Apple

Apple / Zymurgy — No Comments
6
Feb 12

Beer and Apples

Last week I attended a special lecture by the owner of Dogfish Head brewing, Sam Calagione. The talk was titled “Man and Microbe: Exotic Ales Since the Birth of Civilization.”

The lecture was more entertaining than it was scientific, but it was still an hour well spent. One of the most insightful things he said, I think applies to anyone that is a great leader. When asked about how an English major became a successful businessman in a moderately scientific industry he responded1

“A Business plan is the biggest work of fiction man has ever created. Our job as a business person is to get people mobilized around that fiction. “

Much of the lecture focused on breaking the definition of “beer” as defined by the German purity law Reinheitsgebot. It was an inspired discussion of how letting someone else define us kills innovation are stops progress. Sam is a passionate and unapologetic experimentalist. He is willing to put literally anything in a beer for the sake of pushing the boundaries of his passion and never listens to conventional wisdom. As user of Apple products, that sounds very familiar.

  1. I’m paraphrasing since I didn’t record the talk ↩

Apple — 1 Comment
26
Jan 12

Getting Off of the Google Juice

I’m not prone to wearing a tin-foil hat. But I do know when something just isn’t working in my best interest. Right now, Google is not working for me. I stopped using Google calendars over a year ago. I split my calendars between Exchange through work and iCal for home.

I switched my search engine many months ago to a combination of DuckDuckGo and Wolfram Alpha.[1] I have not found a need to go back. The first time I accidentally used Google I was greeted by a list of inane Google+ garbage at the top of the results. That was more than enough exposure for this year.

Docs

I stopped using Google Docs 18 months ago in favor of a combination of Dropbox and Simplenote. That transition has gotten much easier in the past 6 months as more developers embrace document syncing and the iOS 5 “open in” function.

As iCloud sync evolves I expect to have more options. Maybe I would have felt differently if Google had mimicked iWork instead of MS Office. As it is, MS Office earns no love from me. A paler version definitely will not.

Mail

The next major transition for me is Gmail. I have a number of email servers split between Gmail, Apple and my own hosted servers. But I keep coming back to Gmail because the Spam filters are so damn good. They’re like magic. But starting this weekend, I breaking the cycle. I’ll still forward my Gmail accounts to my primary inbox, but for all outgoing mail, Gmail is off the list.

Apple’s Mail has progressively improved over the past 6 months. The release of iCloud provided a competent web interface and the iOS syncing works well. The last piece will be a better spam filter running on my Mac at home. Before that, I’ll see how well Apple Mail works on its own. It won’t be Google quality, but it may be good enough.

Reader

The last major transition is not yet possible. I need to transition off of Google Reader. I read feeds like some people read news papers. I read them with morning coffee, at lunch and after dinner. Feeds are my view into the world. I don’t watch the news or listen to the radio. Because of that I need a stable, fast and reliable feed sync solution. As far as I know, there is no other option.

Google Reader is already in dramatic decline. The web interface looks like it was designed by Ferrari and performance feels like it was designed by Yugo. But, it’s the only game in town for now if I want to read feeds from any source.

Why?

Why go to this effort? Is this a conspiracy? No. Google is just being true to their mission: provide ever increasing information to advertisers so as to increase adverting revenue. I just don’t feel like being part of that. I’d rather pay for anonymity and data privacy. Google has not earned my trust and Apple, DuckDuckGo and Wolfram have.

  1. To be honest I was already using a combination of Wolfram and Google . Wolfram is just very good with the kinds of things I tend to search. Anything factual.  ↩

Apple / iOS — 1 Comment
25
Jan 12

iBooks and the eBott Format

Ed Bott recently elaborated on the evils of iBooks 2[1] due to the proprietary nature of the iBooks format. Guess what? iBooks 2 supports EPUB. He can sell his EPUB and still have it viewed on iBooks. I have many EPUB and PDF books that I have added myself. They look like crap. What Ed is apparently mad about is that Apple has created a tool that he wants to use because it’s better but it doesn’t output the format he wants so he can sell it somewhere else. I would love my Epson printer to output grilled cheese sandwiches. It does not. I don’t think Epson is evil.

Here’s the deal Ed. Apple will give you a great tool that outputs something more advanced than EPUB2 or even the EPUB3 draft. They will allow you to sell that book on their store. They will also advertise your book for free if they choose to.[2] Finally, they will allow you to give that book away if you so choose and not charge a nickel for anything. But they are not obligated to engineer a product that suits your specific needs and outputs two different formats from one application. They’ve provided pages for EPUB. They’ve provided iBooks Author for the iBooks format.

Ed’s logic is bewildering to someone like me. I don’t have delusions of grander from writing pulp technology[3] books. I tend to think linearly and understand the basic concept of cause and effect. But then again, I don’t write for ZDNet so I should cut him some slack.[4]

Apology: Sometimes I just can’t take the willful ignorance rampant on the web. Here’s a baby monkey to make up for it.

