Digital Living

Might Steve Jobs Be Leaving Apple Soon?? -- We Sincerely Hope Not :'(

Great founders are not always available to guide, guard and grow their company forever. There would be a time when they will be leaving.

Such happened with Sony (post Akio Morita era), such happened with IBM (post Watson era), such happened with Microsoft (post Bill Gates era).

At the end, the greatest legacy of a company founder is probably the company, the brand, the team, and the value system that they imprint into the company's DNA.

After the founder eventually gone, the team will then continue to enlive the company DNA forever.

In retrospect to that, Apple today might initiate the key transition from Steve Jobs era to the "next generation's" era.  As witnessed in their latest presentation session last October 14, it is no longer Steve Jobs only that appear solo on stage, instead the Apple team start taking the stage forward, and explaining about the product and represent the brand.

Of course their collective pitch is not be as sound as when Steve Jobs himself pitch the product. Nevertheless, Apple seem to think that such important transition had to happen. And the world start to witness it from now.

Take a look at the photo above, and notice that it is not only Steve Jobs who appear on stage today to talk about the product and represent the Apple brand. Instead, it is the Apple team that is now goes on stage, and perform the key act, while Steve fill-in somewhere in between, or sometime a bit at the "background".

Might Steve Jobs leaving Apple (soon)? We don't know. But surely we'll miss his great pitch and persona, and his awesome resonating brand.

Blackberry Bold -- The Real Device: Definitely Ugly ;-(

On my recent trip, I happen to spent some time in Hongkong, and in one occasion exploring the Blackberry Bold -- the actual device. It was a huge disappointment.

While the teaser and marketing material for Blackberry Bold has been excellent, the real product was totally lauzy.

So many things seems so "wrong" about it: it's too thick, it feels thicker and bulkier than the Blackberry curve, the keyboard is sticky, the pointer is still as uncomfortable as before, and the software "innovation" is really so-so.

I really have a high hope for Blackberry Bold since a couple months ago. Looking at the flashy marketing material, I would expect it to be reasonably sized, with tactical keyboard that is very convenient to type on; I would expect it to be reasonably thin; All in all -- expecting it to be a product that could elegantly provide better alternative to iPhone doesn't feel too much.

Yet, after seeing the the real product, it could perhaps be concluded that if the next product releases from Blackberry still looks like this "fatty thicky crampy beast", the golden era of Blackberry devices might eventually be over.

What Is "Windows Cloud" Anyway ??

Mr. Ballmer recently said and announced: "We need a new operating system for the cloud .. and for now we will call it Windows Cloud".

Technically speaking: What is an operating system for the cloud? Who need such?

Horizontal architecture scaling technique, along with various techniques to achieve reliability and scalability and interconnectivity has been around on the web for years. All these can be built with "existing OSes".

Technically speaking, the web doesn't seem to need a new operating system for it to expand nor operate. HTML/DHTML as a base, popular programming language/script for the web, web API and cloud infrastructure services that the web developer need to do magical stuff on the web is already exist, and widely available.

We now can do cloud computing on Amazon EC2. We can do scripting for the web using many tools and language. We can implement messaging and horizontal architecture to enable scalability. 

In the future we might have OpenID for identity, we have facebook API, Google API, and many more things coming in the picture. Combined together, these are "cloud computing infrastructure", that we all already have access to.

While room for improvement for the "next web" is many, there doesn't seem to be a need (nor urgent need) for a "new OS" that is specifically designed for the web itself.

So:

What does Mr. Ballmer really mean by "new operating system for the cloud"? A bunch of new Windows API exposed on the internet? A couple of Silverlight "front-end" components embeddable/mashable on Desktop or HTML pages?

While such might be "cute", .. all these are not technically constitute an "OS" ... These are just would be APIs, or "service in the cloud" -- as may other APIs and embeddable/mashable object available on the web today. Should we call these the "new OS"  after all??

So 3 questions remain:

1. What is a new "OS" for the web mean anyway?
2. Who need such new "OS" for the web anyway?
3. Is it a real technical "thing"?, or is it really is -- actually -- just a "marketing jargon" used to differentiate Windows OS "traditional licensing policy" from the "massive web licensing" scheme?

Being "totally confused" by all these, I come to this "assumption": probably this is just a "marketing jargon". Understanding its potential technical irrelevance, "such new gimmick" perhaps need to be created by Microsoft to allow room for Microsoft to define a new "licensing model" for "the web".

