Steve Jobs is trying to invent Dynabook again!
In 2009, we can witness the birth of a new generation of devices - Apple iDynabook communicators! Just as Apple invented the Personal Computer in the late 1970s, even today a fundamentally new device can be born that embodies the once fantastic ideas invented in the Xerox PARC laboratory: It was the Head of the Xerox research laboratory, Alan Key, in 1968 the idea of ​​creating a portable computer Dynabook "the size of a notebook, having a flat monitor and able to connect to networks without wires"!
And Steve Jobs has repeatedly mentioned that this idea shook and captured them so much that almost all Apple developments gradually brought the world closer to the realization of this idea.
Dynabook Help:
“His concept of Dynabook, Alan Key, was outlined in the Personal Dynamic Media article (IEEE Computer, 1977, v. 3, No. 10, p. 31). A completely new thing was that Dynabook was viewed not as a computing device, but as a medium for a non-professional user. Kay described it as a portable interactive device with a flat-panel touchscreen, wireless communication system and multimedia capabilities. Here the principle of WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get), text editors and a drawing system were assumed.
It is said that Kay was a very enthusiastic person: he became so interested in Dynabook that he matched her importance to Gutenberg’s invention.
For this machine of the future, the Star GUI was designed and modeled to include all the elements we were familiar with today - windows, icons, menus and much more. Star GUI is the prototype of the Apple Macintosh interface.
The Dynabook project was never completed, but the validity of its existence was proved by the impact it had on the future. True, there was one attempt to implement “in hardware” - under the name Alto on the basis of the Nova minicomputer, and then Dorado.
The closest practical successors to Dynabook were Knowledge Navigator (Apple, 1987) and Newton, developed at Apple under the leadership of John Sculley (John Sculley). ”
When Apple bought PA Semi (see: “Apple buys PA Semi” ), some experts were surprised because PA Semi has so far been involved in the development of CPU architecture PowerPC, from which Apple refused in 2005. But even then, rumors were spreading that the new division of Apple, formed from PA Semi, would develop a new generation of processors based on the ARM architecture (see: "Apple, Samsung and Imagination Secret Deal" ). Now these rumors and conjectures have finally been confirmed, see: “The head of Apple chip developers on the next generation of the iPhone ...” .
The modern Apple iPhone uses Samsung S3C6400 processors with a frequency of 667 MHz, based on the ARM architecture developed by ARM1176JZF (see: “iPhone processor: 620MHz ARM CPU” ). And in the next generations, the iPhone will have a CPU, possibly made by Samsung’s factories (since Apple does not have its own CPU manufacturing factories), but fully developed by the engineering team of Apple itself (and of course the marking on it will have its own, t .e processor will be called, well, for example, Apple iARM 2K).
And the question arises, what will Apple gain from this? What Apple is not satisfied with the processors from Samsung, based on the architecture of ARM11? After all, for modern iPhone smartphones, the power of the Samsung S3C6400 processor is enough. Well, in the future, because Progress does not stand still, there will be a new version of the CPU from Samsung with higher frequencies, and such a performance that for the phone, it will always be enough.
So what are the characteristics of this future processor (Apple iARM 2K). The fact is that the team that develops it was created by the famous Dan Dobberpul, thanks to whose efforts in the mid-90s, such landmark and momentous processors as the DEC Alpha 64-bit and DEC StrongArm appeared , and thanks to which in February 2007 the world was presents a 2GHz, 64-bit dual-core PowerPC microprocessor with a unique combination of performance and energy efficiency.
In 1995, a team led by Dan Dobberpool developed a unique DEC StrongArm SA-110 CPU with a frequency of 233 MHz, while in 1995 all other CPUs based on ARM architecture were developed with a frequency of 30 - 50 MHz, and even the development of powerful Intel-Pentium in 1995 reached the frequency of 100 - 120 MHz. Those. 13 years ago, DEC StrongArm can be said to have been a revolutionary development that surpassed all competitors in performance 2-4 times. So next 2009, the Apple team on the development of a new CPU could theoretically make a revolution by introducing, for example, a 2 core processor with a frequency of 2-3 GHz based on the ARM architecture! And such a CPU will probably be comparable in performance with the latest developments of the Intel Core i7 type.
And, I think, this is the only logical explanation for the acquisition of PA Semi: that today in the modern CPU market just no manufacturer has an ARM architecture CPU, with performance comparable to conventional Intel-based Laptops, and Apple wants to get just such a chip, and since no one can give it to them, they decided to make it themselves :)
')
Why does Apple need such a powerful CPU? Obviously, this is an application for using the future Apple iARM 2K CPU, not only, and not so much in the new iPhone models, although of course they will not be forgotten about them, and there will be a special energy-efficient version of the CPU on 1 core and 1 GHz for them. But Apple's new CPU may appear in some new device - the Apple iTablet communicator, which has been rumored for a long time (see: “Mac + iPhone = iTablet communicator” ).
