Apple applied the same principle for their computers into the Ipod: Easier is better, easier is more expensive. Then, they created a device that anyone could own and play music without physical media, only files.
Sounds beautiful and for a while it worked, many were drawn into the PMP universe and as any other unknown territory, they let Apple take care of them: Just pay there, plug here, listen, repeat.
Nobody bought an Ipod to save on personal entertainment, it was the design, the looks, the software, the quality, but the prime on the price always was accepted, after all, wouldn't making all these so accessible and pretty cost a lot of money?
Three years later, turns out, the magic is going away, because after all, economics will always win at the end of the day, defeating aesthetics, fads, trends and loyalties.
Now, the market offers alternative devices, smaller, prettier, more efficient and above all, cheaper.
The same naïve buyer paying a premium to get a buy-plug-play player now sees that there are alternatives. It has learned that there are better/faster/easier ways to get DRM-free music. Ipod pushed the "Do it easier" too far this time and now, they are seeing that there is more to it. It works if what you will do easier doesn't become dull or ineffective.
The real question here is this: Can Apple bring something new (besides more HD space, bigger screens) that again, challenges the current way to do things and overcomes its cumbersome procedures successfully enough to justify its higher price?
Music player + telephone = Done Music player + video player = done WiFi music Player = Almost done (Zune)
On Demand Digital Content - That's it, you may have the chance, ipod.
I discovered Sansa MP3 players by ways of its entry level e140. Nothing spectacular besides small factor and SD support and YES it connects to Windows File Explorer directly, no additional software, nothing, streight from the package.
I owned a Nomad before and that needed a software, but in the case of the Sansa, you can copy the whole folder structure into the device and it adds the songs and keeps the structure as well, so you can browse by artist from the metadata or by the structure you have created (Great for fav lists)
If you decide to use WMP, the software is most likely to auto detect the device ( as it did with the e140) cna start adding files. The only issue with this is that if you have MP3s, WMP will start adding the files as WMA so it converts each file before transfer, which is somewhat slow.
I saw the device working and it's a very good built, nice design and yes, that round blue thing does work (better than the Ipod, IMO, since it has texture so you know where your finger are for blind operation).
I still can't understand what you do with the add pictures functionality though, I guess I am too old for that, but the rest, worth the cash.
This is not a killer or rival of the Ipod, basically an alternative and much of its success its from the environments and compatibility of the device than the device itself.
The conclusion that this is nothing more than hopeful thinking. More and more any upcoming "secret" enhancement/update/upgrade in Apple is an step closer to resembling a PC. The enticing motivation for somebody to become a Mac fan is to stay away from the PC herd, not to do computing better, so now they are all facing a dilema... How to compensate the fact that their individuality-providing computer is morphing into just another species in the PC fauna.
Just a glowing bitten apple on the lid of a PC will not make the trick for many.
Warmer temperatures translate into more energy (Hurricanes, earthquakes) and unfortunately we are not capable of harnessing it so instead, it will destroy those closer to where such energy gets condensed which in turn will have the balancing effect of keeping population at bay on earth.
So the issue here is not to stop warming the planet, but knowing how to deal with the consequences of such transition, because, unless there is a strong and undeniable link between human activity with global warming that can give us guidelines to stop it, we are wasting time figuring out whom to blame.
The story doesn't add up and whoever wrote it may have get the Best Buy legal department back at him/her.
If this couple is so technologically-challenged, that means they "assume" they needed a new HD either because the one they had was full or defective (later not lickely since it worked afterwards) so they brought the PC to Best Buy altogether.
The issue here is that Best Buy one way or another, defaulted to replacing the drive, which sound very unlikely since many have a lot of their own information there and not that easy will allow its destruction.
If this happened as reported, then Best Buy is not liable for just not destroying the drive, but for deceiving their customers by not offering alternatives as returning the drive to the owner or putting it as a slave, and if they did, then the couple is totally responsible for their mistake.
Anyone can do this! MIT my ass
Computer with speakers
Neons (Coorslight deli signs work)
Ikea lamps
Now connect everything to the same power strip and done!
THis guys really need to get laid or drunk or something.
Marketing knows better when targeting people. As a marketer myself, I know that a 30GB Ipod has 75% of users going around with a 45% empty device. Out of the 55% full, they listen 20% of the songs mostly time.
And no, a minority of the ipod-users will go and rip their own CD's, first, that is "not cool" and remember this is a cool-based market. Secondly, the whole point of the digital device is to get rid of the CD's. Just plug-pay-play and get the song, not cd that you want.
Very few started recording their vinyls into cassettes and then the cassettes into CD's. Consumers prefer to "refresh" their collection by adopting the format of the new recording devices with the promise of better quality and sound.
Renting music will also fail because it will invite even more vandalism.
