Just in - Best Buy to carry iPhone 3G!

Is this a good idea? I don't know, but I do know that Best Buy has lots of traffic. An interesting consequence is that Best Buy will need to have representatives on hand to activate the iPhone, as you can't do it online anymore. Supposedly Apple needs more retailers at which to sell the iPhone because of the long lines at their stores! Robin told me that even a week after the iPhone went on sale, there were still lines at the Chicago store. (Yes, she went to Chicago this summer, and I didn't. Pooey!)

September Special Event?

Rumors abound that the Mothership will introduce a new Macbook as well as an updated iPod Touch:

September Event

Will Apple include finger gestures on the new Macbook? I think it's a little soon for that, but I've been wrong before! (I know, shocking, isn't it?)

Macnight Retreat?

I am back in town, and I was wondering about our Macnight retreat? Any ideas? I believe there are a plethora of meeting places and times which may be explored. Consider: The Apple universe is expanding and, indeed, promises to get far more interesting. I've heard of a rumored iPhone nano which could be "pay as you go". Talk about expanding Apple's reach! There are many people just like myself who just can't see spending an extra $1000 a year to have the internet at my fingertips at all times. But, give me WiFi access and a phone with the cool apps, and who knows?

I also heard rumor of new products or features which would be very difficult to copy by Apple's competitors. What could that be? Perhaps we could discover the meaning at a Macnight retreat? Let us begin the planning process sooner than later!

What's it like to work at Apple?

Here is a very interesting article that quotes an Apple insider on why it's cool to work at Apple. He makes no bones about it - it's tough working with Jobs, but it can be extremely rewarding. I think you need to have the same laser focus for quality and doing things right that Jobs has. I don't know that there are many people like that! Check it out:

Insider

Help save Macnight

I have noticed that the posts to Macnight have dropped off over the past year. Last year we averaged about 12 posts a month. In 2008 we are averaging about 6 posts a month. Has the Mac hysteria dwindled? Is there less exciting news coming out of Apple? Are we taking Apple for granted? I hope not. I believe it is because of the lack of a recent in person Macnight. How about a Macnight retreat. We can paint Apple warpaint on our faces, drink beer, and attest to our Appleness. I believe these types of retreats require somewhat of a near death experience, but I think we can cut that out.

New iPods, Macbooks!

Check out the article:

New Stuff

According to the article, Apple is taking the unusual step of suggesting to its resellers to stock up on a few weeks worth of iPods and Macbooks, as the supplies will get very short in the coming weeks. Is this an indication of imminent, but more substantial, updates? Why not just let supplies dwindle as they have in the past? Are we in for a major overhaul?

Mobile Me Uproar!

Gentlemen, what do you think of the recent uproar over the MobileMe rollout? Walt Mossberg can't recommend MobileMe because there are currently too many bugs, and it isn't truly "push". I happen to be a .Mac (and now, MobileMe) subscriber. I did have difficulties trying to get some files off my iDisk. I could just imagine someone who DEPENDS on the service for business, and not being able to access files. It would be MADDENING!

Is this a case of Apple trying to do too much at one time? What do you guys think?

Perfect Harmony

I thought this picture of the Tesla car company's showcase store in LA just happened to have an iPod billboard above it. Great minds think alike. The new wave in music and the new wave in automobile technology. So if GM goes by the wayside, there are many other American innovators ready to take your place! And yes the Tesla has a place for an iPod onboard.

iPhone Apps store

Is it cool or what?

Goodbye Bill

Well, the time has come and gone. And Bill Gates has finally moved on from Microsoft. And you know, based on his personality and Balmer's. I believe that for all that we despise Micrsoft for. With their monopolistic exploitive ways in which they try to intimidate everyone into following the MS way. Bill was the more sane one. He was more comfortable with the technology end of the business. So we can only conclude that it is Balmer that gave MS the ugly edge we so dispise.

So what happens now. Bill was probably someone who kept Balmer more in check. What will it be like with Balmer fully unrestrained. I believe it can only get uglier. Balmer will try to use the MS strongarm approaches of the past and kick them up a knotch. But MS has already shown weakness in its armor. Yahoo will not be part of MS. Google is an ever increasing threat. If Google convinces businesses that online "Office" tools which are secure are the way to go. Then the MS Office cash cow goes by the wayside. With Office gone, will the other dominos fall too. Do you really need a Windows operating system anymore? Granted many offices need programs outside of Office, but I would have to say that 90% of the software that businesses use is in Office. Google might spur other companies to put their software online, being OS neutral. Connection speeds are high and the desire to have all of your data in the "Cloud" as it is sometimes called is becoming compelling.

So if Balmer goes down the path of strongarming, he may be in for a big surprise. I have already read articles which hint that if MS doesn't hit another homerun soon, then Balmer may be gone in a couple of years too.

Should Microsoft worry about Apple?

Check out the following link:

WSJ Article

While it is true that Microsoft has been attempting to break into the music market with its much vaunted Zune player, this article notes that Microsoft has been ignoring Apple's threat to its dominance of the enterprise market. It says Microsoft is spending too much time worrying about Google while Apple appears to be preparing an assault in the business world with the enterprise friendly iPhone.

The premise is a little shaky - that businesses may want to switch to Apple computers to "ensure compatibility". I don't know about that - it seems to me that the iPod and iPhone are quite platform independent, wouldn't you say?

