Google Android developers dropping like flies

I read an article that said that many of the developers for the Google Android mobile phone are deciding it may not be worth the investment. It said that the market size for the Android makes it difficult to justify too much development time into making software applications for the Android system. Another concern was that there is no standard format for input since Android runs on a variety of different phones. Screen sizes can vary, input modes may vary. This adds cost to support the wide array of possible combinations. It's almost as if Apple is in the same situation with it's iPhone as Microsoft is with desktop computers. Once you dominate a market, it is hard to be displaced. But in this case Apple even makes the best product too so it is a one/two punch. I think Android will end up being a nitch market like Linux. Interesting but a little too open, so there is too much differences in the way they work. Look at all the different "flavors" of Linux. Hackers love a system like this but I don't think the general public will.

Titanium still Rocks!

I thought I would mention that I still use my Titanium Powerbook for mobile computing purposes. But for the first time, I find there is beginning to be a speed lag that I notice. I am now using the latest version of Numbers on the Powerbook, and I admit it is a little sluggish. The only reason I did it is that my current Numbers files won't work on the version that was on the Powerbook. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered.

These Apples never die, Stitch!

New Airport Express

Well, it has been a couple of weeks since I bought and integrated an Airport Express into our home network. I must say, there is something liberating about streaming music from the computer to our new stereo system. I use my iPod Touch and the free Remote app to control and browse iTunes. It has worked magnificently, and it really allows a new and far more effective way of playing my iTunes music through a stereo. Since I ripped most of my music in Lossless format, the sound quality is outstanding.

The one issue I have is that for some reason I have not successfully moved the Express to another room and hooked up to it. I am not sure if I'm doing something wrong or not. Right now I have the Express hooked up via ethernet cable to our cable modem, and I was hoping to de-tether it if I wanted to listen to music from our other stereo. I will keep you informed.

The latest in Apple land is Apple's acquisition of LaLa, prompting everyone to think Apple is going towards the "stream any music you want from the cloud" paradigm. Sometimes I wonder if I'm too old to go to that. How do you feel about it, Stitch?

Imitation the Sincerest form of flattery?

Stitch, this is a Window 7 partner saying basically they copied OSX's graphical look and feel. My brother in law mentioned that Windows is now just like OSX. My God, can Microsoft do anything original? I know, I know - they have done original things. But this just annoys me. What's your take?

Copy Kat

iTunes with subscription TV?

Did you hear the rumor that Apple is trying to get networks to have their content sent via iTunes for a $30/month subscription fee. I have wondered why this has taken so long to develop. I am thinking it was the networks who didn't want to jump in to this model since it might disrupt the whole TV universe of distribution. With cable and advertisers screaming foul. Hopefully this time Apple can make the deal.

Link to article

This article talks about the whole thing coming together by the beginning of next year. Another article I read even went a step further saying that they would integrate the whole thing into the rumored tablet computer. But I don't really get why this would be a breakthrough. Who wants to hold the screen to watch TV? Anyway it would obviously be linked to play on your computer, and iPod/iTouch/iPhone, and AppleTV. Depending on how much they can swing with the networks. Up to this point no one has been able to convince the networks to go this route. Trying to develop Hulu on their own. But I don't think that Hulu is that big of a success. They are rumored to be developing a paid service too. But it would still lock you to viewing from your computer. Which I think is a small market, most people want a seemless way to view on their TV. Will AppleTV need to be beefed up for this? Given how well movies flow, I don't think it would necessarily. This will help to keep the cost down too. It does sound like an exciting posibillity. Especially if you would be able to pick "a la cart" style which networks you wanted. Time will tell.