Because of the size of Microsoft, anytime they decide to compete it looks like they want to take over. There is not such thing as "co-exist" with the competition, that would defeat the purpose of capitalism and enterprise and companies that adopt such mentality end up in the gutter.
Funny thing would be to measure what is more wasteful and harming on the long term, to keep all computers you need space, electricity, more forniture and probably more doritos and coke to admin.
Is disposal of a computer a real issue here? You mean that sending a PC to Bangladesh will contaminate the environment already infested with dead cows, raw sewers and 10 million cars with unregulated emissions. I think those interested in getting a second hand computer in developing countries can handle a little bit of Cadmium.
Items like this are only self-serving reminders of our superiority masked with a intent for concern about an activity we realy don't care about.
Without this feature how is Apple going to tell the opportunists at the lawsuit: "See, we got you the option of reducing the volumen and still you went on your ways and now you are deaf"?
This is not about volume, is about controling liability.
The reason why 3D biometrics is still a dream, regardless of how fast it produces "readings" is because unlike our brain, it cannot pull data from imaginative association to fill up the current pattern. In other words, our imaginative brain - driven by images - can associate a face by comparing it to a memorized set of parameter, such parameters are so flexible, that we can correct any imperfection in the current pattern, for example, remove the beard or change the hair's color.
Also, there is a spiritual (in lack of a better word) component that cannot be reproduced by a computer. That is, seeing what hasn't been seen before, a principle that explains archetypes, this, in psychology, is a common way to explain unconscious associations.
Almost all the animations, effects and overkill in graphics is basically to distract and keep the user in a "friendly" stage where all the functions are stable. For example, a command prompt would be the lowest level of distraction, but is also the highest one in risk of receiving harming input. In contrast, looks at mac OSX desktop, you will never mess the system through that.
Slashdot Mirror
Apple applied the same principle for their computers into the Ipod: Easier is better, easier is more expensive. Then, they created a device that anyone could own and play music without physical media, only files.
Sounds beautiful and for a while it worked, many were drawn into the PMP universe and as any other unknown territory, they let Apple take care of them: Just pay there, plug here, listen, repeat.
Nobody bought an Ipod to save on personal entertainment, it was the design, the looks, the software, the quality, but the prime on the price always was accepted, after all, wouldn't making all these so accessible and pretty cost a lot of money?
Three years later, turns out, the magic is going away, because after all, economics will always win at the end of the day, defeating aesthetics, fads, trends and loyalties.
Now, the market offers alternative devices, smaller, prettier, more efficient and above all, cheaper.
The same naïve buyer paying a premium to get a buy-plug-play player now sees that there are alternatives. It has learned that there are better/faster/easier ways to get DRM-free music. Ipod pushed the "Do it easier" too far this time and now, they are seeing that there is more to it. It works if what you will do easier doesn't become dull or ineffective.
The real question here is this: Can Apple bring something new (besides more HD space, bigger screens) that again, challenges the current way to do things and overcomes its cumbersome procedures successfully enough to justify its higher price?
Music player + telephone = Done
Music player + video player = done
WiFi music Player = Almost done (Zune)
On Demand Digital Content - That's it, you may have the chance, ipod.
Making him pay for his food with the money he can get from the banker in Nigeria while giving him a cocktail of penis enlargement pills and viagra.
I discovered Sansa MP3 players by ways of its entry level e140. Nothing spectacular besides small factor and SD support and YES it connects to Windows File Explorer directly, no additional software, nothing, streight from the package.
I owned a Nomad before and that needed a software, but in the case of the Sansa, you can copy the whole folder structure into the device and it adds the songs and keeps the structure as well, so you can browse by artist from the metadata or by the structure you have created (Great for fav lists)
If you decide to use WMP, the software is most likely to auto detect the device ( as it did with the e140) cna start adding files. The only issue with this is that if you have MP3s, WMP will start adding the files as WMA so it converts each file before transfer, which is somewhat slow.
I saw the device working and it's a very good built, nice design and yes, that round blue thing does work (better than the Ipod, IMO, since it has texture so you know where your finger are for blind operation).
I still can't understand what you do with the add pictures functionality though, I guess I am too old for that, but the rest, worth the cash.
This is not a killer or rival of the Ipod, basically an alternative and much of its success its from the environments and compatibility of the device than the device itself.
What magic?
Passing an overpriced toy for a computer? Maybe now is passing a wintel toy for a computer.
How about taking the magic from that shabby passive-aggresive mac dude in the ads?
And where do you get the idea that someone posting comments in a blog will be a survivor?
The conclusion that this is nothing more than hopeful thinking. More and more any upcoming "secret" enhancement/update/upgrade in Apple is an step closer to resembling a PC. The enticing motivation for somebody to become a Mac fan is to stay away from the PC herd, not to do computing better, so now they are all facing a dilema... How to compensate the fact that their individuality-providing computer is morphing into just another species in the PC fauna.
