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Posts tagged business
AOL CEO, Tim Armstrong – Ripping Doors Out And Breaking Down The Walls
May 25th
The term was ‘nesting’. In response to a planned move of office furniture to facilitate better staff communication, one staffer complained, ‘I’ll have nowhere to nest.’
Rachel Metz, AP Technology Writer, reports that at AOL’s New York headquarters, executive nesting is over. Tim Armstrong, AOL’s newly installed CEO, dropped the hammer on a legacy floor-plan that may well have been rooted in AOL’s days of old as a dial-up ISP.
Microsoft Drops 3-App Limit, Publishes Strict Windows 7 Netbook Limits
May 25th
If perpetual Windows apologist Paul Thurrott’s sources are reliable, and there is no reason to doubt the ultimate Microsoft supporter, it appears the company has finally done something right by opting to drop the much-despised 3-app limit from Windows 7 Starter Edition. But just when you thought Microsoft was being generous they turn around and cause even more ill will. This time the company has published very restrictive limitations on what types of machines will be allowed to run this stripped-down version of Windows. Why is it so hard for the company to do good without pissing off [potential] customers?
Windows 7 Starter Edition Blows Chunks, Limits Users to Three Simultaneous Applications
Apr 23rd
In early February we wrote about Microsoft’s plan to offer Windows 7 in 6 flavors. The least expensive version offered, Windows 7 Starter Edition, is directed towards the netbook market because netbooks are [supposedly] not used for much other than web browsing. That in and of itself is no big deal – what is absolutely as crazy as a bed bug is Microsoft’s peculiar decision-making process: the company has implemented a limit of running three simultaneous applications in Windows 7 Starter Edition!
Apple Responds to Microsoft Accusation that Macs are Too Cool
Apr 17th
Microsoft recently launched one of their most bizarre advertising campaigns to date, placing Apple squarely in their crosshairs but miserably failing to make a coherent and compelling argument against the hip computer company. Microsoft’s peculiar attempt to paint the Apple Mac lineup as both too expensive and too cool defies logic because it lacks persuasive execution. As if things were not odd enough, Apple has sought fit to respond to the beleaguered campaign with some interesting words.
Is the Amazon Kindle an Attempted eBook Market Power Play?
Apr 4th
The Amazon Kindle 2, the updated version of the wireless reading device by Amazon.com, is an exceptional little piece of electronics. The idea to be able to store and read a virtually unlimited number of books in such a small, lightweight device is a wicked idea, especially if you are constantly on the go and are reading multiple books simultaneously. Although a wonderful idea, are the numerous problems worth the risk, and do they ultimately outweigh any benefits offered by the reader? Or is eBook world domination the real goal Amazon has for the Kindle?
The Future of Music Is In The Clouds
Mar 25th
The music industry is hell-bent on selling shiny little plastic discs rather than innovating in a space sorely in need of modernization. The litigation campaign so clumsily wielded by the geniuses behind the Recording Industry Association of America has done absolutely nothing to deter the rampant music piracy running amok through society today. If they truly desire to remain relevant, rather than focusing their efforts on the misleading “education campaign” the recording industry should be concentrating on the one area destined to be the future of music – cloud computing.
Apple Does Not Need A Netbook To Be Their Savior
Feb 25th
I am unable to figure out, for the life of me, why there are so many people who blindly believe that Apple needs to release a netbook. Most folks claim that for Apple to stay viable because of the economic situation facing America, and how that sudden fallout is going to affect their ability to sell niche products at elevated prices, they need to do the smart thing and release an inexpensive Mac netbook.
Microsoft Announces Foray into Retail Store Sales Ala Apple
Feb 14th
In what I can only describe as an obvious attempt to be cool and continue their “me too” saga, Microsoft has announced plans to open a “small number” of retail stores to sell their wares, and has even hired a 27-year Wal-Mart veteran to head up the operation. David Porter, who is joining Microsoft fresh off the boat from DreamWorks Animation SKG, after leading the entertainment company’s worldwide product distribution for seven years, will commence work on February 16, 2008. Microsoft has not released any specific details about their retail strategy other than to say they hope to “create a better PC and Microsoft retail purchase experience for consumers worldwide through the development and opening of the company’s own retail stores.”
Unfortunately for Microsoft, unlike Apple, the company does not sell complete PC-hardware and software solutions with the exception of the X-BOX, which is a gaming console and decidedly not a PC. One has to ask, what on God’s green Earth does Microsoft expect to sell at these stores other than plastic and cardboard boxes with round disks inside?
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