I'm afraid I'll create Skynet…
Apple
Apple introduces Apple Store app for iPhone
Jun 15th
Apple introduces Apple Store app for iPhone. – The Mobiler
Pretty cool. Nice new way to interact with the Apple Store. Though I don’t think you can play my favorite game on it: customize your own dream Mac.
I’m looking to sell my Macbook
Jun 9th
Update: Just a quick addition, I got a new keyboard, trackpad, and casing for them installed last week. So it’s bordering on being a brand new laptop
I tried to post this over on craigslist, but that site is just terrible so I gave up (bad sign for craiglist since I can generally figure out how to work a website). I’d like to get $500 for it, let me know if you’re interested and feel free to repost the link.
I’m selling my Black Apple Macbook, it’s in good working condition. I upgraded the hard drive myself to a 320 GB drive. I will also include a brand new Snow Leopard install DVD (since this Mac’s recovery DVD is Tiger), which I will give to you or install myself before hand if you like. Here are the specs of the Macbook
- 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Due Processor
- 2 GB DDR2 Memory
- 320 GB hard drive
- 13.3″ Display
- Super drive (plays and burns basically every CD and DVD format you want)
Ports
- 2 USB 2.0
- 1 firewire
- Gigabit ethernet
- Mini DVI
- Headphone jack
- Microphone jack
In addition to the upgraded hard drive I bought a new power cable for it recently, so the cord is in near new condition, and I have a plastic protective case that I will include (the case has stickers on it, but I will try to get them off for you). For the right price I will pay to ship it to you wherever you are
Nonsense
May 10th
Some silly analyst claims that Apple may have extended their exclusivity with AT&T 6 months in order to get great deals on iPad data rates. Specifically the idea seems to be that Apple would have delayed a Verizon iPhone from this summer to get AT&T to make that deal.
Really? Apple had an iPhone ready to launch for Verizon’s stellar network and tens of millions of subscribers who want an iPhone, but decided to hold off 6 months or more just so their customers could save some money on those 3G iPad plans? The huge margins they’d make on each phone, as well as the tremendously increased market share and improved network service they would get with Verizon, were worth sacrificing to make a few extra bucks selling 3G iPad’s instead those without?
Yeah. Nonsense.
At best, the closest this claim is to accurate is Apple said, “Hey we’ll give you exclusive rights to the iPad for a while, if you’ll give us a great deal on service.” And AT&T jumped at the chance because they’re desperate to please the company who makes them a lot of money.
But Apple sitting on a product that would bring them so much profit (and so many App store eyeballs), just for a good deal on 3G data service. Why do we listen to “analysts”??
Apple embracing competition?
Feb 19th
If Apple were to bundle the iBooks store as a built-in app, and it absolutely dominated the iPad e-book market as a result of that, Apple could potentially be accused of a similar abuse of power that Microsoft was accused of in the 1990s, when it got in trouble for bundling Internet Explorer as the default Web browser for Microsoft Windows. (Microsoft eventually settled, and still bundles IE with most copies of Windows, but it was a huge mess.)
By not bundling the iBooks store as a built-in iPad app, it seems likely that Apple would be in better shape. It can say that iPad customers have equal access to rival e-reader apps and e-book stores, such as Amazon’s or Barnes and Noble’s, and aren’t being pushed into Apple’s e-book store.
Apple giving competitors a semi fair shake on their device? I’ll believe it when I see it….
Aren't analysts good at math?
Feb 5th
Jonathan says he “couldn’t find compelling evidence” that AT&T’s contract with Apple ends this year. He gives it a 50% chance. Additionally, there’s a 25% chance that AT&T would bid for — and win — another year of exclusivity. Add them up, you get 75%.
This guy is an analyst? Let’s go for a quick review of basic probability. By his guess, there’s a 50% chance Apple’s contract w/ AT&T is over. And then, given that the contract is over, there’s a 25% chance AT&T would win the bid for another year.
Basic conditional probability says P(A and B) equals P(A) * P(B given A). So the chance Apple stays w/ AT&T is 25% * 50% which is 12.5%. Pretty damn different from 75%….
More on Apple, LaLa and the future of iTunes
Dec 13th
While a streaming model makes sense for both Apple and consumers — Apple could sell music through search engines, etc. while customers could eliminate space-hogging libraries from their computers — such a move would be a radical departure for Apple, which has insisted that customers want to “own” a physical copy of their music.
via tuaw.com
I absolutely disagree with the idea that Apple wants to completely remove users libraries from their computers, mostly because I can’t see consumers being OK with that.
If I buy a song, I want it to be my song, and if I decide to move to an ecosystem besides Apple’s I should be able to take it with me.
I can see, however, Apple giving you streaming access to your library anywhere you have internet access. And through that, completely freeing up your iPhone from storing music. If you have a RELIABLE, always on internet connection, then you don’t need to waste your valuable mobile space. The iPod/Music app could become a streaming app.
Posted via web from Chris Brakebill’s Posterousness
Business booming at Apple
Oct 21st
Recently Apple posted fourth quarter results, and the mood was positive to say the last. Despite a rough economy Apple still continues to increase sales across the board. John Gruber posted one of his “Claim Chowders” today about many people’s call for an Apple netbook to compete.
It seems that many believe, given the rough economy, Apple wouldn’t be able to compete with its high priced computers. If they were going to avoid a significant drop in sales, they would need to release a low price netbook.
