I think the best company on Earth that can upend the cable companies and the way television is being watched right now isn’t Apple.  Yeah, I think you’re surprised this.  And no.  It’s not Netflix.  And not Redbox along with Verizon.

And certainly not Amazon.

It’s Google.  I think Google is the best company in the world that can make this happen.  Think about it.  They’ve got the infrastructure and they’re laying ground world for very, very fast Internet.  Why have ultra-fast Internet connection if not for video.  Yeah, on top of that, they’ve got the will to make it happen.

Unfortunately for us, they lack someone who can make the right deals.  Not even Steve Jobs managed to do it.  But if Google can find that right guy to charm the studios and other media companies into giving Google a shot, wow.

Until then, there’s Netflix and Amazon.  Now on to Redbox.  Here is the link for you to go to Redbox Instant to sign up for a private beta.  And yes, I signed up first before I let this out to you.  I don’t want the competition.

So, Google.  What’s it gonna be?

Source:  Gizmodo.

Kindles Outsold By Playbook and Touchpads Over Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday

Amazon sold a lot of Kindles over the Thanksgiving, Black Friday and through Cyber Monday.  That’s what it told us, what it wanted us to think, and made the press like Reuters repeat it over and over again.  How many tablets did Amazon sell?  No one knows because it has not released any actual figures.  So, I’m gonna make them up.

The Kindle line, including tablets and ebook readers were collectively outsold by the RIM’s Playbook by a factor of 25 to 1.  And what’s worse and surprising, the Touchpad, you know, the HP’s WebOS tablet that isn’t even on the market no more, has outsold the Kindle Fire.

Amazon, you failed.  As did the press for simply regurgitating Amazon’s press nonsense.

Apple Will Never Buy AMD But Let's Speculate For Fun

Source:  9to5Mac.

Here is an interesting article speculating on what Apple could do with AMD if it decides to buy it.  First of all, that’s not going to happen.  It’s likely Apple has enough chip designing talent right now.  Any future buyout would be specific to a need, not a wholesale buyout like AMD.  On top of that, Apple is looking to transition away from legacy chip designs like Intel as iOS devices dominate Apple’s attention.

However, it is fun to speculate.  A lot of reasons why Apple could benefit from buying AMD has been spoken for in the article.  I’ll let you read them yourself.  However, this is one particular point in the post that I find enticing for Apple fans.

That is that the government wants to make sure Intel has a competitor in the market.  While I doubt Apple would run amok of regulators if it does find reason to buy AMD, consider that Apple has never shared its technology willingly with others, it’s unlikely to share any future AMD chips with Dell, HP, or other PC competitors.  So, the market would have to turn to Intel for all their chip needs to run Windows.

Suddenly, Intel finds itself capable of charging whatever it wants because of a lack of market competition in the PC market.  Apple could suddenly create a condition in which its competition has to raise their prices because Intel chips sudden cost more.

Obviously, computing in the 80s, 90s, and even the early 2000s is vastly different from mobile computing today where ARM chips dominate.  Thus, Intel is likely to find competition from other chip designers and architectures.  And who is to say that if Apple does buy AMD, it won’t eventually sell off parts of the company it doesn’t need and the buyers still end up competing with Intel anyway.

Again, for speculation sake that Apple does buy AMD, it will target specific needs like graphics that it might benefit from.  And it won’t be just for more powerful and efficient graphics only but using the graphic powers to do tradition tasks that CPU is relied upon to perform.  We already have apps that go to the GPU to do some tasks.  Perhaps, Apple can take this even further with AMD’s GPU expertise.

This is just one example.

In truth, it’s unlike that we’ll see this happen.  Still, it is fun to speculate.

Black Friday: What Retailers Won't Tell Us (Most We Already Know)

Source:  Marketwatch.

"So-so" article about Black Friday shopping in stores.  We know this.  You can get decent deals online in relationship to standing in line and considering the savings.  It's about economics and the value of your time.  That's what I learned the last few Black Fridays.

Another thing, we end up getting crap we don't really need and don't necessarily want.

Also, it's crazy.

More to the article.  Oh, one more thing in the article I thought is worth mentioning:  expect violence.
Stampede.  Herds of humans that had just eaten millions of pounds of turkey coming at you.

Good luck on Friday.

WB Launches iOS app (I’m sure Android Will Follow Soon Enough) With Offline Playback, Feature I hope Others Duplicate

Source:  9to5Mac.

This is huge in my mind.  Warner Brothers launched a new called for next day viewing called “Day After Us”.  Yes, a studio launching an app like that.  What is more significant is the ability to download it for off-line viewing.