Apple is the Target

With all of the recent sucess of the iPhone, once again Apple is the target of the competition namecalling. Nokia is suing Apple for copyright infringements with the iPhone. Verizon is attacking the iPhone with "we got a map for that" for the larger coverage over AT&T. And now Verizon has teamed up with Motorola and disses all of the "negative" features that the iPhone doesn't have or do with their latest Dune ads. When I first saw these ads, I didn't even know what it was for. The ending was like an ad for a horror flick.
Apple will survive all this. Just like the iPod attacks. The Nokia copyright suit I am sure is a minor one. Maybe Apple will need to pay some minor royalties to Nokia for some menu system etc. Seems a bit late for that kind of lawsuit. The iPhone has been out for quite some time. Maybe it was because of Nokia's poor earnings report.
One surprising thing is that the exlusive AT&T agreement may end mid 2010. Verizon keeps posturing to sell the iPhone, but they don't want to give up everything like AT&T did. With the Apple Apps store instead of their own, Vcast store. It's a big chess game about who makes how much profit in the big deal. Who has more to gain from each other. I am sure Apple will be able to work out a deal, unless Verizon becomes too stuborn again and wants all the chips for themselves. Personally, I would like to see Apple start their own network, or buy one. Seems like Sprint and T-mobile are the only ones left. AllTel got bought by Verizon. They probably have the cash. They could start a new paradime about cell phones are sold. I don't know if the numbers add up, but with Apple profits going like gangbusters, and Verizon's profits slipping I think Apple has the upper hand.

Mad Money loves Apple

I recently watched an episode of Mad Money. Its that investing show with Jim Cramer, who acts like a crazy radio disc jockey playing all sorts of sound effects and lots of crazy sight gags. He is actually a former high end investment broker. Well on this last show he was wearing a large Apple make of cardboard, and taking bites out of apples from a large bushel basket of them. His point, was that many investors think that with Apple's latest great earnings report this past quarter that they should jump ship because Apple is as high as they can go. He says wrong, "Apple is the only company who has said what he has dying to hear, Apple cannot keep up with demand". In a recession, and consumer spending way down, Apple can't keep up with demand. And it is not just the iPhone either, according to Cramer it is there whole product line. He said "This may be the biggest technology company of all time, including Google, and Microsoft". Pretty amazing words. He points out that they only have 3% of the cell phone market and about 4% of the computer market, so there is huge growth potential. And he makes the comment, "Have you ever heard of someone who has switch to an Apple product regret it?, No, once an Apple customer always an Apple customer." I know he always throws in a bunch of showmanship but I think he believes his picks and then spins a wild presentation around it. You can see the episode on iTunes as a podcast. I think it was 10/20 and it is the first topic he covers. Go Apple the technology marvel.

Apple quits the US Chamber of Commerce

Did you hear this story about Apple quitting the US Chamber of Commerce? I guess it goes back to a statement that the USCOC made pretty much denying global warming and giving a position against any measures to counter it. Apple thought that this position was denying reality and quit in protest. A few other large companies have also quit the USCOC for the same reason including Nike and a few others. I don't think this made big news. I wonder how much a company pays in dues each year.

Family Macnight?

Stitch, I emailed you at your SabreJim address, and I'm not sure you received it. I proposed a family Macnight for Friday October 2. The following day we will be visiting my grandmother for her birthday, so it would be nice to get together if possible. I know it's late notice, and my apologies! Let me know when you get a chance!

Macnight cluster maps

Have you noticed the Cluster Maps link at the bottom of the Macnight blog web page? It shows a map of where in the world the most hits to our blog come from. I found it odd that we seem to get a pretty good spread of people from around the world. Some from the southeast Asia, some from Europe, and North America. But one thing absent is South America. No hits? Don't they sell Macs in South America? Aren't there other Mac fanatics there? I am puzzled. Even if people randomly found our site you would expect a few hits from South America too.

iTunes 9.0 A big upgrade

I would have to say that after downloading iTunes 9.0 that it is a serious upgrade. My favorite new feature is the new layout of the iTunes Store. It is much easier to navigate. And it has a more modern look to it. One area I would like to see an improvement is the rating system. I believe the rating system is overly inflated by teenagers or young college students. Almost everything has a 4 or 5 star rating. Too many times the review say that "the video is the best of all time". Everything cannot be the best of all time. One rating system I found that worked well was on the Fandango.com web site. This is the movie theatre web site for tickets, previews and showtimes. It lets you filter the ratings by different criteria of the rater. Such as by age group, if you have kids, and others. It is interesting how the reviews change with the filtering.

