Skeptical Cynic 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Is The iPad The Disneyland Of Computers?

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 09 Apr, 2010 @ 12:08pm

    Re: Apple fans and haters are both wrong

    They have changed the link since I found it. So it is not longer valid. I will post the correct link asap.

  • On the post: Is The iPad The Disneyland Of Computers?

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 09 Apr, 2010 @ 11:55am

    Apple fans and haters are both wrong

    Sorry hit enter too soon... Here is what I meant to say.

    For those people that say Apple is late to the tablet game or only for those people that worship at the feet of Jobs I say you are wrong.

    I have been involved with the Tech industry for over 25 years and have seen many ideas come and go. I was a selected beta tester for the UMPC pre-market. I have worked with and deployed literally thousands of tablet PC's and even worked on an Apple "tablet" made by an aftermarket maker. The issues all those faced were that the touch capabilities were always an add-on layer or just a fancy way to move the cursor or arrow. The other issue was and still is cost. They are at least 1.5 times the cost of a non-touch computer and many times a lot more.

    So to dismiss it because of what it lacks (which honestly is quite a few things) is short-sighted. Instead, look at what the target market is and what they will be doing with it. If you look without bias at that market you will see that the iPad satisfies at least 90% of what they want from it. Plus it is cheaper by at least $500 than the next touch PC.

    It pains me because I have been involved with technology for so long to see how little the average computer is asked to do. Most people (65+%) want to check there email, view websites, look at a video or 500, post to facebook or linkedin, write a doc or two, play some games and that is about it. Which of those things is the iPad not able to do?

    My opinion like the iPhone the iPad is a gateway drug for the masses. Experts were all over the iPhone when it first came out screaming about what a piece or crap it was. But the thing they missed was that although Apple did not include something's it should have, it did include what it needed to.

    What Apple did right was create an environment where it was easy to use only a finger to do everything. I have had at least 10 Windows mobile PC phones with touch and they just never were all that good. They were pretty much the only game in town so they had to be good enough if you needed that kind of functionality. I now own an iPhone but only after my Wife had to have one (because it was cool!) and I got to play with it a bit. It was the first cell phone I could actually use without a stylus. (Of course I waited until the 3g one came out, I could give up the speed I had with my WINMO phone which did 3g.) Are there things I hate about it, YES, is it everything I could want, NO, but it does enough of what I need to keep me happy.

    And that is why the iPad will sell at least 3-5 Mil units by Christmas. It is is good enough.

    I will not be buying an iPad on launch day but will probably buy one after the next model comes out.

    I think that the main things it will do is increase video rentals through the iTunes store, increase ebook/epub sales (the two reasons they actually made the iPad IMHO. They make 10 times the profit after the device is sold they from the device.) But I also think it will push more publishers to create new creative ways for people to enjoy their publications. Link below is a good example. Links: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid56328629001?bclid=101750010...

    Also I wold like to add that I am not an Apple Fan. There are a lot of things that I do not like about the way they handle customers. I won't go in to the long list of problems I have with them, but that does not mean I can't look at what they ARE offering to the masses that will be successful. I have owned many Macs over the years and even started working with computer on an Apple II+ but don't own any now. The only Apple product I own is the iPhone.

  • On the post: Is The iPad The Disneyland Of Computers?

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 09 Apr, 2010 @ 11:49am

    Apple fans and haters are both wrong

  • On the post: New Zealand Politicians Want To Explicitly Outlaw Software Patents

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 31 Mar, 2010 @ 11:41am

    USPTO please read and understand!

    Maybe the USPTO will get a clue.

  • On the post: Scammers Using Mock Copyright Lawsuit Threats To Get People To Download Malware

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 31 Mar, 2010 @ 11:29am

    Re: Re:

    I can verify that!! I am in IT and exe's are way old hat. I can't tell you how many people get infected by drive-by downloads.

  • On the post: Columnist Claims Anonymity Is Bad For Our Country

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 31 Mar, 2010 @ 11:25am

    Anonymity can be moderated out when it is bad

    Anonymity in commenting is not per se bad and because each site has usage policies in place just delete them.

  • On the post: Scammers Using Mock Copyright Lawsuit Threats To Get People To Download Malware

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 31 Mar, 2010 @ 06:48am

    Re: You'd think...

    Without a doubt they non-English speakers. Most of the letters are written in their language and then they use a program to translate I'll bet.

  • On the post: Scammers Using Mock Copyright Lawsuit Threats To Get People To Download Malware

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 31 Mar, 2010 @ 05:52am

    This could turn even worse.

    Imagine if the scammers instead send you to a link to pay up for the violations?

