Michael Arrington: “Nokia and Symbian are Irrelevant”
I’m glad to know that others agree with my point on other mobile device and OSes. I’ve owned all the brands of smart phones, Nokia included. For me, the AppStore and ability to attract developers make Apple the game changer.
From Forbes Magazine:
Eventually the iPhone bigots will get to you, as they did to David Rivas, a Nokia vice president in charge of its smart phone software efforts. “You’re ignoring Japan, you’re ignoring Korea. The statement that somehow the Web has not been mobile until the iPhone is absurd and back to the point about parochialism,” he told a room full of venture capitalists and software developers at a conference in July organized by tech blog impresario Michael Arrington.
“Wake up!” someone heckled from the back of the room as Rivas spoke. Arrington, the Valley’s answer to Judge Judy, wasn’t buying it either. “I believe that Nokia and Symbian [the software that powers its smart phones] are irrelevant companies at this point,” he pronounced from the stage.
Apple’s Swamped: Picture’s worth a 1,000 words
My One-on-One membership is quickly coming to a close. It’s time to try to get in some training on DVD production in Final Cut Studio. Went to the Concierge to book a session at the Apple Store at The Gateway in Salt Lake City. This is what I see when I try to register. 
Since the iPhone 1.0, the dynamic at the Apple store has totally changed. Lot’s of people coming in for help with their devices. The core customers used to be creators. Now that same customer has become a “consumer” of the creative. Maybe Apple needs to open a new store for iPhones and iPods so the computing and software needs for creative types can be addressed without all the people needing a replacement to a faulty device.
Bono, Supposedly, Leaks New Tracks — Ya, Right
So The Sun and torrentfreak.com are reporting that a few new tracks from U2’s forthcoming and likely titled ” No Line On The Horizon” release have been “leaked” to the Internet. Supposedly, an “innocent passer by” recognized Bono’s voice and then recorded (not sure with what), uploaded, and published the tracks to the Internet.
I don’t buy it. This is a publicity stunt designed to create buzz.
U2 and Bono are so connected to the use of buzz marketing, social media, and social networking for me to believe this story. In fact, back in November, Bono hooked up with iLike to “preview” a release of the bonus material that would be included on the re-released Joshua Tree.
About 8 years ago, I worked with a tech guy who really wanted to be a musician — in fact, he played as a backup guitarist for Rage Against the Machine on a couple of recordings. When we went to lunch and debated about the use of Napster and P2P file sharing networks, he proposed a simple solution: upload crappy recordings labeled as the real thing. Give listeners a chance to gain exposure to the artist, recordings, musical style, sounds, etc. When the listener found music he/she liked, he/she could leverage legal download services or old-fashioned CD sales to get the quality recording.
Humm….sounds family.
“The phone of the future will be differentiated by software.”
As I wrote a month ago, the Apple AppStore for iPhone was a game changer. Remember, this is the report for the FIRST 30 DAYS since the iPhone 3G launched. Below are a couple of quotes and the news from Mr. Jobs as reported in The Wall Street Journal.
In the month since Apple opened an online software clearinghouse called the App Store, users have downloaded more than 60 million programs for the iPhone, Chief Executive Steve Jobs said in an interview at Apple’s headquarters. While most of those applications were free, Apple sold an average of $1 million a day in applications for a total of about $30 million in sales over the month, Mr. Jobs said.
If sales stay at the current pace, Apple stands to reap at least $360 million a year in new revenue from the App Store, Mr. Jobs said. “This thing’s going to crest a half a billion, soon,” he added. “Who knows, maybe it will be a $1 billion marketplace at some point in time.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my career for software,” he said.
…
“Phone differentiation used to be about radios and antennas and things like that,” Mr. Jobs said. “We think, going forward, the phone of the future will be differentiated by software.”
Source:
IPhone Software Sales Take Off: Apple’s Jobs
By NICK WINGFIELD
August 11, 2008; Page B1
The Wall Street Journal
Will the Halo Effect Bring Apple Support Nightmares?
The halo effect is kicking in. Maybe a bit bigger than some would have ever imagined. Apple’s computers are gaining popularity and are being sold a record levels. I’d expect the numbers to really go crazy with this year’s back to college shopping.
But I have a big fear, and the fear is this: Apple will NOT be able to meet the growing support needs of all the new users. After three negative experiences trying to purchase the iPhone 3G, I’m growing frustrated with Apple. My ability to see the “Genius” is a longer wait than ever before. And my one-on-one training has been filled with instructors without the knowledge to teach me the programs. The new MobileMe service has experienced trouble for old .MAC users converting and new users who are looking for sync goodness.
