Josh Topolsky says Mike Daisey had to lie

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Josh Topolsky:

Mike Daisey is not a hero, but I’m not sure he’s a villain either.He leaned into his lies to sell tickets to a show, to get on network TV, to make money and get famous. But along the way — either on purpose or by accident — he opened a lot of eyes.And that’s the truth.

Bullshit.

Daisey made up some horrendous lies about Foxconn and Apple that never should have been told. He didn’t open anyone’s eyes. Rather, he infuriated the population with false stories of abuse, caused harm to the reputations of both companies and many of its executives, including Steve Jobs and Tim Cook.

Apple has been auditing its factories since 2007 and making conditions better for workers — that’s before Mike Daisey came along and they’ll be doing it after he leaves the public eye. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do. In fact, much of the information that media organizations use against Apple comes from the reports it makes public.

There is no reason to make excuses for Daisey or his lies.

Globalization

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Om Malik:

Unlike the past, when Coca Cola, Levi’s and McDonald’s were icons of globalization, today the brands are very different. They aren’t entirely American, but instead very global.

I remember when seeing a European brand was odd, but not so much anymore. It really is becoming a small world.

TH2 guitar amp software

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Imagine you have a tool to express your talent with the best tone ever. Imagine people listening to your guitar tracks and saying “wow! how did you get that killer tone?!” Imagine you have more than 160 models including Randall, … Continued

Consumer Reports gets torched over iPad tests

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Adam Satariano for Bloomberg:

To many, the incident showed Consumer Reports is now chasing page-views on the Web instead of actually doing a public service.

Satariano quoted me, Marco Arment and MG Siegler.

Android fragmentation

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The following pie chart and table is based on the number of Android devices that have accessed Google Play within a 14-day period ending on the data collection date noted below.

Collection date was March 5, 2012.

Guitar Rig 5.1

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This update provides the following new features, fixes and improvements:Mid/Side Splitter: Split the signal into mid and side channels for a whole new approach to stereo processing.Global Sidechain: This global component applies sidechaining to the whole signal chain. Essential for frequency-specific compression and more.Favorites Tab: Fast access to the components you use most. This new tab automatically groups the components and presets you use regularly.New Demo Mode: Just drag the effect you want to try into your rack and take it for a spin. No re-starting, no need to change modes.

Guitar Rig is one my favorites.

Creepy Google

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TNW:

The patent discusses the technology to analyze the background noise during your phone call and serve up ads for you based on the environmental conditions Google picks up on. Yeah, that’s creepy.

Don’t be evil.

[Via Ben Brooks]

Microsoft says Windows Phone will outsell Apple in China

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Bloomberg:

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), the world’s largest software maker, said its Windows Phone operating system will propel it past Apple Inc. (AAPL) in China’s smartphone market as its partners release devices costing as little as $158.

Microsoft is losing its mind. Maybe they’ll hold another mock funeral for the iPhone because that worked so good for their iPod strategy.

Commodore Amiga Mini PC unveiled

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Engadget:

While not much of a looker, this box houses a potent 3.5GHz Core i7-2700k CPU, 16GB of DDR3 memory, NVIDIA’s GeForce GT 430 (1GB), a WiFi radio and a 1TB HDD that can be swapped out for a 300GB or 600GB solid state drive.

Mastered for iTunes: It’s about quality music for the customer

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I’ve been listening to quite a few new tracks from iTunes under Apple’s new “Mastered for iTunes” program. This is something Apple voluntarily started to help improve the audio quality of the music we download from iTunes. From my perspective, it’s great, but Apple has received some self-indulgent criticism in some circles. […]

New petition asks Change.org to retract its petition against Apple

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The original petition is based on the testimony of Mike Daisey which has been shown to be primarily fabrications and fantasy. The power and efficacy of Change.org is diminished by allowing petitions that are based on lies.Apple is already doing more for worker rights in China than any just about any other IT company that deals with Chinese suppliers and they have been acting responsibly since well before anyone else took notice.

I kid you not people, this shit just writes itself.

Microsoft tablet freezes during Windows 8 stage demo

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Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 operating system might have a new look – but it certainly has something in common with previous versions of the operating system.During a demonstration of the new ‘Metro’ tablet control system, a demonstration unit ‘froze’.

Giving users a taste of what they’re in for.

China surpasses U.S. iOS and Android activations

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Arnold Kim:

Mobile analytics company Flurry reports that activation of new iOS and Android devices in China has surpassed the U.S. for the first time.

We all knew this was going to be a huge market.

iPhoto for iPad, iPhone hits 1 million users in less than 10 days

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Apple told me today that its newest iOS app, iPhoto, hit 1 million users in less than 10 days after its release. It’s important to note that figure is users, not downloads. It quite possible that one user downloaded the app multiple times, but Apple isn’t counting that, only the unique users. […]

Fender upgrades the American Standard series

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Fender’s acclaimed American Standard series guitars and basses have been upgraded for 2012, resulting in the latest iterations of the company’s four archetypal instruments—the Telecaster, Stratocaster, Precision Bass and Jazz Bass guitars. They’re the same great best-selling go-to instruments they’ve always been, and now feature Fender Custom Shop pickups, as well as other distinctive new design touches.

I’d take a Strat.

Using Universal Audio’s Console app

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In this in-depth video, Apollo Product Manager, Lev Perrey, explains the three main sections and all features found within the Apollo High-Resolution Interface’s companion Console Application. Topics covered include the Input, Aux, and Monitor Sections — as well as inserting/removing plug-ins, resizing the window, setting up dedicated headphone mixes, and more.

I can’t wait to start using this.

Flash-centric misconceptions of HTML5

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Webdesigner Depot:

As developers, we have our own set of misguided beliefs about a certain technology, but as we begin to use that technology we are able to understand what it is all about, its usage, and its scope.

If it can be done on HTML5, then I’ll consider it.

Condensed fonts

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Condensed variations of most fonts should be used sparingly or avoided altogether in most design projects with blocks of text. Although there are a wide-range of excuses to use them there is a simple reason why you should not: Condensed fonts can be very hard to read.

Microsoft bans purchases of Macs and iPads

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Mary Jo Foley:

Microsoft’s Sales, Marketing, Services, IT, & Operations Group (SMSG) may be putting in place a policy to prevent employees from using corporate funds to buy Macs and iPads.

Makes sense. If you’re going to make users suffer, why not force employees to suffer too.