And it just happens to be convenient that they get a 30% cut of everyone else's software revenue?
Don't get me wrong, this is brilliant from a business model standpoint if they can make it stick. They'll be the gateway for most software.
As for the implementation, if it's anything like the iTMS/app store, that really sucks. Finding anything in the iTMS requires (a) being in the top 10/25 list or (b) an accidental random bit of luck akin to winning the PowerBall lottery. If you're not a top 25 app, you may as well just pack it in, 'cause nobody will ever find you.
Never, or in more practical terms, less than 6 years after the expiration of the patent. Patents need not be defended like trademarks, and you can "back sue" for up to 6 years of infringement. There was a recent story on/. about a company that bought a little known patent right before it expired, then went about suing everybody and anybody for infringement *after* the expiration, but going back 6 years for damages.
I'm running three monitors now. A large central, plus two old-school 4:3 20" turned portrait, one on either side. In fact, I'm reading/posting on/. on the right portrait monitor right now. 1200 pixels is wide enough for practically every reading application, so the sides are for web, email, documents, calendar, note taking, task management, etc. My center monitor is for CAD, two page document editing, engineering analysis, and large format PDFs (architectural drawings).
It _is_ awesome, though when it's warmer in the office, the heat coming off the screens is a bit disconcerting (~300W TTD +/-).
Here's a question: if you put an app exclusively in the app store, will it be uninstallable via other methods (i.e. - can you hack the package to manually/locally install)? Would this / could this be a piracy reduction vector for software developers on the mac, and is the 30% fee (brilliant, btw, Jobs) enough enticement for small to mid-sized developers to go exclusively with app-store sales? Is there even a pirate market for apple application?
It looks more like a way for Apple to get a bigger piece of the pie. That's a well played move, in an evil corporate genius kind of way.
You missed where Maxtor took over Seagate and kept the Seagate name on the door. I know it was techincally (businessally?) the other way around, but the end result has been Maxtor quality with a Seagate sticker.
This is why Linux will be adopted slowly, if at all. It's not about the hardware, or the OS capabilities (presuming it's competent, which Linux is), it's about the software. Practically every main profession has a couple of absolutely necessary (read: would be more expensive to retrain than the entire IT department's 10 year budget) to the business. Whether it's Photoshop or AutoCAD or whatever; it has to exist nativly on the platform. Nobody is going to put their butt on the line for a workaround - even if it's one that almost always works.
Wow, that was USDA Prime troll right up until those last seven words:
"It is always the software that matters."
Bingo. I'm not an Apple fan. I haven't owned one of their computers since 1980. I hate working on a Mac - short of checking stuff on a browser, I won't touch one. But, damn it, the iOS interface is very simple and easy to use. I'm going to say it's not as good as what TiVo has come up with, but it's simpler.
It shouldn't be a surprise that kids with learning challenges find it useful - it can be effectively operated with practically zero experience or maintenance. Why do you think that all those iPhone users can do all that cool shit? Most are still using the DVD drive for a retractable cup holder.
As much as I hate to admit it, the interface - and to some extent the massive price drop (compared to a full-system T/S tablet computer) has vaulted these touch screen devices beyond the specialty market. The switch to capacitive screens was the last barrier. Freeing users from a stylus wasn't enough without making the entire paradigm finger friendly. What you give up in accuracy you gain ten times over in ease of use and convenience to the untrained.
That's actually the point. Any decent job is going to pay far more than what this guy gets being a trashpicker. Lots of tech-savvy folks are out of work right now though thanks to the economy. Hell, I did this for fun with a mail-order DVD place for a while (several years ago) - signing up for 8 DVDs for $9.99, buy two more at regular prices, cancel [rinse, repeat]. The place who was doing this had several out of print DVDs, and some high-dollar collections that could be flipped on eBay for a profit. I'd buy 3-4 discs I wanted, 4 to flip, pay $40 out of pocket and get $70 on ebay. $30 of work for maybe 1-2 hours of time, plus I got to fill in my DVD collection.
This poor slop could almost do better (on an hourly rate basis) by flipping burgers or working retail at the mall. Any office work would pay better by the hour. He's killing himself working 12 hour days, probably spending a small fortune in gas, all to eek out a pretty modest wage for a college grad.
