One nice thing about this feature (for Apple) is that it now allows Apple to get something it did not have before: usage statistics. Granted, Apple Software Update enabled Apple to see how many people were updating their Boot Camp drivers, but it was a poor measure for how many Boot Camp installs were actually being made.

Anyone in the industry will tell you that people often don’t update software. In addition, those downloads were homogenous; you could download a Boot Camp 1.x, 2.x, or 3.x update and deploy these across thousands of systems with a single download. The Boot Camp Assistant pulls down different bundles for each system, requiring it to be done on the computer, and having the computer pull that file down from the web.

As such, the Boot Camp Assistant is likely what Apple is using to keep track of how many people are using Windows on their Mac at any given time. And, it gives them per-model counts, so they can track how many, say, MacBook Air users are choosing to give up precious SSD storage in order to run Windows. Considering the bundles are model-specific, they could even be keeping track of how many people, for example, chose to install Windows on a 64GB MacBook Air versus a 256GB MacBook Air.

My point in conveying this information is that you should always re-download Boot Camp drivers with each Windows install. There is certainly a lot of interest in Apple (or at least, there should be) in evaluating which Mac models are going to be moved to ARM-based processors, and which will stay on more-powerful Intel CPUs. Windows support is a key factor in that, Apple does want to know if that feature is important to you (even if they have no interest in replying to your emails stating such).

If you look at Apple Support Documents, and the Apple product pages, they refer to the product as “OS X Lion“. Not “Mac OS X Lion” or “Mac OS 10.7″, simply “OS X Lion”.

Note that this title lacks two key things; Mac and 10.7. More specifically, if you look at an Apple Support Page’s affected products listing, it will appear like this:

Mac OS X 10.0, Mac OS X 10.3, Mac OS X 10.2, Mac OS X 10.1, Mac OS X 10.4, Mac OS X 10.5, Mac OS X 10.6, OS X Lion

Why the change? It’s not quite clear. Apple still refers to the product as Mac OS X under the About This Mac feature in 10.7.2, so there is a bit of mixed branding.

I do suspect though that this late change in branding implies that Apple may be prepared to do what many have rumored; blend iOS and Mac OS in some way down the line. It may or may not happen with Lion itself, but there has been considerable talk of ARM-based devices that resemble netbook-style MacBooks, instead featuring multi-touch displays and an ARM CPU.

In light of Windows 8 running on ARM, and notebook makers eager to combine ARM and Windows to increase profit margins, and deliver lower-cost computers (to combat tablets primarily), Apple may see the need to quickly respond to the rise of Windows ARM. Having a product that is “Lion” but also not necessarily the power, prowess, and capacity of a “Mac”, could allow Apple to retain customers that would otherwise defect to the lower-cost Windows ARM offerings.

Such a change also allows Apple to mix branding while creating a hierarchy of devices. With iOS devices focusing on portability, and Mac being the Cadillac brand of premium personal computers, Apple could create a middle-ground offering that runs on ARM, runs Lion, but requires recompiled software and functions as a middle-ground between the two products.

It could be one of the best moves Apple makes. Honestly, how many iOS device owners would buy a $400 Apple netbook? How many $2,500 MacBook Pro owners would buy one?

Apple has said netbooks may not be in their DNA. They never said they wouldn’t compete in that price-point or arena. This is a small change that could mean big things for where Apple takes Lion, especially if that means taking it to ARM… which they now happens to be a strong point for the dual-core Cortex manufacturer.

I’ve often argued that it took a crusade to change Apple’s mindset, and I was always referring to one guy. That one guy was right on most of the time. That guy changed the world.

It’s taken me a couple of days to put together comments on Steve’s passing. There are few people that I have ever felt their loss would hurt either myself, or the world, as much as his did. Every time I talked to him, even in the times I didn’t agree with him, I knew he would change the world.

I’m honored to have rooted for him when few did. I am humbled that he, and everyone on his team, paid for my college education (I bought AAPL at $4/share post-splits, right about when he returned to Apple). And, I thank him for making some insanely great products. Steve, humanity will never forget you.

If you are a Momentus XT owner (like myself), you can breath a sigh of relief and update immediately… after backing up, of course. This firmware update will hopefully, hopefully tie up some painful loose ends that have stifled the life (thus far) of this innovative technology.

