My Playground of Thought

Zynga Bingo

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 11:40:43 -0800

Zynga is bringing out yet another product:

Game developer Zynga on Thursday officially launched its new bingo game, Zynga Bingo, on the social network. Zynga Bingo is similar to an ordinary game of bingo, but can be played in real-time on Facebook with friends or strangers.

... So glad I didn't do push forward with my original idea for Bingo Machine. I would have been crushed by Zynga.

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Vox Games

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:53:09 -0800

It's day zero, and it's already a great gaming news resource. I don't cover much gaming on this blog, mainly because I just like playing (I don't really have analytical opinions on gaming topics), but this site is going to be amazing, if The Verge is anything to go by. And even at launch, it has some great pieces, like the feature on Call of Duty: Devil's Brigade or the crazy criminal system of used games.

Although Vox Gaming currently lives at http://theverge.com/gaming, it will be moved to it's own site eventually.

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Microsoft's Inability To Be Agile

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:05:48 -0800

Although people mock Ballmer heavily for this clip, it wasn't like he was wrong. The iPhone was not very successful at $500; Apple - to much uproar - had to drop the consumer-facing price quickly after launch to $399 to spur sales.

Similarly, his comment about email turned out to be accurate too: the iPhone has struggled in enterprise until only relatively recently, as RIM continues to fall of a cliff.

What Ballmer didn't see was the future, though. At day zero, Microsoft was clearly in a better position when the iPhone launched. But Ballmer should have knew that the price wasn't going to stay that high and when the price was lowered, Microsoft should have acted. As iPhone OS brought more and more business-facing features and as iPhone adoption began to explode in the enterprise, Microsoft should have acted.

But they didn't. They stood still. In the same clip, Ballmer says that Microsoft was the incumbent in the market. And they were. At the time. However, they didn't adapt, they didn't - please, excuse the economic terms - have good dynamic efficiency. They were surpassed by Apple as well as by RIM - in business.

Windows Phone is good. Windows 8 is great. Is it too late? These are the products that Microsoft should have shipped in 2007, when they were ahead. Even if they didn't have the vision to foresee the tablet explosion, they should have moved much quicker when the iPad was seen to be a hit success. It's February 2012 and Microsoft's tablet strategy is still way out; potentially launching in October this year. That's almost three years since the iPad was announced.

It's a shame, Metro is a great UI concept and Windows 8 is not at all bad, but the timescale scares me. My feelings are epitomised by today's news that PlayBook OS 2.0 has been released. Despite bringing necessary functionality (such as native email), it is clearly already too late for RIM, at a mere 10 months of delay ... Is 32 months too late for Microsoft?

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The iPad 3 Is Not "Bulky"

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:34:08 -0800

Nope, not really. MIC Gadget just took this really biased picture to ensure they get "techcrunched".

The iPad 3 is looking like it will be one millimetre thicker; a much better representation of this slight change is below - absent of any sensationalistic stagger:

Obviously, it is notable that Apple reverses their common trend of 'always thinner', but the difference - in reality - is almost negligible, as shown above.

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A5X?

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:43:09 -0800

What is this madness?

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The App Store Is About To Hit 25 Billion Downloads

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:33:06 -0800

That's a lot of apps, 75 per iOS device, as observed by Horace Dediu.

Regarding the competition, Apple says:

I say, the countdown has started, and most of you are going to lose.

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iPad 3 Screen Examined Under Microscope

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:38:54 -0800

2048x1536, indeed. Great reporting by MacRumors.

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"They Attempt To Exploit The Situation As A Business Opportunity for the Proview Group"

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:15:55 -0800

AllThingsD:

"We bought Proview’s worldwide rights to the iPad trademark in 10 different countries several years ago. Proview refuses to honor their agreement with Apple, and a Hong Kong court has sided with Apple in this matter."

When your facing a company with a hundred billion dollars in a bank, exploitation by lawsuit isn't the best strategy, in my opinion.

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"Safari syncs tabs across OS X and iOS, much like the new Chrome for Android."

