Disqus - Latest Comments for James Katt

Re: Apple gambles on killing iPhone subsidy

James Katt — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:10:52 -0000

Apple will not deal with Verizon. What for? It has nothing to gain from Verizon.

What? Apple wants to lower its profit on the iPhone? Duh. That will never happen.

Verizon will also have to agree to allow Apple to modify its system software - e.g. to add the iPhone's Voicemail software, to agree to forget about its own app store, to forget about being other than a fat pipe, etc.

That is a lot for both sides to give up. This will never happen

Re: Does Apple Have A Blind Spot About Flash?

James Katt — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:49:37 -0000

Web Music Streaming uses MP3 or HE-AAC. Both do not depend on Flash at all.

Pandora uses HE-AAC streams for music. Pandora doesn't use Flash on the iPhone to deliver its music.
Last.FM uses MP3 streams for music. Last.FM doesn't use Flash on the iPhone to deliver its music.
AOL Radio uses HE-AAC streams for music, not Flash. AOL Radio runs on the iPhone.

Flash IS NOT AN OPEN WEB STANDARD.
Adobe can change the Flash specifications ANY TIME IT WANTS. And Adobe has done so for years.

Adobe programs Flash so POORLY that it runs TEN TIMES SLOWER on a Mac OS X than Windows ON THE SAME HARDWARE.

Why would Apple tie its future to a CLOSED PROPRIETARY STANDARD that makes it dependent on ADOBE, which descriminates against Apple? Apple does not and will not.

The Web is about OPEN STANDARDS and Adobe Flash is NOT an open standard. Clearly so.

CSS Animation is an OPEN STANDARD that can do everything Flash can do.
This is where web browsers will head.

Re: Does Apple Have A Blind Spot About Flash?

James Katt — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:59:09 -0000

Apple does not have a blind spot about Flash.

Rather, Apple has its eye fully on Flash and it realizes that Flash sucks big time.

Flash sucks because:
1. it is CLOSED AND PROPRIETARY
2. it is DOG SLOW on handsets and Macs.
3. it is a RESOURCE HOG.
4. it QUICKLY RUNS DOWN THE BATTERY

HTML5 with CSS Animation kills flash and will be built into every web browser - FREE, OPEN, and STANDARD.

Re: Why iPhone is an ureliable platform (Scripting News)

James Katt — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:21:07 -0000

For the consumer, I believe the iPhone is a very reliable and high quality platform. Thus the title of your article is highly misleading.

No every developer has problems with the App Store approval process like the few you cite.

Apple does need subjective criteria for approving apps - in addition to the general criteria it specified. This is to allow flexibility. The app store needs to be a compelling experience for the consumer - first and foremost - not the developer - though that is arguably present as well. Thus apps in good taste, that won't water down the iPhone experience can be a subjective criteria - resulting in a flexibility Apple needs to maintain its image and the quality of the consumer experience.

Of course the iPhone is a platform - despite your very arbitrary criterion that the platform vendor should have no control over the platform in approving an application. All you have to look it is how many developers are developing applications for the platform, how successful the platform is, and you cannot deny that the iPhone is a platform.

The iPhone platform is currently THE most successful mobile application platform in the world. It sells more applications in a month than all of the cellphone companies put together. It will soon be a billion dollar a year - or more - marketplace for applications.

The Internet IS REGULATED. You just don't see it. For example, many videos are formatted using Microsoft's Windows Media format. They cannot be played on every browser. Many companies use Microsoft's .asp HTML generators - which discriminate against 3rd party browsers by giving them defective HTML - thus generating good HTML code only for Microsoft's own browers and some others.

Your words "least regulated" is a telling point. The fact that the Internet IS REGULATED by your remark means that the Internet IS NOT a platform, by your own words.

Your article should be titled "iPhone Application Approval Process is Unreliable". This is much more true to the mark than your highly misleading original title.

Re: Some thoughts on the Psystar/Apple case

James Katt — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 21:42:58 -0000

Apple can just change its license if any flaw is found.
This is like the GPL - if any flaw is found in the GPL, it is fixed.
Therefore, no clones allowed.

Re: The revenge of the $9.99 iPhone apps

James Katt — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 16:05:18 -0000

Higher quality means lots of work for developers and lots of work to support it and update it.

I support pricing that allows gives developers incentive to do this.

Re: Apple’s iPhone And Google’s Android: Mac Vs Windows All Over Again

James Katt — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:01:07 -0000

Android will just be like Windows. Wide open and the bugs and malware that come with it.

The iPhone, of course, is very much like the Mac. The development environment is the same. The core OS is the same.

I'll take the iPhone for the cleaner, quieter, mal-ware less environment that works.

Re: Another view: Maybe Apple shouldn’t make a netbook

James Katt — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:40:26 -0000

Apple will make a tablet using the iPhone/iPod Touch OS X operating system. This way it can make better use of a smaller screen and limited resources. And Apple can make a killing on such a system since it would hardly be more expensive to make than an iPhone/iPod Touch.

Re: Stay away from Circuit City’s bogus “sale”

James Katt — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:44:19 -0000

I looked at the prices.

