I’ve written a small script to monitor my order status of Myvi (Perodua newly launched, awesome vehicle), and thinking the same system may interest others as the waiting time for delivery is now … what, 10 months?
Well, it is here, the POT (Perodua Order Tracking):
http://hot.com.my/pot
Just hope Perodua won’t block my automated lookups….
[Update: Perodua removed thier online lookup page, after POT introduced for about a week]
This could be a shocking move for many of the diehard Mac users. Some even use “Apple betrayed us!” in their statement (http://forums.macrumors.com/)
Apple moved boldly from Motorola 680×0 processor to PowerPC, breaking a lot of the applications during that transition. They again moved without hesitation from OS 9 to OS X, a step that has greater impact on user experience and technology underneath.
I was rather stunt to realize some of the OS 9 users moving into OS X smoother then expected, provided their core applications are available in OS X.
So switching from PowerPC to Intel shouldn’t be a major issue, as long as the software vendors start recompiling their applications.
It is software that matter.
Apple has adapted to commodity hardware for many years now, they have been using standard ATi and Nvidia products instead of the proprietary one. Given the PowerPC has not been significant faster or better then the Intel/AMD based processor for many years, Apple has been struggling to offer more refinement in user interface and endless software tweaks to ensure the Mac has significant advantage over the Wintel world. It could be really “expensive” to stick along with PowerPC in the next five years where no significant breakthru from IBM.
IBM on the other hand, has shift focus to software and service for many years now. Given the volume of PowerPC and the Power processors, it could be struggling again to continue upgrade and enhancing it.
So, the switch for Apple is rather logical, but not without pain.
Most of the software vendors probably be yelling “what? again?” now but I assumed it is less painful as opposed to OS X carbonation process.
I for one, welcome the switch with whole hearted.
Apple has enough experience to perform such stunt, that’s for sure.
It is a sign that Apple is moving from hardware to software centric (learning from IBM?), although they have been doing well in the hardware, but it is just “not enough”.
Apple will likely to let OS X to run on the commodity PC hardware instead of a proprietary Apple designed motherboard with an Intel CPU: clues from the existing rather “open” Apple PowerPC motherboard design, OS X 1.4.1 available for Intel based machine and the Darwin approach.
Breaking OS X free, let it cruise among the PC commodity hardware is also means that Apple has confident to aim OS X against Windows. [Update: spoke too soon, the development machines are from Apple, not commodity]
It is a matter of time to see how Apple perform in such a different ball game – selling OS alone instead of hardware.
Now that you have seen Apple going to do the unthinkable, the next you should see Apple is dishing out Darwin kernel and using Longhorn core, and becoming a subsidiary of Microsoft… dare you say no?
The camera swivel viewfinder is extremely handy. Now I don’t have to bend down, or potentially twist my back in very odd-ward position to take pictures for the kids.
The picture quality is much brighter (I don’t like to use flesh) compare to my previouse one under the same lighting condition, and very good quality too.
Overall, the slight heavier and larger size justified the price well.
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3 kids on the block [ full size 600 KB ]
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Did you blow this thing before? [ full size 500 KB ]
Sent my Canon PowerShot A70 for repair couple of days ago. The service center informed me that the CCD needs replace, but they have no stock on such item.
So they offered me an “upgrade” to A95 for the same price of getting my A70 fix.
Guess what? I took the offer.
The A95 is bigger, heavier and all plastic (no aluminum front like the A70). But it is a 5 mega-pixel monster as opposed to A70 at 3.2 mega-pixel.
My first digital camera was a small Canon A10, and I hardly set the image size to its full capacity.
It took nearly 1000 photos on my trip to Australia on a 128 MB compact flash card, at 800 x 600 pixel each – amazing.
Now I have one gadgets fixed, a few more to go. Wish I have the same luck dealing with other service centers beside Canon.
