Applelinks Tech Web Reader - Thursday, July 24, 2008
Ubuntu Man Challenges Open Source To Out-pretty Apple
Shuttleworth: Make Desktop Linux Better than Apple
Ubuntu's Shuttleworth wants Linux to "out-pretty" Apple desktop
Talk of Chief's Health Weighs on Apple's Share Price
Time to Stand Up for Steve Jobs
Spotlight On Apple Chief's Health
6 Reasons Why Steve Jobs' Health Is Not A 'Private Matter'
Apple May Be Moving The Macbook To Sub-$1000 Territory
Rumor: Apple to Launch MacBook touch?
A Mac tablet? Not Just Yes, But 'Heck Yes'
A Mac tablet? Not just no, but 'heck no'
Second firm tests Apple's legal resolve with Mac OS X-ready PCs
Why Apple and China are Simply Incompatible
On Keyboards
Toward a Better Computer Keyboard
Malware Authors Take Aim At Growing Number Of Macs
Why the iPod touch is still a viable product in Canada
The Mac Night Owl: The MobileMe Wrecking Ball
Ubuntu Man Challenges Open Source To Out-pretty Apple
The Register's Gavin Clarke reports:
OSCON Billionaire, cosmonaut and founder of the fast-growing Ubuntu Linux distro Mark Shuttleworth dreams impossible dreams.
No, not a return to the stars. He believes in something that's far harder for mortal open source engineers to achieve.
That dream? To produce a desktop more beautiful to ordinary users than legions of Apple programmers supping on the milk of chief exec Steve Jobs' alleged brilliance are capable of producing. That includes a desktop not funded by a clutter of annoying banner or Flash-based ads, but paid for by subscription-based services.
In a Tuesday evening O'Reilly Open Source Convention (OSCON) keynote, Shuttleworth called on delegates to make a concerted effort not just to catch Apple but to overtake the company in the quality of the desktop experience they deliver users.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/23/shuttleworth_apple_challenge/
Shuttleworth: Make Desktop Linux Better than Apple
eWeek's Darryl K. Taft says:
Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical, which makes Ubuntu Linux, called for desktop Linux to improve to the point that its presentation layer is more visually exciting than Apple's.
During a talk at the O'Reilly Open Source Convention here July 22, Shuttleworth issued a final challenge to open-source developers before he left the stage.
"The great task in front of us over the next two years is to lift the experience of the Linux desktop from something that is stable and robust and not so pretty, into something that is art," Shuttleworth said to applause from the audience. "Can we not only emulate, but can we blow right past Apple?"
For the full report visit here:
http://tinyurl.com/5zsy8e
Ubuntu's Shuttleworth wants Linux to "out-pretty" Apple desktop
CNet's Dave Rosenberg reports:
I've been writing about the year of the Linux desktop for at least five years at this point. So far, the majority of the progress seems to be coming from Ubuntu.
What's amazing to me is that more hardware companies don't spend time on the Linux desktop....
Besides the lack of a few important applications, namely MS Office and the Adobe suite there isn't much that you can't do on Linux.
Good looks go a long way according to Mark Shuttleworth. "I think the great task in front of us in the next two years is to lift the experience of the Linux desktop from something stable and usable and not pretty, to something that's art," Shuttleworth said.
For the full report visit here:
http://tinyurl.com/5k64sb
Talk of Chief's Health Weighs on Apple's Share Price
The New York Times' John Markoff reports:
Rumors of Steven P. Jobs's ill health have been greatly exaggerated.
That is what Mr. Jobs, Apple's chief executive, has been telling a number of his associates, even as concerns about his health have weighed on the company's stock price.
The latest flurry of talk was set off on Monday when, in a conference call after the release of Apple's earnings, a company executive responded to a question about Mr. Jobs's condition by saying that it was "a private matter."
But in recent weeks, Mr. Jobs has reassured several people that he is doing well and that four years after a successful operation to treat a rare form of pancreatic cancer, he is cancer free.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/23/business/apple.php
Time to Stand Up for Steve Jobs
SeekingAlpha says:
Why would anyone own Apple shares knowing that Steve Jobs' health may be in jeopardy? As Apple reaffirmed its official stance that the health of the company's CEO is a private matter, investors pushed Apple stock down into the $150s. As the potential health issue lingers, unanswered, will the stock continue to drop?
