November 22, 2011
Written by Peter Cohen
Horace Dediu (Asymco):
The consensus is that the value of future, unknown products is zero. Not only that but the probability that there will be any products at all is equally zero. Not only that but whatever Apple does to create new products is not perceptibly valuable. The company is simply the sum-of-the-product-parts and nothing more. Cash flows from current products can easily be shown to be more than the current valuation so even these products are deeply discounted. If and when a new product shows up, it will be considered and maybe if it shows promise, the stock will reflect that, briefly.
Dediu hits the nail on the head – as far as Wall Street is concerned, you’re only as good as your latest hit. And this is one of the many reasons why those of us who have watched Apple for a long time go absolutely crazy when we read what passes for Apple analysis from financial experts.
(Hat tip: Fortune Tech)
November 21, 2011
Following criticism of its pricing for future versions of Creative Suite, Adobe responded on Monday with a statement sent to The Loop.
“Our aggressive subscription price for Adobe Creative Cloud – $49 per month for every Adobe Creative Suite application, our new touch apps and new cloud-based services – will provide incredible value for the creative community and we will clarify and promote these benefits to our customers over the next few months,” reads the statement. “The changes to our upgrade policy, for customers who would like to continue to purchase CS software as a perpetual license, benefits customers who are on the latest versions of our software. We have promotions that enable customers to upgrade to the latest CS version ahead of CS6 at a reduced rate – at the moment we are offering 20% off any upgrade to the latest version of their Adobe software.”
The response to Adobe’s pricing has been strong throughout the community, but that stands to reason considering how many creative pros use the company’s software.
Written by Peter Cohen
Farhad Manjoo, for Slate.com:
Is Android trying to be elegant, like the iPhone OS? Does it want to be starkly minimalist, like the beautiful Windows Phone? Does it have its own, completely different take on the mobile interface? I can’t tell. Like previous versions of Android, ice cream sandwich doesn’t settle on an aesthetic: As you go from app to app, everything about the design changes.
Farhad’s talking about Android 4.0 (a.k.a. Ice Cream Sandwich), which Google has apparently redesigned using “ethnographic research” to make it a better user experience. Sounds like they’ve missed the mark, if Manjoo’s experience is any example.
Written by Peter Cohen
FOSS Patents:
The US International Trade Commission has dismissed S3 Graphics’ first complaint against Apple in its entirety. … It’s a setback for HTC, which is in the process of acquiring S3 Graphics and was hoping to gain leverage against Apple.
Continue to the link for Florian Mueller’s typically insightful and interesting analysis of what this means for patent law.
Written by Peter Cohen
Poynter:
The results of a new poll by “show us that there is something about watching Fox News that leads people to do worse on these questions than those who don’t watch any news at all,” says Dan Cassino, a professor of political science at Fairleigh Dickinson.
It’s still an open question as to cause or effect: Does watching Fox News make you stupid, or do you have to be stupid to watch Fox News to begin with?
Written by Jim Dalrymple
Former Apple vice president Ron Johnson writing for the Harvard Business Review:
People come to the Apple Store for the experience — and they’re willing to pay a premium for that. There are lots of components to that experience, but maybe the most important — and this is something that can translate to any retailer — is that the staff isn’t focused on selling stuff, it’s focused on building relationships and trying to make people’s lives better. That may sound hokey, but it’s true. The staff is exceptionally well trained, and they’re not on commission, so it makes no difference to them if they sell you an expensive new computer or help you make your old one run better so you’re happy with it. Their job is to figure out what you need and help you get it, even if it’s a product Apple doesn’t carry. Compare that with other retailers where the emphasis is on cross-selling and upselling and, basically, encouraging customers to buy more, even if they don’t want or need it. That doesn’t enrich their lives, and it doesn’t deepen the retailer’s relationship with them. It just makes their wallets lighter.
Daniel Monahan has started funding on a Kickstarter project he calls the Creature Case. It’s an interactive case for the iPhone and iPod touch that comes with nine attachable limbs and a face creation app.
Made of silicone, the Creature Case has 21 nodes on it that act as both shock absorbers and connection points for the 9 “bits” that can be plugged in. The bits include arm and leg attachments and allow the case to stand up and rest on a flat surface.
Monahan hopes to get $15,000 pledged to the project within the next month to fund tooling costs, a production run and the development of the face creation app. Anyone who pledges $25 or more gets a case, and as with all Kickstarter projects, it’s an all or nothing deal – if the goal isn’t reached, your account isn’t charged. (And folks who only pitch in $1 can get a colorful AppCrayon stylus instead.)
