Or filter by symbol:
KenC's Comments Stream Stats
- 151 Comments, 7
, 1 
- Total Comment Stream rating - = 6
- Free E-Newsletters
- About Seeking Alpha
- About Us
- Contact Us
- What's New
- Readers Feedback
- Advertise With Us
- Contributors
- Contribute an Article
- Feature Your Book
- Our Contributors
- Anonymous Contributions
- Dispute an Article?
- Legal
- Terms of Use
- Privacy
- Copyright
The Downside to iPhone Success
Uhm, wasn't your original thesis that "The most widespread iPhone application in 2009 will be a virus." The question is HOW?
Your second stab at that seems to point to "unlocked phones". A 3G iPhone ver2.2 only JUST came out, and how many people will unlock? There's no financial advantage as 99% of iPhones sold must come with a contract. The only unlockers are people who need a different carrier.
Did you actually mean jailbreakers? That's a different group of people you know, and hurts your credibility if you don't know the difference between them. Jailbroken iPhones is also a tiny fraction of iPhones, and still doesn't explain how that could be the vector for the "most widespread iPhone application in 2009 [being] a virus".
If people are thin-skinned, you have to know the context. There have been tons of critical stories saying this or that, which have all been pretty much rubbish. Your commentary is coming after all of that.
Rewriting your story by saying there will be viruses, goes without saying, and is NOT what you wrote initially. Some responses have already pointed out why viruses won't get too far in the official App Store, as that is the largest population of users, your most widespread app being a virus seems highly suspect.
Microsoft: Losing Market Share in a Non-Existent Browser Market?
Microsoft: Losing Market Share in a Non-Existent Browser Market?
Microsoft is exiting browsers as others enter? This is a Microsoft habit? Why did MS follow Apple into the music player market, when the MP3 market was maturing? When will Microsoft follow Apple into the cellphone market?
Don't you realize that most people's only contact with MS is thru the browser? If it gives people a lousy experience, guess how people view MS? If it exits the browser market, guess how people perceive MS?
By the way, Net Applications has more than 2 years of data on their website. There's a little "left arrow" that allows you to go back further. I believe they go back to 2004. In October 2004, MSIE had 92.18%, and now they have 68.15%, a drop of 24%. While rationalizing that it's just Netscape's share that Firefox and others have gained, they seem to have fought alot harder to gain Netscape's share than given it up.
Apple vs. Microsoft Vista: The Ad Budget Wars
It's only hypocritical if Apple spends that money on advertising while not spending that money on fixing any OS bugs.
Share of Online Searches by Engine, Sept. 2008
Revisiting the iPhone’s Browsing Market Share (Part II)
The Google Phone: Blockbuster or Bust?
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.
Does a Mobile Internet Devices Market Exist?
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.
Apple as a Target
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.
Microsoft Seinfeld Commercial #2 - Still About Nothing
Don't Close the Line on Nokia Just Yet
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.
Can Two Rich Guys Humanize Microsoft?
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.
Web Browser Wars: Google Looking Beyond Market Share
Seeing an End to the iPod's Hegemony
Your article would have been far more interesting if you had applied your thoughts to "Seeing an End to Internet Explorer's Hegemony".
I also wanted to point out some factual errors. You said, " And since the iTunes downloads were all encoded with Apple's DRM". Uhm, not "all" iTunes downloads are DRM encoded, just something like a little over a half, and that's only because some of the labels are trying to steer business to Amazon.
You say MS is "hammering the door" with the Zune. Everyone knows that that is laughable. Zune has 2% of the market at best. Dell is a failed player in the MP3 player market, and quoting Enderle only undermines your argument, since he has a conflict of interest, having consulted on the effort. And, Sandisk's wifi music player? You do realize that iPhones and iPod Touches can download over wifi from the iTunes Music Store, right, without going thru a computer.
The reason why MS and Dell are in the market isn't because they think they'll have an impact on iPods or iTunes, it's because they need a full media product offering. It's not just about music, but about all types of digital media, and giving up on music, will potentially cede the video download and video device market to Apple as well. That's the fear at MS and Dell. That's why they have to get into markets they don't look likely to win. They have to play in the last battleground, in order to have a chance to win in the next battleground.
And, thinking the subscription battle is where Apple will lose is just silly. Apple can turn on subscriptions in a New York minute. There's NO meaningful barrier to entry. Besides, there's more out there than just Pandora that already work on my iPhone. There's AOL Radio, where you can choose from hundreds of radio stations. There's rumors that Sirius is coming to the iPhone. There's a FREE app from SimplifyMedia which allows me to serve my whole music library from my home PC to my iPhone wherever I am. I don't even need my music on my iPhone any more. I can just stream it. Do you think Zune or Sandisk have those capabilities in their devices? The other players in the market are just getting further and further behind, because Apple has already created a large enough ecosystem that all the innovation is being driven for iPods and iPhones. The other players are too small to attract any development. Sure I know, it's much like Apple Computers were just 10 years ago, but it took extraordinary talent to take Apple from where it was 10 years ago to where it is today. It will take another extraordinary talent for it to happen again. So far, you haven't identified anyone or any company or any idea that would be that talent.
Browser Wars: What Are They Good For?
WebKit is fast, it's light in size, great for mobile apps, and meets web standards. The bottom line is that WebKit does NOT have to win any war, in order to achieve its goals, which is to prevent MS from gaining a monopoly and thus impose proprietary solutions upon the internet.
The reason why Safari is on Windows is much the same as why Google developed Chrome. No one expects Safari to win the browser wars, its existence is to keep MS honest.