They're trying to use their 90%+ market share in one market to wrestle competitors out of other markets
Umm, yes. They've been attacking Google at every opportunity, backstabbing Adobe, one of Apple's biggest supporters (flashbacks to what MSFT did to IBM), Suing competitor over spurious software patents whist blatantly ignoring the hardware patents of other companies and threatening Open source codecs with law suits, very Microsoftian.
Further more, the are attempting to circumvent web standards by forcing pages to be coded for the Iwhatever. Or did you honestly believe that they were trying to use an open standard, that isn't even a standard yet (strangely reminiscent of what MS did with IE).
They're deliberately using broken implementations of open standards in their products to make it hard for other software to interact with it?
Like trying to force HTML 5 into H.264, or forcing flash sites switch to Apple's implementation of HTML 5. Perhaps the requirement for Iwhatever Application to be originally written in an Apple approved language also slipped your attention, deliberately making it difficult to make cross platform applications (DOS isn't done until Lotus wont run, do you see the resemblance). Maybe the banning of applications that mention Android also went unnoticed (banning something that even mentions a competitor is not anti-competitive, surely).
So I ask again, with Apple doing the things that MS did originally to make us hate them, why do they get a free pass?
What colour is the sky in your world, it must be quite different not being able to spot the obvious.
The Wii hardware sucked in 2007, and surprise surprise, it still sucks in 2010.
The games on the PS3 and 360 Sucked in 2007 and surprise surprise they still suck in 2010.
You miss the point, the hardware doesn't make a good console, in that respect they are always in 2nd place to the PC. It's the games that make the console, whilst Microsoft and Sony's best games only sold 8 and 5 million respectively Nintendo has 9 games that have outsold them with the top game (Wii Sports) selling 67 million copies. Nintendo is doing well because playing the Wii is fun, this is what Sony and Microsoft forgot when designing their powerhouses. Nintendo came with a console that is not only the weakest and cheapest console but the most fun.
Sony has ignored the fact that console players want simple, fun games. Microsoft has taken note but as always fails to deliver anything useful (Natal), the next Xbox you can expect to be Microsoft's copy of the Wii (the Xii perhaps). With the financial trouble Sony is in, all bets are off on whether there will be a PS4.
The Wii has nearly outsold both the PS3 and Xbox360 put together, and made a profit on every unit sold (70 m Wii's, 33 m PS3's, 40 M Xbox360's).
The decline in Wii sales can be quite easily explained in by the prolonged global downturn and the fact that there are so many Wii's already in the hands of consumers. Unlike the other consoles they don't RROD or have a "Nintendo" timer so the need for existing customers to replace their Wii is minimal. Eventually a console will reach maximum saturation and at 70 million units shipped I'm not surprised, everyone and their mum has a Wii already and those bought back in 2008 are still working. Nintendo and Wii software makers are reporting that "net profit has fallen" not that they are making a loss.
Nintendo have nothing to lose here, most popular console, cheapest console and according to Patcher, who's spat against Nintendo is well documented their software sales have only declined about 6.5% (205m units per year to 192m units per year). So the Wii is still printing money for Nintendo, they don't need to harm that by revealing another console in 2012, 2013-2014 would be more likely with the battering Japan's economy took in the GFC. I'm sure Nintendo will announce something after Sony and Microsoft do and they aren't going to do anything fast with Sony making a loss on every PS3 and Microsoft barely breaking even on every 360, neither have the money to waste nor can afford off-putting consumers from their current offerings.
Point in short, Nintendo are on top of the console hill, they don't need to do anything. The entire generation of consoles will be around for a while due to the GFC killing funding for R&D, maybe Sony really will get 10 years out of the PS3 although with the way Sony has been haemorrhaging money in the GFC there may not be a PS4.
If "do your job" involves surreptitiously photographing under-18 kids without their or their parents knowledge, then "find somewhere else to work" is the correct option.
When your job is the only thing feeding a family in a weak economy with high unemployment and a penchant for outsourcing your type of work, the right choice is keep your mouth shut.
The world is never quite as black and white as you make it seem. You could make the "correct" choice for yourself but what about people depending on you (dependants)?
Why does this story reek of some bureaucratic arse trying to push the blame onto IT by saying "they should have known better then to do what I told them to". I know "I was only following orders" is not a valid defence but neither is "they shouldn't have followed my orders".
Wear pants that don't make you look eighty pounds overweight.
