Linked List: August 20, 2012

Monday, 20 August 2012

Curious Inclusion of Apple in a List of the Day ★

Nick Bilton, writing for Bits:

Cellphones have already muscled onto watches’ turf as a time-telling tool. Now, some of the biggest technology companies are eyeing your wrist, too.

Companies like Apple, Nike and Sony, along with dozens of start-ups, hope to strap a device on your wrist.

Bilton mentions actual products from Nike and Sony. “Apple” never again appears in the article.

Update: Patrick Gibson suggests Bilton is referring to third-party wear-your-iPod-Nano-like-a-watch wristbands that Apple sells in its retail stores.

Josh Lehman: ‘Stop Using the Cup of Coffee vs. $0.99 App Analogy’ ★

Josh Lehman:

When you walk up to the counter of your local coffee shop you are not asked, “would you like a cup of our free coffee, or would you like to select from our paid options?”. If Starbucks gave out free coffee every day there would be mile-long lines at the drive thru. If the free coffee was anywhere close to as good as their paid stuff people would abandon the paid en masse. Some would pay maybe because they felt bad, as a freeloader. Others would pay because they preferred the options available to them in the paid column vs. the free. Now imagine the free selection at starbucks was nearly as large, or larger, than the paid selection: Welcome to the App Store.

(Thanks to Joe Clark.)

Tony Scott, R.I.P. ★

Tragic end, but what a career. True Romance was a gem, and I’ve always been a big fan of Enemy of the State.

Double ★

$2000 Segway-esque kit to turn your iPad into a long-distance remote control robot.