That means: the new "OS" probably will come up with a new licensing scheme that would allow hundreds of thousands of Windows to be deployed for massive web infrastructure, with reasonable licensing fee, instead of being bloated by its current traditional licensing structure.

When the market can start to perceive this "new windows" as "Windows cloud", then the pricing & licensing model for that "Windows Cloud" could be made totally "new" , and it won't affect the pricing & licensing structure that "traditional" Windows provide.

At the core of it, although it might have been declared as a "new OS", speculative assumption on the real meaning of this probably is this: This might be just the "same" OS with a couple of Windows API exposed for the internet, and a TOTALLY NEW PRICING SCHEME MODEL attached to it.

Could this be the case?

We will see and understand what this really mean, and what this really is, as the "real" thing being announced by Microsoft shortly -- around the end of this month.

Re-Experience "Google" - Y2001

In honor of their 10th birthday, Google brought back their "year 2001" search engine, and allow us to re-experience "Google" as if it was in the past (year 2001).

Here's the link to the site: http://www.google.com/search2001.html. Do give it a try: it's breathtaking, dazzling, exciting, "crazy" and fun!

I tried accessing the site myself just now. Here's how the 2001 Google site looks like:

Notice the old Google logo?

Out of curiosity, I try to search Arvino Mudjiarto. Surely what Google displayed really looks like how it was capable to searched, crawled and displayed in 2001.

It's not as complete, as uptodate (nor as most recent) as Google that we experience today. Yet even such, the Google search & discovery capability already really amazing. For example: I don't even remember that once upon a time I had an email at Altavista (arvino@altavista.com!). But Google does! Google -- at that time -- already "know" about that fact. How amazing ! :-) :-) :-)

Out of bigger curiosity, I try to search Worxcode, the company that we happen to founded in February 20, 2002.

Surely Google can not find the company at that time. (Worxcode was not even born at that time). My conclusion: Surely this is a real "Google 2001 engine" stuff! It's not a "fake".

Such makes it even more exciting :-) :-) :-) because it means we could explore and experiment further to experience many other thing that we would "remembered" (or re-experience back), in the past.

I try to find out what people would find if they search the word "iPod" in 2001. This is what I found:

Notice that Google in 2001 still don't even have capabilities to search "image" at all!

As we can see: in 2001 there's no mention about iPod that is associated with Apple at that time! ... [Apple at that time is still in the process of crafting its cool back in the industry through its iMac, and the iPod probably at that time is still in their "lab"]. :-)

Hmmm ... may be this is the "web search result" that folks at Apple "saw" back in 2001, when they decided to name their new portable player "iPod" ?

We don't know for sure about this fact, but being able to "see that possibility" infront of our own eyes is truly exciting! ;-)

Contrast that with our search for iPod using Google today (2008) :

iPod is totally associated with Apple, these days.

For Google to do something like this during its 10th anniversary is really creative and imaginative.

1. It allow people and society to refresh their memory about how the web looks like, how it feel, the kind of limitation and the kind of capability that it can provide in the past.
2. Such give us all the sense and feel of how powerful Google & the web has become these days, how "lucky" we are today, and how it has all these great progress affect us all in a great way.

This showcase also becomee a great chance for us all to re-experience "our past"; to "reflect back" how the web (and how Google) really looked from the lenses, experience and eyes of the past.

Such experience is truly rare; something that probably we could re-experience once every 10 years, or 20.

Do give it a try everyone.

Microsoft's "I'm A PC" New Ad Feels Like "A Pity!" ;-(

Microsoft finally launched a new ad campaign. Their new airshow is based on a new format with a lot of "I'm a PC, I'm a PC, I'm a PC" mantra around.

Despite its 1 minute duration, at the end of the ad there's almost nothing left to really feel excited about.

So far these series of campaign ads are perhaps among the worst campaign ads that is ever created at Microsoft. Ballmerian Microsoft's taste and gesture seem feel awfully different from Microsoft in the past. There's no elegance in these latest ad.

What a PC ... oops I mean: what a pity. ;-( ;-( ;-(

The First Google HTC Android Phone Has Arrived!

While yesterday we speculate "what if" one day HTC embraces Google Android OS, interestingly today it was rumored that such device is actually now start being secretly "unveiled" during the Android Developer Conference in Europe.

This is far far faster then we could have expected! Peter Chou is really ingenious! In the next few weeks let's wait for the formal announcement, and in the next few months or so, let's see how other handset manufacturer would respond: especially Samsung and LG, then -- later on -- SonyEricsson and Nokia.
 

