Did Apple Design Itself Into A Corner By Focusing On Thinness And Weight For the iPhone? Probably.

Tim Cook talked about trade-offs that currently exists that is prevent Apple from release an iPhone with a bigger screen.  And until some of these trade-offs are addressed, that'll never happen.  Some of these trade-offs are technical while others are related to the what kind of a mobile experience a 5" iPhone can bring to the user.

Let's focus on the technical ones here and discuss why I think that by releasing the iPhone 5 in the form factor it is in, Apple may have painted itself into a technical and design corner that is preventing it from releasing a 5" or bigger screen iPhone.

With each successive iPhone update, Apple focused on how they were able to shave off a few grams here and there while making the iPhones thinner and thinner.  This was especially apparent with the iPhone 5 because it had a bigger 4" screen while managing to weigh considerably less.

Should Apple be thinking about a 5" iPhone, the expectation for thinner and lighter will remain.  However, there is only so much Apple can continue to do that given the technical restraints.  And this will be especially difficult with a 5" iPhone because of the battery that will be needed to power the light up the screen. It would also mean more pixels for a CPU to drive.

And even if Apple doesn't make a 5" iPhone thinner and lighter but keeps it around where the iPhone 5 is now, might may not be enough to give the iPhone user the same or greater level of mobile experience because of the battery constraint.

Maybe Apple will find a way to come close.  However, had Apple kept the iPhone 5 thickness the same as the iPhone 4/4S, battery life for a 5" iPhone might not be an issue at all.

So, where does that leave us as far as a 5" iPhone goes?  Well, Apple could reverse years of practice of releasing thinner and lighter iPhone and, in fact, maybe make the 5" iPhone thicker and heavier to commodate a bigger battery.  Well, since this issue itself in the trade-off, it's not going to happen.

So, Apple has no choice but to wait until their engineers find a way to design a vastly more efficient CPU and more power friendly 5" Retina Display while accommodating Jony Ives' designs.  It would also mean that we could be a year or more away from see such an iPhone.

Meanwhile, yes, Apple's competitors like Samsung and its Galaxy lines, from the S 4 to the Note, continue to sit unmolested by Apple's mobile devices.  Sure, these devices have many of the trade-offs that Tim Cook is talking about but they are also sales that Apple is missing.

Personally, I would not want Apple to make compromises to the whole mobile experience.  However, I think I am speaking for many Apple fans that if Apple does release a 5" iPhone that is slightly thicker and heavier than the iPhone 5, we would not mind at all.

Mobile: Steelcase Chair "Gesture" For Tablet Uers - Pricy But Looks Promising And May Be Worth It To Keep Good Postures

Source:  Steelcase, Popular Science.

We text, watch videos, and consume information on our mobile devices quite a bit more now.  On our Android or iPhone devices.  Especially on our tablets like the iPad.  And it has changed the posture of our bodies.  Quite a few more postures than working on a desktop with a laptop, according to Steelcase, maker of office furniture.  Which is why they came out with Gesture for mobile and tablet users.

And Gesture looks like.

The website has more information about it but what I like it most is the built-in fundamentals for adapting to what the users wants and how the user sits when using a device.  Steelcase did their research based on 2000 individuals to craft the Gesture.

My only issue is that it doesn't come with a head rest.  I suppose given what it is suppose to do, the head rest doesn't apply.  Too bad.  It would have been nice to see it come as an option (I'll be writing them to find out if they could incorporate that in as an option).

It ain't gonna be cheap.  It retails at $978.  I'm hope it'll come down quite a bit more before I jump at it.  And the reason I'm considering it is because it's my body.  When it comes to that and my health, I don't want to go cheap.  I've skipped cable and other stuff like eating out.  The bucks I've saved is worth investing in something like this.

What do you think?  Here's a video of the Gesture from Steelcase.

Chicken Dance On Arrested Development (New Season This Sunday!!!)

Source:  Flavorwire.


Here’s a brilliant chart of how to do the chicken dances on Arrested Development we have come to see and love but was initially embarrassed about it but no longer. And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, dude, you have to watch the old shows on Netflix, DVD, or whatever other means you can.

