Actually, companies are people now. Legally speaking the only thing a company a company can't do that a person can, is vote. Although they can buy politicians so that's sort of a moot point. Oh, and they can't go to jail... So if they kill someone, or steal from someone, there are no actual consequences. I wonder if someday we'll be able to incorporate ourselves, living our lives based on our board recommendations and being completely unaccountable for any of our actions. 1984 can suck it, this future is WAY better!

Yes, yes, dinosaurs, wooden underwear. When I was younger old people didn't know how to use computers, and the only person telling me about how they had to walk to school in six feet of snow, 10 miles, uphill both ways was my father. Back then internet was a peaceful place. Nobody "needs" refrigeration, clothes, books or friggin' coca-cola, and yet we want them enough to bother innovating them. It's all just new and interesting ways to kill time. Better that (I'm told) than killing each other, which seems to be what humans need most when we aren't distracted by aerodynamically inferior SUVs and all the rest.

Although the French attacking McDonald'sis a nice thought, eventually they'd lose the war and we'd have to bail them out...again.

One voice of sanity in the room of a million typing monkeys. For this, I will continue to read slashdot for one more day. Thanks for reminding me there is hope.

That sounds just like something Hitler would say...

If I have an idea and I ask someone else to build it, it's not innovation? I'm confused. Seriously, Apple works very closely with OEMs to guide them in the direction of innovations and products that will help them improve key technologies. OEMs may come to Apple with ideas and directions they feel they will be able to take technology, but at the end of the day, they're just factories implementing what their customers want.

There's an inherent cost in taking risks, like telling an OEM you want millions of dollars of product that no one else is buying to put in your next computer. It's even more costly because you are the ONLY one buying that product, so these OEMs are manufacturing solely for you. Any advantage you get for buying in bulk comes solely from your own sales. You don't get to leverage off the fact that there are 10 other companies using the same display and making them cheaper.

I suspect that's why the ram is ridiculous, Apple is buying ram that no one else is using. They may have a good reason for it, it may just be frivolous expense for a marginal gain, but they will pay more for it than anyone else because they are the first ones doing it. I remember the first time I held 256MB RAM chips in my hands. At the time, I had 8 of the only 12 sticks of production RAM in existence. I was more than shocked when someone explained to me that I was holding 2 million dollars worth of ram in a little tiny box. I freely admit I'm talking out of my ass about the current ram pricing, but I know the culture well enough to feel I'm probably right. And if you don't like it, you can wait a few years and some other company will (poorly) copy what Apple is doing and make it available cheaper, once it's been proven to make a profit and their is no risk involved.

Not that this justifies the whole margin, but Apple runs a qualification suite on all products they sell on the stores or put into computers. This includes regular old compatibility testing - as in, the system works with xxx component, as well as a suite of EMI and reliability tests that make sure that these parts, in this particular configuration, pass local regulations. If you go out and buy ram and install it yourself, it doesn't have to pass FCC regs for interference with other devices, if Apple sells you a computer with it installed, it does. Because of this, Apple only sources parts from a few vendors. You would be shocked at the ways these components interact when put in a computer. The more variables (configurations x vendors per part), the more complex it is to complete qualifications. It sounds ridiculous when you only see it from the consumer side. Why is it that Apple charges 3-4 times more for the *same* memory? Well, for each memory configuration they need to test 20 computers for 2 weeks in a reliability lab. Assuming just 3 memory configurations (8, 16 and 32GB) you're talking 60 machines, now add the minimum of a single backup vendor, that's 120 machines. In reality, it's not that straight forward either, you get issues when you mix and match things like different hard drives, pci cards (on desktops), other chip vendors, processor speeds and die revisions.

All that said, yes, it's a pisser that Apple is finding yet another way to force everything you do to be under their thumb. But we're having this hissy fit because we all know we'll keep buying their products, at the end of the day, what they are doing is creating products we want, which other companies can not compete with.

I am searching and following links all over the place and I can't seem to find the full list for all the states. Just the top and bottom states. Anyone know where I can find it?

Thanks!

