Commenting on my argument that Microsoft’s Surface line is in-part to provide the PC’s need for better hardware design, Nick Heer astutely added: …by choosing to license their operating system in a loose way, Microsoft places the reputation of their software1 in their licensee’s hands. Nick2 then followed up to some related comments texted by […]
Author Archives: Jack Wellborn
Ever since Microsoft introduced its line of Surface tablets, there has always been a lingering question as to why. Why is Microsoft risking alienating OEM partners just to go into a business that is both costly and relatively low margin when compared to software? One answer I’ve been thinking about for a while now is […]
I use ratings in iTunes, mostly for smart playlists, and am a bit worried they will be going away in favor of the binary “Loved” introduced with iTunes 12. To that end, I have built a simple AppleScript to quickly love all songs with 5 stars in the current playlist and thought others might also […]
From Noam Scheiber, at The New York Times: President Obama announced Monday night a rule change that would make millions more Americans eligible for overtime pay.The rule would raise the salary threshold below which workers automatically qualify for time-and-a-half overtime wages to $50,440 a year from $23,660…This reminds me of a Simpsons quote where-in Homer […]
From Ron Amadeo, at Ars: OEMs try to “brand” the software by changing the colors and icons, which usually makes things look worse and really only serves to make things harder for new users… [it] would be nice if all the designs and buttons on those devices looked the same. And wouldn’t it be nice […]
From Clifford Levy, at The Next Web: Over at The New York Times, staffers received an email letting them know the desktop site for The Times — you know, the site they all write for — would be blocked. To view www.nytimes.com, they’d have to do so via a smartphone or tablet…In addition to underscoring […]
From Dieter Bohn, at The Verge: Looking across the updates in El Capitan, the story is clear: Apple is making life way better for people who live in its ecosystem. But if you don’t live in Apple’s garden, the benefits are less clear. As services for cloud storage and syncing have become a core part […]
From Recode, talking about the challenges of Android One adoption: Central to the company’s mission with Android One is getting more devices on the latest version of its software. But the hardware manufacturers have little incentive to help this — they sell the phone and move on.
My favorite moment from John Gruber’s excellent interview was when Schiller likened the single port MacBook to killing off the floppy. …why don’t we design a product that’s around this wireless world that has really no physical connection that you need. You can get by without ever needing that. Wouldn’t that be a better world? […]
The ongoing lack an Apple streaming music service would undoubtedly (and rightfully) draw criticisms about iTunes’ growing irrelevance in today’s increasingly stream-heavy music landscape. Now that Apple is supposedly on the cusp of announcing a streaming music service, we instead get this gem of a headline from The Verge. Apple Music and the terrible return […]