It was precisely to create Apple iTablet, the next incarnation of Alan Key's Dynabook idea, that Apple probably needed to buy PA Semi for almost $ 300 million, and it was for him that it became necessary to start developing its own microprocessor. But all this is really assuming that Apple decided to use iTablet or maybe it would be called just Apple iDynabook, ARM architecture CPU (same architecture as iPhone CPU), and not Intel Intel standard architecture for modern laptops!
Why can't I use Intel chips for the Apple iDynabook communicator? In principle, it is possible, but for a compact notepad device that is similar to Alan Key’s Dynabook, probably only the Intel Atom CPU is suitable, and it is known for its slowness compared to regular laptops. And Apple apparently wants to offer a fundamentally new device to the market - which will technically not be inferior to ordinary laptops, but will have an additional advantage in the form of iTouch interface! And besides, the development of this device is the development of the iPhone - iPod touch line, i.e. Apple fundamentally does not want to do some kind of analogue of an ordinary Notebook without a keyboard, but wants to offer the market a new device in which the idea of ​​Alan Keija will be implemented, the main point of which is that Dynabook is not viewed as a computing device, but as a medium for a non-professional user! And just as Apple, bringing a new device to the market, apparently wants to do so that there are as few fakes as possible, and thus creating a fundamentally new architecture, it protects itself from the huge iDynabook – clone market. This is the usual logic of Apple - “think differently”, which has already failed Apple once again with Macintoshʻamii - having started the first Apple has gradually lost the market to PC clones. And if Apple does not agree to license Apple iDynabook, then similar devices may appear again over time, for example, based on Google Android (Google Director Eric Schmidt dreams of a similar device - see: “All media are on one hard drive, all songs and books are in one device! ” ).
If all I have suggested is that, then the future Apple iDynabook will be based on a powerful ARM processor and on the Apple iPhoneOS X operating system and most likely Apple will try to promote this new device as a complete replacement for current Laptops and even desktop PCs. And it will mean a gradual decline of the era of ordinary personal computers like Apple Macintosh with Apple MacOS X operating system, and PC under MS Windows. Perhaps in the future, Apple will develop the version of its classic MacOS X operating system only for Server, and various devices based on the new Apple iPhoneOS X operating system will be sold to regular users.
Yes, this is a very revolutionary step, and this step can both bring Apple a complete victory in the IT market, as well as a complete fiasco. But turning to the history of Apple and knowing that revolutionary is still at the helm of this corporation, Steve Jobs, we can safely assume that only Apple is capable of such a revolutionary step - throwing away all familiar personal computers into history and offering to replace their new revolutionary device - Communicator Apple iDynabook. Which technically will not yield to ordinary laptops in anything, but will have an additional advantage in the form of an iTouch interface. True as a side effect, another revolution of Apple, is that iDynabook will in fact not be compatible with both the familiar hardware stuff from Intel and the familiar software environment MacOS X. Although this is not fatal, because Apple MacOS X and Apple iPhoneOS X , have the same foundation and surely Apple can offer tools for developers who can quickly transfer their programs from Apple MacOS X to the new Apple iPhoneOS X axis (which is actually done using the iPhone SDK). And of course, over the next few years, Apple will produce and sell regular laptops and desktops with the familiar Apple MacOS X installed on them. But, for sure, Apple will try to show all users and developers that the future is new. Apple iDynabook, and the era of standard PCs (Personal Computers) is already ending :)
PS: Many were outraged that the article expressed an opinion about the decline of the era of Personal Computers (PC), and I want to clarify my understanding of the processes taking place in the IT market:
I think ordinary PCs over time (and this process has been growing for a long time) will turn into Workstations - WorkStation - there was once such a term!
A modern 4 or 8 core Apple Mac Pro 8-core PC is essentially a WorkStation.
For example, everyone knows that IBM has stopped production of PCs, but not everyone knows that they continue to successfully produce and sell WorkStations ( www-03.ibm.com/systems/intellistation/?cm_re=masthead-_-products-_-workstations )
In the 1980s - 1990s, the WorkStations market was an elite product, when Silicon Graphics Workstations ( ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/SGI ) were the leaders in this market and such computers cost from $ 10,000 and more .
