Is Tiger really going to be that great?

[Demon Hunter]

I can understand Apple using year+ old GPU cards in they budget computers, however what's the issue with they "Power" line. I mean a PowerBook still using a 9700. Sad indeed.

I felt that way too, until I just threw up my hands and said the hell with it.

At 1" thick, it has plenty of power for me. If you look around, a lot of high-end notebooks are still using the 9700M, but none of them have Dual-Link. It's kind of silly right now, but it's great for bragging rights and DVI-devices in the future...

 

[nuckinfutz]

One of the problems with reading a review from a user rather than a developer is that while the reviewer has opinions their not the "informed" opinions that we're used to that go down the the nuts n bolts of the product. I welcome anyone to post their opinion but in order to do so you also open discussion on the merits of your opinion. With that in mind I will give my own opinion based on no actual use of Tiger thus it's basically theory here.

Spotlight -

I think this is the most misunderstood aspect of Tiger. I know we were all marketed on "Search" functions years ago. I think that's what may be causing the problem. We were told years ago that indexing our hard drives and then using search functions would bring computer nirvana. It didn't happen. Even after indexing our drives some items still seemed hard to find and many didn't like having to remember to index every now and then. What I like about Spotlight isn't just its search functions but the fact that it is entertwined with the actual file system itself.

So instead of keeping a rather proprietary database we now have a metadata infused filesystem that indexes on the fly and has plugin support that 3rd parties can tap into. Yes it's a search functions but it can be so much more because it's more open and systemwide. I expect to see applications that use Spotlight to find data that in methods that are totally transparent to the user. I've heard "I keep a well organized system so I don't need Spotlight" ********. There is a vast difference between locating files you've created and managed yourself versus finding data you don't even know exists. Typically I will clean out my computer and thus I want a quick way to highlight large files. Current searches do this but I love the idea of smart folders that update dynamically. Thus I can keep a better watch on my computer files.

Automator-

I thought this was a gui front end for applescript. I knew they already had Applescript Studio and thought "Maybe this will replace it" but instead it seems to be quite the application for those who love automation. No it isn't for everyone. Scripters have different motivating factors as to why they do what they do. However, I see Automator being something that more and more people will dip their toes in. We don't have a lot of information right now but it seems that Automator ties together Applescript, Unix shell scripts and can compile ++ on the spot to create the "Actions". It's looking like it should be pretty extensible as well. I'm excited for the potential. Apple will have downloadable Actions and if there are some Actions that strike a chord in usability in some people then that increases Tigers value to those people.

Dashboard-

I didn't think it at first but Dashboard is a superior implementation to Wastson/Sherlock IMO. Those apps where very handly but you were kind of stuck in their limited UI paradigms. With Dashboard widgets they can be shaped in whatever manner suits the application. I can customize what and where the widgets are on screen. They employ individual preferences in some cases (clocks) and link into standard system components like Addressbook. The developer community is already vibrant and Tiger hasn't even been announced. I expect good things here.

Quicktime 7

Finally Apple has updated this API. They've added links to the new Core APIs like Core Audio and Image/Video. They streamlined a cocoa API called QTKIT to make it easier to program Quicktime content (I've heard the current API is a mess) hopefully new Quicktime enabled apps will appear. They've added a codec that will give you HD video at 8-12Mbps or DVD quality video at 1-3Mbps. It's about time...we've waited a while for this and I'm sure there are more suprises coming.

Core Audio/Video/Image/Data-

The building blocks of the next class of Mac applications. Not every user will swear by them but those that have applications that require their use will love the power that goes down to the OS core. Core technologies are about utilizing your computer in the most efficient manner.

The small things -

Tiger will have so many little things that don't warrant a flashing marquee but keep some people happy nontheless. Things like

Parental Control- What parent doesn't want to control their childrens access to the computer and shield them from potential harm?

.Mac Sync- Cell phone lovers will rejoice. Even I am looking at the next crop of smartphones. Keeping everything in sync is of paramount importance. Thankfully Apple agrees.

iChat AV- We're ready to finally do video chat and conferencing at the consumer level. Halleluja. I just needed a legit reason for an iSight.

Tiger has a little bit of something for everyone. The only way for us to find out how much is to use it and get a little curious about what is lurking below the surface. It's easier to be rather non-productive in our computing lives. The computer only lets us be as productive as we'll want to be. Thus I need Apple to provide me with tools that I don't yet fully understand. They've walked that path before me and I'm grateful that they have worked hard to make my computing experience better. We should revist this thread in a few months. I think the responses them will be far more substantial.

 

[iMacZealot]

.....Curious to see what 10.5 will have to offer?

I'm waiting for Mac OS 11, aka Mac OS XI.

 

[Windowlicker]

• H.264 - Remember Pixlet? I'm not saying it's going to disappear of the radar as Pixlet did, but it's not going to change most of our Mac lives like the advertising might suggest.

If I'm not completely wrong, the H.264 format has been chosen to be the format for HD-DVD. That's very good for Apple!

 

[nuckinfutz]

If I'm not completely wrong, the H.264 format has been chosen to be the format for HD-DVD. That's very good for Apple!

Not just HD-DVD but Blu-Ray as well. Both nexgen formats support MPEG2, AVC/h.264 and VC-1(WM9 open smpte standard).

I think it's also appropriate to explain what Apple's intentions were for Pixlet. Pixlet was designed to be a codec that could be used for "dailies" and not a final delivery codec. Pixlet doesn't do interframe compression which means the Director of Photography can be relatively assured that he/she is looking at correct video. Steve made a mistake in announcing Pixlet and set expectations that shouldn't have been set for consumers.

AVC is a delivery codec that looks good but compresses over a series of frames making it unsuitable for a good daily format.

 

[thequicksilver]

This is something that's only just occurred to me, so correct me if I'm wrong, but:

Quicktime 7 will be coming for Tiger, Panther (maybe even Jaguar?) as well as the normal Windows release. Presumably this also means that H264 will be coming in all of these releases too? If so, it's no longer a Tiger selling point.

If anyone knows this for sure it'd be good to know. Ta.

 

[nuckinfutz]

This is something that's only just occurred to me, so correct me if I'm wrong, but:

Quicktime 7 will be coming for Tiger, Panther (maybe even Jaguar?) as well as the normal Windows release. Presumably this also means that H264 will be coming in all of these releases too? If so, it's no longer a Tiger selling point.

If anyone knows this for sure it'd be good to know. Ta.

It never was, people have been encoding in h.264 for months now using Nero and other encoding tools. Tiger cannot be boiled down to a bullet list of features. It's the implementation of the features that will add up to a better experience for many users. Tiger unleashes a bevy of new APIs and frankly people won't see the immense power of these API until apps take advantage of the new features. Until then though I still expect Tiger to be a smoother and more robust OS than even Panther.

 

[DavidLeblond]

Whenever people list all the new things coming out with Tiger they always fail to mention XCode 2. Thats the #1 thing I'm looking forward to. I'd like to see how this new UML thing works.