I can get a better bargain elsewhere - and can return it if unsatisfied. You can't return it from CC's "fire sale".

Circuit City is dying because it generally can't compete against others. This is then no crying matter. It is just the way of the world.

Re: Amazon Kindle’s Biggest Threat: Apple’s iTunes & iPod Touch Tablet

James Katt — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:51:52 -0000

I and millions of other people will buy one.

The iBook (iPhone tablet) would be not only an ebook reader, but also an iPod and NetBook. It would have apps sold in the iTunes App Store - enormously improving its capabilities. It would be compatible with existing iPhone applications - fantastic!!!! It would be a games machine. It would allow travel with movies. The sky is the limit on this one.

Kindle would immediately look OLD.

Apple can negotiate its own contracts with publishers. It does not need Amazon at all. Why should it? There is no reason.

Apple's Fairplay DRM works very well.

Apple can even use the standard eBook DRM that publishers have declared.

Or Apple can leave it up to an App Developer.

Think of all the College and High School Students who can replace their textbooks with an iBook.

It can allow you to put in a SIM card and access the internet through cellular networks. Think of Google Maps on this one. Apple can also develop its own mapping program with NavTech technology - or allow someone to do so - like TomTom.

It would have GPS and a camera. It can even have a front-facing camera for true iChat video conferencing with other iBooks, iPhones, and Macintoshes.

Wow!

Give me one or several!

Re: Apple Too Stupid to Understand Utility of Outside-The-Box Apps

James Katt — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:16:56 -0000

Apple is not dense at all.
Apple constantly thinks outside-the-box.

Realize that Big-Five is a web browser. This means it RUNS CODE.
Apple's developer guidelines PROHIBIT an application from RUNNING CODE.

Obviously it is simple that Big-Five would be denied from appearing on the App Store.

To run Big Five, you would have to jailbreak the iPhone. Simple.

Re: Not so Flash, Flash still sloow like molase on Mac

James Katt — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:54:32 -0000

Flash is 10 TIMES SLOWER on Mac than on Windows.

This is a DISGUSTING difference in performance.
Adobe DOES NOT CARE about Apple or Mac.
This is PROOF.

If it ever wants Flash on iPhone, it has to IMPROVE Flash on Mac performance FIRST. The Mac and iPhone run the same core OS.

Re: 2008/06/25/iphone-killers/

James Katt — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 03:06:46 -0000

Apple's iPhone has no competitor because:

1. The iPhone is a platform - OS X - for which hundreds of thousands of applications will be developed - outstripping what others can do, charging developers lower (only 30%) than what others do (50-75%) for selling their wares.

2. The iPhone is a billion dollar ecosystem. Look at all the cases made for the iPhone. Look at all the accessories, speakers, etc. There is no other cell phone with this ecosystem. Customers want customization to make themselves unique. The iPhone does this enormously well. Other cell phones have ZERO.

3. The iPhone has the iTunes Music Store for buying stuff and downloading stuff. There is no competitor to the iTunes Music Store. it is a beast without peer, gong on for years now.

4. The iPhone has rabid, word of mouth, free advertisement from bloggers and websites all over the place. Apple reaps billions in free advertisement for its products. The Rumor mill is just one huge free advertisement for the iPhone. What product has this much free advertisement and marketing?

5. The iPhone has the best UI and Design. Apple has the best UI designers. Period. Everything else looks old in comparison and slow. Design at Apple is how things work - not just how they look.

6. The iPhone has developers and near-free development tools. To develop for other phones costs and arm and leg.

7. The iPhone has the best browser - bar none. I use it more often for web browsing than my computer. It is Ubiquitous.

8. The iPhone has the Apple Stores. Everyone else's store is dead. Apple's is the place to go, has geniuses, has other stuff to buy.

9. The iPhone has the best touch screen. It is solid glass - very classy, tough. Using it is sexy and very personal. It is lickable. Customers love lickable.

10. The iPhone is the sum of all these parts and more. This is more than any single other smartphone- which have nothing to back them up.

11. The iPhone has soul. Everything else looks like a bizarro clone.

12. The iPhone is so good, it becomes the center of your life. Your laptop or desktop becomes the peripheral. Everything integrates around it. Other cell phones have nothing.

Re: It’s worth the hell

James Katt — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 11:09:15 -0000

The iPhone 3G IS worth the hell.

But I am waiting a couple of days so that the experience of getting another iPhone will be smoother.

Getting an iPhone means entering the iPhone Ecosystem. It is the Ecosystem which is extremely difficult for RIMM, Nokia, Sony, Microsoft, Google to compete against.

With the iPhone 3G purchase, I will now get more accessories for it - such as a case, etc. What other phone has a multibillion dollar accessory market for it?

With the iPhone 3G, I will now download movies and music to it. What other phone has such an extensive movie and music business for it?

With the iPhone 3G, I can easily get new Applications to extend its functionality and have more fun. What other phone allows this? Furthermore, the development tools are free. With Nokia, RIMM and others, it costs up to and more than $5000 to write applications for the platform. Further, they take 50% of the developer's price for the apps. Apple gives the tools away for free and takes only a 30% cut, giving developers the larger piece of profit.

