa).
You definitely put a new spin on a subject which
has been written about for years. Excellent stuff, just wonderful!
Attractive part of content. I simply stumbled upon your web site and in accession capital
to claim that I get actually loved account your weblog posts.
Any way I will be subscribing in your augment or even I fulfillment you get admission to constantly rapidly.
My brother recommended I might like this website. He was totally right.
This post actually made my day. You cann’t imagine just how much time I had spent for this info!
Thanks!
Great delivery. Solid arguments. Keep up the amazing work.
Good day! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I genuinely enjoy reading your
articles. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that
deal with the same topics? Thanks for your time!
We are a bunch of volunteers and starting a brand new scheme in our community.
Your website provided us with valuable information to work on. You’ve
done a formidable task and our whole group will likely be grateful to you.
Great beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend your website, how can i subscribe for
a blog site? The account aided me a acceptable deal.
I had been tiny bit acquainted of this your broadcast offered bright clear
concept
bookmarked!!, I like your site!
This is very interesting, You are a very skilled blogger.
I have joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your excellent post.
Also, I’ve shared your website in my social networks!
That is really attention-grabbing, You are a very professional blogger.
I have joined your feed and look ahead to in the hunt for more of
your fantastic post. Also, I’ve shared your web
site in my social networks
Greetings! Very useful advice within this article! It is the little changes that
produce the most significant changes. Thanks
a lot for sharing!
You have made some good points there. I looked on the
web for more information about the issue and found most
individuals will go along with your views on this website.
When someone writes an paragraph he/she keeps the idea of a user
in his/her brain that how a user can understand it. Therefore that’s why this
post is great. Thanks!
AR and VR technologies have brought immersive experiences to education. From virtual field trips to three-dimensional anatomy lessons, these technologies offer students a hands-on and interactive approach to learning, making complex concepts more accessible and engaging.
A person essentially assist to make seriously articles I might state.
This is the first time I frequented your web page
and to this point? I amazed with the research you made to create this actual publish extraordinary.
Magnificent activity!
Great blog here! Also your website loads up fast!
What host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to
your host? I wish my website loaded up as quickly as yours lol