by Conrad MacIntyre
By Conrad MacIntyre
Fraser Speirs on the Nexus 7:
Many reviewers have said that the Nexus 7 made them want Apple to build a 7" iPad. I disagree. The Nexus 7 has made me want a slightly bigger iPhone.
One thing everyone agrees on: it doesn't make them want the device they have in their hands. Telling.
According to IDC, Samsung remains the number two tablet manufacturer behind Apple, but despite strong 117.6% year-over-year shipment growth still saw its tablets outsold by the iPad by a margin of 7-to-1.
Say it with me now, "Shipments mean nothing". I could not possibly care less how many Galaxy Tabs Best Buy purchased last quarter. How many of those ever made it off the shelf and out of the box? Apple is selling all those iPads... can the same be said for whatever else is being made? When I go to Best Buy there must be 25 tablets on display. No one ever uses them. But the iPad display is crowded every time I go there. I'd like, just once, to see "Market Share" numbers that reflect actual in-the-hands-of-end-users market share. Just once.
Today at the Apple vs. Samsung trial, Apple designer Christopher Stringer took to the stand as Apple's first witness. In the course of his testimony about Apple's design process, he showed dozens of rejected iPhone and iPad designs — including some he actually showed in person.
Samsung's Industrial Design team must be rubbing their hands together and licking their chops.
I’m sure we’ll be treated to a host of opinions this week about how [the new Genius Ads are] another sign of Apple’s impending doom. Just like whatever happened last week was.
Personally, I like the ads. The world of computers is very confusing to the average consumer. I'm sure many consumers are talked out of Macs, iPads and iPhones by salesmen who make a larger commission on PC sales. I personally serve as tech support for many, many regular people who get confused by Software Update and Hot Corners. And even though I'm sure (picture an eye roll there) Steve is rolling in his grave I'll wait and see what the general consumer reaction to the new set of ads is. Don't forget, as John Pointed out earlier in his piece, we need to judge Apple against other ads, not Apple's own - that bar is too high to meet every time a new series comes out. Not everything is "Get A Mac" or "Think Different".
The Mac App Store is in significant danger of becoming an irrelevant, low-traffic flea market where buyers rarely venture for serious purchases. And I bet that’s not what Apple had in mind at all.
A well thought-out piece about Apple's shifting goal posts in the Mac App Store. I how Cupertino is listening.
John Paczkowski for some site:
Apple is seeking $2.5 billion from its Korean rival, which it argues illegally chose to compete by copying Apple. “Samsung once sold a range of phones and a tablet of its own design,” Apple wrote in its filing. “Now Samsung’s mobile 13 devices not only look like Apple’s iPhone and iPad, they use Apple’s patented software features to interact with the user.”
Popcorn, anyone?
Trevor Mogg on Samsung's Galaxy SIII selling 10 million units in the two months since it's launch:
With the S3 having quickly established itself as a handset to be reckoned with, the attention is now turning to Samsung’s main rival, Apple, to see if it can dazzle consumers with the next iteration of its iPhone, expected to be unveiled in September or October. Sure, Apple sold a colossal 35.1 million iPhones in the first three months of this year, but with more high-end, feature-rich Android phones coming to market, it’ll have to pull out all the stops to maintain those kinds of figures.
For real? Apple's now 9-month-old iPhone 4S sold a healthy 26 million (Samsung's model is only 10 million shy (generously adjusting for other iPhone models sold), I'm sure they'll catch up) units this quarter in spite of the fact that many would-be iPhone owners are holding off until the fall launch of the next-gen iPhone. How about we wait and see how the new handset does before we start declaring the latest iPhone-killer, mmmkay?
Christopher Hitz on one customer's experience trying to get a refund from Dell:
After months of e-mails and calls, after hours of wholly unnecessary typing and talking, Mr. Golden is finally getting what should have been given to him — and nothing more — long ago, and without all the irritations. And Dell is expecting joy.