  1. He was also on an episode of TWIT. It’s worth a listen to appreciate how shallow his argument really is. He certainly sounded like a teenage girl arguing about staying out late. Complete nonsense. ↩

  2. That’s highly unlikely given how awful those wastes of wood pulp have been in the past. ↩

  3. This is the part where I’m being generous. In reality, it’s garbage all the way back to Windows 95. ↩

  4. They’re still around right? I’m afraid to do a web search in case they have become a malware portal now. ↩

Apple — No Comments
21
Jan 12

iBooks EULA

Disclaimer: I’ve never published a book.

The uproar with the Apple iBook Author EULA is that the book produced with the tool can not be sold through any outlet other than Apple. My question for anyone that has published a book through a publisher: Can the book be sold through another publisher after it’s been edited and formatted for the contracted publisher?

If we think of Apple as the publisher and iBooks Author as the tool that they supply to their authors, then I think the EULA looks consistent with the current model. I understand the comparison with Microsoft Word but I think that’s a straw-man argument. Apple is providing a tool to someone to publish through the iTunes store. They are being generous by allowing free iBooks to be distributed outside of iTunes.

What if McGraw-Hill had a cutting edge system to assemble, edit and output a perfectly formatted book? And that system was far superior and easier to use than any other publisher’s system. Wouldn’t it be their right to insist on a contract that prevented that output from being sold outside of McGraw-Hill’s representation?

Apple — No Comments
20
Jan 12

NeXT [Link]

Such a nice series by Stephen Hackett at 512 Pixels

Apple — 2 Comments
10
Jan 12

Isn’t This What We Wanted?

It’s only natural to be offended by shameless copying of iOS and iPhone. I think most people remember what phones looked like before the iPhone and now see how the Samsung business model works. I’m willing to bet that somewhere inside Samsung there is a big poster that just reads “Don’t think different, think like Apple.” It feels frustrating. It feels like cheating. But if I really stop to think about it, this is what we all wanted.

We[1] wanted the Apple aesthetic and “consumer first” model to win. We wanted crapware free computers to be the norm. We wanted everyone to experience what it’s like to use a Mac or an iPhone. We wanted taste to prevail in the marketplace. Well, I think it has.

We got what we wanted. Apple proved that good design and happy users are very profitable. They taught the market a lesson in making something look and feel good from top to bottom. Samsung, Microsoft, HTC and even Google are admiting as much with their product iterations. While some, like Samsung, are content with copying successful designs outright, others like Microsoft are actually creating something new and interesting. Now they are, at least, equally concerned with the user experience as with partner relationships.

This is what we Mac users had hoped for. What did everyone think it would look like? Did people imagine that Apple would win and everyone else would just walk away from the market? I suggest we sit back and enjoy the future Apple designed.

  1. I use the royal we here to mean users of Apple products. Ok, maybe not MobileMe.  ↩

Apple / Link — No Comments
2
Dec 11

Beware of Short-term Management, Not the Short-term Investor [Link]

Nice article over at HBR by Ananth Raman. In my opinion this is exactly what went wrong with pharmaceutical companies. I’d also argue that it is Apple’s indifference to stock price and focus on long-term value that has made them so successful.

Apple / culture — No Comments
21
Nov 11

Putting My Money Where My Convictions Are

Poor Netflix. They’re really taking a beating lately. It’s a little sad. I really believe in what they were doing but recently they lost their way. Which brings me to the odd-ball title of this post.

As a customer, I am not thrilled with their recent changes. So much so, that I put my Netflix account on hold while they try to figure things out. However, I am thrilled with their existence. I want them to disrupt the television distribution industry. I want them to get up enough momentum that they can effect some real change. That’s also why I’m an investor.[1] I dabble in investing small amounts of money. I’m not betting my future, but I am making sacrifices to make these long-term investments. I’ve invested in things I want to succeed. I don’t short stock, I don’t flip, I just put money down on things that are valuable to me in a larger sense.

Sometimes it pays off financially, like with Apple. Sometimes it pays off in other ways, like when I bought Nuance awhile ago. It didn’t make me rich, but it did make me happy to see Siri be a viable mainstream technology.[2] Sometimes, it’s a major financial loss, like with Netflix. I’m not pulling out, but I’m also not reactivating my account yet.

  1. Seriously, if you’re dumb enough to take investment advice from somebody you don’t know on the Internet, then please, just do me a favor and donate the money to charity instead. Society thanks you. I AM somebody you don’t know.  ↩

  2. It would also be great if that made me rich too. I’m not a saint.  ↩

Apple — No Comments
24
Oct 11

Steve Jobs Biography on Audible

It’s on sale right now for $20. That seems like a good deal if you don’t already have Audible credit to use.

