In the past, outgoing iPhone models stayed around as a less expensive alternative for people. With all of the R&D and other expenses amortized over many, many units, margins were still attractive at lower ASP's for outgoing models. This time around the 5 is no longer available in it's current form. It stays around as a "new" iPhone model on a less expensive chassis--compare the 5 and 5C and you will see the main difference being the housing. The "new" iPhone 5S has the new gee-whiz features, and the 5S will be built on the current, more expensive 5 chassis.
The example of the 100-mpg car that was patented isn't realistic, but it illustrates the problem with the patent-kept-another-invention/innovation-from-happening argument.
First, you wouldn't patent a car, per se. You would patent the systems, processes, etc. that enabled the astonishing mpg.
Second, if someone did have a patent for a 100-mpg car, it would pay (in the most ginormous way) to license your technology to other enterprises with the capital to do something about it.
Just saying...
More likely Google, and others, would have developed. Once "search" companies became successful, a lawsuit would have forced (in the event of a legal setback/settlement) payment of royalties by the viable companies. Better than venture capital if you own the patent and a bankroll to defend...
As an investor in Terra Firma's last 2 funds, I can tell you that Guy Hands and his team are smart cookies. TF often invests where others fear to tread--industries in desperate need of change. More often than not, they've been successful in their turnaround efforts. While that doesn't guarantee success with EMI, the music biz certainly seems broken.
This "memo" made news this weekend, but it is similar to what we've been hearing for some time. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how this one plays out--fingers crossed here. To read more about Terra Firma and it's previous investments see www.terrafirma.com. Slashdotters might be interested in TF's renewable energy business, Infinis, which was created out of a landfill business, Waste Recycling Group, and now accounts for something like 10-11% of the renewable energy in the UK.
I totally agree. While I think the iPhone is very cool, there are 4 main reasons I won't be camping out for one.
1) Not 3G. I'll bet YouTube videos will be just as smooth as they are demonstrated in the TV ad. What, I can sync videos via iTunes? Way too much work to use one of the fundamental features of a supposedly "smart" phone.
2) No real keyboard. Pretty straightforward here. Why do I want to have to look at the phone to input information?
3) Face grime and fingerprints. Sorry it's a pet peeve. Touch my monitor. Go on. I dare you.
4) 1st iteration of a new Apple product. This should be listed as number 1. After 4 macbooks, I've learned my lesson. I'm unwilling to pay for the privilege of being a Beta tester.
I'll get an iPhone when it's 3G which means it won't be a generation 1 device. I'll deal with grime and lack of keyboard in a later version.
I've been using Slingbox HD (whatever the red one is) since the beginning of December on a Mac. I started using the Mac beta which was updated at least once prior to the official 1.0 client. Setting it up was pretty easy and when I called tech support one evening I got one of the developers.
Super helpful. In fact, before I bought one, the guy had me download the Mac beta and then gave me his Slingbox info to see how it worked on my machine. I bought one that evening after work. True story.
I couldn't recommend the product or the company more. I call linksys, or some other giant company, and I'm talking to Mumbai. Ring up Slingmedia and you might just get one of the guys that made this happen.
Anyway, my Slingbox has worked flawlessly, and I use it all day long every day I'm in my office (I refuse to pay the jerkoffs at Time Warner the premium they charge for a monthly "business" account).
It isn't a stretch to think about capturing the stream and making my MacBook a "Tivo." I don't have the technical skills to do it, but somebody certainly does.
Atari Adventure is clearly different than the coin-ops with a more limited consumer awareness. However, this is a game that was a predecessor to the likes of Zelda--another game that is on many people's short list. Adventure is also the first to exhibit the Easter Egg phenomenon amongst other firsts in the gameplay concept. I can't believe it's been more than 25 years since I played it. Anyone know if there's an emulator that will run it on a mac?
How can one deny Pong or Space Invaders or PacMan or Atari Adventure a spot on a list of important games? Like any list, the 10 presented may have some reasoning behind the selections. However, the list is still subjective. I can make a case as to why these four (and many others) should be on an important games list. Is it impact on pop culture? Innovative gameplay? Innovative technology? Graphics? We can argue about it and agree on nothing.
In the end, I can still find the invisible dot using the bridge in the black castle maze which enables one to discover one of the great original easter egg rumors in video gaming--Adventure was "created by Warren Robinett." Sorry, I just had to tell someone who might get it.
