Each device has its own origin story, but that’s not what the public usually hear, especially from the huge and immaculate companies such as Apple. However, there comes a new era of the company Apple, where media sharing personal stories, and readers get an idea of how the creation of a product from scratch.

Apple Watch, as reported by the portal Wired, originally consisted of the iPhone, which was attached to the wrist by a fastening Velcro. All that was at that time – and the idea of an iPod: neither the software nor the device itself. Apple kept its plans for hours in secret almost half a decade, although it is not easy in a world where technology leaks are commonplace.

On his first time a former employee of Adobe, criticized in his time Apple, and a brilliant developer Kevin Lynch would be presented to the whole team led by Johnny Ayvom, who was working on a revolutionary device that is worn on the wrist. Surprisingly, Lynch did not say what exactly it will work at Apple. Then he learned that the experts do not have time to maturity: two days later it was necessary to agree on a draft of the project. Lynch got quite a clear signal: to make the idea of the product. The device was supposed to be “insanely great”. Do not forget that this is the first product that was created without Steve Jobs. The idea of creating a device occurred Quince shortly after Jobs’ death in October 2011.

After long hours spent in studying the irresistible Swiss watchmaking, art and design team created the first prototype of its smart hours. It was so absurd that it is difficult to imagine. The first hours of Apple were actually iPhone with Velcro fasteners. Of course, it was a “very beautifully designed strap with Velcro,” says Lynch portal Wired.

With the first emulator software for Apple Watch team came up with a system of “views” (option «glance»), scroll wheel and the interaction of digital crown Force Touch. The team set itself two main objectives: to ensure that the interaction with the clock, we can confine ourselves to 5-10 seconds and help users to “get rid” of their iPhone-s. A little ironic to recall at this looked like the first prototype Apple Watch.

“We are very related to the technology,” says Lynch reporters portal Wired. “People spend much time with their smartphones, constantly glancing at the screen of the phone.”

Team modifies each interaction to simplify the user experience, but for this they need to make the software more intelligent and more contextual than iOS. Application for reading posts was to allow the wearer to quickly view the message and give options for a quick answer. Voice control should be fast and accurate as dictation messages.

The article provides a shining example of how Apple has been able to turn the “intelligent interaction” option, in Short, Look («a glance”). Vibration on your wrist tells you that you come to a text message. You shake your wrist and learn from someone coming from. If you are not important, you slowly lower your wrist downward to ignore it. However, if you want to read a message right now, shake your wrist again, and a message appears on the full screen.

The team also worked on the mechanism of different types of vibration, touch to create alerts for different types of notifications. Ive has been interested in this aspect of the work device.

Source: DigitalTrends

The post History of the Apple Watch appeared first on Raqwe.

Usually components from old computers are considered useless junk and simply discarded. But there are times when an old piece turns into a real rarity.

So it was in this case, in the US, where it was found the item from EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Computer) – the computer, which was built at Cambridge University (UK) in 1949. The creation of this computational monster that included 3,000 vacuum tubes, it took almost two years. The machine is 20 square meters. meters, consume 12 kW and has a high capacity for the time 15 000 operations per second. It consisted of 12 uprights 14 in each chassis. EDSAC functioned until 1953, when it was replaced by a more advanced EDSAC-2.

EDSAC was the world’s first computer with a Stored Program. Engineers are no longer required to engage a plurality of switching toggle switches and wires in order to get the computer to make the necessary calculations. This greatly simplified operation, which allowed the use EDSAC glad to solve a scientific question.

However, after the creation of a more perfect device obsolete computers simply dismantled for parts and sold them at auction, which is called “for parts”. Then no one could imagine that within a few decades, computers achieved a fantastic performance and the first devices will be remembered as the unique museum exhibits.

So find some Robert Little of Pennsylvania, USA is truly unique. In 1969, he received it from the chassis EDSAC from the hands of the scientist Robert Clark, who bought one of the racks of computers with the intention to turn it into a bookshelf. For several decades, the item lying in the barn Little, rust, and generally lost “marketability.” But all this is fixable.

Finding yourself in a long-forgotten curiosity, Little contacted a group of scientists who are now engaged in the restoration of EDSAC, also by coincidence detection circuit half a century ago. So the reconstruction of the famous computer will be used one historical detail.

The post Interestingly: Detail of the first computer with memory found among trash garage appeared first on Raqwe.

In our days, when technical devices that can change our lives, leave annually, if not more often, journalists and analysts tend to see new products not only as something to bury alive the company’s products. Each output of such a successful product like iPhone , accompanied by an enormous amount of criticism and complaints about how little changes in the product and how they are insignificant. Is it worth it to say something about the less successful device.

In the article foreign resource TUAW author argues that a decade ago, new products met as cool. When in October 2001, Steve Jobs showed the world the iPod , the reaction of journalists was very short-sighted. Here are a few examples taken from the pages MacRumors 2001:

Hey, Apple, I have an idea – instead of having to delve into the world of toys and entertainment, why do not you spend a little more time with their expensive and impossible curves servers? Or do you really aspire to become a renowned company tricks for the consumer?

I still can not believe it! All this is some very funny trick! Who cares about the MP3-player? I want something new! I want them to think differently! And why do they do it? This is a big mistake! It’s incredibly stupid!

