Creator Of Instapaper Makes Good Argument Apple Can Ship A Non-Retina 5" iPhone - Good Argument But...

Source:  Marco.org, On Apple.

This is post from the creator of Instapaper, which I use and think is a great app, argues that there is no reason why Apple can't ship a 5" iPhone with the same resolution as the current iPhone 5, which is 1136x640.  He listed many reasons, among them being that it's close to 720p that most users won't care.

I agree.  And I also think he has made a very compelling argument.  However, I also question why Apple isn't above going 4X on the next generation iPhone isplay.  Meaning that the 5" iPhone resolution would increase to 2272x1280, essentially doubling the resolution and four times the pixels.

After all, when Apple went from the iPhone 3GS to the iPhone 4, that was exactly what they did. And it's been two years since that happened and will probably be another year from the release of what comes after the iPhone 5.  I really think a compelling argument can be made that Apple has been working on trying to make this possible.

And Apple many not necessarily need to go 4X on a bigger screen iPhone.  As I've said before, 3X works perfectly fine.  Even at 1704x960, we are looking at a resolution close to 1080p which is what high-end Android devices will be shipping in 2013 from Samsung, HTC, Sony, and perhaps even Nokia for the Windows Phone.

On top of that, Apple already has the chips to power such a device.

I think for sake of speculations, all sides, including the ones mentioned here and ones that I've come up with, are valid.  There are a couple of points I like to add to that.

One thing we have to remember is that Apple is an exceptional company.  Sure, one of the points that Marco made that ran counter to pundits have said was that Apple would not release a non-Retina display device.  Well, Apple did just that with the iPad mini.  However, that is not to say that Apple will do the same for a 5" iPhone.  Apple has invested billions in buying manufacturing equipments as well as billions more in R&D.  I believe that Apple could well have been laying the groundwork for this all along.

Another point is that the resolutions we're seeing here today may well be changed at any time.  Sure, people from pundits to developers will moan and groan about it.  Obviously, for the pundits and bloggers, that is their job.  For developers who are on their way of being paid about a billion dollars a month if not more by Apple, I think that kind of money does take the sting out of it all.

Plus, by going further than anyone expects, as in going 1.5x or 2X on the resolution for a theoretical 5" iPhone, it shows the market that Apple can at least keep up if not get ahead of the competition.

At the end of the day, Apple will have weighed in on all the factors that we have laid out and others that we have not considered like manufacturing yields, OS updates, battery lives, etc.  Apple will deliver and millions of us will go out and buy it even if some of those are tech pundits or bloggers who will complain about it.  But they'll still happily hand over their hard-earned money to Apple.

Meteor Impact Over Central Russia - 1K Hurt

Source:  CNN.

Wow, this is an incredible sight.  More than one thousand people were hurt when a meteor exploded over central Russia.  You'll want to watch this video from CNN.

If you recall, one of the biggest explosion in recent memory was the 1908 Tunguska impact that leveled 80 square miles of Siberia.  Meanwhile, a near-earth asteroid will be making its closest pass to Earth around 11:24 PST.

And yes, folks, this meteror was a itty-bitty tiny one.  This second video here offer more dramatic views of the impact.  Hollywood ain't got nothing on the real thing.

Privacy: Google Sharing More Play Information About Users Than Developers Need To Know

Source:  News.au, Mashable, ZDNet

If you buy apps from Play, you might want to reconsider though you don’t have a whole lot of choices. Google has been passing along app buyer information to app developers?

To what end?

So far, Google has been pretty quiet about this which isn’t a good thing.  I like to think that this is a flaw but the stories about when this started happening and the fact that it could be a deliberate move by Google has me worried.

However, I do question why it's taken so long for someone to speak up.  Now, if you're a malicious developer looking to steal user information or perpetuate some sort of criminal activity like identity theft, you probably thanks Google silently and go about your biz and not say a word about this.

Google has said that they could potentially share user information with magazine publishers but this is going beyond that.

Never Count Out Microsoft

Windows 1.0 didn't work so Microsoft went back and worked on it some more.  Then after a couple more tries, Windows 95 took the world by storm and has not relinquish control of the PC market since.  And it never will.

Xbox was okay but Microsoft learned quickly, put together some exclusives like Halo, and Xbox 360 pushed out Sega, relegated Nintendo as a second class console maker, and really turn up on heat on Sony.

Those are example of Microsoft, even when down and seemingly out, always has a way of getting back into the game.  It clawed, scratched, and fought really dirty to make it happen.

