For every cool thing the iPad does well, there are three things that it doesn’t do well. I will spare you the typical Apple fan boy praise. It’s slick and the overall user experience is slick. Especially, if you are used to the iPhone. In general, the very top-level stuff that it does – touch screen, prettiness of a UI, innovative App store- it does really well.
Once you get an hour or two after opening the box, you realize.
There is a laundry list of things it simply sucks at….
No caps lock – what???
The shift key stinks and doesn’t capitalize properly.
Keyboard is overall made for skinny fingers. Really skinny
Multi-tasking is non-existent. Try streaming music and switching over to another program.
Web browsing is painful – try copy/paste from one safari session to the next. Safari in itself, zero good things to say. Put Firefox, or even chrome on there, now we are talking.
I thought I would get used to the keyboard, but its not happening. The touch screen of the iphone is one thing and tolerable because its a phone and the space is small. For the larger iPad version its simply lame.
If its an extension to my computer/phone, why can’t I charge from my laptop.
Using this in a “work environment” is close to pointless for mainstream users. I realize, that I am referring to “mainstream windows” users, but this is 97% of the world? Where is easy VPN? Easy migration to MS Office? I’d settle for Google docs, still nothing? How about for dev folks- Visual Studio? I am far from a Windows zealot, but….
Facebook app is an iphone app? What!? I know this is not apple’s fault, but when you are trying to be top-dog, it’s your fault.
App for LinkedIn doesn’t include “group’ activities? Close to pointless without.
iPad wifi strength blatantly stinks and has required an additional $25/mo 3G plan. Works in 60% of my house, not the other- kid’s playroom on the 2nd floor, for example. But works, above and below that?
The one case I found, is mediocre at best. Why would I not read on a kindle? Because, I would hope to use it in bed and it’s too big, too heavy, too clunky for that. Thank you kindle!
The list goes on an on an on. What does it do well?
Overall, usability to what it does support is slick, flick of the finger and you are up and running.
The twitteriffic app is awesome.
With a good signal, netflix is amazing!
The evernote app is #1- EXCEPT I haven;t found any connection to email or web browsing via a clipper of sorts. So, other than searching, what’s the point?
Conclusion
I’m one of those in-betweeners. I love apple products for their design, beauty etc. But I am also a free-spirit open source guy that hates everything that apple stands for. In other words, I try to be open-minded. I love beautiful products that work awesomely. Those that exceed my expectations. Those that are just, WOW!. On the surface, the iPad is that device. Once you get into it, the iPad simply disappoints a guy like me. So….. I gave it to my wife, for the web browsing, netflix, kids gaming stuff that she uses it for, I’m a hero.
For the portability of an on-the-go supplement to my workday, the iPad is far from it.
I have bit the bullet and am awaiting a Dell mini10 with windows 7 starter installed. I know… yuck, right? I’m stoked. I need a portable machine for writing specs, email, web browsing, cruising web content on the fly in the evenings, when I’m travelling, sitting in coffee shops to get a breather.
With all of the negative comments above, there is a massive need for a portable device for engineers that are road warriors, field folks and those of us that thrive on portability. Ideally, I want a (ubuntu-powered) tablet that provides an extension to my day to day, I want a device that I can throw in my backpack, sit on my lap in the yard, click and pick on a train and prop up at a coffee shop. I don’t expect fully engineering 3D capability, but I want access to my models, I want to access my 3D data, monitor my CFD simulations via a browser, access email that replicates me sitting at my computer. I want the ability to access all of my files (dropbox), web browse (sync) as if was at my laptop or desktop or phone.
Let’s face it, all of the above is universal enough, that its not a matter of if, its a matter of when.
Ever thought about bobbing and weaving with your CAD model? I received this video and post today. Really cool concept. What do you think?
Touch screen seems to be the hot topic in CAD right now. What do people think about head jestering. Obviously, this video takes it to the extreme. I can’t visualize myself moving my head that much (as shown in the video), but the concept is AWESOME! Got me thinking of the next generation of interacting with 3D models in the CAE space.
