apple got lucky with the price of mobile components dropping to reasonable levels...
yeah, they just "stumbled" into being the most profitable company in the world.
it's their manufacturing capabilities and their supply chain logistics that make this happen. there's absolutely no luck involved in this.
Maybe so, but looking at things empirically, they went to Verizon first with the iPhone and asked that they were to be given control of their network structure to accommodate the design of the iPhone, both from a hardware and a voicemail perspective.
Verizon tells them to pound sand so Apple goes to AT&T and they give them the control they needed to deliver the data and visual voicemail requirements.
So there's the first reinvention...of the network. I think that qualifies as mobile technology.
Then there's the device design itself. To the best of my recollection, there weren't any mass consumer devices that were based on capacitive touch technology on the scale that the iPhone introduced. As a result, the handset makers all jumped on the bandwagon making their own capacitive touch hardware to "compete" with Apple (ref: all the "iPhone killers" articles)
This doesn't take into account the App Store model, the drive to remove Flash and the support of HTML5 on mobile devices or the third party ecosystem of plugs, cables, chargers, cradles, speakers and other accessories that most definitely are considered part of mobile technology.
However, if Nokia wins, Apple has to reinvent mobile technology, then get all the networks to support their new implementation.
Considering that Apple has done this once already, I'd place money on them to do it again if they have to...with that said, Apple isn't the type of company to roll over and let this kind of thing happen to them. Remember, they're the pitbull bred for the ultimate fight. They are Microsoft's original enemy and no other company has done battle or suffered as much as Apple has when it comes to patent/innovation fights.
What everyone seems to forget is that Apple is in the spot they're in precisely for these reasons and they're determined never to let that happen again.
As a Crohn's patient for the past 21 years, your appraisal of the situation is just plain wrong. Crohn's Disease is very hard to diagnose and when I first started manifesting symptoms, it took over 6 months to discover the disease. There is nothing straight-forward about the diagnosis since the symptoms, on the surface, appear to be any number of maladies.
This girl is lucky to have caught it on her own, I know others who have gone for years without getting a correct diagnosis.
As far as it being "common," 2 million affected puts it above some diseases but it's far from common.
...as long as it's not a losing proposition everything will just need to be tightened to the point where the "UI" of the semantic web is fine-tuned for Joe SixPack.
This is a load of speculative hogwash if you ask me.
What the box will be capable of is one thing, how it will be marketed to consumers is yet another. Since it's not for sale right now, there's no marketing...so all conversation about the PS3 is either speculation or capability-driven.
Once the PS3 is ready for sale you'll see ads and press releases that are focused on 1-3 key selling points that will make it easy for consumers to decide on purchasing one.
If I had to guess those will be:
OMFG Hyper-real Graphics!!!
Built-in Wi-fi/Ethernet
Total backwards compatibility with all PS2 games
And bullet #3 is why this is all a bunch of garbage...just like "iPod-killer" articles. If the buying masses are predisposed to a brand (PlayStation) and/or they have made a significant time, money and emotional investment in something already (existing game libraries already purchased) there is only one logical choice to make.
As I said before, I'm a usability expert...I understand the same tech issues you all do and answer the same questions over and over...just like you.
The problems that exist with Joe Sixpack's lack of tech comprehension maybe caused by his inability to read directions or his lack of caring, but the question in the tech community that is almost never asked is why should they care?
The average Joe doesn't think about how the phone works or how their electricity works, it just works.
Why does the iPod own the digital media player market? Because it just works.
Until the people responsible for product design, industrial design, software design and web design understand that user experience is one the, if not the most important aspect of design, we will be cursed to answer questions and troubleshoot until the cows come home.
...and again, for this I'm thankful since I will always have a job.
Thank you! It's because of myopic people like you that I will always have a job as a usability expert.
Bravo for speaking like a true geek with no regard for how the other 98% of the world sees technology.
This problem exists because of people like you.
Just four weeks ago, I would have been one of the many Slashdot cynics crapping all over this post.
However, out of the clear blue, my Crohn's Disease came back from out of nowhere and I went from a leisurely vacation to a 5 day hospital stay complete with heavy helpings of shots, IVs and a naso-gastro tube up my nose and into my stomach.
Feeling miserable, I started up a blog just to chronicle all of this and joke around about some of these truly awful things that were happening to me. As it turns out, it's the most efficient way to share what's going on with the people who care about what's going on and I don't have to write/tell the same stories over and over again.
As it's taken a life of it's own, I've found that it's not only helping my friends and family understand what's going on, it's helping me work through everything as well.
