jobs

How to denigrate an entire profession

A couple of days ago, I posted a story called "Why does the media love Apple and trash Dell." In an honest attempt (really) to explain a gap between the reality and perception of Dell's tech support, I somehow managed to denigrate the noble profession of news reporting and blogging.

What I was trying to say was that the media - as an industry - generally covers what will get them the most eyeballs, since that's how the companies (not the individuals, mind you) get paid by advertisers.

Of course, I never meant to imply that the industry as a whole or individual writers sacrifice integrity for eyeballs. I've had a long, long relationship with the media and that's simply not the case.… Read more

The world's ugliest DS Lite

The world's ugliest cell phone may have found the perfect mate in this customized DS Lite from Japan found by Akihabara News.

There's certainly no shortage of places willing to uglify the gaming handheld for a price, as even Paris Hilton has made clear. But like the aforementioned "Serendipity" phone, this one looks as if it could have been done as a pre-school art project with some plastic charms and Elmer's glue.

The name of the outfit offering its unfortunate services should have been a tipoff: "King Deco."

Colliding worlds: RIM and Apple

I once asked Steve Jobs why Apple was so indifferent toward corporate customers. At the time, big companies were in the beginning stages of one of their periodic PC upgrade cycles, leaving Dell virtually alone to clean up.

So, didn't it make sense to more aggressively pursue that business? Jobs froze me with one of those looks.

That's not an interesting market, he said. Next question.

Silly me.

Of course, Jobs was entirely right. IT has since become a predictably cyclical business, while the real sizzle in tech turned out to be in the consumer space. Besides, Apple'… Read more

Fake Steve Jobs lights up Web 2.0 Expo

SAN FRANCISCO--If there's one person in the world of Web 2.0 technology--or tech in general--who hasn't yet been skewered by the infamous blogger Fake Steve Jobs, get ready: He's coming for you.

In a frenetic keynote address Friday morning at the Web 2.0 Expo here, Fake Steve--otherwise known as Forbes writer Dan Lyons--gave his unique take on the world of technology, the people who drive it, and the future of media.

Fake Steve began his talk with a discussion about the issues related to surviving backlash from audience members at conferences. I was rather pleased … Read more

Apple's peculiar purchase-- the six Ps of PA Semi

Earlier this week, Apple bought a Silicon Valley chip-design firm named PA Semi for a reported price of $278 million.

Apple will get four things for sure:

People-- PA Semi has a medium-size team that knows how to work together and produce chips. Processes-- PA Semi has design tools and procedures that can be used to design new chips. Patents-- PA Semi did some unique innovative design work for its chips, and there must be some interesting patents on this work. A product-- the PWRficient 1682M, which has found a few design wins in military electronics and other … Read more

How important is luck in high-tech business?

After describing a particularly exciting consulting opportunity, a friend called me "lucky." That got me thinking: Is he right? Is luck a component in business success, or is it all about knowledge and experience. And if luck does play a role, how important is it? Can it be influenced, or is that taboo by definition?

To answer those questions I first did a little research. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines luck as "a: a force that brings good fortune or adversity, or b: the events or circumstances that operate for or against an individual."

Gee, "luck" sounds a lot like "competition" to me.… Read more

Review: Leander Kahney's 'Inside Steve's Brain'

For years, the Steve Jobs biography has been a staple of the technology business publishing press.

The genre has been highlighted by titles such as Alan Deutschman's 2000 book, The Second Coming of Steve Jobs and 2005's iCon: Steve Jobs, The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business by Jeffrey Young and William Simon. The latter was attacked by Jobs himself for being an unauthorized biography, and by Deutschman for being eerily similar to his own book.

There was also, of course, Forbes writer Daniel Lyons' (aka "Fake Steve Jobs") 2007 parody, oPtion$: The secret … Read more

The 30-year-old iPod?

Does anybody buying an iPod in 2008 expect to get more than a few years of use out of the thing? My five year old iPod still plays, but I can't get it to work in newer iPod docks or iPod speakers. My iPod is too old.

A good friend of mine plays his 30-year-old Linn LP-12 turntable almost every day. It was an expensive turntable in 1978 when it sold for around $1,200. But he's gotten 30 years of use out of the thing, and even now listens to a lot more vinyl than CD. So … Read more

Revisiting Apple's iPhone strategy

In the post I wrote about Rich Miner of Google saying that the Android mobile software stack will gain more users than the iPhone, several people commented. The general consensus is that Apple is the BMW of the personal computer industry and is the standard for innovation that its competitors, with far more market share, follow. Android is a non-factor.

The challenge for Apple is to keep coming up with proprietary products that fuel its business model, which is based on innovation and R&D around both hardware and software. Since Steve Jobs returned to Apple, the company has … Read more

Who knew: Steve Jobs breaks rules

Guest post: Venture capitalist, former Apple executive and writer Jean-Louis Gass?e takes issue with Peter Elkind's rip on Steve Jobs in the recent issue of Fortune. For Gass?e, Steve Jobs is Silicon Valley's Yves Saint Laurent, a creator who towers above his profession and defies rational explanation.

So, what we have here is another Fortune magazine cover featuring Steve Jobs: Apple is now the Most Admired Company in America. But inside the magazine, the crown turns thorny. Peter Elkind tells us about "The Trouble With Steve Jobs." You see, he breaks rules.

The author … Read more