You will not regret it.  And to see what I’m talking about, here are a few compilations of the various chicken dances from members of the Bluth family from Orange County, California.

I’m going to go on the assumption that you know what the Arrested Development is about.  Essentially, it’s about the head of the Bluth family who defrauded investors and was sent to jail while his family is constantly harassed by authorities, each other, and just idiotic decisions they make.

It’s crazy funny.  And Michael Bluth, portrayed by Jason Bateman, put himself in charge of keeping the family together and rebuilding their former glory.  Seems like a normal guy right?  Well, that’s not quite normal in his dysfunctionally funny family.

Here’s are the clips.  Enjoy!  And enjoy the new season on Netflix!

Note:  Nope, this isn't a mobile, Apple, or Google post.  It's not even a social media post but who cares.  Watch AD on your mobile and talk about it on Google+ or Twitter!

A 128 GB iPad mini Without A Retina Display Would Rope Me In

You know what could get me to get an iPad mini even if it doesn’t have a Retina Display this year?  128 GB version.

Yeah, I think that’ll do it.  Based on stuff coming out of blogs, rumor mills, and analysts with some credibility, it does appear that Apple isn’t going to be able to find a way to a Retina Display into the mini this year.  There are times when one source says one thing and another says another but it’s rare that they all agree.

In this case, Apple is probably going to upgrade the processor and maybe beef up some other features.  Despite that, I think a 128 GB will get me to jump in.  It really can.  See, I got my mom a 64 GB version last year and while it was adequate, all my apps and only a few media already took up about 45 GB of space.

While that leave me with about 19 GB, you have to realize that there are new apps and services from Apple that continuing to evolve how we use our mobile devices.  On top of that, apps are betting bigger all the time.  Yup, take a look at them apps from 2008 and today.  They’ve grown on sophistication and usability.  That also means they’ve grown in size too.

A 128 GB mini would give me a few years before I would need to upgrade.  Essentially, future proofing my purchase.

Even now, 32 GB on my iPhone 4S isn’t adequate. So, my next iPhone would have to be a 64 GB version.  16 GB just won’t cut it anymore.

And while the mini’s size and weight is ideal for me when I travel, if there isn’t a 128 GB version, I suppose I’ll stick with a regular sized iPad with 128 GB this Christmas.

Disgrace: Tim Cook Hauled In Front of Senate Panel For Doing What's Good For Apple

This is an absolute disgrace.  I'm a middle of the road kind of guy and I absolutely think people should pay their fair share of taxes, including companies.  And like anyone else, I'll take deductions where I can.  Just like any company would.

And because over the decades, the United States Congress has given in to special interests, of which Apple and Google were not around to lobby, Apple, HP, Microsoft, and Google's executives did what they were hired to do to minimize costs and do what's good for the company's future (and yes, shareholders too).

Today's corporations are not just mindless soulless entities.  May of these rich such as Laurene Powell Jobs, wife of the late Steve Jobs, and the Gates Foundation have gone on to do great philanthropic things around the United States and the world in areas of education, health, and fight against poverty.

The companies are not stupid in trying to avoid legally paying their tax bills.  It would be insane to try to pull a fast one on the government.  However, if there are loopholes, they'll use it because it would also be stupid not to.

So, the Senate committee convened here to make Apple out like a tax dodging villain should look at themselves and look at what they've done over the years to the complex and unfair corporate tax laws. It's complex as you all know that.  Unfair because companies tried to gain advantages through the tax codes.

Real Villian of Corporate Tax Mess: United States Congress

Apple has proposed some changes to the tax codes.  I don't know anything about how they would work out but I do know that inaction by this Senate committee will continue because of special interests that line the political pockets of both the Democratic and Republican parties.

So, yeah, this is a disgraceful move by the Senate to cast blame on someone else.

HTC One Has A Better Form Factor And Finish Than Galaxy S 4: Good Enough To Make iPhone Users Switch

Source:  MacNN.

