Thunderbolt: Apple Strikes Again :-)

[swisscraft]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Apple just launched their new line of MacBook Pro laptops. Not only do they outperform the rest embarrassingly, they also have the all new Thunderbolt interface while the rest of the world will have to wait a year or so.

Thunderbolt (code name Light Peak) was developed by Intel with collaboration of Apple. It's like a smarter USB port with a stunning 10Gbps (!!) speed. In fact, it is an extension of the internal PCI Express bus. You can connect devices that are only available as PCI cards for big desktop computers today. For a boat where we want everything to be as small as possible, this is a big thing.


Nick.

Thunderbolt is so cool, it may even be the reason why will not buy a Mac as planned .....such a fast insecure connection is really a threat!

Thunderbolt: A new way to hack Macs ? The Register

cheers Marco

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Event_Horizon

The Ipad shouldn't be randomly grouped in with other Apple product pricing. Most of the stuff Apple puts out is fairly expensive when you compare it to similarly spec'd devices. The Ipad is a glaring exception to the rule. It is very inexpensive compared to the competition.

I think, the prices have come down considerably. Back in 2002 I bought a G4 Power Mac with an additional 17" monitor that the total cost was over $4000. This new (Nov./2009) 27" screen iMac cost less then $2000. That's two extremely better ones for the price of one slow/low memory one.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

No. It's time for you to catch up with new tech

start here: Magnetometer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
and here: Accelerometer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The technology in the new iPhones is the same as in the fancy Maretron, Simrad etc. "electronic compasses". They outperform the old gyro compasses where a real gyro spins at 20 krpm etc. omg, I worked with those in Leopard tanks while serving in the cavalry

ciao!
Nick.

I have read both entries and they seem to be proving my point.

The iPhad may have both accelerometer and magnetometer (which, as I expected, measures the magnetic field) but NOT a gyro sensor.

Labeling a thing 'gyro' for marketing purposes does not make the thing any more gyro than naming an animal a guinea pig makes it a pig.

Also, I believe you meant a 3-axis accelerometer where you said 3-axis magnetometer. I have never heard of 3-axis magnetometers though perhaps they exist or can be built, if not for the reason that we normally need only two components of the field in everyday navigation. What would the 3rd axis of the magnetic field relate to then?

Still, no gyro on iPod devices ;-)

BTW Maybe I just looped myself into too many posts from too many posters and I am talking nonsense. Should this be the case, I apologise to you Nick and to all posters/followers in this thread.

barnie

[s/v Jedi]

Barnie, you missed my paragraph just below the two links I posted.

I have worked with rate gyro's in the 80's in battle tanks which were considered obsolete at that time already.

Gyro's aren't used anymore in anything that I know of. They are completely replaced by accelerometers. Same as fluxgate magnetometers: all replaced by solid state HAL effect magnetometers (except Raymarine).

You make it sound like the old gyro's that spin at 20,000 rpms are better or something... well, they are not; solid state is good

ciao!
Nick.

[Chipg]

I don't need no stinkin' sextant, I have Star Walk on my iPad!

Yea, the navigation is pretty accurate on an iPad compared to analog compasses (3G model) and you can put it by big speakers where magnets don't effect it. For speed it's accurate to less than 1/10th of a knot.

I'm a PC and a Mac guy and I really cant recommend just one of the two.

[Chipg]

Whoops, sorry... Thunderbolt thread huh?

[s/v Jedi]

In a good 5 hours from now Apple will announce the new iPad v2

Amazon Germany had it listed already by accident (they removed it quickly but not before screendumps were made). Everybody was hoping for a USB port but it turns out it has a Thunderbolt port !!!

It was listed for 500 Euro's incl. wifi & 3G



ciao!
Nick.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

In a good 5 hours from now Apple will announce the new iPad v2

Cool. Their tablet was best I have seen this far. Still waiting for a decent tablet here in EU though. iPad is very nice but too pricey down here.

b.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Cool. Their tablet was best I have seen this far. Still waiting for a decent tablet here in EU though. iPad is very nice but too pricey down here.

b.

