Samsung Out Innovating Apple? Depends

Source:  CNN.


This CNN posts declares that Samsung is innovating faster than Apple has.  It points to the split screen feature in the Samsung Note 2 that allows for more than one app to be used at the same time.  Over all, it's not the greatest example but I do feel that it is a fair argument.  But it really depends on where you're coming from.

I think a fairer argument is that Samsung has more models than Apple on the market with a variety of screen sizes.  Even that is also oversimplifying things.

Both companies take different approaches to how their release products to their customers.  Apple obviously has one model but in all likelihood, it has also many prototypes that they work with in their secret lairs that will never see the light of day.  They then decide on one that works that works best for their customers from a hardware, design, and experience standpoint.  At that corner where all the factors meet.

Samsung, and not just them, likely take the same approach but has a more liberal view on what to give its customers.  Hence, you’ve got a range of devices with varying capabilities and screen sizes from 3” all the way up to 5.5”.  The good thing about this is that it gives users plenty of choices.  The danger is, obviously, having too many choices.

For Apple’s users, it’s easier.  Just the iPhone 5 at the top and iPhone 4 or 4S at the bottom.  It’s not a lot of choices but you don’t hear a lot of complaints about it either.

Where I see Google and its friends doing much better is working on adding new features and services faster than Apple.  Between Apple and Google’s cloud services, I have to say that Google is years ahead of Apple.

Furthermore, the article made a very good point: with the 5” and up devices, Samsung and others have entered into a category of mobile devices that is changing with the times.  People are using their devices to consume data more than making calls.  And to communicate, they're doing video or text, not calling as much as before.

And trend is growing in that direction.  Consuming content and communication beyond voice.  On this, Apple is lacking.  Sure, Apple has the iPad mini for that in some respect but it’s not exactly easy to fit into one’s pocket.

Somehow, since 2007 with the original iPhone debut, Apple has become an underdog in eyes of some.  Well, Apple does  have its advocates but, lately, it does seem like they’ve been playing defense when making argument on Apple’s behalf.

Apple Posted Apple TV Manager Job - What If It's To Throw Us Off?

Source:  Macrumors, 9to5Mac.

Apple has been working on Apple TV for years now.  It's one of the longest beta, oops, I mean hobby I know.  The original Apple TV was introduced on January 8th, 2007.  It's been more than six years.  And Apple just posted that they are looking for engineering manager to run the Apple TV project.

I find the timing a bit weird.  And on top of that, Apple was very open about what the job is for.  Based on the wording and timing, I wonder if this was an open attempt by Apple to mislead the media through the blogs and its competitors.

I've got no proof of this.  However, Apple has been through three generations of one of the most paid-attention hobbies, not to mention expensive in terms of R&D resources put into it, in six years so I like to think Apple already has a team and structure in place to move things forward.

If I'm right and Apple is trying to throw us off the Apple TV scent, I've got a couple of theories why.

• Apple TV, some finalized version that is good enough to graduate from being a hobby, could be ready for unveiling along with associated services.
• In hiring a new manager, Apple is trying to get everything to think it's going in a certain direction with the job posting which is what we are seeing now but they could be heading towards another direction entirely.  
• There has been a lot of chatters about Apple TV lately.  A job posting now about Apple TV may be an attempt to slow down the rumors or talk about some kind of new release for 2013.  Back in end of January, a FCC filing showed a new slightly changed Apple TV.  What was unusual was that Apple reached out to The Verge with an explanation.  Essentially, Apple's message was "stop looking".

Apple has had other job postings that various blogs have talked about.  This has different feel to it.  The thing with Apple is that nothing is what they always seem.  One other possibility is that the Apple TV has fallen apart and Apple wants some fresh looks at it.  And I hate to think that is why Apple is hiring a new Apple TV manager.

iWatch: Cannot Tell From Website If One Is Come

So, all the rage is about Apple working on a watch with connectivity to other iOS devices or what not.  I've been a bit behind on it because there just is too much going on from the NYT and WSJ to former Apple designers who are opening up about what an "iWatch" would be like.

So I decided to check on a URL that I think Apple might call its watch.  First up is obvious "iWatch.com".  This is what I got.

Okay, so iWatch is a bit too obvious.  Still, don't be surprise if Apple does pick up this URL.  So, URL and trademark squatters, ready, set, go!

Next up, I gave igrab.com a try.  Why not.  The watch will be on your wrist and it'll "grab" anything your hand grabs.  Also, one of Apple's watch's main function will be to "grab" notifications from your Mac or iOS device.


Finally, I gave iWrist a try.  You know...the watch sits on your, well, wrist.


Interesting about iWrist, no?  Forbidden?

As a bonus, I decided to give iGlass.com a try and this is what I found.



Interesting how there's a fold called "tim".  Hmmm....

Anyway, I'm did not bothering checking out who owns any of these URLs or who might own the trademarks.  Even if Apple owns these URLs or trademarks, it's likely created layers upon layers of companies and lawyers to keep us from knowing the truth.

Hey, don't be surprised if Apple does call its watch "iGlass" or go with "iWrist".  But I like "iGlass" better than iWatch or anything else because Apple's watch will be much more than that.

So, what do you think?

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.