Coming hot off the heels of Apple’s WWDC keynote on Monday, the video is a collection of stories from individuals who’s lives have been touched thanks to some of the remarkable apps developers have created for the iOS App Store.
He discusses collaboration, ethical leadership, career planning and more. Cook doesn’t address Apple specifically, but in response to a question about achieving good collaboration, he talks about the need to hire executives who don’t need their name in the spotlight and who are incredibly excited about the work they are doing.
Rene Ritchie, on Microsoft’s new iPad vs. Windows 8 campaign:
Instead of competing with that, trying to out do Apple at that, Microsoft, like almost everyone else before them, has fallen into the feature set trap. Here’s the problem with that — it doesn’t matter what something can do, it only matters what you can do with that something.
These ads will help Microsoft convince some people to buy a Windows 8 tablet rather than an Android tablet or another kind of Windows PC. It won’t convince the hundreds of millions of iPad customers and iPad-inclined customers to do anything other than to continue buying iPads.
You heard me right. Specs. Don’t. Matter.
Don’t get me wrong, having the latest smartphone, with the fastest processor and the biggest screen is not necessarily a bad thing, but in the current age where smartphones have started to mature is having latest and greatest always the best? I think sometimes it’s not. Of course, some will belabor the point, spouting off statements like, “But my processor is faster…”, or “I have more RAM…”, or “I have more screen real estate… Why wouldn’t it be better?”
My answer to these questions is to take a look at the three year-old iPhone 4. Even though Apple would most probably stop selling them upon the release of the next iPhone, it is still as relevant and useful today, as it was the day it was released. While I could certainly upgrade, I am not at this point even remotely interested in doing so. Here’s why…
While the iPhone 4 is now smaller than a lot of smartphones, and now the tech community is leaning toward the bigger is better (Apple even elongating the iPhone 5), I feel it is the perfect size. It sits securely in my hand (meaning it won’t easily fall out), and my thumb can easily touch every point on the screen when the phone is in portrait orientation, thus making it perfect for one-handed operation. Moreover, it fits perfectly in the right front pocket of my jeans. Sometimes I don’t even feel its there.
The screen, while retina display, is still perfectly readable and clear. It is plenty bright, and most importantly, the onscreen keyboard is perfect for typing in either portrait or landscape mode. I sincerely believe that I type faster on my iPhone than I do on a normal keyboard, thanks to the fact that the phone is smart enough and I have used it long enough for it to accurately auto correct what I type.
You have to hand it to Apple. The iOS software model is second to none. Unfortunately, most Android users (unless they bought a Google Nexus device not on contract or have a rooted phone) are beholden to both the manufacturers and the carriers to receive updates to their OS. In fact to some, like my mom who uses Sony Xperia X10, using a phone with an outdated OS is just fine, and if it were just an issue of not having the latest and greatest features, that would even be fine for me too. However, most Android phones have security vulnerabilities that will never be remediated, due to the lack of timely carrier updates. Some phones never see an update. If you think about it though, it is in the carrier’s best interest for you to upgrade your phone and sign a new two-year deal in the process, not for you to use your phone as long as you can. Also, given Android’s open nature, the carriers can and do modify Android to their heart’s content, throwing on top of Android things like clunky user interfaces and crapware.
In contrast, the iPhone 4, even at three years old, is running the latest version of iOS, and with a few exceptions, many of which are met with the use of third-party apps, its has all the features from a software perspective as the iPhone 5. For instance, I don’t have turn by turn navigation in Apple’s Maps app but I do through the Google Maps app.
Regardless of update methods and regardless of being able to run the latest and greatest updates, my iPhone 4 simply just works. Due to Apple’s well built, easily accessible, and vast app and entertainment ecosystem, I have everything I need to work efficiently and have fun. It’s still plenty fast. In fact it is actually faster, at least in my opinion, with iOS 6 than it was with iOS 5.
