August 27, 2012
Line 6 ships StageScape Smart Mixer ∞
I saw this at NAMM and it’s easily one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a long time.
Apple’s executive line-up ∞
Apple today announced that Craig Federighi, Apple’s vice president of Mac Software Engineering, and Dan Riccio, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering, have been promoted to senior vice presidents. Federighi and Riccio will report to Apple CEO Tim Cook and serve on Apple’s executive management team.Apple also announced that Bob Mansfield, who announced his retirement in June, will remain at Apple. Mansfield will work on future products, reporting to Tim Cook.
The most interesting part is about Mansfield.
Apple asks for ban on Samsung products ∞
Apple on Monday asked a federal judge to block the sale of more than a half dozen Samsung smartphones, after a jury found on Friday that Samsung had infringed a series of Apple’s mobile patents.
Panorama lets you stand on the moon with Neil Armstrong ∞
Wired:
Though 12 men have walked on the moon, only one could be the first. When Neil Armstrong, who died Aug. 25, touched down in 1969 on the lunar surface, he and fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin made history and photographed their landing site in detail.This fitting panoramic tribute transports you to the Apollo 11 landing site and lets you see what Armstrong saw. Stitching together photographs taken by Armstrong himself, the full 360-degree view shows the flat volcanic regolith where the Apollo Lunar Module landed.
This is another in a long line of amazing panoramas created by the brilliant Hans Nyberg.
Twitter assholes ∞
Matthew Panzarino:
Tweetbot developer Tapbots has announced that it has pulled its very popular alpha Mac app from release due to the new caps on maximum users that Twitter recently said it would begin enforcing. The developers have tried to work with Twitter to come up with a way to have the alpha not eat up the limited amount of slots available to them, but says that Twitter has been uncooperative.
What Apple is really after (Hint: It’s Google)
A nice rundown from Bloomberg’s Sam Grobart on what Apple is really after.
“Boy have we patented it”
Maybe Samsung missed this part of Steve Jobs’ iPhone introduction.
Support options for iBookstore publishers ∞
In very welcome news to iBookstore publishers, Apple has recently added some support options to make it easier to get answers about pesky issues that might be delaying the sale of the next Great American Novel.
iOS icon designs ∞
I am always amazed at what artists and designers can do. So much respect.
Chinese gamer returns dozens of spacebars stolen from internet cafe ∞
The Verge:
According to a bizarre story reported by Chinese state newspaper The People’s Daily, a man recently turned up at an internet cafe in the country with dozens of stolen spacebars. Irritated by the noise made by players of the rhythmic game Audition Online, which involves repeated tapping of the keyboard, the disgruntled gamer had surreptitiously removed the offending keys from the establishment more than seven years previously. But he decided to make amends in order to enjoy a fresh start following his upcoming wedding, returning the spacebars in bulk earlier this month.
Gamers are so odd.
Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde
Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde are two of the greatest guitarist ever. They both write catchy riffs and they can play really fast solos, but that’s not what makes them great for me.
What makes both of these guitarists great is that they feel the notes the play. Everything is there for a reason to make the song or solo sound better, not just faster.
That’s a key distinction between Randy and Zakk1, and many of the guitarists that have come out over the last decade. It’s not how fast you can go, it’s the connection between the listener and the guitar player.
Listen to Randy’s solo on “Goodbye to Romance” or the Classical song “Dee,” both from “Blizzard of Ozz.” You can feel a connection to what Randy is playing.
Zakk’s “Road to Nowhere,” “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” are classic examples of how the guitar is an extension of the song. You can feel it.
If you really want to hear Zakk’s talent, listen to his acoustic albums “Hangover Music, Vol. 6” and “Book of Shadows.” Incredible music.
- Of course there are many other guitarists that have this same talent. Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen, Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan and others. ↩
Follow the leader ∞
Ben Bajarin:
Creating something new or unique is not terribly difficult. I’ve got great ideas for all kinds of unique products that no one wants but me. Creating something new, unique, different, and innovative that garners mass market success is EXTREMELY difficult and more interestingly EXTREMELY rare. The fundamental challenge and to a degree fear around innovation is that you create something the market does not want. This at its core is the reason why it is easier to follow the leader than blaze a new trail.
Dollar bill sculptures ∞
Some cool stuff. Who knew there were so many things that could be made.
Samsung’s win while losing ∞
In a blog post, Robert Scoble said while Samsung will take a big PR hit and lose $1 billion, it was worth it to copy Apple because it vaulted the company ahead of other smartphone rivals. Samsung also sells an array of products that Apple doesn’t and setting up the comparison with Apple worked out well for the entire company, Scoble said.
That’s true. Samsung has been copying Apple for five years and in that time have become one of market share leaders. That’s something Apple can’t get back.
The innovation argument
One of the popular arguments making its way around the Internet since Apple won its patent infringement lawsuit over Samsung is that the verdict will stifle innovation in the mobile industry. I don’t buy it.
Even Samsung used the argument in its statement addressing the loss. “It will lead to fewer choices, less innovation, and potentially higher prices.” That’s just silly.
What Apple’s win prohibits Samsung, and others, from doing is blatantly copying Apple’s design. There is nothing in the ruling that says Samsung can’t continue to innovate. There is nothing that says Samsung can’t release as many phones as they do now or that they have to charge more.
Samsung is using this as a scare tactic, pure and simple. The truth is, if Samsung hadn’t copied Apple and innovated all along, they wouldn’t be in this mess.
In fact, this decision should lead to more innovation, not less. If Samsung is forced to stop copying Apple, there is only one option left — innovate. Instead of sitting back and making their phones and tablets look exactly like the iPhone and iPad, Samsung will now have to do some work. The hardware and software will have to be different, unique and innovative.
