Three Things for Sure About the New Apple iPad
The Apple iPad was announced yesterday. Millions of electrons have been moved to prognosticate, inform, and gripe about the next big thing. As of today, 7000 + articles on Goog News…
Apple states the device fits in ‘between’ the phone and the laptop. It does. Users of both devices can find something to like and something to complain about in the new machine.
Three things for sure about the new Apple iPad:
1. Even though it is a device many of us don’t need* – we’d like to have one!
2. Other manufacturers of small laptops and netbooks (HP, Sony, Dell) must be having fits.
3. If you are buying an iPad; Wait for version 2 of the machine. It will have upgrades, many more accessories, and will be cheaper.
*We likely have a laptop, smartphone and an iPod..
Some of the best analysis online: Erica Ogg with her article: iPad unites Apple’s media and mobile ambitions
New Firefox Available – Download Now!
There’s a new Version of Firefox available; version 3.6.
For Mac users – OS 10.4 and ‘up’ required.
Download here.
NYT- Pay to Read in 2011
Announced yesterday: beginning in 2011 the New York Times will try charging for online access, again.
When they tried this a few years ago- they shut it doesn’t after two years, the initial attempt had less that one million subscribers, and many who left the site at payment just went somewhere else.
If you get your news and information from the Internet, you most likely have a list (bookmarks) that you move through – perhaps daily, gleaming content interests you, reading a bit here and there – the first time you hit the pay wall on the new NYT what will you do? Reach for your credit card or move down your list to the next source?
The Times is the largest viewed non-aggregator site today, how much add revenue will they loose when they shut out viewers that choose not to pay?
The winners in this will be NBC, NPR, Reuters and the BBC. The losers; us who rely on the Times as the ‘Paper of Record,’ and the fine content creators that work there.
What can change their demise – give us something we can’t get anywhere else – and whether for good or worse- there’s always something else one quick click away…
Lock Me Out – Please
There is another device like this for much cheaper – it’s called a mute or off.
Combined with voice mail these controls work well these options are formidable and inexpensive tools for taking a message and not talking on your phone.
See More:
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Google and Conan vs. ‘Unethicals’
Two items big in the news this week that have some strange similarities. Two entities that have made reasonable ethical statements to their respective powers.
Google + China
Googles’ business decision: how can they jettison 300 million potential customers from the Chinese Market?
Every big company – and your thinkin’ box machine -are targets of hacking. From Russia to Shanghai to Anytown USA- there’s someone hoping to hack Google, Microsoft, Apple and you and me.
Is Google bailing because they have a small market share? Maybe. But I wonder why they are publicly pulling away from the 300 million.
Meanwhile the Chinese Government is holding firm on Censorship.
Reports I have seen from some Chinese state that many will be able to access Google through underground means. I just hope that ultimately they are safe…
Conan + NBC
Conan O’Briens statement this week; the Tonight show is an institution, and you shouldn’t mess with it. Leave it where it is. What some forget is that the show moved the show, technicians and musicians from the East Coast to California. This messed with people’s lives- even though many of the Tonight Show employees are getting paid darn well.
Conan O’Brien knows that people who work for him disrupted their lives, he understands people well enough to be a Simpson’s Writer for Homer’s Sake!
“For 60 years The Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying The Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t The Tonight Show.” – Conan O’Brien
So- from drastically different viewpoints, it seems that some still believe in ethical behavior. How refreshing it is to see people behaving with integrity. Of course we can all say – in both cases – “It’s all about the money.” Maybe not this time.
Image by http://sirmikeofmitchell.com
Update: Conan O’Briens’ negotiations to leave NBC slowed by his desire to help the employees of his doomed show with severance.
Think about that for a minute: Have you ever heard of another ‘employer’ has ever done such a thing? Not in this culture…
Rumors, Free Stuff and The Apple Tablet
Much News all over the web from the just concluded Consumer Electronics Show, (CES). The new tech highlight bubbling up is 3-D TV. Imagine the new realities: car accident footage followed by the Scrubbing Bubbles in the ’space’ of your living room! Video games and porn will be the first to exploit the new 3-D Tech.
CES cool as usual -what better way to get paid – by going to a huge underwritten party. I’ll always remember the Shrimp Cocktail and excellent beer I had courtesy of a major printer company..memories.
Undercutting the thrill of the products announced at CES is for a product that doesn’t ‘exist’ yet built by a company that is absent from the show. The Apple Tablet. Apple is an expert at building hype, sometimes for even non-existent products. But the web rumor mill is full of speculation about a new device, using a version of the iPhone operating system (?). Speculation about this device is rampant- expert marketing – Apple generates buzz without even being at the show, the timing of the popularity of the rumors couldn’t be done better. CES is last year’s news already.
Supposedly the official announcement from Apple will be January 27.
