On the Swipe-to-Unlock Patent

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.

iPad Mini Redux

Ben Brooks:

Right now Apple sells and markets devices by showing users why they need/want such a device. The amazing screen on the retina MacBook Pro. The amazing form factor of the MacBook Air. The intimate web and portability of the iPad. The amazing do everything, go everywhere iPhone. 10,000 songs in your pocket iPod.

How does Apple market a seven inch iPad if they are only making it because it would be cheaper to buy? What is demonstrably better about a 7 inch tablet?

Apple as a Cellular Carrier

Ben Brooks on Apple's supposed plan to become their own service provider and bypass carriers entirely:

How about the fact that they would have to build a wireless network and get the spectrum to do that from the FCC? Apple can figure out the phone subsidies, but magically making a cell network infrastructure appear is likely to be much harder.

You're thinking too small, Ben. That's just the US. Apple has iPhone customers all over the globe. 

Ben Brooks on Teen Communiation

Ben Brooks on Dan Moren's plea to separate iMessages and IM:

I would really like to see some stats on teenage usage of IM. My guess is that outside of Facebook Chat, barely any teenagers use something like iChat or AIM.

I would like to see that as well. When I was in my late teens it was MSN Messenger or bust. I, like Ben, wonder what those numbers are today.

Ben Brooks on the Samsung Galaxy Note

Ben Brooks:

Two thoughts about this:

• If your brand new product is being compared to a Palm Pilot, then you have already lost.
• If the first feature of a new touchscreen device that you want to tout is a stylus — perhaps you need to rethink that device.

Ben Brooks on Facebook

Ben Brooks agrees with Paul Robert Lloyd's well-reasoned argument that Facebook has become arrogant, then simply arrests:

[S]o too has Google, Apple, Microsoft, and RIM.

That's a lot of people to throw on the pile with no rationale behind it. Not saying he's wrong necessarily, but you need to back that kind of a statement up.

Siri Reliability

Marco Arment:

Anecdotally, I’ve had about a 50% failure rate recently.

Ben Brooks:

Same here...

This hasn't been my experience at all. Maybe because I'm in Canada, I'm not sure. But I've only found Siri to be getting better and better. I has begun to understand nicknames and recognizes people better than ever. Still, curious.