Steve Jobs

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of Apple's business practices, but Steve Jobs was a man who created an atmosphere of invention and innovation that has rarely been seen outside of Apple. Microsoft was such a place until the 90's when things seemed to slow down a bit before really picking up within the past two-three years, but Apple under Jobs' leadership was a place of wonder, creating products no-one knew they needed until being told so, and innovating in areas others had so miserably failed in or had neglected. Jobs had vision that allowed him to focus on something that was being done in a mediocre way and transform it into something magical. His leadership brought out the best in people and allowed them to flourish not only technically, but creatively. Engineers were allowed and encouraged to be creative, and the creative folks were encouraged to use engineering processes. Jobs didn't invent everything Apple did, but he gave the nudges in the right direction when needed and provided the guidance that the company needed to become a world leader in technology.

I had the opportunity to visit the Apple campus a few times, and the people there are all very excited all the time. Yeah, all the time. They really love what they're doing, and they put their hearts and souls into it. It's one of the things Jobs believed in most, and it's a quality that the people of Apple share. I believe that we spend so much time at work (more than we do at home!) that we should love what we do. I was not surprised to know that Jobs felt the same way. That makes me happy for him, in that he was not trudging along every day. He was doing something he loved, and that is a life well-lived.

Jobs was Apple. I hope they're able to continue with his vision of always innovating and thinking differently. It's good for the entire industry, and for consumers.

Apple as Big Brother

There's an excellent post on Gizmodo about how Apple has turned into the very thing they advertised against 25 years ago in their iconic "Big Brother" commercials. Back in the 80's, the commercials were aimed at IBM, then the world's largest PC and computer maker. Today, IBM is bigger in point-of-sale machines and business servers than in PC's, and companies like HP, Dell, and Gateway are leaders in the PC market. Apple, however, is making up for lost time through their iPhone, iPad, and Mac notebooks.

Their latest step into making more money, the Mac App Store, feels more and more like big brother and less like the company Apple wanted to be way back when. They are closed, rife with censorship, and more tightly controlling than any other company on the planet (save for some defense contractors, but I think Apple gives them a run for their money).

I won't go into everything that the article on Gizmodo goes into, but suffice it to say, I'm still shying away from any future Apple purchases, and the latest step by Apple with their Mac App Store more firmly cements my distaste for their business practices.

All Things Android

I've been enjoying all things Android for the past two months with the HTC Evo 4G on Sprint. Having been a smartphone user since WinMo 3, and having skipped the iPhone hype due to a severe distaste for all things arrogant, moving into Android has been quite an experience, indeed.

I will say that being a computer/gadget geek definitely helps with the transition into Android, but it's not necessary. I could see the average user moving into Android with little or no problem. Used a computer before? Then Android will make sense. Never used a computer? That's okay too. It'll still make sense, only there'll be a tiny bot of a learning curve as you would with any smartphone. These are SMARTphones, afterall.

The phone I had prior to the Evo was the beautiful and under-appreciated Palm Pre with WebOS. I absolutely loved that phone, but the lack of development for WebOS (it's all about getting apps, right?) and the uncertain future (this was prior to HP's purchase of Palm) led me to flee the platform and move onto what I felt was the best hope for openness, free-market capitalism, and altogether awesomeness. That led me to Android.

It appears that I wasn't the only one. Year to date, Android has grown over 800% in the number of people buying Android phones. Apparently ,by 2012, Android will overtake Apple in total number of smartphones. The big loser here: RIM. The big winner here: Consumers. Android is available on all kinds of phones, from legitimate phones made by companies like Motorola and HTC and even companies in China who make cheap (and sometimes actually decent) knock-off's of popular mainstream phones. What this does is make Android available no matter where you look, no matter what hardware manufacturer you prefer, or regardless of your carrier. It also makes moving things from one Android phone to another at upgrade/change time more convenient. Epic win.

Have you made the change to an Android phone? If so, how do you like it?

Neither iTard nor Fanboy shall I be

In episode 7 of Worst Kind of Geek, we meet Edge, a geek who doesn't buy into some of the marketing ploys by some of the most clever pseudo-geek companies around.

Just a few examples:

Image via Wikipedia

Apple: To be cool and rock like U2, you need an iPod. To be hip, you need an iPhone. And only the creative who think differently use Mac.
Me: First of all, I don't want to rock like U2. There are many alternatives to iTunes, all of which run better, smoother, and faster (including my favorite, Zune). As for the iPhone, I will admit it's cool, but I prefer a phone like the G1 or my Instinct over it. Why? Can you say REMOVABLE BATTERIES and VIDEO? Let's touch on Mac. Twenty-three Brazilian (that means a lot, btw) programs available for PC versus about 63 apps available for the Mac. Even Linux (run on PC's) has more (and most of it is free or less expensive). Why pay the Mac tax? To be cool? Since when do geeks want to be cool?!?!?!

Image via Wikipedia

Nintendo: Only the coolest of hipsters have a Wii. We even have Wii Fit to help you lose weight. And our products look nice and white like another company whose products are all shiny and white and hip and cool.
Me: I see what you're doing there, and I'm not falling for it. I have an X-B0x 360 that does all we need or want it to do and then some. I don't care so much for Mario games anymore (1980 called; it wants its video game back!), and I do my exercise and dieting the old fashioned way: away from the TV!

Image by geognerd via Flickr

Toyota: If you're really hip and cool, you will drive a Prius. It gets great gas milage, it's hybrid, and did we mention it's hip and cool?
Me: If I want to drive a car that gets more than 40mpg, it wouldn't be a Prius. It'd be a VW Jetta TDI (turbo diesel) which puts far fewer harmful chemicals and pollutants into the environment than the Prius will and even gets better gas mileage. How, dare you ask? All the manufacturing required to make a Prius coupled with the toxic components that will one day need to be disposed of are FAR GREATER than the amount of pollutants the ultra-clean burning Jetta TDI will ever create in its lifetime. The batteries in one Prius alone has enough harmful pollutants to make anyone cry. You wouldn't want that stuff buried anywhere near your backyard.

It IS possible to keep your geek cred and not sell out.

You can remain true to your geek roots and not buy into the marketing hype that tries to sell you your image.

Be true to yourself, your geekiness, and you will sleep better at night (and probably have more money in the bank, too. I mean $2400 for a Mac when the same-stat PC would run you $1200 tops? C'mon!!!).

BTW, I'm not being cynical. I have been known to be a brand-loyalist, just not for brands that try to sell me the "cool" and "hip."

ADDED: GeekWife mentioned to me that she noticed that a lot of the products I purchase and use are either Microsoft, or Microsoft-compatible. This is true. However, it's not because I am rendered tragically hip or cool through their use; it's because I believe that they are the superior product, and that they perform the tasks I need them to perform in a manner that is conducive to higher productivity and efficacy. Further, I feel they are a high-quality product that bring me enjoyment and pleasure. I was hoping I wouldn't have to state (or re-state, as it were) the obvious, but here it goes: when you buy a product, do so because it suits you, not because its marketing hype or because social currency dictates that others who have purchased said products will admit you into their "cool kid" club.