Jobs looking a bit thin

Did you notice how Jobs appeared thin in the WWDC keynote? I have heard the banter back and forth saying if he was or was not too thin. I believe it was apparent to anyone who has seen Jobs in other keynotes that he was much thinner. The black turtleneck looked like it was hanging on a skeleton. His face did not seem sickly thin though. I have read some comments that this may have been related to his rare form of pancreatic cancer which the treatment does cause you to lose weight. I saw Jobs give a commencement speech at Stanford where he talked about his cancer, and was told he was going to die in a few months but then after doing the biopsy, the doctors found it was a rarer form which is curable.
I don't think that Jobs is on his deathbed but his extreme thinning was noticible. I am sure after the first scare Apple has a solid succesion plan. Jobs has been picking top talent which would be more than capable of driving the company forward. I don't think that Jobs is as active in the day to day operations of Apple as he used to be anyways. He has always been the big picture guy. Anyway, he did not look sickly. You would surely notice that in his face so I don't think there is need to worry anyways.

SDK software examples were cool!

Have you seen the keynote speech from Jobs at the WWDC where they demonstrated some of the cool applications being developed on the iPhone SDK? One of my favorites was the insurance salesman's program which plays virtual musical instruments on the iPhone. Sure it isn't all that useful, but imagine the WOW factor when you show others this program. You just can't help but smile when you see it.

Another very promising one I liked is the one where the iPhone will track the location of your friends in the city on a Google map. Little bubbles appear above each friend with their picture and the ability to contact them immediately. Click on Veronica's bubble who is two blocks down from you and ask her to lunch. I think the Facebook generation would eat this app up. Of course it could cause problems if you notice that your girlfriend is out with your best friend. Ouch.

All of these games that use the accelerometers in the iPhone instead of a gamepad, could be sending some iPhones to the trash heap. Imagine tipping the iPhone back and forth to reach the Temple of the Crystal Chalise and oops the iPhone goes flying out of your hands and smashes on the concrete pavement. Boo hoo. I am sure someone will sell tethers to catch the iPhone if it slips. AKA, like a camera safety strap.

One complaint that I have read from some hard core developers is that Apple does not give them full access to all of the functions of the iPhone. Active GPS navigation is a no go. Apple seems to want to do one on their own. Garmin said they already had an iPhone app using hacks before the SDK but now Apple locks that out in the license. Actually I think keeping the core guts safe from hacks is a good thing. The majority of apps probably don't need to delve into the kernal functions.

iPhone 3G Excel Editing???

Gentlemen, check out the following link:

Excel Editing

As you know, the iPhone 3G is on the way! I was very impressed with the effort Apple has made to make the iPhone not only a consumer's dream, but also an Enterprise must have gadget! The future definitely looks bright!

You may also have found that as of yet, EXCEL and Word documents are viewable, but not editable. Well, the above link points to an article about Mariner Calc, which is a program allowing EDITING of EXCEL spreadsheets on the iPhone!!! Wow! If it's a reliable program, it could be huge! Not to mention other companies wanting to sell their version of an Excel editor on the iPhone app store. What you you guys think?

Invention camp calls home a Mac

My son is attending an invention camp this week for grade school kids. They tear down various devices and use the parts to make "new inventions". I have donated an old Mac that I had sitting in the garage collecting dust. It is a Mac Performa 5152? I think. Circa 1995. It was one of the first PowerPC versions. I bought it while in Cincinnati and was the Mac which I used to show MFan the glorious powers of the Mac. It still works perfectly fine, but of course the new software has bypassed this era. I just didn't have the heart to put it out on the curb. At least now it will go to a good use. My son really got a kick out of opening up the old beast and disassembling the components. I had to take out the CRT ( because of glass ) and anything with a capacitor in it. The circuit cards seemed enormous by today's standards. Huge capacitors throughout. The CRT weighed a ton. Yet the motherboard was close to the size of today's computers. It was as if the motherboard was placed in an archaic shell of outdated components. And the metal frame was like something from an Erector set. A bit of overkill. But then again, the CRT did weight a lot. Farewell to a worthy computing device, may you inspire new inventions in a new generation. OK, it is getting a bit sappy. I will stop.

My New work iMac!!

I didn't want to appear like I was gloating, but upon return to my office I found a new Core 2 Duo iMac on my desk. In nothing flat I was up and running. This machine truly defines "butta". The screen is magnificent, it is snappy, it is everything I need in a computer!

OSX 10.6 "Snow Leopard"

Gentlemen, Have you heard the latest rumor on the Mac OS? The word on the web is that the latest incarnation will be christened "Snow Leopard", version 10.6. It reportedly will concentrate more on security and speed improvements, and may be ready as soon as Macworld 2009. What say you, gentlemen? Le, you have a vested interest, as you will be switching to the fairer platform in the very near future!

When is Gates leaving MS?

I read a report about the last MS press conference where Bill Gates was remonicing about his past occomplishments, and how Balmer was having a hard time transitioning as the lead of MS. Of course they said that Balmer now has the hang of it. I was just wondering how soon Gates was leaving, anyone know?

Windows 7 Has a Dock

Have you guys read the news of the Windows 7 OS? (successor to the venerable Vista OS) Word is it will incorporate support for multi touch gestures as well as have a dock. Does any of this sound familiar? I dunno, sounds a little familiar to me! But who knows, the dock may not make it into the final release of Windows 7 which is still at least a couple of years off (if history is any indication).

Kindle on fire?

From the looks of Amazon's web site they make it seem like the Kindle is a big hit. Stating that they now have more in inventory and are ready to ship. Is this for real or is it just a bunch of hipe? You be the judge! I don't buy that it is a massive hit. Maybe a hit as big as the Zune. I kid. I kid.