Free/sponsored iPads, that is. The challenge isn't that they are good, but that there will be a scramble to "help" you get one and get it paid for by someone else. It reminds me of handicapped parking hang-tabs. There's no doubt people need them, but a few (some might say many) will abuse the system.
Here's the thing: at the price currently set for consumer items, these probably don't need to be subsidized. We're not talking about a $3000 device with $2500 worth of custom software anymore. The hardware is barely $500. when it comes to medical care, that's not a lot of money for anybody unless you're destitute. The software, OTOH, isn't a portable thing.
I can see it now: iScooterAHDH software you need for $1299 and we'll throw in the hardware for free! We'll even submit your paperwork to Medicaid. We're so confident that once you've completed your over the phone questionnaire, we'll get your full payment price reimbursed or your iPad (excuse me, Software) is Free!
Someone will make up a better way and sell it to the bigger book stores and thrift stores. The will relegate this to a smaller and smaller pool, as competition (thanks to articles like this) heats up for the dwindling supply of non-internet-enabled stores.
Second: the pay sucks. This guy, who admits that you can make up to $1000 a week (more if you employ your family/other people) spends 80 hours doing all the work, including listing, selling, and mailing.
Okay...so he's grossing $12.50 hr, on average. Great. When the economy picks up and he can get a "real" job paying him twice that, this option will probably go away. Presuming he's not ADHD or otherwise impaired, anyone with this kind of organizational skill is probably going to be gold for somebody who can pay him $45-60k/yr plus benefits. For 40-50 hours a week of work. He'll get his life back (presuming he ever had one), and get better pay and benefits.
This is the depression era trashpicker. They will always exist, but it's mostly a fad that rears its head in bad times. The only twist to it is that the internet has made the trashpickers job "clean".
Wait, wait, wait. I've been to these places, and there's usually at least one worker doing almost nothing.
Besides, every single book that comes into a store has to be stocked. This doesn't seem like a difficult or expensive endeavor to check a book for value. It could probably be done by the bookseller very easily.
Or....perhaps it isn't because the bookseller has deemed that the time spent checking all the books isn't actually profitable.
Until cable companies and their subsidiaries are forbidden to design, manufacture, sell, lease, rent or otherwise provide hardware, they will have too much control.
It's more than that. Verizon is trying to be so cool that they're steeply discounting their mifi service if you buy an ipad from them. $20/GB is a steal compared to the $15/day on a pay up front or a $40/month, 250MB limit plan that they currently offer. It smacks of desperation.
Exactly what I thought. I wondered if they gave you a roll of duct tape, too.
This smacks of a bit of desperation. Can you only get the $20 mifi if you buy the iPad? A mifi for $20/mo is the real news. Right now the cheapest monthly plan is $40 for 250MB. Ouch.
I like the better durability and the "smoothness" of the 3gs, but my 4 has slipped out of my had accidentally far fewer times. The less-comfortable edges give better purchase on the phone.
My biggest beef with the phone is that all of the protective covers prevent the phone from being dropped directly into a docking station. Since one of the biggest advantages for the iPhone (at least to me) is the large number of items which directly interface with the phone, having to install and uninstall a cover every time I dock the phone is a huge pain in the ass. I've learned to just keep nothing else in my right front pocket - keys/change/etc. just go in the left now. When I take it out on the golf course (for the GPS), I've got a rubber sleeve so I can just drop in in a cup holder.
I got the 4 for the speed and the camera (it's a great backup camera for when I forget my P&S). Everything else new is just icing, and means very little to me, though my calendar is much better with the higher res (I use a real calendar - Pocket Informant - not the crap it comes with).
How many doctors provide services on a contingent basis?
Lawyers who provide services for fees, like doctors (and accountants and engineers for that matter), will always make less than those who make the big kill on a contingent item - whether it's a lawsuit, a real estate transaction, a VC funding, or a creative work.
It's not often this gets said to a medical doctor, but don't be disappointed that the career you chose doesn't pay as well as others.
The median price of a NEW house in the US in 2009 was $216,700 (source:census.gov), so a 90% LTV mortgage would indeed be easier to "pay off" a house than a trip like this, which in America will generally take 25%-35% of your household income for 30 years.