...how about an actual "delete" key. Not a "backspace" key named "delete" that macs seem to prefer. I hate not having a true delete key. Maybe that's why they don't like having the eject key on the keyboard, it replaced the delete. Otherwise, aside from spending many inconvenient hours at the Apple store getting my macbook replaced 4 times and the lack of a true delete key, I love this thing and glad I switched.
...buy a PS3 at launch. It is an abortion. The Wii is fun, but it is a lot of hype, too. The controller is certainly unique, but I don't want to play it for 3 hours at a go. Plus, the graphics are lame. Neither of these have well implemented online infrastructure. I don't care about browsing the internet with a console. I just want to play games with friends around the country.
If you can get over the fact that the 360 is a MSFT product, it does what it's supposed to do rather well. Ok, so there's no motion control. I'm already tired of the Wii control scheme. The PS3 is back in its box. Resistance is just another game--it just happens to be THE game for the PS3. Maybe I'll hook it up again when F1 2006 comes out in, wait for it, 2007.
In the mean time, I'll have wasted a few hundred hours of my life on XBox Live.
First, MSFT's "surprise" launch of 360 forced Sony to accelerate their timetable for PS3. Before the official 360 announcement came in the summer of 2005, the console wasn't really expected by the marketplace until 2006, or later. In fact, MSFT chose a "global" launch format for 360 which was roundly criticized for shortages. However, this seeded several markets with the 360.
Fast forward, now Sony has to get PS3 to market in a bit of a rush to avoid ceding two Christmas seasons to 360 (and one to Wii). Sony's sort of forced into a semi-global launch. Remember how PS2 launched in Japan 6 months before the US? Now the US is receiving 80% of launch units. Huh?
Frankly, MSFT has strategically forced Sony to rush PS3 ahead of their planned roadmap. So, you see, all of this hate is misdirected at Sony. It is, in fact, MSFT's fault that Sony has rushed PS3 to market. If you're going to hate, at least direct it where it's deserved--Redmond. Doh!
Slashdot Mirror
I think it may have to do with the two special machine learning cores on that particular chip.
Hey, I have a first edition New Kind of Science! Don't know if there was ever a second, though...
In the past, outgoing iPhone models stayed around as a less expensive alternative for people. With all of the R&D and other expenses amortized over many, many units, margins were still attractive at lower ASP's for outgoing models. This time around the 5 is no longer available in it's current form. It stays around as a "new" iPhone model on a less expensive chassis--compare the 5 and 5C and you will see the main difference being the housing. The "new" iPhone 5S has the new gee-whiz features, and the 5S will be built on the current, more expensive 5 chassis.
EMI is no longer publicly traded. Private equity firm Terra Firma now owns EMI.
Invisible "black" dot. 8-bit graphics. Stickin' it to "the man" for much deserved credit. A classic from the Atari age.
The example of the 100-mpg car that was patented isn't realistic, but it illustrates the problem with the patent-kept-another-invention/innovation-from-happening argument. First, you wouldn't patent a car, per se. You would patent the systems, processes, etc. that enabled the astonishing mpg. Second, if someone did have a patent for a 100-mpg car, it would pay (in the most ginormous way) to license your technology to other enterprises with the capital to do something about it. Just saying...
More likely Google, and others, would have developed. Once "search" companies became successful, a lawsuit would have forced (in the event of a legal setback/settlement) payment of royalties by the viable companies. Better than venture capital if you own the patent and a bankroll to defend...
As an investor in Terra Firma's last 2 funds, I can tell you that Guy Hands and his team are smart cookies. TF often invests where others fear to tread--industries in desperate need of change. More often than not, they've been successful in their turnaround efforts. While that doesn't guarantee success with EMI, the music biz certainly seems broken. This "memo" made news this weekend, but it is similar to what we've been hearing for some time. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how this one plays out--fingers crossed here. To read more about Terra Firma and it's previous investments see www.terrafirma.com. Slashdotters might be interested in TF's renewable energy business, Infinis, which was created out of a landfill business, Waste Recycling Group, and now accounts for something like 10-11% of the renewable energy in the UK.
