Agreed. This is usually the way to spot the Apple fanboi.
When they bring up how Apple's App Store has 35,000 applications and Windows Mobile (or some other phone) has only however many thousand, point out that Windows has far more applications available than Mac OS X, so it is obviously superior.
I did this once. It was great fun to watch him stammer. "But, but, but...it's completely different! How many word processors to do you need?" "Oh, I don't know, probably about as many tip calculators, fart noise generators, and flashlights."
The IPhone has a lot of limitations, but the amount of apps for it makes it the killer device. The iphone has more quality apps than all other platforms have total apps combined.
You're right. Until I can make my Android phone into a fart machine, a tip calculator, or a flashlight, I'm buying an iPhone.
I rather liked the "miscellany" section of the article.
a prohibition on spending any money for outside contractors to create new seals or logos for the Department of Homeland Security closure of a Department of Education office in Paris, saving $632,000 a year.
There's got to be some funny/sad stories behind those two.
Joe: Okay, cool. But can I still play my Fighter Ultra Captain Kain game? Me: Yes Joe. We can install Linux dual boot! You can use Linux for your real computing, and use Windows as a game OS until you get a real gaming box!
Joe: Uh...okay. That sounds good. You go ahead and do all that stuff and give me a call when you're done. I'm gonna go sit on the couch and watch NASCAR.
[...] people will simply choose the source that doesn't charge.
So one interesting way to look at this is how many news organizations can support themselves from an advertising model?
Advertising requires viewers--you charge for people seeing the ad. If you have 100 websites with the news, you may not have enough viewers to make advertising work. If there are only 10 websites, those 10 may make enough money from advertising for it to be worthwhile.
So you'll always have "free news" just because, eventually, the market will decide which news sources are "the best" and all others will have to find some other way to support themselves or go under.
If you look at the album in iTunes, you will see certain tracks marked as "explicit." At the moment, Apps cannot be marked as "Explicit."
If you look at iTunes preferences, you will see that it is possible to block downloading music with explicit lyrics. However, it is not currently possible to block downloading applications which link to music with explicit lyrics.
iTunes allows parents to prevent their children from buying music with explicit lyrics. However, applications do not have the same capability.
So the problem is, if Apple allows the application and children buy it for their iPod touch, the immediate reaction is "Why did Apple allow my child to buy this song when I said that it shouldn't allow my child to music with explicit lyrics?!"
Yes, Apple should add an "explicit" tag to the application if it accesses music with explicit lyrics. They haven't done it (yet).
Yeah, there's certainly a section of the media that wants terrible news to happen.
They're called the accountants.
"Stay tuned to CNN to hear the latest about this global killer! Are you at risk?! We'll tell you everything you need to know to keep you and your children safe!!!
But first, these important messages from Sprint, United Airlines, Microsoft, and Lenscrafters."
When you look back at the lunar missions, it was done with the idea that we need to get their before the end of the 1960s. Because we did it with one big rocket, we were limited in how much we could take in both people and equipment. But the idea was to beat them rooskies and if we could plant an American flag on the surface first, we won.
Now, we're trying to do this with more than one rocket. We're trying to stay longer than we did in Apollo. And we're trying to do it on a budget, rather than spending lots of money.
Actually one thing that hasn't been brought up is the concept of keeping actors perennially young for the sequels and such.
Imagine a 1980s Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones fighting Nazis in movies spanning 20 years. Or a 1960s Sean Connery as James Bond fighting bad guys in 2008. Or Sitcoms that can go on forever (a la "The Simpsons") because the actors never age.
The question would be, would anybody care about Paul Newman's image in 100 years. Arguably, the people who would recognize him and go, "Wow! That's Paul Newman!" would be dead. Which means using his image would be about as useful as using, say, mine.
I doubt it. More likely that (a) they're using Ad-hoc distribution and paying an appropriate license for it and (b) they're using unlocked phones (which aren't "special"--you can buy unlocked phones from Apple for $600).
Yeah? Well, I'll offer the same protection for $10 a month. As in billions. I'll take that money and buy up other insurance companies which specialize in other things. Then, when it comes time to pay due to a disaster, I'll be "too big to fail" and the government will step in and bail me out.