I didn't think he implied they were linear. They're not even static for the same number of hours when considering different types of work. There is always stress, and every manager (well, every competent one) judges the health and performance of his employees to maximize their output, both short term and long term. Do you know what a pain in the ass it is to have to replace an employee - especially a good one?
The disconnect is (and I've said this before) there are 4 lousy employees for every good one. Management is not excepted.
That's easy. If one of these crashes, the company goes bankrupt and liquidates all assets. A shadow corporation buys the parts at a steep discount, and turns around and with the same people to open a new shop.
You'll note that you aren't actually buying a ticket from Rutan or Branson, or either of their respective parent companies. You can be certain that the corporations are set up to be as air-tight as a billionaire can buy.
That said, if I had to bet on someone to pull this off, my money would be on Rutan.
Your definition of "middle class" appears to be slightly skewed. At prevailing US wages, the cost of a single seat would take the entire after-tax income of a median US family for 5 years. In fact, making over $70-75k puts you in the top 10% of US wage earners. I have no doubt there are some people who would trade their family for a shot to space, but in general there will be no "middle class" people on the first flights.
Having worked near RF engineers for several years a while back, it's about as close to black magic as you can get and still be called an engineer. All manner of crazy shit happens when you start playing with RF. More on topic, though, the type of problem the 4 is having is not the kind that traditional engineering and testing will find, as there isn't normally a person holding an item to be tested in and EMI/RFI chamber where it get characterized, and the secrecy that made the "hide" the phone in a case that looked like a 3gs masked the problem.
On the contrary, the only thing I hear on the TV this election season is dissidents. This time around they're called Republicans, but we called them Democrats two years go. That's not to say that we don't problems, but you really can say just about anything you want about the government with impunity. If you're crazy enough, you'll most likely get ignored, or put on a morning talk show, or - if you happen to have a foreign sounding name - put on an FBI or CIA watch list...in that order of likelihood.
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And it just happens to be convenient that they get a 30% cut of everyone else's software revenue?
Don't get me wrong, this is brilliant from a business model standpoint if they can make it stick. They'll be the gateway for most software.
As for the implementation, if it's anything like the iTMS/app store, that really sucks. Finding anything in the iTMS requires (a) being in the top 10/25 list or (b) an accidental random bit of luck akin to winning the PowerBall lottery. If you're not a top 25 app, you may as well just pack it in, 'cause nobody will ever find you.
Never, or in more practical terms, less than 6 years after the expiration of the patent. Patents need not be defended like trademarks, and you can "back sue" for up to 6 years of infringement. There was a recent story on /. about a company that bought a little known patent right before it expired, then went about suing everybody and anybody for infringement *after* the expiration, but going back 6 years for damages.
I'm running three monitors now. A large central, plus two old-school 4:3 20" turned portrait, one on either side. In fact, I'm reading/posting on /. on the right portrait monitor right now. 1200 pixels is wide enough for practically every reading application, so the sides are for web, email, documents, calendar, note taking, task management, etc. My center monitor is for CAD, two page document editing, engineering analysis, and large format PDFs (architectural drawings).
It _is_ awesome, though when it's warmer in the office, the heat coming off the screens is a bit disconcerting (~300W TTD +/-).
Here's a question: if you put an app exclusively in the app store, will it be uninstallable via other methods (i.e. - can you hack the package to manually/locally install)? Would this / could this be a piracy reduction vector for software developers on the mac, and is the 30% fee (brilliant, btw, Jobs) enough enticement for small to mid-sized developers to go exclusively with app-store sales? Is there even a pirate market for apple application?
It looks more like a way for Apple to get a bigger piece of the pie. That's a well played move, in an evil corporate genius kind of way.
You missed where Maxtor took over Seagate and kept the Seagate name on the door. I know it was techincally (businessally?) the other way around, but the end result has been Maxtor quality with a Seagate sticker.
This is why Linux will be adopted slowly, if at all. It's not about the hardware, or the OS capabilities (presuming it's competent, which Linux is), it's about the software. Practically every main profession has a couple of absolutely necessary (read: would be more expensive to retrain than the entire IT department's 10 year budget) to the business. Whether it's Photoshop or AutoCAD or whatever; it has to exist nativly on the platform. Nobody is going to put their butt on the line for a workaround - even if it's one that almost always works.