Maybe Apple could put a rater on hold for a while if they give too many high ratings. The other extreme is the one star of death rating where people are irritated about something with the iTunes store or Apple and they use the review as a complaint forum.

Anyways, back to iTunes9. The home sharing feature is good if you have a bunch of libraries as in teens in the same household. I wish they made backup of the system a bit better. Where everything is stored and not breaking the setup is too complex. Having an auto backup feature built into iTunes and archiving to another network hard drive would be the best. iTunes is so big now that a hard drive crash can wipe out a significant investment. Auto backup should be a key feature of iTunes. I know Time machine does this, but this is not available on Windows and older Macs. Plus I don't really want access to every version of every file I have ever created on my computer. I found a program written by a computer science student that lets you auto archive selected directories in the same tree structure as it is on your main drive. Simple, automatic, no compression, encryption, it just works. Should be part of iTunes too.

Another requested feature would be to have different user settings for the same library. It would be like multiple accounts on the same computer. The library is the same but each users settings are stored in their seperate area. Each person could do their own customization. I know Christina does not like a bunch of the songs on my library and we share libraries for easy backup. My worst iTunes experience was trying to merge two libraries which had some duplicate songs and some unique songs. I had to go by hand and find all of the duplicates. iTunes will list them. But you need to delete them one by one clicking visually. Sad.
iTunes is getting better each time but I wish Apple would allow for user input for requested features. Maybe they don't because of potential lawsuits if they use your idea.

What do you think about the new Nano?

Any thoughts about the new Nano? It seems that Apple needed to do some major feature enhancement to keep the Nano a tempting option in the MP3 player market. Especially with all the new features of the iTouch. This gives people with a smaller budget a reason to buy the Nano. The demographics is probably younger teens or people who want a device to exercise with that is very small but still has a screen.

I read some reviews of the new Nano and many of them gloss over the ability to pause live radio. After owning a DVR for so long and getting used to being able to pause or rewind video, I find myself assuming I have this ability in my car radio. If you miss something that is said, you assume you can just rewind it and hear it again. Yes I am conditioned. I guess for radio it is not as big of a deal unless you are listening to a talk show or something like that. Rewinding a song to hear again may not be that great. I wonder how long the recording goes for and if it is still there next time you power up. The key marketing feature with this is the iTunes taging which allows you to tag you hear on the radio for iTunes. Then when you sync with iTunes you can download the song from the iTunes Store. HD radio advertises having this feature too. It has been driven into my skull with the HD radio ads I hear 5 times a day.

The camera/video feature could be good if the pictures are better than the crappy cameras typically on cell phones. That lens looks pretty small. My cell phone touts a Megapixel camera but the pictures are almost always grainy and blurry unless under very bright sunlight.

I still think the "shake to shuffle" feature introduced in the last update is pure genious and will greatly appeal to the younger crowd. My son opted to get a PSP (Sony handheld gaming device) instead of an iPod Nano for about the same price. To him, games are more important than music right now. And the iTouch was quite a bit more expensive.

Problems with AppleTV

Stitch, this article seems like it was written by you!

Apple TV Problems

He makes an observation that the media companies are probably just not playing ball with Apple. THe result is that the AppleTV will be a crippled device for the foreseeable future.

Squash the serious AppleTV features upgrade

Stitch, check out the link:

No AppleTV Upgrade

I know that you can't always rely on analysts' reports, but it seems they met with the Apple CFO for their information. Now there may be an AppleTV refresh coming soon, but I don't think it will be tomorrow. I know I've heard in the past that Apple is working on it. Hopefully it will be soon enough for them to be competitive.