This is really exciting! When the formal launch of the "stealth" device started, another new era would then formally begin.

HTC Touch 3G Revealed!

HTC website reveals the HTC Touch 3G -- the latest "touch" product from HTC.

Take a look at how beautiful these latest generation device looks like.

Peter Chou, the HTC CEO is surely a really great leader! He successfully and magically brings HTC from a large yet "unknown" handheld maker, to become the most branded Windows Mobile handheld maker of them all.

Most "magical" of all: each time he introduced his latest product, his next step innovation always bring another wow!

HTC uses SPC software to build the "intuitive & user friendly interface skin" on top of Windows Mobile. This approach has been taken since day 1 the HTC touch device is introduced.

Yet -- based on HTC Touch's first generation experience -- because HTC devices is still using Windows Mobile underneath, beneath the beautiful skin surface, everything is still the same old clunky, multi-steps, unintutive, cluttered, complex, confusing, tired menu-and-folder-navigation structure of Windows Mobile!

I wonder whether in this release such "limitations" already being totally fixed or not.

More excitingly, I wonder what if one day HTC could come out with Android version of such device, or PalmOS version of it. The whole experience of using the device might be significantly better. And the device might eventually become a great contender of Apple legendary iPhone device.

Peter Chou is surely know where he put his bet, and how to overcome the "basic limitation" of Windows.

In that respect, he is truly ingeneously awesome!

Microsoft "Un-Mojave" Experiment: Have These People Being Shown A Mac OSX Before/After They Are Being Shown Vista??

Microsoft Mojave experiment try to tout the "beauty" of Vista by sharing to the world how people get "ooh ahh" by the sheer beauty and magnificence of "Microsoft's future operating system" which later they found out was VISTA!

They said people really "Oooh Ahh" about it, as they never thought such great operating system was VISTA!

Hmmm ... this is so Ballmerian "trick" by nature. >:-(

I think this experiment "miss" ONE key important point:

• Have these same people and audiences being shown Mac OS X BEFORE they are being shown Vista?
• Or at least: Have these same people and audiences being shown Max OS X AFTER they are being shown Vista?

If they have been shown the Mac OS X before (or after) they have been shown Vista, what would then these same audiences feel? Would Vista be still "feel" the "same" ??

 

This is what I called the "UnMojave Experiment". ;-)

Oh, Mr. Ballmer, your "old dirty trick" is such a "tard".

Apple Next Step: Leveraging iPod Touch As A Platform For "Next Generation" Game Machine?

Apple just announced a new "refresh" of its iPod product lines yesterday. While "on the surface" there seem to be "not so many significant changes happening", I think it is inside where there are many "strategic attempt" and innovation really happening.

One of it is in regards with the iPod touch. While the outward explanation of the device "modestly" say: the funnest Apple ever, the "inner attempt" for the re-introduction of this device -- I strongly feel -- is probably to make it the "next" platform for game machine! A kind of a portable wii for everybody?? one day a strong contender to the Sony PSP??

Let's see where Apple have been in the past 7-8 years:

• from the creator of innovative scroll-wheel based music player,
• to the inventor of music download sites (which now reach total 5 billion downloaded songs),
• to the creator of series of super exciting music player than can do video and stuff,
• to the inventor of the "handphone" platform of the future,
• ... and now to the "inventor" of the next platform and foundation for game machine of the future.

This is the pictorical description regarding the evolution of the Apple product set, and the key series of innovation that is happening from one phase and one stage to another:

For me, reading this picture, it "become obvious" that Apple aim to focus, win and leveraging its "iPod" platform, to become:

• the number one digital music & digital media (video, photo and stuff) player in the world.
• the number one ground breaking & most innovative smartphone platform in the world.
• the number one portable-wii-style  game machine platform in the world!

Apple under Steve Jobs leadership is really becoming a superbly awesome great super company once more!

They systematically, passionately, meticulously and super smartly invented, win, redefine and "own" the platform for the future! and make those platform that don't change becoming obsolete or totally irrelevant in the future.

What a wonderful company! (Just like Sony in the past -- under the leadership of the great Akio Morita).

Here Comes The "Apple Latte" !

A week ago we talked about the most artful (and beautiful) cappucino created by Barista artist Sammy Lin at Bottega del Vino, NY.

Today I discover this photo on Idris Mootee's blog:

Welcome to the "Apple Latte"!

Anybody know where to get it? I "seriously" want one. ;-)