Category: Analysis

This is the stupidest thing I have seen in a long time

October 11, 2011 /

From an International Business Times article by Wendy Li:

However, when iPhone 4S was launched, Apple fans were disappointed somehow, for they were expecting the redesigned iPhone 5 as rumors suggested. Naturally, many analysts had predicted a subdued response to iPhone 4S.

But no one foresaw that the tech genius Jobs would suddenly pass away, only one day after iPhone 4S was released. Jobs’ demise stirred sadness and grief around the world and it’s believed that Jobs’ untimely death has rocketed demand for iPhone 4S from consumers.

It reinforces my belief that finding the “next Steve Jobs” is not nearly as critical to Apple’s success as is the continued presence of people so entirely clueless. More evidence in a Seattle Times article from Andy Lees, head of Microsoft’s Windows Phone division:

Q: Do you think the iPhone 4S (running on iOS 5) gives you an opening? Do you think they missed an opportunity there?

A: Yes I do. I think, from an end user’s experience on the software, there’s a lot of interesting reviews written comparing us to iOS 5 and the amount that we’ve got done in 11 months — so some people (are) making comparisons of pace. […]

From a pure hardware perspective, I was surprised they’re not giving the consumer more choice. People want a variety of different things.

(Hat tip to Daring Fireball for both quotes.)

Your Mac Life: In Memoriam—Steve Jobs

October 7, 2011 /

Shawn King, host of the long-running Your Mac Life broadcast, put together an audio tribute to the memory of Steve Jobs:

Wednesday was an awful day for the Macintosh Community – Thursday was not much better. As I wondered what to do and how to do it, I came up with this idea – have friends and colleagues “Tell Me a Steve Jobs Story”. Thanks very much to all who participated and, for those of you who couldn’t do it, my apologies for not being able to fit you in.

The “audio vignettes” feature thoughts, observations and remembrances of a dozen Mac community members, including Adam and Tonya Engst, Michael T. Rose, Chris Pirillo, John Moltz and yours truly. King’s tribute is a lovely, respectful, often touching collection and I’m proud to be a part of it.

The special episode is available on iTunes or via the Your Mac Life website.

MacObserver post: ‘Ruminations on Apple’s second “Post-Jobs” Era’

August 26, 2011 /

“Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life or come with me and change the world?” Thirty-some years after he asked the question it’s clear Steve Jobs didn’t just change it once, but several times: computing, music, movies, mobile phones and now the tablet are all vastly different because of one adopted kid from the orchards of Silicon Valley. Now that Jobs is stepping down from his role as CEO of Apple, Contributing Editor Chuck La Tournous posits that Apple’s success in a “post-Jobs” era all comes down to one question: Is Steve Jobs Apple or has Apple suceeded in becoming Steve Jobs?

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What was that about innovation?

July 19, 2011 /

Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, on the lawsuits being brought against the company over claims its Android phones infringe on patents, including Apple’s:

The big news in the past year has been the explosion of Google Android handsets and this means our competitors are responding. Because they are not responding with innovation, they’re responding with lawsuits. We have not done anything wrong and these lawsuits are just inspired by our success.

Hmm. If the lawsuits are inspired by Google’s success, I wonder what’s inspiring Google. Here’s what Android phones looked like before the iPhone:

Photo Credit: Gizmodo

Here’s what Android phones looked like after the iPhone:

Photo Credit: Engadget

Now let’s talk about who lacks innovation. (via Andrew Warner.)

Wall Street Journal: Borders to go out of business

July 18, 2011 /

The Wall Street Journal reports that bookseller Borders is giving up on its attempt to restructure under bankruptcy and will liquidate the remainder of its stores, as early as September.

A few years ago I would have thought it would be Barnes & Noble, and not Borders that would be going under. But B&N had the vision (and the willingness to take the risk) to expand into digital and develop the Nook, when much of the industry thought it was too little, too late. It may still be ultimately, but they’ve outlasted a major competitor.

Stagnate and die. Stagnate and die. (via Daring Fireball.)

Comic Life for iPad half price for 48 hours

July 14, 2011 /

From a press release by Plasq:

Our boss is away on vacation — so we’ve decided to go crazy! Starting at 12:00 am on July 15 and lasting until 12:00 am July 17th Comic Life for iPad will only cost USD $3.99! That’s right, for 48 hours you can get 50% off Comic Life for iPad at the iTunes App Store!

