AI: Need PC, Tablets, Phones To Accept More Voice Commands And Understand What We Want

I think it's great that Apple, Google, Microsoft (rumored that Facebook as well) have been racing to outdo one another in the field of AI where Cortana, Google Now, And Siri are becoming more and more part of our mobile computing experience and striving to become more of a true companion.  It will be a multi-year if not perpetual AI race. 

But I do think there is something that is fundamentally feasible for these tech companies to do in the near future - having their current OS or AI understand more voice commands like switching between apps or tabs in the browser or even fundamental OS functions.  If there are such features, I have not found them to be adequate.  And it goes towards improving accessibility functions as well for users who are physically or developmentally challenged. 

What's interesting is that Apple has had Siri working on the iPhone and iPad for years and it is noticeably absent from OS X.  Only Apple knows why that is.  And there have been suggestions that Siri would appear in some format on Apple TV.  However, with Cortana playing at least a minor part of Windows 10 launch, it would make sense for Apple to follow up with Siri on the Mac in a year at the very least.

For Google, it does appear that it is going a different route than what Apple and Microsoft are doing with their AI.  Google Now is more (and much better) as providing information to make user lives better, more convenient and efficient, than before.  It's unlike we'll be able to speak into a chromebook to change tabs between its browser.  Any command via voice will have to take place on the Android.

There is the issue of how to implement such a feature.  It's likely Apple is taking a wait and see attitude, letting others like Microsoft go first with Cortana and seeing what it can learn from it.  Personally, I cannot wait to try it. And if Cortana's implementation is near flawless and can do at least what Siri and Google Now can do, it may have found a way back into the mobile hardware game. 

What about my fellow mobile warriors?  Do you feel it's time that the tech companies focus more on givng us new AI features like voice commands and being able to discern the context of what we are ordering it to do?  Voice commands have been around much longer than you realized but it is only recently that we can be optimistic about an AI working in the background trying to understand what the human operators want from it. 

Prime Day Is Amazon's Garage Sale - Junk For Sale

One man's trash is another man's treasure as the saying goes.  Unfortunately, there is more backlash as it appears that Amazon and its partners are using Prime Day to unload junk inventory.  Don't take my word for it.  Take it from social networks (BGR).

The level of snarkiness on Twitter just says it all.  For Amazon, it may not matter in the short run as long as those who sign up for Prime forget to cancel later.  Otherwise, Prime is truly a great deal.  It's just unfortunate that Amazon thinks leaf blowers, wealth/real estate books, dandolions, and guitar picks for girls are what people signed up for.

Amazon's Prime Day Has Been Crap

I guess I'm not alone.  Many are disppointed by the offerings Amazon is offering to Prime users (CNN).  The only good deals, for some, are Fire devices that Amazon owns.  As for the rest, there are a lot of things that are kinda just fillers that people don't really need.  And while there are a few intresting items for sale, they're don't appear to be Black Friday prices.

Like leaf blowers?  Really?  Reflective vests?  No Thanks.  Ditto for the chef's hat.  And those external batteries?  Amazon has similar ones that are priced about the same for the same capacity.  No deal there. 

There are MicroSD cards that I might be interested in but we'll have to see what if the price is right. I'll be running an update all day to see if things change.  Oh, and you have to be fast.  Decend items sell out rather fast...last I checked, the leaf blower and Fire devices have not sold out. 

Update 1:  The PNY cards have sold out the moment they went on sale.  Wait list is full as well.  Only a couple of seconds.

Update 2:  Walmart is looking to spoil Amazon's Prime Day.  The website needs work.  Lots.  It is still stuck in the late-90s.  Not even going to bother.

No MacBook Until I See the iPad Pro

A couple of times during the past month, I nearly pulled the trigger on the new 12" Retina Macbook.  I've done as much research on it as anyone can possible do - what folks who have it are doing with it, battery life, portability, and general sense of how it fits as a replacement for their other laptops or Macbooks.  And I've decided that I can "try" to live without one for a few more months until Apple releases the iPad Pro that is very much real given the amount of smoke coming from that general rumor. 

So far, there is nothing beyond what we are hearing about the iPad Pro that is more than a bigger screen iPad with a pen running iOS 9.  However, I'm hopeful that given the Pro is supposed to be more of a productivity tablet, Apple may release some development tools for it as well.  And iOS device capable of developing apps for the iOS. 

Currently, the iPad works well enough for most productivity tasks with new features like split-screen from iOS 9 that will make the the iPad more appealing to enterprise users.  The pen will likely make artists and designers very happy.

But I like to see coders see some love as well.  And Xcode for iOS would be an awesome additionl.  As someone who has taken up programming, I love to be able to take my iPad Pro and just run with it.  I already have a 15" Macbook Pro that I am using but, folks, it is a big machine to be carry around all the time.