But surely one doesn't really fall in love with a million dollar box that will be worth $100 in 5 years.
Why do you have to bring Demi Moore into the discussion?
So, you're in favor of powerful unions, then?
Wow, that was USDA Prime troll right up until those last seven words:
"It is always the software that matters."
Bingo. I'm not an Apple fan. I haven't owned one of their computers since 1980. I hate working on a Mac - short of checking stuff on a browser, I won't touch one. But, damn it, the iOS interface is very simple and easy to use. I'm going to say it's not as good as what TiVo has come up with, but it's simpler.
It shouldn't be a surprise that kids with learning challenges find it useful - it can be effectively operated with practically zero experience or maintenance. Why do you think that all those iPhone users can do all that cool shit? Most are still using the DVD drive for a retractable cup holder.
As much as I hate to admit it, the interface - and to some extent the massive price drop (compared to a full-system T/S tablet computer) has vaulted these touch screen devices beyond the specialty market. The switch to capacitive screens was the last barrier. Freeing users from a stylus wasn't enough without making the entire paradigm finger friendly. What you give up in accuracy you gain ten times over in ease of use and convenience to the untrained.
That's actually the point. Any decent job is going to pay far more than what this guy gets being a trashpicker. Lots of tech-savvy folks are out of work right now though thanks to the economy. Hell, I did this for fun with a mail-order DVD place for a while (several years ago) - signing up for 8 DVDs for $9.99, buy two more at regular prices, cancel [rinse, repeat]. The place who was doing this had several out of print DVDs, and some high-dollar collections that could be flipped on eBay for a profit. I'd buy 3-4 discs I wanted, 4 to flip, pay $40 out of pocket and get $70 on ebay. $30 of work for maybe 1-2 hours of time, plus I got to fill in my DVD collection.
This poor slop could almost do better (on an hourly rate basis) by flipping burgers or working retail at the mall. Any office work would pay better by the hour. He's killing himself working 12 hour days, probably spending a small fortune in gas, all to eek out a pretty modest wage for a college grad.
Free/sponsored iPads, that is. The challenge isn't that they are good, but that there will be a scramble to "help" you get one and get it paid for by someone else. It reminds me of handicapped parking hang-tabs. There's no doubt people need them, but a few (some might say many) will abuse the system.
Here's the thing: at the price currently set for consumer items, these probably don't need to be subsidized. We're not talking about a $3000 device with $2500 worth of custom software anymore. The hardware is barely $500. when it comes to medical care, that's not a lot of money for anybody unless you're destitute. The software, OTOH, isn't a portable thing.
I can see it now: iScooterAHDH software you need for $1299 and we'll throw in the hardware for free! We'll even submit your paperwork to Medicaid. We're so confident that once you've completed your over the phone questionnaire, we'll get your full payment price reimbursed or your iPad (excuse me, Software) is Free!
Two things:
Someone will make up a better way and sell it to the bigger book stores and thrift stores. The will relegate this to a smaller and smaller pool, as competition (thanks to articles like this) heats up for the dwindling supply of non-internet-enabled stores.
Second: the pay sucks. This guy, who admits that you can make up to $1000 a week (more if you employ your family/other people) spends 80 hours doing all the work, including listing, selling, and mailing.
Okay...so he's grossing $12.50 hr, on average. Great. When the economy picks up and he can get a "real" job paying him twice that, this option will probably go away. Presuming he's not ADHD or otherwise impaired, anyone with this kind of organizational skill is probably going to be gold for somebody who can pay him $45-60k/yr plus benefits. For 40-50 hours a week of work. He'll get his life back (presuming he ever had one), and get better pay and benefits.
This is the depression era trashpicker. They will always exist, but it's mostly a fad that rears its head in bad times. The only twist to it is that the internet has made the trashpickers job "clean".
Wait, wait, wait. I've been to these places, and there's usually at least one worker doing almost nothing.
Besides, every single book that comes into a store has to be stocked. This doesn't seem like a difficult or expensive endeavor to check a book for value. It could probably be done by the bookseller very easily.