As the first second generation hybrid hard drive out there, the Momentus XT took the operating system out of the equation of hybrid drives. Whereas the first generation required Windows Vista (and only Windows Vista), these new drives benefit from OS independent caching of files to the solid state portion of the drive. As such, you can even dual-boot Linux, Mac, and Windows on the same drive, and still see a performance benefit.

Unfortunately, the issues I mentioned above are quite severe. The drives from the start have had issues booting on many systems, especially Mac systems where they are in an especially high level of demand. Worse, the firmware updates have made a bad situation worse. Some booted with SD24, and didn’t with the updated SD25.

To make that matter worse, a file corruption bug was found where when dealing with ultra-large (as in, several gigabyte) files, you then lost data completely. This usually could only be recreated using a terminal command to generate a massive file, filling up most of the 250 to 500 GB drive, followed by a very long CRC/MD5 checksumming process.

Seagate did offer up an update, SD26, but only did so under the table, and on newly-shipped drives. Why? Because yet again the update had bootability issues, rending some Macs boot-less immediately after updating, whereas other machines worked just fine. Seagate couldn’t issue the update as-is to users, especially in the wake of other problems, so Seagate casually hoped the issue would blow over in regards to file corruption, waiting for engineers to issue a consolidated fix.

Judging by the version number, it appears another version almost came out, though I doubt we’ll ever know (or really care, for that matter) what held up SD27. Bottom line, SD28 is out, and you should update immediate. Just, backup first. I’ll be backing up tonight, and updating later today. I’ll report back on my experiences, but I encourage everyone to immediately make updating your Momentus XT (again, after backing up) to be a tip-top priority.

After all, it’s firmware, and if you have this drive, odds are you get a small sense of glee from updating your firmware anyways.

Seagate Momentus XT Firmware Update – Seagate.com

Update: You can see my personal debrief of the SD28 update in the following article.

A lot of people have made the assertion that MeeGo could thrive without Nokia’s presence in the collaboration. And, there’s some potential for traction there as Android lawsuits and patent claims mount. However, as they mount, Google has shown their willingness to acquire as many patents as possible to thwart those lawsuits.

In short, those that think that Samsung and LG will dump Android for MeeGo due to patents and licensing… well, are wrong. It isn’t going to happen, probably even if MeeGo bundles a Dalvik runtime, enabling full Android app compatibility.

So, is MeeGo dead? In its current form, yes, I think it is. But, then there is Canonical. Canonical’s efforts in mobile have had far worse failures than MeeGo, however they are the undisputed champion of desktop Linux today.

And therein, we see a solution. Make MeeGo part of the Ubuntu family, and make everyone happy.

I realize there is a lot of motivation around the Qt community to keep MeeGo as-is. However, these Qt attractions lack one focus; a product to sell to consumers. Qt alone does not sell products. And while Canonical’s market share in desktops is fractional, they get Linux, and they know how to foster a product that rivals Google, Apple, and Microsoft.

I think the future of MeeGo rests on a deal being cut, and sadly, I’d say the odds of it happening are only 50/50. Today, there is not one successful real-time OS that lacks restrictions. iOS is real-time, but trapped in a walled garden. Android and Windows Phone 7 are not real-time, and webOS has suffered from being jailed in HP’s devices… where it has rotted.

MeeGo as a platform, I believe can work, however, I believe just as strongly that it will require the embrace of the entire Linux community to catapult it to success in a mainstream consumer audience. Let’s work together to have one true Linux platform become a success across mobile, desktop, and embedded. The Ubuntu umbrella can be one that encourages all other forms of Linux to thrive, even if Ubunutu isn’t how you roll.

However, I will say that I am disappointed at the pricing that has emerged on other web sites (here’s just one for example).

At double the pricing for Amazon’s Cloud Drive, I can’t say I’ll be using iCloud. For $120/year I get unlimited storage on CrashPlan, for up to 10 computers worth of storage in my house. Other online backup services combine online backup with mobile app access to all your files, at one low monthly price.

What about communication? Calendars? Etc? All freely supported on Google Apps. Which, I might add, is still free for up to 10 email addresses worth. At the current free Google storage rates, that translates to 75 GB per domain name… and domain names cost only a few dollars a year.

I hear the argument all the time that these cloud services are different than raw storage, they make lives easier. Granted, I don’t think iCloud should compete with the “unlimited storage” shared hosting solutions. I think that’s unrealistic.