You find the 500 Euro's for the 16GByte model too pricey? It costs $623 at Amazon which is 452 Euro's today... so the difference is just 10% which isn't so bad.

ciao!
Nick.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

You find the 500 Euro's for the 16GByte model too pricey? It costs $623 at Amazon which is 452 Euro's today... so the difference is just 10% which isn't so bad.

ciao!
Nick.

Yes, 500 EUR for something that has only 16 GB of memory, no USB port and very limited software-wise is too pricey. Too pricey, FOR ME.

I am right now writing to yous from a sub-200 EUR netbook with 160 GB of memory that will run anything I will ask it for. My only limitation is not being able to develop and design web things on this one, but then again it would not be practicable on an iPad either.

I believe what I will buy will be a slate type tablet and there are some new things from HP and Asus here though not yet available at my place. I am thinking of an Android one but will get a Win one if Android does not deliver the functionality I am after (mostly navigation and mobility).

But I do like iPads and I bet they are a great buy on the US market where you have such a long tradition of Apple hardware and related software. Here in EU everything Apple is an expensive and bling, if much desired and indeed good, toy.

barnie

[Jetexas]

They make a $20 adapter to plug into the 16-pin slot that gives you a USB port. Actually the adapter set comes with one that has a USB port and one that had an SD card slot.

I have a Lenovo netbook with a touchscreen and using it and an iPad side-by-side, the iPad makes the netbook feel slow as molasses. However, the netbook has a keyboard, has a 500gb hard drive and can play flash video. It's a trade-off.

[LostAtSea2011]

When is the new Iphone coming out....I heard June ??

[Intentional Drifter]

I find the various comments about iPads and Apple products that discount them as "toys" quite interesting. While all products have their limitations, I've been quite pleased with my iPad. For example, I was speaking at a conference this last weekend that was a few hours drive from my home. After I prepared by Keynote (Powerpoint) presentation on my Mac (that included both audio and video files), I exported it to the iPad via iTunes. No big deal, synced it through iTunes using the USB-30 pin connector.

We then drove up to Blaine (about 3 hours in the lousy weather), listening to music and monitoring road conditions all the time (using the iPad's iTunes and 3G for weather, and GPS Drive HD for driving directions). Checking email, etc.

When I got there, after some conversations with folks, I did a few modifications to the presentation, on the iPad. I did the 2-hour presentation the next day, hooked up to a projector with the iPad - VGA connector. It did the presentation without a hitch, including the video.

I kept track of my time and billing information and prepared an invoice, which was then emailed, all on the iPad. I also did some other work, reviewing PDF documents on a case, using GoodReader and made notes on what I read, using Notes Plus, which I then emailed back to my main computer.

While at the conference, we reconnected with some old friends and shared photos of one of our recent trips, as well as playing some games.

The next day, we drove back home (about a 3 hour drive), again listening to music along the way.

When I got home, I still had 15% of the battery power left. All of this, over 3 days of activity, all on one charge.

I'll take a toy like this, any time. "Phad" or not, I'm finding it a darn useful one.

Oh, BTW, total elapsed time from power off to browsing the internet? 7 seconds. Can you show me a laptop/netbook that can do that?

It is also now my backup GPS/chartplotter for the boat, too. As well as entertainment center. Even plays movies on the big screen on the boat.

ID

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

You make it sound like the old gyro's that spin at 20,000 rpms are better or something... well, they are not; solid state is good

I did! But only to make it clear the toys do not have a proper gyro sensor, which was suggested in the post I related to. They may have a magnetometer and accelerometer that together provide the same functionality plus a couple of things that we have never had from a gyro (like inertial positioning).

Sure I do not think a huge and heavy gyro is what one could nor should use instead!

Alas, if we look at modern avionics (Sukhoi-style) I believe they still have (much miniaturized) G in the kit. Talked to one of the engineers the other day and he says it is no longer used for geographical direction finding but rather to support the plane in efficient making of very advanced (and completely automated) flight manouvers.

Drifting.

Cheers,
b.

[Chipg]

The iPad 2 does NOT have thunderbolt btw