The problem comes when you want to find keys.
- Fumble around in purse looking for keys.
- Pull tissues out of bag, still cant find keys.
- Fumble around in purse some more.
- Pull make up out of bag, still cant find keys.
- Fumble around in purse some more.
- pull 10 or 12 other doodads out of bag before you finally find your keys at the bottom of your bag encrusted with various confectionery and make up items.
- Open Door.
- realise you've left everything that was in your purse outside.
or just get Shorts/Jeans/Business Slacks that have a left and right hip pocket.
- Get Keys out of right hand pocket.
- Open door.
- Put keys on bar fridge whist grabbing a beer.
- open beer with leatherman in the belt pouch.
- watch as somewhat hot neighbour fumble with a giant bag as she tries to enter house.
Keys, plus a Swiss army knife and a couple of key cards. Invariably they eat a hole in a pants pocket
We are supposed to be intelligent and innovative people and you haven't yet discovered the bat belt?
First off, get a belt pouch for the Swiss army knife or leatherman. Next if your phone is large enough get a belt pouch for that one as well. Keys and wallets should be stored in pockets at all times.
Personally I have a Motorola Milestone and often a Cowon iAudio7 in one pocket and my keys and wallet in the other. I'd never leave my keys in my bag, nor my wallet and the "bag" seems to be where most peoples phones get cracked, so if you cant put it in your pocket leave it at home.
As for Greece, though, that crisis is actually pushing investors back to America.
By America, you mean Canada right.
Canada and Australia are in far stronger economic positions, especially per capita. It is our relatively small sizes that prevent us from expanding this further.
Investors are nervous about America due to your growing debt, Greece crashed when it's debt reached 110% of it's GDP and Greece counts on the rest of Europe to save it. The US debt is 10+ Trillion whilst your GDP is 14.6 Trillion. That's more then 2/3 of your GDP. Compared to Australia where our national debt is under 80 billion and our GDP is slightly over 1 Trillion (about 1.05), less then 10% is quite healthy for a nation in good times, very healthy for a nation in bad times. Then again Australia didn't really go into the GFC with a lot of debt to begin with.
Debt is only one of the factors, economic growth is also where Australia is beating almost all other first world nations.
My point is that the US needs to fix it's economy before it will entice investors back. The first step is to eliminate that money sink called the Iraqi war. Secondly would be to cut back on the thing that takes up over 50% of your budget, the military and then to ensure that the income is equal to or slightly greater then the expenditures including the scheduled payback of your loans (this will probably mean raising taxes) but American citizens wont permit this.
Do you really believe that the top 100 in each category aren't making money
For most of them, yes.
But lets assume that such fanciful delusions are true, we are talking about less then 1,500 out of 10,000 actually breaking even. I'll even extend this number to 5,000 out of 100,000. Not even 10% would be breaking even given the the time and money spent actually developing and testing an application. Already we've seen pump and dump scams as developers rapidly update applications that amount to little more then a version number increment in order to remain at the top of some lists.
You fail at basic statistics, you cite that a few people are making money therefore many people must be making money. This does not work when you put actual economic thinking into the mix, the Iphone is a flooded market that is set up to cater to the large developers.
You're proving my point for me. I've said since the beginning that the whole App Store thing was set up to cater to large publishers that can dump simple stuff out in a few days and charge US$7.00 a piece for it. A small one or two man dev team has no chance of making money when EA can deliver applications in a shorter time and can cut a deal with Apple for preferential treatment (oh look, EA game #353 is the staff pick this week).
Most won't make a lot of money but a few will. How many indy artist playing at local pubs can quit their day jobs?
As someone who plays the guitar, I can confirm that this analogy is terrible and you should be ashamed of making it. People don't get into bands because they want to make money, they get into them because they like playing music. This is the opposite of your point that people get into the Iphone because it makes money. People who like coding and releasing good code are already FOSS developers, which is the antithesis of being an Iphone developer.
So your reasoning is inconsistent and your analogies terribly flawed, first you ask if indie bands are in it for the money and use a profit motivated corporation's statements to back this up. I don't think you've thought this one through, like most of the suckers who end up with horribly flawed businesses. 1 example of 1 developer making money does not extraoplate to every developer making money, I would not be at all surprised if less then 5% are actually breaking even.
Re:You signed away this "right" by picking Apple.
