rest in peace, steve jobs, rest in peace

mr. jobs,
thank you for your life, for apple, for sticking up for the underdog, and for changing the way we work, think, play, and dream.
rest in peace.
robert cargill

mac os x.7 lion: daddy want

i want this: mac osx lion. summer 2011.

read more about the apple press conference here.

apple cancels press conference addressing iPhone alarm glitch after steve jobs oversleeps

i loved this post by andy borowitz:

CUPERTINO (The Borowitz Report) – Apple, Inc. canceled a press conference today to address the glitch plaguing the iPhone’s alarm function when company chief Steve Jobs failed to show.

“I totally overslept,” Mr. Jobs later told reporters. “I’ve got to say this is really embarrassing.”

read the rest here.

HT: Huffington Post

the truth about apple’s banning of manhattan declaration ‘traditional marriage’ app

Manhattan Declaration ad smearing Apple CEO Steve jobs for not approving an app that promotes 'traditional marriage' only.

When I first saw this ad, I thought to myself, “This can’t be right.” So I did some investigation.

Chris Matyszczyk at CNET is reporting why the Manhattan Declaration app that promoted “traditional marriage” was banned:

The ad was made by the National Organization for Marriage. The organization is upset that an app called “The Manhattan Declaration” was first approved by Apple and then, as the ad so quaintly puts its, killed.

I have not enjoyed the distinction of perusing this app. However, Gawker reported that the only way you could “win” in this app’s game was to condemn gay marriage and abortion rights.

The Manhattan Declaration declares, in part: “marriage as a conjugal union of man and woman, ordained by God from the creation, and historically understood by believers and non-believers alike, to be the most basic institution in society.” So, they created a game where the only way to “win” is to oppose same-sex marriage.

As a supporter of the right of same-sex couples to marry, I don’t like this app. That said, Apple should not have banned the app. It’s better to let people have their say, and then have the debate, and expose people for what they are. Does this help Apple, who appears to be cowering to pressure from pro-gay groups and is already under suspicion for their less-than-transparent procedure for approving apps in their app store? No.

Then again, while Apple is a business, and while good business practice dictates that a company should seek to make money from all sides/markets, it is good to see companies take a stand every once in a while and stick to what they believe. Jobs openly stated that he opposed and contributed money to defeating California’s 2008 Proposition 8, the measure that banned gay marriage, and which was later overturned by a California judge as unconstitutional. Ben and Jerry’s did the same thing: they rooted the core of their business model in their ethical beliefs, not simply in the pursuit of profit. And it is this kind of political/business stance that has made Apple a leader not only in product design and functionality, but a brand that people rally behind.

Here’s my proposed solution: Apple should reinstate the app, and then run a story on how many people download the app and use the app. They have that data anyways. In fact, someone should create an app that shows the names of people who download the Manhattan Declaration app. Prop 8 supporters are always so committed to their belief in discrimination against gay marriage, but, for some strange reason, never want anyone to know who they are. I’ll bet there could be an app for that. ;-)

hello facebook vs google. goodbye microsoft. nice try aol: the future of instructional technology

Facebook has taken the next step in its quest for world domination of people’s online lives. Facebook email (codenamed “Project Titan”) was introduced today:

While the new product will incorporate @facebook.com e-mail addresses, Zuckerberg said it will be more than just Gmail competition. It will offer three key features other e-mail services lack: seamless messaging across a variety of platforms, including SMS and texting; conversation history across those platforms; and a “social in-box,” meaning the company can filter the in-box just to include messages from friends.

Of course, the problem with email is that it’s old. Who under 30 years of age uses email anymore outside of their work-mandated email? Today, messaging is done instantaneously with text messaging, chat, and video conferencing. Email is what my generation (I’m 37) uses when communicating with those who aren’t on Facebook or don’t carry wireless devices.