    "We have found that you have uploaded x thousands of files so your fine is going to $5,000,000 but we will settle this for $500.00 if you pay in the next 24 hours."
    They could use one of the many overseas corrupt credit card processors to take you card number charge you the $500 then sell your number of the underground market.

  • On the post: More Bloggers Suing For Gov't Press Passes

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 10 Mar, 2010 @ 11:22pm

    So Techdirt is...?

    Is Techdirt legit or just a "blogger"

  • On the post: Did Ok Go Free Itself From EMI? [Confirmed!]

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 10 Mar, 2010 @ 12:12am

    I will buy their album

    If they really did break from EMI I will blindly buy their album and promo it everywhere I can. Just to give them support! The labels really need to learn that the best way to reach the buyers is simply put "any way you can!!"

    Also just a piece of info: I have not bought a full album in 15 years, but I will buy theirs just to show support for them.

  • On the post: Fake Processors, Passing The Blame, Legal Nastygrams And More…

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 08 Mar, 2010 @ 03:29pm

    Re: This could be fun

    Just FYI I work in the I.T. industry and D&H is NOT a small company. Over 900 employees.

  • On the post: Apple Goes Offensive On Patents: Sues HTC

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 02 Mar, 2010 @ 02:54pm

    It is just dealing with reality.

    Sorry to say it but in the U.S. it simply sue or be sued. Very sad state of affairs.

  • On the post: Will Your Home Insurance Provider Jack Up Your Rates If Your Tweet Appears On PleaseRobMe?

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 02 Mar, 2010 @ 11:40am

    The law of unintended consequences...

    Let the world know what you are doing and the world will use that information. For good or bad. Hehe!! Go ahead spread the word!!

  • On the post: U.S., Korea, Singapore, Denmark, Germany, Belgium And Portugal: Against ACTA Transparency

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 25 Feb, 2010 @ 02:45pm

    So much for the land of the free...

    Why are we not more angry?

  • On the post: ACTA's Internet Chapter Leaks; And, Now We See How Sneaky The Negotiators Have Been

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 22 Feb, 2010 @ 11:47am

    That is a lot to take in!!!

    (Use the link above to vote for my baby!!! Please maybe money will follow)

    It looks like you can boil it down to consumers (or the buyers) have no rights and the sellers can do what they want!

    Sad, very sad.

  • On the post: School Spying Scandal Gets Even More Bizarre: Student In Question Was Disciplined For Eating Candy

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 22 Feb, 2010 @ 10:08am

    Re: BAN CANDY NOW

    The child's parents should (if we follow the general consensus) sue Mike and Ike for promoting drug use!!! Plus emotional damages!!!

  • On the post: School Spying Scandal Gets Even More Bizarre: Student In Question Was Disciplined For Eating Candy

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 22 Feb, 2010 @ 08:44am

    Ability does not equal right

    Just because the school system MAY have told the students and parents that they COULD do this does not give them the right to actually do it.

    I think we have a very serious problem today in that too many people believe that just because they can, means they are OK to do.

  • On the post: Ok Go Singer Explains How Lack Of Embedding Videos Hurts Everyone

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 22 Feb, 2010 @ 08:28am

    Can someone explain this to me?

    In what world is free advertising bad?

    Sure when I give an interview about my business to a newspaper and people buy that copy because of the interview someone else makes money off of my interview other than me, but I get free advertising!

    Sure I let some website see my product before it is for sale and then they talk about it and thus make the money not me. Which again is free advertising.

    I just really don't understand how any business model WOULD NOT include giving everyone and anyone the opportunity to talk about your product. Sure it has to make bottom line sense who gets free (but costs the company)stuff but when you product is "infinite content" I would think that giving everyone every chance to talk about it and then maybe buy it would be pretty high up on the marketing agenda. Internet buzz is worth A LOT more and MUCH cheaper than a 30 second commercial on the local evening news.

  • On the post: Facebook Restores Accounts Of 3 Critics It Mysteriously Deleted

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 22 Feb, 2010 @ 07:53am

    Re: What happens on Facebook...

    Unless you are trying to get a job. In which case everything you have ever posted will be found by the potential employer.

  • On the post: Facebook Restores Accounts Of 3 Critics It Mysteriously Deleted

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 22 Feb, 2010 @ 07:11am

    Two rules of the internet...

    1. Anytime you put information out on the internet and then realize that you want it deleted it will spread to everyone and be copied and cached everywhere. Never to disappear.

    2. Anytime you put information out on the internet and want everyone to know about it, it will disappear overnight without any warning and without any explanation.

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