Linked List: December 23, 2011

Friday, 23 December 2011

The Little App Factory 

My thanks to The Little App Factory for once again sponsoring this week’s DF RSS feed. They’ve got a great holiday deal for DF readers: use coupon code “DARINGHOLIDAY2012” and save 20 percent off every app on their website, including the award winning RipIt, iRip, and Tagalicious. A great deal on some of my very favorite Mac apps.

The Dearth of Android Software Updates 

Matthew Panzarino, writing at The Next Web:

The problem isn’t Samsung, it’s systemic to Android as a whole. The makers of Android hardware see little benefit in updating even devices that are less than a year old. And, though I think it’s a punk move, I don’t blame them. There is little to no return to be had.

It’s almost certain that this is what the executives at these Android device makers think, too. Why bother with software updates? We’ve got their money. Let them buy a new device if they want the latest software.

But I strongly disagree that there is no return to be had. The one company that provides a different approach — Apple — is the one company with the most profits, the most loyal customers, and its own chain of insanely crowded retail stores. Can you prove that Apple is thriving because it takes much better care of its existing customers than do any of its competitors? I guess not. But it’s the difference between a company that simply wants to sell you a device, and a company that wants to sell you a device and make you happy that you bought it. Making a sale versus fostering a relationship between customer and the company.

One company clearly has more respect for its customers; that company is also clearly more successful. If you don’t see the connection, go ahead and keep your head in the sand.

Advertising on Facebook 

Facebook:

It now costs over a billion dollars a year to run Facebook, and delivering ads is how Facebook pays for this.

Translation: Get your boots on and your shovel ready.

H.R. Fluffypuff 

This week’s episode of America’s favorite Peter Jackson podcast, The Talk Show. Topics include a bunch of nonsense about Android updates and tablets, RIM’s problems, my driving record, and a million-dollar idea for a new iOS text editor. Brought to you by the fine folks at TinyLetter and Uncle Slam.

Should Have Quit While He Was Ahead 

John C. Dvorak:

I’m often asked at what point should someone short high-flying Apple shares? My response is simple: When the company starts closing stores and pulling back from retail, then the tide has turned.

Not a bad metric. I too would consider a retail pull-back to be a dead canary in the Apple coal mine.

I see no reason why Apple cannot have 1,000 stores that would all be successful. Staples Inc., the office-supply chain, has 2,000-plus stores. Apple seems so adept at retail that there is no reason to doubt that it could go out and buy a company like Staples to expand in the sector. Why not?

Yeah, sometimes I go into a store and get confused as to whether I’m in a Staples or Apple Store.

‘Prometheus’ 

Looks like Ridley Scott still has it.

Samsung: Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab to Get Shit Sandwich Upgrade 

Vlad Savov:

Samsung has just distributed the worst news of this Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade cycle: the popular Galaxy S smartphone that sold 10 million units last year and the 7-inch Galaxy Tab tablet won’t be upgraded to Android 4.0. The company’s argument is that they lack sufficient RAM and ROM to run the new OS alongside TouchWiz and other “experience-enhancing” software.

Android is not a single platform. It’s a common foundation upon which platforms can be built.

Update: I like this reformulation from “Relative Sanity” on Twitter: “It’s a development platform, not a computing platform. That’s why tech commentators can’t see the difference.”