Category: iPhone

Ka-bangie

Apple releases a patch but quick.

Gosh, it seems like just yesterday the Macalope was questioning Apple’s commitment to security. Oh, wait, it was!

Well, this is a nice sign. Well done, Apple.

And, hey how about those comments by the Inquirer’s Nick Farrell the Macalope linked to:

Another problem is that Apple has learned nothing from Microsoft in dealing with exploits. Microsoft has changed its attitude to start fixing exploits quickly. However Apple still goes through a phase of denying that problems exist before it looks at them.

For example, the aforementioned bug in the Iphone [sic] operating system has been known to Apple for weeks but so far it has done nothing about it.

It has however released security patches to thwart jailbreaking software and prevent Palm from using Itunes [sic], which indicates Apple’s priorities.

Crow is a fairly dry meat, Nick, so you’ll probably want a sweeter wine to accompany it. The Macalope recommends a Riesling or maybe a Gewurztraminer.

Fun with headlines

MacNN headline:

Nokia making “quantum leaps” to catch iPhone

Quote from the story:

[Nokia’s new markets executive VP Anssi Vankoji] tells VentureBeat that while Nokia currently has technically superior hardware, the accessibility of its features and the overall ease of the use of the devices still have to take “quantum leaps” to reach Apple’s current level, which relies on simple gestures and icons for control.

[Emphasis the Macalope’s.]

Your retail strategy appears to suck

In what seems like nothing more than a lame “me-too”, Microsoft is set to open retail stores. Unless they’re going to work with some hardware vendors to sell complete package solutions, the Macalope is having a hard time seeing how a store that sells nothing but software is going to do any better than, say, Egghead.

If you don’t remember Egghead, go ask your parents.

But, like the horny one noted, they could work around that.

The real kiss of doom is who they’ve picked to head up the effort. When Apple decided to open retail stores, it plucked Ron Johnson from Target and put the CEO of the Gap on its board. Who did Microsoft pick?

Porter has been head of worldwide product distribution for Dreamworks Animation SKG since 2007, but before that, he spent 25 years at Wal-Mart Stores. His last position there was vice president and general merchandise manager of entertainment.

Correct the Macalope if he’s wrong, but Dreamworks doesn’t have any retail stores other than, he would imagine, a few company stores. And, while some readers might not see the difference between Wal-Mart and Target, the horny one assures you it’s there.

It’s possible to still make a nice retail experience with these building blocks and Microsoft will assuredly throw a bazillion dollars into it, but right now this doesn’t exactly give off the sweet smell of success.

Passive/aggressive iPhone bashing

InfoWorld blogger has it down.

InfoWorld’s Bill Snyder has it down.

So, let’s see if the Macalope has the story straight. Tremendous douche makes questionable iPhone app, screws up the implementation, spamming his customers, and the conclusion we’re supposed to draw is “Don’t believe the iPhone hype! It’s a bad platform for developers!”

Until you get to the end, of course, when Snyder makes sure to note:

Don’t mistake this post for a knock on Apple or its platform.

Oh, Bill, how could we possibly do that?! What with a title like “iPhone apps: Fool’s gold for developers?”?! And a subheading like “Selling mobile apps on Apple’s iPhone App Store may seem like a surefire recipe for success. It isn’t.”?! And a section heading like “Lots of iPhone users, but no revenues”?! And another one like “Limitations in the iPhone make great apps harder to deliver”?!

Instead, see it as a cautionary tale and adjust your expectations and strategy accordingly.

Uh-huh. Basically, just ignore the title and headings of this story. I don’t even know why they’re there! They were just in the template I use!

Don’t bother emailing Snyder or commenting (or, really, even clicking through) to complain. The Macalope already knows what his response will be: “Sorry if you got offended.”