Month: March 2013

The Price of Free ⇥ jury.me

Michael Jurewitz:

There is no doubt that free can lead to huge user bases and massive adoption. In the face of venture capital or existing cash stores, the siren call of free often sounds like a low-risk bet on future profits. In practice, free is a costly mistake that businesses and small developers should avoid, and users should run away from like the plague.

In a similar vein, Ben Brooks:1

You know what makes it easy to scale quickly? Money.

I don’t understand free apps with wait lists. In fact, I don’t understand free services when there are cost-dependent resources: servers, licenses, employees.

There are three business models in Silicon Valley:

  1. Provide a free service with no clear business model. Sell it to Google, Facebook, Apple, Dropbox, Twitter, or another large company.
  2. Provide a free service supplemented by ads. Optionally, charge a subset of users for additional features, or to remove ads (“freemium”).
  3. Charge money in exchange for goods and services.

Call me “old fashioned”, but the third option seems to produce the most reliable business model.

Is there an irony in writing this on a website which is provided for free and (as of now) has no advertising? Sure. But I don’t aim to do this for a living, so I sure as shit won’t be selling this site to Yahoo.

  1. Great post slug, too. ↥︎

More Vague Than, Like, Whatever, Okay ⇥ blogs.barrons.com

Tiernan Ray writes for Barron’s, quoting Morgan Stanley’s Katy Huberty:

This [iPhone] 5S cycle this year will be about a killer feature that drives consumers increasingly to the platform, and that increases the value of those 500 million accounts.

That’s it. A “killer feature”. That’s the rumour.

Yet Eric Mack of CNet decided it was worth reporting, as did Brad Reed of BGR — with the astonishing linkbait title of “Apple Revival Said to Start With ‘Killer Feature’ Planned for iPhone 5S” — and Brent Dirks of AppAdvice.

To be fair, Katy Huberty is an actual analyst who is generally positive on Apple. But this rumour is as empty as the one about Apple cutting iPhone 5 display orders.

Apple’s RSS Reader ⇥ 512pixels.net

Stephen Hackett takes a look at the RSS parser that Apple built for use on the iPhone. To me, this parser seemed like a port of the one that was baked into Safari 2, but was never really baked into MobileSafari — you could type a feed URL into the address bar but, aside from bookmarking it, you couldn’t subscribe to a feed.

In both of their 2012 operating system releases, Apple removed native RSS support. However, you can still view feeds in this way in pre-iOS 6 environments.

How Mailbox Can Make Me a User ⇥ brooksreview.net

Speaking of Mailbox, Pat Dryburgh, writing for the non-Ben Brooks Review:

To me, the most interesting element of Mailbox’s current offering is its server. Sure, right now it is simply facilitating the sorting of email, but imagine if it became smart. If it could read my email and perform actions based on its understanding of my behaviours, turning the way I naturally approach my email into my very own digital secretary. If it interfaced with other services I use, preventing me from missing that email regarding a task I have in my task management tool, or forwarding the address to a party I was invited to on Facebook to my Google Maps iPhone app.

There are a lot of useful and intelligent actions that can be automated server-side. But, as with Google Now (et. al.), “reading” user email needs to be weighed against the obvious privacy concerns. Even though Dropbox, the new owners of Mailbox, haven’t given me enough cause for concern in the way that Google has, it’s an issue that is still on my mind.

Mailbox, After a Month ⇥ macstories.net

Cody Fink of MacStories:

I’ve come to think of Mailbox as being designed to complement what you’re already using on your tablet or desktop. It’s an app that helps you sort out the unimportant stuff when you check your phone at a café or in line at the grocery store so that you only see what’s important later.

This is how I use Mailbox, too. It’s a truly mobile-specific take on what an email app can and should be — it’s specific and it’s opinionated.

Apple Doesn’t Need a Cheap iPhone ⇥ asymco.com

Horace Dediu of Asymco, in an interview with Anouch Seydtaghia of Le Temps:

Apple had leadership in the phone market for two quarters. […]

It’s a myth to think that Apple was dominant for any extended period of time. The top spot is very difficult to obtain unless a company has a large portfolio of products which are sold in all markets. Apple has less than half the operator distribution of Samsung and keeps only one new product in the market each year.