As we’ve seen that hasn’t been the case at all. Honestly, I find it really amazing that Apple has continued to have such strong sales increases despite the economic climate. I think there are a couple of reasons this might be happening.
The top reason for Apple’s continued success is most definitely the iPhone. It has experienced continued growth and there’s no doubt that this has helped Mac sales. Not only does it get people in Apple stores, but it builds draws more customers to the brand. Apple users used to have a negative stigma of being somewhat douchey, but I think the iPhone has really worn away at that and made more people feel comfortable purchasing from Apple.
Apple has a reputation for producing quality products. Not only do they give you top notch hardware and software, but their customer service is simply better than anyone else’s. In tough times, that combination makes consumers feel more comfortable making an investment in a Mac. When you buy a PC, you’re often buying an HP computer from Best Buy with Microsoft software. It makes it unnerving for a consumer to figure out who is accountable for their problems. With a Mac, there’s only one place to look. Speaking of Microsoft…
There’s no arguing that people have thought negatively of Vista since its launch. In my opinion, it really isn’t that bad of a piece of software. The launch was a disaster, and now people have given up on it. This opened a window (I couldn’t resist…) for Apple and they capitalized with Leopard. I bought my Mac right before Leopard, but the difference when I upgraded was phenomenal. I absolutely love it and so does everyone else. Apple may be a hardware company, but they’re making a lot of money right now based on how superior their software is to Microsoft’s.
Business at Apple is very good these days. And the fact that it continued despite Jobso’s absence has only given people more confidence in the company. Things only look better for the future. Before long the iPhone will come to more carriers and expand the Apple user base. Who knows…maybe Apple has another multitouch trick up it’s sleeve…
So what happened?
Sep 9th
I told you earlier that I believe there are two possible reasons we didn’t get a camera on the iPod Touch. The first reason, that they didn’t have them ready and weren’t willing to announce them way in advance of releasing them, just doesn’t seem likely. If Apple was going to make these, they would have them ready for the holiday season and would have plenty of hype beforehand.
The deeper and darker reason is to differentiate the iPod from the iPhone. More >
Apple Fail?
Sep 9th
The tech world has been abuzz about the Apple iPod Event that was set for 9/9/09. Well the day finally came today, and everyone is looking around with a collective expression of “Huh?”
As expected Apple brought a new iTunes update, expansion of size on iPod Touch, and NO tablet. They even surprised us by bringing an iPhone OS software update and updates to the iPod Shuffle and Classic. There was no talk of the Beatles and Steve Jobs made his return (hooray, welcome back Jobsy).
There was something missing though. The iPod Touch is, surprisingly, cameraless. There was no mention of it at all. There can only be two possible reasons for this. Either they just didn’t have them ready in time to make the announcement (we can hope for this, but it seems unlikely) or there is a deeper darker reason for the exclusion.
I don’t have time now to discuss what I believe this reason is, so I will leave you hanging until I’m out of my Reinforcement Learning in Artificial Intelligence class 
Can Apple shake bad image?
Aug 31st
I’ve seen several reports lately about how Apple has become the Microsoft of the 90′s, with its recent (anti?)competitive practices. I certainly think it’s an interesting parallel and it’s very clear where the relation is coming from. However I think there are significant differences between the two.
The market share and broad use of Windows in the 90′s was even more dominant than it is today. Windows and Office were, and still are, almost ubiquitously used by MOST consumers. So while many geeks may have disliked Windows practices back then, the majority of the population couldn’t care less. Microsoft had sheer volume in their favor, and they have clearly survived it.
Look at Apple today. In the computer market they have less than 10% of the market and they have maybe a little more than that with the iPhone (which doesn’t include the enormous number of feature phones that are sold). They can’t survive on volume. Apple’s hope rests in their devotees. They have possibly the largest amount of consumer pride (this isn’t an official term of any kind – but Apple sure has an assload of it) of an corporation or product I’ve ever seen.
The point is that Microsoft wasn’t hurt too horribly by the image they created with their practices in the 90s, because though us nerds swore off them, most of the world didn’t. How long can Apple go before nerds swear off them? I think, fortunately for Apple, the answer is a long way. Some users’ devotion to Apple is borderline absurd and the fact that they’ve been making great products sure doesn’t hurt. [Note: I have both a Macbook and an iPod Touch]
Personally, for the longest time since the iPhone came out, it’s all I’ve ever wanted. I would have been willing to sacrifice food & water to pay for the plan when I [finally] graduate from college. But this past summer has changed my mind. I do not want a computer (lets face it, that’s what these things are) that doesn’t allow me to put the software I want on it. Even more than that I don’t want a product that stifles development the way the iPhone does.
Is there any doubt if Apple wasn’t the gatekeeper of software on the iPhone, that we would have better mail and internet clients?
But I’ve gotten a little off topic. What I’m trying to say, is Apple needs to be careful about it’s next moves. I think outside of the “digerati” (I hate this word, but it gets tot he point) Apple has had a bad image for a long time. I’d say about 80% of the people I know who aren’t Apple users, think that we are hippie douchebags who want VW vans (for anyone who knows me – that’s laughable. Well, except the douchebag part).
The Get a Mac commercials don’t help that image, but the iPhone has. It’s been slowly eating away at that image and making Apple something even more valuable than cool: it’s making them mainstream. But if they keep being hippie douchebags, they will piss the rest of us hippie [or regular] douchebags off. They might just drive us to Google (the new IBM – or are they the new Apple? I can’t keep it straight) and their Android platform.