I have loved my previous Apple experiences. I’m worried that large increase in users is too great for Apple and their limited retail footprint of support outlets. Is it time to see more “Apple” resale and support locations? Can Apple let go of control and allow others to pick up where they slack?
TECHNOLOGY ALERT
from The Wall Street Journal.July 21, 2008
Apple’s profit climbed 31% to $1.07 billion in the fiscal third quarter on strong sales of Macintosh computers and iPod music players. Total Sales rose 38% to $7.46 billion.
Apple said it shipped nearly 2.5 million Macs during the quarter, up 41% from a year earlier, while iPod shipments grew 12% to over 11 million.
UPDATE (8/11/08):
My iPhone had a problem with the GPS. I had to make two visits to the Apple Genius Bar to take care of Apple’s problem–the first time I tried, they were too busy. Here is a picture of my visit today to the Genius Bar. The place was packed. People gathered around the Bar waiting to get answers to their issues.
Today’s a Game Changing Day for the Mobile Market!
This is a huge day.
Apple has done what Palm, RIM, Microsoft, Motorola, SonyEricson,and Nokia have not: they have delivered a compelling mobile platform that matches sexy hardware with a functional operating system PLUS attracted developers PLUS created a true shopping / marketplace experience for users like me who want to use and buy mobile applications. The application store had the shelves stocked with apps, applications that people want to use–and buy!
Today is game changing day for the mobile marketplace! Apple wins.
World-wide Productivity Slips but Gains Things on iPhone
I remember last year, June 29th. Productivity came to a standstill. People were in lines to get iPhones. I figured we’d have a repeat tomorrow on July 11th.
But I was off by a day. This morning, on my drive into Salt Lake City, I heard from @windley on Twitter that the iPhone 2.0 firmware was available. I also received note from @culturedcode, the makers of Things, that their iPhone version of Things was on the iPhone App Store. Bummed that I was driving, I rushed to a network connection, and got after the update.
On the first try, my phone didn’t like the update. It choked and I had to restore. I thought I’d follow the link from the Things page to the App Store. I was notified that I had to have iTunes 7.7. I downloaded and applied the new iTunes. Then Option + Check for Updates. This time it worked. The update and verify took a long time, but my phone is now running the iPhone 2.0 firmware!
I went back to the CulturedCode.com site and linked over to the iPhone App Store, bought Things, installed, and now–after a full year of waiting–have a fully featured task management application on my iPhone.
Grandpa’s been gone for four years
My brother Scott Baldwin captured this video on a trip to my Grandfather Baldwin’s home a couple of years before his death. While I love to hear these stories and view my Grandpa and Grandma, I still remember a much more vibrant, young, and energetic version of the same man and woman. My grandma gave me a pair of red socks for a birthday present when I was around 8 or 9. I still remember that day and the many others where I was able to spend time with her and my grandpa. I remember going fishing once with my day and Grandpa at a lake somewhere in the desert of central Idaho where my Grandpa’s brother had a big ranch. It was a great time.
Grandpa, I miss you. Look forward to a heavenly reunion.
Winners: UTC Golf Event
I had a lot of fun in this year’s UTC Golf Tournament at Talon’s Cove. I enjoyed getting to know three new guys that I had not met before the event. It was a team effort all the way around. Lee who put up with me as a cart partner and took off pressure when he hit putts for birdie. Preston who sunk an eagle putt on the short par 4 16th. Brandon nailed a number of long drives, including beating out the Pro who was an “extra player” on a par 5 and a monster snaking birdie putt on our first hole. Enjoyed the day, lunch, and putting the prize money in my pocket. 
Left to right:
Lee Jarman (Clearplay)
Preston Jensen (Tanner)
Brandon Perkin (Sundance)
Brad Baldwin (Rocky Mountain Voices)
Brad preps for long par 3.
Swing … hit this one pin high, left of the green.
Twitter Error : gateway timeout - HTTP 503 response
Anyone else tired of this Twitter Error? Is this a Twitter API issue or a Twitterific issue? Regardless, I’m just wishing that the insanity with uptime would stop.
“There was a “gateway timeout - HTTP 503 response” error while communicating with Twitter. This is a problem with their server, so contact Twitter at http://twitter.com/help if the problem persists.”
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