daringfireball: possible new mobile device OS prediction

[shecky]

from John Gruber at Daringfireball.net (http://www.daringfireball.net)

iPod Mobile Phone — Even just a few days ago, I did not expect to see Apple announce a phone this week. But over the weekend I flip-flopped, and I now think it’s more likely than not. Not a VOIP phone that depends on Wi-Fi or anything like that, but an honest-to-god mobile phone. It seems like there has to be some sort of “Wow, I thought maybe Apple would announce a phone but I didn’t think they’d do it like this!” factor, but damned if anyone knows what it is. My wild unlikely-but-wouldn’t-it-be-cool-as-**** guess: that it’s not an iPod phone, but rather introduces a new mobile device OS

i have to agree that would be even cooler than a new phone; a new mobile platform entirely. unlikely, but cool.

[peharri]

from John Gruber at Daringfireball.net (http://www.daringfireball.net)



i have to agree that would be even cooler than a new phone; a new mobile platform entirely. unlikely, but cool.

Don't think it's that unlikely.

1. Take NEXTSTEP. Add some OS X enhancements, such as the GUI, most of Darwin, but leave out new frameworks etc unless they're absolutely necessary, and forget about 90% of the device drivers and stuff as they're unnecessary.
2. Add Java (at least, J2ME)
3. Add Quicktime

Result: OS X Lite. They could easily have been keeping this in development for the last ten years, as they did OS X for Intel, without anyone knowing. For the most part, it's a set of Makefile flags added to Mac OS X.

But that's not the only way of doing it. An alternative is to take an OS like Mac OS 9, remove some of the unnecessary stuff, upgrade the GUI a little, and have Java and maybe CarbonLib. Very low on the resource requirements, very efficient.

Apple doesn't have to build this thing from the ground up. It already has two candidates in terms of old systems that have 90% of the functionality required and just need tweaking and a UI overhaul to make them "just work".

[Spock]

But that's not the only way of doing it. An alternative is to take an OS like Mac OS 9, remove some of the unnecessary stuff, upgrade the GUI a little, and have Java and maybe CarbonLib. Very low on the resource requirements, very efficient.

Did You just use OS 9 and efficient in the same sentence? Why not use System 7? I would like it and I know dpaanlka would love it.

[firefoxnx]

Sounds something like the Nokia Internet Tablet but doesn't suck that much.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_770

[harveypooka]

The once amusing macosrumors.com (http://www.macosrumors.com) say the same thing, they have been for a while. Let's wait and see. The MacBook modded tablet looks interesting, but I think it's going to be a lot of £££.