Stream of Superior Consciousness

In case you missed it, Swift got open sourced yesterday. Here’s my hot take:

We’re on the precipice folks. Swift is going to be huge.

Years from now, we are going to look back at the open sourcing of the language as *the* cataclysmic event that boosted Swift into being a top five or better programming language in terms of popularity.

I was there in the late ‘90s when Sun with help from IBM (and to a lesser extent even Microsoft) propelled Java. The feeling around Swift right now has the same vibe of inevitability. Apple, as originators, are at the forefront, of course. However IBM (Swift@IBM) and legions of Apple 3rd party developers are also at the table.

Mark this time folks. If you’re not on the Swift train yet, it’s time to board. It’s going to be a wild ride.

- Farley Caesar

Fellow iOS Devs…

Since I can never remember the mapping of size classes to actual devices, I created this mashup of images to help.

You may find it useful too. Enjoy.

Finally in possession of my new iPad Air! Damn lovely piece of kit.

Okay, time out. Time to level set. Let me preface this piece with some cold harsh reality.

Make no mistake, if you're coming from a year with the mini, as I am, the Air still feels like a behemoth.

Yes, I know. That was a bit of a bombshell. But it's true. The Air still feels a bit big and heavy to my hands. That being said, after using the new "full size" tablet for a couple of days, the trade offs seem well worth it. The screen feels positively huge & engaging. Typing is easier both in "hold iPad in portrait mode and type with your thumbs," as well as "rest iPad in your lap in landscape mode and type with your fingers." Typing speed is just way faster and more accurate.

Now back to weight and thickness. The mini is like holding a butterfly, compared to all other iPads it is practically weightless. That experience is not even remotely approximated by the Air (regardless of what other reviews out there may have stated). However, the Air is more than light enough to be a go anywhere, use everywhere device. It is not as deftly portable as the mini, but it is portable. The Air is comfortable to hold for long periods of time. And as stated previously, the screen size & quality is the killer feature.

For where I want to take my tablet use going forward the big expansive display of the iPad Air is where I want to be. I still love the mini. The experience of "anywhere computing" I've had over the past year has been great. But now, as a result of the iPad Air, I'm firmly back in the 9.7" camp.

Using the Air:

Entails less pinching & zooming when using the web.

Allows for easier typing.

Provides a wonderful video watching experience.

Provides a bigger canvas for stylus related activities.

Yet it possesses comfortable enough dimensions to be used in most situations.

For me and my use cases, the iPad Air just provides more of what I want out of a tablet. Of course, your mileage may vary.

Before you read this. First the read this well thought out article from John Moltz:

Why Apple Should Sidestep the Phablet

Read it? Good. Now my turn…

I humbly disagree with this article’s conclusion. Contrary to the opinion given therein, I think it would be a nice iPad mini-esque move for Apple to make a 5”, or even, 5”+ iPhone.

Yes, I know, no single smartphone model out there outsells the Apple 3.5” & 4” iPhones. They moved 48 million last quarter!

However, my championing of the 5” iPhone is not because sales of big-ass phones are threatening the iPhone. Clearly Moltz makes the case that they are not. I also don’t believe that Apple should make Phablets because other manufacturers are making them. That didn’t make sense with netbooks and it doesn’t make sense now. Many other tech companies make lots of things that make no sense. Apple doesn’t *need *to follow.

Rather my argument here is that Apple should make a 5” smartphone because it would be a useful product. A bigger, yet pocketable screen would, in fact, be useful. Bigger text, bigger content display, more typing area. But still pocketable. Yes it won’t be for everyone. The iPad mini is not for everyone. But, my friends, neither is the regular size iPad. One size does not fit all.

Now I’m not pitching that Apple take the machine gun approach and make a phone at every size on .5” intervals like our copycat buddies Samsung is fond of doing. That would be dumb. And yes, I’ll say it, very “un-Apple”.

