KenC

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  • The Google Phone: Blockbuster or Bust?
    Google is self-serving. Its desire for openness is also in line with its desire to keep its search engine, and how it makes money, at the top of the heap. If Windows Mobile were to win in the mobile device market, then Windows could lock out Google from the next great platform.

    You wrote, "Google is positioning itself against Apple, which has bet on the iPhone's "locked" handset model -- available only through AT&T (T). In contrast, Google has championed an "open" model, not only by basing Android on open-source technology, but also in its successful effort to open up the 700Mhz wireless spectrum auctioned off by the F.C.C."

    This is so wrong. Google is aligning with Apple in a loose WebKit alliance supporting webstandards, against MS and proprietary ones. You do realize that Android and Chrome are built on WebKit. Adobe Air is also built on WebKit. Nokia's S60 is also built on WebKit. Safari is also built on WebKit. Guess who makes WebKit?

    Yep, you guessed it, Apple. Apple makes the rendering engine, powering all of those browsers and browser-based Apps. Apple released WebKit back to the open-source community.
    Sep 23 13:46 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • Worst Analyst on Apple Lowers Price Target
    Perhaps, deferred revenues are confusing her?

    As I posted at MDN, the only positive I can remember from MS's analyst is that she predicted the specs of the iPhone a few days before it's initial release, spot-on. Clearly, she's got an inside source on products, if for only that one time.
    Sep 23 13:36 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • Does a Mobile Internet Devices Market Exist?
    Well, it's always all about the definition, isn't it?

    I think Apple designed a MID, with its iPhone, but squeezed it into the cellphone category, exactly for the reason Dean cited. The MID market just isn't that big yet. The cellphone market is huge. Which one is a niche, and which one isn't?

    As for my ideal device that isn't a desktop, laptop, or cellphone? I'd like something like the OLPC, 2nd gen mockup, where the touchscreen is on both sides of the fold, but smaller of course. In fact, I'd take the iPhone size and shape, and clamshell it, so that it unfolded giving you double the touchscreen, for when you wanted to surf the net, work on spreadsheets. Of course, when you flipped it closed, it would appear just like the iPhone does now. Interestingly, Apple has patented something like this, so I'm hopeful in a couple years we'll see something like this. Something small enough to be a phone, but also unfolds to be something that can replace a Nokia N810 or Kindle, or Netbook.
    Sep 17 22:10 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • Apple as a Target
    You wrote, "But DECE wants to create a standard that would let any company offer DECE downloads that would then be playable on any DECE product made by any other company."

    Hmmmm....did they perhaps think of removing DRM? That would "create a standard that would let any company offer DRM-free downloads that would then be playable on any device made by any other company. By creating a DECE-DRM standard, they can exclude both customers and outsiders like Apple. How is this customer-friendly? Cause if it ain't customer-friendly, it isn't going to gain any traction.
    Sep 15 20:22 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • Microsoft Seinfeld Commercial #2 - Still About Nothing
    The writer makes a good point. If the point is MS wants to "connect real people", then how do they do it when they don't understand "real people" when they seem to go out of their way to insult and otherwise belittle "real people". This is cynicism, passed off as humor, which appeals to the SNL college crowd, the Seinfeld Yuppies. But how do they sell it to the "real people"?
    Sep 12 22:56 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • Don't Close the Line on Nokia Just Yet
    Dude, when you start a piece with, "I consider myself pretty knowledgeable when it comes to emerging trends in tech.", you are just asking for trouble. I mean, don't pat yourself on the back with your first sentence! Pat yourself on the back, when you have some evidence in hand of your ability to forecast emerging trends!

    Like write a piece on emerging smartphone trends, and then in 6 months when your points come true, then you can pat yourself on the back, and link to what you had written previously. Then you look smart.

    Then you said, "The problem is that companies like Apple and RIM are selling their phones at break-even prices for the shear purpose of snatching market share from Nokia, which announced that it would not stoop to their level." Where is the evidence that Apple and RIM are selling their phones at "break-even prices"? Have you looked at their margins? Nokia didn't mention any companies by name, and the odd thing is that Nokia is the company that has been gaining market share by flooding developing markets with low prices. Besides, what I've heard is the Nokia comments were referring to Sony Ericcson, not Apple or RIM.