AppleTV needs a serious upgrade

I have noticed that there is starting to be a lot of competition developing on the AppleTV market. Netflix has Roxio which allows you to view a limited selection of their videos on demand as part of your regular subscription. The reviews have been good and the simple device starts at $50. Then there are more and more PVR's which are like Tivo. Where you can digitally record TV/cable/dish programming to a hard drive for later viewing. Tivo has sued most of the competitors out of the market so this is more the build it yourself market. If Apple can expand their movie database to be on par with Netflix and offer a PVR built in this would be a big advance. The killer app would be something like a cable/dish package which has a minimal fee and loads of ad supported TV. I think the pay per show model for TV is a bust and is only a nitch market.

Speaking of Heavy Handedness!

Stitch, here is another example: Apple didn't like one developer's "bubbles" in a chat application, saying it was too much like their own. Can a company patent something like that? Maybe Apple should be happy that their iPhone has an App that is almost the same as their refined "look and feel">

Bubbles!

Special Event Sept 9

Stitch, I'm sure you have already heard that there is a special event coming up. Speculation is rampant on some tablet idea, but I seriously doubt it. This is about music! That happens to be the same day the Beatles release all their albums in remastered form, and everyone thinks Apple will let customers download them from iTunes. Are you interested? Thinking about a new iPod? Word is they could have cameras!

Apple's arrogance revisited

I think you may have missed my point in the previous "Apple getting to arrogant" post. I added another comment.

Snow Leopard!

Well Stitch, I already ordered my copy. I know, I know - I'm an Apple nut who can't wait for anything. I admit it! I can't wait, and it's only $30 with free shipping. Not too shabby! Are you going to get the Snow Leopard? If you wait, I could give you a users perspective after I play with it!

Is Apple becoming too arrogant?

Steve Jobs has always had the "my way, or the highway" attitude when it comes to Apple and Apple products. When the second coming of Jobs occurred, he started with a mellower tone. He started to work well with others, yet still demand excellence. Of course he had a few, "I know best" moves which flopped, such as the Cube. But all and all, Jobs was more flexible.

Now come the iPhone, and it looks like Apple is back at the heavy handedness. Especially by not allowing competing products on the iPhone. The Apps store is both a cure and a curse. Sure you have a store of tons of Apps in the palm of your hand. But they had to filter through Apple. Now others are revolting. I read that there is a way to get Apps for the iPhone which is not the Apps store.

I always thought that if Apple was on top they would not have the heavy hand like Microsoft. But I hate to say it but they appear to have the same affliction.


Apple Arrogance

My AppleTV review (so far)

Well, I have had the AppleTV for about 2 months now. I am somewhat pleased and somewhat disappointed. First of all the downloading of movies and playing them is flawless. The price of a movie is pricey at $3.99 for DVD quality and $4.99 for HD quality. So I am sticking with Netflix for most movies. But is nice to have the "on demand" option available. It is true the selection choice is limited. I love streaming iTunes to the stereo and TV. It uses AirTunes feature and once again is seemless. I have a USB video recorder for my PC to record HD over the air TV. It plays well on the PC, but the format is unrecognized by AppleTV.
Then comes Boxee. A very good hack for the AppleTV which allows searching your own network for shared files and allowing playing of almost any format on the TV. One problem is that Boxee is not as efficient as the native AppleTV so your video is jittery. It is a work in progress and gets better with each update. My favorite feature of Boxee is Pandora.com. Boxee has applications modules which people write to access content online. The Pandora one is an online radio site which learns your tastes. You rate thumbs up or down and it learns. You can have many stations and the graphics are very professional. It also has access to Hulu.com video. But the feed is jerky and playback is unwatchable. At first I thought it was because of the slow AppleTV processor. But the downloaded movies from Apple work great with high resolution. Hulu is a joint venture of a bunch of TV networks, but they don't understand computers well enough. It is jumpy on my PC too.
Another application is Joost. It hasn't died yet. Their network is setup to get bits of the show from many different sources. This makes playback much better. But at times the resolution fades to keep smooth playback. Plus there is too much crap programming to wade through to find the good stuff. My son likes watching "Transformers" cartoons. They have almost the entire season in order. But there is no parental filters, so can be dangerous for kids.
Installing Boxee was a breeze. You create an image file by downloading a simple script file. Then transfer it to a thumb drive. Shutdown AppleTV. Plug thumbdrive in AppleTV USB port. Reboot. And now it is installed. It uses the AppleTV menu system too so it looks very clean. Updates are done from the AppleTV too.
One beef that I have is that Apple does not move the AppleTV software forward too fast. The Boxee people claim that Apple has been accepting of having Boxee on AppleTV and does not break it with updates. Just in case Boxee will block Apple updates so you have to request them yourself. The Apple updates are so rare anyway though.