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Flash Is Not a Right
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The Symbian point is an important one. While Apple is getting a lot of flack for this (because people just love hating Apple), this is pretty normal practice for embedded devices like cell phones. Crow, Apple is being a hell of a lot more open then many of the networks have been over the years. Ever try publishing something for, say, Verizon branded phones? I think this is what is pissing me off so much about this entire discussion.... people are taking what is a normal and sane business practice and, because it is Apple, throwing a fit.
I've bolded the important part.
This is a US only problem and the US is not the most advanced, nor the largest mobile phone market.
It is not difficult to buy an unlocked handset in the rest of the world, as a nation that has sane customs practices and permits me to parallel import up to A$1000 without tax I can get most phones cheaply. Given that most of the world operates on the 2100 and 900 MHz bands and all Australian telco's operate a 2100 MHz network (3 out of the 4 operate on 900 as well as 2100) I can say the problem you describe does not exist. I am not beholden to Australian carriers, the same is true in Europe, and Asia. Cant comment on Africa and coverage in Antarctica is crap.
Re:You signed away this "right" by picking Apple.
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Flash Is Not a Right
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I'm glad Flash is slowly dying. I just don't like the way Apple's chosen to kill it.
Exactly, Apple's idea of killing flash is to replace it with it's own variant.
That's exactly what they are doing...they are going where the money is.
That's exactly why no Iphone developer I've met has been able to quit his day job.
The money isn't there, people just think it is. I've yet to meet an Iphone developer who has even managed to break even with the US$99 a year fee, let alone the cost of buying a Mac. The Iphone market is overcrowded and Apple's restrictions prevent you from creating anything that could be considered new and innovative.
Flash CS5 is the only product that comes with the Flash-to-.ipa converter. It retails for $700. The Mac Mini starts at $600. Last I checked, $600 was less than $700.
TCO + ROI.
CS5 may cost more in initial outlay (BTW, Flash CS5 in Australia is A$597 whilst a Mac Mini is A$849) and that is only becuase you need to buy a PC to run it, and a Dell or Lenovo will provide you with a much more powerful PC then the equivalent Mac PC, even cheaper are the local box retailers if you want a desktop, the A$1500 starting price for an Imac will easily buy you a decent gaming machine (A$200 for a decent Imac will buy you a high end gaming rig with a high end video card).
But TCO, if I buy a Vostro from dell I get 24 hour NBD on-site support. If something breaks I bleed money (and all hardware breaks, it just takes 5 days to get a Mac fixed). Further more I actually get to run an entire business on said Vostro from accounting to production software. I can also easily produce multi-platform products targeting Windows, Linux, Symbian, Android and current Mac's (no guarantee on future compatibility with Apple) with a Mac it is far more difficult to do the same thing. So for the Total Cost of Ownership and Return On Investment, wintel PC's are far superior to Apple PC's.
No, Apple wanted to not use DRM from the beginning, but the record labels were too afraid to do that
You have to love Apple Fanboy's revisionist histories.
OK, so lets assume Apple hates DRM, then why is there DRM on videos? You could say the movie industry but really that is Apple. One of the biggest proponents of more restrictive DRM schemes is Disney to which Apple and Jobs himself own a large part of. They are keeping your attetion on the left hand (Apple) whilst completely screwing you over with the right hand (Disney).
So, why did Apple really remove DRM. Amazon started selling DRM free MP3's before Apple did, in fact it was a requirement for any music to be sold on Itunes prior to Amazon to be encumbered with Fairplay. Apple had to do this in order to prevent Amazon from completely eating their lunch. So it wasn't the studio's pushing DRM as Amazon was easily able to get around it.
Apple is one of the biggest driving forces behind DRM.
In other news, Slashdot posters also declared with authority that "dating supermodels is a real pain in the ass, they are too high-maintenance" and "being rich doesn't make you happy!"
Budget and pain conscious Slashdotter points out that you can find an very attractive Thai lady that doesn't have the attitude problem or eating disorder for far less then dating a supermodel.
Dating a supermodel is an ego trip, there are women just as attractive out in the real world and in many parts of this real world are quiet attainable.
> Tiny screen?
Not. Smaller than a 15.6" laptop? Sure but bigger or equivalent to most netbooks.
But for A$700 I can buy a 13" notebook equivalent to a 13" Macbook (which costs over A$1400) with a 3G transmitter. You can bet that the Ipad will cost more then A$700, I'm betting on A$999.