For years, while Android dominate the market, the iPhone market, particularly in the US, has grown at the expensive of Blackberry and Windows but starting to impact Android as well.  And surveys typically suggest that iPhone users are more loyal to their chosen platform than Android users are to theirs or even to their branded devices.  However, I wonder if HTC One could change all that.

In fact, I think it will.  I think HTC has a winner with the One because of its awesome screen and high-end feel to the form factor and use of metal instead of the cheap feel of the Galaxy line.  It's good enough to make some iPhone users take a look at the HTC One as a potential jumping off point for Android than the Galaxy.

However, there are a couple of things that might hold some users off.  One is the camera.  That's a deal breaker for me.  4MP?  Really, HTC?  I know there will be folks who will argue that megapixels isn't everything.  While I buy that argument, 4MP is different from the 8 MP in the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5.  With the next iPhone likely to go to 12MP or higher and the Galaxy S 4 already with 13MP, 12MP, 13MP, or more in these other high-end devices compared to the unique "UltraPixel" in the One is a big difference.  And yes, the iPhone camera will be vastly improved regardless of the MP.

The second issue is a big one.  Android.  I'm not suggesting that Android is inferior to iOS or the other way around.  In fact, Android has innovated in ways that has left iOS behind and look dated.  On the other hand, the ease of use of iOS is still second to none even as some pundits complain about the looking and feel of it being dated.

The real issue for iPhone users regarding Android is the ecosystem. If you spend money with Apple's app and iTunes ecosystem, you will have to reinvest in Android as well.  You will have to repurchase all of the apps again on Android.  And as for movies and TV shows, the DRM keeps Android users from purchasing or viewing content from iTunes (except for music - but then again, if you're an Android user, why would you buy music from iTunes instead of Google Play?).

All in all, I think the advantage for iPhone or even the Galaxy S 4 for the typical mobile buyer has diminished with HTC's release of the One.  If you can get over the camera, some learning curves, and Android itself, HTC One should be among one of your top choices.

HTC One doesn't enjoy the reputation of Samsung's Galaxy S 4 so it isn't going to overthrow Samsung nor really encourage a wholesale defect of iPhone owners over the the One, but it could be enough for HTC to mount a comeback on a global scale.

If I'm HTC, I would spend a lot of money, on the scale of Samsung's mobile ad budget, and promote the heck out of it.  Window is closing as Apple is rumored to be release its next iPhone this summer or early fall.  HTC has one a couple of months before users either stop buying and wait to see what Apple comes up with or simply buy the next iPhone instead.

Also, imagine if HTC put Windows Phone in the One.  Wow.

Future Apple Products Made In The USA - Starting With a Mac

Source:  Politico, Macrumors.

For those waiting for the Mac Pro, looks like it could be one of the first Mac to be made solely in the United States for years.  At least that's the going convention on which Mac Apple's Tim Cook is talking about when he said Apple has invested $100 million to make that Mac here in the US.

Here is an interview with Brian Williams of NBC last year where Tim talked about it.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

As you can see, it's not easy.  $100 million is nothing to Apple but it's something to most companies and what Apple hopes to achieve could be the spark of something big for consumer electronics and electronics in general.

While this is old news, Politico has new details from Tim Cook as Tim start a PR trip through the East Coast which will end with his testimony on corporate taxes in Congress next week.  While that is a very important issue, it is outside the purview of what I normally consider to be Apple and mobile, new details about Apple manufacturing in the US isn't.

Here are a couple of new details:

• States to benefit from Apple's domestic manufacturing:  Arizona, Texas, Illinois (President Obama's home state), Florida, and Kentucky.
• Deep into the project - looks like Macs could be coming off the assembly line soon.
• $100 Million spent on making this possible.  

What's interesting is the public and economic policies of this.  I like to know where the workers will be coming from, what kind of educational background they'll need.  How much automation is involved.  And what comes next for Apple's domestic production agenda.  And what kind of relationship Apple will have with its workers and whether they'll be unionized or not.

And it's also possible that Apple's future domestic expansion could hinge on any corporate tax reforms that Apple and other tech giants are seeking from Washington.