With the iPhone 3G, I can more easily work with my Macintosh and PC with MobileMe and ITunes software, etc. It is now even the remote control for iTunes and AppleTV. Soon, it may be the ultimate remote control for the house and its electronics. What phone offers this possibility?

With the iPhone 3G, I can have Apple's exclusive iPhone connectors for my BMW and other cars. What other phone can do this?

With the iPhone 3G, I can now work with big business IT's Microsoft Exchange systems and have push email via Exchange or MobileMe. What other phone can do this - and all the others above?

Once you get used to typing on the glass screen of the iPhone, you will realize how much easier and faster to type on it versus a tiny mechanical thumb keyboard. I write much longer emails and text messages on the iPhone than on other phones. My friends have to use abbreviations. I use full sentences with punctuation.

No other phone can compete with the iPhone's Juggernaut Ecosystem. This is why they will get rolled over.

Re: What Mobile OS Should I Choose: Apple or Android?

James Katt — Sat, 30 May 2009 09:57:49 -0000

The iPhone is where the action is.

The iPhone has the best apps, the most games (more than Nintendo DS and Sony Playstation Portable combined), the best browser, and the best and most active developers (more than 35,000 apps and growing).

With iPhone 3.0, the possibilities for applications have become huge. The iPod interface on the iPhone will be the standard for many hardware interface devices - allowing new types of applications and hardware uses that won't be available on other devices.

Of course, one can also get the iPod Touch if one doesn't want to get a new cell phone.

Ask your kid which OS would he or she choose. You'll get a simple answer: iPhone.

Re: Apple’s $400 iPod Touch lacks a camera — rumors claim technical problems

James Katt — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:42:18 -0000

Since the iPod Touch is so much slimmer than the iPhone, it can't fit the camera used in the iPhone. Thus a new camera which is far slimmer was needed. Unfortunately, this happened to not work well. So it is back to the drawing board for the manufacturer. Hopefully, by the near future, they can perfect it so it can be added to the iPod Touch.

Re: Introducing FileMaker Pro 10

James Katt — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:47:54 -0000

I would like to see an actual database language - similar to 4D - which can run simultaneously in place of the script language.

I would love to see this language in a compiled version as well.

Actually, I would like to see a fusion of FileMaker and 4D. That would make it the best of all worlds.

Re: Will iPhone Gaming Ever Really Compete in the Mobile Gaming Market?

James Katt — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:43:24 -0000

If the revenue for games on the iPhone rivals the revenue of games for the PSP, THEN the iPhone is competing in the Mobile Gaming Market.

It's not about the quality so much as the PROFIT for developers that makes the iPhone competitive.

For casual gaming, with so many games in the $2 to $10 price range, the iPhone can't be beat.
For impulse buying of games, the iPhone can't be beat.

Again, for developers, it is THE PROFIT which will make the difference.

To this end, the iPhone (with already 1700 games) is JUST GETTING STARTED when it comes to competing in the mobile gaming market. As a competitor, it is the 600 pound gorilla standing in the room, with Sony and Nintendo.

But then, THERE IS ROOM FOR EVERYONE.

But then, nearly everyone who owns one will be carrying the iPhone in their pocket, ready to buy a game at any time. Whereas, those with a PSP will keep it elsewhere, and not readily available.

Re: AT&T iPhone Tethering Plan Specifics, No Unlimited Plan?

James Katt — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:11:48 -0000

This is a GOOD idea. The computer uses more bandwidth than the iPhone thus AT&T has to be able to limit use to avoid overwhelming its 3G network. We all know how easily overwhelmed its 3G network can be. Usually Tethering costs $50 a month. This is a lower cost which allows casual use of tethering. It's a good compromise.

Re: 5 Things Nokia Needs To Learn From Apple

James Katt — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 01:51:40 -0000

I love my iPhone!

When the SDK comes out, Nokia has no chance in the smartphone front.

Nokia does not have the level of integration that Apple has created for the iPhone.

The operating system and Apple's applications are actively being developed and improved. Thus iPhone users can expect better things as time goes on - while other smartphone users are stuck. Apple is one of the best software developers. Nokia is absolutely not. This gives the iPhone an organic quality - it grows, develops, and matures over time. With the SDK, this growth will be by leaps and bounds. The iPhone already has a ton of unofficial software.

Re: FIGHT: Palm Pre Restores iTunes Sync, Defies Apple and USB Forum

James Katt — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:36:21 -0000

Apple already works with anyone to enable synching with iTunes. Apple makes all of the iTunes data public. This was used by RIM, for example, to create their own Synching software with iTunes. This is the correct way to both comply with the USB regulatory body and Apple.

But Palm sucks. They are TOO LAZY to create their own synch software using open standards and open data standards as made available by Apple. DUH. The USB Standards body should SUE PALM for misuse of the USB standard.

Re: Why Apple’s Success Makes No Sense To Me, and Why The Zune Breaks My Heart

James Katt — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:44:03 -0000

Zune is Dead.