Last week, I wrote about the “softer” and arguably some of the more important PC attributes. Toward the end of that column, I threw out there a few examples of how U.S. big-box retail isn’t helping market those softer features. I want to dive a bit deeper into that this week as I think U.S. … Continue reading Big-Box Retailers are Not Helping PC Sales
Of all the endless arguments that roil the tech world, there is none I find more tiresome than the endless debate over whether the iPad can be used for “real work.” My iPad has been an indispensable part of my working toolkit since I bought one on the day the original model shipped in 2010. Over time … Continue reading FileMaker Can Settle the iPad Productivity Argument
With the introduction of the iPhone, Apple introduced the touch UI and literally changed the way people interact with their smartphones. When they extended the touch UI to the iPad, it set in motion an industry stampede to create PCs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones with touch based interfaces. In the world of technology, this was … Continue reading The Next Evolution In User Interfaces
We are, without question, an industry in transition. The 500 lb. gorillas who once dominated the technology industry are experiencing and undergoing major transitions and a new type of growing pain. And for many, this is extremley painful. These titans will rise or fall based solely on their ability to manage this transition and these … Continue reading The PC Industry of the Past Is Not the PC Industry of the Future
People are often surprised to discover that I rarely watch television. Make no mistake, though. I’m no culture snob. It’s just that tracking tech companies is so much more fascinating. None more so than Microsoft. No, not Apple, not Oracle, not Google or Facebook, not even a Marissa Mayer-led Yahoo. Microsoft stands alone, equal parts … Continue reading Forget Mad Men Or Breaking Bad. Give Me The Recurring Tales Of Microsoft.
Steve Jobs’ original vision for Apple was to own the PC market. When he and Steve Wozniak created the original Apple PC, they fully expected to be the company that brought the PC to the masses. However, once IBM came into the PC market the game changed. By 1983 the IBM PC was the defacto … Continue reading The Revenge of Steve Jobs
A few weeks back I was one of the first to write about Windows Blue and in this column I discussed how Windows Blue could be used on tablets in the 7” to 10” range as well as in clamshell’s up to 11.6 inches. We are now hearing that this particular version of Windows Blue … Continue reading The New Era of “Good Enough” Computing
Last month, DisplaySearch published an analysis, entitled, “Smaller Tablet PCs to Take Over in 2013?” The report essentially laid out the volume decrease of 9.7-10” displays and the increase of 7.X” displays in January of 2013. While this isn’t the freshest of data, it’s still valid and certainly makes sense, given the popularity of the iPad … Continue reading What are the Implications of Increased 7” Tablet Popularity?
I enjoy technology industry history. After the dot come bubble burst, I had a conversation with the then-CEO of National Semiconductor, Brian Halla. He’s also a tech history connoisseur and he explained to me what is called the Boom Bust Build-out Theory. The theory, in short, details how every major industry during the industrial revolution … Continue reading The Best Innovations are Still Ahead
I believe we are in new territory for smartphone manufacturers. Although its true that there are still many people on the planet who do not yet have a smartphone, the reality is that the most mature markets are reaching the saturation point where most consumers–who want and value smartphones–have one. Which means that the battle … Continue reading The Challenge for Smartphone Makers in 2013
Over the last three years, Apple has reshaped many industries, including the smartphone, tablet, PC and even SOC industry. One area of Apple success that was in Microsoft’s own backyard was enterprise tablets, where, according to Apple, 94 percent of the Fortune 500 is either testing or deploying iPads. For a product that has only … Continue reading Are the New Crop of Enterprise Tablets a Threat to Apple?