Google made an earlier attempt at rethinking email with its Google Wave, on which it has stopped development. Now Facebook is giving it a try. In adding email, Facebook is essentially hedging a bet against Google, just in case email lingers for another decade. If Facebook can add email to its social networking offerings before Google can add social networking to its assortment of apps (remember Google Buzz?), then Facebook may be able to wrest away the throngs of users that are fleeing Microsoft exchange for Gmail. Add to this the impact that Apple is making on Microsoft with its Macs and the iPhone, and the transformation of modern media is complete. The biggest loser in all of this is Microsoft. (We’re not counting AOL’s “Project Phoenix” – Elvis left the building years ago.) Google docs will continue to do away with MS Office; iPhone, iTunes, and the Mac computer line will continue to erode away at the Microsoft operating systems (methinks they’re on Windows 7 now) and media players; and Facebook will continue to devour all social interaction.

We are left with a world that will use Google Android and Apple iPhones to access all communications, including the internet. (Sure, there are other phones and service providers, but how will they compete with Google Voice long term? Cable companies should be wary as well, as both Google TV and Apple TV are here.) Apple will continue to offer its Macs as a computing solution, while Google is adopting the cloud solution with its Chrome OS.  Google will continue to be the search engine of choice, and Google Docs, Earth (which should merge with Maps), and Calendar, will continue to provide the free, cloud-based apps to businesses and individuals alike, thereby continuing to vex Microsoft’s dying business model. Google Voice, an assortment of mobile voice tools superior to those of most wireless companies, will continue to erode at the very old school models of phone communications and the less antiquated, but hat-handed wireless companies by offering a free alternative to voice mail and dirt cheap long distance service. Meanwhile, Facebook (and FB apps on Droid and iPhones) will become the place for all social interactions, especially for the younger generations.

As far as higher education is concerned, the first company sync Facebook profiles with university class rosters, harness Google Docs, YouTube, and Wikipedia into a Moodle-style content management system wins. The first university to employ Facebook’s networking abilities, Google’s apps, and Wikipedia’s knowledge base with their library holdings will not only lead the way in online education for years to come, but will produce a revenue stream by exporting such a system to other universities.

If Facebook and Google have taught us anything, it is that cloud-based computing, social networking, and crowd-powered collaborative research are not only the future, they are the here and now. First one to get there wins.

no new iphone until i can use anyone but at&t

i’m just putting it out there for the record: i shall not be purchasing a new iphone (i still have the original model) until i have some other option of service provider than at&t. the sooner i can use verizon, the sooner i’ll buy a new iphone. if that doesn’t happen soon, droid is calling my name.

the exclusive iphone contract with at&t tarnishes the apple brand.

’nuff said

demo fail: why i hate hate hate at&t

i love apple. i love the iphone. but i despise with all my heart at&t and the craptastic service they fail to provide.

i hate at&t so much, i’m considering ditching the iphone and getting a droid, not because of any problem with the iphone, but because i’m forced to use the disservice that is at&t.

but, today i learned that it’s not just me. ladies and gentlemen, even steve jobs feels my pain:

(and yes, i know this is a wi-fi issue, but it does not change the amount of at&t’s suckiness.)

google to launch pc operating system

google announced it will finally soon be launching an os for pcs based on its new google chrome web browser. i welcome this new software for a couple of reasons. 1) google does things properly. 2) a real google competitor will bring the cost of microsoft’s browser down. 3) anything is better than vista.

i don’t think people realize how much trouble this really spells for microsoft. their stock is down, vista flopped, and they still have no solution for the vista problem. meanwhile, apple is on the rise, not only in the device market but in pc market share as well. a google chrome os could spell significant trouble for an already reeling microsoft. yes, they have a lot of cash, and have been able to buy up competition or wait out better software solutions until they catch up technologically, but i’m guessing google wants neither to sell or drag their feet.

the big winner in all this: yahoo. after their ceo, jerry yang, refused to sell to partner up with microsoft, microsoft walked, and yahoo’s share price plummeted, leading to yang’s ouster. maybe this announcement by google will drive microsoft back to yahoo for talks, lifting yahoo’s share price.