I suppose Mozilla CEO John Lilly had a point when he said that Apple’s stealth Safari install process for Windows was “wrong.” After all, Safari isn’t just being pushed to folks who had previously installed Apple’s browser, but to anyone who had previously installed iTunes or just QuickTime.

The question, of course, is just how Apple should have promoted its browser upgrade to Windows users. Right now, they are third-best as far as market share is concerned, way behind Mozilla’s Firefox, let alone Microsoft Internet Explorer.

When it comes to gaining market share, Firefox benefits from several years of viral marketing, where millions of users, looking for a safer, faster alternative to Internet Explorer, have embraced Firefox as their preferred alternative. Basically on the Windows platform, Microsoft’s home-brewed browser has the same structure as Safari on a Mac. It is generally installed along with any operating system update, as part of the process. You don’t have to seek it out online first.

Continue Reading...

Related Articles:

• Should Microsoft Dump Internet Explorer?
• Microsoft and Browser Choice: A Solution or a Trick?
• Newsletter Issue #485 Preview: Microsoft Still Doesn’t Get It!
• Is Microsoft Ready to Lose the Browser Wars?
• Of Microsoft and the European Union

One of the big stories this weekend, other than the usual political shenanigans and lurid celebrity gossip, was the claim that some iPhones were turned into bricks by the latest firmware update from Apple. Of course, Apple warned iPhone users about the potential consequences of unlocking their phones, which is intended to allow them to work on other phone systems.

In the wake of that update, some of those unlocked iPhones were predictably rendered all or mostly inoperable. Yet, it also appears a few phones that were never hacked also suffered in a similar fashion from the firmware revision. Without knowing what may have happened, on rare occasions, firmware updates do fail, but one would hope Apple will remedy such matters forthwith.

The core question, however, is whether Apple has the right to treat folks who choose to make unsanctioned upgrades to their iPhones in this fashion. Are they playing dirty tricks, or simply acting appropriately?

Consider another example in a different industry.

Continue Reading...

Related Articles:

• Newsletter #500 Preview: Is AT&T the Enemy to Continued iPhone Success?
• Newsletter #499 Preview: The Latest iPhone Rollout Shows Apple Hasn’t Lost its Mojo
• Newsletter #454 Preview: Here We Go Again: Revisiting Mac Versus PC Prices
• iPhone 2.0: Direct From New Zealand!
• Newsletter #431 Preview: So Apple is Succeeding or Failing or Something

You’ve got to hand it to the tech pundits. They feel they not only have the right to tell you what’s going on in the tech world, but they sometimes pretend to read the minds of the executives in charge of the companies. Truly awesome!

Now let’s be clear here. I’m a tech writer too, and I’ve written for some of the same publications as others, and I wouldn’t presume to claim that everything I do is absolutely perfect. At the same time, many tech writers are totally sincere in their work. They don’t let their egos get in the way, nor attempt to impugn motives on the part of a company without a sufficient amount of evidence.

In saying that, it’s being claimed more and more these days that Apple’s ultimate goal is to control the living room with its hardware and software. In other words, they desire to be intimately involved in the content you see and hear on your TV set and home audio system.

Is there any truth to that?

Continue Reading...

Related Articles:

• The Apple Beating the Odds Column
• So Where’s the Next Apple Killer?
• Is Apple Running Out of Ideas?
• The Inevitable Comparison: Apple’s Financials and the Health of Steve Jobs
• Newsletter #397 Preview: Is Apple Getting a Fair Shake From the Press?

Understand that the new, higher-speed Wi-Fi protocol, known as 80211.n, hasn’t been approved yet. Instead, what you have now are “draft” standards, which simply means it’s a work in progress, something akin to beta software. That hasn’t stopped companies from selling computers and routers that support the new technology. Yet maybe it would be akin to selling a new DVD player before a new standard is final. Of course, some of you might think that’s already happening what with those duelling high-definition disc standards.

In releasing its new AirPort Extreme, Apple promised speeds that were up to five times greater, twice the range and several significant new features, such as the ability to set up a USB hard drive as a network storage device. Cool.

The published test results have shown that the new “n” standard can be temperamental, however. There’s no assurance you’ll get even twice the speed of the existing 802.11g standard, let alone the higher figure claimed by Apple. Transmissions are carried on either of two channels, 2.4GHz, same as the older standards, or 5GHz. In theory, the higher frequency ought to get you greater range, or maybe not. Turning on the most secure WPA2 security feature may cause a drop in performance — or maybe not.

Continue Reading...

Related Articles:

• The Apple Media Event Report: The Speculation Rolls In
• The Zune HD: Another Bullet Point Design from Microsoft
• Newsletter #478 Preview: Taking the Mac Seriously After 25 Years
• Matte Screens: I Still Don’t Get It!
• The Night Owl’s Favorite Mac