Recently noticed that even the local weather folks are using fancy touch screens. Imagine it even bigger than this. Imagine taking this to the next dimension and interacting with a holograph. Check out this video that was posted a few months back.
All exciting stuff.I used to be a big time user of the spaceball. I don’t seem to use it as much today. Nothing wrong with it, just not driving CAD as much as I used to. But, coming from someone who is spinning models around daily and creating presentation after presentation. I am looking for the next generation “model manipulation tool”. I might trademark that name. Just came to me…
I will point out the obvious and state that 2009 was a brutal year for many. Lots of organizations doing a bit of soul searching and digging in to try and reinvent themselves. Hopefully!
Those of us in the CAE or CAD industry are no different. Even though business has been slower than normal, the expectations have never been higher. It is interesting that many organizations went quiet for many months, but they are beginning to show their faces and have some big, big plans. Let’s take a look at some of the big topics of 2009.
Direct Modeling Wars
This has been one of the bigger topics to hit the MCAD market in five years. The boys at SpaceClaim broke onto the market preaching the concept as the next thing since sliced bread. Interestingly, they took a fair amount of criticism from the “traditional” parametric fanatics. But 2009, has seen all of the major MCAD vendors jump on the push/pull bandwagon. Some have gone all in and some have integrated direct modeling on top of the parametric based system.
Autodesk has Fusion.
Siemens has Synchronous Technology
PTC has CoCreate
SpaceClaim takes it to the next level with multi-touch.
The reality is that I don’t believe we have seen even the beginning of where this technology will take the engineering community. I don’t think anyone questions that there are obvious benefits to being able to sculpt and modify geometry from anywhere. The concept is still fairly new and a bit too disruptive for mass adoption. I suspect that the next year we will see some big things in this arena.
Upfront Simulation
A topic that has been near and dear to my heart for the last 12 years. I have been a believer from the beginning. Seems so simple. Leverage your existing 3D model, simulate upfront early in the design phase repetitively, until the optimal design is obtained and then physically test it to validate. Reduces the design cycle, reduces failure in the field etc. But this concept is still slow to be adopted.
We have seen a number of big advancements in this field this year. Both Solid Edge and Inventor have embedded FEA solutions. The bigger news is that both Siemens and Autodesk have much broader plans when it comes to simulation, well beyond a simple embedded solution. They are both a number of years behind Pro/Mechanica and the boys at SolidWorks, but clearly will expose this concept to a whole pool of new engineers.
CFD is now becoming a household name. It used to be the scary term that only the geekiest of the geeks was able to discuss. But we are seeing that it is the fastest growing market in CAE. ANSYS confirmed it and transformed themselves from a hardcore structural simulation company into a CFD house with the acquisition of Fluent.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, we at CFdesign, are changing the way people interact with CFD. We continue to target design engineers and have proven time and time again that CFD can help reduce physical prototypes, save failures in the field and increase innovation. But, more importantly, it can be driven by design folks and doesn’t have to be an analyst only tool. The introduction of the multi-scenario design study environment opens the flood gates to what design engineers can do with CFD.
Goliath Acquisitions
Feels like a giant love fest that everyone is buying everyone. What used to be a fairly broad landscape of small software companies is now narrowing itself down to a few behemoths. ANSYS has established themselves as the one stop shop simulation powerhouse. So far so good with regards to their position in the market (stock price-wise), but they have a long rode ahead. Keeping the dedicated user base of each acquisition happy is no simple feat. This extends way beyond the stock price. If you are not careful, you risk pissing off your dedicated user base and are now a bloated has-been. Time will tell.
Autodesk is also making a serious move into simulation with the acquisition of Algor and Moldflow. Interesting combination to say the least– complete ends of the spectrum. But in perfect Autodesk fashion, nothing happens without a well calculated plan. From my perspective, the integration seems slow, but talking to some of the higher ups at Autodesk, they feel to be “right on track”. After speaking with some of the dedicated users at #AU2009, I’d say their assessment isn’t far off.