As we can see with hindsight, iPod has become very successful and has had a huge impact on music and technology. Yes there, iPod actually arranged a musical revolution, simultaneously enriching the Apple company to a greater extent than anything before it. Nothing says the shortsightedness of many critics as well as the time that is known to all on the places. However, there were exceptions, quite phenomenal. We are talking about the former CNET editor Eliot Van Burskirk. While his colleagues discussed the price of the device or mourned the company that issued the MP3-player, Mr. Van Burskirk described the prospects that he sees for the iPod, and wonder – how right he was. Here are some excerpts from his article:

Some revolutionary quality iPod obvious: lightning data transfer, compact size, brilliant design, not to mention the built-in 5 GB of memory. But some of its qualities make me very surprised if the iPod is not the harbinger of a new type will be devices that are not associated with the ability to play MP3. Seemingly random product features and some industry facts lead me to believe that this player is not nothing but a herald of the future. iPod can store any type of file, and appears on the desktop as a removable disk, which forces to use it for this purpose.

The following words of the journalist literally be called a prophecy, and in fact they were written just a week after the release of iPod.

If you add it all together and look at the whole picture, you understand – what I am. iPod – is more than a MP3-player, is the prototype of a purse of data that each of us will carry into the next decade. These devices will synchronize data from multiple machines and allow everywhere to carry their music and video library. They will have a simple interface and the ability to connect a keyboard, webcam, monitor, network, mobile phone, PDA, music center, headphones, goggles, GPS-module and any other peripherals.

In his article, the former editor of CNET spoke about the ports for connecting peripherals. Nowadays, we have the same thing, but stepped a little further, and connect the device using a wireless connection. And all we really connect – thermostats, cars, security cameras and more. In a way, Eliot Van Buskirk even predicted the future Touch ID:

If you will be introduced safer identification technology, the device can even perform the role of a personal security code during operations such as check-in and boarding the flight.

Unfortunately, nowadays spoiled constant innovations critics reject blindly technical products, focusing on what these new features are not. Very few people are trying to open up perspectives, like Eliot, who literally predicted the future of not only the devices from Apple, but all portable electronics, just by looking at a new MP3-player.

The post Journalist predicted the future of electronics in a week after the release of iPod appeared first on Raqwe.

The situation is such that most people use a particular term, not knowing and not even knowing about the history of its occurrence. This is by no means a rebuke or something similar – just a statement of fact. A good example of this is the word «Bluetooth», which, as it turned out , was created to honor the memory of the glorious Danish King Harald I, famous for a huge amount of good deeds. But today we are not talking about it. What comes to mind almost every person at the mention of the word ” Android”? Correctly, fairly minimalist image of a green robot. What was the inspiration for its creation, and, most importantly, who came up with this final design? Let’s find out.

Many fans of the operating system probably know that Android was already presented in the distant 2007. Logo it is worth noting was created shortly before the presentation itself. To be precise – a few weeks earlier. We owe this to our compatriot Irina Blok, which in those days was part of the team Google.

The design team was set pretty abstract task to come up with a logo, the protagonist of which would be a robot. However, there were also aggravating parts: image should be easy to remember that later would allow him to become one of the most recognizable logos in the world. Looking ahead, we note that it is more than possible. 

Block was the leader of the team, and for the task she chose a rather predictable path. Irina went to look for inspiration in their own home: the TV, reviewing a huge amount of sci-fi and space-related films. However, this did not help.

Creative people probably know that the muse come by chance – when nobody is waiting for. That’s what happened with the designer. Spending a night in one of the cozy bars of the city, Irina stumbled on the restroom door. She wore a universal icon, depicting a man and a woman. You’ve probably already figured out what was going on. 

That this was the basis for the well-known character logo today with two antennae on his head. Icon Android, by the way, could look like this: 

Or even this: 

It should be noted that “a person” Android can use and modify their own way, without fear of consequences. It became a kind of analogy with a system that is open source.

Despite the worldwide fame of his creation, the designer not only become recognizable on the street, but is afraid of publicity. On one occasion she said Irina. One day in 2010, sitting in a movie theater with his daughter at the premiere of “Alice in Wonderland” Block noticed the logo appears on the screen Android. Being modest and well-mannered man, of course it is not filed and mind. But this does not apply to her daughter, who suddenly stood up and yelled at all the theater: “My mom came up with it.” Of course, most cartoon lovers staring at Irina, which, in turn, hid behind a huge package of popcorn in their own hands.

Currently “Mama Android» is the creative director of social network for teachers and students called Edmodo. Do the same on Irina develops design for all kinds of household items. Special popularity earned her respirators designed to protect its carriers from all sorts of infections. Perhaps so bright protection unlikely to overcome any virus. 

Yes, sometimes it is difficult to believe that in a truly meaningful and known objects are seemingly minor details.

The post How the logo Android? appeared first on Raqwe.

Mac Pro for $ 3000 – it’s not crazy. Yes, you heard right, I really think this is a great offer. Let’s do a little history. In 1984 he was presented the original Macintosh , which had 128 kilobytes of memory and cost 2495 dollars. If we transfer this amount to date, it will be equal to 5616 dollars. And let’s try to spend a little parallel between the two devices. Will be based on the data that Apple has told us about his creation – the most “powerful vial of” the market.

Leaving long way computing and immediately turn to our results. The new device has more than 10,000 times more memory than the original Mac. And if we go down the road of “direct comparison”, by the way, it is possible, then we will get some interesting results. According to rough estimates, Mac Pro is faster by about 10 thousand times. And it is worth noting that the device is sold at cost, which in 2999 dollars, or 2617 dollars less than the cost of the original Mac after calculating its value to inflation.

Such comparisons are taking place. We can connect to all the famous “Moore’s Law”, which states that every 24 months the number of transistors placed on a chip integrated circuits doubles. Simply put, every 24 months means a two-time performance gains. And then realize that the first thing: these comparisons are very reasonable, and secondly, for the moment Mac Pro is a terrific device that virtually benchmark performance and on the compactness.

The post Mac Pro for $ 3000 – it is not madness appeared first on Raqwe.