Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs passed away yesterday.
I thought when Apple announced the iPhone 4S, the "S" might have stood for "speed" due to the new A5 chip.
Then perhaps it was meant to mean "Siri" since the new phone was the only version with Siri on it.
Now I know, the iPhone 4S is really the iPhone 4S(teve).

iPhone 4S: Siri

Apple announced the new iPhone 4S with Siri Personal Assistant. I've read many things stating how cool the tech is but also how few people will use it. Many stating they felt wierd talking to their phone. Most agreed it would be helpful in the car while driving but beyond that...

Well, all I can say is:
Remember that scene in Star Trek IV where Scotty is trying to sell the formula for transparent steel? He tries talking to the computer and keeps getting no answer when finally the company owner hands him the keyboard and Scotty says: "A keyboard. How quaint."

Remember that.

A Thought on Apple

Ok, I'm a big Apple fan...been using Macs since revision C iMac (for those who may know when that is). And there is much written about Apple these days, especially now that they are so successful. And there's plenty of Apple-centric blogs and things (one of the best being Daring Fireball), so I won't go into them all and all the things people are writing about Apple.

And there are many critics of Apple--from the tight control they exert via the App Store to those who still continue to call their products "toys" as they did back in the pre-OS X days.

But in the era of the iPad, that followed the iPhone and the iPod Touch, think about this one simple question:

Where would the computer industry be today if Apple didn't exist?

For all the criticism, right or wrong, tell me one other company, just one, that pushes innovation forward; that has pushed the industry forward.

Tell me one other company that would do this. What other company, a computer maker no less, would go to London to record soundtracks for a piece of consumer software? How Disney-esque--when Walt would send off his animators to all points across the globe to capture their subject matters in drawings before making their movies.

So, while it's easy for critics to dismiss those who claim Apple is the industry's R&D, please tell me one other company that is pushing boundaries the way Apple is. You may not agree with their direction all the time, (though millions do)--oh, and please don't tell me Google-the company that throws shit against the wall to see what sticks and never has the end user in mind--but they have a vision that goes way beyond and outside what the PC industry can even begin to fathom.