The cure?  any kind of insulating wrapper, like a rubber case.

Link: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/24/some-iphone-4-models-see-signals-drop-to-0-when-held-left-handed/

See the iSIG home page for details.

• iOS 4 (The OS previously known as iPhoneOS)
• iPhone 4
• and more.

We’ll have:

• Jonathan Walker’s excellent Apple News.
• Door prizes and a raffle.
• If time permits, and if there are questions from attendees, we do our tech support Q&A.

Where:

First Congregational Church of Winter Park

Location Info

When:

• Networking and Setup: 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
• Presentations: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

If you would prefer to download it so it can’t glitch, you can get it through the “Apple Keynotes” podcast:  http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/apple-keynotes/id275834665

Among some other things that really caught my ear, however, was one thing Steve said that I haven’t so far heard anyone else really pick up on: at about the 1:33:30 point in the video, talking about FaceTime, he made a very bold statement that Apple would sell “tens of millions of FaceTime devices in 2010.”

Note the use of the term “devices” rather than “iPhones,” or even “iOS devices.” What did he mean by that?

Of course the iPhone 4 will do very well, but I don’t think it will sell “tens of millions” of units in six months. The iPad cannot (at present) do FaceTime either, so that’s out, and while a new iPod Touch in time for the holidays would hardly be surprising, it isn’t going to sell tens of millions either.

In fact, if you added up all the anticipated sales of iPhone 4s and iPod Touches, you might get well over 10 million, but still not “tens of millions” of units.

Oh, and this doesn’t include retrofitting all the Macs out there with Facetime via a software update either. Steve said Apple will sell tens of millions of units.

But even if you throw in let’s say 6 million or so camera-carrying Macs that Apple will likely sell in the next six months, you’d still be (in my opinion) lucky to move much more than 20M units, and that’s not really enough to qualify for an expression like “tens of millions of units.”

Thus, my speculative conclusion is that Apple has more coming, and whatever it (or they) is (or are), it (or they) have cameras.

A new iPad, for example, most of you are thinking. Maybe, but I just don’t think so. Not this year. Not with them selling so incredibly well right now.

What else could Apple be talking about that they are so sure will be a hit, so revolutionary and irresistible that Steve feels comfortable they will be able to make, let alone sell, millions more units than have already been (speculatively) accounted for? That developers don’t even know about?

To my way of thinking, it would have to be something inexpensive and aimed at the mass market. Probably something that the public are already familiar with but will now have a high-quality camera and internet connectivity added to it. Or possibly something totally new, but if I were a betting man I’d say we should look for a totally revamped iPod lineup later this year. What else could move tens of millions of units in six months?

Man if this keeps up I’m-a gonna need a second job!!

http://theappleblog.com/live/

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/07/steve-jobs-live-from-wwdc-2010/

Keynote starts at times below.

07:00AM – Hawaii
10:00AM – Pacific
11:00AM – Mountain
12:00PM – Central
01:00PM – Eastern
06:00PM – London
07:00PM – Paris
09:00PM – Moscow
02:00AM – Tokyo (June 8th)

Geeks vs. Nerds from XKCD.com

There’s been a lot of debate over the years about who is a Geek, and who is a Nerd.  As a self-professing Nerd, I thought I’d try to settle the debate.

As I’ve come to understand it over the years, there’s one key difference which can enable you to quickly figure out whether the awkward, shy, and un-athletic individual standing in front of you is a Geek or a Nerd.  It all boils down to focus.

See, Geeks are usually defined by a category.  Someone can be labelled as a Mac Geek or a Windows Geek, a Star Wars Geek, a Star Trek Geek, a Music Geek, an Xbox Geek, a Nintendo Geek.  They specialize.  To put it more bluntly, they obsess.  Start up a conversation with a Geek on almost any subject, and you’ll be lucky to get them to say a few quiet words.  Find their specialty, however, and you’ll find yourself unable to get a word in edgewise as they launch in an hour-long diatribe on all sides of the chosen topic.  They don’t plan out their speeches, they just spend so much time talking about it, reading about it, posting vigorously online about it, that their talking points are ingrained in their minds.  They don’t just live and breath that topic, they exist in that world alone.

A Nerd, on the other hand, is knowledgeable about more subjects than you ever knew existed.  They can speak at length at just about any subject, and often will, if they get the chance.  This power often goes to their head, causing them to look down on “normal” people, as if realizing that their superior intellect makes them incapable of dealing intelligently with the “lower forms of life”.  Beware of suggesting that they might be incorrect, as they will launch into a lengthy defense of their point and attack on yours, including discussing why you are unable to even begin to understand the subject at hand, let alone the many other subjects they are experts on.  The best response to a Nerd is a well-timed “Mhmm, that’s interesting…” and slipping away to talk to someone else as soon as possible.

Now, there is a great deal of cross-over in these categories.  Nerds may specialize in a subject or two, crossing them over into Geek territory.  Of course, this would also mean that some Geeks can be knowledgeable about many subjects, putting them into Nerd territory.  There are also a variety of levels to each, ranging from the cave-dwelling Basement Geek and the 30-year old Nerd still living with their parents, to the Weekend Geek who plays World of Warcraft from 7:30 Friday night until 8:00 Monday morning but lives like a normal human being Monday through Friday, and the suave, sophisticated Nerds who use their superior intellect to attract the more intelligent species of female and recites poetry at the drop of a pin (no pocket protectors on these Nerds).  Some of either variety can pass themselves off as being perfectly sane, while others look more like Quasimodo and can’t leave their parents basement without a hood and cape, along with large sunglasses.

If you find yourself identifying with one of these labels, perhaps it’s time to get some thick glasses and a pocket protector, and proudly claim the label you choose.  Or, if you prefer, run screaming to your favorite psychiatrist and pour out your dark secret from the depths of your soul.  It’s ok, cry a little if you must.  At least now you know.

And knowing… is half the battle.

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Altamonte Springs, FL

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