Read between the lines

Nice catch by Gordon Kelly on the never ending Apple TV rumors:

“[Steve] Jobs never said he wanted to build a revolutionary television, he said he wanted to revolutionize TV… and you don’t need to sell a television to do that.”

Bingo.

The new standard for dumb

The IBM’s Black Friday online shopping traffic (via All Things D) report:

“The [Apple] iPad generated more traffic than any other tablet or smartphone, reaching nearly 10 percent of online shopping. This was followed by iPhone at 8.7 percent and [Google] Android 5.5 percent. The iPad dominated tablet traffic at 88.3 percent followed by the Barnes & Noble Nook at 3.1 percent, Amazon Kindle at 2.4 percent and the Samsung Galaxy at 1.8 percent.”

What choice do customers have when they are looking for new phone and tablet, aside from iOS devices, there’s only Android available out there. So for those who only wants to have a simple phone or tablet, have to go for Android, even though they don’t want to. This translates to low traffic for Android, most of its users are not using it. This sounds bad for Google.

Touché

Charlie Osborne reported:

“The two firms’ dispute involves patents owned by Ericsson that it says are “essential” to several telecommunications and networking standards used in a number of Samsung’s products. In addition, Ericsson says that other patented inventions, frequently used in wireless and consumer products, are involved in the dispute.”

I can’t wait to hear Ericsson say the same thing Samsung has said about these “essential” patents to Apple, that would be hilarious.

The big difference

Geoff Duncan shares his experience when he visited a Microsoft store:

“It was a few minutes before we got through the apparently scripted introduction, and I was able to ask if I could test out both the Touch Cover and the Type Cover. The answer was yes, but it was still more than a minute before I actually got to touch a Surface unit.”

And then he visited an Apple Store afterwards:

“I said I was curious about the typing experience on the new iPad mini. “Here, try it!” the greeter said … and just like that handed me an iPad mini. I was less than three feet inside the store, and I’d been there less than 10 seconds.”

Even if it’s obvious to see, no one can really copy Apple Store’s success.

Doesn’t work the same around

Nicholas Carlson on HTC’s mistake to went for exclusive phone with AT&T:

“HTC’s top phone, the One X, is only available on AT&T. Carriers want ‘exclusive’ phones, and HTC caved to them on this demand.  T-Mobile sells a version of the One X, called the One S, but it’s not as good.  Sprint has a version called the One V, but it’s even worse than the One S. Verizon passed on the HTC One series altogether.”

HTC thought they could just copied Apple’s move and expected the customers to react the same to iPhone exclusivity, that was very naive of them.

You have one, but you don’t get it

MG Siegler finally posted his review of the Surface; basically it is buggy, laggy and wonky. And he say this about the Surface as what other reviewers are already saying about the device:

“The thing is, I don’t even view the Surface as a true tablet. I certainly wouldn’t and haven’t been using it as one. The size and shape are far too awkward. With the Touch Cover, it’s a laptop replacement that doesn’t work in your lap. That makes it an under-powered but portable desktop replacement that just happens to have a touchscreen.”

Microsoft themselves have been pitching it as a “whole new category” device, not a tablet. But the truth is, they don’t have a clue of what it is.

Rotten Google Play

Dustin Earley on his experience using Google Play:

“Giving Google a break for the botched Nexus release seems to be a common sentiment. When is enough, enough? I’ve already reached my breaking point.”

For an Android-fan to write this in an Android site, that tells you how bad it really is.