We saw that Netflix screwed up pretty badly in 2011. TV Predictions’ Phillip Swann thinks that Reed Hastings will be forced out soon. Meanwhile, here’s the first, so-called “scientific quantification of customers’ experience with Netflix. It’s from Forsee Research: “Amazon Soars; Netflix Plummets…”
Apple is suing Samsung and HTC. Everyone is suing Apple. Apple’s iOS is battling Android. Google is rumored to be coming out with its own tablet. So. What’s lonely Microsoft up to? “Microsoft in a better place than many people think, concludes Bernstein report.” Are potential threats manageable? Decide for yourself.
What did we learn about Apple in 2011? Dan Frommer has a nifty summary that puts some pieces of the Apple puzzle into a logical structure.
Have you ever wondered about all the companies Apple has acquired over the years and how much Apple paid? Here’s a nice summary and some background: “Why Apple Never Goes Big.”
Whether you like it or not, you should read a little about Apple’s competition. Here’s a review of the follow-on product to the Moto Xoom: the Droid XYBOARD. Just so you stay informed, of course. Especially now that the competition is heating up.
During the spring of 2011, many of us were enthusiastic about the prospects of the Hewlett Packard Touchpad. Little did we know how far HP had decayed under Leo Apotheker, and worse, how dysfunctional the Touchpad project was. Here’s one of those great behind-the-scenes stories from the New York Times. “In Flop of H.P. TouchPad, an Object Lesson for the Tech Sector.”
This relevant to the Apple customer because of the inroads the iPhone is making into digital photography. Do we need an iPhone and a DSLR? What occasions? Will the DSLR change dramatically in the face of ubiquitous 8 megapixel cameras in smartphones? There’s an embedded video in this story: start watching at about 35m25s and see if you agree. I think this fellow is pretty astute. “DSLRs are a dying breed – 3rd Gen Cameras are the Future.”
Feeling overwhelmed yet? Time for some fresh coffee? I’ll wait…
Are your social media accounts under control? Have you given permissions to too may apps? One fellow decided to do something about it, and here’s the story: “Have 2 Minutes? Check Out Who Has Access to Your Social Media Accounts.
I learned some new terms in this next article. We know about “cord-cutters.” How about “cord-shaving”? Or “cord-nevers.”? Anyway, there seems to be a gulf between what Deloitte research has found and what the cable companies are claiming. Something is happening, but we’re not sure how to quantify it yet. Peter Kafka from AllThingsD poses the question: “Where Did Nine Million Cable Subscribers Go?”
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Virginia Tech built a fabulously fast supercomputer from Apple Xserves. That set Apple on a short-term foray into supercomputing before the company blinked and backed out. Now, Virgina Tech has built a new one, 22 times faster, using Intel and NVIDIA parts to achieve a respectable 240 teraflops of double precision computing power. That’s no where near the fastest supercomputers these days — which are well over a petaflop. But it’s respectable given its size. If you have an interest in supercomputing, you’ll want to check: “Virginia Tech unveils HokieSpeed, a powerful new supercomputer for the masses.”
Finally, from TechCrunch “For The 5th Year In A Row, Apple Wins CES. Before It Starts. Without Showing Up.” My favorite line is something the author, M.G. Siegler, tweeted: “At this rate, by the end of CES, the thing is going to be 200-inches and be powered by cold fusion.”
And Siegler is right. The rumors about an Apple HDTV are out of control. But the reason for that is good, and it’s just like the anticipation before the iPhone. The TV industry is such a mess, for all the reasons you know about, that the community is wishing on a star, hoping that once again the Apple white stallion will come along to save us from our misery. And as our misery increases, the hope rises exponentially. So Apple will just have to do it and make us all happy again.
Maybe the Apple executive team should be running Congress.
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Stallion: iStockPhoto