Apple Music and Tablets?

Stitch, check out the link:

Tablet Music

I think it is long overdue to bundle some goodies with online albums! It was a big loss when music began to go online - minimal album art, liner notes, lyrics, extras, etc. I think it's a great idea to take the album concept to the same level and beyond for online music! When I listen to music on the iPod Touch, I absolutely love to see the cool album cover, and I think additional materials you could leaf through on the Touch would be a kick butt idea! I hope they make it happen.

Speaking of awesome ideas done right, how about the much rumored Mac tablet idea? There have been a lot of patents surfacing about a possible tablet idea. I still remember that right before the iPhone was released, there were a lot of patents surfacing which hinted strongly at what was to come. I feel the same thing is happening now. Instead of a clunky, heavy half baked tablet idea from MS, how about a polished, well implemented Apple version! Think about the Macbook Air with only one side! If anyone can do it right, Apple can. Then watch the Microsofts jump on the bandwagon again!

Microsoft Stores

Stitch, what do you think of the Microsoft retail stores?

MStores

It just amazes me that MS for the most part has no innovative ideas. They truly just copy what Apple does. In this case, it is 8 or so years after the fact.

MS claims Apple called to ask them to stop their TV commercials

A Microsoft executive in a presentation said that he received a call from Apple attorneys asking MS to stop the MS ads which claim that MS PC's are a better value. Right. I'm sure that is what happened. On MacNN they had a pic of the executive who happens to be bald and very nerdy looking. Someone in the comments section asked, "Are all MS execs bald and stupid?". I had to laugh.

Apple still running strong

The Q2 earnings are out and Apple continues to grow even during a severe recession. iPhone sales were up 600% from last year! Some of that is because of the transition last year to 3G causing a temporary slump in sales. But still, WOW. I see Apple has said they predict iPod sales to continue to drop over time. But what really is an iPod anymore. Does an iTouch count as an iPod? Does an iPhone too? Not too shabby under the current economic climate we are in.

A proud? owner of an AppleTV

Yes I have kicked the satellite dish out of my home. I figured when more than half of the stations are either infomercial stations like QVC or digital music stations with really bad music. And then since we are on the west coast, many stations go off the air early and show infomercials. I'm done.
I am setting up an over the air DVR on my PC which will add the shows to iTunes to stream to the main TV with AppleTV. You got to love the interface with ATV. I like watching previews of movies by streaming them directly to ATV. But the prices are still too high, $3.99 for a non HD version. I still just use Netflix for DVD's. A better value, even if you have to wait a couple of days. For me, there is a lot of HD science content on the Podcasts. Sure beats the Science channel which actually have a show where a cowboy hunts down people in the woods. What this has to do with Science I have no idea. Its like Shark week on Discovery channel. At least that is less of a stretch.
I like the favorites for ATV. When you find a podcast you like you can add it to favorites. But these don't get backed up as far as I know. So if you reboot the ATV, then you might loose your favorites. I had a little trouble with iTunes not finding the ATV. It would work for a bit then disappear. I ended up having to wipe my ATV clean and start over. Now it seems to be working fine. Too PC like for me though, with the restart deal.
It is cool to have all your pictures streamed to ATV with Ken Burns effects and songs from you iTunes library. There are actually podcast HD shows which are 20 min long. The full program. I like the station Current. I think it is an up and coming network. They are also on cable and dish. I will update this review after I have ATV a while more.
I don't know why there isn't more advertising in Podcasts even from the big networks. I don't mind short ads if it generates revenue and better content. There are a couple that do and you can see that the quality of the broadcast is better than most. Hey they need a revenue source. I have not downloaded any TV shows yet. $1.99 an episode seems a bit much for something I would only watch once. Hey 50 cents a show, or add some short ads. Oh well. ATV has potential, the on demand stuff of the latest version is good. Blurry youtube videos are also available, but why?