Or....perhaps it isn't because the bookseller has deemed that the time spent checking all the books isn't actually profitable.
*golf clap*
Until cable companies and their subsidiaries are forbidden to design, manufacture, sell, lease, rent or otherwise provide hardware, they will have too much control.
It's more than that. Verizon is trying to be so cool that they're steeply discounting their mifi service if you buy an ipad from them. $20/GB is a steal compared to the $15/day on a pay up front or a $40/month, 250MB limit plan that they currently offer. It smacks of desperation.
Exactly what I thought. I wondered if they gave you a roll of duct tape, too.
This smacks of a bit of desperation. Can you only get the $20 mifi if you buy the iPad? A mifi for $20/mo is the real news. Right now the cheapest monthly plan is $40 for 250MB. Ouch.
I like the better durability and the "smoothness" of the 3gs, but my 4 has slipped out of my had accidentally far fewer times. The less-comfortable edges give better purchase on the phone.
My biggest beef with the phone is that all of the protective covers prevent the phone from being dropped directly into a docking station. Since one of the biggest advantages for the iPhone (at least to me) is the large number of items which directly interface with the phone, having to install and uninstall a cover every time I dock the phone is a huge pain in the ass. I've learned to just keep nothing else in my right front pocket - keys/change/etc. just go in the left now. When I take it out on the golf course (for the GPS), I've got a rubber sleeve so I can just drop in in a cup holder.
I got the 4 for the speed and the camera (it's a great backup camera for when I forget my P&S). Everything else new is just icing, and means very little to me, though my calendar is much better with the higher res (I use a real calendar - Pocket Informant - not the crap it comes with).
How many doctors provide services on a contingent basis?
Lawyers who provide services for fees, like doctors (and accountants and engineers for that matter), will always make less than those who make the big kill on a contingent item - whether it's a lawsuit, a real estate transaction, a VC funding, or a creative work.
It's not often this gets said to a medical doctor, but don't be disappointed that the career you chose doesn't pay as well as others.
The median price of a NEW house in the US in 2009 was $216,700 (source:census.gov), so a 90% LTV mortgage would indeed be easier to "pay off" a house than a trip like this, which in America will generally take 25%-35% of your household income for 30 years.
I didn't think he implied they were linear. They're not even static for the same number of hours when considering different types of work. There is always stress, and every manager (well, every competent one) judges the health and performance of his employees to maximize their output, both short term and long term. Do you know what a pain in the ass it is to have to replace an employee - especially a good one?
The disconnect is (and I've said this before) there are 4 lousy employees for every good one. Management is not excepted.
That's easy. If one of these crashes, the company goes bankrupt and liquidates all assets. A shadow corporation buys the parts at a steep discount, and turns around and with the same people to open a new shop.
You'll note that you aren't actually buying a ticket from Rutan or Branson, or either of their respective parent companies. You can be certain that the corporations are set up to be as air-tight as a billionaire can buy.
That said, if I had to bet on someone to pull this off, my money would be on Rutan.
Your definition of "middle class" appears to be slightly skewed. At prevailing US wages, the cost of a single seat would take the entire after-tax income of a median US family for 5 years. In fact, making over $70-75k puts you in the top 10% of US wage earners. I have no doubt there are some people who would trade their family for a shot to space, but in general there will be no "middle class" people on the first flights.
Having worked near RF engineers for several years a while back, it's about as close to black magic as you can get and still be called an engineer. All manner of crazy shit happens when you start playing with RF. More on topic, though, the type of problem the 4 is having is not the kind that traditional engineering and testing will find, as there isn't normally a person holding an item to be tested in and EMI/RFI chamber where it get characterized, and the secrecy that made the "hide" the phone in a case that looked like a 3gs masked the problem.
On the contrary, the only thing I hear on the TV this election season is dissidents. This time around they're called Republicans, but we called them Democrats two years go. That's not to say that we don't problems, but you really can say just about anything you want about the government with impunity. If you're crazy enough, you'll most likely get ignored, or put on a morning talk show, or - if you happen to have a foreign sounding name - put on an FBI or CIA watch list...in that order of likelihood.