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 05:56:25 -0800

Neat. Sourced from The Verge:

iCloud also does a lot of silent work in the background in Mountain Lion: apps like Messages, Reminders, Calendar, and Notes all seamlessly sync across devices, and Safari syncs tabs across OS X and iOS, much like the new Chrome for Android. Third party apps can of course tap into all these services as well, and a new API lets developers enable Documents in the Cloud and Document Library as well.

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OSX10.8: Mountain Lion

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 05:42:38 -0800

Well, this just popped out of nowhere. When Topolsky announced it on Twitter, I thought it was another one of his "leap ahead" jokes.

Investigating ...

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iAd Minimum Buy-In Slashed Again

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:09:42 -0800

AdAge:

Advertisers will now have to spend just $100, 000 for Apple mobile campaigns running in iPhone and iPad apps, down from a previous $500, 000 threshold and a significant reduction from the initial starting price of $1 million in 2010, when Steve Jobs unveiled Apple's first ad product.

I think it's pretty clear that iAds aren't succeeding. But also, I think mobile app ads aren't succeeding, in general. I definitely think there has been a noticeable decline in in-app advertising over the last year. The vast majority of apps have gone the freemium model, over placing distracting adverts on high-score screens, which has actually proved to be more profitable for many.

To be honest, I don't get why Apple hasn't shut down the iAds project already. Surely this talent is much better used in other web service areas, such as iCloud?

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Siri Is A Bit Preemptive?

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:14:09 -0800

Via 9to5Mac, Siri reveals that it will be able to speak Japanese in the near future. No mention of Chinese though, which is notable, although - of course - it doesn't mean it isn't coming.

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Cook On Amazon: "I think Amazon Will Sell A Lot Of Tablets, They Have And They Will"

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:06:00 -0800

Cook at - I think - the most animated he has ever been in public, in the Goldman Sachs Technology conference, which Apple unusually live streamed.

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Matt Burns, You Are So Right

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:00:59 -0800

Such as here:

These rumors also state the next iPad will have higher resolution screen and high-speed data connection. But I couldn’t care less. The iPad 3, if that’s really its name, sounds like a stop-gap upgrade to me.

Because, you know, a Retina Display, exceeding 1080p resolution, and LTE definitely qualifies as a "stop-gap" upgrade.

And here:

But then the iPhone 4S launches. A fine piece of hardware, sure, but far from spectacular.

Because, you know, it didn't have an entirely new CPU, GPU, top-of-the-market camera, or anything.

And here:

A prettier screen is not going to change or increase my usage

Because, the same person who confesses to love photography in the same article, would not see obvious advantages to a high-density display.

And here:

The company makes piles of cash by outing successful products and keeping them on the market as long as possible.

Because Apple is really known to stand still and stunt innovation. Not like they reinvented the MP3 player, mobile phone and tablet market or anything. Not like the killed the most successful iPod they made, at the time when iPods were the majority of Apple's revenue.

And here:

Apple sold 17.1 million iPhones in the last part of 2011 on its way to be the most valuable company.

Because they really sold 17.1 million iPhones in the last quarter. Definitely.

And here:

If Apple releases a stop-gap iPad in the coming weeks, I fully expect the company to completely reinvent its mobile line before the holiday season including a smaller, cheaper iPad.

Because Apple is known to screw customers over by releasing more than one version of a product per year. Not like other companies.

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Samsung On The iTV: "Not A Great Concern"

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:26:43 -0800

From Pocket-Lint:

"TVs are ultimately about picture quality. Ultimately. How smart they are...great, but let's face it that's a secondary consideration. The ultimate is about picture quality and there is no way that anyone, new or old, can come along this year or next year and beat us on picture quality.

"So, from that perspective, it's not a great concern but it remains to be seen what they're going to come out with, if anything."

In 2010, Microsoft wasn't concerned about the iPad ...

Technologizer, January 28th 2010,

“It is a humorous world in how Microsoft is much more open than Apple,” Brandon Watson, the director of product management in the developer platform at Microsoft, told me in an interview yesterday.

Whilst it is undoubtedly true that Samsung will probably not be beaten on picture quality, is that what consumers really want? Is that a real advantage? I don't think so.

