Speaking of the Mac platform, I mentioned Google’s lack of a Mac client for Google Talk yesterday. Then today I read on the Google Blog that Google have released a native mac notifier for Gmail and further, they say that:
Though this is the first, it won’t be the last native Mac application that Google delivers. So please, Mac users, stay tuned!
Sounds good – what with Google’s Google Maps working flawlessly on the Mac (whereas Microsoft’s Virtual Earth fails on Firefox on the Mac) and Google’s customisable home page working on the Mac (while Microsoft’s Start.com fails miserably in Safari and barely works in Firefox) – it looks like Google are walking all over Microsoft on the Mac platform!
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If they release Google Earth for Mac, I will be very happy.
Yeah – I have heard nothing but good things about Google Earth – love to try it out some time!
Tom, this widget was done on the guys 20% time when staff are allowed do whatever personal project they want. Doesn’t seem like they are too motivated so far.
Who uses a macnowadays?? mac may be virtually incapable of being penetrated by viruses but it’s manueverability is just AWFUL
Damien – sure, but I’m assuming that others are working on Mac applications in Google seeing as he said:
John, “manueverability” – what exactly are you trying to do with the Mac? Drive it?
He’s right, Tom. Until Apple installs wheels on the bottom of its computers, I’m switching to a Linux-powered Dell. … Just kidding. Honestly, what does “manueverabilityâ€? have to do with the old Mac vs. PC argument?
And why not an OS X powered Dell James?
Because I don’t have access to the x86 OS X beta. And, I’m not much of a beta OS guy. But, I won’t touch Windows. If I do get a Dell, the first thing that I’ll do is wipe the hard drive and install Linux.
“it looks like Google are walking all over Microsoft on the Mac platform!”
*cough* so google have released a browser and an office suite on OS X then?
Google has released a handful of rather popular but still in beta pieces of web-based software in the last year or so and everyone is blowing it way out of proportion. Google Earth is swishy, but I’ve used it about 3 times. It has no practical applications that I can think of for common everyday usage. Google Maps on the other hand does have practical uses and appears to work in all modern browsers. Gmail is just another webmail flavour – its nothing special (apart from the amount of storage offered) despite all the raving about it. Looming large in the list of its failings is that you can’t access your mail when you’re offline. Google Talk is just VoIP added to IM – hardly a breakthrough. Orkut is USEnet all over again – a good idea ruined by the cretinous hordes. Google Desktop Search was (I haven’t touched the newer version) bloated and insecure. Googles only really useful applications IMO are their Search and Ad Networks.
Aw, come on James, live dangerously – install it on your production machine – you know you want to
Oops – you got me on the Office suite Lee but MS stopped producing a browser for OS X when Apple started producing Safari four years ago or so.
You can if you access your Gmail account through POP – something Gmail offer free whereas to get POP access to your MS webmail account (Hotmail) you have to pay for it (and Gmail accessed through POP doesn’t contain ads).
I take your point that Google has fewer apps than Microsoft but they do a far better job of delivering them cross-platform – undoubtadly this is because they don’t (yet!) have a commercial OS to support.
Forget the Google Talk, I want me some Google Earth. Hubby’s been waving his Dell notebook around as he “flies” over the ocean and the Cascades as if Google Earth is proof of Windows superiority… and I want to whack him with my iBook.
“MS stopped producing a browser for OS X when Apple started producing Safari four years ago or so.”
MS stopped producing browsers full stop about 4 years ago, until Firefox got good enough to start interfering with their perceived marketshare. I would not be the slightest bit surprised if the same happens on OS X – I know a lot of people using OS X who prefer IE to Safari, believe it or not.
“You can if you access your Gmail account through POP”
I already knew this but shoould have explained more: Gmails big innovation is their take on the webmail interface and the way it treats your mail as conversations – and this is what has gained it massive support in the community. Use POP and you loose the conversations interface – you’re back to plain old email (which is a good thing IMO, but thats a different argument). What I was getting at is something than Jason Kottke mentioned a month or so ago – in that GMail and other web-based apps need a new level (one that OS X is very close to already) where the client machine (your PC or Mac) runs a web-server and a web browser. If you’re online your own webserver syncs its mail cache with gmail itself. Now you have two copies (one local, one remote) and you can use the same conversation-based gmail interface on both. It no longer matters if you or Gmail have some connectivity problems.
Its getting back to a related problem I find with a lot of the so-called Web 2.0 services, where you are reliant on the service providers uptime. Basecamp for instance stores all your data on their servers. When they go down you can no longer access your data – this has happened already. If you lose internet connectivity temporarily during a busy client period, you’ve lost access to all your BaseCamp data – this can happen anyone. This is a service people are paying money for. There needs to be a middle ground, and Kottke hit the nail right on the head IMO.
Know exactly what you mean Bonnie – my wife’s laptop is a (work supplied) HP and I’d love to be able to use Google Earth as well (just to show off!).
I believe it Lee – and the main reason is because of the amount of sites coded for IE – they often look and work better in the four year old version of IE than Firefox or Safari. It is a pain but the number of those sites is diminishing TG.
Ok, I see what you were saying now – the system you outline would be sweet if/when it comes to pass.
Google Earth for OS X does exist. I have it. It needs to be a bit faster but it’s very promising. The detail levels are amazing.