From the always-proper Economist: The iPhone’s notification panel, with its imitation linen effect, was not descended from an object that was once made of linen. The switch that, say, allows you to switch an iPhone into Airplane Mode is not an on-screen replacement for what used to be a physical switch. In the early days of … Continue reading A Metaphor, Not a Skeumorph
Virtually the entire internet is speculating talking about what Apple will roll out in its hotly anticipated – and badly needed – refresh at WWDC 2013. I could repeat all the claims about OS X 10.9, iOS 7, Mac Pros, and Retina Macbook Airs. Instead, I’ll just link you to Justin Williams’s CarpeAqua, which provides … Continue reading WWDC
The new Samsung Galaxy S4 is so powerful complicated, it has an Easy Mode – the rough equivalent of the big-button jumbo remote control you’d buy for your parents as a joke when they turn fifty. Apple has an easy mode too. It’s called iOS. Continue reading The Next Big Thing, Simplified
In light of the screenshots of the new Chrome OS, I figured that it’d be worth publicly positing, that if given the opportunity again, Google would probably have chosen to make Chrome, and not Android, their mobile OS.
The blogosphere is all abuzz with the announcement of RIM Blackberry’s new OS, and, naturally, reviews of the both the device and the company’s future abound. Check out The Verge’s generous take, below: And, in perfect complement, BGR’s perspective. As someone once said, “everything is relative. Even Blackberry reviews.” Continue reading Everything’s Relative in Tech-land
Poor HTC. The Taiwanese smartphone company released its dismal Q4 2012 results this morning, chalking up $34 million in profit, a tiny fraction compared to the $2 Billion in revenue it earned Q4 2011. Mashable reports that HTC’s share of the US smartphone market shrunk from 10.3% at this time last year to 4% today. … Continue reading HTC Could Use a Little TLC
My official Android gripe of the day is autocorrect. I am not sure why, after five years of development and feedback from hundreds of millions of users, Android still does not automatically correct “Its” to “It’s.” I’d wager that 70% of “its” usage is in contraction, not object-possession, form. And yet, somehow, the error persists. … Continue reading Dear Android, Its About Time We Had This Talk
In the last few months, Apple has made two critical changes that reflect a shift away from its Jobs-era stance on hardware, and a compelling reorientation of its software. Continue reading “Threats and Adaptations”
We’ve employed our literary chops to write a brief, preemptive eulogy for RIM, in the style of John Milton’s Lycidas. Enjoy.
Continue reading “A Hymn for RIM: John Milton Does a Preemptive Eulogy for Blackberry”
For years, Microsoft was regarded as the elephant in the computer room. It was big, it was boring, and it was impossible to go one conversation without begrudgingly mentioning the computer behemoth. But now, with the meteoric rise of Apple, things look a little different – and possibly more favorable, for the world’s largest software company and its decisive push into hardware.
For nearly ten years, Apple has had a lock on hardware, creating gorgeous aluminum-and-round-edged devices that impressed techies and average users alike. Apple excelled at crafting dependable software that worked with – and only with – their devices. And in quick succession, Cupertino pushed out the iPod, iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad – each one not so much inventing a field as re-imagining it, tying it into Apple’s expanding, if heavily curated, ecosystem of music, TV, movies and apps.
Silicon Spatula 