This link from PC Magazine is indicative of the reporting going on today. What no one seems to have picked up on is that Apple and IBM reached a compromise — he is starting two months from now, approximately 6 months after he left IBM for Apple, so it’s six months short of his 1-year non-compete clause, but still a far cry from Apple wanting him immediately.
Update: Shortly after I posted this people began to notice and several article mentioned the IBM side. IBM gets to review his contributions twice, too, before his year away from them expires. Something makes me think that IBM has some technology that would fit very nicely with Apple’s future plans.
Just a couple notes, and a reference to this original article that explains how it works from a year ago:
First Look at iTunes Digital Copy – Macworld
http://www.macworld.com/article/131751/2008/01/digitalcopy.html
I had no reason to use this until a little over a month ago, I bought Wall-E and was anxious to try the Digital Copy feature. I put the special third disc in my MacBook, which already had iTunes running, and it would bring up the authorization box off of the disc in the finder, but the authorization process kept timing out. So I found that by closing iTunes, and having it be opened by the authorization program at the appropriate time, everything worked.
Just an FYI in case you are encountering frustration with the activation.
I disagree with Gruber, who says “I see no reason to doubt what Phil Schiller told David Pogue last week: January is just a bad month for Apple and they just don’t care about trade shows any more.”
I think trade shows still are good press for Apple, and I think Phil Schiller was trying to soften the blow to IDG. But the real issue is, how much does CES want Apple and Steve Jobs? They had Bill Gates doing not-great presentations for a long time. These presentations were frequently overshadowed by Jobs within a few days on either side–although I think usually earlier.
So, I think it is probable Apple will be going to CES but Apple won’t be footing the bill for their presence there.
Sorry, I must be cranky tonight. But,
http://www.macworld.com/article/138002/2009/01/bos2009.html
Let’s put our list on a slowly loading slide show, because we don’t like scrolling down web pages. We really don’t like it. But we like horizontal scrolling. Yes, we like that fine, just so you have to click 10 times to RTFA.
Poor, I assume click-happy, design.
This is what print journalism committing suicide looks like.
Palm Pre linked on Daring Fireball:
The gist, from a software standpoint, is that all the apps are written as client-side web apps using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Isn’t this essentially the “sweet” application solution that debuted with the original iPhone that developers rebelled, bitched, moaned, and agonized over until the SDK?
So, then, what exactly is the big deal?
Speculation on Jobs’ health — I know, I know.
Anyway, a clinical endocrinologist, followed up by some people that seem to know what they’re talking about:
link
Second post of interest today, by poster TS Low:
link
It’s an attempt by Apple to circumvent the music industry labels. iTunes is a preferred gateway to new music for many consumers already. But in order to get that music Apple is still having to use the intermediaries who own the distribution rights to those tracks.
Now Apple is creating a comprehensive 3-way link between the fan, the artist and Apple. At some point the traditional distribution medium and corporate apparatus will become moot under this arrangement as the artists will less and less rely on a label and can have the ability to interact with fans at a truly individual and personal level.
This poses an interesting proposition, that was mentioned at the dawn of iTunes and the iTunes Music Store, that I haven’t heard voiced much lately. So it raises the question: Who will be the first artist to sign directly to iTunes? Those signed to labels would be lucky to get 10 cents, whereas the label gets to pocket the majority of the approx. 70 cents. Current labels would be reduced to selling back catalog.
How likely? Not sure.
Chuqui has a good take on the possibility of a non-user changeable battery over at Chuqui 3.0.
I only have a couple things to add: 1) This approach might lead to Apple actually licensing the MagSafe to some companies to make useful things such as car chargers; 2) I think a second AC adapter is much more useful than a second battery. Leave it plugged in where you usually compute at home and keep one in the bag for remote use.