My New Apple M1 Mac
I recently received my new Apple Mac with the M1 processor. I will be honest, I was skeptical and fearful of this machine. It does NOT use an Intel CPU chip. The chip it uses has an entirely different microcode…
Learning by Shipping (AirTag Edition)
Apple AirTags are remarkable tracking devices. You can put one of these half-dollar sized disks into a package, or hang it on your pet’s collar, or stick it to anything you desire to track. (Think: grandkids at Disneyland.) I’ve been…
Google Fi Fumbles on iOS
I was very excited when I upgraded my iPhone 7 Plus to a new iPhone 12 Pro Max. The biggest, most exciting feature was dual SIM capability. It was exciting because I could use Google-Fi for international traveling and also…
No Thanks on the MagSafe
My wife and I upgraded recently to iPhone 12 Pro Max phones. It was exciting since we were on iPhone 7+ and 6+ phones. One of the big selling features was wireless charging. So we gave it a try and…
Apple Silicon
I am pretty stunned by Apple’s M1 “Apple Silicon” processor announcement. In a surprisingly good way. I’ll start with the conclusion: Apple seems to have developed a superb, outstanding, brilliant, design. This could be a genuine game changer for Apple…
Epic App Store Fight
Apple’s App Store monopoly is being attacked again! This time by Epic, last time by Basecamp, and previous times by Netflix, Match, Spotify, and I’m sure others. It’s a complex battle with sound arguments on both sides. So, in this…
Multi-Carrier on an iPhone 12 Max Pro
Imagine a cellular plan where your phone roamed to the best, closest cellular tower, without regard to what carrier owned it. Well, I have achieved that. My phone naturally is on the T-Mobile network. (I recently switched from Verizon because…
McApple
25 years ago I had an opportunity to meet with some executives at McDonald’s. They took me to the employee lunchroom. What impressed me most was a mural that went from one end of the lunch room to the other….
Fe Google Fi Fumble
This is a disaster story about Google Fi. My wife has been a T-Mobile customer for years. They are great EXCEPT for international data where they offer S-L-O-W data. It didn’t used to be so slow. When T-Mobile’s Legere first…
Innovation at the Core
I gripe a lot about Apple’s lack of innovation and a friend recently challenged me on this. Every company that suffers from a dearth of innovation has opportunities under the right leader. Disney at the brink of bankruptcy found Frank…
When Should Something be Proprietary?
When the iPhone had 100% or 80% market share it made perfect sense to add special features that were proprietary. With everybody using FaceTime and iMessage it was compelling to purchase an iPhone so that you, too, could be in…
Innovation Missing From Apple
I give Tim Cook a lot of hell. I have lambasted him for several years. He lacks vision, he stifles innovation, and he extorts customers. Tim Cook is a lot like Microsoft’s [retired] Steve Ballmer. But the fact is that…
Open Letter to Tim Cook
Dear Tim Cook: It seems that you may not have noticed that 100% of your iPhone products suck. Six of the seven iPhones in my family have broken screens. Many of my friends have broken screens. I can’t think of…
Apple’s Excuses
Apple has reported disappointing sales, particularly in China. Apple CEO Tim Cook at partly attributed the weakness to “a slowdown in China’s economy amid trade frictions between the world’s two largest economies.” Hogwash! Apple has a problem in China because…
Office Harmony Can be a Very Expensive Thing
Working under Steve Jobs was never an emotionally enjoyable experience. He was critical, demanding, and a perfectionist. More than a few mediocre people left in tears. But Steve didn’t care. He wanted only one thing: superb, superior products. Today, Apple…
Here is Why Microsoft’s Value Exceeds Apple’s
I was not surprised to read the news that Microsoft is more valuable than Apple. Apple is suffering from a really bad case of arrogance and complacency. Microsoft is innovating and is increasingly obsessive about quality. I think quality still…
The Great Sadness of Apple Facetime
When Steve Jobs announced FaceTime, Apple’s picture phone service, he also stated that it would be an open standard. (prior post) Here we are a decade later and under Tim Cook Apple’s FaceTime has remained a proprietary, locked in, closed…
Apple Business Chat
I have often pined about the need to make voice calls richer in content. That is, to display to users menus and active content during a phone call. I feel this is simply essential if voice communications is going to…
How to Sue Apple
I got this inquiry: I decided to file my own small claims case against Apple & Tim Cook. I would love to speak with you for any tips about the Touch Disease case as I am not a technical guy. …
The Curse of the New HQ (Apple)
I have a personal theory about “Corporate Palaces”. When a company decides that it is time to build a Corporate Palace for themselves, they have peaked and a crash will be within five years, usually sooner. I have 40 years…