And as for whether or not you agree or disagree with this, it really doesn't matter. A personal blog/site is just that...personal. No one asks anyone else to read these types of things unless the author is going out and setting up Adsense accounts and creating Technorati profiles. Furthermore, it is the individual's choice to read something or not...
Feh. This is the same exact logic that procludes you from seeing that this is how Apple has come to own the digital music player market.
How is this any different from the release of the Shuffle? Everyone complained that it didn't have a screen, it was too small, too this, not enough of that. What did that do for them? Help them to sell these things by the metric assload.
Oh yeah, it also paved the way for the ROKR in terms of measuring expectations of what people would like to carry around in their pocket with regards to number of songs.
And...it also paved the way for the iPod nano. What company in their right mind would kill off their most successful product to replace it with something that has less capacity and costs the same? Well I'd bet that based on what people were liking about the Shuffle (flash memory, light, fits their needs) they chose to add the design elements that were missing...and by all reports thus far, it looks like the nano will be a big hit.
All true...yet I think you're caught up in your own argument. From the original post:
The author of this article does not believe that Linux as a whole is threatened harmed by the 'Mactel' alliance, but does point out that his could mean major trouble for distros like Xandros and Linspire which are reliant on the desktop audience. These distros are clearly not ready to take on OS X, which will soon be the primary x86 alternative to Windows XP not only because of OS X's dedicated and outspoken user base but because of its slick looks and ease of use.
The whole point of this thread was what will be the Mactel impact on the Linux movement.
I totally realize AND understand that you like 'an OS for nerds, by nerds' and don't begrudge you or anyone else for feeling this way. However,you should refer to my original post to get where I was coming from.
I *never* reply to posts but I have to say something here.
I think this post's parent sums up exactly what others were posting about earlier with regards to much of the Linux community simply not getting 'it' when it comes to what people expect from a desktop.
Here's why OS X inspires...people don't give a crap about Linux, they don't care about Windows and they don't want to figure out how to do something, they just want to do what they need to get done. OS X is focused on the user experience being transparent when needed, beautiful and useful when it's the focus. It does what an OS is supposed to do...handle the operating.
While Windows is far from ideal, for the most part it allows people to complete their tasks, even if it is somewhat of a pain (ok, much of the time).
Linux is beyond that. I've played enough with Gnome and KDE to know that Linux is far from primetime. The biggest problem is that a user's first reaction is "hey, this looks just like Windows," and as soon as they go to accomplish any task that is easily handled in Windows, it's game over.
With that all said, Linux will always be a hobbyist tool unless there is a concerted effort by group who's business purpose relies on a consumer-grade desktop on top of a distro.
Linux, while going nowhere, will stay where it is currently and the real tangle to watch is what will happen between Apple and Microsoft as the realities of Mactel are revealed to us.
Slashdot Mirror
apple got lucky with the price of mobile components dropping to reasonable levels...
yeah, they just "stumbled" into being the most profitable company in the world. it's their manufacturing capabilities and their supply chain logistics that make this happen. there's absolutely no luck involved in this.
So there's the first reinvention...of the network. I think that qualifies as mobile technology.
Then there's the device design itself. To the best of my recollection, there weren't any mass consumer devices that were based on capacitive touch technology on the scale that the iPhone introduced. As a result, the handset makers all jumped on the bandwagon making their own capacitive touch hardware to "compete" with Apple (ref: all the "iPhone killers" articles)
This doesn't take into account the App Store model, the drive to remove Flash and the support of HTML5 on mobile devices or the third party ecosystem of plugs, cables, chargers, cradles, speakers and other accessories that most definitely are considered part of mobile technology.
However, if Nokia wins, Apple has to reinvent mobile technology, then get all the networks to support their new implementation.
Considering that Apple has done this once already, I'd place money on them to do it again if they have to...with that said, Apple isn't the type of company to roll over and let this kind of thing happen to them. Remember, they're the pitbull bred for the ultimate fight. They are Microsoft's original enemy and no other company has done battle or suffered as much as Apple has when it comes to patent/innovation fights.
What everyone seems to forget is that Apple is in the spot they're in precisely for these reasons and they're determined never to let that happen again.
This girl is lucky to have caught it on her own, I know others who have gone for years without getting a correct diagnosis.
As far as it being "common," 2 million affected puts it above some diseases but it's far from common.
Dell runs Windows or Linux.
Mac runs OS X, Windows and Linux...all native. No need for VMs.