> no Flash support
We are still fracking talking about this? Please.
Yes, just because lord steve says a large section of the web does not exist does not make it so. I use flashblock but flash is still a large part of the things I see and do on the web. Further more there are many sites who simply wont bother changing to a format that is still up in the air and quite expensive (in terms of labour) to switch to. Don't just focus on the tiny subset of media sites, focus more on hotels, ISP control panels and other businesses and the other sites that outnumber them 20 to 1. For at least the next five years (probably 10) it will be cheaper to build in flash the HTML 5.
If I didn't have flash when booking a holiday I'd have no idea what the rooms I've booked look like.
> no keyboard
Really?! You point this out? Have you RTFM'd? On screen keyboard in landscape mode does fine for typing pretty long missives -- longer than this one. Bluetooth keyboards take you to the next level.
Lack of physical feedback. I dread reading SMS's and other posts from people with Iphones because they are just so full of typos and bad grammar that its painful. Plus it takes three times as long as it did to type out on my HTC Dream and that is far slower then a full sized 104 key keyboard. A lot of mundanes can touch type these days, touchscreen KB's prevent this.
It's really not "crippled" or "limited", not in the knee-jerk manner most consider.
I dont like the browser, can I get one with a different rendering engine like Chrome or Opera.
I dont like the mail client, can I get one with the features of Touchdown or Gmail on Android
I dont like not having flash, can I get it?
This is a real problem, not a knee jerk reaction. Especially when you can be banished from the App Store for just mentioning the name of one of their competitors.
My favorite app? iSSH (with VNC tunneling support)
So you're telling me I need a separate computer just to do things I want to do. Why don't I simply buy a laptop in the first place and have done with.
Funny thing - go to any Unix conference, filled with probably some of the nerdiest people ever, and check out the laptops people have. Hint: they aren't Dells running Linux.
Lenovo tends to be slightly more popular then Dell, mainly due to the fact that the hardware is rock solid, easily cooled for long periods of time and the keyboard/touchpad is far more comfortable to use for long periods of time. That and every model of Dell looks different.
When I spend 6+ hours on a plane, I'm glad I have a Lenovo and a spare battery. The nipple mouse is far easier to use when in a confined seat and the vehicle is prone to shaking.
Yes. You have to be pretty naive not to say that Apple has a pathological need for control by now.
I am not sure why there is so much animosity on this subject.
Number 2: We want information, information, information Number 6: You wont get it Number 2: By hook or by crook, we will Number 6: Who is Number 1 Number 2: You are Number 6 Number 6: I am not a number, I am a free man. Number 2: (Maniacal Laughter)
Apple defenders always make me think of the opening to The Prisoner. It seems fitting when everyone in the iVillage is telling me to fit in and do what Number 2 is iTelling me to do and I seem to be the only one interested in escaping.
Point in short, we hate being controlled, to serve another master against our own needs and wishes (back to The Prisoner refference). It is quite a natural thing for this to be repugnant and cause quite strong emotion and quite an unnatural thing for it to be welcomed. But I expect a few Roman slaves thought their servitude to be a good thing. Apple's pathological need for control over what I do with my gadget is repulsive to most normal people. Apple's secret to sucess is to brush it under the carpet before a somnabulet audience.
None of the phones are now using the newest Flash and so why is everyone bitching
Well except for the N800 and HTC Hero.
But Apple prides itself on being innovative and a technology leader but restricts the kinds of technologies that can be used. It's propaganda claims that you get the entire internet in a little white box yet it fails the most basic tests of RIA. The problem is not that Apple doesn't support flash, the problem is with Apple's hypocrisy, the LG Shine doesn't support flash but then again LG never promised me a full internet experience where as Apple did and is now telling me I don't need a significant portion of the internet.
Which is why Apple seems so dedicated to getting people to use it.
Apple is trying to do to HTML5 with Safari what Microsoft did to web standards with Internet Explorer all those many years ago. Do you remember the harm that caused, it took 10 years to begin a change that still hasn't finished four years later (please let IE 6 die).
Apple wants to have de-facto control over the way HTML 5 is implemented so that apple can deny certain functionality (some functionality of the Canvas tag comes to mind) and dictate which codecs are used (hence the Theora/OSS codec threats).
Apple are not fighting adobe tooth and nail just to let HTML 5 cut their lunch and remove the App store from game distribution on the Iphone.