Today, in fact, the WorkStation market is captured by Intel_x86-Based computers and SGI has not released its WorkStation for more than 5 years, but is only engaged in servers.
Over time, it is possible that the WorkStation as well as the PC will cease to exist, and their place will be taken by Personal Servers (PS) or Home Servers (HS) - on which professionals will work with complex programs like: 3D modeling, different CAD systems, digital video processing, accounting, book layout, programming, etc.
And in fact, now many of the types of programs I have listed have already moved to the servers, and the PC only serves as an interface to these server programs.
Well, you must admit that the iPhone-like tablet can easily cope with the role of the interface :)
And who can prevent Apple from releasing for example an iPhone-like tablet with a size of 30 inches, while being connected to the Apple Mac Pro 32-cores personal (home) server, on which professional calculations will be performed!
Many well-known IT-ki say that the market is waiting and is ready to accept a fundamentally new gadget, only partly resembling a modern PC.
There are a lot of shortcomings in modern PCs, for example: Laptops are heavy, cumbersome, and quickly consume a battery, and many are no longer satisfied, and that is why small, light and cheap NetBook ʻand turned out to be so popular!
Many people need a PC only to read e-books, view I-net, photos, music and video, and also for a small editorial work on this listed content. And an iPhone-like gadget can handle this all, but a bit larger format than the iPhone itself :)
And watching Apple from the end of the 1980s, I was repeatedly convinced that Apple is very fond of shocking people with a revolution:
Some of these revolutions have benefited the company, for example - the Apple iPod is essentially a revolution in the music business, which has changed the rules of the game and Apple has managed to occupy a monopoly position in this market.
Part of the revolutions were not successful, for example - Apple Newton, but this device also opened up a new market for other devices with similar functions.
Well, according to some statements by Steve Jobs himself and a number of Apple executives, that amazing and amazing things are being developed at Apple, we can conclude that Apple is preparing to release another revolutionary device that will not be like everything and will most likely create a new market:)
And what will come of it? - We'll see…
PPS (dated 10/24/2008):
Recent news, indirectly confirms my assumptions made in this article, see:
1) "The netbooks will install the processor from the smartphone"
2) “Read my lips: Apple de la no book”
3) “Results Q4'08 under the microscope. Details, details, nuances " :
"... New-fashioned netbooks got Jobs' characteristics of the" nascent class of devices ", which Apple CEO immediately opposed to the iPhone with similar functionality and reduced form factor. However, in fact, the Cupertino asset already has a number of some" netbook "developments that will go to work on as the demand for such devices grows. Answers to questions about potential Apple tablets were flatly denied. "
And Steve Jobs has repeatedly mentioned that this idea shook and captured them so much that almost all Apple developments gradually brought the world closer to the realization of this idea.
Dynabook Help:
“His concept of Dynabook, Alan Key, was outlined in the Personal Dynamic Media article (IEEE Computer, 1977, v. 3, No. 10, p. 31). A completely new thing was that Dynabook was viewed not as a computing device, but as a medium for a non-professional user. Kay described it as a portable interactive device with a flat-panel touchscreen, wireless communication system and multimedia capabilities. Here the principle of WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get), text editors and a drawing system were assumed.
It is said that Kay was a very enthusiastic person: he became so interested in Dynabook that he matched her importance to Gutenberg’s invention.
For this machine of the future, the Star GUI was designed and modeled to include all the elements we were familiar with today - windows, icons, menus and much more. Star GUI is the prototype of the Apple Macintosh interface.
The Dynabook project was never completed, but the validity of its existence was proved by the impact it had on the future. True, there was one attempt to implement “in hardware” - under the name Alto on the basis of the Nova minicomputer, and then Dorado.
The closest practical successors to Dynabook were Knowledge Navigator (Apple, 1987) and Newton, developed at Apple under the leadership of John Sculley (John Sculley). ”
When Apple bought PA Semi (see: “Apple buys PA Semi” ), some experts were surprised because PA Semi has so far been involved in the development of CPU architecture PowerPC, from which Apple refused in 2005. But even then, rumors were spreading that the new division of Apple, formed from PA Semi, would develop a new generation of processors based on the ARM architecture (see: "Apple, Samsung and Imagination Secret Deal" ). Now these rumors and conjectures have finally been confirmed, see: “The head of Apple chip developers on the next generation of the iPhone ...” .
The modern Apple iPhone uses Samsung S3C6400 processors with a frequency of 667 MHz, based on the ARM architecture developed by ARM1176JZF (see: “iPhone processor: 620MHz ARM CPU” ). And in the next generations, the iPhone will have a CPU, possibly made by Samsung’s factories (since Apple does not have its own CPU manufacturing factories), but fully developed by the engineering team of Apple itself (and of course the marking on it will have its own, t .e processor will be called, well, for example, Apple iARM 2K).