Here are two factors propelling long-term investors to not only hold through the short-term uneasiness, but to actually buy more shares on the dip....
Mr. Jobs has built an economic moat around Apple that will flourish for years to come. Microsoft (MSFT) has owned the last 25 years, and Apple is poised to be the next Microsoft-only bigger.....
If there is anybody who deserves space, it is Steve Jobs - he's earned it. I've read every bit of Apple commentary over the last few days and it shocks me that nobody has stood up for the guy. Ignorant writers assume that his company is a one hit wonder that will wilt away once he is gone. I'm sorry but it's time to accurately report what this man has accomplished over the last ten years....
It's time to show some compassion in a world full of greed, greed, and more greed. I know that sounds naive, but every once in a while it wouldn't hurt to do the right thing....
[Editor's note: I agree wholeheartedly.]
You can check it out at:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/86447-time-to-stand-up-for-steve-jobs
Spotlight On Apple Chief's Health
The Financial Times' Kevin Allison reports:
When Steve Jobs took the stage to deliver his keynote address at Apple's worldwide developer conference last month, his gaunt appearance raised unsettling questions in the minds of those familiar with the Apple founder's battle with pancreatic cancer in 2004....
This week, concerns about the Apple chief's health surfaced again after a Wall Street analyst reluctantly asked Apple about his wellbeing during the company's quarterly conference call.
But this time, Apple's reply - that Mr Jobs, 53, has "no plans to leave" Apple, and that his health was a "private matter" - has only served to muddy the waters.
"What I took away from their response was that Steve Jobs has cancer again," says Andrew Hargreaves, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities.
Mr Hargreaves said that, as an investor, the health of the man largely responsible for the company's revival over the past decade was hardly a "private matter".
For the full report visit here:
http://tinyurl.com/6k34y8
6 Reasons Why Steve Jobs' Health Is Not A 'Private Matter'
EE Times' Bolaji Ojo says:
Decades ago, Jobs was a private citizen until teaming up in 1976 with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne to establish Apple Computer Inc. Since then, and especially in recent years - following his return to lead the company through the darkest period in its history - Jobs has become the face of Apple and a celebrity.
Peter Oppenheimer seems to think otherwise....
Jobs' health, according to Oppenheimer, "is a private matter," adding "Steve loves Apple. He serves as the CEO at the pleasure of Apple's board and has no plans to leave Apple."
Oppenheimer is wrong, and his comments indicate Apple's management either isn't willing to admit publicly how Jobs' persona has merged into the company's image or perhaps, fearing the impact of admitting the obvious, the executives would rather downplay very public fears of the impact on Apple if anything were to happen to Jobs.
Jobs is no more a private individual than Mickey Mouse is just another stuffed animal.,,,
Here are six reasons why Steve Jobs' health is not a private matter...
You can check it out at:
http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=209401048
Apple May Be Moving The Macbook To Sub-$1000 Territory
Ars Technica's Chris Foresman says:
Apple's Q3 earnings call didn't contain many surprises. Though Apple doesn't typically "comment on unannounced products" in this setting, CFO Peter Oppenheimer repeatedly referred to "future product transitions that I can't discuss at this time," giving one reason for his guidance to investors that profit margins would be going down to around 30 percent, from a high of 36 percent in Q1....
The implication was clear: Apple intends to cut prices on one or more products and plans to make up the difference in volume. AppleInsider reports that Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster believes Apple will be introducing redesigned MacBooks, moving the starting price from $1,099 to $999.....
There are certainly other areas where Apple could be cutting costs. Jaffray also mentioned the possibility of moving the MacBook Pro down from $1,999 to around $1,799.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://tinyurl.com/6opxqp
Rumor: Apple to Launch MacBook touch?
Wired's Brian X. Chen says:
Though some have doubts about Apple launching a new product in the coming months, the blogosphere is aflutter with rumors of a touchscreen Mac tablet, currently dubbed the MacBook touch....
