The Brooks Review

Category: Links

  • Making a Last Minute Dash for Idiot of the Week

    Who am I referring to? That’d be: Canalys principal analyst Pete Cunningham. As quoted by Christina Bonnington on Wired.com about the 3.5″ screen size of the iPhone:

    >Cunningham said this was a “noticeable weakness” of the device. He expects the next iPhone will have a 4-inch or 4.3-inch display, rather than the 4.6-inch behemoth reported by Reuters. “I don’t think Apple can go much above 4.3 because of the need to meet so many different people’s needs,” Cunningham said. Unlike the 5.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Note, the iPhone is a mass-market device, and Apple will have to find the “sweet spot” for such a product.

    Where’s the data to backup the assertion that the iPhone’s 3.5″ display is holding it back — [certainly the sales data doesn’t show that](http://www.asymco.com/2012/03/21/estimates-for-apples-second-fiscal-2012-quarter/). So if it is a “noticeable weakness” then I want to know why — what would change? Does Cunningham really think sales are being stunted because of the screen size?

    And as for that “sweet spot” that he refers to, I think Apple has already found it. And the sales data *does* back me up on that one.

  • ‘Facebook: Legal Action Against Employers Asking for Your Password’

    Wait, I guess I am really out of touch, because I had no idea employers asked potential employees for their Facebook passwords. Moreover, who would want to take a job at a company that asks for that information? Not me.

  • ‘Why Mike Daisey had to lie to tell the truth about Apple’

    Joshua Topolsky writing about Mike Daisey’s lies:

    >Daisey’s lies inspired honest questions about the gadgets in our pockets. Did he betray the trust of the public and journalists by lying? The answer to this question is easy: Yes. But were the lies necessary?

    Topolsky never comes out and clearly answers that last question, but he does say this near the end:

    >Mike Daisey is not a hero, but I’m not sure he’s a villain either.
    >He leaned into his lies to sell tickets to a show, to get on network TV, to make money and get famous. But along the way — either on purpose or by accident — he opened a lot of eyes.

    So I can only assume that lying, in Topolsky’s eyes, can be justified if it is done so out of necessity. That’s a good reason not to read a single word Topolsky writes.

    [via The Beard]

  • Bloomberg on Consumer Reports

    Adam Satariano:
    >There was at least one group glad that Consumer Reports posted its review: headline writers.

  • 5by5 | the B&B Podcast #53: Five iPads Later

    >Shawn and Ben talk about the difference between the iPhone and iPad Retina displays, 4G LTE speeds, Vitamix blenders, and Keyboard Maestro macros.

  • ‘The New iPad Could Create High-Speed Headaches for CIOs’

    I don’t really get the argument here. Clint Boulton is making the case that the new iPad can and will cause two problems for businesses:

    1. Bandwidth issues.
    2. Data plan prices.

    He says that the LTE speed will clog networks — but those networks aren’t in the control of any corporation except those providing them. Then he talks about going over data plans by watching HD video and checking in on March Madness — yet data plans have always had caps.

    The HD video argument is valid because now iPad users are probably seeking out that quality, but checking March Madness stats isn’t going to take any more data than it did on the older iPads. Websites don’t necessarily get larger just because a device has faster cellular internet, or a larger screen. I get where he is going, but the fact is that even though the iPad can display high resolution graphics, most website don’t serve those. Further just because a user can download things faster, doesn’t mean they will download *more* things.

    More than all of that though, I don’t get why this argument doesn’t end with the simple solution of allowing iPads onto corporate WiFi networks. ((My guess is that is too non-confrontational and easy.)) That would eliminate all of the concerns. He almost gets there with the Hyatt example, but instead of using that as the new model it seems Boulton is looking for page views by criticizing a new Apple product. Lame.

  • The Feature

    Give Me Something to Read has [now been renamed](http://www.marco.org/2012/03/22/the-feature) ‘The Feature’ and it’s still the best way to load up Instapaper before you get on a plane. (I love the new name.)

  • ‘Your New iPad Might Be Lying When It Says Its Battery Is at 100%’

    John Brownlee reporting:
    >“I measured the power actually drawn by the AC adapter and found that the new iPad continues to charge for up to 1 hour after it claims to reach 100%,” says Dr. Soneira. “This affects the battery run time if you stop charging when it says 100%.”

    I’d love to see the actual research here. I have only had to charge my iPad once since getting it so I can’t say whether I have noticed anything like this. Obviously it takes longer to charge, but not really being charged when it says it is? Sounds dubious to me.

  • Can You Hear Google Breathing on Your Phone Call?

    Drew Olanoff:
    >The patent discusses the technology to analyze the background noise during your phone call and serve up ads for you based on the environmental conditions Google picks up on. Yeah, that’s creepy.

    The patent also covers the backgrounds of photos and videos — I can’t think of any better reason to *not* buy Android devices. ((Yes of course this is *just* a patent application, but come on this is seriously creepy.))