What is a tablet? Sorry to get philosophical but I think this is an interesting question–especially of late. I sensed from the first early glimpses I got of Windows 8 that we would see hardware that would cause us to question whether it was a tablet or a notebook. I’m still not sure the hybrid … Continue reading Dell’s Thinking Outside the Tablet
As a technology analyst, I spend a lot time analyzing and keeping the pulse on the latest in inflection points, the ones that matter. Modularity is one of those factors and will be an important thing to keep an eye on for the next 5-10 years. In present day, modularity is important with the smartphone … Continue reading HP ENVY X2: One Step Closer to the Hybrid Future
By now you probably have been hearing about a major update to Windows 8 called Windows Blue. Various tech sites have written about it after Win8China wrote about it and suggested it would have tighter integration with Microsoft’s search engine Bing. Some news sites suggest that this version is a major upgrade to Windows 8. … Continue reading What Microsoft Needs to Do With Windows Blue
In 2008, Microsoft’s Windows OS ran on 95% of all computing devices. By the end of 2012, Forrester estimated that Microsoft’s market share had declined to 30%. In 2012 there were more Android devices sold than Windows devices. By the end of 2013, it is probable that there will be more iOS devices sold than … Continue reading The Late Microsoft Windows 8
Buying software has always been an illusion. When you bought a program in a box, it seemed like you were purchasing something like a book or a music CD. But if you looked closely at the terms and conditions you had to agree to before installing program, you realized what you really had was a … Continue reading The End of Purchased Software (Updated)
The value attributed to ecosystem “lock in”, such as the value Apple derives through tightly integrating its devices with its proprietary AirPlay, and the iTunes and App Store platforms, for example, is overstated both by industry analysts and by Apple’s competition. Counter-intuitively, I believe this is a win for Apple, as its competitors focus their … Continue reading The Apple Walled Garden is Grounded in Old Fashioned Product Superiority
If you are a technology company—not named Apple—then the answer to this question is vital to your future. The fact of the matter is that all technology companies, other than Apple, do not solely control their own future. Samsung, HP, Acer, Dell, Lenovo, LG, HTC, Nokia, etc., must rely on either Google or Microsoft for … Continue reading Google or Microsoft? That is the Question
Given the massive market demand for tablets and the fundamental shift in consumer sentiment from PCs to tablets, it was only a matter of time before the tablet race to the bottom took place. I wrote about how this was happening in China at rates hard to fully comprehend. It looks like 2013 will be … Continue reading The Invasion of Cheap Tablets
By nature of what I do for a living, I spend a lot of time thinking about the future. As a part of that exercise I like to employ a tactic I call live the future now. I’ll explain. Part of how I attempt to create a vision for the future and analyze opportunities and … Continue reading Live the Future Now
I mentioned in an earlier column that I had finally figured out why iOS is the mobile operating system of choice for me. I take the time to objectively look at all the flagship devices on the market. I don’t just use these products for a day or two and then form an opinion but … Continue reading Apple’s Penchant for Sophisticated Simplicity
Analysts often take a beating by the new media generation. Many simply look at the term analyst and wonder what in the world this community does. More importantly, many in the media use the term analyst liberally and don’t understand the difference between financial and industry analysts. I was one of the first “analysts” that … Continue reading The History and Role of Analysts
On Tuesday, February 12, Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke at the Goldman Sachs Conference and provided us all with some miscellaneous thoughts on the state of Apple. What follows are my thoughts on his thoughts. (All quotes are from Tim Cook unless otherwise attributed.) Cannibalization “The cannibalization question raises its head a lot. The truth … Continue reading Tim Cook Addresses The State Of Apple
Now on their third generation, Chromebooks have taken a deserved perceptual and business beating over the last few years. Generation one and two were flawed in many basic ways, with high prices, sluggish performance, and lack of robust off-line capabilities. This makes Lenovo’s and HP’s latest entry into the category all that puzzling. Is their … Continue reading Will Gen 3 Chromebooks Finally Hit the Mark?
Yesterday, Canaccord Genuity, came out with a report on the profits taken in by the mobile phone sector and Canalys came out with a report on the market share in the tabet, notebook and desktop sectors – and all anyone could talk about was whether Apple and Samsung could take in more than 100% of … Continue reading The Mobile Train Has Left The Windows 8 Platform Behind