Apple / Web — No Comments
14
Oct 11

Steve Jobs, World's Greatest Philanthropist [Link]

Great article by Dan Pallotta over at the Harvard Business Review.

Last year Change.org wrote of Steve Jobs, “It’s high time the minimalist CEO became a magnanimous philanthropist.”

I’ve got news for you. He has been. What’s important is how we use our time on this earth, not how conspicuously we give our money away. What’s important is the energy and courage we are willing to expend reversing entropy, battling cynicism, suffering and challenging mediocre minds, staring down those who would trample our dreams, taking a stand for magic, and advancing the potential of the human race.

Can we all just agree on this one?

Apple / iOS / iPad / iPhone / Tips — No Comments
14
Oct 11

Mirror Mirror

One of my favorite new features in iOS on my iPad2 is mirroring to an Apple TV 2. This is a pretty big deal. It transforms the iPad from an introverted device to a home activity center.

If you own an Apple TV2 you probably know how satisfying it is to watch the photo screensaver serve up all of your favorite family moments. It’s equally satisfying to sit together on the couch and look for local restaurants on Yelp or look at recipes in Paprika. How about shopping together in Amazon? If you’re a parent of a small child, blow their mind by using Photo Booth on a big screen TV.

While iOS 5 is impressive, the stealth feature that may very well disrupt the gaming console and cable TV market is the Apple TV mirroring.

Fun Family Apps For Mirroring

Apps That Disappoint In Mirroring Mode

  • IMDb (just the IMDb logo appears)
  • Netflix (browsing does not appear)
Apple / Hardware / iPhone — No Comments
11
Oct 11

iPhone 4S Shipping

I received the notification yesterday. Two things strike me. The product is named “World Ease” on the tracking page and Apple and UPS have some amazing coordination. 1M units are, in theory, traveling by a similar route all over the country and due to arrive on the exact same day.

Shipping Notification

Apple / iOS / Tips — No Comments
8
Oct 11

Preparations For iCloud

If everything works according to plan, iCloud should arrive next week. The only immediate actions are to get ready to download several application updates. iWork for Mac and iOS is likely to be released at the same time that iCloud goes live. In addition to the applications from Apple, I’m sure there are a number of top-tier developers ready to start using the iCloud syncing (for example the Omni Group).

That doesn’t mean there isn’t some long term preparations that need to be made. First and foremost, iDisk is marked for termination. I’m not a fan of iDisk but I do have a significant number of files still hanging around that I do not want to lose. It’s been the only way to easily get Omni iOS files on and off my devices. In addition, the webdav disk access from Windows was convenient back before my employer locked out that system extension from our desktops. iDisk has also been a good way to share files between iOS apps that do not support Dropbox (mostly Omni and Apple apps).

Here’s the deal: Apple has said “You will be able to continue using MobileMe iDisk through June 30, 2012, even after moving to iCloud.” That means it’s not an emergency, but something I probably want to do sooner rather than later.

There are some minor things to keep in mind about Apple ID’s and iCloud syncing but Brian Stucki has a good overview (via Shawn Blanc) of how a family can share one ID for purchases and still keep separate ID’s for calendars and contacts. There is also a very thorough discussion of how the existing Apple ID’s will transfer over to iCloud on the Apple Discussion boards.

So I have been pruning and migrating all of my iDisk files over to my documents folder this weekend. I’m also setting aside a bit of time to clean up my contacts and calendar. These additional efforts aren’t caused by the iCloud migration, but I’m taking advantage of some focus time to do a favor for my future self. I’ll thank me later.

Apple / iPhone — 3 Comments
7
Oct 11

iPhone 4S "Reserved"

Up early to pre-order a new iPhone. As of last week, my household is one mobile phone down from previously optimal levels. It seemed like the perfect time to get a new iPhone. Unfortunately Apple’s servers disagreed. I spent about 40 minutes refreshing my browser and enjoying the familiar “We’ll be right back” post-it styled note.

I’ve never pre-ordered an iPhone before so maybe my experience today was typical. I was surprised that what I actually pre-ordered was a reservation for an iPhone pre-order. I was informed at the end of the process that I would receive an email with further instructions “when it was time to complete” my order. I’m not complaining, I was just surprised that it was not more Apple-like. It was still much better than the usual AT&T web-of-confusion.

We are continuing a family-plan that started with waiting in line for the very first iPhone release. We’ve been thrilled with the phone ever since. Insanely Great.

iPhone 4S, black, 64GB, AT&T.

Apple / Apps / Cocoa / Mac / Programming — No Comments
3
Oct 11

Ridiculous Fish [Link]

Ridiculous Fish has blog that is very good reading for beginners. It might well be good reading for more advanced Cocoa programmers but I’m not one to say since I am a beginner.

Make sure to start at the beginning of the posts and work towards the more recent articles.

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