Category: Journalism

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.

Steve Jobs dead at 56

October 5, 2011 /

Steve Jobs: 1955-2011

Steven P. Jobs, the co-founder and former CEO of Apple, has died, according to a statement released by Apple’s Board of Directors:

We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today.

Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.

His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.

Earlier this evening, his family issued this statement:

Steve died peacefully today surrounded by his family.

In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family. We are thankful to the many people who have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve’s illness; a website will be provided for those who wish to offer tributes and memories.

We are grateful for the support and kindness of those who share our feelings for Steve. We know many of you will mourn with us, and we ask that you respect our privacy during our time of grief.

In recent years, Jobs has battled a rare form of pancreatic cancer and underwent a liver transplant and took two medical leaves from the company. In late September, he stepped down as CEO of Apple, saying “I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.” He was named Chairman of Apple’s Board of Directors, a position he held at the time of his death.

Jobs famously asked John Sculley if he wanted to “sell sugar water for the rest of your life or come with me and change the world?” and he did just that, transforming entire industries with visionary devices and software including the original Macintosh, the iMac, iPod, iTunes, iPhone and iPad. He took Apple from a startup that assembled computers in a garage to arguably the most successful company in history, and along the way lead the company through one of the most dramatic turnarounds in corporate history.

In addition to running Apple, Jobs also ran NeXT, whose NeXTSTEP operating system became the basis for MacOS X; and Pixar, a computer animation company that produced such hits as “Toy Story,” “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles,” “Up” and others. When Pixar was acquired by Disney, Jobs was named to Disney’s Board of Directors.

Apple’s website offers a tribute to Jobs, a single black and white photo with the text “Steve Jobs 1955-2011.” The company is encouraging the public to share their “thoughts, memories, and condolences” by sending an email to rememberingsteve@apple.com.

Bill Gates, founder and former CEO of Microsoft and sometimes-partner/sometimes-nemesis of Jobs, posted a statement on his personal blog:

I’m truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs’ death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work.

Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives.

The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.

For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.

From Job’s bio on the Apple website:

Steve Jobs is the Chairman of the Board of Apple, which he co-founded in 1976. Apple is leading the consumer technology world with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, its family of iPod media players and iTunes media store, and its Mac computers and iLife and iWork application suites. Apple recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

Steve also co-founded and was the CEO of Pixar Animation Studios, which created some of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time including Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars and Ratatouille. Pixar merged with The Walt Disney Company in 2006 and Steve now serves on Disney’s board of directors.

Steve grew up in the apricot orchards which later became known as Silicon Valley, and still lives there with his family.

The Loop unveils new design, membership plan

September 1, 2011 /

Our good friends Jim Dalrymple and Peter Cohen announced a new, less cluttered and almost ad-free redesign of their popular Mac, tech (and occasional RIM-bashing) news site, The Loop. Also new is a membership plan for an enhanced RSS newsfeed: $3/month or $36/year.

Jim writes:

In April, I started looking at the site the way a reader would see it, not the way the owner would see it. To be blunt, I didn’t like what I saw and knew that something needed to change.

The site looked cluttered, and it was hard for a reader to enjoy a story. This is the last thing I wanted for The Loop.

So, we spent the last few months coming up with a solution that would be better for the reader, better for our sponsors, and still allow us to make a living.

Jim and Peter are two of my favorite tech journalists, and two of the few worthy of the name. Jim’s contacts within the industry in general and Apple in particular are especially impressive.

The site looks great and its content is always worth a read. I wish Jim and Peter much success in this new phase of The Loop’s run.

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.)

AmpliTube iRig puts a recording studio in your pocket

June 27, 2011 /

I’ve been playing bass guitar since I was 12, and while I’ve always loved the playing music side of playing music, I’ve never been much on the lugging-equipment-around aspect. I deplored it so much, in fact, that I quit the wedding band business for a time, only coming back when the band agreed to hire roadies to take care of our gear for us. Even breaking out the practice amp was a chore I avoided, which meant that I didn’t rehearse nearly as much as I suppose I should have.

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The end is near: app to track asteroid near-collision is half-price today only

June 27, 2011 /

From my latest article on The Mac Observer:

If you knew the end of the world was coming, what would you do? Maybe you’d spend a few final romantic minutes with your loved one; perhaps you’d gather with others in your local place of worship. Given TMO’s readership, it’s a fair bet at least some of you would be pounding back pints of beer and stuffing peanuts into your face while those around you covered their heads in paper bags and found a comfortable spot on the floor to lie on.

But what if we were only going to come within 8,000 miles of it being the end of the world? Well, you’d want to download Sky Safari to your iPad or iPhone to track the fifth-closest asteroid flyby of all time, and the first ever to occur in the iOS era.

More info — including instructions on how to track 2011 MD — is in the full article on TMO.

Conan’s editors love new Final Cut Pro X

June 24, 2011 /

I haven’t really chimed into the controversy surrounding the release of Apple’s Final Cut Pro X (disparagingly referred to by some as “iMovie Pro’), but I thought this clip from the Conan O’Brien show illustrated the criticism perfectly (and hilariously). That an upgrade to a professional editing application could be fodder for a late night talkshow bit is telling as well.