It's why the Macbook has been so appealing.  However, I do see some coders wanting even more portablity when they are on the go.  Furthermore, the iPad Pro wil likely have a longer battery life that makes it ideal for long trips than the Macbook which tops out around 8-9 hours. 

Okay, I recognize that this is a pipe dream on my part but I know there are mobile warriors who want to be able to do more coding on their iPads.  And the near-13" screen of the iPad Pro would be perfect.

iPhone Scored 92% of Phone Profit - Apple Is Doomed

Source:  Just google, it's all over the Web.

Okay, get this. Apple is barely scratching out a 20% share of the global smartphone market in terms of units sold.  And this is from Apple running with all cylinders firing and task masters at Foxconn factories whipping workers to churn out as many iPhones as they can.  Okay, minus the whips and the task masters but you still get the point.  Apple took months to meet demand and just as it had, we are now onto the next upgrade mere months away.

Still, all that work and Apple only managed to take one-fifth of the market.  Doomed, many would say.  Well, except for the fact that for every dollar of profit generated, 92 cents of that goes to Apple.  The rest goes to Samsung while others barely break even or are in the red.

Many would like to think that Apple's fortune is the result of Samsung's collapse in the high-end segment of the market but the truth is, Apple's iPhone appeal does not have a single competitor including the Galaxy S6 or the Edge.  Furthermore, this is about Apple's ability to differentiate itself from the rest of the pack as the only company that designed its own hardware and software packed into a beautiful design resulting in an appealing user experience. 

It is not to say that there are no trade-offs - for example, thin design that limit the battery life and Apple's exquisite walled garden but still walled off despite some limited openness recently.  On top of that, Apple's cloud services are still playing catch-ups to Google. 

It will be interesting to see whether Apple can continue its march towards 100% of the smartphone profit.  Personally, as an Apple fan, I'd settle for 95%.  Let's not get too greedy here.  Apple will release the next iPhone in September with innovations that is once again putting more distance between itself and its competitors. 

At this point, only Apple can stop Apple.  That could mean a couple of things.  Apple becoming complacent and loses out to a new competitor.  Not likely under Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.  Or the more likely scenario is that Apple disrupts itself with a new product and this new iDevice (probably not the Apple Watch) and end up cannibalizing iPhone sales.  The latter is the more likely scenario, one that is very scary for others.  

Amazon's Predatory Book Practice? Some Wants The Government To Look Into It

Source:  NY Times.

It's ironic that a while back, Amazon requested the Department of Justic to look into possible collusion between Apple and major publishers over pricing and, now, a group representing authors and booksellers are hitting Amazon right back by requesting an inquiry regarding Amazon's possible anti-trust actions.

It really stems from Amazon's battle with publishers that at times become very public with Amazon trying to justify their actions, like removing books from publishers they have contracts disputes with from sale, to the public.  It has not worked out exactly as Amazon had hoped.  It do appear that Amazon usually end up accepting publisher terms.

Still, Amazon's actions do state to the leverage it has in the publishing world and terms it has offered to independent authors. 

One of Amazon's most controverial move is to price its books below market price to drive competitors like Borders out of business.  Even now, Barnes and Noble is barely surviving, having to reinvent itself time and time again.  Meanwhile, Amazon can make up for book losses with sales of other items and its growing businesses else where like cloud storage.

I cannot decide if it's a lawful thing to do:  driving your competiors out of business by lowering prices to destroy their core business and covering the losses with another part of your business.  I do kow that it feel wrong.

Beats 1 Could Be Start of Apple's Attempt To Disrupt More Than Just Music

It's interesting that Apple has supported podcasts and podcasting for years and, without much effort beyond updating the podcast app on iOS, the podcasting community has grown in sophistication and numbers of quality podcasts as well as tens if not millions of listeners.  And now with Beats 1, Apple may well be focusing and evolving at its usual pace when disrupting markets the whole streaming music and podcast market - creating a network not unlike SiriusXM with content that already exist.

In this Macworld post, it focused on how Beats 1 can be the start of something at Apple to take on SiriusXM There have been calls in the past that Apple should buy SiriusXM but I always found that to be a big unlike Apple.  After all, Apple had the podcast app that allowing users to curate podcasts to their own tastes and interests.  And yes, there are music podcasts already.  And more content than even Sirius can hope to have.

There was also a time when it looked like Apple was going to allow users to pay and subscribe to podcasts as well.  While that obviously did not happen, we can look for Apple to possibly create more "stations" or 'channels" along side Beats 1 and allow users to flip through them depending on what they want to listen to.

Also keep in mind that about a year ago, Apple integreated actual radio feeds from ESPN and NPR as well as some local public radio stations into the radio tab of the Music app and it remains there even now.

In response to Macworld's post, Apple does not need to take on SiriusXM directly.  Macworld suggests that while Beats 1 is free but additonal "stations" might not be.  It is debatable whethere they will be based on Apple's own produced shows or content or select podcasters invited to fill time slots that require subscriptions to access them.