I've spoken with Apple support (on the phone and in-person) a handful of times. Every time they were very helpful. They fixed it, replaced it, or couriered a new one immediately each time. I didn't have to send anything in, or follow-up with anyone, or do some sort of dancing incantation. They resolved the situation immediately and effectively. That's why Apple tops customer satisfaction rankings constantly.
Ellis Hamburger on Sparrow for Windows:
To sum it up, Sparrow for Windows never existed.
I recently accepted a new position. This jobs required me to use a Windows machine and let me tell you… none of the awesome software I use daily exists for Windows. That includes Sparrow, Tweetbot, Reeder, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Pixelmator, Aperture, Fantastical, Cobook, Bettertouchtool, and (to a lesser extent) Garageband. And the Windows alternatives (where they even exist) cost hundreds of dollars more than I paid for the OS X versions I use daily.
I now have two computers for work. The MacBook I use for everything and the HP I use when absolutely necessary.
Jim Dalrymple on Google's recent patent assertions:
So, Let me get this straight. Apple spent billions of dollars researching the best interface for mobile devices and patented their findings. Those methods of interacting with a mobile device became so popular, Google illegally integrated them in its inferior Android operating system.
I was going to comment on this, but Jim nails it. Google knows that they stole Apple's ideas and they are terrified because Apple will win with their recent mother of all patents decision.
Jack Purcher on the "mother of all patents" Apple was awarded:
In 2007, Samsung, HTC, Google and all others in the industry didn’t have a smartphone with the likes of Apple’s iPhone features. They didn’t have the solutions that Apple eloquently brought to market to make a smartphone truly smart. Apple carefully and meticulously crafted a full end-to-end smartphone solution. So when the copycats and their followers whine in public and on blogs that Apple should learn to compete instead of initiate litigation – I bowl over with laughter.
Killian Bell acknowledges what Purcher said, but follows immediately with this:
Admittedly, it does appear that Apple uses its legal team to fight the opposition all too frequently.
This kind of thinking blows my mind. Apple should defend it's intellectual property. Jobs said in no uncertain terms at the iPhone launch event in 2007, "And boy have we patented it".
Killian Bell (emphasis mine):
We’ve been watching the iPad laugh in the face of the competition and dust off competitors without too many worries for the past three years. But the Surface will be the first tablet to put up a real fight, and that’s something Apple will need to keep an eye on.
For real? This is just as bad as people declaring that iPad Mini will destroy the Nexus 7 or the Kindle Fire. When it ships and you can actually use it and see how it works under real-world conditions then you can feel free to make whatever comparisons your heart desires. Until then please stop talking. This sort of rampant speculation is the reason my site's named what it is. Review and compare actual, shipping products only, please.
Ben Brooks on HTC's recent victory in the Swipe to Unlock trial:
I’m actually really glad Apple lost this patent because it’s something that just seems silly to not have on touchscreen devices.
This is a rare time when I disagree with Ben. Swipe to unlock may seem "silly not to have on a touchscreen device" now that you've been using it for 5 years. But Apple came up with that idea to overcome a potential problem. And now that Apple has figured out an excellent solution other companies should be allowed to just take that idea without putting in any of the work? I strongly disagree.
Drew Olanoff on Apple's ban of the Galaxy Nexus:
If the Nexus did catch on with some people, it would most definitely cause some disruption in Apple’s plans, which is what competition is all about. Instead, sending this all to a court for litigation limits everyone else’s opportunity to truly innovate.
And later:
If Apple wants to protect its IP, that’s fine, and that’s America. If Apple wants to be the best, it should just focus on making the best, and let the consumers decide.
The problem is that other OEMs (Samsung is especially shamless in this regard) are just stealing Apple's design ideas and UI ideas, and even names. Innovation is not the problem, copying is.
Bill Gates (via CNET), interpreted:
I actually believe you can have the best of both worlds. You can have a rich ecosystem of manufacturers and you can have a few signature devices that show off, you know, wow, what's the difference between a tablet and a PC.