  • Retina iPads and File Size

    Khoi Vinh on iPad magazine sizes:

    >Eventually we will get enough bandwidth so that we can download the 150 megabytes or more that these apps ask us to retrieve. Though what I fear is that when we have that capacity, publishers will be asking us to download gigabytes per issue; this is after all an industry that cannot resist imposing greater and greater demands on its users in order to impress itself.

  • The Ultimate “Inline Link” Markdown Macro in Keyboard Maestro

    Now *that is* impressive.

  • Hard Graft’s Flat Pack for MacBook 13″

    It’s taking all of my self control to not buy this bag. Oh do I want this bag.

  • 2012 ‘Retina’ iPad Cellular Data Tests from Bare Feats

    Spoiler: LTE is *way* faster than 3G. There is also a very interesting note about using the iPad as a hotspot: it splits the bandwidth speed.

  • ‘Microsoft banning Mac, iPad purchases by its sales and marketing group?’

    Mary-Jo Foley:

    >Some folks think moves like the alleged Mac and iPad ban make sense. Others find them overblown. If current purchase levels really are low, as the alleged memo says, why go so far as to ban them, asked one former Softie. And what about knowing your enemy?

    >What’s your take? If it’s really happening (which I believe it is, given where I got the e-mail), is this a smart or a pointless move on Microsoft’s part? My vote is smart. In fact, I’m surprised this policy wasn’t put in place before.

    I’ve always been of the mindset that if your employees don’t want to use your own products, you have way more to worry about than whether customers see your employees using a competitors products or not. After all shouldn’t your employees be your most loyal users? And if you don’t have that, then what does that say of your future as a business? Not much.

  • Path Keeps With the Dishonesty?

    David Barnard asked Path to delete all his user data and got a support email confirming the data was gone.

    Today he signed back up and all his old data was still there for him to use.

    So, I guess we know now that Path values that data more than trust?

  • ‘Hardware Defects So Long’

    Paul “Supersite” Thurrott amuses me greatly, so I always like to read his takes on Apple “issues”. Today he posted about the iPad heat hubbub (which I have not personally noticed):

    >In the scope of things that could go wrong with a consumer electronics device, this is probably on the mild side.

    Wow, right there in agreement with you Supersite.

    >After all, Apple’s iPhone 4 shipped with a list of hardware defects so long, just covering them all accurately was difficult.

    Say what now? The only actual “hardware defect” I can think of that he could be referencing is the antenna issue. I searched about and the only other issues that popped up were a the couple of reported battery explosions (not to minimize that danger) and home button inconsistencies. To say that the list was “so long” that they cannot be covered seems to me like the biggest jackass statement of the week.

    The nerds on Twitter remember the following issues:

    – Antenna.
    – Battery explosions.
    – The white ones being delayed forever and discoloring (I don’t recall the latter bit).
    – Color issues with the screen (I thought that was resolved as a glue drying thing. Wherein once the glue dried it looked fine, perhaps I am mistaken.).
    – Easily scratched (Don’t recall that, but searches did pop up complaints).
    – Shattering the glass taking on and off cases That doesn’t seem like a hardware defect to me, but OK).
    – Home button not feeling right on some units.
    – Home button not being responsive, but was later fixed (in most cases) with software updates — meaning it was not a hardware defect in most cases.

    That’s 8 issues, many of which I don’t think are fair to classify as hardware defects as much as manufacturing defects — but either way a list that is not too long to recite. Oh, Supersite.

    Then Supersite just pulls me back in with this comment:

    >Consumer Reports, more famous for not recommending the iPhone 4 than for its decades of consumer advocacy, is reportedly investigating. We await their ruling from on high.

    LOL. Oh Supersite, you are so hit and miss.

  • The Smack Down

    John Gruber writing about Mike “Theatrical Performance” Daisey:
    >There is no larger truth here. This is not a mistake. This is simply a lie, a lie that was told to draw attention and create sympathy at the expense of the actual truth.

  • ‘In-App Ads Consume Mucho Battery Life’

    And cue the deletion of any apps that display ads (unless I can pay to remove them).

  • 20% Off iTunes eGift Cards

    Last time a deal like this came around I bought $300 worth for $240. I get no kickback here, just buy these up because they are a great deal (works not just for Music/Movies, but for Apps too).

    Again you are essentially getting 20% off of every app in the App Store.

  • Australian Federal Police Airport Teams Are Just ‘For Show’

    Robyn Ironside reporting on the Australian equivalent (or I assume) of the TSA
    >One senior executive said in his experience, the officers were expensive window-dressing.

    >”When you add the body scanners, the ritual humiliation of old ladies with knitting needles and the farcical air marshals, it all adds up to billions of dollars to prevent what? A politician being called soft on terror, that’s what,” he said.

    Sounds about right.