Wait and see
Posted on April 5th, 2010
Microsoft has said they are not developing Office for the iPad.
They seem to have forgotten their own history. The GUI Office apps and Windows itself were highly informed by developing for Macintosh. Today’s Microsoft is large and rich enough that they shouldn’t need Apple to teach them anything, but what better way for them to establish expertise in touch-driven casual computing than to assign teams to dive into the leading platform?
Microsoft now has a more isolationist approach to R&D investment, preferring work that supports already-successful lines of business and working closely only with allies or “partners” that they can control. But they established those dominant business lines by keeping their enemies even closer. Not only with Windows (twice, considering OS/2) and Office, but SQL Server also began as a partnership with Sybase.
Sun Tzu would not be impressed by this shift in strategy.
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Conspiracy
Posted on December 15th, 2008
“Watching someone writing an email on a Storm is like watching an antelope trying to open a packet of cigarettes.”
Here’s a rumor I’d like to start: the Blackberry Storm is a sacrifice play. RIM is purposefully taking the risk of alienating some users for a greater defensive purpose, to reinforce the reflexive disdain many Blackberry users have to (the idea of) the iPhone’s keyboard. If they pick up a Storm it will only further convince them touchscreen keyboards are a farce and dissuade them from investing the few hours’ use required to become proficient with an iPhone.
Tags: mobile, technology
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Scruffy
Posted on March 16th, 2008
Via Justin Kodama and Shailendra Rao’s work on “3D Portable Office” design, Understanding Office Ecologies
, I found David Kirsh’s The Context of Work. This paper is full of insightful models, but the simplest lessons are around the distinction between neat and scruffy office usage “personality types”.
I am undeniably a scruffy, preferring to keep information accessible than organized. Thank god for Spotlight.
Tags: personality, psychology
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Bill Gates vs. John Nash
Posted on February 20th, 2007
It is arguable that Apple was more innovative with technology prior to Steve Jobs’s return to power. He dissolved the ATG, home of the original Cocoa, and Apple Data Detectors, and famously axed the Newton, continued development of which might have given us the iPhone as a platform years ago.
But the Newton’s brand had been tainted by the poor handwriting recognition of the first models and a clunky form factor.
New (or returning) to Apple’s innovation DNA is marketing. And I don’t mean just advertising or PR, I mean making strategic business decisions to enter sensible markets that capitalize but don’t dilute brands and have exploitable niches. Any student of game theory and business can appreciate that this is the real genius behind the 21st century’s Apple.
Microsoft, meanwhile, has never really innovated in technology. They have, though, blazed a trail in business; it could even be said that Bill Gates established the practice of selling software. How disappointing that they’ve taken to trying to copy other business models with varying success; the Xbox, Zune, and Windows Mobile Smartphones are all me-too plays. MS has plenty of brilliant minds working on software, they need to get a few of them in strategic marketing.
Tags: apple, business, marketing, microsoft
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Seppuku 2.0
Posted on September 25th, 2006
Sprout Commerce has figured out how to commit suicide in the Web 2.0 ecosystem.
Immediately after Pete Cashmore’s glowing review in April I began using MyPickList to manage my wishlists, rather than using the “buy” tag in del.icio.us as I had before (and limiting myself to items that have records on Amazon.com is so Web 1.0).
Imagine my surprise, then, when my list just became a 404 error and Sprout replaced the homepage with a notice that they are “undergoing reconstruction to better serve our customers” and impore me to “check back frequently to use our new and improved service when we reopen.”
Yeah, right. I’ll be in line to trust you with my data right after you just ate it all. Thanks for wasting my time and energy.
If Sprout wants to find out what I’m interested in now, I guess they can go check out my wists.
Tags: business, me, web
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