-Apple said that it was still breaking even on music in the Itunes store.
Apple uses the Itunes store to push overpriced Apple Hardware in the same way that Sony/MS underprice their consoles and take large license fees from each game or push premium online services.
-There are plenty of free games in the app store
But your still beholden to Itunes. This means that any investment made be it monetary or time means that a consumer must buy another Iproduct or lose that investment. Plus Apple still demands the US$99 per year fee just for listing.
-pushing HTML5 is opposite of the walled garden people argue
Not when they are pushing Apple's implementation of a standard that hasn't been finalised yet.
Here Apple is trying to pull an IE on us. Apple is attempting to make their platform a de-facto standard so they can control the type of content that is available on it, OK MS only wanted people to use IE not complete control.
Apple doesn't want you using HTML5, they want you using Apple's iHTML5 so that Apple can control what is able to be used on it. Is the Canvas tag available in Safari as it's currently implemented on Chrome on Android. The same as IE and web standards, Safari will never completely implement the HTML 5 specification, the threats against Theora and other Open Source codecs are part of Apple's attempt to gain control over the HTML5 specification.
Slashdot Mirror
Umm, yes. They've been attacking Google at every opportunity, backstabbing Adobe, one of Apple's biggest supporters (flashbacks to what MSFT did to IBM), Suing competitor over spurious software patents whist blatantly ignoring the hardware patents of other companies and threatening Open source codecs with law suits, very Microsoftian.
Further more, the are attempting to circumvent web standards by forcing pages to be coded for the Iwhatever. Or did you honestly believe that they were trying to use an open standard, that isn't even a standard yet (strangely reminiscent of what MS did with IE).
Like trying to force HTML 5 into H.264, or forcing flash sites switch to Apple's implementation of HTML 5. Perhaps the requirement for Iwhatever Application to be originally written in an Apple approved language also slipped your attention, deliberately making it difficult to make cross platform applications (DOS isn't done until Lotus wont run, do you see the resemblance). Maybe the banning of applications that mention Android also went unnoticed (banning something that even mentions a competitor is not anti-competitive, surely).
So I ask again, with Apple doing the things that MS did originally to make us hate them, why do they get a free pass? What colour is the sky in your world, it must be quite different not being able to spot the obvious.
The games on the PS3 and 360 Sucked in 2007 and surprise surprise they still suck in 2010.
You miss the point, the hardware doesn't make a good console, in that respect they are always in 2nd place to the PC. It's the games that make the console, whilst Microsoft and Sony's best games only sold 8 and 5 million respectively Nintendo has 9 games that have outsold them with the top game (Wii Sports) selling 67 million copies. Nintendo is doing well because playing the Wii is fun, this is what Sony and Microsoft forgot when designing their powerhouses. Nintendo came with a console that is not only the weakest and cheapest console but the most fun.
Sony has ignored the fact that console players want simple, fun games. Microsoft has taken note but as always fails to deliver anything useful (Natal), the next Xbox you can expect to be Microsoft's copy of the Wii (the Xii perhaps). With the financial trouble Sony is in, all bets are off on whether there will be a PS4.
The Wii prints money. As does the DS.
The Wii has nearly outsold both the PS3 and Xbox360 put together, and made a profit on every unit sold (70 m Wii's, 33 m PS3's, 40 M Xbox360's).
The decline in Wii sales can be quite easily explained in by the prolonged global downturn and the fact that there are so many Wii's already in the hands of consumers. Unlike the other consoles they don't RROD or have a "Nintendo" timer so the need for existing customers to replace their Wii is minimal. Eventually a console will reach maximum saturation and at 70 million units shipped I'm not surprised, everyone and their mum has a Wii already and those bought back in 2008 are still working. Nintendo and Wii software makers are reporting that "net profit has fallen" not that they are making a loss.
Nintendo have nothing to lose here, most popular console, cheapest console and according to Patcher, who's spat against Nintendo is well documented their software sales have only declined about 6.5% (205m units per year to 192m units per year). So the Wii is still printing money for Nintendo, they don't need to harm that by revealing another console in 2012, 2013-2014 would be more likely with the battering Japan's economy took in the GFC. I'm sure Nintendo will announce something after Sony and Microsoft do and they aren't going to do anything fast with Sony making a loss on every PS3 and Microsoft barely breaking even on every 360, neither have the money to waste nor can afford off-putting consumers from their current offerings.