That said, I think cloud solutions do have to compete with services like Google Apps and Windows Live. If I can store documents via email, if I can manage them in a Gmail view, and if I get 25 GB free from Windows Live SkyDrive… what am I paying for with iCloud?

Of course, there’s the freemium argument as well. People will get “hooked” on iCloud with the first 5 GB, and then want more. And they then won’t want to move. Sorry, I don’t buy it. I think people will get more tech savvy as their 5 GB get used up, and ask even more technically-inclined people for a way to keep the free file bash going.

That may work for Apple too, but it’s far from a cost-effective solution. iCloud may be the best cloud out there, but in terms of bang for your buck, I don’t think it’s there yet. Not with the pricing that has been disclosed, at least.

Lion appears to have fixed that. But, it also brought something really cool along as well.

When I tested the download drivers feature of the Boot Camp Assistant, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the drivers successfully downloaded. Even better, they actually worked! But, one thing did irk me, which was how long it took to extract and complete downloading.

I presumed that at, 500 MB, Apple could be testing some new compression algorithms. And, it looks like I was correct. Apple appears to be testing out some optimization techniques that rival what has been seen in other download managers. These consume large amounts of computing resources, in order to save a few megabytes per download.

The cool bit in all of this is that Apple appears to be using OpenCL to handle the decompression. I was able to monitor it ticking away as the Boot Camp Assistant ran.

This could mean future implications for delivering Apple Software Updates as well as just general computing. As Apple builds OpenCL experience, you can expect that Apple’s own suite of apps will begin taking advantage of this technology on a baseline performance level.

Unfortunately, Lion appears to be progressing much faster than OpenJDK for Mac OS X. Apple just announced Lion will ship next month…

… But OpenJDK has much more work ahead at this point. It does not appear likely at all that OpenJDK will even hit alpha-grade release quality by July, and I doubt a release will even be available within three months following Lion’s release.

Some hackers will probably find a way to cobble together the Snow Leopard binaries and execute them on Lion. For those that want to play it safe though, my suggestion is to partition your drive and install a second copy of Snow Leopard.

Best of all, you can do that right now, so that when Lion ships, Java can be just a reboot away.

Apple doesn’t go into great detail as to what may fail, but basically a couple of things can happen. One, the thin metal can warp if you open and close the bottom case many times (especially if you upgrade hard drives a couple of times, add in an SSD to replace your optical drive, and upgrade the RAM… like me). The other is that the rubber on the bottom can delaminate, causing the MacBook to look like it has skin cancer.

The solution is simple (now, at least), just head to Apple’s repair extension program page for the Late 2009 MacBook.

As the owner of a publishing company, I have some problems with Safari Reader. They run deeper than profit motives however.

First, Safari Reader bypasses the web developer’s design process. Essentially, it would be as if Jonathan Ivy walked into Ford and said “I don’t own a share of your stock, but here’s how your cars are going to look from now on.” If you were running Ford, you probably wouldn’t be happy about that notion.

There is, of course, user choice. There’s nothing stopping you from copying and pasting an article into Word Pages and formatting the article any way you want. The issue is, most people don’t do that. Just like most people say they don’t like online advertising… but click on the ads anyways.

Unlike traditional media, where if you DVR through the ads… we don’t get paid if people don’t view them. With Safari Reader, the amount of people that clicks through ads (which determines what our ad space is worth) will fall. It’s simply a matter of how much it will fall.

Safari Reader I suspect will eventually give way to allowing web developers to generate iOS-friendly layouts, defined by an alternative formatting that will play with all Apple platforms, scaling from iPod touch to Apple TV, and all the Macs in-between.

Web developers will love the idea, because it will give them the ability to run iAds and better mobilize their content… while taking advantage of Apple’s app platform, giving them the same presence on App Store as the app developers have. If you were wondering how pay-for-content was going to hit the App Store, I believe Safari Reader is the harbinger of things to come.

And Apple will also get to boast that it’s all being done in open HTML5. Which it will undoubtedly be, just in their marketplace.

Hence, why I do like Safari Reader and why I don’t. Today, it’s not the best thing for publishers. However, it’s also a part of how Apple likely intends to scale and offer a content marketplace for publishers. The real question will be, how in the world are independent publishers going to have a fair fight against heavyweights?