Rarely do huge companies suddenly collapse. Instead they peak and then begin to slowly erode. It’s not aways visible because these companies have a lot of inertia and have PR departments working with compliant analysts and press to mask their troubles and paint a rosy picture. I’ve been around the high tech industry for more […]
Taiwan may be a small island off the coast of China, but it’s a country never to be underestimated. I’ve been traveling there since 1983 and have seen it transformed from a thrid world manufacturer of cheap toys and simple electronics to the designer and builder of most of the world’s notebook computers and the […]
Ten years ago I walked into a small engineering lab in Long Beach, CA and saw a brand new Tesla in pieces – completely disassembled with each piece neatly laid out across the floor. The engineering company was hired by a major automobile manufacturer that wanted to understand this revolutionary new car that was about […]
I’ve been watching the news lately and there’s a lot not to like. But some of it is because of the confusion of reporters and writers that relate to their use of math. It’s as if they never took high school algebra. One of the most famous math errors is this exchange between Brian Williams […]
Each Friday morning I receive a notification on my phone telling me that my personal security report is available for my neighborhood. It presents a map with pins where there have been criminal incidents over the past week. It’s one of the “benefits” I get with my Ring doorbell, along with being able to review […]
It’s becoming a very nasty and dangerous world and Apple is taking one small step to protect its users with an unprecedented move to allow its phones, tablets and computers to be protected from dangerous intrusions with its new Lockdown Mode. (I am freely quoting below from Apple’s press release, since the feature is not […]
Just when I congratulated myself for avoiding Covid, it finally struck. It was due to carelessness on my part, dining out with a friend. We had asked for outside seating but when we arrived only indoors was available. The next day my friend called to say he tested positive. I tested negative for the next […]
As a photo enthusiast I’ve owned all sorts of cameras from full size Nikon and Canon film SLRs to digital Leicas and, most recently, a 24-megapixel Sony full-frame mirrorless (Alpha 7III). As I prepared for a recent trip to Paris and Bordeaux I considered taking no camera at all and just use my iPhone 12 […]
For years, technology companies have tried to come up with a product for electronic notetaking to replace paper and pen. The benefit, proponents say, is you could digitize handwritten notes and sketches, convert them to text, store them on line, and share with others. Digital note taking also allows more flexibility using different templates, pen […]
One of the great business stories of our time is the rise of Apple to become the most highly valued company in the world and the inventor of some of the most desirable consumer products ever created. While much of the credit goes to its co-founder, Steve Jobs, the company only reached its height years […]
Our first international trip after a two and a half year hiatus was to Paris via a British Airways nonstop flight between San Diego and London. My wife and I then took the high speed Eurostar Chunnel train to Paris. Traveling on the Eurostar was a great way to avoid flight connections at Heathrow’s infamous […]
With this announcement, Apple announced the end of an era, the discontinuation of the iPod after 21 years: “Music has always been part of our core at Apple, and bringing it to hundreds of millions of users in the way iPod did impacted more than just the music industry — it also redefined how music is discovered, […]
I discovered an online store about seven years ago that’s unique in so many ways and a model for customer-focused on-line retailing. They offer products unavailable elsewhere and provide a wealth of information to help you make intelligent buying decisions. It’s a great example of how a small company is able to compete with the […]
When my wife was shopping for a new car a few months ago, she refused to consider a Tesla, even though several friends love them and they’re one of the best cars being made today. She wanted an eco-friendly car and the Tesla seemed like a great choice. But she wouldn’t even look at a […]
In earlier columns, I described my decision to move from cable TV to streaming TV from cable service. Now after using streaming for two years, much has changed and I’ve learned a lot more. While I’m glad that I made the move, I’m paying more, mostly because I’m accessing many more streaming services while watching […]
One of the benefits of world traveling is shopping for products that are unavailable or less expensive than they are here at home. With the popularity of online shopping, it’s now possible to shop internationally without travelling. I’ve found many retailers that I’ve visited while traveling now have online stores that ship worldwide. Many of […]
I just experienced a product from Apple that’s incredibly well-designed. Everything worked perfectly with all of the elements meshing together flawlessly. But it was not a physical product that Apple sells; it’s their customer service support machine that’s a combination of many elements. Let me explain. Element 1: Website help I discovered late last week […]
In spite of promises from cellular companies and threats of fines from the FCC, spam calls and spam texts continue to grow with no relief in site. As an aside, I’ve always been convinced that a candidate promising to eliminate these scourges would do better than running on most any other platform, and would unite […]
Apple has just introduced a digital driver license in Arizona. It’s the first state where drivers can add their driver license to their iPhone and not be required to carry a physical license. Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, and Utah. are currently working on doing much the same. […]
Apple ranks at the bottom of a recent analysis of product repairability, earning a 3 out of 10. The analysis, conducted by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, rated companies producing laptops and cellphones. They looked at how well their products were designed to be repaired and whether the companies supported right to repair policies […]