Translation: Our OEMs blew it. We can do better, but I don't want to just come out and say that. But I kind of will anyway. In related news, you can have your cake and eat it too.
You don't have to make a compromise. You can have everything you like about a tablet and everything you like about a PC all in one device. And so that should change the way people look at things.
Translation: Yes, we've been trying the same approach since 2002 and no, we do not see a problem with that. Also, we are courting Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis to join Steve Ballmer as co-co-co-CEOs.
There were a few things that could have been done differently to bring it (a Microsoft tablet) to critical mass...
Translation: We should have waited to see what Apple would do from the beginning. Than added a kickstand.
I'm sure Apple is terrified.
Michael Steeber on Mozilla's new Firefox phone OS:
The entire operating system is built around the open standards of HTML5, allowing all of the device capabilities to be built as HTML5 applications. This is a stark contrast to the closed, rather locked down nature of the iOS ecosystem.
Just because the Firefox OS runs an HTML5 platform doesn't mean it is "open" or "closed". It simply means that is the development framework. Apple uses and supports a lot of open standards, AAC, h.264, HTML5, CSS3, and many others.
An open standard does not equal an open OS.
AppleInsider reporting that iOS is responsible:
The 65.27 percent share of Apple's iOS platform, which is found on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, was up from 62.65 percent in May. Apple's share has steadily risen, growing from a 53 percent position in August of 2011.
Apple's next closest competitor in mobile browsing market is Google's Android platform, which took 19.73 percent in the month of June. Android has also seen its share grow since last August, when it took 15.98 percent of mobile browsers.
Okay, so what? Filter that stat through the lens of this stat and it becomes much more impressive (Joel Mathis, reporting for Macworld):
ComScore’s report, released this week, was based on a survey of 30,000 smartphone subscribers. The company reported that Apple’s iOS platform ranked second to Google’s Android platform—31.9 percent to 50.0 percent, though Apple’s 1.7 percent growth in share from February to May doubled Google’s gain during that time.
Ewan Spence on the strategy for Google's loss-leading Nexus 7:
The Nexus 7 strategy is based around the Google Play store, where apps, music, and media can be purchased and consumed on the new 7 inch tablet. As a launch offer every tablet will come with free credit to spend in the Play Store – once you buy something the hope must be you’ll keep on buying with your own money.
Interesting, but it doesn't really jibe with what is well know about Android's users (Gene Minster, via Apple Insider):
In other words, it appears that Apple has roughly 85-90% market share in dollars spent on mobile applications
Should be interesting to see how this shakes down, but suffice to say that I doubt upsetting your hardware partners to try and make it up in purchases from a customer base that aren't big spenders may not be the best bet.
John Naughton, writing about Apple case against Googorola getting thrown out:
This is a landmark judgment, one of those moments when someone – in this case an eminent judge rather than a small child – points out that the emperor is indeed stark naked. Patent wrangling between technology companies has become both pathological and pointless. It is also a gross abuse of intellectual property law that uses the courts as tools for gaining competitive advantage. The people who should be deciding whether Apple's phones are better – more functional, reliable, easier to use – than Motorola's are consumers, not judges. By striking a blow for common sense in what had become a madhouse, Posner has set a really encouraging precedent.
I agree with the specific example and, furthermore, believe the entire patent system to be horribly flawed. That said, there needs to be a way to stop people (Samsung, I'm looking at you) from blatantly stealing everything Apple does. Like phones, tablets, Siri, and "ultrabooks"(read: MacBook Air Clones). I don't know for sure what that is, but something needs to change.
John Brownlee on the theory that AirPlay Streaming is limited to Macs with Sandy Bridge chips to make use of Intel Insider DRM:
If true, this has got to be infuriating to Mac owners who arbitrarily don’t have an AirPlay-compatible Mac. As is often the case, AirPlay Mirroring on Mac is just another example of how DRM usually only inconveniences legitimate customers, while pirates, as always, figure out a way around the safeguard.