* Posts by Jazz Kilkullen

18 publicly visible posts • joined 22 May 2007

Hmm, I think I'll order an iPad Mini on Amazon ... Oh no I won't

Jazz Kilkullen

Re: Sorry, the Apple products aren't yet "the same as everyone else's".

Early iPod reviews from 2001:

www.geekosystem.com/ipod-2001-ipad-bad-reviews

www.wired.com/gadgets/miscellaneous/news/2001/10/47805

www.mobileindustryreview.com/2006/03/the_ipod_what_a.html

Technology Business Research analyst Tim Deal said in 2001: "Clearly Apple is following Sony's lead by integrating consumer electronics devices into its marketing strategy, but Apple lacks the richness of Sony's product offering. And introducing new consumer products right now is risky, especially if they cannot be priced attractively."

Stephen Baker, an analyst at NPD Intelect, said that the iPod will likely stand out for its large storage capacity but predicted that the device may have trouble digging out a niche in the market.

____________

early iPad reviews from 2010:

www.asymco.com/2011/03/04/flummoxed-again

www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/29/apple-ipad-review-photos_n_441770.html

John Biggs, TechCrunch:

"The device, as it stands, is so close to the original iPhone that you get a sense of Deja Vu when you open the box and are exposed to the empty canvas bare of apps. Out of the box it is, at best, a large iPod Touch."

On the other hand, Walt Mossberg said presciently:

"It's about the software, stupid", meaning hardware features and build are less important to the iPad's success than software and user interface, his first impressions of which were largely positive.

Will TWO next-gen iPads be unveiled at January's iWorld?

Jazz Kilkullen

Nonsense.

It would be following the same product introduction cycle that Apple's been following for years. Introduce a new form factor (e.g., the iPod), get everyone used to the idea, then introduce a high end version (like the iPod Touch) and a low-end version (like the Shuffle-- limited capabilities, but does them very well). Keep the original version around and call it "The Classic".

Ballmer disses Android as cheap and complex

Jazz Kilkullen

Kiss of Death

It was just a few months ago that HP was bragging in the press about how their new TouchPad tablet was going to be "BETTER than #1--we're going to be #1 Plus!"

'Amazon Tax' California decision pushed back a year

Jazz Kilkullen

Hasn't Amazon already cut off its CA affiliates?

www.theregister.co.uk/2011/06/30/amazon_tax_hissy_fit/

And it's not as simple as "Amazon doesn't pay the tax, consumers do". It has more of a negative impact on Amazon than you'd think. Even a small dent in the quantities Amazon sells (> $34 billion/year in sales) is a sizable amount of money. And this is not even counting the extra administrative/building/tracking/filing costs for Amazon (as others have pointed out, figuring out all the appropriate city/county/state taxes in California is a big pain, and the rates are CONSTANTLY changing based on things like type of product sold), which due to their huge size is probably an additional significant cost for Amazon, a cost that your basic local business wouldn't have to worry about as much (unless they sold as wide a range of products as Amazon, and did a high volume of selling and shipping all over California, and had a lot of customer service staff answering questions about taxes.).

Should they have to track and collect sales tax that similar businesses are tracking and collecting? Sure. But are there any? With that range of products, that volume of sales in CA, and the volume of customer service reps (and related costs) they would need to deal with questions about taxes? If the additional cost to Amazon is much more than the potential benefit, what do you think they're going to do?

Stephen on Steve: The most important man on Earth

Jazz Kilkullen
Alert

He rated a Viao as "crap"

"purely because he couldn't work his way around the OS to do really simple stuff."

Shocking! COMPLETELY unrealistic expectations on his part. I bet he thinks that with a smartphone it should be easy to figure out how to make phone calls.

Apple shares drop after Jobs resignation

Jazz Kilkullen
Thumb Down

He's still alive, and he's still around.

It's been noted in the press that when Steve was "on leave of absence", he frequently participated in strategy and frequently called executives. He's already got Apple's next ten years planned out. As long as he's still alive (and Chairman of the Board), you can bet no Apple product will go out the door without his approval.

btw, there's apparently some evidence of the lawsuits increasing when he was out of the office.