After playing guitar for 20 years, you come to appreciate having a great guitar strap. I’d played long enough with bad straps that cut into my shoulder or have uncomfortable adjustment fittings cutting into my back that I thought I’d share this.
A few years ago I contacted Torry at Red Monkey Designs to make me a strap. What I got was amazing.
A 3-inch wide leather strap, custom measured for my height and where I hold my guitar. It’s the exact strap that Torry makes for Zakk Wylde. The second I put this on, I knew it was going to help my back and shoulder.
Typically I play a Les Paul, so weight was definitely a consideration for me when choosing a strap. The problem is, nothing could hold the guitar and keep me comfortable for long periods of time, until I got this one.
I’ve told everyone from big name guitarists to the guy down the street about these straps. Now I’m telling you. Get one, you won’t regret it.
I’ve been using this guitar strap for about four years and wouldn’t trade it for anything.
For those that have seen pictures of my Zakk Wylde Black Label Society vest — Torry made that too. Of course, he makes them for Zakk and the band as well.
Written by Jim Dalrymple
John Murrell:
Parr then confirmed his departure to AllThingsD, indicating that he’d have more to say on Monday. Mashable limited its official response to a single sentence, “confirming the terms of departure were termination.”
This should be interesting.
This one should have no infinity symbol, but larger text in the headline.
Where does the infinity symbol show up?
Apple controls about 85-90 percent of the money spent on mobile applications, according to a research note from an analyst on Monday.
In the note to clients, Piper Jaffray Senior Research Analyst, Gene Munster said he believes Google’s Android Market has generated about 7 percent of the gross revenue that Apple’s App Store has since it started.
Of course, the Android Market will grow, but Munster believes that even with that growth Apple will control more than 70 percent of the App Store dollars over the next 3-4 years.
According to Munster’s calculations, he says that about 1.3 percent of the apps downloaded for Android are paid apps. In comparison, he believes that 14 percent of apps downloaded from Apple’s App Store are paid apps.
Written by Peter Cohen
TechCrunch:
“The amount of malware targeted at Android devices jumped nearly 37 percent since last quarter, and puts 2011 on track to be the busiest in mobile and general malware history. Nearly all new mobile malware in Q3 was targeted at Android. This follows a 76 percent rise in Android malware in Q2 of 2011.”
What with Android being so popular and all, must be security through obscurity that’s keeping iPhone safe. Right. Right?
Written by Jim Dalrymple
Time to bring your desktop to life. Since 2005 My Living Desktop has been bringing a unique cross between a Video Desktop (moving wallpaper) and a traditional screensaver to your Macintosh. My Living Desktop adds a whole new dimension to your computing experience by turning your Mac’s desktop into a beautiful, moving environment… complete with soothing sounds.
My Living Desktop provides a wide array of stunning, relaxing high definition video scenes shot from all over the world that you can use on your desktop and as a screensaver. You can even import your own movie segments to create a truly personal and unique desktop environment.
Market research firm Canalys on Monday said it expects Apple to overtake HP and become the world’s leading PC vendor before the second half of 2012.
Canalys counts iPad as PCs and says that tablets the category has “radically changed the dynamics of the PC industry over the last year.” In fact, iPad sales have put Apple in second place in 2011 PC shipments for the third-quarter.
“Apple has seen its PC market share expand from 9% to 15% in just four quarters, though iPad shipments in its core market – the United States – are likely to come under pressure in Q4 due to the launch of the Fire and Nook at extremely competitive price points,” said Canalys Analyst Tim Coulling. “HP and Apple will fight for top position in Q4, but Apple may have to wait for the release of iPad 3 before it passes HP.”
Research from Canalys indicates PC sales should reach 415 million, up 15 percent over last year.
Written by Jim Dalrymple
Those that have read my music posts, seen pictures or looked at my reviews, know that I use Gibson and Jackson guitars a lot. However, if I was going to get a Dean guitar, this would be it. Rust In Peace.
Written by Jim Dalrymple
As president of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) I represent more than 70,000 Photoshop users around the world. However as I’m writing this open letter to you today, I would say that most of our 70,000 members have no idea about the upgrade policy changes you just announced, or about how these changes will affect them.
When someone with Scott’s stature in the creative industry can’t get answers, you know Adobe has some problems.
Written by Jim Dalrymple
Matt Alexander:
Reading on an iPad is fine, but for long-form writing, the e-ink experience is the best option available. While I would like to support the underdog, the Nook, I am simply too involved in Amazon’s ecosystem to look back now. Prime is a truly great service, and with its continually growing benefits, I can’t see myself diluting my shopping habits purely for e-books. I wish B&N the best, and I admire their leg work, but for now, I’m definitely on board with Amazon’s offering.
I still don’t get the Kindle.
