Tim Marman's Loosely Coupled

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• I don't want an iPhone

  No, I'm not entirely crazy. There's no denying that this is a sweet device. The people and markets have spoken and most seem to be in love - or at least in lust - with it. As a device, I think that it's a game changer - but there there are some practical issues I need to get past before I can bring myself to buy one. First of all, I've been spoiled by the the convergence on my Blackberry . It's been an amazing experience carrying one device for my phone, work e-mail, personal e-mail and Internet access. It's going to take a lot for me to give that up, though the iPhone probably comes close. Beyond this, there's the issue of Cingular exclusivity . Even with number portability, switching carriers is not a trivial task. I'm sure Apple decided to announce 6 months before the actual release to allow prospective customers to let their contracts expire - I've already heard people at work planning on doing so. It should be noted that this is a GSM device, so it hurts the CDMA-based Verizon and... Posted Jan 10 2007, 04:37 PM by Tim with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Gadgets, Personal, Innovation, Apple

• A look at Apple and Microsoft strategies

  I've been thinking about some of the interesting strategic decisions that Microsoft has made lately. I already discussed their curious IP licensing strategy , and their choices with Zune and Windows Media Player have me similarly baffled. In many ways, these moves have been something I expect more from Apple than Microsoft. Apple has always been known for delivering closed systems, controlling the experience from end to end. Apple software runs on an Apple OS on Apple hardware. Conversely, Microsoft has thrived largely because it has recognized the value in delivering not just products, but platforms. Office and Windows are both successful not just because of what they do as a product, but because they leave room for third party developers. It is those developers, not just Microsoft itself, that really enable a true ecosystem. Even the Xbox 360 has been a platform, not just for the media content providers, but now for the independent game developers. Given their history, it should come... Posted Jan 01 2007, 02:42 PM by Tim with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Rants, Gadgets, Things that amuse me, Music, Innovation, Business, Microsoft, Apple, Audio

• Is Apple following Palm's footsteps?

  The recent BootCamp announcement is an interesting shift in strategy for Apple, and I think there are two ways to look at this move. On one hand, they have removed a barrier for people buying Apple hardware. People who like the new MacBook Pro but are either afraid or unwilling to give up Windows. If this was the case, they're basically betting that people will be more willing to try the hardware and then decide to stick around. It's similar to the move they made a few years back by making the iPod work on Windows, and we all know how that worked out. On the other, this could signal a decoupling between Apple software and Apple hardware. This would be a major shift - until now, they have sold the entire experience from end to end. The iPod was successful because it combined good industrial design with a simple user interface. I'm sure Apple would love to sell OS X for use on your Dell, but then they realized that it's far easier to get XP working on their limited set of hardware. Microsoft... Posted Apr 14 2006, 04:03 AM by Tim with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Rants, Gadgets, Innovation, Business, Apple