Doing Words

Hello? Are you still there?

// July 18th, 2007 // 0 Comments // Other news

You are? Well, it would be my fault entirely if you weren’t still here. Like the n00biest of bloggers I drifted off to go exploring the Indian side of the Himalayas for three weeks without telling the blogosphere that I was going away, or when I’d be back. More professional bloggers would have been posting ‘daily links’ type posts from internet cafes in tiny mountain villages, but I was having too much fun with a Leica V-Lux, D-Lux, C-Lux and even an M8 (hah! bet you were expecting a ‘B-Lux’ next) while pro bloggers were hunched over crawling analogue interweb connections – sucked in!

I kept an analogue journal of the trip which I’ll transcribe to the blog shortly, and I’m still uploading hundreds of 10mb JPGs to the Flickr account, so stay tuned for my best shots.

While I was gone, some practical jokers tried to set themselves on fire and crash their car into an airport terminal. But it was Glasgow airport, and it takes more than a flaming jeep to do any real damage to anything Glaswegian. You can head-butt my uncle Jim repeatedly until you knock yourself unconscious and he’ll use your limp body to wipe the floor of the pub clean of your blood (he and the rest of my mum’s family are Glaswegian.)

Apple launched the iPhone – the Product I Must Acquire Before I Die From Not Having One but according to Ben and Luke I need to sign up for a three year phone plan with AT&T with a US credit card and a US social security number to get one. And then find a way to get it to work in Australia.

In fact, screw using it as a phone! I need a new iPod urgently, since I accidentally left my Nano in the passenger door storage of the Raja of Shimla’s personal Suzuki Vitara (long story, but there was a taxi strike and our guide managed to persuade them to lend us the Raja’s driver and his 4WD to drive us eight hours to Sarahan…)

If I could use an iPhone just as an iPod, for iPhoto storage, and as an iCal/Addressbook/iSync-driven PIM, that would make me happy enough for the time-being.

In fact, maybe that’s how Apple should address international markets where it has trouble securing an exclusive telco deal – sell an unsubsidized handset as an iPod/iPhoto/PIM device with the phone components disabled until Apple can show potential telco suitors that it can grow local sales without the help of the telco.

Or maybe I’m still crazy from altitude sickness? What do you think?

My AppleTV reviewette on Meebo.com

// May 16th, 2007 // 0 Comments // Other news

[16:17] goonker: how’s your apple tv treating you? i don’t recall any gushing blog posts

[16:17] bigyahu: yeah i’ve been a little busy and it was a little unclear for a while whether i loved it or not. decision is in: i love it
[16:18] bigyahu: initial disappointment was: you can only sync one mac with the appletv’s HD. you can stream from up to five other macs, but streaming sucks
[16:18] bigyahu: – got to have those macs open and running itunes..
[16:19] bigyahu: – got to have dot n wifi which for me would require buying new basestation and 2x new macs
[16:19] bigyahu: can’t see why it couldnt let you assign some appletv storage to one itunes account and the rest to another. i can visualise the nice little slider
[16:20] bigyahu: had some initial hiccups with syncing from my mac, cause not really clear[16:20] bigyahu: but thats settled down now
[16:21] bigyahu: had some MAJOR issues with hookup, because it needs DVi or HDMI and the TV in our house is connected to the cabinet via component, because the cabinet is further away from the TV than the max. DVi or HDMI cable length 18mths ago when the house was built
[16:21] bigyahu: no accessible wallspace to run new cable
[16:22] bigyahu: so installer guy wanted to run a new ducted cable on the outside wall of the house all the way around three walls
[16:22] bigyahu: would have sucked visually!!!
[16:24] bigyahu: managed to talk him out of it and he put the appletv in another cupboard underneath the TV. so now i have one a/v component not in the main cabinet with all the rest of my stuff, which means the appleTV’s on a different input source (all the other devices input to the TV on the AV source for simplicity)
[16:24] bigyahu: and it needed a separate IR receiver added, so on the TV now there are three little red blinky-blinky reactions every time i use the programmable remote

[16:24] goonker: wow, sounds like a complicated toy

[16:25] bigyahu: yeah, as always, it’s easier if it’s a greenfields install!