Similarly, with Microsoft's iPad rebuttal, they claimed they had superior developer ecosystems. However, they also overlooked the fact that developer ecosystems also thrive when there is a mass number of willing-customers, and Apple certainly created that.

"it's not a great concern" would scare me if I was a Samsung shareholder.

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Samsung's First Ice Cream Sandwich Tablet Will Be 7-Inch

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:57:06 -0800

Via AllThingsD:

Samsung on Monday announced plans for the 7-inch Galaxy Tab 2, the company’s first tablet running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and its first with built-in voice-calling abilities. The device is due to ship globally, starting with the United Kingdom in March.

I don't know whether that's the best decision by Samsung design. I still think the 10-inch size is preferable to me, and the mass market. However, "voice-calling abilities" suggests this is actually going to be marketed as a 7-inch phone - you know, like the Galaxy Note. That's an even crazier decision; a 7-inch phone!

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RIM Gets 1,500 App Submissions Due To It's "Make-An-App-Get-A-Free-Playbook" Offer

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:52:54 -0800

Blackberry:

Today was going to be the deadline for the offer – but due to the overwhelming interest in the offer, we’re extending it one more time. How much interest? There have been over 1,500 app submissions as of last Friday and over 6600 new developers registered in the BlackBerry App World™ storefront. We have teams working around the clock to approve vendor registrations and app submissions. Because of the high demand, approvals are taking longer than normal – we appreciate your patience.

Doesn't exactly seem like an amazing exchange for $300,000 worth of stock. I suppose, though, if they aren't shipping the stock, they might as well get rid of the stock for some return. Especially if a new generation of PlayBook is just around the corner.

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Apple TV Showing Signs Of Refresh

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 05:15:45 -0800

From 9to5Mac, a Best Buy employee reports that restocking has ended for the Apple TV:

A customer was inquiring tonight about Apple TV. Howeaver right now we are out of stock (Which hasn’t happened since I started). Not only were we out of stock, but I was also unable to order one from our product ordering system (OMS). Product was listed as “currently unavailable”. From prior experience, this usually is associated with a product that is being “discontinued”.

It is due. The last Apple TV refresh was October 2010. It's now over a year later; the typical refresh pattern for iOS devices. This is particularly notable as the conflict of interest between the box and the (rumoured) TV set has still not been explored. Does the Apple TV box stay around if a real Apple TV appears?

The 9to5Mac report seems to suggest so.

Another point to think about is that, assuming the TV and box are both offered for purchase, does it make sense to update the Apple TV box now, on it's own? Wouldn't it make more sense to release the brand-spanking new TV set and updated Apple TV box at the same time?

Just something to think about.

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Traditional Windows Desktop Is Coming To ARM

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:50:45 -0800

... However, it is only for Windows apps and Office. No other apps are allowed in this desktop environment. So my question is ... why bother with a desktop at all?

People will assume that desktop can run more than Microsoft Office. It seems like a lot of work (porting the traditional desktop to ARM) and then limiting it to just Office.

In my opinion, time would have been much better spent optimising the Metro interface, and making a really great Metro Office experience that runs in the Metro environment, and shelving the desktop-on-ARM project altogether.

My Playground of Thought

Zynga Bingo

Vox Games

Microsoft's Inability To Be Agile

The iPad 3 Is Not "Bulky"

A5X?

The App Store Is About To Hit 25 Billion Downloads

iPad 3 Screen Examined Under Microscope

"They Attempt To Exploit The Situation As A Business Opportunity for the Proview Group"

"Safari syncs tabs across OS X and iOS, much like the new Chrome for Android."

OSX10.8: Mountain Lion

iAd Minimum Buy-In Slashed Again

Siri Is A Bit Preemptive?

Cook On Amazon: "I think Amazon Will Sell A Lot Of Tablets, They Have And They Will"

Matt Burns, You Are So Right

Samsung On The iTV: "Not A Great Concern"

Samsung's First Ice Cream Sandwich Tablet Will Be 7-Inch

RIM Gets 1,500 App Submissions Due To It's "Make-An-App-Get-A-Free-Playbook" Offer

Apple TV Showing Signs Of Refresh

Traditional Windows Desktop Is Coming To ARM

Charting The iPad 3