Jazz Kilkullen
Thumb Down

Woz doesn't think he did all the work.

When he found out about Steve resigning, he said, and was quoted in the San Jose Mercury News as saying:

"He always wanted to get technology out of the way for people to get answers in their lives.I could never do it as well, but I always wanted to. He wasn't one day ahead of everyone else, he was 10 years ahead of everyone else."

Apple rumor mill predicts 'all new Mac'

Jazz Kilkullen
Go

Following Apple's traditional product introduction cycle,

the next 2 products would be a high-end, souped-up iPad (compare to the Nano), and a "cheap", less-powered version (compare to the Shuffle) as the entry level. The current iPad would become "iPad classic".

HP murders webOS tablets, phones

Jazz Kilkullen
Stop

Because Palm OS was NOT in good shape when HP bought it.

It was starved for resources, all the best employees had fled, and the software was far more problematic than people knew. It needed to be stabilized and solidified before HP tried slapping something on it and shoving it out the door, and HP didn't do this. (not surprising--if YOU were the head of Palm OS that had just been bought, would YOU tell your new owner about all the structural issues? I mean, assuming you were aware of them?)

HP confirms faster, paler TouchPad tablet

Jazz Kilkullen

white is the most popular iPad 2 colour?

Do you have a link for that?

HARRY POTTER CHAINED to new Sony reader

Jazz Kilkullen
Holmes

Wouldn't it be great if there were a place you could just go

and instantly find information on it? I think there may be a business model in there. ;-)

Don't feel bad; the Pottermore website (it's "JK Rowling"'s but paid for by Sony) only launched a couple of weeks ago. It sells Harry Potter ebooks and features exclusive Harry Potter content. It will also have interactive features, like the ability to visit places mentioned in the stories (they only started testing this yesterday, though, it's not out yet).

Jazz Kilkullen

It's not the readers they're targeting--it's the parents and grandparents.

Timed when new readers (and iPad) will be coming out before Christmas, they're hoping that parents/grandparents will think, since they know their child likes Harry Potter, it's the best Christmas gift. Since it's a gift, they certainly won't ask their child which he/she prefers. They will be relieved that they "can't go wrong" with Harry Potter.

It's similar to the computer games strategy that has been used in the past----parents and grandparents, who tend to know less about what's good or trendy in digital entertainment, will buy the games that seem interesting and give them as gifts. That's why many mediocre digital games have oddly high sales.

Apple blocks sale of Samsung's Android fondleslab across EU

Jazz Kilkullen

The packaging is an important part of the user experience

and therefore an important part of the product's appeal. Apple's packaging is unique and legendary, not "fancy", which anyone can do. When was the last time you saw designers huddled around a new non-Apple product because they were dying to see the new packaging?

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo bow to Apple sales edict

Jazz Kilkullen
Facepalm

Oh gosh that would be good.

For starters, Amazon wouldn't be able to see how competitive products work. Or work better.

Google admits Android 'both open and closed'

Jazz Kilkullen

Ah, but

that would presuppose that senior executives at Google HAVE an overall strategy. I mean, other than "throw it against the wall and see if it sticks".

NEC intros Android tablet 'cloud communicator'

Jazz Kilkullen

It's hard for them to understand what actually makes good UI

It amazes me too, that companies still haven't figured that out. But how do you define "good UI"? It can be done, but you will get a spectrum of answers to that question. Good UI takes far more effort and resources than most people realize.

The problem is, EVERYONE imagines themselves to be UI experts, and to be able to tell whether the UI is "good" or not. You know what they say, "If you don't know, you don't know that you don't know." That also applies to those Steve-Jobs-wannabe-CEOs that think they can tell whether something is cool or not. They can't, even if they wear all the black mock turtlenecks in the world.

iPad launch raises awareness, boosts disinterest

Jazz Kilkullen

Apple's strategy is right on.

Brangdon and I Know Better are right. If you are even here reading the Reg, you are not Apple's target market for the iPad. It's for people who are intimidated by computers, but would like to do a few basic things like email and Internet searches. Perfect for my parents--and it's a huge untapped market.

The Register takes the stand at Interop

Jazz Kilkullen

Put some on eBay?

You could probably sell a bunch. And, great advertising!