Just a glowing bitten apple on the lid of a PC will not make the trick for many.
Warmer temperatures translate into more energy (Hurricanes, earthquakes) and unfortunately we are not capable of harnessing it so instead, it will destroy those closer to where such energy gets condensed which in turn will have the balancing effect of keeping population at bay on earth.
So the issue here is not to stop warming the planet, but knowing how to deal with the consequences of such transition, because, unless there is a strong and undeniable link between human activity with global warming that can give us guidelines to stop it, we are wasting time figuring out whom to blame.
That now during football games they turn on ipods instead of opening the beers?
So what is this Genuine thing doing each time it connects?
Connecting 123.123.222.1
Connected
Session 6/6/06-2:22AM
Genuine response: Still a pirate copy of XP, the bastard.
End os session.
Disconnecting
Maybe this is part of the NSA, computers with pirate XP are terrorists!
That instead of being afraid of Hussein, bin Laden or South Korea, we are afraid of the "real" source of all axis of evil... piratebay.org
The story doesn't add up and whoever wrote it may have get the Best Buy legal department back at him/her.
If this couple is so technologically-challenged, that means they "assume" they needed a new HD either because the one they had was full or defective (later not lickely since it worked afterwards) so they brought the PC to Best Buy altogether.
The issue here is that Best Buy one way or another, defaulted to replacing the drive, which sound very unlikely since many have a lot of their own information there and not that easy will allow its destruction.
If this happened as reported, then Best Buy is not liable for just not destroying the drive, but for deceiving their customers by not offering alternatives as returning the drive to the owner or putting it as a slave, and if they did, then the couple is totally responsible for their mistake.
A nerd is found almost dead by alcoholic shock, robot taken to custody.
Anyone can do this! MIT my ass Computer with speakers Neons (Coorslight deli signs work) Ikea lamps Now connect everything to the same power strip and done! THis guys really need to get laid or drunk or something.
It will produce a lot of lawsuits with a defendant with an stupid name.
Marketing knows better when targeting people. As a marketer myself, I know that a 30GB Ipod has 75% of users going around with a 45% empty device. Out of the 55% full, they listen 20% of the songs mostly time.
And no, a minority of the ipod-users will go and rip their own CD's, first, that is "not cool" and remember this is a cool-based market. Secondly, the whole point of the digital device is to get rid of the CD's. Just plug-pay-play and get the song, not cd that you want.
Very few started recording their vinyls into cassettes and then the cassettes into CD's. Consumers prefer to "refresh" their collection by adopting the format of the new recording devices with the promise of better quality and sound.
Renting music will also fail because it will invite even more vandalism.
Because of the size of Microsoft, anytime they decide to compete it looks like they want to take over. There is not such thing as "co-exist" with the competition, that would defeat the purpose of capitalism and enterprise and companies that adopt such mentality end up in the gutter.
Or maybe they need to buy more chairs.
I knew Apple was into aesthetics, but this plan for a mirror is just too much.
No wonder it failed. VCR and no Beta? prssst.
Enjoying the distraction from 8GB Ipod Nanos, Apple will start shipping their computers (remember those?) with Windows Vista Looks Like OSX Version.
Funny thing would be to measure what is more wasteful and harming on the long term, to keep all computers you need space, electricity, more forniture and probably more doritos and coke to admin. Is disposal of a computer a real issue here? You mean that sending a PC to Bangladesh will contaminate the environment already infested with dead cows, raw sewers and 10 million cars with unregulated emissions. I think those interested in getting a second hand computer in developing countries can handle a little bit of Cadmium. Items like this are only self-serving reminders of our superiority masked with a intent for concern about an activity we realy don't care about.
Without this feature how is Apple going to tell the opportunists at the lawsuit: "See, we got you the option of reducing the volumen and still you went on your ways and now you are deaf"? This is not about volume, is about controling liability.
The reason why 3D biometrics is still a dream, regardless of how fast it produces "readings" is because unlike our brain, it cannot pull data from imaginative association to fill up the current pattern. In other words, our imaginative brain - driven by images - can associate a face by comparing it to a memorized set of parameter, such parameters are so flexible, that we can correct any imperfection in the current pattern, for example, remove the beard or change the hair's color. Also, there is a spiritual (in lack of a better word) component that cannot be reproduced by a computer. That is, seeing what hasn't been seen before, a principle that explains archetypes, this, in psychology, is a common way to explain unconscious associations.
Man this guy is stupid, in jail for spammer and close to the electric chair as telemarketer? Some career advice is in place here.
Almost all the animations, effects and overkill in graphics is basically to distract and keep the user in a "friendly" stage where all the functions are stable. For example, a command prompt would be the lowest level of distraction, but is also the highest one in risk of receiving harming input. In contrast, looks at mac OSX desktop, you will never mess the system through that.
RIght off into the slave thing... could it be that he was just a tourist with bad teeth?