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  • The Paradox of Consumer Choice
    A few years ago I read a book called The Paradox of Choice: Why Less is More by Barry Schwartz. His anecdotes were insightful and pointed to truths about the amount of choice the free market has laid on us as consumers. Of course free markets and consumer choice should be good things, but there are certainly experiences I have had where the overwhelming sense of having too many options made it difficult to actually make a decision. I related to much of what the book was saying, particularly with the experience of picking out a DVD to watch from my massive collection. I recall staring at a wall of DVDs and having the most difficult time deciding what to watch. The decision-making process when faced with so many good choices was simply immobilizing.  
  • The Future of PC and Mobile Processors

    I've spent a lot of time with a number of hardware manufacturers recently, trying to get a glimpse into the next generation of processors and the ways in which they'll impact future gadgets and PCs. In all my meetings, one term has arisen time and again: SOC, or system-on-a-chip.

    Traditionally, chips have been created independently and then coupled together to provide multiple computing features. For example, a manufacturer would create a core processor like an Intel Centrino with a built-in Wi-Fi radio, and then attach that to a systems board, perhaps linking it together with a separate graphics co-processor, in order to deliver enhanced PC graphics. Another might take an ARM core processor and then add on additional features like extended graphics to enhance device functionality.

  • Apple's iPad: Live up the Hype? It Will....
    It was interesting to hear all the chatter after last week's iPad launch. Most reactions I heard from other analysts and media were lukewarm at best...which was what I expected. If you think about it, how can anything live up to the kind of hype leading up to this launch? But there was a lot missed in the media about the event and the product that I hope to share in order to maintain our perspective on not only the iPad but on Apple and their products.  
  • Innovation Abounds - CES 2010 Post Show Analysis

    This year's CES was very interesting. I had felt for the past few years that CES was sorely lacking in the innovation department. But this year it looks like things have changed in the technology industry. Technology companies have realized that to reach the consumer the pace of innovation needs to accelerate, and this year's CES was a start in that direction.  Several things stuck out that I'd like to highlight:  

Creative Strategies - Computing Analysis

From Click to Touch - The iPad and the Era of Touch Computing

Thursday, 29 July 2010 15:21

It has been interesting to hear all the negative press and comments from the media about the iPad. Many people have been looking at the iPad and saying “What’s the big deal? It’s just a big iPod touch.” Others have gone so far as to criticize Apple and Steve Jobs directly, expressing their high expectations of innovation and then reveling in their disappointment at the lack of innovation they see in the iPad. What is clearly missed by the critics in industry and media is that the iPad represents much more of a vision of the future than people realize. The iPad ushers us into the era of Touch Computing.
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Win 7: The Last Major Windows Release?

Thursday, 29 July 2010 15:21

Believe it or not, I have been to the launch of every version of Microsoft Windows. Some have been spectacular, like the Windows 95 launch in Seattle that featured Jay Leno, and the launch of the first Windows in New York City, which offered something of gala-like atmosphere. The New York launch of Windows XP, on the other hand, occurred just after the September 11th attacks, and was, not surprisingly, comparatively subdued.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I flew to New York City two weeks ago to attend the Windows 7 launch. The event, it turns out, fell somewhere in the middle. It wasn't as flashy as the Leno event, but it was a lot more upbeat than the Windows XP launch. My colleagues at PCMag covered the event extensively, but I wanted to weigh on something that the media missed in the shuffle.

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The Opportunity for Software as a Service

Thursday, 29 July 2010 15:21

With all the media coverage in the past few months about Gmail, Twitter, and now Microsoft's Danger cloud service going down, I'm seeing a renewed sense of skepticism about cloud computing. There are few people I know who doubt that more and more of our software, digital data, and more will move to the cloud. The real question is what will be the relationship between the cloud and the localized client. I won't spend time addressing that issue, but rather highlight some key things I think will make software as a service useful. 

We have to first acknowledge that there are many different ways people use computers and the software they buy. Because of that fundamental observation, I feel that for some consumers software as a service will make absolute sense and for others it will be more useful for them to purchase the product and use it locally.  I feel the more mainstream consumer will find software as a service solution more attractive and useful, while folks in the professional industries will find that localized software fits their needs. 
 
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The Coming Technology Explosion - Part 1

Thursday, 29 July 2010 15:21

In 2001, my company, Creative Strategies, helped National Semiconductor host a customer conference to communicate National’s strategy and vision.  We do something similar for Phoenix Technologies every year. National, at the time, wanted to show how their products and solutions fit with the innovation happening in the industry. Even though much of their innovative silicon was sold off and never used, I took something important away from that conference.  

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The Netbook Conundrum

Thursday, 29 July 2010 15:21

 Most of the PC industry dismissed the ASUS EeePC when it was launched—some considered it a 'toy" laptop. Oops! To their monumental surprise, netbooks struck a chord. But the decision ASUS made to use Linux on its first version was problematic. It didn't meet the expectations of early EeePC buyers because it wasn't compatible with their existing software, printers, cameras, and so on.

So ASUS asked Microsoft for a version of Windows XP that it could use with these small laptops, and Redmond agreed. While this helped the netbook market grow exponentially, it has had an effect on Microsoft's profitability, since the company charges around $15 for XP on a netbook compared with roughly $50 to $70 for various versions of Vista on laptops.

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Understanding Apple Parts 1 and 2

Thursday, 29 July 2010 15:21

Following Apple for some 28 years now, I've seen the Mac maker grow from a very small company (launched with a computer thought of as a hobbyist toy) to one of the most powerful technology companies on the planet.

I've seen it go through five CEOs, starting with Steve Jobs and coming full circle when Jobs came back to take that role again in 1997. I've met with each of these CEOs to hear their thoughts, visions, and goals—and in some cases spent time with their teams as they explained how they see the market. And over time, I've learned what makes Apple tick.

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