Keep your TV tuner, I'll stick with my Mac.
"It's good to be the King"
[eom]
Remember when Lee Trevino would stroll casually with a 1-iron over his shoulder during thunderstorms? Oh wait, this is Slashdot...nevermind.
What the box will be capable of is one thing, how it will be marketed to consumers is yet another. Since it's not for sale right now, there's no marketing...so all conversation about the PS3 is either speculation or capability-driven.
Once the PS3 is ready for sale you'll see ads and press releases that are focused on 1-3 key selling points that will make it easy for consumers to decide on purchasing one.
If I had to guess those will be:
And bullet #3 is why this is all a bunch of garbage...just like "iPod-killer" articles. If the buying masses are predisposed to a brand (PlayStation) and/or they have made a significant time, money and emotional investment in something already (existing game libraries already purchased) there is only one logical choice to make.
SUE EVERYBODY! The people you work with and handle...I'd probably sue them too.
As in: It's a good thing I wasn't drinking coffee while reading about Microsoft's naming conventions...I'd have snarfed it all over my keyboard.
any day now actually...except instead of a tv show, it's going to be a campy film remake starring jim carrey as teh b10n1c man.
see here
The problems that exist with Joe Sixpack's lack of tech comprehension maybe caused by his inability to read directions or his lack of caring, but the question in the tech community that is almost never asked is why should they care?
The average Joe doesn't think about how the phone works or how their electricity works, it just works.
Why does the iPod own the digital media player market? Because it just works.
Until the people responsible for product design, industrial design, software design and web design understand that user experience is one the, if not the most important aspect of design, we will be cursed to answer questions and troubleshoot until the cows come home.
Thank you! It's because of myopic people like you that I will always have a job as a usability expert. Bravo for speaking like a true geek with no regard for how the other 98% of the world sees technology. This problem exists because of people like you.
However, out of the clear blue, my Crohn's Disease came back from out of nowhere and I went from a leisurely vacation to a 5 day hospital stay complete with heavy helpings of shots, IVs and a naso-gastro tube up my nose and into my stomach.
Feeling miserable, I started up a blog just to chronicle all of this and joke around about some of these truly awful things that were happening to me. As it turns out, it's the most efficient way to share what's going on with the people who care about what's going on and I don't have to write/tell the same stories over and over again.
As it's taken a life of it's own, I've found that it's not only helping my friends and family understand what's going on, it's helping me work through everything as well.
And as for whether or not you agree or disagree with this, it really doesn't matter. A personal blog/site is just that...personal. No one asks anyone else to read these types of things unless the author is going out and setting up Adsense accounts and creating Technorati profiles. Furthermore, it is the individual's choice to read something or not...
Feh. This is the same exact logic that procludes you from seeing that this is how Apple has come to own the digital music player market. How is this any different from the release of the Shuffle? Everyone complained that it didn't have a screen, it was too small, too this, not enough of that. What did that do for them? Help them to sell these things by the metric assload. Oh yeah, it also paved the way for the ROKR in terms of measuring expectations of what people would like to carry around in their pocket with regards to number of songs. And...it also paved the way for the iPod nano. What company in their right mind would kill off their most successful product to replace it with something that has less capacity and costs the same? Well I'd bet that based on what people were liking about the Shuffle (flash memory, light, fits their needs) they chose to add the design elements that were missing...and by all reports thus far, it looks like the nano will be a big hit.
heh. apology accepted.
I think this post's parent sums up exactly what others were posting about earlier with regards to much of the Linux community simply not getting 'it' when it comes to what people expect from a desktop.
Here's why OS X inspires...people don't give a crap about Linux, they don't care about Windows and they don't want to figure out how to do something, they just want to do what they need to get done. OS X is focused on the user experience being transparent when needed, beautiful and useful when it's the focus. It does what an OS is supposed to do...handle the operating.
While Windows is far from ideal, for the most part it allows people to complete their tasks, even if it is somewhat of a pain (ok, much of the time).
Linux is beyond that. I've played enough with Gnome and KDE to know that Linux is far from primetime. The biggest problem is that a user's first reaction is "hey, this looks just like Windows," and as soon as they go to accomplish any task that is easily handled in Windows, it's game over.
With that all said, Linux will always be a hobbyist tool unless there is a concerted effort by group who's business purpose relies on a consumer-grade desktop on top of a distro.
Linux, while going nowhere, will stay where it is currently and the real tangle to watch is what will happen between Apple and Microsoft as the realities of Mactel are revealed to us.