Archive for the ‘Tech.pinions Quick Takes’ Category
HTC One, Android Zero
There was a word missing from HTC’s unveiling of its impressive new HTC One phone. HTC executives talked about the BlinkFeed streaming home screen, the redone Sense user interface, the BoomSound audio system, and the Zoe photo-plus-video app. But there …
The Enterprise Is Important. Let’s Get It Right.
One of the most striking features of much tech writing today is its near total ignorance about corporate software and systems. Except for sites like ComputerWorld and others that specialize in the enterprise, reporting is sparse and when it appears, …
Apple and Imperfection
Near the end the dot-com bubble, smart investors finally realized that a major problem with tech stock pricing was that dozens of companies were priced to perfection: Their stock prices were so high relative to the underlying financials that only …
A Quick Take On The Surface Pro
First, let me say that the Microsoft does not get enough credit for the hardware build on the Surface RT. Microsoft had little experience in bringing out a hardware product and they got the hardware right and they did it …
Why Hardware, and CES, Still Matter
An odd notion that hardware no longer matters has lately taken hold in the world of tech commentary. For example, in a well-argued piece explaining his decision not to attend the Consumer Electronics Show, Buzzfeed’s Matt Buchanan writes:
[S]oftware and services have …
Where’s The Windows 8 “Buzz”?
With all the news coming out of CES this week, I couldn’t help but be struck by the lack of “buzz” surrounding Microsoft’s Windows 8 tablets. Microsoft and its partners just introduced a slew of new hardware and software products, …
Google vs. Microsoft: Just Cut It Out
Hostilities between Google and Microsoft are heating up, and users are being caught in the crossfire.
Microsoft, of course, has spent the last couple of years trying to bring the wrath of the federal government down on Google. This campaign failed …
Qualcomm and the Birth of the Smartphone
Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs’ appearance on the Charlie Rose Show brought back memories of the earliest days of smartphones. Jacobs told rose that he originally proposed adding a cellular radio to the Apple Newton MessagePad. When Apple demurred, Jacobs headed …
Why Mourn the Death of Pirates?
At some level, I have a bit of grudging admiration for CNET for publishing an article so obviously hostile to the the interests of its corporate parent, CBS. But on the other hand, it is long past time for anyone …
Maps for iOS: What Does Google Have Against Tablets?
Google’s failure to understand that a tablet is something other than a really big phone is becoming one of the great mysteries of the technology world. The Android tablet business has been crippled by a lack of dedicated tablet apps, …
Google’s Directionless Map Strategy
Marco Arment on Google Maps:
What this timing (of Google Maps) really shows is how much Google needs to be on iOS. They’re primarily in the business of reaching as many people as possible so they can build up as much …
Why Apple Manufacturing Needs Few Workers
Apple CEO Tim Cook’s announcement that the company would do some Mac assembly in the U.S. brought on a flurry of publicity vastly disproportionate to the importance of the development. It’s good that manufacturers see opportunities for U.S. operations for …
More Amazing Amazonian Mathematics
Amazon announced today that “[a]pp downloads in the Appstore have grown more than 500 percent over the previous year.” ~ via Gigaom
Of course, we don’t know 500% of what, but what the hey, 500 is a big number, right? We …
Dear Amazon: You don’t get to use words like “double”
On Tuesday, Amazon issued a press release entitled: “Worldwide Kindle Device Sales More Than Double Last Year’s Record Over Holiday Shopping Weekend.”
Here’s the thing, Amazon. You never told us last year’s sales numbers. In fact, you never told us ANY …
Black Friday Is Morphing Into Black Week
Margaret Hartmann at New York Magazine postulates that Black Friday is morphing into Black Weekend:
According to the research firm ShopperTrak, sales on Friday were down 1.8 percent from last year, which is the first dip since the recession hit in …
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