Daniel Terdiman, on CNET:
Leap, by comparison, can sense motion down to the most subtle movements of a finger, which the company says is 200 times more sensitive than anything else on the market. The system creates a “three-dimensional interaction space” of four cubic feet and is more precise and responsive than a touchscreen or a mouse, and just as reliable as a keyboard.
Watch the video.
Great headline. Brian X. Chen for NY Times:
Customers with unlimited plans will get to keep their unlimited plans. But when shared data plans become available, the unlimited option will no longer be available to customers when they buy a new device at a subsidized price, usually with a two-year service contract.
Basically 95% of people who buy an iPhone 5 soon. What me is that AT&T already hates the idea of unlimited plans, so you can expect to see other carriers follow suit.
Apple said in a recent court case that if a customer has a problem with Siri they should probably return the phone and buy a different one.
Cool idea. No software other than a Facebook app, and you can share a file up to 1GB with your friends.
Interesting thoughts on USB 3:
It will be interesting to see if Apple addresses this rumored MacBook Pro’s lack of Firewire 800 and Gigabit Ethernet by making adapters available, and if so, whether those adapters use USB 3 or Thunderbolt.
I had wondered about this omission from the adapter lineup, and I really hope they do release one, as I’m sure it would also work on the Macbook Airs already out.
Which makes me wonder — will they drop the “Air” signification this year, like they did when they added “Pro” to the entry level unibody Macbook in 2008? An “Air” classification would mean one that is light weight, but according to Marco removing that optical drive doesn’t really decrease the weight.
So glad Gruber linked to this, as it was something I’d always wondered about:
Apple has spent decades strengthening its subtle but powerful grip over Hollywood, and unlike many companies, says it never pays for its products to appear on television or in movies. The company’s gadgets were discussed or shown 891 times on TV in 2011, up from 613 in 2009, according to researcher Nielsen (NLSN). In the same year, iDevices appeared in more than 40 percent of the movies that topped the weekly box office, according to Brandchannel, which tracks product appearances. That’s nearly twice the penetration of the next most common brands in Hollywood—Dell (DELL), Chevy (GM), and Ford (F).
Kara Swisher points out a few other key mistakes Thompson has made during his tenure, but a false résumé shouldn’t have been the thing that pushes the company over the edge. In any case, it is a welcome sight to see a digital media expert taking the wheel of the company.
9 to 5 Mac with the scoop.
This is one area that Apple has been dependent on a third-party for, and using in-house software/development will seal the deal in terms of having complete control over the OS.
I don’t really think I would use the 3D mode though, if bandwidth is still at 3G/HSPDA+.
Normal job application rules don’t apply in high level position hunting — especially when headhunters were looking for someone to run a company..
John Gruber:
My advice to Microsoft would be to go after Android, hard. Make Windows Phone the carriers’ best friend. Target your advertising on BlackBerry holdouts and dissatisfied Android users. Position Windows Phone as the alternative to the iPhone.
I saw a brick and mortar Nokia store today in a high end mall in Singapore. The store had 2-3 onlookers, but nothing to sway customers to make a purchase on the spot. They don’t have the 900 on sale just yet, and the 800 costs about $500 USD. Subsidies are unavailable, which can cause a huge impact in sales.
Another note: the iPhone has a strong presence in Singapore, but so do several other brands, like HTC and Samsung. Both companies also have dedicated stores the their brands in the country. What really struck me was the tablet usage: the iPad represented roughly 90% of the tablets I saw in the 5 or so train rides I’ve been on thus far.
I love Dieter Bohn’s articles. They are great bits of reporting. This one outlines the increasingly crowded mobile payment space — one where there is no dominating figure.
When I read this, I can’t help but wondering why Paypal, the biggest online wallet, is losing here. Everything I buy online is through Paypal, and it couldn’t be easier to make the handshake.
I wonder how paid apps will work. Knowing the relationship between Facebook and Apple, I doubt this will be an issue. Right?
Interesting turn of events for a primarily console-based company.