As an analyst pointed out in one of our earlier posts, a MacBook touch would certainly be plausible, given that Apple has already developed Cocoa Touch for iPhone and could likely implement it into a tablet. A MacBook touch would essentially be a larger, more powerful iPhone, after all.....
For the full commentary visit here:
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/07/rumor-apple-to.html
A Mac tablet? Not Just Yes, But 'Heck Yes'
TUAW's Erica Sadun says:
Apple's Q3 Financial call may or may not have pointed to a new Mac tablet offering but that doesn't really matter. The Mac tablet isn't a rumor any more, Robert. It's right here sitting in my pocket. If the iPhone isn't a Mac tablet, I don't know what is. It runs OS X. It has a full touch interface. OS X + touch == Mac tablet, any way you look at it....
Cell phones and tablet computers are all about freeing ourselves. Sure you can bring a laptop on a camping trip or into the grocery store -- but an iPhone or a small tablet mac work much better on the go. So, say "Yes" to tablets. In fact, say "Heck Yes".....
For the full report visit here:
http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/23/a-mac-tablet-not-just-yes-but-heck-yes/
A Mac tablet? Not just no, but 'heck no'
TUAW's Robert Palmer says:
Since Apple's third quarter conference call, the rumor mill has been grinding its latest batch of corn: or what natives call "the MacBook tablet." The endless list of features, the bad Photoshop: It's already here.
Every time Apple has whetted our appetites for new products, the same people keep predicting a tablet-style device, and, since the Newton, they've yet to be right.
I know tablets are useful to some, but is Apple going to make one? Not just no: Heck no. Picture trying to drive with your hands in front of your face the whole time. If you design with a computer, a tablet of any kind just isn't for you......
Join me for a medium-sized rant about this Mac tablet, why it's a bad for Apple, and why they won't sell it....
For the full commentary visit here:
http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/23/a-mac-tablet-not-just-no-but-heck-no/
Second firm tests Apple's legal resolve with Mac OS X-ready PCs
Appleinsider's Aidan Malley reports:
Ignoring action just taken against Psystar, a new company known as Open Tech says it's making Mac OS X-compatible PCs, and believes it has found a loophole that prevents legal action from Apple.
Open Tech Inc. is following in the same vein as its now well-known predecessor and is launching two purportedly "open" PCs, the Open Tech Home budget computer and the quad-core Open Tech XT, that are effectively just custom-built Intel systems based on commonly available - and somewhat outdated - parts....
Instead of installing Mac OS X itself or bundling a copy with the sale, this new builder is offering its customers a mystery "do-it-yourself kit" that will guide them through installing a separately-purchased copy of the Apple software. The company itself would absolve itself of responsibility and put the focus on the user....
....the new arrival still appears to be conscious enough of potential legal challenges and is going to great lengths to conceal its actual point of origin. Prices are listed in US dollars, but the website itself is hosted on a domain belonging to the New Zealand territory of Tokelau....
[Which has to be one of the few places on the planet I'd never heard of before. Ed.]
For the full report visit here:
http://tinyurl.com/5jecwo
Why Apple and China are Simply Incompatible
IT Management's Mike Elgan says:
The Beijing Olympics begin in two weeks. But for Apple, the China games have already begun. The company opened a shiny new Apple store in Beijing Saturday -- the "first of many" in China, according to an Apple official. The race is on.
But is this an event Apple can win?
China is a coveted market. But so far, things aren't going well. Apple has less than 8 percent market share in China for media players, and far less than 1 percent of either PC or cell phone market share.
Although Apple has successfully launched the iPhone in more than 70 countries, China isn't one of them. The company has not yet been able to reach a deal with any Chinese carrier.
Apple's struggle to sell iPhones legitimately in China is part of a larger problem: China is simply incompatible with Apple. Here's why.
Apple is a mass-market luxury brand....
China has an authoritarian government ....
China is number one in intellectual property theft....
There is no Chinese iTunes.....
For the full commentary visit here:
http://tinyurl.com/6fxc36
On Keyboards
Blogger Tim Bray says:
There's a design flaw in Apple's current lineup of Mac keyboards; easily fixed though. Obviously, someone like me has a long history and an intense relationship with keyboards.