The harsh truth is innovation costs money. If Samsung has to raise prices because of that, then so be it. That’s their decision to make, not Apple’s and not the court.
It’s easy and cheap to steal and not improve on someone else’s ideas, but it’s a different story when you have to pay for research and development to create a unique product.
I kid you not, Samsung actually said this ∞
Samsung in a memo to employees after losing to Apple:
History has shown there has yet to be a company that has won the hearts and minds of consumers and achieved continuous growth, when its primary means to competition has been the outright abuse of patent law, not the pursuit of innovation.
By innovation, do they mean blatantly copying Apple?
Thermonuclear
I’ve seen a number of comments around the Internet about how Apple didn’t exactly go “Thermonuclear” in its win against Samsung. There’s an important point to remember — Steve Jobs wasn’t talking about Samsung, he was talking about Google.
In Walter Isaacson’s book Jobs recalled a meeting he had with then Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
“I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong,” Jobs said. “I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this.”
“I don’t want your money. If you offer me $5 billion, I won’t want it. I’ve got plenty of money. I want you to stop using our ideas in Android, that’s all I want.”
Because it was so blatant in its copying, Samsung was the most obvious target and allowed Apple to set precedent for its patents. That was the precursor to going thermonuclear.
Google says its not worried about the verdict because “most of these [patents] don’t relate to the core Android operating system.” However, as Seth Weintraub points out, some of the patents relate directly to Google, like the rubber band effect.
Google should be worried. Steve Jobs’ thermonuclear promise is coming.
Google not worried about Samsung verdict ∞
Google’s statement on Apple’s landslide win:
The court of appeals will review both infringement and the validity of the patent claims. Most of these don’t relate to the core Android operating system, and several are being re-examined by the US Patent Office. The mobile industry is moving fast and all players — including newcomers — are building upon ideas that have been around for decades. We work with our partners to give consumers innovative and affordable products, and we don’t want anything to limit that.
I wouldn’t get too comfortable.
About.com sold to IAC for $300 million ∞
Michael J. de la Merced for New York Times:
The New York Times Company has agreed to sell the About Group, which includes the About.com network of topic sites, to Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActiveCorp for about $300 million in cash, the company said on Sunday.
The Times plans continue its refocusing on “its core newspaper and Web site operations,” according to the report. IAC, owned by Barry Diller, operates Match.com, Newsweek and The Daily Beast. Diller paid about $100 million less than the Times paid for About.com in 2005.
Karma’s a bitch Samsung ∞
In the wake of the $1.05 billion verdict delivered Friday in the widely watched U.S. intellectual-property case won by Apple Inc. and lost by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Samsung was battered in Korea Exchange trading Monday, with its share price sinking by more than 7 percent as of Sunday at 11 p.m. EDT.The giant South Korean technology firm shed about $12 billion in market capitalization as a result of the rout, which came on significant volume (i.e., more than double the three-month average).
August 26, 2012
Samsung execs call verdict ‘the worst scenario for us’ ∞
Yes it is, but that’s what you get for copying the iPhone so closely.
Ozzy Osbourne: In My Life
The clips are amazing.
Canadian National Canthem
I don’t see any igloos. Clearly this must have been filmed in the National Hut of Government.
Getting the most from OS X’s Launchpad ∞
Sandro Cuccia gives us some tips on how to use Apple’s Launchpad.
Autodesk lays off around 500 employees ∞
Emily Price for Mashable:
Digital design giant Autodesk laid off 7% of its workforce Thursday, sources tell Mashable. That totals around 500 employees — including a number of 3D developers and several product managers. Many of the layoffs were handled on a one-by-one basis throughout the day, following the company’s disappointing earnings report.
Autodesk makes a number of 3D and CAD software packages for Mac, along with SketchBook Pro, Smoke online editing and creative finishing software, and more. The company also makes a variety of products for iOS devices.
Oh, and some crap for Windows too.
August 25, 2012
Neil Armstrong, first man to walk on the Moon, dies at 82 ∞
Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died Saturday, weeks after heart surgery and days after his 82nd birthday.
After the dog-and-pony shows NASA and the federal government put Armstrong and the other Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts through in the 1960s, it’s no wonder Armstrong so jealously guarded his privacy later in his life. Regardless, he’s a hero to generations of Americans. Rest in peace, Neil Armstrong.
Astronaut Neil Armstrong, first man to walk on moon, dies at age 82 ∞
NBC News:
Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died Saturday, weeks after heart surgery and days after his 82nd birthday.Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, and he radioed back to Earth the historic news of “one giant leap for mankind.” He spent nearly three hours walking on the moon with fellow astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin.
Sad day.
Tim’s Cook’s memo to Apple employees ∞
Today was an important day for Apple and for innovators everywhere.Many of you have been closely following the trial against Samsung in San Jose for the past few weeks. We chose legal action very reluctantly and only after repeatedly asking Samsung to stop copying our work. For us this lawsuit has always been about something much more important than patents or money. It’s about values. We value originality and innovation and pour our lives into making the best products on earth. And we do this to delight our customers, not for competitors to flagrantly copy.
An important day indeed.
Juror speaks ∞
“We didn’t want to give carte blanche to a company, by any name, to infringe someone else’s intellectual property,” Hogan told Reuters a day after the verdict was delivered.
Good for them.
Using Mac App Store in other parts of the world ∞
Karan Varindani:
At least in this part of the world, buying from the Mac App Store isn’t a preference. It’s the only way. There are very few apps on my Mac that haven’t been bought from the App Store, and that isn’t going to change anytime soon.
I never really considered this before. Without credit cards, it’s not really possible to purchase apps directly from the developer, so people use Gift Cards to stock up their iTunes account.