I say all that to say this. The next time you get the upgrade bug (as I often do) take an account of your current device. If it fits your needs and is still fast, if it still basically works just as well as the day you unboxed it, ask yourself, does it really need replacing? As for me, I plan to stick with my iPhone 4 for a little while longer.
Virtual Pants:
People often forget that Google and Apple are playing the same game with different goals in mind. Apple strives to maximize profitability in hardware sales. Google, on the other hand, is striving for maximum market share, providing the most users for its services. This is a rare, if not unique, war where both Apple and Google can win, and that seems to be very confusing to people.
Apple – It’s one company whose products awaken delight and admiration in numerous customers and inevitably alienate others who do not share these feelings. Maybe this is the reason why people despise Apple so much.
Being an Apple fanboy I always find it confusing why people hate it so much, but In my views following are the reasons:
1) The Apple Following
Apple’s following is similar to a religious devotion. No corporation has such a strong following that people line up for hours to get there hands on a new gadget. This makes an awesome love hate equation.
2) Products are expensive
Compared to their competitors Apple products are nearly twice as expensive. A Windows PC would cost half of what an iMac would cost. Because these gadgets are expensive, people want them even more. Whenever something is overpriced, it leads to the growing tension between people who can afford it and those who can’t.
3) Closed Environment
There are people who seem to be frustrated but the closed environment offered by Apple and seem to enjoy Android more but I believe Apple knows that 99 percent of their customers just want to get on with their lives and their work. iOS & MacOS are designed for maximum ease of use and personal security, not fiddle factor.
Now what these people don’t get is that we love Apple because of the “User Experience” and not because of specs.
The focus of Apple has been the exploitation of technology to make life better for its customers. It specializes in hardware/software integration for the best User Experience (UX). That means that if a particular hardware technology is immature, the User Experience — will suffer. That’s why Apple isn’t always at the bleeding edge of every technology. What Apple offers is products that have the best UI experience one would want and its proven this over and over again eg. introduction of CD-ROM, USB, WIFI, iPod, iPhone, Retina Display, iPad etc..
“You may ask, why is BlackBerry doing this now?” asked Thorsten Heims, BlackBerry CEO. “It’s a statement of confidence…It’s time for BlackBerry Messaging to become a platform-independent messaging solution.”
BBM on iOS will feature messaging and group management first, but BlackBerry plans to roll out additional features over the rest of the year, including voice, screen sharing, video, and the newest feature, BBM Channels.
A great move by Blackberry maybe its just too late considering how popular iMessage, Whatsapp & Kik are now…
An interview by Michael Shane of The Verge of one of the most renowned photographers around :
You’ve almost certainly never heard of Peter Belanger, but you’ve definitely seen his photographs. In fact, you may even see his work every day, and it’s likely that you own some of his most famous subjects. Belanger is the man behind some of Apple’s most iconic product images, a San Francisco-based product photographer at the top of his field. Apple is but one of his clients — he’s done work for everyone from eBay and Nike to Pixar and Square — and we sat down with Peter to talk about his work, his background, and some very, very expensive gear.
We all have been through that certain emotion related to buying, the feeling of money leaving our pockets for a “much needed” gadget. But credit cards have ruined this emotion now days.
Recently I saw Samsung’s new marketing campaign called Samsung Galaxy OWN NOW.
It’s funny seeing how the guy in this ad boasts “I Paid Zero”.
This is what I don’t like when it come to using Credit Cards. Unlike paying for something, where we feel the actual cash moving out of our pockets, using this piece of plastic makes us feel that we have not really spent.
Using the plastic takes the emotion of having spent the money out of equation, though at the end of the month when the Credit Card statement arrives would you realize what hole have you dug that needs to be filled(this reminds me of Rebecca Bloomwood sitting with a bottle of tequila to pay her credit card bills :)). It is this ability of the Credit Card to numb the emotion that Marketers love to exploit.
5000 tickets, $1,599 a piece sold-out in under 2 mins… This probably proves the interest of developers in Apple’s platform.