Gruber quips:
Draw your own ads, how fun!
I’d rather have to draw Doritos and make it a game then have to see an annoying banner ad. Even this is better than an iAd.
People in the comments point out that this is no big deal and there are alternatives. While this is true, it really doesn’t make sense to drop this for the mom and pop consumer. I wonder how much the end consumer saves with this move.
This is a slick solution to a really big problem with using the iPad as a production device. Typing is really great, but editing could be way better.
I especially love the graph at the bottom of this piece. At first, the chart seems normal… until you read the title.
The podcast is going to take a small break this May. This is because both hosts, Tarun and Chris, are AFK for the entire month. We will return to our normal schedule beginning in June.
In the meantime, we will still be linking and thinking. Thanks for following us.
WPDS = the next big conference? I am really excited to see Microsoft bringing the big guns on this one.
This is the power of data aggregation:
The Facebook tool works like this: Users go to their timelines, where under Life Event they will see a health and wellness section. Zuckerberg said: “You put in, ‘I decided to be an organ donor’ and your state or country you live in and you can add a story about how you decided to be an organ donor.”
This morning RIM had its keynote at the annual BlackBerry World and unveiled a touch screen keyboard. For years now the company has sworn off touch, especially when it comes to the keyboard.
Nintendo has suffered through poor quarter, and Zynga has had another booming one. This article from AllThingsD quotes Michael Pachter, an analyst, speaking on the current state of the gaming industry and consoles:
Nintendo is living in the past, repeating what got them to where they are, and hoping that the recent downturn is a fad. They aren’t adapting to the times, and it’s hurting them.
The last line is common with many companies in the Old Boy’s Club: Microsoft, Nokia, RIM, Yahoo! to name a few. It is easy to say that companies who have been around and suffering a recent decline are simply not riding the wave of change. I have been critical of Nintendo, especially with the iOS boom and how Apple has changed gaming. But I think this article has one key paragraph that offers perspective:
Nintendo sells proprietary portable and home gaming units as well as the games that work on top of them. Meanwhile, Zynga gives away its games for free and lets them work across most computers and mobile phones. It makes money on advertising and microtransactions.
Nintendo sells an experience that requires a living room, and Zynga sells one that is both social and mobile. The two experiences require different strategies and lead to different results. Nintendo is also a brand that people have traditionally identified with, whereas Zynga is a platform that no one really thinks twice about. Instead, people focus on the flagship game they produce: Farmville. Farmville itself can make the bacon, but it doesn’t come close to Nintendo’s margins.
I am glad this perspective was brought to light. Nintendo continues to get a bad rap for being dissociated from the social gaming space, but there is a big reason for that: they don’t have core competencies in it. There focus will continue to be at selling games that people will continue to come back to, and exploring new types of interactions that are far from a mobile screen.
It’s a pretty insane practice as it is. If an employer wants your password, you probably shouldn’t work for them.
For those of you keeping score:
Today in the business local news Google announces Drive which integrates with the entire Docs suite and offers 5GB of storage, below SkyDrive’s free offering of 25GB (if you activate it today) and above Dropbox’s offering of 2GB. Out of the box, Google also has thrown in Finder integration as well, making it a solid offering for those disenchanted by the Microsoft alternative.
When a business has a large or growing number of digital files, it should use Google Drive. Without a dedicated storage system, managing a library of files in its entirety becomes challenging. As a result, you should only use Drive when you notice that your data storage requirements are increasing. Additionally, it is an excellent alternative for businesses looking to move away from on-site physical storage. For more business online tools we recommend to visit https://www.thepaystubs.com/w9-form-generator.
I’ve been a long time user of Dropbox, and had enjoyed the simplicity of integration with all my devices, up until my recent move to the WP ecosystem. I happened to move over to SkyDrive at the right time, since they just announced the changes above right upon me switching over. Google Drive would be a nice offering, but Microsoft thus far seems to undercut them when you consider space alone. Google’s advantage is the tight integration with the Docs suite, which should be nice for people who already use the service.