November 19, 2011
The One Club for Art and Copy said it will induct Apple co-founder Steve Jobs into the Creative Hall of Fame on January 17, 2012 at an event in New York City.
According to the hall of fame, Jobs will “honored for a lifetime of contributions to design, branding and communications. As a visionary leader, his passion for design not only created products that changed the way we interact with technology and media, but changed the way we create content in media.”
The organization also said that “since 1984 the One Show has awarded over 100 pieces of advertising and design created and produced for Apple by Apple’s design team and by the long and storied partnership with Chiat/Day, which continues today with TBWA\Media Arts Lab.”
You can purchase tickets to the event $500 per person.
November 18, 2011
Written by Jim Dalrymple
Chris Martucci:
We tell college freshman, “You have plenty of time to figure out what you want to do,” and they major in psychology, religion, or philosophy. Now, it’d be ironic for me to downplay these fields, but the sad truth is that there aren’t many jobs out there for the average B-student with a liberal arts education.
Chris is right in that we don’t respect technical schooling enough. Ultimately, you have to do what you love — that’s what I told my kids.
This week, John Stanton revealed Steve Jobs’ unfulfilled desire to leverage the unlicensed wireless spectrum to build an Apple wireless network, presumably for use primarily with iOS devices. Of course, if this had happened, it would’ve meant that Apple would forego the normal, carrier-centric model in the wireless industry, and would have had its own network to control and govern. Quite the concept, really.
The giants holding onto the wireless industry would have been instantly and emphatically subverted in a truly profound manner. If you listen to certain naysayers, such revolutionary change is unfeasible due to legal barriers, but I’m inclined to disagree.
In fact, I would go as far as to say this revolution is already well underway.
With the launch of iOS 5, Apple introduced iMessage. With iMessage, users are able to text message for free, sans-carrier control — even internationally. If Apple had attempted to introduce such a feature with the first iPhone, it’s likely AT&T would’ve laughed Apple out of its offices. But now Apple is one of the largest wireless manufacturers in the world, and carriers are scrambling to prove that their network provides the best iPhone coverage.
Carriers that are used to placing their own apps and branding on phones quietly accept that Apple will not allow this, and offer little (if any) complaint. In essence, no carrier with any sense would risk refusing Apple, its principles, its software, and most importantly, its popular hardware for fear of significant damage in market share.
As such, iMessage appears to be a trojan horse. It has been supplanted into the carrier environment, along with Facetime, and users are just steadily beginning to grasp the gravity of such features.
Yesterday, hints of iChat code were uncovered in iOS. Many have reacted saying “it was only a matter of time,” and they’re right to say so, but what implications would an iChat feature hold for the iOS ecosystem? I doubt it would be a simple text interface, but rather an amalgamation of voice, video, and text chat, cross-platform, and without boundary.
If so, Steve Jobs’ desire to subvert carriers may not occur in such an explosive manner from the outside, but may occur as more of a revolution from within. The Apple trojan horse is firmly parked in the industry, and it is set to open, and to burn what lays before it. Whether or not an iChat client would provide this vessel for change, I’d argue it’s an inevitability that Apple will build some sort of VoIP implementation into iOS – it’s a matter of logical progression.
Many argue this is what is set to happen with the television, but indications point to hesitance in the industry. As a result, there are defeatist opinions opining about the impossibility of Apple’s rumored goal. And yet, Apple’s ability for rapid industry change is evident before all of us, whether most are aware of it or not. Carriers are allowing Apple to introduce features that wholly subvert their own pricing models, and the trend is only set to continue.
While some of these features are available on other platforms (e.g., BlackBerry Messenger, and so on), it is unquestionable that Apple’s propensity for unique, simplistic solutions has the unparalleled potential for industry-altering change. Forget exchanging pins and usernames, Apple’s system is automatic and firmly in the background.
Record labels balked at iTunes, and Apple conceded with DRM. DRM was later removed. Apple got its way and now controls the majority of the digital media business.
To that end, I’d argue that history is self-evident, and anyone who chooses to question the potential for the paradigm shifting power of Apple is shortsighted. Steve’s vision seems set to come to life, albeit via a different route, and I believe that is a marker for other shifts to come.
Written by Jim Dalrymple
WSJ:
Verizon Wireless customers may have to wait more than three weeks for the device, according to the carrier’s website. That compares with as much as 21 days at AT&T and up to 14 days at Sprint Nextel. While some tech blogs have suggested Apple’s manufacturing isn’t keeping pace, the carriers point to unexpectedly strong demand for the handset.
And the new BlackBerry sales are slowing. People would rather wait weeks to get an iPhone than take their pick of a BlackBerry now.
