What Would Alex Bosika Do?

“Apple Inc is looking for a display specialist to lead the investigation on emerging display technologies such as high optical efficiency LCD, AMOLED and flexible display to improve overall display optical performance.”

The job listing has since been removed by Cupertino HQ.  We assume, this could be related to a future iWatch (can’t see this being released in near term with a ‘flex body’ if they’re posting the job NOW) or future iPhone.

On the matter of an ‘iWatch’,  Microsoft did try this before:

However, Steve Jobs also said this:

“So when a good idea comes, you know, part of my job is to move it around, just see what different people think, get people talking about it, argue with people about it, get ideas moving among that group of 100 people, get different people together to explore different aspects of it quietly, and, you know – just explore things.”

Ideas only become great when everything else is there to support it.  Am iWatch or future TV can be successful for Apple, because everything is in place to capitalize on the success: Apple ID, broadband, iTunes, App Store, Siri, iCloud, GPS etc. Essentially, an established, “integrated” ecosystem exists feed these “thin client devices”. 

Microsoft’s SPOT watch didn’t have that robust infrastructure and ecosystem…so it just didn’t make it far in 2003.

Sometimes, ideas are too ahead of their time.  If Apple had released the iPad first vs. the iPhone, they would have missed the BOAT because the ecosystem IS the mobile phone user…not the third category user. 

Releasing the iPad after the iPhone essentially staged the playing field properly as the education curve for users would allow them to easily adopt the iPad, and enable developers to tweak existing apps, before moving to full native iPad apps and easily add revenue to their bottom-line.  The resulting effect of third category success (iPad) for Apple has been the complete and utter decimation of PC sales as has been reported recently.

A.

So was Scott Forstall fired for a failed Maps apology, his difficult style within Apple or a design philosophy battle over minimalism and skeuomorphism?

Oddly, the issue of skeuomorphism has taken the front stage since the news broke about the Apple re-organization.  I also remember reading about this design belief through Fast Company’s Co. Design article back in September 2012.  The battleground was already in place.

Even as Jobs supported Forstall’s views on skeuomorphism, he also viewed Jonathan Ive (Senior VP, Industrial Design) as his “spiritual partner” [Forstall worked at NeXT and he joined Jobs to return to Apple in 1997 as part of the NeXT acquisition as a move to SAVE Apple with OS/X — Forstall continued with iOS, Passbook, Maps]. However, Jony hated skeuomorphism as did many of the other designers.

From Fast C@mpany:

But before Forstall, it was Steve Jobs who encouraged the skeuomorphic approach, some say. “iCal’s leather-stitching was literally based on a texture in his Gulfstream jet,” says the former senior UI

Steve Jobs’ vision lives even if he never lived long enough to see the yacht. 

Like the iMacs - nice iTouch.

Launched in Aalsmeer, The Netherlands today.

Related articles

• Steve Jobs’ gorgeous, high-tech yacht designed by Philippe Starck makes its debut (thenextweb.com)
• Venus, Steve Jobs’ yacht, launches in the Netherlands (imore.com)
• Steve Jobs’ Yacht Revealed, Christened ‘Venus’ [VIDEO] (mashable.com)
• This Is Steve Jobs’ Yacht (gizmodo.com)

Bonus!

One of the many reasons I wanted the Playbook was for digital books.  After RIM diluted the Android opportunity due to legitimate reasons surrounding malware risk in that ecosystem, I was surprised that Amazon had still not developed a native Kindle app for Playbook.

Huge mistake!

The last speculative claim about a Kindle app on Playbook shows up in Google search results as far back as January 2012.  C’mon Jeff.  That isn’t cool.

No offense to the folks at Kobo but I committed myself to the Amazon ecosystem due to early investments on the iPhone and iPad.  Now with the Playbook in my arsenal of devices, I don’t want to start a new ecosystem to access the same books.  That said, if price starts to play into this, I am willing to play off different ecosystems but for now, Amazon is my main repository for books.  In fact, I’ve been an Amazon customer for so long (like 1999), it’s pretty hard to break free of the Bezos distortion field.

So I decided to write Jeff Bezos yesterday and emailed him to three of the known email addresses.  Like before, I received a response from his executive offices the next day.  Not bad and very Apple-like.  I’ll thank Steve Jobs for setting the precedent. 

Thorsten, watch out. :-)

My email to Jeff was pretty straightforward.  I discussed my “investment” into their ecosystem, my use of Kindle apps on the iPhone and iPad including Cloud Reader and even described my unfortunate experience and huge disappointment with Kindle Keyboard. 

Amazon’s reply didn’t focus on the Kindle Keyboard experience but it did appear to carry some positive news. I can’t say for sure if this is an affirmative affirmative from Tranquility Base Bezos but if Amazon is smart, they’d get the Kindle App ready for Playbook.

Kindle for BlackBerry Playbook is not yet available, but stay tuned. You can view our Kindle apps currently available and discover when we’ve released Kindle for BlackBerry Playbook by following the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/kindleapps

I was instructed to try the Cloud Reader which I didn’t do at the time of the email or as of this writing. 

Ecosystem Race

With all the mobile/device launches this week (Google, Windows, Apple, Yahoo!), this really is a race of devices, ecosystems and services.  It reminds me of the old triple-play telecom-bundling models that I was party to (when I worked at Bell) and even now as telecom providers struggle to fight against the onslaught of wholesaler entrants that simply compete on price. 

In this new world of digital content, platforms and devices, de-bundling has become far more costly than a simple “bill discount” since digital content investments have already been made. And people hate paying up for the “same thing” to make a switch.

Do the right thing Jeff.  Get the Kindle Playbook app out to the base.  I am sure this will win you some more “likes” in the social media landscape. ;-)

Related articles

• Amazon Going Up Against Apple In The Education Market (techcitement.com)
• VIDEO: Jeff Bezos calls iPad Mini a Kindle Fire rip-off, sort of (mobile-ent.biz)
• New BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 Update Now Available: 3 Reasons to Download (blogs.blackberry.com)
• RIM Rolls PlayBook 2.1 Update, Improves BlackBerry Bridge, Data Security, And Android App Support (techcrunch.com)

I was compelled to edit this for the masses. ;-)

[EDITED] Tim Cook’s Letter on Apple Maps by Steve Jobs — with edits by /Ab

MacDaddy’s here. :D

A good amount of iPhone 5 early adopters took to the Internet over the weekend, reporting that their brand new iPhone 5 has scuffs and dings out of the box. Or, even if the phone was perfect out of the box, it did not stay that way for very long. It seems the black iPhone 5 shows scratches more easily than the white. Apple has yet to comment on the issue.  — Techcrunch

If this is true, there are going to be quite a few peeved folks.  I bought an unlocked BB curve and it didn’t have Gorilla Glass and I forgot one day and put the device in the same pocket as my car keys.  Scrrrrrratch…right down the centre of the screen.

Yes, user error but at $450, it is a detail that the device manufacturer needs to think about.  It was this issue alone that caused the original iPhone to get delayed by Steve Jobs. 

People should not have to go the protective cover case route to cover their investment cost which can be anywhere from $450-$900 per unlocked device purchase.  Even with a telecom subsidy, it is still money and there is nothing worse than seeing scratches days after purchase.