Personally, I love a good wild taxi ride--the chance to see some of the things done that I would never do if it were my license and my car on the line. So I'll usually add a bit to the tip if I enjoyed the ride.
Conversely, my roomate gets scared to death in taxis. She's a control-freak who goes nuts when someone drives in some way that she wouldn't drive. She'll tip poorly if you frighten her.
You buy an app, you download it, you use it. [...] An average user is going to see absolutely nothing wrong with it.
Agreed. Until...
If you get a new phone, you might have to pay that hefty $0.99 again.
Whoops! Then there will be hell to pay.
I never really had a problem with Apple's DRM. Then Apple released music videos. I bought one because I liked the song and I liked the video. Then I decided I wanted to put the song on my non-video capable iPod. Bzzt! Can I rip the audio into an AAC file? Nope. What can I do? Buy a copy of the song for an extra 99 cents.
Sorry. I got the song when I paid $1.99 for the video. Don't need to pay again, thanks. Audio Hijack to the rescue! And I haven't bought another music video from the iTunes Store since.
It's sort of like the old saw that a Conservative is a Liberal who got mugged. DRM doesn't bother people until they run up against it doing something they feel is legitimate. Then they become offended. And offended customers tend not to purchase again.
Slashdot Mirror
If I find it they're going to be shocked to see how closely my daily route resembles [...]
The words "GOT DONUTS?" when overlaid on a map...
Agreed. This is usually the way to spot the Apple fanboi.
When they bring up how Apple's App Store has 35,000 applications and Windows Mobile (or some other phone) has only however many thousand, point out that Windows has far more applications available than Mac OS X, so it is obviously superior.
I did this once. It was great fun to watch him stammer. "But, but, but...it's completely different! How many word processors to do you need?" "Oh, I don't know, probably about as many tip calculators, fart noise generators, and flashlights."
Well, one difference is that you could buy a CDMA Android Phone and take it to Verizon and buy a plan. You don't have to do the "bundled" phone thing.
The IPhone has a lot of limitations, but the amount of apps for it makes it the killer device. The iphone has more quality apps than all other platforms have total apps combined.
You're right. Until I can make my Android phone into a fart machine, a tip calculator, or a flashlight, I'm buying an iPhone.
In fact, Nikola Tesla's chief weapon was surprise. And fear.
His two weapons were fear and surprise. And ruthless efficiency.
His three weapons were fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency. And an almost fanatical devotion to alternating power.
I'll come in again...
I rather liked the "miscellany" section of the article.
a prohibition on spending any money for outside contractors to create new seals or logos for the Department of Homeland Security
closure of a Department of Education office in Paris, saving $632,000 a year.
There's got to be some funny/sad stories behind those two.
Joe: Okay, cool. But can I still play my Fighter Ultra Captain Kain game?
Me: Yes Joe. We can install Linux dual boot! You can use Linux for your real computing, and use Windows as a game OS until you get a real gaming box!
Joe: Uh...okay. That sounds good. You go ahead and do all that stuff and give me a call when you're done. I'm gonna go sit on the couch and watch NASCAR.
[...] people will simply choose the source that doesn't charge.
So one interesting way to look at this is how many news organizations can support themselves from an advertising model?
Advertising requires viewers--you charge for people seeing the ad. If you have 100 websites with the news, you may not have enough viewers to make advertising work. If there are only 10 websites, those 10 may make enough money from advertising for it to be worthwhile.
So you'll always have "free news" just because, eventually, the market will decide which news sources are "the best" and all others will have to find some other way to support themselves or go under.
Simple:
If you look at the album in iTunes, you will see certain tracks marked as "explicit." At the moment, Apps cannot be marked as "Explicit."
If you look at iTunes preferences, you will see that it is possible to block downloading music with explicit lyrics. However, it is not currently possible to block downloading applications which link to music with explicit lyrics.
Good point. It's not like you have to pay anything to develop for the iPhone.
That's sort of the problem.
iTunes allows parents to prevent their children from buying music with explicit lyrics. However, applications do not have the same capability.
