So I listened to Macbreak Weekly #59 today while walking around the block. A substantial piece of the discussion involved the impending iBrickness, which by now, has either happened to you or not happened to you.
I also caught Leo’s latest rant on the iBrickify rants by Apple. While I agree with him on some points that speak to the desires of freedom, I believe he is addressing the wrong crowd.
Look people – the problem is not with the technology or the company itself. It’s the ability of any company writing any laws they like to maintain whatever death grip they intend to maintain. By using vehicles like a EULA or a cell phone contract, companies in the US market stifle (more like squash) innovation and freedom. You could blame part of it on capitalism, but a lot of it on greed.
I’m reading a lot of backlash today regarding Apple’s announcement that an upcoming firmware update may turn the iPhone into an iBrick.
Most of reactions can be filed under kneejerk, but since that will be the smallest word on the tag cloud (cough cough), let’s analyze this a little bit.
Apple is preemptively warning consumers that some of the publicly available hacks for the iPhone may have caused “damage” of some kind that will either be repaired or turned into an open bleeding wound. The point is not so much that Apple is warning that you may have an iBrick, which is what most people are sticking with. Rather, people feel the point is that Apple is announcing they “intend” to brick you.
Why Microsoft must abandon Vista to save itself | Tech news blog – CNET News.com
Good article. Go read. Now.
…found via Slashdot. I’m not so sure how I feel about this. It’s a ballsy opinion, but usually consumers purchase computers with the expectation of having an operating system on it that is tied to the hardware. Microsoft loves it when the consumer goes to buy a brand new system with the newest operating system (so does Apple, let’s be fair). Without reading the full PDF because it’s 12:12am, I’m hoping that this think tank is only recommending the operating system becoming disengaged from the computer at the business/enterprise level. I don’t see this being a positive recommendation for consumers.
I have two new websites that I’d like to start. Both of them need the benefits of a content management system. Right now I’m thinking either Joomla or WordPress. Drupal is out because I just don’t have that kind of time. Opinions?
Tonight I decided to give the Windows Live Services beta proggies a shot. I had heard about these from Leo Laporte and Paul Thurrott, but to be brutally honest, I’ve pretty much given up on enjoying anything that Microsoft puts out.
Quite honestly, this little bag of tricks should have shipped with Windows Vista. I remember when I loaded Vista for the first time, I was expecting a lot out of the new Windows Mail client. I got nothing but a crock. The only update I could place was the borders on the windows.
Microsoft Watch – Corporate – What Microsoft’s EU Ruling Means to You
Good work, Europeans. You’ve finally delivered what was needed. Too bad the U.S. government was too much of a wuss.
Folks in the cell phone and computer businesses need to wake up to what is going on outside of our country. Perhaps this is the first step toward that end. I congratulate the EU.
So this morning, I’m up way-too-early again, which means… yes.. Verm is getting back on a plane. The past two years I have traveled way more than ever in my life and it’s actually starting to feel like a career.
But you know your interest is piqued when you clamor to make arrangements to fly to D.C. just for one day to see a product demo. Yes, the technology is that cool and that interesting. It’s mainly interesting for our project, but I can think of two hundred billion applications for the technology we’re looking at today.
Bah, I had one more thought that I meant to express in that last post and I completely forgot about it. This is what happens when I don’t take notes.
Has anyone else noticed that Microsoft’s competition keeps drawing their attention away from their core business and running them in circles? Google keeps drawing them into the search fight. Apple keeps drawing them into the portable music device fight. Companies are pulling Microsoft’s meat in many different directions and they’re taking the bait. The corporate desire to be everything computing to everyone is such a disease at Redmond that they cannot resist the chum. They bite over and over, all the while chasing their tail and losing sight of the core business.
Sorry about being MIA for a while. I’ve had quite a bit going on, most of which centered around work. Last week I was on the west coast for some work in San Jose.
Excuses aside, I simply had to comment on the big announcements today from the fruity people. I think it goes without saying that the devices unveiled today are compelling and beautiful. Apple continued the trend-setting posture today. I won’t bother to go over each and every device because I’m sure that by now, you’ve read about all you can read on them – perhaps even purchased one or two of them.
