Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Bill Gates Responds (16,000 Redmond iPods)
Well.. Bill Gates finally responded to my blog. He dismisses the original report of course.
Bill has a funny way of making ironic statements (check out #5 on this hilarious list). This one is pretty good:
But they're a strong leader in the space [Apple and the digital music market] and I think as we gain share, people will be surprised.
Yes, Bill if you gain market share I will be very surprised. He says he prefers the Creative Zen. Even PC Magazine gave it a C on its report card (3.5 of 5 star rating or 70%).
Bill also claims that the key to Micro$oft's $ucce$$ is that they have the "best software people". I would say the folks at Google and Apple's core app team are blowing them right out of the market right now. Bill just doesn't like competion. Maybe its time for a boycott.
Bill has a funny way of making ironic statements (check out #5 on this hilarious list). This one is pretty good:
But they're a strong leader in the space [Apple and the digital music market] and I think as we gain share, people will be surprised.
Yes, Bill if you gain market share I will be very surprised. He says he prefers the Creative Zen. Even PC Magazine gave it a C on its report card (3.5 of 5 star rating or 70%).
Bill also claims that the key to Micro$oft's $ucce$$ is that they have the "best software people". I would say the folks at Google and Apple's core app team are blowing them right out of the market right now. Bill just doesn't like competion. Maybe its time for a boycott.
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Help Cure Diabetes. Buy Candy..
Today at work I hit the coffee mess. I was greeted by my usual array of "band candy" fund raising $1.00 boxes overflowing with products from Hersheys, Mars, and Nestle. The funds vary, but today I saw something which sent me over the edge. Someone was selling candy to raise money for Diabetes.
My mother, her mother, and my mother's father all had Type 2 Diabetes. It probably killed two of them. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among people with diabetes.
Diabetics often suffer due to the high number of complications:
So.. maybe my impulse to be upset/mad was wrong. I'll make sure and have a Pepsi to wash down my Twix Bars.
My mother, her mother, and my mother's father all had Type 2 Diabetes. It probably killed two of them. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among people with diabetes.
Diabetics often suffer due to the high number of complications:
- They are more susceptible to urinary tract infections.
- Their high blood sugar often leads to nerve damage and poor blood flow in the feet.
- Erectile dysfunction
- Hypoglycemia
- Eye disease
- Gastroparesis (stomach disease)
- Kidney failure
- ...
So.. maybe my impulse to be upset/mad was wrong. I'll make sure and have a Pepsi to wash down my Twix Bars.
Diabetes is something that happens to other people, right? Yeah.. right.
I wanted to put a Post-It note on the candy display saying "Tomorrow, Cigarette Packs $10. Help cure Lung Cancer!". But I decided to let it go..
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
16,000 Redmond iPod Users Can't Be Wrong..
I got my iPod in 2001. Not many can say that. The reason? Usability. The iPod would:
1. Hold all of my music.
2. Could be loaded with that music in 20 minutes.
3. Could fit in my pocket.
4. Would not skip
5. Last a long time between charges.
6. Seamlessly work with my computer (file hub).
No other product could do that in 2001, 2002, ..
It seems so simple.. meet those six requirements and you can compete. Why hasn't anyone done so?
Wired magazine online has an article I have to pass along. They estimate that 16,000 people on Microsoft's Redmond, WA campus (64%) have an iPod. Of course we have no way of knowing, but the dynamics going on here are so telling they compel us all to reflect on the importance of usability of a product over a list of features.
Microsoft provides a website to help you buy other products, but no one does. For example, they would recommend I buy an iRiver 40Gb model. It has things the iPod doesn't: FM tuner, color display, and a voice recorder. Is anyone buying one? No. Why not? I don't know. For me its a matter of trust. I have had so many experiences where I lug home a device and it doesn't deliver -- resulting in a nice paperweight (anyone want my Palm Pilot?).
Once you find something that works seamlessly, then spread the word, a phenomenon is sure to happen..
1. Hold all of my music.
2. Could be loaded with that music in 20 minutes.
3. Could fit in my pocket.
4. Would not skip
5. Last a long time between charges.
6. Seamlessly work with my computer (file hub).
No other product could do that in 2001, 2002, ..
It seems so simple.. meet those six requirements and you can compete. Why hasn't anyone done so?
Wired magazine online has an article I have to pass along. They estimate that 16,000 people on Microsoft's Redmond, WA campus (64%) have an iPod. Of course we have no way of knowing, but the dynamics going on here are so telling they compel us all to reflect on the importance of usability of a product over a list of features.
Microsoft provides a website to help you buy other products, but no one does. For example, they would recommend I buy an iRiver 40Gb model. It has things the iPod doesn't: FM tuner, color display, and a voice recorder. Is anyone buying one? No. Why not? I don't know. For me its a matter of trust. I have had so many experiences where I lug home a device and it doesn't deliver -- resulting in a nice paperweight (anyone want my Palm Pilot?).
Once you find something that works seamlessly, then spread the word, a phenomenon is sure to happen..
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
You Ship, We Rip.
Why didn't I think of this!
When Leonardo DiCaprio bought his iPod do you think he had the time to sit down and rip his 500 CD collection of French show tunes? NO!
Enter RipDigital.com. You ship them your CD collection and they rip it for $1 a CD. By default your ripped music is placed on a DVD, or they conveniently sell you an external hard drive. What a simple idea!
Ripping music is straightforward. The challenge is meta-data -- the accompanying information such as Artist, Track Number, Album, Artwork, etc. Once you get an MP3 player you obsess over the quality of the meta-data (my iPod doesn't know that "Smith" and "SMITH" are the same artist, for example). I wonder how good a job RipDigital does?
I am thinking I could just quit my job and sit with my PowerBook ripping music for customers all day long in my LazyBoy watching shows on my impossibly huge TiVo queue. I bet I could do it for 75 cents a track ($2 a track for French show tunes..). Madonna? Bono? just give me a call..
When Leonardo DiCaprio bought his iPod do you think he had the time to sit down and rip his 500 CD collection of French show tunes? NO!
Enter RipDigital.com. You ship them your CD collection and they rip it for $1 a CD. By default your ripped music is placed on a DVD, or they conveniently sell you an external hard drive. What a simple idea!
Ripping music is straightforward. The challenge is meta-data -- the accompanying information such as Artist, Track Number, Album, Artwork, etc. Once you get an MP3 player you obsess over the quality of the meta-data (my iPod doesn't know that "Smith" and "SMITH" are the same artist, for example). I wonder how good a job RipDigital does?
I am thinking I could just quit my job and sit with my PowerBook ripping music for customers all day long in my LazyBoy watching shows on my impossibly huge TiVo queue. I bet I could do it for 75 cents a track ($2 a track for French show tunes..). Madonna? Bono? just give me a call..