And the question arises, what will Apple gain from this? What Apple is not satisfied with the processors from Samsung, based on the architecture of ARM11? After all, for modern iPhone smartphones, the power of the Samsung S3C6400 processor is enough. Well, in the future, because Progress does not stand still, there will be a new version of the CPU from Samsung with higher frequencies, and such a performance that for the phone, it will always be enough.
So what are the characteristics of this future processor (Apple iARM 2K). The fact is that the team that develops it was created by the famous Dan Dobberpul, thanks to whose efforts in the mid-90s, such landmark and momentous processors as the DEC Alpha 64-bit and DEC StrongArm appeared , and thanks to which in February 2007 the world was presents a 2GHz, 64-bit dual-core PowerPC microprocessor with a unique combination of performance and energy efficiency.
In 1995, a team led by Dan Dobberpool developed a unique DEC StrongArm SA-110 CPU with a frequency of 233 MHz, while in 1995 all other CPUs based on ARM architecture were developed with a frequency of 30 - 50 MHz, and even the development of powerful Intel-Pentium in 1995 reached the frequency of 100 - 120 MHz. Those. 13 years ago, DEC StrongArm can be said to have been a revolutionary development that surpassed all competitors in performance 2-4 times. So next 2009, the Apple team on the development of a new CPU could theoretically make a revolution by introducing, for example, a 2 core processor with a frequency of 2-3 GHz based on the ARM architecture! And such a CPU will probably be comparable in performance with the latest developments of the Intel Core i7 type.
And, I think, this is the only logical explanation for the acquisition of PA Semi: that today in the modern CPU market just no manufacturer has an ARM architecture CPU, with performance comparable to conventional Intel-based Laptops, and Apple wants to get just such a chip, and since no one can give it to them, they decided to make it themselves :)
')
Why does Apple need such a powerful CPU? Obviously, this is an application for using the future Apple iARM 2K CPU, not only, and not so much in the new iPhone models, although of course they will not be forgotten about them, and there will be a special energy-efficient version of the CPU on 1 core and 1 GHz for them. But Apple's new CPU may appear in some new device - the Apple iTablet communicator, which has been rumored for a long time (see: “Mac + iPhone = iTablet communicator” ).
It was precisely to create Apple iTablet, the next incarnation of Alan Key's Dynabook idea, that Apple probably needed to buy PA Semi for almost $ 300 million, and it was for him that it became necessary to start developing its own microprocessor. But all this is really assuming that Apple decided to use iTablet or maybe it would be called just Apple iDynabook, ARM architecture CPU (same architecture as iPhone CPU), and not Intel Intel standard architecture for modern laptops!
Why can't I use Intel chips for the Apple iDynabook communicator? In principle, it is possible, but for a compact notepad device that is similar to Alan Key’s Dynabook, probably only the Intel Atom CPU is suitable, and it is known for its slowness compared to regular laptops. And Apple apparently wants to offer a fundamentally new device to the market - which will technically not be inferior to ordinary laptops, but will have an additional advantage in the form of iTouch interface! And besides, the development of this device is the development of the iPhone - iPod touch line, i.e. Apple fundamentally does not want to do some kind of analogue of an ordinary Notebook without a keyboard, but wants to offer the market a new device in which the idea of ​​Alan Keija will be implemented, the main point of which is that Dynabook is not viewed as a computing device, but as a medium for a non-professional user! And just as Apple, bringing a new device to the market, apparently wants to do so that there are as few fakes as possible, and thus creating a fundamentally new architecture, it protects itself from the huge iDynabook – clone market. This is the usual logic of Apple - “think differently”, which has already failed Apple once again with Macintoshʻamii - having started the first Apple has gradually lost the market to PC clones. And if Apple does not agree to license Apple iDynabook, then similar devices may appear again over time, for example, based on Google Android (Google Director Eric Schmidt dreams of a similar device - see: “All media are on one hard drive, all songs and books are in one device! ” ).
If all I have suggested is that, then the future Apple iDynabook will be based on a powerful ARM processor and on the Apple iPhoneOS X operating system and most likely Apple will try to promote this new device as a complete replacement for current Laptops and even desktop PCs. And it will mean a gradual decline of the era of ordinary personal computers like Apple Macintosh with Apple MacOS X operating system, and PC under MS Windows. Perhaps in the future, Apple will develop the version of its classic MacOS X operating system only for Server, and various devices based on the new Apple iPhoneOS X operating system will be sold to regular users.
