July 16, 08 by Craig
I find it extremely amusing that Microsoft and Apple are in many senses the very same company, at least in their actions, yet people feel very different about the two. For the average person they aren’t really a fan of Microsoft, and many love Apple. While I’m not really suggesting anyone should love Microsoft, why are people such Apple fanboys. Apple makes the same bad moves as Microsoft, they control their software and limit functionality in order to drive sales in the future.
For example with the iPhone, by disabling video streaming they are simply leaving something to be supported for next year. There’s now doubt that the phone is fully capable, especially with 3g, as qik is already supporting it. However they are having to jump through hoops to do it, when Apple could have simply enabled it in the SDK, and yet they didn’t. It’s unfortunate for AT&T in the process as well, because as people are die hard Apple fans, they feel Apple can do no wrong. This wasn’t quite the case in recent days, first with the launch of the iPhone 3g, there were many many bricked iPhones for that morning. Almost every complaint I saw on twitter drawed attention to AT&T screwing it up. However, from a source very close to the issue, the problem was entirely on Apple’s end, as they had tested for only a fraction of the traffic they got that day, and were not able to scale up new machines nearly fast enough.
Now Apple woes seem to continue as with MobileMe. For all the fan boys out there, and while I agree they make a good product, they should still be help to the same regard of anyone else that makes a product, and be complained to when they screw up. Apple has indeed done a great job with marketing and a reasonable job with products, however they keep a strong reign on applications, which is why I like the applications that are on OSX, but hate that its sucha smaller number.
I’m not saying love Microsoft, or even hate Apple. But people judge them on their actions, and while they drive the boundaries, theres still no hard in calling them out when they hold back just for more revenue.
June 11, 08 by Craig
So this week they announced what many expected was coming the iPhone 3g. However off the shelf it’s still not web 2.0, while a great device its not a web 2.0 device yet. Apple without a doubt understands user experience, but they do not fully grasp web 2.0 yet. Microsoft seems to even have a better understanding with the products they are looking to role out with Mesh and their enterprise social/collaboration tools. Lot’s of great applications were highlighted at the keynote, but only one of those talking about publishing content (with the exception of mobileme, which is a paid service). While there’s no doubt I will be getting the new iPhone when it is released in July, I will not talk about how it is a great web 2.0 device.
If the application store is as open as Apple alludes to it being, then I can see how it will quickly become a web 2.0 device. Loopt is likely the strongest contender for helping to build a location based social network, and when they release for the iPhone can turn it into a web 2.0 device. I’ll be most anxious to see how the push based services they announced will help to allow developers to turn it into a web 2.0 device as well. If I had to have my application constantly up it just doesn’t work out as a full enabler for web 2.0. BUT if you allow notifications to be regularly pushed it just simplifies and increases the regularity of community and people staying in touch.
The tipping point though for me at least will be if or when Apple finally allows video on the video. No, not playing video, but recording and streaming video. The kind of abilities available on a nokia n95, or available in my apple computer through iChat. When I can pull my phone out of my pocket and display to the world what I’m doing or where I’m at, you will have a device that allows you to communicate and most of all collaborate like any other before. It doesnt require more power than is already there, in fact I can record video on my jailbroken phone right now. The nokia n95 does a great job of streaming live video to qik, which is how I watched much of the Apple Keynote, it simply takes Apple finally understanding web 2.0 and embracing it.
June 02, 08 by Craig
A recent conversation of someone that was offended when the were introduced to someone new, then was not greeted first since they were a female brought what follows to mind. The above is a train of thought that came from a 70 year old military wife. I do not believe this is common practice today and is quite rarely found as the common etiquette, but nonetheless I think what is proper etiquette in business is changing quite rapidly. Though I’m not sure if all of the older ideas and principles have gone away.
I take as a first example zuckerburg, whom is a notoriously difficult interview. Not because he keeps things hidden, or is sealed tight about the company, but rather that his soft skills are not his strength. His strength is building a web product that millions of people find worthwhile to divulge hours of their day into it.
Even two years ago when you were disgruntled with a company you may have gotten a few drinks in you and talked to a friend about your displeasure. But it certainly was not made fully public for anyone to see. At best you could only hope you were simply privy to things that would be brought to the publics eye from a larger misdoing either legally or that a mass-crowd found a problem with. But for simply being overworked, underpaid, or in some other odd way mistreated there was no politically correct outlet to speak through.
However in the past years it has become extremely common for those that are still employed, or were employed to voice their complaints and bring to light the details that were once hidden. I think of Zed Shaw’s rant on rails which calls out specific companies, or an older blog the diary of a mac genius, who gave detailed behind the scenes information of an apple customer support genius bar. While I’ll concede for the mass majority if it’s published it’s doesn’t mean its consumed, so it’s not a dramatic effect on any single business, I still find it hard to believe that this overall shift of users freely publishing is not going to be able to be stopped by companies. As we approach web 3.0 and have a better ability to pull in a larger base of information that’s more relevant this information may become more and more helpful to users.
Regardless of the effects, it seems the standard procedures for what is proper etiquette are changing. Whether its talking about your place of employment, or HR checking out you’re facebook profile to see if you’d be a risk for the company, the lines are being blurred from both sides and the barriers that once existed are now being torn down.