Great idea, thanks for suggesting it. I think I'll go do that now. ;-)

Shock absorbers, you use them like shock absorbers...

So...we've had touch screen interfaces for years. Frankly I'm a little vague on the differences between using a stylus and not using a stylus, which in my mind brings us WAAAAY back to Apple's Newton project from the dawn of time. But even since then, I remember in the late 90's early 00's touchscreen monitors, overlays for monitors being used in education, tons of kiosk type systems at trade shows. My point is that I find it extremely difficult to believe that the first time this was done was 2005.

My question is this, let's assume all these people before did these things without filing patents, if you created something with an idea prior to someone having a patent on that idea, does that give you any rights at all? Or do you only get rights if you actually file with the patent office? I'm talking about something along the lines of copyright law where I can prove I published something previously, therefor it's mine.

I'm sure I'm going to regret hearing the answer, but I asked.

On how you can actually audit the security on any app installed on an Android, or how apple should add more options to let users review permissions for installed apps on iOS. I'm sorry, but this is BS. My Mom will NEVER understand what is appropriate and what isn't, nor should she have to. Apple is attempting to make that safe for her to do with something simple and easy to understand without overwhelming her with tons of things that she has no clue about anyway.

And guess what, my mom is about as tech savvy as 99% of the folks out there with iPhones. It's all well and good to talk about what we developers (who know all the ins and outs, and who stay current by spending hours of our time every week reading about what's new) would like, but shouldn't we be thinking along the lines of how do we protect those not in the know from those with malicious intent?

Isn't that what Apple is doing? (I'm not saying their approach is without flaws, but doesn't it seem like they're continually marching towards that end?)

I have two problems with this study. First off, it was done with a Wii, not an Xbox with Kinect. The problem with the Wii is that it's easy to cheat the sensor, instead of moving around you can get away with slight gestures with your wrists, no real physical exertion needed. My second problem with this is that the sensor is located on the belt. If you are jogging in place, you don't exactly move very much when measured at your hips.

I'd much rather see a heart rate monitor with a Kinect setup. To (in)validate this study's findings.

My kids play Kinect often, it's one of the activities they are allowed "unlimited" time for. Sit down games and passive entertainment are restricted to 1 hour per day max, unless we're doing a family movie night. With the Kinect games, the kids come up breathing hard and sweating.

This article should be making a much more precise point, that "Wii exercise" isn't.

Different category entirely. UT and Quake are games you play against other humans. Same applies to sports games against people. People are infinitely diverse, so if you play a person, you get infinite diversity. Now Madden NFL, and the real NFL...like to admit it or not, has plot. You pick a team, play a game or a season differently and you will get a different season. Your season's and games change every time you play. The game would be phenomenally boring if it was the same every time you played it. The complexity of the engine is creating a plot for you. Takes into account your play, what and how you've done in a season and adapts.

And I'm sorry, but you didn't play UT for 3 years and stay on the same map with the same game type...so even you need variation in the plot to keep you interested.

Had to speak up here. Games that don't focus on plot become repetitive and thin. I like Gears of War, I like Vanquish, but at the end of the day you're repeating the same challenges that just increase the difficulty and put a spin or twist on the next level's boss.

I bought an Xbox the day Halo came out, played it all night and beat it by noon the next day. I was CONSUMED by the whole experience. There was a reason WHY I was there killing all those aliens, I felt I understood my character, but most of all, I felt like the days of repeating boring levels that just get a little harder and a little different were over.

The first game I ever beat was Zaxxon, flipped the score back when I was wearing wooden underwear and riding around on dinosaurs. It was fun, when I was 8 or 10. Then I grew up. And funny thing, the games that consumed me in junior high were the games that were all plot. Bards Tale, Wizardry, games that dropped me into a world of fantasy and told me a (good) story along the way.

Today, I have a family, job, other obligations and I only get to play games occasionally. What I choose to do with that time isn't about killing the next boss, it's about the journey through the whole world.

Right now, the few precious moments I spend on video games is in Fallout New Vegas. And while I'm sitting there in my comfy couch with my giant screen and my awesome sound system, the only thing I'm thinking is "What happens next?"