Steve Jobs Opens Up
Last week Apple’s stock went down on the combination of news that this will be the last year they present at Macworld and that CEO Steve Jobs will not be giving the keynote. Speculation has been high over the last year that Jobs was ill and has led to poor stock performance (in addition to the issues the rest of the market is experiencing) as it probably should and this news added fuel to the fire. Jobs imprint is on every product the company puts out and one has to wonder how well Apple products would be designed if he wasn’t there to give them the final say.
Today the company released an open letter from Jobs explaining why he will not be giving the keynote. In the letter Jobs cites a hormonal imbalance he’s being treated for as the reason for his noticeable loss of weight over the last year which sparked the speculation. I applaud Jobs for being straight up enough to make a statement on the issue. It’s tough being in a position where your private life affects your public life and it can’t be easy to open one to the other.
The only thing thing that annoyed me about the statement itself was the last sentence. “So now I’ve said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this.” As noted above I appreciate how troublesome it is to be in Jobs current position. But that last sentence sounds more like a principal talking to students or a parent disciplining a child than it does a CEO communicating with shareholders and customers. But I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt since the frustration of having to write a statement like that would push almost everyone over the edge.
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Zune Bug Uproar Silly
Last week revealed an issue with first generation Zune 30s. Owners of this model were dismayed when they turned on their Zunes on December 31 only to find the unit reset itself and then got stuck in the reset process rendering the unit useless. Apparently there’s a bug in it’s software relating to leap years where it doesn’t recognize the 366th day of the year.
My RSS reader and Twitter feed were overloaded with information and opinion about the issue. People were all over Microsoft about this issue. This bug demonstrates a very basic failure on the part of Microsoft’s Zune programmers. There’s no excuse for a bug like this to appear on a production device.
But let’s look at the big picture here. Microsoft holds a 4% marketshare in the MP3 player category and has sold 2 million units since it’s release. By comparison Apple’s iPod has 71% marketshare and sold 76 million units during the same time period. Not to downplay the enormity of this bug but when was the last time such a small segment of the marketplace caused such an uproar.
Yes, this bug should never have existed. No, it should not have caused the uproar it did.
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End of Year Predictions Show I
Absolutely horrible predicitons. Most are not predictions at all!!
Click to listen: [audio:http://m.podshow.com/media/12115/episodes/138036/tech5-138036-12-31-2008.mp3]
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2008 Wrap Up
A year ago I was working in midtown Manhattan for an online advertising firm. I was underpaid but enjoyed the people and work enough to stay on despite the wage differential between myself and market value for someone of my experience. I even turned down a couple of job offers to stay at the company. But as spring turned to summer the company announced a merger with a traditional advertising firm and layoffs ensued. I was included in the layoffs and have had a crazy ride ever since. A 9 week stint at an email service provider in late summer/early fall and a few support call assignments for my friends consulting business interrupted an otherwise quiet rest of the year until I started the assignment I’m currently on.
Though the professional setbacks and frustrations really brought me down I somehow managed to keep good spirits through most of it. That was due mostly to my kids who have entertained me daily. It was nice being home to meet my daughter as she got back from school. It was nice being able to take a break from whatever I was doing in the middle of the day to play with my son. Though child rearing is not always a picnic the fun of it far outweighs the frustrations and it probably what got me through the year without my professional issues adding significantly to the rate at which my hair is turning gray.
All in all I have a lot to be thankful for from the past year despite the hit my career and income took. We’re all healthy. The kids are doing well in school. And despite spending a significant part of the year unemployed we managed to stay ahead on our mortgage payments and not fall behind on any of our other bills. Considering the shape of the economy in general and the credit market specifically I’d say that puts us ahead of the game compared to the average American household.
As we head into a new year I can’t say I expect things to get better but I can’t help being optimistic. Though I don’t know exactly how long the current assignment will keep me employed (or how long I actually want to be on it) I have to believe that my professional life will improve in the new year. I feel that the hardships of 2008 improved me as a person and have prepared me for a possibly tougher but hopefully better 2009.
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Digital Certificates Cracked
Steve Jobs being sick rumor re-emerges. Digital certificates cracked by hackers. Windows 7 Beta downloaded to an extreme. LG coins new Trumotion moniker. Uses scanning backlight. Negative wordage aimed at Microsoft analyzed. Home server coming from Apple. Self-parking car comes from Lincoln. Top 9 skills for 09.
Click to listen: [audio:http://m.podshow.com/media/12115/episodes/137963/tech5-137963-12-30-2008.mp3]
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