    Then you said, "This aggressive approach from its competitors cannot last long and is purely a marketing scheme that will end." Please explain. How do you know that this is a marketing scheme that will not last long, if you don't even know who Nokia are talking about? We KNOW that Apple can't be the one, since they are making great margins on their product, so they can continue ad nauseum. I don't think anyone following RIM thinks their company is selling product at "break-even" so tell us, who is?

    Then you said ,"Nokia’s new Symbian operating system is on par with the iPhone and Android, and will be able to compete with the best of them." How do you know Symbian is on par with OS X and Android? You do realize that Symbian is NOT "new". And, if Symbian were so great, why then, did they use Linux in their handheld device the N800 and N810? One would think that it would be an ideal platform for the power of Symbian if it were "on par" with OS X or Android.

    Now, I can't say whether Nokia is a good buy or not, superficially it looks good to me, but your above reasoning for doing so, is sorely lacking in due diligence.
    Sep 12 22:48 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • Can Two Rich Guys Humanize Microsoft?
    The bottom line is that the success of an ad campaign ultimately leads to more sales. Whether you like the Apple campaign, there's no doubt that it has coincided with huge sales of Macs, generally 30 to 45% more than the previous year. That says alot about their effectiveness.

    Now, the MS ads, who is their target demographic? How do the ads, stimulate the target demographic to buy more MS products? What's the bottom line? Where's the ROI?

    If in your brief paragraph on what you think is going on, is true, that Gates is an out of touch, clueless guy, older white guy. Isn't that kind of like our President, is that a good association?

    And, if the target demographic then are those people who "love" Seinfeld, well, that show hasn't been on in a decade. Are they really the target demographic, cause that's my demographic, and I hate the ads.
    Sep 12 22:27 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • Complete Web Browsing On Your Cell Phone? Not Yet
    Flash Lite is NOT Flash. Heck, last time I looked at Adobe's website for devices with Flash, I think I went thru half the list, before giving up, as there was not a single device that uses Flash. Everything was Flash Lite.

    There's no doubt that ubiquity often drives standards adoption, much like language. What's slang today, is in Webster's tomorrow. I think the writing was on the wall for PDFs that it would become an adopted standard sooner or later. As for Flash, the jury is still out.

    What I think you are missing is the movement, outside of MS, towards web standards. That's why I referenced a loose alliance of WebKit-based browsers and apps. There's alot of momentum on that side of the ball, and even MS has been forced to respond.

    I think it's not a given that something like Flash will become a standard. In fact, you've got large players like Google moving away from Flash and re-encoding all their Youtube videos in standards-compliant H.264.
    Sep 12 19:45 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • 6 Things Apple's Not Doing Right
    Wow, there's so much wrong here I don't know where to begin. Why not with your list. Okay, Apple does lots of things wrong, but this list is not one of them. Let's begin.

    1. Not being brave when updating the Nano.
    Where was it reported that FM radio was the most requested feature? The Nano does record, quite well, but if there's no radio, why would you need to record it? If you want radio, just get a Touch. There's AOL Radio, Pandora, Simplify, Stitcher and others I'm sure I can't remember.

    2. Slighting their faithful.
    What?!? Apple didn't move engineers from Snow Leopard to the 3G iPhone. Apple moved Leopard engineers to the EDGE iPhone. I don't know of any Apple faithful who didn't think that was a good idea.

    3. Not marketing iPod Touch as a MID.
    Dude, it's the same reason why Apple didn't market the iPhone as a MID. The cellphone market is huge, while the MID market is tiny, so market to the huge market instead. Likewise, the MP3 player market is huge compared to MIDs, so market to the MP3 player market, and as people get used to the idea of the Touch and iPhone, gradually let them in on the secret that they're actually using a MID.

    4. Gravitating towards proprietary hardware.
    This is STILL RUMOR. No one knows how the PA Semi engineers will incorporate SOC chips into an iPhone or a iMac. There's no reason to conclude that they won't be compatible with x86 instructions.

    5. Once again, thwarting generics [which did them no good the first time around].
    The generics almost killed Apple. Are you daft? You don't realize that the true cost of Apple OS software development is not incorporated in the retail price, because those are UPGRADE boxes. $129 is an UPGRADE price. Pshyster is using an UPGRADE piece of software on their generic boxes. If it were to pay full retail on OS X, it would be double. Have you looked at how Windows Vista is priced?