[16:26] goonker: is there much content avail for appletv? or do you encode your own?

[16:27] bigyahu: both
[16:28] bigyahu: got one of those usb tv twin digital tuner doodads that records free to air programs using the icetv.com.au EPG
[16:29] bigyahu: the software that comes with the doodad gives you the option to automatically encode for video ipod and/or appletv
[16:29] bigyahu: so, if only the icetv EPG was accurate and reliable, i think it would be time to chuck out the Sony HD recorder

My AppleTV reviewette on Meebo.com

// May 16th, 2007 // 0 Comments // Other news

[16:17] goonker: how’s your apple tv treating you? i don’t recall any gushing blog posts

[16:17] bigyahu: yeah i’ve been a little busy and it was a little unclear for a while whether i loved it or not. decision is in: i love it
[16:18] bigyahu: initial disappointment was: you can only sync one mac with the appletv’s HD. you can stream from up to five other macs, but streaming sucks
[16:18] bigyahu: – got to have those macs open and running itunes..
[16:19] bigyahu: – got to have dot n wifi which for me would require buying new basestation and 2x new macs
[16:19] bigyahu: can’t see why it couldnt let you assign some appletv storage to one itunes account and the rest to another. i can visualise the nice little slider
[16:20] bigyahu: had some initial hiccups with syncing from my mac, cause not really clear[16:20] bigyahu: but thats settled down now
[16:21] bigyahu: had some MAJOR issues with hookup, because it needs DVi or HDMI and the TV in our house is connected to the cabinet via component, because the cabinet is further away from the TV than the max. DVi or HDMI cable length 18mths ago when the house was built
[16:21] bigyahu: no accessible wallspace to run new cable
[16:22] bigyahu: so installer guy wanted to run a new ducted cable on the outside wall of the house all the way around three walls
[16:22] bigyahu: would have sucked visually!!!
[16:24] bigyahu: managed to talk him out of it and he put the appletv in another cupboard underneath the TV. so now i have one a/v component not in the main cabinet with all the rest of my stuff, which means the appleTV’s on a different input source (all the other devices input to the TV on the AV source for simplicity)
[16:24] bigyahu: and it needed a separate IR receiver added, so on the TV now there are three little red blinky-blinky reactions every time i use the programmable remote

[16:24] goonker: wow, sounds like a complicated toy

[16:25] bigyahu: yeah, as always, it’s easier if it’s a greenfields install!

[16:26] goonker: is there much content avail for appletv? or do you encode your own?

[16:27] bigyahu: both
[16:28] bigyahu: got one of those usb tv twin digital tuner doodads that records free to air programs using the icetv.com.au EPG
[16:29] bigyahu: the software that comes with the doodad gives you the option to automatically encode for video ipod and/or appletv
[16:29] bigyahu: so, if only the icetv EPG was accurate and reliable, i think it would be time to chuck out the Sony HD recorder

I may be Apple Australia’s most expensive customer

// March 28th, 2007 // 0 Comments // strategy

I may be Apple Australia’s most expensive customer
Originally uploaded by thatjonesboy.

Since they insist on delivering products you buy from the Apple Store via courier only, and insist on that courier delivering it to you in person and getting your signature, and since the courier company can’t be more specific about when they’re going to arrive than “Wednesday” and is unable to ring you when they’re on the way.

Courier company tells me that Apple pays them for another delivery charge every time they try to re-deliver it, and so far this is the fourth time they’ve tried to deliver my new AppleTV when I’m not home.

By my rough calculations, if this happened another 4-5 times, the cost of the delivery would be up around Apple’s cost price on the AppleTV.

All that needs to change is for Apple Australia to offer additional delivery options; (1) no signature required; (2) no presence required; (3) pickup from nearest Australia Post branch. Offer these with the option of delivery insurance, and you’ve got yourself a convenient service.

Instead, what you’ve got is a time-wasting, costly and inconvenient service for me, for the courier company, and for Apple.