Yes, this is a very revolutionary step, and this step can both bring Apple a complete victory in the IT market, as well as a complete fiasco. But turning to the history of Apple and knowing that revolutionary is still at the helm of this corporation, Steve Jobs, we can safely assume that only Apple is capable of such a revolutionary step - throwing away all familiar personal computers into history and offering to replace their new revolutionary device - Communicator Apple iDynabook. Which technically will not yield to ordinary laptops in anything, but will have an additional advantage in the form of an iTouch interface. True as a side effect, another revolution of Apple, is that iDynabook will in fact not be compatible with both the familiar hardware stuff from Intel and the familiar software environment MacOS X. Although this is not fatal, because Apple MacOS X and Apple iPhoneOS X , have the same foundation and surely Apple can offer tools for developers who can quickly transfer their programs from Apple MacOS X to the new Apple iPhoneOS X axis (which is actually done using the iPhone SDK). And of course, over the next few years, Apple will produce and sell regular laptops and desktops with the familiar Apple MacOS X installed on them. But, for sure, Apple will try to show all users and developers that the future is new. Apple iDynabook, and the era of standard PCs (Personal Computers) is already ending :)
PS: Many were outraged that the article expressed an opinion about the decline of the era of Personal Computers (PC), and I want to clarify my understanding of the processes taking place in the IT market:
I think ordinary PCs over time (and this process has been growing for a long time) will turn into Workstations - WorkStation - there was once such a term!
A modern 4 or 8 core Apple Mac Pro 8-core PC is essentially a WorkStation.
For example, everyone knows that IBM has stopped production of PCs, but not everyone knows that they continue to successfully produce and sell WorkStations ( www-03.ibm.com/systems/intellistation/?cm_re=masthead-_-products-_-workstations )
In the 1980s - 1990s, the WorkStations market was an elite product, when Silicon Graphics Workstations ( ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/SGI ) were the leaders in this market and such computers cost from $ 10,000 and more .
Today, in fact, the WorkStation market is captured by Intel_x86-Based computers and SGI has not released its WorkStation for more than 5 years, but is only engaged in servers.
Over time, it is possible that the WorkStation as well as the PC will cease to exist, and their place will be taken by Personal Servers (PS) or Home Servers (HS) - on which professionals will work with complex programs like: 3D modeling, different CAD systems, digital video processing, accounting, book layout, programming, etc.
And in fact, now many of the types of programs I have listed have already moved to the servers, and the PC only serves as an interface to these server programs.
Well, you must admit that the iPhone-like tablet can easily cope with the role of the interface :)
And who can prevent Apple from releasing for example an iPhone-like tablet with a size of 30 inches, while being connected to the Apple Mac Pro 32-cores personal (home) server, on which professional calculations will be performed!
Many well-known IT-ki say that the market is waiting and is ready to accept a fundamentally new gadget, only partly resembling a modern PC.
There are a lot of shortcomings in modern PCs, for example: Laptops are heavy, cumbersome, and quickly consume a battery, and many are no longer satisfied, and that is why small, light and cheap NetBook ʻand turned out to be so popular!
Many people need a PC only to read e-books, view I-net, photos, music and video, and also for a small editorial work on this listed content. And an iPhone-like gadget can handle this all, but a bit larger format than the iPhone itself :)
And watching Apple from the end of the 1980s, I was repeatedly convinced that Apple is very fond of shocking people with a revolution:
Some of these revolutions have benefited the company, for example - the Apple iPod is essentially a revolution in the music business, which has changed the rules of the game and Apple has managed to occupy a monopoly position in this market.
Part of the revolutions were not successful, for example - Apple Newton, but this device also opened up a new market for other devices with similar functions.
Well, according to some statements by Steve Jobs himself and a number of Apple executives, that amazing and amazing things are being developed at Apple, we can conclude that Apple is preparing to release another revolutionary device that will not be like everything and will most likely create a new market:)
And what will come of it? - We'll see…
PPS (dated 10/24/2008):
Recent news, indirectly confirms my assumptions made in this article, see:
1) "The netbooks will install the processor from the smartphone"
2) “Read my lips: Apple de la no book”
3) “Results Q4'08 under the microscope. Details, details, nuances " :
"... New-fashioned netbooks got Jobs' characteristics of the" nascent class of devices ", which Apple CEO immediately opposed to the iPhone with similar functionality and reduced form factor. However, in fact, the Cupertino asset already has a number of some" netbook "developments that will go to work on as the demand for such devices grows. Answers to questions about potential Apple tablets were flatly denied. "
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/40069/
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