The perception of pricing on mobile apps (and iOS apps in particular) continues to fascinate me. At $8, I perceived Comic Life (a very well done program) as too expensive for me. At $4, though, I’ll probably grab it. What I still haven’t figured out why that’s the case. I think it’s less to do with the idea that mobile apps aren’t as sophisticated as desktop apps — there are certainly enough examples to disprove that idea. I think it’s more of a volume thing. I have dozens of apps (maybe) on my Mac; I have hundreds (easily) on my iOS devices.

There’s a lot of very interesting psychology going on here — I hope someone with more time that I have writes a thesis on it one of these days.

Technologizer: How vulnerable are Macs?

June 2, 2011 /

In his latest Technologizer column for Time, Harry McKracken takes a reasoned, thoughtful look at the current state of Mac security and comes to much the same conclusion I did: while Mac malware is still more reliant on social engineering than technological exploits, there’s no such thing as risk-free computing.

(The) fact that the recent spate of Mac attacks could be worse doesn’t mean that Apple types don’t need to think about their computing safety. It’s not just the possibility of more OS X malware. Instead of putting a particular operating system in the crosshairs, nogoodniks are turning their attention to social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, where they spam users, steal identities, and generally do their best to wreak havoc. They don’t care whether you use Windows or a Mac, as long as your guard is down.

Like me, Harry does not run any anti-virus software on his Mac, noting “security software isn’t without its own downsides. Even the best packages require a certain amount of babysitting; the worst ones get in your face, bog down your system, and teeter on the brink of being more of a hassle than the dangers they’re meant to protect you against.”

Until and unless Mac malware gets a lot more sophisticated, I’ll continue focusing my defenses on the social engineering side of the issue. Don’t open attachments unless you know what they are, be careful about where you surf and never—never—install a program you’re not absolutely confident came from a safe source.

Apple spells out keynote for WWDC: Lion, iOS 5, ‘iCloud’

May 31, 2011 /

Apple made the unusual move of spelling out the topics for its WWDC Keynote next week:

Apple CEO Steve Jobs and a team of Apple executives will kick off the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address on Monday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m. At the keynote, Apple will unveil its next generation software – Lion, the eighth major release of Mac OS X; iOS 5, the next version of Apple’s advanced mobile operating system which powers the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch; and iCloud, Apple’s upcoming cloud services offering.

Apple rarely — very rarely — tips its hand about keynotes and is generally even more tight-lipped about upcoming products and services. The only time I can recall them doing so is when they feel the need to manage rumors and keep a handle on expectations, which I think is what’s going on here. They want to emphasize that there will be no hardware announcements (read: no iPhone 5 or “4GS”).

Mostly Harmless

May 25, 2011 /

There’s a new variant of the Mac Defender Trojan Horse making the rounds. This one, called “Mac Guard,” is scarier in that it does not require a password to install, since it affects the user account, not the entire computer. Scarier, but still fairly benign since at worst, the installer can only open automatically — it still requires a user to click the install button to do any damage.

The best defense is to make sure that “Open ‘Safe’ files after downloading” is disabled in Safari’s preferences — which is the default. Apple released a Knowledge Base article which explains how to find and disable the malware and promises an update that will do just that automatically.

Some are using the existence of these Trojans as “proof” that Macs are no safer than PCs — that they’ve only enjoyed “security through obscurity,” which is nonsense. Mac Defender and its variants are programs that still require a user to actively install them — unlike viruses, which can embed and replicate themselves without any human assistance.

That’s not to say that Macs are inherently safe. As these programs demonstrate, a combination of malware and a little social engineering can be a dangerous combination — even on a Mac.

This is why people don’t trust marketers

May 25, 2011 /

More on Dell’s new laptop from The Guardian:

Noted in passing: advert for the Dell XPS-15, containing the phrase

Finally, the power you crave in the thinnest 15″ PC on the planet*.

Wow, the thinnest? But wait, what’s the asterisk?

Small print time: “Based on Dell internal analysis as at February 2011. Based on a thickness comparison (front and rear measurements) of other 15″ laptop PCs manufactured by HP, Acer, Toshiba, Asus, Lenovo, Samsung, Sony, MSI. No comparison made with Apple or other manufacturers not listed.”

In other words, “we’re going to lie in the big type, then explain that we’re lying in teeny tiny type that we hope no one will actually read.”

Appalling. (Charles Arthur via Glenn Fleishman.)