I may be Apple Australia’s most expensive customer

// March 28th, 2007 // 0 Comments // strategy

I may be Apple Australia’s most expensive customer
Originally uploaded by thatjonesboy.

Since they insist on delivering products you buy from the Apple Store via courier only, and insist on that courier delivering it to you in person and getting your signature, and since the courier company can’t be more specific about when they’re going to arrive than “Wednesday” and is unable to ring you when they’re on the way.

Courier company tells me that Apple pays them for another delivery charge every time they try to re-deliver it, and so far this is the fourth time they’ve tried to deliver my new AppleTV when I’m not home.

By my rough calculations, if this happened another 4-5 times, the cost of the delivery would be up around Apple’s cost price on the AppleTV.

All that needs to change is for Apple Australia to offer additional delivery options; (1) no signature required; (2) no presence required; (3) pickup from nearest Australia Post branch. Offer these with the option of delivery insurance, and you’ve got yourself a convenient service.

Instead, what you’ve got is a time-wasting, costly and inconvenient service for me, for the courier company, and for Apple.

Does "DRM" stand for "Didn’t Really Mean it"?

// February 14th, 2007 // 0 Comments // Music

The “Truth Serum Doping Scandal” continues to spread through the online music industry unabated. When will the FBI act? Check these apparent coincidences:

Feb 6th: Steve Jobs at Apple comes out with a communique saying Apple “would drop DRM in a heartbeat” if the major labels would let them.

Feb 12th: Dave Goldberg, head of Yahoo! Music, predicts in USA Today that Yahoo! Music’s music catalogue would be DRM-free by the end of this year.

Feb 13th: Yahoo! confirms that Goldberg and his wingman Bob Roback, have resigned effective immediately.

Don’t tell me that series of events weren’t related!

Not when the same USA Today story quoted sources within EMI saying they were in talks to licence their entire music library DRM-free in return for upfront licence fees from online retailers including iTunes Store.

Of course, Goldberg was probably telling the truth, in many respects, Jobs probably was too, as were the sources USA Today spoke to. But that doesn’t mean you just go out and speak to a journalist about it! You wait for the deals to be done, the contracts to be filed, the spin strategy to be agreed upon, the announcement date to be finalised: it all needs to look like a triumphant step forward for the industry and a win for the consumer, not an unexpected breach in the wall through which everyone in the industry is rushing to be the first to squeeze through!

People: check your morning coffee! If you work in the online music industry, beware! Someone’s been spiking drinks with truth serum and Goldberg and Roback will not be the last casualties!

Does "DRM" stand for "Didn’t Really Mean it"?

// February 14th, 2007 // 0 Comments // Music

The “Truth Serum Doping Scandal” continues to spread through the online music industry unabated. When will the FBI act? Check these apparent coincidences:

Feb 6th: Steve Jobs at Apple comes out with a communique saying Apple “would drop DRM in a heartbeat” if the major labels would let them.

Feb 12th: Dave Goldberg, head of Yahoo! Music, predicts in USA Today that Yahoo! Music’s music catalogue would be DRM-free by the end of this year.

Feb 13th: Yahoo! confirms that Goldberg and his wingman Bob Roback, have resigned effective immediately.

Don’t tell me that series of events weren’t related!

Not when the same USA Today story quoted sources within EMI saying they were in talks to licence their entire music library DRM-free in return for upfront licence fees from online retailers including iTunes Store.

Of course, Goldberg was probably telling the truth, in many respects, Jobs probably was too, as were the sources USA Today spoke to. But that doesn’t mean you just go out and speak to a journalist about it! You wait for the deals to be done, the contracts to be filed, the spin strategy to be agreed upon, the announcement date to be finalised: it all needs to look like a triumphant step forward for the industry and a win for the consumer, not an unexpected breach in the wall through which everyone in the industry is rushing to be the first to squeeze through!

People: check your morning coffee! If you work in the online music industry, beware! Someone’s been spiking drinks with truth serum and Goldberg and Roback will not be the last casualties!