John Gruber’s “Ceding the Crown” has a similar take:

But for some, the fact that Apple and the iPhone now face at least one serious (and successful) competitor somehow means that the iPhone is already losing. This is insane.

By market share alone, one can argue that Samsung is winning, but as I’ve stated above (and repeatedly recently), the iPhone has never been close to a market share leader.

Which brings me to “Apple Needs a Cheap iPhone”, which I linked to yesterday. John Paczkowski, AllThingsD:

Why build it? Because at this point it’s stupid not to. The emerging market opportunity in China, India and elsewhere is simply too great. And while peddling legacy iPhones to price-sensitive customers has allowed Apple to tap into this market, it would likely be a lot more successful with a device designed specifically for it. What’s more appealing, paying bargain-basement prices for a two-year old iPhone? Or purchasing an inexpensive version of the latest model? Think of the low-end iPhone like the iPad mini, and the logic of that argument becomes quite clear. The iPad mini has become very popular, very quickly.

This logic is based on the notion that Apple must sell a cheaper iPhone or it cannot increase its earnings-per-share. But that’s assuming that the only products Apple will ever introduce are variations of what they currently sell.

Samsung Electronics Appoints Co-CEOs ⇥ newswire.co.kr

Because when I think of corporate leadership qualities to imitate, I think of BlackBerry’s (née RIM’s) dual CEOs. Except two CEOs is just silly, but three makes sense. After yesterday’s big event, I think anything is possible at Samsung. I bet they’ll announce that they’re hiring Johnny Depp to run a chocolate factory on Monday.

Dropbox Buys Mailbox ⇥ mailboxapp.com

Rather than grow Mailbox on our own, we’ve decided to join forces with Dropbox and build it out together. To be clear, Mailbox is not going away. The product needs to grow fast, and we believe that joining Dropbox is the best way to make that happen.

I hear Dropbox is considering buying anything with “box” in its name.

Tone-Deaf and Shockingly Sexist ⇥ news.cnet.com

Molly Wood, CNet:

Everything about this phone announcement was a weird, one-dimensional, faux-Broadway-style otherworld where good taste and, in fact, technology were almost completely nonexistent. And you could definitely argue that the delivery and the occasional zinger from Chase suggest that the show was meant to be over the top, ham-handed, and all in good fun. And maybe, maybe that would have worked if it had been well executed. Maybe it would have been funny if the sarcasm factor was just a little higher, or there were a little more edge to the cartoony lights and makeup.

But you know what’s even better than better acting, better production, and better script-writing? Dumping the crappy female stereotypes in the first place.

Samsung Unpacked 2013 ⇥ youtube.com

It’s like a horrible acid trip. Skip to to 40:00 if you don’t want to watch the same “stay tuned” animation on loop.

Is it just me, or do all Samsung events seem overwrought and almost absurdly theatrical? Do they need gimmicks to sell their product, or can it stand on its own?

Note: Link updated.

Samsung Galaxy S IIIS ⇥ theverge.com

Vlad Savov, The Verge:

Until today, it was believed that only Apple could get away with mildly refreshing its flagship smartphone device without suffering an apposite dip in sales and consumer interest. Now, Samsung is emulating the Cupertino strategy in a bid to prove that it is every bit the globe-conquering big timer that Apple is. The Galaxy S4 design is, quite literally, the Galaxy S III’s design expanded to a 5-inch screen size. It moves Samsung further away from Apple in terms of pure specs and measurements, but it closes the distance between the two mobile leaders in terms of strategy.

“But if it looks the same, how will people know I upgraded?”

Patently Ridiculous ⇥ patentlyapple.com

Jack Purcher of Patently Apple thinks he has found a patent which betrays a brand new iPad design. Take a look:1

If you think that looks exactly like a previous-generation iMac, you’re probably right. Of course Purcher doesn’t explain the ports on the back side, which match the position of the ports on an iMac. Of course he doesn’t notice that the “heat baffle” is where the iMac’s stand is connected to the body, or that the “backside speaker” is where the iMac’s heat vent is located.