Dassault appears to be playing a chess game of late. They are making very slow, but allegedly strategic moves. I am referring to DS as a whole. I think the boys at SW are always raising the bar. But the bigger V6 initiative has me perplexed. Conceptually, I think I get it and think it has some potential, but I’ll be damned if I can explain exactly what it is. I’d post a You Tube video that explains it, but couldn’t find one that made sense. If you are listening DS, I’d be happy to do a review of V6, but need someone to explain it to me. I’m sure its me.
Apple jumps into the Game
Tons and tons of buzz about who supports the Apple platform. Initially, I thought it was a bunch of hype, but seems like everyone is getting into the game. Macs were everywhere at #AU2009, lots of buzz at PLM World and I’m anxious to see the reaction at #SWW2010.
I have to admit, I am skeptical. I think Apple puts out some nice products and they are really riding the wave pretty well. But the engineering community is a whole different breed, they tend to be slow to become fanboys. Sure, there are exceptions, but the price of the hardware for Apple may be its downfall in mass adoption in engineering companies. I predict that we will see slow (perhaps steady) adoption by the early adopter/power user types, that’s about it for now.
Cloudy Forecast
Seems like everyone is gearing up for the “cloud”. It is on everyone’s radar, but few have jumped into the deep end. As I reported from #AU2009, Carl Bass was as direct as any exec I have seen on where it plays into the big picture.
Seems logical that we will see this as one of the faster growing trends in CAE. The big question will be where will it stick. Data management and collaboration seem like no-brainers. But, being on the simulation side of the house, I suspect computing power will be the biggest bang for the buck. The challenge here is user experience. Everyone will agree that running on a cluster in the cloud is faster, but the implementation of it sucks right now. Bandwidth is finally becoming reliable, but thinking of having “power” in the sky isn’t part of the mainstream workflow. I think this will change big time in the near future.
Mobile Engineering
No doubt the iphone has changed the way people think of mobile computing. It seemed like the thing to do in 2009, to rush out and create an iphone app for your product. Dassault did it. Autodesk did it.
Initially, I thought it was fad over function. But, I think it will play more and more of a role in our engineering lives. Probably not in the form that it exists today, but the fact is people are attached to their phones more now than ever. They will no doubt be a natural extension in the CAE space.
The potential is endless. Obviously, the sketching tools and accessing drawings will be a standard. But interacting with simulation will be critical. Models will only be getting larger and the more the computing is being pushed to the cloud, the more the need to monitor, interact and publish the raw data will grow.
Social Media is here to stay
Yes, even engineers are tweeting and blogging and even facebooking. Seems very non-engineering of us to be so social. But, I am convinced that the adoption of the tools will continue to grow. Maybe, not the tools as we see them today, but there isn’t a more diverse, opinionated, knowledge craving group than engineers.
PTC went so far to coin the phrase, “Social Product Development“. I know there are quite a number of eyes rolling, but I don’t think they are far off the mark. Conceptually, that is, implementation will be key.
As many of you know, I am a big fan of twitter, facebook, linkedin, flickr and you tube (see side bar for links). It is more than a fad for me, its part of my personal and professional life. The key is simply being plugged in and connected with those around me. The challenge is wading through the bullshit when it comes to social media. Many are overwhelmed, don’t know where to start and couldn’t be bothered. What do I say to them? Take the time, expand your comfort zone and see what is out there. You might be surprised that there are tools out there that can actually help you stay current and communicate with a world that you would otherwise not know exists. Check out Jeff’s @lifeupfront’s take on it.
Conclusion
This is only a small slice of what happened in 2009. The exciting part is that many of these topics are fairly new in our world. CAE has been on the steady climb over the last few years with performance and user experience. These topics are still growing leaps and bounds, but they are now just expected. The real game changers are the ones that are thinking outside the box, beyond our comfort zones. Personally, I am perfectly ok with that.