At first, I thought we’d have to pay a month subscription for that but apparently its free.  Maybe this is a test run and we will have to pay something in the future just like Hulu was pretty much free until, well, it wasn’t anymore.

I like to see Hulu and Netflix follow suit.  With the ability to download movies or TV shows for offline viewing, it would greatly help folks who travel or have kids they need to entertain on trips without the benefit of wireless connection.

Again, I say this:  this is a big deal.  This is the exact iTunes description for the app.  The link is here.  Big Bang Theory among shows that WB mentioned.

Watch the most current episodes of Warner Bros popular television series the day after they air in the United States! Catch up on these hot shows by watching episodes from previous seasons, all conveniently located in one mobile app. Download the app to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and watch the first episode of each series for free. For the complete experience, you can purchase individual episodes or save money and buy whole seasons as you unlock extra content.
App Features Include:

• Offline playback: Download episodes directly to your device to playback at anytime

• Steaming playback: Stream an episode instantly over Wi-Fi

• Multiple languages: Watch the episodes in your language of choice

• Real-time news: Live Twitter and Facebook updates

• Explore WB catalog: Browse other app editions created by Warner Bros.

• Localized audio dubs and dynamic subtitles are available in certain languages.

Again, see the offline playback.  This is something that I think Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and other streaming video services really should take advantage off.  In fact, this could be a whole new revenue stream for these companies.  Let’s suppose they offer this as an option for a fee.  It’s almost like rental, don’t you think?

For instance, say for $5 a month, you can download a couple of movies or TV shows at a time and you can watch them any time or as many times as you want.  But until you erase them, you can’t download more.  And they can even give the option of downloading more if the subscriber is willing to pay more for it.

I’ve thought find it insane that Netflix, the only streaming service I currently have, does not allow this options.  It should be available and something they could work with the content providers on.

Heck, even Google could offer the same service on Youtube.  Or Vimeo or anyone else.  For now, I like that WB is doing this for free.


Download app…now.

My iPad mini With LTE just Arrived!

Here are some pics of the unboxing. After it has been restored, I'll take some pics with its camera so we can see how good it is.





























- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Lots Of People Forgoing Windows 8 And Could Opt For iPads and Macs

Source:  USA Today.

First, I thought Windows 8 was an interesting take on the whole UI experience - a drastic departure from the Start menu that we are so familiar with and the desktop.  There is still that but that's how what Microsoft would like us to see going forward.  It'll be a new dawn for Microsoft and Windows.

However, things could be setting pretty fast if these survey pan out.  And they almost never pan out exactly.  But if it does, Windows 8 could be the worst version since, well, the original Windows.  No one remembers that.  Tech pundits will compare it to Vista.  Windows 8 may make Vista look like a glowing success.

So, if people aren't buying Windows 8, what will they be considering as an alternative?  Some are just trying to stick with what they have.  We've got a few XP machines and even Vista.  As bad as Vista is, we're used to it.  And no one is talking about getting Windows 8.

A good portion of the market will stick with what they have.  As far as alternatives, it's Apple's iPads and Macs.

USAT has more gory details that could keep Microsoft execs up at night.

I do think it's too early to tell.  We'll have to see how the Christmas quarter affects sales for everyone.  I'm not sure if Macs will see any uptick other than the pinned-up demands from Macbook and iMac refresh by Apple in the fall.

It's the iPads that I think could do in Windows 8 sales if PC sales are affected.  Only three weeks or so ago, Apple introduced the 4th generation iPad with better specs.  Not that it matters much but it could be enough to entice Windows people who never own an iPad to give it a look instead of getting a Windows 8 machine now or waiting until spring  for Apple's traditional iPad refresh.

And let's not forget the iPad mini.  Starting at $329 for the 16 GB WiFi-only model, it's priced almost exactly between the $199 Android tablets and Surface tablets and Windows 8 laptops.  The iPad mini will be a very disruptive tablet given its size, price point, the huge iOS ecosystem, and, of course, the name "iPad".

Again, the information from USAT is from a survey and I don't recall anyone ever going back to these survey and see if people end up actually doing what they said they would.  Microsoft could well be dinged by Apple's products this Christmas quarter.  And it doesn't help that Microsoft confused the market a bit with the whole RT version running ARM chips and another version running legacy x86 chips.

Whatever you end up buying, you can be thankful that competition for your hard-earned dollars is heating up and you'll get more innovative features than ever before.  And if you're an Apple fan, you want to see Microsoft with some measure of success if anything to keep Apple's designers and engineers on their toes.