Point in short, Nintendo are on top of the console hill, they don't need to do anything. The entire generation of consoles will be around for a while due to the GFC killing funding for R&D, maybe Sony really will get 10 years out of the PS3 although with the way Sony has been haemorrhaging money in the GFC there may not be a PS4.
When your job is the only thing feeding a family in a weak economy with high unemployment and a penchant for outsourcing your type of work, the right choice is keep your mouth shut.
The world is never quite as black and white as you make it seem. You could make the "correct" choice for yourself but what about people depending on you (dependants)?
Why does this story reek of some bureaucratic arse trying to push the blame onto IT by saying "they should have known better then to do what I told them to". I know "I was only following orders" is not a valid defence but neither is "they shouldn't have followed my orders".
The problem comes when you want to find keys.
- Fumble around in purse looking for keys.
- Pull tissues out of bag, still cant find keys.
- Fumble around in purse some more.
- Pull make up out of bag, still cant find keys.
- Fumble around in purse some more.
- pull 10 or 12 other doodads out of bag before you finally find your keys at the bottom of your bag encrusted with various confectionery and make up items.
- Open Door.
- realise you've left everything that was in your purse outside.
or just get Shorts/Jeans/Business Slacks that have a left and right hip pocket.
- Get Keys out of right hand pocket.
- Open door.
- Put keys on bar fridge whist grabbing a beer.
- open beer with leatherman in the belt pouch.
- watch as somewhat hot neighbour fumble with a giant bag as she tries to enter house.
We are supposed to be intelligent and innovative people and you haven't yet discovered the bat belt?
First off, get a belt pouch for the Swiss army knife or leatherman. Next if your phone is large enough get a belt pouch for that one as well. Keys and wallets should be stored in pockets at all times.
Personally I have a Motorola Milestone and often a Cowon iAudio7 in one pocket and my keys and wallet in the other. I'd never leave my keys in my bag, nor my wallet and the "bag" seems to be where most peoples phones get cracked, so if you cant put it in your pocket leave it at home.
He doesn't smoke, he just really likes certain songs.
That's probably how this typso occurred in the first blace.
By America, you mean Canada right.
Canada and Australia are in far stronger economic positions, especially per capita. It is our relatively small sizes that prevent us from expanding this further.
Investors are nervous about America due to your growing debt, Greece crashed when it's debt reached 110% of it's GDP and Greece counts on the rest of Europe to save it. The US debt is 10+ Trillion whilst your GDP is 14.6 Trillion. That's more then 2/3 of your GDP. Compared to Australia where our national debt is under 80 billion and our GDP is slightly over 1 Trillion (about 1.05), less then 10% is quite healthy for a nation in good times, very healthy for a nation in bad times. Then again Australia didn't really go into the GFC with a lot of debt to begin with.
Debt is only one of the factors, economic growth is also where Australia is beating almost all other first world nations.
My point is that the US needs to fix it's economy before it will entice investors back. The first step is to eliminate that money sink called the Iraqi war. Secondly would be to cut back on the thing that takes up over 50% of your budget, the military and then to ensure that the income is equal to or slightly greater then the expenditures including the scheduled payback of your loans (this will probably mean raising taxes) but American citizens wont permit this.
For most of them, yes.
But lets assume that such fanciful delusions are true, we are talking about less then 1,500 out of 10,000 actually breaking even. I'll even extend this number to 5,000 out of 100,000. Not even 10% would be breaking even given the the time and money spent actually developing and testing an application. Already we've seen pump and dump scams as developers rapidly update applications that amount to little more then a version number increment in order to remain at the top of some lists.
You fail at basic statistics, you cite that a few people are making money therefore many people must be making money. This does not work when you put actual economic thinking into the mix, the Iphone is a flooded market that is set up to cater to the large developers.
You're proving my point for me. I've said since the beginning that the whole App Store thing was set up to cater to large publishers that can dump simple stuff out in a few days and charge US$7.00 a piece for it. A small one or two man dev team has no chance of making money when EA can deliver applications in a shorter time and can cut a deal with Apple for preferential treatment (oh look, EA game #353 is the staff pick this week).
As someone who plays the guitar, I can confirm that this analogy is terrible and you should be ashamed of making it. People don't get into bands because they want to make money, they get into them because they like playing music. This is the opposite of your point that people get into the Iphone because it makes money. People who like coding and releasing good code are already FOSS developers, which is the antithesis of being an Iphone developer.