Or maybe it’s just a shrink-rayed version of an iMac, with a touch screen added, and “iPad” written on it. Who knows?

Update: It appears that Patently Apple pulled their report. Google still has it cached, or you can view a screenshot of the page.

  1. My apologies for subjecting you to the incredibly ugly drop shadow that Patently Apple uses. ↥︎

Apple Needs a Cheap iPhone ⇥ allthingsd.com

John Paczkowski, AllThingsD

Why build [a cheaper iPhone]? Because at this point it’s stupid not to. The emerging market opportunity in China, India and elsewhere is simply too great. And while peddling legacy iPhones to price-sensitive customers has allowed Apple to tap into this market, it would likely be a lot more successful with a device designed specifically for it.

If Apple were to produce a cheaper iPhone for other markets where pre-paid phones are the norm, would they bring it to Canada and the US?

We’re Building a Reader ⇥ blog.digg.com

Andrew McLaughlin of Digg:

We’ve heard people say that RSS is a thing of the past, and perhaps in its current incarnation it is, but as daily (hourly) users of Google Reader, we’re convinced that it’s a product worth saving. So we’re going to give it our best shot. We’ve been planning to build a reader in the second half of 2013, one that, like Digg, makes the Internet a more approachable and digestible place. After Google’s announcement, we’re moving the project to the top of our priority list. We’re going to build a reader, starting today.

How weird is it that we’re holding out for Digg to build an RSS reader in 2013?

Regarding the iPhone’s Market Share ⇥ ben-evans.com

Benedict Evans has two charts you should see. Spoiler: market share doesn’t matter, unless you’re an investor who doesn’t realize that it doesn’t correlate to profit. And, really, if you’re an investor who is betting against the company most likely to be working in your best interests, you had better check your head.

Google’s Spring Cleaning ⇥ googleblog.blogspot.ca

Urs Hölzle, Google:

We launched Google Reader in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites. While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader.

I hate to say that I told you so, but I did regarding RSS apps which use the (unofficial, undocumented) Google Reader API:

I don’t like the lingering prospect that one of my applications might break on Google’s whim.

Dave Winer would like you to know that it’s a terrible idea to rely on free solutions from a company that keeps software perpetually in “beta” status.

Intriguingly, a tweet from Reeder claims that the app won’t perish with Google’s service. Perhaps they’re building their own RSS syncing backend between their own apps, which is good: they aren’t dependent on the whims of another company.

Marco Arment thinks that this will spur some competition amongst RSS apps:

It may suck in the interim before great alternatives mature and become widely supported, but in the long run, trust me: this is excellent news.

I think he’s right. But that’s in the future — if you’re looking for something to fill the void now, you could try Acrylic Apps’ excellent Pulp,1 or Shaun Inman’s self-hosted Fever. But if you’re a casual news feed person, what’s wrong with Twitter?

As an aside, Google’s spring cleaning notices are shocking in terms of their scope. I wasn’t aware Google offered half of the products on this list. Now, obviously, they don’t, but it’s amazing to think of just how many pies Google has fingers in.

  1. Fair warning: Pulp has been officially discontinued. However, it uses iCloud for syncing and has been stable for me on both my Mac and iPad. Your mileage may vary. Professional driver on a closed course. ↥︎

Andy Rubin Steps Down ⇥ googleblog.blogspot.ca

Larry Page:

Having exceeded even the crazy ambitious goals we dreamed of for Android — and with a really strong leadership team in place — Andy’s decided it’s time to hand over the reins and start a new chapter at Google. Andy, more moonshots please!

Going forward, Sundar Pichai will lead Android, in addition to his existing work with Chrome and Apps.

Big news. One guy is now in charge of one of the most popular browsers in the world, all of Google’s desktop applications, Chrome OS, and the mobile operating system with the biggest market share. That’s a tall order, and it could make for interesting collaboration between the departments.