iTouch as a Skype phone

I couldn't believe this when I saw it but their is a Skype app for the iTouch/iPhone which would allow you to make telephone calls over the internet using Skype. Skype is the famous voice over IP telephone service which allows you to call over the internet. You can call other Skype users anywhere in the world for free, plus call landlines and cell phones for only about $3 a month. With the increase in free WiFi access points could these give cell phones a run for the money. I hope so. Cell phones are overpriced in my opinion. $40-50 a month for the priveledge, which is $500-$600/year for phone service!. You could buy a new HDTV every year at these prices. And you are charged both ways, for incoming and outgoing minutes. Certainly their is need for an alternative. I would love having a WiFi Skype phone which also has the ability to call using prepaid minutes if needed. Quote me now cause I think this is the future.
If you were wondering how can you talk on an iTouch without a microphone. On the second generation iTouch's they have the ability to accept microphone inputs. It is an extra purchase but hey the calls are cheap.

Steve Jobs gets an iLiver

Well the truth finally comes out about Jobs. With his liver transplant, he was sicker than he had made it out to be. Their are even stock traders who are calling for restitution saying Apple deceived the public and the market from knowing key knowledge about a very influential CEO of a publicly traded company. Companies are required to issue statements about risks in their financial reports. And could be construed that a company is obligated to divulge health problems about a CEO who is intertwined with the company's success. Since it can have an impact on the company performanc. I say, hey this is too personal for stock statements. It will fade. Plus Steve has rebooted with a new iLiver. I wonder if it has WiFi?

Rubinstein is new Palm CEO

The transformation is complete - Jon Rubinstein is now Vader!

Rubinstein

I knew he had a big part of the Palm revival, but I didn't realize he was that high up!

WWDC 2009 a Success

Stitch, I would argue that WWDC was a qualified success. I believe a lot of naysayers feel that Apple didn't introduce whiz-bang products, but I would say Apple is laying an extremely solid foundation for the future. I still remember after Apple introduced the iPhone SDK and the App store, many were concerned. The App store had never been done before, and Apple keeps 30% of the revenue! Now a year later, the iPhone is arguably the hottest mobile development platform on the planet, and everyone else is scrambling to open their own app stores. What a dumb idea that everyone is copying!

With the introduction of the iPhone, Apple insisted that the virtual keyboard would be a game changer because it could be modified with software - it was not a static part of the phone. Fast forward, and here we are with gobs of multiple languages that any iphone used can jump right into, simply because the iPhone adjusts to whatever country it is in. And is anyone else jumping on board with a virtual keyboard?

With introduction of an API that allows developers to offer additional packages from within their app, the entire iphone app ecosystem is jacked up again to higher levels. Want a new game scenario? Have the gamer buy it right from within the app.

With the API allowing iPhone interaction with other hardware, developers can interface to the iPhone with their own hardware. The possibilities for that are endless.

Bottom line, it's about the software, and I believe Apple is hitting this one out of the park. The 'analysts' just don't get it, in my opinion. Just because it's not a new hardware product, they don't think there's anything worthwhile. I disagree!!

Palm Pre syncs with iTunes

Stitch check out the article:

Syncs with iTunes

I don't know if any other smart phone that could do this. And it seems perfectly legal? It is interesting that no other smart phone has ever tried this until now. Or are there others?

Back Stabbed??

Consider the article:

Backstabber?