I totally agree. While I think the iPhone is very cool, there are 4 main reasons I won't be camping out for one. 1) Not 3G. I'll bet YouTube videos will be just as smooth as they are demonstrated in the TV ad. What, I can sync videos via iTunes? Way too much work to use one of the fundamental features of a supposedly "smart" phone. 2) No real keyboard. Pretty straightforward here. Why do I want to have to look at the phone to input information? 3) Face grime and fingerprints. Sorry it's a pet peeve. Touch my monitor. Go on. I dare you. 4) 1st iteration of a new Apple product. This should be listed as number 1. After 4 macbooks, I've learned my lesson. I'm unwilling to pay for the privilege of being a Beta tester. I'll get an iPhone when it's 3G which means it won't be a generation 1 device. I'll deal with grime and lack of keyboard in a later version.
I've been using Slingbox HD (whatever the red one is) since the beginning of December on a Mac. I started using the Mac beta which was updated at least once prior to the official 1.0 client. Setting it up was pretty easy and when I called tech support one evening I got one of the developers. Super helpful. In fact, before I bought one, the guy had me download the Mac beta and then gave me his Slingbox info to see how it worked on my machine. I bought one that evening after work. True story. I couldn't recommend the product or the company more. I call linksys, or some other giant company, and I'm talking to Mumbai. Ring up Slingmedia and you might just get one of the guys that made this happen. Anyway, my Slingbox has worked flawlessly, and I use it all day long every day I'm in my office (I refuse to pay the jerkoffs at Time Warner the premium they charge for a monthly "business" account). It isn't a stretch to think about capturing the stream and making my MacBook a "Tivo." I don't have the technical skills to do it, but somebody certainly does.
Atari Adventure is clearly different than the coin-ops with a more limited consumer awareness. However, this is a game that was a predecessor to the likes of Zelda--another game that is on many people's short list. Adventure is also the first to exhibit the Easter Egg phenomenon amongst other firsts in the gameplay concept. I can't believe it's been more than 25 years since I played it. Anyone know if there's an emulator that will run it on a mac?
How can one deny Pong or Space Invaders or PacMan or Atari Adventure a spot on a list of important games? Like any list, the 10 presented may have some reasoning behind the selections. However, the list is still subjective. I can make a case as to why these four (and many others) should be on an important games list. Is it impact on pop culture? Innovative gameplay? Innovative technology? Graphics? We can argue about it and agree on nothing. In the end, I can still find the invisible dot using the bridge in the black castle maze which enables one to discover one of the great original easter egg rumors in video gaming--Adventure was "created by Warren Robinett." Sorry, I just had to tell someone who might get it.
Super. We'll be buying cyber garbage with acorns to adorn our rooms and impress our virtual neighbors. Why should anyone care about this?
...how about an actual "delete" key. Not a "backspace" key named "delete" that macs seem to prefer. I hate not having a true delete key. Maybe that's why they don't like having the eject key on the keyboard, it replaced the delete. Otherwise, aside from spending many inconvenient hours at the Apple store getting my macbook replaced 4 times and the lack of a true delete key, I love this thing and glad I switched.
...buy a PS3 at launch. It is an abortion. The Wii is fun, but it is a lot of hype, too. The controller is certainly unique, but I don't want to play it for 3 hours at a go. Plus, the graphics are lame. Neither of these have well implemented online infrastructure. I don't care about browsing the internet with a console. I just want to play games with friends around the country. If you can get over the fact that the 360 is a MSFT product, it does what it's supposed to do rather well. Ok, so there's no motion control. I'm already tired of the Wii control scheme. The PS3 is back in its box. Resistance is just another game--it just happens to be THE game for the PS3. Maybe I'll hook it up again when F1 2006 comes out in, wait for it, 2007. In the mean time, I'll have wasted a few hundred hours of my life on XBox Live.
First, MSFT's "surprise" launch of 360 forced Sony to accelerate their timetable for PS3. Before the official 360 announcement came in the summer of 2005, the console wasn't really expected by the marketplace until 2006, or later. In fact, MSFT chose a "global" launch format for 360 which was roundly criticized for shortages. However, this seeded several markets with the 360. Fast forward, now Sony has to get PS3 to market in a bit of a rush to avoid ceding two Christmas seasons to 360 (and one to Wii). Sony's sort of forced into a semi-global launch. Remember how PS2 launched in Japan 6 months before the US? Now the US is receiving 80% of launch units. Huh? Frankly, MSFT has strategically forced Sony to rush PS3 ahead of their planned roadmap. So, you see, all of this hate is misdirected at Sony. It is, in fact, MSFT's fault that Sony has rushed PS3 to market. If you're going to hate, at least direct it where it's deserved--Redmond. Doh!