So the problem is, if Apple allows the application and children buy it for their iPod touch, the immediate reaction is "Why did Apple allow my child to buy this song when I said that it shouldn't allow my child to music with explicit lyrics?!"
Yes, Apple should add an "explicit" tag to the application if it accesses music with explicit lyrics. They haven't done it (yet).
The Chinese, back then, came in two flavors.
Sweet and sour?
Sorry. I just couldn't resist.
Yeah, there's certainly a section of the media that wants terrible news to happen.
They're called the accountants.
"Stay tuned to CNN to hear the latest about this global killer! Are you at risk?! We'll tell you everything you need to know to keep you and your children safe!!!
But first, these important messages from Sprint, United Airlines, Microsoft, and Lenscrafters."
[...] it would be easy enough to encrypt them and provide proprietary player software.
Agreed. Maybe some player based upon Microsoft Windows, because everybody uses Windows.
It only took the BBC about a year and a half to do iPlayer for Macintosh and Linux machine.
Redmond is a pretty big place. It's not like he said he was going to drop it on Steve Balmer's desk.
I'd bet that, from 20,000 feet, he could manage to hit a 16 square mile target.
When you look back at the lunar missions, it was done with the idea that we need to get their before the end of the 1960s. Because we did it with one big rocket, we were limited in how much we could take in both people and equipment. But the idea was to beat them rooskies and if we could plant an American flag on the surface first, we won.
Now, we're trying to do this with more than one rocket. We're trying to stay longer than we did in Apollo. And we're trying to do it on a budget, rather than spending lots of money.
Actually one thing that hasn't been brought up is the concept of keeping actors perennially young for the sequels and such.
Imagine a 1980s Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones fighting Nazis in movies spanning 20 years. Or a 1960s Sean Connery as James Bond fighting bad guys in 2008. Or Sitcoms that can go on forever (a la "The Simpsons") because the actors never age.
Uh, relatives? Children's Children?
The question would be, would anybody care about Paul Newman's image in 100 years. Arguably, the people who would recognize him and go, "Wow! That's Paul Newman!" would be dead. Which means using his image would be about as useful as using, say, mine.
Go look at the names in movies 100 years ago (1909). Frankly, if they used Julia Arthur, Flora Finch, or David Miles, who'd know?
I doubt it. More likely that (a) they're using Ad-hoc distribution and paying an appropriate license for it and (b) they're using unlocked phones (which aren't "special"--you can buy unlocked phones from Apple for $600).
Yeah? Well, I'll offer the same protection for $10 a month. As in billions. I'll take that money and buy up other insurance companies which specialize in other things. Then, when it comes time to pay due to a disaster, I'll be "too big to fail" and the government will step in and bail me out.
Depends on the customer.
Personally, I love a good wild taxi ride--the chance to see some of the things done that I would never do if it were my license and my car on the line. So I'll usually add a bit to the tip if I enjoyed the ride.
Conversely, my roomate gets scared to death in taxis. She's a control-freak who goes nuts when someone drives in some way that she wouldn't drive. She'll tip poorly if you frighten her.
"Passenger Information Monitor (PIM) with payment screen, live map, and various content"
In other words, Advertisements.
You buy an app, you download it, you use it. [...] An average user is going to see absolutely nothing wrong with it.
Agreed. Until...
If you get a new phone, you might have to pay that hefty $0.99 again.
Whoops! Then there will be hell to pay.
I never really had a problem with Apple's DRM. Then Apple released music videos. I bought one because I liked the song and I liked the video. Then I decided I wanted to put the song on my non-video capable iPod. Bzzt! Can I rip the audio into an AAC file? Nope. What can I do? Buy a copy of the song for an extra 99 cents.
Sorry. I got the song when I paid $1.99 for the video. Don't need to pay again, thanks. Audio Hijack to the rescue! And I haven't bought another music video from the iTunes Store since.
It's sort of like the old saw that a Conservative is a Liberal who got mugged. DRM doesn't bother people until they run up against it doing something they feel is legitimate. Then they become offended. And offended customers tend not to purchase again.
Agreed. I also hope they have it in conduits or something. Otherwise, somebody is will trip over it and pull the space station out of orbit.
What could possibly go wrong?