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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Banshee16" data-source="post: 5617580" data-attributes="member: 7883">To be clear.....I was just reading the article, and unaware of Gizmodo's history with Apple.However, if you Google "iOS lion" you don't just come across the Gizmodo article.  You find articles by Mac fans on Apple's own message boards, from half a year ago.....so it's apparent this isn't just Gizmodo trying to get a dig in.  Now, a lot can change in half a year.I won't be using it, so it doesn't bother me.  I *am* a little concerned that both Apple and Microsoft (via Windows 8) seem intent on creating "one OS to rule them all" that would run across computers, phones, and tablets.  Those different formats of device have different characteristics and needs.  You need something simple and quick on battery sipping mobile devices.  But on a desktop or notebook computer?  Why go to that length of simplification?  Simplification always has a cost (ie. power/flexibility).  How far down that road do you want to go on someone's main computer?That having been said, the one advantage a "one OS" approach has is that theoretically, you can buy programs on your desktop, and also have them run on your mobile device.  But.......isn't that what programs like Splashtop are for?  Use your desktop, which is connected directly to hydro, and has much more RAM and more powerful processors, handle all the heavy lifting, and you control it via screen sharing on your mobile device?I'm not a believer in the idea that tablets are going to revolutionize computing by eliminating the need for desktops or notebooks.  I still believe they're a new category of device that can supplement the other forms of computer....but not replace it.  They *do* seem pretty useful....but I can't see doing all my computing on a tablet.  I just think the tablets seem preferable in terms of comfort, than a tiny little smartphone screen.Trying writing a university paper on an iPad or Xoom.  It's something you just *need* a real keyboard for.  And not a tiny one like the Bluetooth keyboards, or the one on the EEE Pad Transformer...because that's effectively like trying to type that essay on a netbook.  Remember carpal tunnel?  There's a reason ergonomic keyboards are larger, with the wave format....the complete opposite of the ones done for tablets.And given data bandwidth caps in many countries, I don't think that downloading everything from the Cloud is necessarily viable.Aside from bandwidth issues, in my mind the Cloud is also a problem for other reasons.......such as that many (maybe a majority) of servers used for Cloud-based applications are based in the U.S.  Which makes the data on them subject to the Patriot Act right?  But that flies in the face of Canada's PIPEDA, which requires the security of all customer information gathered by companies, and establishes liability for protecting it.  I'm no lawyer, but it's something many of my clients have been concerned about, and have outright refused to allow data gathered by applications they use to be stored on American servers as a result.So, is that really viable?  Hence, is expecting the demise of thumb drives and optical drives etc. realistic?  Seems to me, at least for the next few years, they'll still be needed.  Then there's the network issue.  Even on a T1 connection, and then on a 4 MBps ADSL connection (fastest I can get, unless I want data caps), DropBox *still* took about 15 hours to sync about a GB of image files I put online for one of my developers to access, with an imminent timeline, before he was able to start downloading them himself.  Now, that might have been network congestion, but in terms of reliability, to me, that's pretty poor.With a 6 GB data package for my phone, I can't even imagine using Google Music (if it was available in Canada, which it isn't) to stream my music to multiple devices.  Similarly, I'm usually afraid of watching YouTube videos, downloading apps, or even listening to Slacker Radio (Pandora and Hulu also aren't available) unless I'm connected to a WiFi hotspot.  And at least here, the dominant players in the telecom industry are repeatedly trying to get caps installed.  Given retired execs from those companies run the regulatory body, they'll likely eventually get their way, in one form or another.Banshee</blockquote>

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