Here is another example.  The browser war.  Netscape who?  It's Internet Explorer all the way and despite competition from Firebox, Chrome, and Apple's weak Safari challenge, IE still dominates the browser market.

And right now, Windows 8 devices, smartphones and tablets, does not appear to be doing so hot.  And as we transition away from the PC market to the mobile market, Microsoft's game face is on.  Windows Phone 7 was okay but Windows 8 devices appear to be gaining traction.  And Microsoft will come at the competition again and again until...well, we've never seen Microsoft really fail just yet.

It's the same for the Surface tablets.  I honestly did not believe for a second that the current crop of Windows RT tablets was going to do any major damage in the tablet market this past holidays.  Maybe not even Surface Pro.  But it's still early and there's plenty of time left.  Microsoft will come at Apple and Google as hard as ever.

If there is anything that will hurt Microsoft's chances to get back into the mobile game, it's likely its CEO, Steve Balmer.  Guys is smart.  And he has made a lot of money for its shareholders since he's been on control.  But he has also made many missteps that allow Apple and Google to dominate the mobile market.

Frankly right now, Microsoft's main threat could be itself.  However, it's competitors cannot count on each other or Microsoft to falter in order to stay ahead.

I look forward to increase competitive pressure from Microsoft and its partners in 2013 with a better game plan and lessons learned from 2012.

Apple Will Continue To Innovate But Microsoft (And Others) Won't Be Going Away

Source:  Macdailynews.


Steve Jobs and Tim Cook has an unique of explaining about Apple's unmatched position in the PC and mobile market when it comes to trying to innovate and create magic.  And Apple truly believe its devices and services are magical.  It's what they strive for.

And I agree that when it comes to Apple's services, apps, and products, its easy to use, gets you excited about using it, and waiting for the next generation of innovation.

No Magic – But Not Inferior

Having said that, Apple's rivals don't have this kind of magical formula.  However, they don't need it.  This is evident by Microsoft's dominance and Google's Android market share of the mobile devices even though Apple's products and customer satisfaction are so much better.

Yes, yes.  Market share means nothing and I agree with you.  But those less willing to look past that only cares about that as do many who cares more about cost.  And iOS devices do cost than their competitors.

For Samsung's Galaxy Tabs or phones or Microsoft's Surface tablets, they don't have Apple's iOS magic in terms of design and ease of use but they're also good enough that many in the market will discount the difference.

Then There’s The Price

Then there's the price.  Apple's designs is unlike anything on the market and Apple doesn't cut corners when it comes to parts and components and attention to the details.  Again, Apple's competitors don't have that issue: good enough is the mantra.  This allows others to price their devices cheaper.  And for many, "good enough" devices with a lower price point is very attractive.

Consumers probably know this when they pick up an Android device but they can live with it.  Again, it is not saying non-Apple devices are inferior.  Far from it.  Have you seen the iPhone's competitors on the market now and what new devices are waiting in the wings?

At the same time, Samsung and others are going on different directions.  For instance, they're going with bigger screens.  It may not offer better mobile experiences but "bigger" always sounds better because it makes one think he is getting more value. Also, there are gimmicky features that looks great from a marketing perspective but adds little value to the mobile experience (some might argue that Siri falls into this category.  For now, I can’t argue against that).  Honestly, what good is wireless charging if you still have to leave your phone by the charging station.  But being able mention this for marketing purposes sound good.

Furthermore, Apple's competitors do recognize the magical characteristics of Apple's products and some are even trying to duplicate that.  There are some OS features that Android, Blackberry OS and Windows 8 are ahead of iOS.  And Woz was right when he mentioned the iPhone has fallen behind some of its competitors in some respects.

Need Something Magically New

With all that said, there really is only one thing Apple can do.  Continue to innovate and create magical products that allow its fans to use them to create their own magic.  And I think that’s key here.  Many of us are not only on our iPhones and iPads to consume information and communicate but to also create.  It’s an added element to the whole mobile experience and a shift away from the PC dominated production.

I’m definitely not demanding that Apple produce a revolutionary device every other year or distrupt a brand new industry every five years or so.  However, I’m used to see Apple far, far ahead of its competition like when Steve Jobs unveiled the iPod. Or like when Steve released the original iPhone back in 2007 all the way through iPhone 3GS.

I began to see the gap close around the time of the iPhone 4 release.