Jobs admits: DRM doesn’t work for music

// February 8th, 2007 // 0 Comments // Music

Either someone’s been slipping truth serum into Steve Job’s herbal tea, or he’s hugely frustrated at being caught between the record labels and the European courts over their moves to bust open Apple’s FairPlay Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology. Possibly both. Why else would the great man of mystery come out with a lengthy essay on the Apple website titled “Thoughts on Music” detailing what he sees as three possible scenarios for the future of online music?

To paraphrase, according to Jobs;

1. The major labels won’t license music to Apple unless it is sold with DRM protection.

2. DRM doesn’t work very well and won’t work at all if Apple is forced to licence its DRM technology to other vendors.

2. The music industry is the primary source of pirated music, not online stores, since a CD carries no DRM and CD sales still dwarf online music sales.

3. It’s unfair of the major labels to require Apple to include DRM protection, and Apple should be allowed to sell music unprotected.

I couldn’t agree more with Jobs. In fact, the major labels are experimenting with selling unprotected music on other sites, such as Yahoo!, already. Even the dinosaurs of the music industry might be able to see that the time to wind DRM back is coming.

But in addition to the three alternatives Jobs offers for the future of online music, I’d like to offer a fourth:

Apple should consider the leverage it now enjoys in online music sales. What would happen if Apple decided to drop the major labels’ catalogues from iTunes altogether until they agree to let Apple sell their content DRM-free? I think Apple underestimates the loyalty of iPod and iTunes owners. I think the majority of customers would side with Apple in a battle with the labels over banning DRM-protected music. And with Apple’s help, independent music would flourish in the interim, with consumers encouraged to try and buy music from outside the major labels’ marketing aura.

Apple could free the music industry from the dead brake hand of the major labels, turning the industry on its head and setting artists, consumers and Apple free for an open, flexible future where it’s the quality of the music, not the amount spent promoting it, that determines its success.

Ah, I can dream, can’t I?…

Technorati Tags: apple, DRM, fairplay, steve jobs

"You are coming to a sad realisation, cancel or allow?"

// February 8th, 2007 // 0 Comments // Advertising

Until today I’ve maintained my silence on Apple’s ‘Mac and PC‘ TV ad campaigns, figuring anyone who reads my blog is capable of finding them on their own. They’ve been making me chuckle all along, and while I doubt they do much to convert existing Windows users, as an Apple customer they’ve reinforced my decision to go Mac and reminded me of why I should think twice about ever going back to Windows.

The latest series, highlighting the challenges of upgrading a PC to Vista, are just as funny, but my vote for the best-ever so far is the ad titled ‘Security‘, featuring an annoying bodyguard representing Vista’s security features. It’s certainly a realistic portrayal of Microsoft’s style of security – keep peppering the user with jargon-laden decision points they don’t understand the cause or ramifications of, until the user is driven to switch off security altogether.

Microsoft’s problem with security, Vista, Windows and software in general is that it really doesn’t understand regular people. By ‘regular’ I mean people who don’t work in IT or have technology as a hobby; people who lack the jargon vocabulary and the commitment to figure out what Microsoft’s software is trying to tell them.Microsoft’s Redmond campus is a giant technology black hole that attracts like-minded technologists who design and build software primarily for themselves and people like them. If you’re not a geek when you start at Microsoft, the culture will eventually get to you.

A good friend of mine working for the company says, in his experience, that Microsoft is great at producing large, hugely complex, challenging software products that take many years to architect and require massive and lengthy licensing fees to recoup on. But when it comes to understanding regular, ordinary people, Microsoft just doesn’t get it. Certainly history suggests that Microsoft products typically have a large footprint, a lot of features, and they cost a lot (unless they’re free, when Microsoft wants to collapse a market it wants to dominate in.)

Anyway, watch the ad (requires QuickTime). The last line is priceless; “You are coming to a sad realisation: cancel or allow?”

Technorati Tags: apple, vista, mac, TVC

Jobs admits: DRM doesn’t work for music

// February 7th, 2007 // 0 Comments // Music