Apple’s iPad and iPhone and the iOS software that powers both of those devices is all well and good if you’re a single geek who doesn’t have a social life, but what if you have a family? Everyone has their own email account, some probably even have more than one, everyone has a Facebook account, and everyone has their own set of bookmarks. Managing all that user data is currently impossible due to the lack of multiple user support in iOS, but today Skyfire has announced a solution called “HotSwap”. Simply install Skyfire’s browser [iTunes link], setup accounts for you and your loved ones, and boom, your iPad is now the post PC “family computer”. Now of course there’s a catch to all this. For one thing, Skyfire isn’t free. It’s a whopping $5, which is money that could be put to better use on a game or something. Also, don’t you think Apple knows that they’re lacking multiuser support and probably has plans on bringing that to iOS 6?
Anyway, there is one thing that Skyfire does in addition to multiple accounts that makes that $5 price tag easier to swallow. Say you’re on one of the few remaining websites that uses Flash to display video content instead of h.264. Skyfire will transcode that video in real time on their server and feed it back down to you. That’s mighty impressive, but honestly, how many websites are still not supporting the h.264 standard?
Later this year we’re going to see the first Windows 8 tablets hit the market. There’s no doubt in our minds that Microsoft is going to scream from the hilltops about how well their OS handles multiple profiles. But will people want a Windows 8 tablet after they see the sharpness of the new iPad’s screen? That’s a whole other topic we’ll tackle in Q3 or Q4.
[Via: The Boy Genius Report]