Jon Rubinstein of Apple fame reportedly had a big hand in the Palm Pre design. Jon was an Apple executive early in the decade, and he oversaw the hardware division. I cannot help but be hurt, Stitch, that Jon was ok with going to Palm to compete directly against Apple. I know it happens all the time, but it hurts nonetheless. Do you feel the same way?

Palm Pre set to launch

Check out the article:

Palm Pre

I don't know, Stitch. The pricing is pretty steep, and I think that's the disadvantage of being a late comer (to the tune of 2 years late). You may have a nice phone, but out of necessity you have to price the entry level product in this case at $200 after a mail in rebate. The iPhone has been in the market for 2 years with a possible refresh right around the corner.

What do you think, Stitch? Have you heard much?

p.s. Apologies for my absence lately - I had a rough semester, and I needed to finish it off!!

The Mac gets dissed

I saw a computer ad on TV yesterday where this guy was searching for the perfect computer. He says he has up to $1500 to spend. He looks at some Netbook computers and dismisses them as toys. He picks up an Apple laptop and says they look cool but he needs a computer with some real computing capabilities. Then he walks out with a Windows computer and says something to the effect, "he has all the computer he needs". And leaves a happy customer.

I was shocked how they blatantly diss the Mac in the Ad. Implying it looks good but is lacking in ability. What a crock.

Saw Netbooks in person

I saw a few Netbooks in person at Best Buy the other day. They look like toy computers. They are about half the size of a regular computer, just scaled down. The prices were only about $250 but I didn't get the feeling like their was a lot of value in them. It seems that every so often there is an attempt to make these mini computers but they don't sell well. It is more a novelty.

After you bring it home, you end up becoming aware of all the limitations you have with the mini computer. I think the only reason they are selling now is the low price. It is about the price of a periferal like a printer or external hard drive used to cost. I can't see it replacing the needs of a regular computer. It is probably more of an extra computer for the road. It gives you the ability to check the internet while away from home and is small enough to pack easily.

I remember back in about the year 2000, this guy I worked with bought a mini computer made by Sony. Everything was scaled down with mini keys and a mini screen. It was a novelty but back then they cost about $800. So it was an expensive novelty. I think they sold only a dozen of these.

Apple Netbook, is it a possibility?

Have you heard about the latest craze in laptop computers? Its the Netbook. It all started with a small company that wanted to make a simple computer which could access the internet with minimal capabilities and sell for $100 so that people all over the world would be able to afford it. Well it cost a little more than $100, more like $250-$300 but it sold like hotcakes and not just to third world customers.
This caught the eye of the big computer manufacturers and now almost all of them have a version. It has a low power Intel chip called the Atom, no hard drive only a flash drive (about 8GB) and can connect to the internet. The market has grown to the point that about 12% of all laptops are now these Netbooks. The computer is very small with a 7in diagonal screen and a miniature keyboard.

A lot of people like them because it is an inexpensive way to connect to the internet, and with a lot of applications now running off the internet gives you an inexpensive computer. The first ones were Linux based to keep costs down, but MS has released an XP version.

Apple has yet to get into this market, but it could be said that the iPhone and iTouch are almost a Netbook only smaller. Maybe Apple will release a larger iTouch to compete in this new market. The problem is that the margins are low for this type of device. Kind of like the entry level car market.

MacFan is now a Touch owner!

It was a complete surprise when I received a new iPod Touch with 32 Gb of memory. I honestly was not expecting it, and let me say I am truly in mobile computing heaven! Stitch, it's absolutely awesome. It kicks butt as an iPod, I can check and manage email easily and on the go, most web sites I like have mobile versions, and it goes on and on. I feel absolutely blessed to have this wonderful device.

And with the coming if iPhone OS 3.0, it will get even better. Stitch, life is beautiful!

Uproar over new Shuffle

So, what do you think of the new Shuffle? There is an uproar over the relocated controls to the earbud cord.