    6. The Cult of Jobs - dependence on one single person.
    Apple does NOT Depend upon just Steve. The media has created a cult around one figure.
    Sep 12 13:44 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • Apple's 3G iPhone: Q4 Sales Estimates Are Encouraging
    I would think having 1 M iPhones in the channel should help as well. If you think about it, the runrate is about 1M a month, and Apple usually keeps about 4 to 6 weeks of inventory on hand, so that means 1M in the channel, and that's counted as sold.
    Sep 12 13:14 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • Apple Takes a Positive Step Forward
    The original iPod click-wheel revolution is over. The NEW iPod Touch revolution has just started. The App Store only just opened two months ago. The first Xmas selling season after the opening of the App Store hasn't yet passed. Next year, will bring more trickle-down features to more Touch devices. The revolution has just begun.
    Sep 11 19:06 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • Why Doesn't Apple Give Away iPods?
    The author makes some good points, why Apple doesn't give away iPods, but I think the author doesn't quite understand that Apple has reversed the razor and razorblade metaphor. The classic understanding would be to give away the razor to stimulate blade sales. Apple doesn't. It gives away the blades to stimulate razor sales. In this case, Apple gives the music and other media away for a pittance in profit to make it up on ipod sales with healthy gross margins.
    Sep 11 19:02 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • Complete Web Browsing On Your Cell Phone? Not Yet
    I think the trouble people are having or maybe it's the author is the definition of what the full internet or real internet is. I think most people don't realize that Flash is NOT a web standard. It may be popular, but not being a standard means proper code should avoid it. I don't think it is part of the real internet. Honestly, I think as the internet gets more and more mobile, more and more coders will avoid Flash, with it eventually ending up on the trash heap, unless it improves significantly. It's heavy and slow, just bad news for a mobile device.

    I'm not sure whether the author knows the difference between JAVA and javascript. The iPhone browser allows JavaScript, but doesn't run JAVA. I haven't heard too many people complain about not having JAVA other than Sun Microsystems.

    Further, WebKit on your S60 browser, is from Apple. Apple developed the rendering engine WebKit and gave it back to the open-source community, that's how Nokia can use it, as does Adobe for Adobe AIR, as does Google for Android and Chrome. And, there are literally a dozen other browsers or browser-based apps built on the frameworks of WebKit. This is the real story, the story of the rise of WebKit. A loose WebKit alliance between all the non-MS companies.

    It's just funny to read the comments comparing Safari to S60 to Chrome, when they are all built on the same rendering engine. Sure there'll be some small differences in performance as Safari 4.0 uses SquirrelFish as its JavaScript engine, while Chrome uses V8 as its.

    If the author wants to keep tabs on how the real internet is progressing into the mobile world, all he need do is go to:

    webkit.org

    And, you can read all about WebKit and the SurfinSafari Blog, and how WebKit was the first to pass all 100 of the Acid3 tests back in March. Of course, the Acid3 test was the acid test of meeting web standards. WebKit scored 100%. I believe Gecko which powers Mozilla scored 100% as well.

    My recollection is that desktop MS IE 6 or 7, scored about a 12 of 100 on the Acid3 test. I just tested my Mobile Safari and got a score of 72. So, my Mobile Safari meets more web standards as defined by Acid3 than Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

    I think history will show that Safari qualifies as the Real Internet, regardless of what the British advertising board thinks. If you read their statement, it has more to do with public expectations than published standards. Of course, since Flash is not installed by default, I really wonder what they are talking about.
    Sep 11 18:52 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • How The Street's Digesting Apple
    Steve will always be thin for the rest of his long life, if you'd learn a little about his medical history. He's not just going to put on 10 or 15 pounds because analysts want him to.
    Sep 11 18:20 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • Dell's Factory Sales: End of an Era
    Actually, while the comments people have made are true, the biggest fact is that the market has changed. People have been transitioning from desktops to laptops for a while. While desktops could be bought sight unseen, as they are stuck under a desk, laptops must be seen and handled to make a sale. As long as desktops ruled, Dell was the king, as it could use its supply chain to make the cheapest desktop and get it to you the fastest. Now that laptops rule, Dell's approach isn't ideal. You need retail points of sale, and you need inventory. A fast supply chain isn't as critical when people are buying in-stock inventory. So, all those other missteps aside, the biggest factor in Dell's reason for selling its factories is that their market advantage has disappeared as laptops have taken over.
    Sep 11 18:15 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article

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