But one of those we spent a few billion (trillion?) dollars on solving.
Ben Brooks:
If we go by a favorite saying of the tech web, that Office is far more important to Microsoft than Windows, would it not make sense then that 10 years from now Microsoft is just a really good “app” company?
I’ve been wondering about that for a while. I actually think Microsoft keeping it’s fingers in iOS, even though it might mean the eventual death of Windows, is a smart move. Microsoft is a software company first, and a platform company second. If they want to continue to be a software company, that occasionally means being platform agnostic.1
I still can’t say that I disagree with them trying to hang on to Windows tooth-and-nail. It would be ludicrous for them to give up this cash cow without a fight. ↩
Kutcher:
Placing search engines and ISP’s in the middle of policing for piracy is plane[sic] and simply a bad and confused attempted by well meaning people that fundamentally don’t understand how the the Internet works.
Please note that I’m posting this not because “it’s official now that a celebrity said it”, but because he’s actually got a horse in the race, and is still against it. Ashton Kutcher presumably is a big enough name to get DVD royalties in his contract.
No clue how much Ashton actually understands about the internet, but I do know that everyone who seems to even kind of get how the thing works is against SOPA.
With a stage presence like Steve Ballmer to come and announce vaporware, why would CES do this?
MG Siegler’s take:
Is it possible both sides came to those conclusions independently? I suppose. But let’s be realistic, that rarely happens. And if you read their statements carefully, they actually don’t suggest that at all.
There’s surely no one that’s done this before? And this clearly doesn’t have any negative consequences for consumers.
Patent office is a joke.
MG Siegler:
I realize this is all about money. The cable companies send you a ton of cash and provide you with a great platform on which you are given prime billing to the elite tier customers. But the world is changing. And you need to get in front of it.
Like MG, I’ve cut the cord as well. It seems ludicrous for me to continue to pay more than $100 a month for something I barely use. Not to mention the idea of paying for advertising makes me skeevy (looking at you, Hulu+).
Out of all the content I don’t watch, HBO is something I would. And something I would be happy to pay for. $10 a month? Sign me up. $20? Sure. $30? Well, I don’t know. $60 for cable plus HBO’s charge? Get out.
HBO is banking on people having a cable subscription. But that’s getting increasingly less likely. If they want to be involved in the future, it would be best to start developing a business model that is compatible with it.
I’m not entirely sure this is a good or bad thing. On the one hand, if you loved what Twitter has been, this might scare you. On the other, if you fear whether Twitter might not be around in 5 years, this might excite you.1
I’m still bitter about Tweetie, though. ↩
I love it because Eric Schmidt both manages to imply that Android’s current offerings are shit, and makes a promise that he’ll have almost no chance of keeping.
Again, why does Google let Schmidt speak publicly?
Ben Brooks:
The problem is endemic of the industry as a whole. You can say all you want about my opinions — whether I am right or wrong — what you can’t say is that I don’t have one. I will take you disagreeing with me all day long over being a bland yes man.
This is the reason why I never could get into sites like Engaget or Gizmodo, and I too, don’t really read the Verge. Everything is reviewed with kid gloves. There is no conclusion. You get a long-winded set of tech specs.
A friend asked me how to take screenshots on her new Evo Shift today. I’m not even being snarky, is this seriously the best way? It was the top hit on Google.
Via Brooks Review
Yep, the guys we put in charge of regulating one of the biggest things on the planet right now have no idea how it works. And still think they are qualified to make decisions about it. I see nothing wrong with this…
Via Daring Fireball
Very solid review. If you are wondering about how the new Nexus or Ice cream sandwich compare to the iPhone, this review should help.
I would really like to see this, but not the way Isaacson is talking about. Expand on the NeXT era. Expand on how Jobs knew to make the various decisions in the last 10 years that made Apple the biggest company in the world. Hell, just give me a freaking book of anecdotes that Steve gave like the little piece in the link. Please don’t give a recap of something that is going to be more than just well documented. There are a thousand other people that will cover what he’s talking about.
I’m linking to John’s post only because the joke is hilarious. Read Topolsky’s and Siegler’s posts as well.
Via Tom Merritt’s twitter
I’m sort of bummed, but everyone knows that she couldn’t stay forever. Amy and Rory have definitely been my favorite of the new companions.