So, I don’t know what the right call is as an Apple or even a mobile fan.  I like the competition that the mobile giants offer each other and the market pressure exerted by changes in mobile behaviors and tech advances.

How ever Apple wows us with the next iOS update or hardware changes, Apple fans will continue to appreciate the magic coming out of Apple and that the “good enough” crowd will always be around.

Samsung's Tizen Devices May Split Android Alliance

Source:  Appleinsider, Tizen.

Google or Samsung could be in for a rude awakening.  See, Samsung could be in the process of unfriending Android as Google become more and more of a competitor than a partner as Google is looking to dethrone not on the iPhone but the premier Galaxy devices as well.

First a little history of how these tech giants used to be friends but changes and advances in technology has forced their hands and shifted alliances.

So we know that Apple and Google don't get along these days.  It wasn't always like this.  Back during the PC days, it was Apple versus IBM and then Microsoft.  As Apple floundered and came back to life again with Steve Jobs' second coming, newcomer Google and Apple buddied up to take on Microsoft.  

The Apple-Google alliance was one to be reckoned with.  It would take on mighty Redmond and relegate Microsoft to the fringes as computing, both desktop and emerging mobile, shifted to browsers and apps on mobile devices.

Of course, Microsoft fought back as best as it could against the iPhone.  RIM gave no heed to Apple. Nor did Palm.  Things were good until Google's Android began to take hold of the market.  Well, it's more complicated than that but the gist is that Apple and Google began a multi-year process of splitting up.

Then there's also the Apple-Samsung alliance where Samsung made much of the little components that goes into the iOS devices.  It was a relationship for both until Samsung decided to copy Apple's designs and look of the iPhone.  At least that is Apple's side of the story.  It's a lot of "it said, it said" from both sides.

Google's relationship with most Android device makers like Samsung were good in the early days.  But after Google purchased Motorola, you can fee the change in the air.  The news was met with chilled responses at best from Google's partners.  

And we come to today.  A new alliance was formed last year between Samsung and Intel and the result is a new mobile OS called Tizen (wiki and website). It's another Linux-based open source operating system.  It's one that Samsung is looking towards as Google becomes more of a competitive threat by the day.  And Samsung will be unveiling and selling Tizen-based devices this year.  

Of course, as mobile fans, we want to embrace this.  More OS on the market means more competition.  It's a good thing.  A great thing.  We've got Android, Blackberry 10, iOS, Windows 8, and Tizen along with a few other smaller ones (Firefox OS, Ubuntu) looking to break out one day.  

No one knows for sure what Samsung is hoping to do with Tizen here.  Is Tizen just shot at Google to warn them over Android competition?  Or will Samsung really begin the shift from Android to Tizen?  No one really knows right now.  It really depends on the market.

For the foreseeable future, Android and Samsung smartphones are joined at the hip with Samsung making a few token Windows 8 phones.  We'll have to watch carefully just how hard Samsung pushes Tizen as an alternative.  

What will happen if Tizen does take off?  Again, it's great for us because competition is good for the market. It'll drive Apple, Google, and anyone else to continue innovating as hard as ever.  It'll prove that the mobile  landscape can change overnight.

However, for Android, there could be come big changes.  Perhaps there will always be a Samsung device running Android but should Tizen take off, Samsung will start making more devices, especially high-end ones like the Galaxy S and tablets.  And what's also interesting is that Android apps can run on Tizen devices.

That is key. Apps.  And you bet Samsung has already considered this issue.  

In the future, Android users will have to choose if they had been following the brand or the OS.  If they wanted high-end devices, they'll likely have to see what Google, LG, and Motorola has to offer.  For Galaxy S devices, obviously, it could be just Samsung's Tizen.

Social: LinkedIn Gave Every Employee an iPad mini - Hey, Zucker, How About Facebook Employees?

Source:  Business Insider.

Via Twitter, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner gave each of his 3,500 employees an iPad mini.  That's about $1.2 million which I am sure Apple gave him some sort of a discount.  At least, I hope so.

And why not?  LinkedIn is on a tear and there really is no end in sight as the social network has found a way to monetize is service and actually provide value for its users and partners.  Whereas Zucker is still trying to figure things out and Facebook continues to deploy shady schemes to sell out its users to the highest bidders.

Yeah, I just don't see Facebook ever doing something like this.

That awesome moment when your CEO dishes out iPad minis to EVERY employee @linkedin @jeffweiner
— Darain Faraz (@darainfaraz) February 13, 2013