The Web is dead? And Flipboard?

Because of an NPR report, and then the Charlie Rose program, I checked out this piece at Wired--on how the web is dead.  A catchy and provocative title, yes.  The essay makes a distinction between the "www" and the "internet."

And, thankfully, I am able to follow this discussion! 

Decades ago, when I was transitioning into graduate school life, I took up a job with the computing services (UCS) at USC.  This was in addition to my graduate assistantship.  My first day at UCS, the supervisor took me around to the backrooms and pointed to a bunch of stuff and said something like, "this is our ARPAnet."  Having been trained in the Indian culture, I didn't ask him what that meant ... annoying people with questions is something I became good at much later, and I have to thank America for it :)

But, it did not take me long to understand that ARPANET was one awesome computer network.  I recall spending hours reading random and useless posts on various "soc." and "alt." groups.  Some were profound too--in fact, it was from one of those soc.culture.indian postings that I knew that the then dictator president of Pakistan, Zia ul Haq, died in a plane crash.  These were the days of the "internet" before the World Wide Web--the web now.

Which brings us to the death of the web as Wired argues:

Over the past few years, one of the most important shifts in the digital world has been the move from the wide-open Web to semiclosed platforms that use the Internet for transport but not the browser for display. It’s driven primarily by the rise of the iPhone model of mobile computing, and it’s a world Google can’t crawl, one where HTML doesn’t rule. And it’s the world that consumers are increasingly choosing, not because they’re rejecting the idea of the Web but because these dedicated platforms often just work better or fit better into their lives (the screen comes to them, they don’t have to go to the screen). The fact that it’s easier for companies to make money on these platforms only cements the trend. Producers and consumers agree: The Web is not the culmination of the digital revolution.

(and to think that higher education still wants to hang on to the old lecture/chalkboard mode of teaching/learning!!!)

So, where is the trigger coming from?

The rise of machine-to-machine communications — iPhone apps talking to Twitter APIs — is all about control. Every API comes with terms of service, and Twitter, Amazon.com, Google, or any other company can control the use as they will. 

Kind of creepy, come to think of it: machine-to-machine communications?  Hey, buddy, isn't communication supposed to be between and amongst humans? :)
Ok, I am exaggerating. But, not by that much.
The following video is an example of how much the machine-to-machine communications can present a completely different kind of experience for us humans ...

Cue that Twilight Zone music already :)

iPad's competition--from India?

For $35. Will you purchase one?
More so when the iPad sells for, ahem, $499?

the tablet supports web browsing, video conferencing and word processing, say developers.
...The device unveiled on Thursday has no hard disk, using a memory card instead, like a mobile phone, and can run on solar power, according to reports.
... The plan was to drop the price eventually to $20 and ultimately to $10,

Whether or not this prototype eventually gets manufactured is, to some extent, irrelevant compared to the arguments that (a) such gadgets will get cheaper and cheaper, and (b) competition to new products will be insanely intense and this competition will rise up faster and faster than ever before.  I doubt whether companies will be able to make the gazillions out of new products like they used to in the past.  The speed of the treadmill has increased :)

More on this product:

Of the Holy Trinity of technology progress - "better, faster, cheaper" - India has cornered the market on "cheaper." First there was the $2100 car. Then, the $2000 open-heart surgery and the $16 water purifier. Today, the Indian government added the $35 tablet computer to that list. Think of it as an iPad for the rest of us.
(That's 1500 rupees, if you're keeping score in Indian currency.)
The computer uses the Android operating system and will come in three screen sizes: 5, 7 and 9 inches. It will be equipped with 2 GB of RAM, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a energy-saving 2-watt power supply -- useful in India's power-starved rural regions. A solar power option, also useful in those areas, will be available for an additional charge.
The computer will be equipped with many open-source applications, another money-saver. Standard on the tablet will be a Web browser, the OpenOffice office productivity suite, a PDF reader, video conferencing capability, the Scilab numerical computation package, a media player, content viewer, and remote device management capability.

One dissenting note though: India cornering the market on "cheaper?" Hello?  That is China, my friend!

iPad: packaging + marketing = $$$?

Outsourced

I'm sure you've heard about reverse engineering and industrial espionage -- they are the bread and butter of a competitive tech industry! -- but I had no idea there were firms, such as Chipworks, that specialize in the process. They've just released glorious, revealing details of the Apple iPad's hardware, and a complete breakdown of the new, top-secret A4 processor. For the less-technically-minded, iFixit has a walkthrough for the reverse engineering, too.

The pictures and details are juicy -- you can even order a bunch of die photos! -- but ultimately, there isn't anything exciting under the hood. The iPad is merely a large iPod Touch, with almost identical hardware in places. Chipworks calls the iPad 'a giant battery with a tiny [circuit] board attached to it' -- and looking at the picture above, you can see why!

So, no real news here I'm afraid, unless you're trying to mollify a Mac fanatic. What you're paying for is a large touch-screen and a giant battery -- you are not buying a piece of 'magic', but simply a large iPod Touch. The devil, as always, is in the software. It would not be the first time that Apple has shoehorned some fantastic software into a shiny, but otherwise lackluster hardware package.

In my opinion, the coolest part of this story is that Chipworks tears apart of bleeding-edge technology to produce full, reproducible schematics of a device's circuitry. Nothing is sacred!

iPad ... if you are planning to buy it, read this :)

The iPad goes on sale on April 3rd:

Apple plans initially to sell three iPad models, starting at $499, with built-in support for Wi-Fi wireless networking. Three additional models that can communicate over high-speed 3G wireless networks will go on sale later in April.
....
Apple may sell 2 million to 2.5 million iPads this year, according to Shaw Wu, an analyst at Kaufman Bros. David Bailey, an analyst at Goldman Sachs (GS), says sales could reach 6 million units. Apple shares gained 4.35, or 1.9%, to close at 230.90 on Mar. 26. The stock has more than doubled in the past year.

 So, should you buy one, if you have not already pre-ordered it?  (I am not planning to.  The only "i" thing I ever owned was an iMac, way back when ... Here is a helpful (!) decision-making flowchart :)