The Flaw Right now, Apple sells two keyboards: larger/wired and smaller/Bluetooth. The larger one includes the useful cluster with arrow keys, page up/down, home/end, "fn", and the real "delete" key. The "control" key is large, at the lower left, and by some physical-mechanical equivalent of Fitt's Law, is real easy to get to.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2008/07/22/On-Keyboards
Toward a Better Computer Keyboard
Low End Mac's Dan Knight says:
In his blog, Tim Bray states: "There's a design flaw in Apple's current lineup of Mac keyboards; easily fixed though."....
Bray's complaints about this compact keyboard are manifold: shrunken arrow keys; no dedicated Home, End, Page Up, Page Down, and Delete keys; and the shrunken and misplaced Control key (the Fn key is in the lower left corner of the keyboard where Ctrl has always been). His proposal: a dedicated cluster of arrow and other navigation keys to the right of the main keyboard, exactly where people who use regular keyboards expect them to be....
Early Macs had good keyboards, and the early ADB keyboards were solidly built and had great key layouts. If you have a chance to compare layout of the 1987 Extended Keyboard with the latest Apple USB Keyboard, you'll see how little has changed in two decades. Good design just works.....
It's over 20 years since the current keyboard design was established. It's time we rethink that design in light of what we do on our computers today and rethink the whole thing....
And think familiar. Removing or relocating Caps Lock, adding a scroll wheel (one feature I love on my Logitech 'board) and/or Pointer key, and moving the arrow keys a bit are easy to get used to. Changing the QWERTY layout isn't. Neither is moving the modifier keys (Shift, Command, Control, and Alt/Option), as they've become second nature to us.....
Apple, how about some real innovation in this area?
For the full commentary visit here:
http://lowendmac.com/musings/08mm/better-computer-keyboard.html
What's Behind Apple's MobileMe Meltdown
InformationWeek's Alexander Wolfe says:
Whenever I see Apple stumble, which admittedly isn't often, I stop and wonder why. And then I remember it's because the same invariant laws of computing, which apply to us all, also pertain to the Mac maker. With MobileMe, and the severe outage which accompanied its attempted launch last Friday, we see that no company can, er, mess with the cloud. Here's what I think really happened......
You can check it out at:
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/07/whats_behind_ap.html
Malware Authors Take Aim At Growing Number Of Macs
The Houston Chronicle says:
In November, I wrote that many Windows users who are switching to the Mac are doing so because they're fed up with viruses, spyware and other threats aimed at the platform. Many are victims of malware that often relies on social engineering to infect a system. They're enticed into taking some action that places malevolent code on their machines.
In other words, these users' bad computing habits are a major cause of their own woes.
These security-clueless folks, I wrote, are now bringing those bad habits to the Macintosh platform, and according to a new story on Times Online, the bad guys are starting to notice. With Apple's market share now around 8.5 percent - and growing quickly, with sales of almost 2.5 million Macs in the last quarter - these Mac newbies are a tempting target for profit-minded cybercriminals.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://tinyurl.com/5k4h5n
Why the iPod touch is still a viable product in Canada
ehPhone's ruffdeezy says:
Now that the iPhone is available in Canada and all over the world, do you think Apple will still have decent sales of the iPod touch? I think so.
Here's why:
Although the iPod touch is still compartively expensive at $319 for the 8gb, $419 for the 16gb, and $519 for the 32gb, when you look at the costs of owning an iPhone is the long run, the cost is way less.
Owning an iPhone will cost you about $80 a month if not more. With the cost of the iPhone built in, you are looking at $1200 for the first year and about $1000 a year for each subsequent year. For many people that is just too expensive.....
For the full commentary visit here:
http://tinyurl.com/5eev64
The Mac Night Owl: The MobileMe Wrecking Ball
One of the alleged hallmarks of the Apple consumer experience is a product or service that just works. That was the promise of the original Mac back in 1984, and it's one that instills their marketing spin day in and day out. Would that the reality conformed to the claim.
Here's the URL for today's commentary:
http://www.macnightowl.com/2008/07/the-mobileme-wrecking-ball/
Notes: You can also access our new RSS feed, available at:
http://www.macnightowl.com/rss
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