So your reasoning is inconsistent and your analogies terribly flawed, first you ask if indie bands are in it for the money and use a profit motivated corporation's statements to back this up. I don't think you've thought this one through, like most of the suckers who end up with horribly flawed businesses. 1 example of 1 developer making money does not extraoplate to every developer making money, I would not be at all surprised if less then 5% are actually breaking even.
I've bolded the important part.
This is a US only problem and the US is not the most advanced, nor the largest mobile phone market.
It is not difficult to buy an unlocked handset in the rest of the world, as a nation that has sane customs practices and permits me to parallel import up to A$1000 without tax I can get most phones cheaply. Given that most of the world operates on the 2100 and 900 MHz bands and all Australian telco's operate a 2100 MHz network (3 out of the 4 operate on 900 as well as 2100) I can say the problem you describe does not exist. I am not beholden to Australian carriers, the same is true in Europe, and Asia. Cant comment on Africa and coverage in Antarctica is crap.
Exactly, Apple's idea of killing flash is to replace it with it's own variant.
That's exactly why no Iphone developer I've met has been able to quit his day job.
The money isn't there, people just think it is. I've yet to meet an Iphone developer who has even managed to break even with the US$99 a year fee, let alone the cost of buying a Mac. The Iphone market is overcrowded and Apple's restrictions prevent you from creating anything that could be considered new and innovative.
TCO + ROI.
CS5 may cost more in initial outlay (BTW, Flash CS5 in Australia is A$597 whilst a Mac Mini is A$849) and that is only becuase you need to buy a PC to run it, and a Dell or Lenovo will provide you with a much more powerful PC then the equivalent Mac PC, even cheaper are the local box retailers if you want a desktop, the A$1500 starting price for an Imac will easily buy you a decent gaming machine (A$200 for a decent Imac will buy you a high end gaming rig with a high end video card).
But TCO, if I buy a Vostro from dell I get 24 hour NBD on-site support. If something breaks I bleed money (and all hardware breaks, it just takes 5 days to get a Mac fixed). Further more I actually get to run an entire business on said Vostro from accounting to production software. I can also easily produce multi-platform products targeting Windows, Linux, Symbian, Android and current Mac's (no guarantee on future compatibility with Apple) with a Mac it is far more difficult to do the same thing. So for the Total Cost of Ownership and Return On Investment, wintel PC's are far superior to Apple PC's.
Motorola
Samsung
HTC
LG
And so on.
You have to love Apple Fanboy's revisionist histories.
OK, so lets assume Apple hates DRM, then why is there DRM on videos? You could say the movie industry but really that is Apple. One of the biggest proponents of more restrictive DRM schemes is Disney to which Apple and Jobs himself own a large part of. They are keeping your attetion on the left hand (Apple) whilst completely screwing you over with the right hand (Disney).
So, why did Apple really remove DRM. Amazon started selling DRM free MP3's before Apple did, in fact it was a requirement for any music to be sold on Itunes prior to Amazon to be encumbered with Fairplay. Apple had to do this in order to prevent Amazon from completely eating their lunch. So it wasn't the studio's pushing DRM as Amazon was easily able to get around it.
Apple is one of the biggest driving forces behind DRM.
Budget and pain conscious Slashdotter points out that you can find an very attractive Thai lady that doesn't have the attitude problem or eating disorder for far less then dating a supermodel.
Dating a supermodel is an ego trip, there are women just as attractive out in the real world and in many parts of this real world are quiet attainable.
But for A$700 I can buy a 13" notebook equivalent to a 13" Macbook (which costs over A$1400) with a 3G transmitter. You can bet that the Ipad will cost more then A$700, I'm betting on A$999.
Yes, just because lord steve says a large section of the web does not exist does not make it so. I use flashblock but flash is still a large part of the things I see and do on the web. Further more there are many sites who simply wont bother changing to a format that is still up in the air and quite expensive (in terms of labour) to switch to. Don't just focus on the tiny subset of media sites, focus more on hotels, ISP control panels and other businesses and the other sites that outnumber them 20 to 1. For at least the next five years (probably 10) it will be cheaper to build in flash the HTML 5.
If I didn't have flash when booking a holiday I'd have no idea what the rooms I've booked look like.