What Apple needs to do is look at the device category, carefully select a couple of good sizes that serve the needs of the market and perfect the device at those sizes. This is what they have always done.

It worked in MacBooks (11”, 13” Airs; 13”, 15” Pros). Worked in iMacs (21”, 27”). Worked in iPods (Shuffle, Nano, Classic, Touch). Most recently worked in iPads (7.9” and 9.7”). So why would it not work in iPhones? (4” and 5”+)?

Introduction to Clojure

version 1.0

“The future is a function of the past, but doesn’t change it.” - Rich Hickey

Why Clojure?

Values and Change - Clojure’s approach to Identity and State.

Introductory Videos from the Creator

Clojure for Java Programmers Part 1

Clojure for Java Programmers Part 2

Are We There Yet? - A Deconstruction of Object Oriented Time

Books

Clojure Programming

The Joy of Clojure

Programming Clojure (2nd edition)

Functional Programming for the Object-Oriented Programmer

Getting Started

Download and Quick Start

Clojure IDEs

Clojure IDEs - The Grand Tour

But what about all those parentheses?

Lisp Syntax Doesn’t Suck

I checked out the sweet, sweet iPad mini today.

Okay first off... Standard one handed operation trophy pose?

✔ Check!

iPad mini. Portrait typing?

Of course.

iPad mini. Landscape typing?

You betcha!

Verdict? I want one. I really really want one. The build quality is fantastic. It is light and thin. The screen is fine. I read eBooks and websites on it with no issues.

Can't wait until my 64 GB LTE version arrives later this month.

Surface RT

Also checked out the Microsoft Surface tablet. Some compelling slick core technology.

But…

feels a bit like it’s trying to live in two different worlds: Tablet & PC. Seems like it doesn’t truly fit in either. The verdict after my 15 minutes with the Surface? It really needs software optimized for it. Based on what I played with, there were mostly warmed over, touch enabled, PC apps.

Certainly interesting conceptually though. I'll remain an interested bystander for now.

Why does such tripe make my eyes bleed, you ask? Because it’s painful to watch people make this mistake over & over again. Cost just dictates the minimum to charge. What is actually charged is what the market will bear. Period.

Not willing to pay that price? Then don’t buy it.

I find it hilarious how tech pundits simultaneously criticize Apple for coming out with an “under-specced” iPad mini:

“Apple is behind the competition!”

They say.

“Nexus 7 has a quad core processor, iPad mini’s is only dual core!”

But then, amusingly, in the same breath they have the gaul to criticize Apple for releasing the iPad 4.

Hmmmm, the iPad 4: Best screen resolution on the market, fastest processor on the market, best graphics on the market…

“Apple is moving too fast!”

they yell.

“How dare Apple release the next gen so soon after the iPad 3!”

“They’re abusing their customers!”

So which the f*ck is it? Should Apple lead the market or trail it?

Or maybe it’s neither. Maybe Apple is, more or less, releasing the right tech at the right time. Evidence? How about their amazing sales numbers. Sales numbers that any one of their competitors would die to have. Or maybe consider the fact that Apple is, more often than not, at the top of the customer satisfaction charts. And no it’s not because the “iSheep will buy anything.”

It’s because Apple approaches these products from a product engineering and marketing standpoint. All aspects are considered: size, weight, speed, storage, ecosystem, build quality, customer support, etc…

Compare on all of these factors and the iPad mini and iPad 4 look pretty damn good. I have a feeling that the Christmas numbers will prove that, yet again, Apple’s choices were correct. Many a nerd, geek, pundit, and especially Fandroid will cry about this. And then they will wait… Wait for the next Apple product release. At that point they will begin, anew, the next round of tired criticism.

The portability of the iPad Mini may open up a whole new gadget strategy for me:

Buy the top of the line iPad Mini every year. No carrier involved, so sweet no hassle annual upgrades to the lastest and greatest Mini.

Keep my iPhone 4S until:

it is no longer supported by iOS updates

or Apple comes out with a really compelling phone (which ever comes first).