Apple unafraid of, helping Facebook's Project Spartan

Techcrunch had announced last week the Spartan project, an ambitious project that could allow Apple to compete with Facebook and iOS leaving its own App Store in HTML 5. The site is back on this project, without giving details, but added interesting information about Apple.

According to the site, Apple is not afraid Spartan project, on the contrary. The company would provide technical assistance to the social network to help set up his shop dedicated to applications in HTML 5. Two reasons cited by TechCrunch: Apple is not afraid of Web applications offered by Facebook. According to MG Siegler, native applications are much better, and users will no doubt continue to choose them, at least in the majority. Otherwise, this platform encourages developers to abandon the Flash to create applications for Facebook, in favor of HTML 5. Technological change that is not displeasing to a company that puts itself before the HTML 5.

Remains that Apple underestimated the impact of a boutique Facebook beyond the control of the App Store, however, says TechCrunch, adding that the project Spartan is causing the delay of the application iPad. If its development has taken so long, it is precisely because the social network wants to make it compatible with Spartan.

John Gruber - Daring Fireball and Jason Snell - Macworld

As noted in the test of Gruber, a test more focused on graphics performance. He used a custom application designed by one of the authors of Tap Revenge. It displays hundreds if not thousands of sprites on the screen, moving being influenced by the effects of gravity and trying to keep up to three contacts on the screen.

With iPad 1 and 200 sprites, we get 45 frames per second. On the iPad 2, with double, 400 sprites you climb to 65 fps On the iPad 1 it must descend to 100 sprites to 60 fps while the two must put 750 sprites on the screen to fall below 60 fps All this without changing the software code, which bodes well for future applications when they have been optimized.

Macworld has also conducted some performance tests with unequivocal results on the capabilities of the new JavaScript engine "Nitro" But recovered Safari (tested each time with IOS 4.3), time to start and complete display of the page host a site.

Reading other tests TechCrunch, PC Mag to name a few, led to similar conclusions. The iPad 2 is a strong evolution of the first model. Not necessarily able to generate alternative vocations, but the product has something to attract the greatest number.

Its cameras are judged by all pretty disappointing (by Apple promotes luck rather the use of video), GarageBand amazes even those who have a musical background, then iMovie seems more a scaled down version of its cousin on the Mac. PC Mag has also echoed these crashes with two applications (soon sold € 3.99 each on the App Store). Critical acclaim as the Protection Cover Smart, very smart in how it binds almost alone on the iPad, and no problems with either the HDMI adapter.