Lack of physical feedback. I dread reading SMS's and other posts from people with Iphones because they are just so full of typos and bad grammar that its painful. Plus it takes three times as long as it did to type out on my HTC Dream and that is far slower then a full sized 104 key keyboard. A lot of mundanes can touch type these days, touchscreen KB's prevent this.
I dont like the browser, can I get one with a different rendering engine like Chrome or Opera.
I dont like the mail client, can I get one with the features of Touchdown or Gmail on Android
I dont like not having flash, can I get it?
This is a real problem, not a knee jerk reaction. Especially when you can be banished from the App Store for just mentioning the name of one of their competitors.
So you're telling me I need a separate computer just to do things I want to do. Why don't I simply buy a laptop in the first place and have done with.
I've been paying enough attention to tell that Apple are doing exactly what Microsoft did to make us hate them so much.
So why does Apple get a free pass?
BTW, there are people that love MS, these people are typically called boss.
No, he's just extrapolating.
One of my friends got pregnant last month, I expect by July next year she'll have 13 children.
Lenovo tends to be slightly more popular then Dell, mainly due to the fact that the hardware is rock solid, easily cooled for long periods of time and the keyboard/touchpad is far more comfortable to use for long periods of time. That and every model of Dell looks different.
When I spend 6+ hours on a plane, I'm glad I have a Lenovo and a spare battery. The nipple mouse is far easier to use when in a confined seat and the vehicle is prone to shaking.
But I'm going to undercut AMD with seven cores.
Yes. You have to be pretty naive not to say that Apple has a pathological need for control by now.
Number 2: We want information, information, information
Number 6: You wont get it
Number 2: By hook or by crook, we will
Number 6: Who is Number 1
Number 2: You are Number 6
Number 6: I am not a number, I am a free man.
Number 2: (Maniacal Laughter)
Apple defenders always make me think of the opening to The Prisoner. It seems fitting when everyone in the iVillage is telling me to fit in and do what Number 2 is iTelling me to do and I seem to be the only one interested in escaping.
Point in short, we hate being controlled, to serve another master against our own needs and wishes (back to The Prisoner refference). It is quite a natural thing for this to be repugnant and cause quite strong emotion and quite an unnatural thing for it to be welcomed. But I expect a few Roman slaves thought their servitude to be a good thing. Apple's pathological need for control over what I do with my gadget is repulsive to most normal people. Apple's secret to sucess is to brush it under the carpet before a somnabulet audience.
Well except for the N800 and HTC Hero.
But Apple prides itself on being innovative and a technology leader but restricts the kinds of technologies that can be used. It's propaganda claims that you get the entire internet in a little white box yet it fails the most basic tests of RIA. The problem is not that Apple doesn't support flash, the problem is with Apple's hypocrisy, the LG Shine doesn't support flash but then again LG never promised me a full internet experience where as Apple did and is now telling me I don't need a significant portion of the internet.
Which is why Apple seems so dedicated to getting people to use it.
Apple is trying to do to HTML5 with Safari what Microsoft did to web standards with Internet Explorer all those many years ago. Do you remember the harm that caused, it took 10 years to begin a change that still hasn't finished four years later (please let IE 6 die).
Apple wants to have de-facto control over the way HTML 5 is implemented so that apple can deny certain functionality (some functionality of the Canvas tag comes to mind) and dictate which codecs are used (hence the Theora/OSS codec threats).
Apple are not fighting adobe tooth and nail just to let HTML 5 cut their lunch and remove the App store from game distribution on the Iphone.
Apple uses the Itunes store to push overpriced Apple Hardware in the same way that Sony/MS underprice their consoles and take large license fees from each game or push premium online services.
But your still beholden to Itunes. This means that any investment made be it monetary or time means that a consumer must buy another Iproduct or lose that investment. Plus Apple still demands the US$99 per year fee just for listing.
Not when they are pushing Apple's implementation of a standard that hasn't been finalised yet.
Here Apple is trying to pull an IE on us. Apple is attempting to make their platform a de-facto standard so they can control the type of content that is available on it, OK MS only wanted people to use IE not complete control.
Apple doesn't want you using HTML5, they want you using Apple's iHTML5 so that Apple can control what is able to be used on it. Is the Canvas tag available in Safari as it's currently implemented on Chrome on Android. The same as IE and web standards, Safari will never completely implement the HTML 5 specification, the threats against Theora and other Open Source codecs are part of Apple's attempt to gain control over the HTML5 specification.