I don't understand why people are so upset. Apple routinely make design changes to appeal to their customers. For the vast majority of us who use shuffles (that includes myself and the wife), the notion of using a simple three button controller makes sense. It's always oriented in the same way if it's on the cord, and I don't see it as difficult to use! One click for play and pause, two clicks to advance. It's simple! And I think we are unnecessarily looking down on the general population to think they can't easily learn how to use the voice over feature.

I do understand the complaint about having to use the earbuds. But Apple and 3rd party manufacturers have already said that there are solutions coming out.

I just don't get it. You buy the shuffle so that it will be as out of the way and simple as possible - not to hook into your stereo! What's your take?

Woz on DWT stars?!

Is it true that Steve Wozniak is really going to be on Dancing with the Stars TV show?

Apple Announcements

What do you think of Apple's announcements today? New versions of everything, just about. I think this was just an update, and it was not meant to reveal anything earth shattering. The new Mac mini is great, but it's still the same machine without any new ground breaking features.

I have the feeling something amazing is in the works. I just think Apple will wait until they get it right. What's your take on the announcements?

Jobs on medical leave

Have you heard that Steve Jobs is now on medical leave until June 2009? Hopefully Steve will be able to nurse himself back to good health and put an end to the rumors that he is dying. Its getting to be like when the Beatles were popular and everyone thought there was a hidden message that Paul was dead. Like the Abbey Road album cover where Paul is the only one leading with his right leg. This must mean something! Ahhhh.

The Storm is no iPhone

Check out the link:

Storm, Shmorm

Apparently the Storm hasn't taken the world by Storm! I don't know - I think it has some redeeming features, but it's hard to compare it to the silky smooth operation of the iPhone. Apple has quite a head start, and I think they will continue on the innovation train. By the way, Macworld reviewers were fairly positive toward the Storm - should I dump my subscription?

Zune lost millions!

Check out the link:

Zune Loses

I guess the Zune lost a few bucks recently! I even heard that Ballmer hinted they might phase out the Zune. I gotta tell you, I wouldn't be shedding any tears for the Zune's demise. Brought in as an utterly inferior product, marginally improved, and forever playing catchup with the entire iPod line (including the Touch), I can't say I'll miss it!

Microsoft to lay off 5000

Stitch, check out the link:

Layoff MS

Man, I never thought I would see this! I still remember when we had layoffs at AlliedSignal, how I wished I was at one of the technology companies that was hiring. It shows how bad the economy is right now. A layoff of 5000 is pretty substantial, and the sooner these people are absorbed at other companies, the better. It's just so surprising to see something like this. Fortunately, although Apple may lay off some people at some point, the balance sheet is pretty healthy!

Macworld Final Comments

Although there was some grumbling about this Macworld being sub par, I kind of feel this was an average Macworld. I believe that several times new versions of iWork and iLife have been introduced at Macworld, and this one was no different. I was actually rather impressed at their continuing innovation regarding those two software packages. For example, while Garageband didn't get much that is crazy cool ( music lessons are very welcome, but it's not like you can't get software that does the same thing elsewhere), please consider the iPhoto face recognition feature. Now I haven't personally used it, but it sounds pretty darn impressive, and it has received kudos from several reviewers. In fact, I don't know how Apple continues to come up with new ideas for these software packages. And iMovie really has some nice added features that I argue are not the same thing everyone else has.

I admit the new powerbook was more or less the updating of the 17 inch version to what the Macbook has, albeit a lot more powerful.

I suspect the groundbreakers will take place only in the "invitation only" events from now on. Were you disappointed?

Macworld Hype

Is it my imagination, or is there less hype than in the past regarding the Expo? I just think everyone knows the Expo is on its last legs. Nevertheless, I'm hoping for some very cool stuff from Apple. I hereby renew my demand for the Mac Mini to become something great! What do you hope for, Stitch?

Jobs finds cause of weightloss

Jobs has come out with a statement that his doctors have found out why he has been losing weight. Some sort of protein deficiency where his body cannot process proteins properly. He says that he has started therapy for it and should be better by summer if all goes well. This news even gave the Apple stock a boost.