Tim Marman's Loosely Coupled

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• What exactly is an iPhone application?

  Scoble mentions 3 new iPhone apps today from Newsgator, Bloglines, and Google. It's interesting that companies keep saying they are doing "iPhone development", when really these are nothing more than sites skinned to look more natural on the iPhone. The iPhone is the only mobile phone that gets special versions made for it, which is especially curious to me considering one of its big selling points is the full-featured Safari and a better browsing experience in general. My initial take is that these companies are just trying to ride the coattails of the amazing iPhone marketing. Mashable says "NewsGator hasn’t been so hyped in recent months, and all I ever hear about is Google Reader." Is it just an easy press release when you have nothing else interesting to announce? Or do these special versions really make a difference? (I don't have an iPhone... so isn't an entirely rhetorical question). Posted Jul 24 2007, 10:28 PM by Tim with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Software Development, Rants, Gadgets, Things that amuse me, Marketing, Apple, Programming

• Was DRM-free music an Apple innovation?

  Some people have tried to paint the recent announcement by Apple as example of Apple innovating and Microsoft following . Headlines like " Microsoft changes tune on selling DRM-free songs " are simply misleading - none of the technology companies truly wanted DRM, but they were a necessary evil in selling music that they did not own. As I've discussing in previous posts , Microsoft, Real Networks, and Yahoo! were all instrumental in the anti-DRM movement. Most labels seem to get it - these decisions and stratregy are more often coming from the corporate parents, not the labels themselves. In fact, Gates criticized DRM months before Jobs' manifesto a month ago, and EMI had been reportedly been considering releasing DRM-free tracks in MP3 format for awhile. This initially-exclusive deal with EMI simply demonstrates Apple's significant marketshare for purchased music and influence in the market. The mere fact that Apple was lucky and/or powerful enough to convince a major label to do something... Posted Apr 09 2007, 12:59 PM by Tim with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Intellectual Property, Rants, Things that bother me, Things that amuse me, Copyright, Microsoft, Apple, Law, Audio, DRM

• 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

• This Apple advertisement doesn't make any sense. Touche!

  I love the new Get A Mac campaign . Very clever, and great casting. I'm willing to overlook some of the factual inaccuracies because, hey, this is advertising, right? One of the most recent ads ( mov ) doesn't make a lot of sense to me though. The ad in question is touting Boot Camp, OS X's ability to boot both Windows and Macs. After the Mac and PC make their introductions, the Mac says "and I'm also a PC", going on to explain why the Mac is the only computer you'll ever need. It's clear that all of these ads, with the Bill Gates lookalike and all, are not-so-subtle jabs at Microsoft. Here's the thing - Microsoft doesn't sell computers, it sells an operating system. It doesn't matter whether that OS is running on a Mac or a Dell. And isn't it better if someone has to buy a full retail copy to install on a Mac than a pre-installed OEM copy? Ironically, the PC was using the term correctly. Touche is the acknowledgement of a hit - and sometimes used sarcastically to mock an opponent's absurd... Posted Jun 19 2006, 07:48 AM by Tim with | with 18 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Rants, Things that amuse me, Microsoft, Apple, Advertising

• An Apple Tablet? Old news!

  Scoble passes along a story about a possible Apple tablet . Bah, this is old news. According to CNet, there's been an Apple Tablet for awhile. Of course, it looks an awful lot like the Toshiba! Posted Jan 24 2005, 06:27 PM by Tim with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Gadgets, Things that amuse me, Tablet PC, Apple