Linked List: November 28, 2012

Wednesday, 28 November 2012

WSJ: ‘Eddy Cue: Apple’s Rising Mr. Fix-It’ ★

Jessica E. Lessin, in a piece for the WSJ:

The ascent solidifies Mr. Cue’s role as one of the chief deputies to Mr. Cook, who has surrounded himself with several close advisers without elevating one to a clear number two. Mr. Cue has the loyalty and admiration of many longtime employees, who respect that he was with Apple during the dark days before Mr. Jobs began his turnaround of the company in the late 1990s.

Mr. Cue is also a champion of the Apple way: Entering new areas patiently and slowly and preaching the need to put the customer first. To negotiating partners, he epitomizes the company’s penchant for secrecy with a poker face that media companies scramble to decipher.

[…]

Mr. Cue couldn’t be reached for comment and Apple didn’t make him available for an interview.

Also says iTunes 11 may arrive tomorrow. Apple’s running out of time for their “November” deadline, and it’s unclear whether the Journal is basing this expectation on that deadline, or information from a source. The article simply states:

This week, Mr. Cue faces a test of how well Apple can keep up in online services with the launch of a new desktop version of iTunes, which is expected as soon as Thursday.

Ericsson, Doing Just Fine ★

Re: my “Ericsson is still in business?” quip yesterday: as dozens of DF readers have kindly pointed out, they are most definitely still in business. Billions in quarterly profits from telecom equipment. It was only the handset business (in collaboration with — and earlier this year, bought out by — Sony) that tanked. You learn something every day.

Which Bond Villains’ Plan Would Have Worked? ★

Screw it, let’s go for the Bond five-fecta. (Via Chris Pepper.)

LACMA Kubrick App ★

Speaking of Kubrick museum exhibitions, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art commissioned this neat (and free) iOS app to go along with theirs.

‘And They Took His Balls With Them’ ★

Speaking of good movies (and also via Coudal), BFI archivist Richard Daniels introduces pieces from The Shining exhibit at the Stanley Kubrick Archive at the University of the Arts London:

The Archive also shows the great attention to detail which Kubrick applied to the advertising of his film. Catriona McAvoy researched in the archive for her MA dissertation. She highlights the correspondence between Kubrick and Saul Bass who designed the poster for the original release of the film. She refers to the letter in which Kubrick explains that all of Bass’s designs are “beautifully done but [none] of them are right”.

‘Skyfall’ Visual Effects ★

One more for the Bond quadruple play: a copiously illustrated piece by Ian Failes for FX Guide on the effects in Skyfall. Chock full of major spoilers — bookmark it to read later if you haven’t seen the movie yet. (Via Coudal.)

The Verge: Microsoft Planning for Annual Windows Updates ★

Tom Warren, The Verge:

A big part of Windows Blue is the push towards yearly updates for Microsoft’s OS. Microsoft will kick off an annual upgrade cycle for Windows that is designed to make it more competitive against rival platforms from Apple and Google.

Good to know, but what option do they have? At this point, Microsoft not only has to plan for annual updates to compete with iOS and Android (and that other OS from Apple, name slips my mind — the desktop one), they also have to, you know, actually do it.

Top Gear: 50 Years of Bond Cars ★

Still speaking of James Bond, this Top Gear special is well worth it if you have access to the BBC or know your way around the underweb. Update: Even better: it’s in iTunes for just $3.

Kaleidoscope 2.0 Beta ★

Very impressive update to this file/folder/image diff tool. (Nice to see Black Pixel finally ship something, too.)

‘May I Suggest That Mr. Bond Be Armed With a Revolver?’ ★

Speaking of James Bond, Letters of Note has the story behind how Bond came to carry a Walther PPK instead of a Beretta, as well as how Q came to be named Major Boothroyd.

See also: This 1964 BBC clip featuring Sean Connery introducing the real Boothroyd.

The Spy Mixology ★

Remember Jay Thrash’s Spy Mixology app, documenting every single drink consumed by James Bond in the movies? He’s updated it with a new design, more information, iOS 6 support, and, of course, Bond’s drinks from Skyfall.