Virtualization, Cloud Computing and Mobile: 10/22/10

2010년 10월 22일 금요일

The New MacBook Air Is Underwhelming

Thinner, yes. But better?

I am one of the few, proud MacBook Air (MBA) owners in the world. Every article you’ve seen from me in the past was written on the petite beauty. In one last month, I wrote:

I’m only here to make a case that anyone that hasn’t used one should give it a shot and that Apple needs to throw some marketing dollars behind it so everyone else knows what we MacBook Air owners have known for a long time: It’s the best notebook Apple makes and it also happens to be the smallest.

This is exactly what Apple did yesterday, and yet, I was severely disappointed. It seems as if Apple is finally throwing marketing dollars behind the MBA, and I watched my Twitter stream as thousands of geeks’ heads exploded at how thin it is. But I felt a little weird reading this on my MacBook Air and thinking out loud, “I know. It’s been that way for years.” It’s thinner, yes, but not significantly. That’s the whole story in a nutshell.

Still More Victims Caught in Apple’s Wake

It’s inevitable. Each Apple event now changes the industry: sometimes for the better; other times… well, depends on who you ask. The latest Apple event may not be as obvious a game changer as others this past year, but its effects will be felt nonetheless.

Dead or on Life Support

It’s been a little over a month since the last Apple Media event. The aftershock in the tech industry from that has yet to be fully felt, and there are some additions to the casualties I listed in September.

If Apple and Facebook can work things out regarding Ping, the final nail in MySpace’s coffin may be struck. Some of the new features in iTunes, like the artwork viewer, make certain add-ons like Sophiestication’s CoverSutra a little less appealing. Rogue Amoeba is sitting on the fence waiting to see if it’ll be able to participate in the updates to iOS 4.2 regarding Apple’s new AirPlay. While competition is still healthy among GameCenter’s competing services, iAd is starting to pick up some steam as it continues to innovate in the smartphone advertising space.

Books and Video Win on the iPad, and Users Are Buying

Although the iPad is still relatively new, early indications are that a majority of users are willing to pay for content on the tablet — whether it’s apps or games — and that books and video are the two most popular forms of media they choose to consume on the iPad, with magazines a close third. Those are the highlights of a Nielsen study on connected devices released today. The survey also found something that will likely pique the interest of advertisers looking to the iPad as a new opportunity: Users said they spent longer with the content they were reading, watching or listening to on the iPad vs. the iPhone (the survey didn’t compare content consumption on either device to offline behavior or content consumed on other devices).

New MacBook Air Hits the Web Working Sweet Spot

Let’s talk about portability. The iPad is a great small computing device. A 9.7-inch screen is small enough to not take up much space in your bag, but also provides a decent amount of screen real estate so that you won’t find yourself squinting. And it only weighs 1.5 pounds (1.6 if you spring for the 3G-capable model). But, that weight doesn’t factor in a case, stand or keyboard, all of which are pretty much required if you plan to use it to do work on the road.

How Android Developers Can Implement In-App Purchases Now

Android developers waiting for Google to implement an official method for in-app purchases finally have some alternatives. This week, there was good news from Papaya Mobile, a mobile social platform with 3 million users. The company partnered with Zong, an international mobile payments company to offer in-app virtual goods purchases within its gaming platform.

But Zong isn't the only company operating in this space. Another mobile payment startup, Boku, is offering a similar solution, active now in 60 countries and 198 carriers through its beta program. And PayPal announced in-app billing back in April. If you're a developer waiting on Google to offer in-app purchases, it's time to consider your alternatives.

According to news from GigaOm, Zong allows Papaya Mobile customers to buy virtual goods which are charged to their carrier bill.

Although the Zong Android program is still in beta, its aim is to provide a one-click "buy" button for apps. Instead of having to enter in a credit card number and other billing information, the purchase just shows up on the customer's monthly statement. Interested developers can request access here.

Netflix Streaming Accounts for 20% of Peak Internet Traffic

It's no surprise that Netflix is preparing to make a move to a streaming-only service. As we reported earlier today, demand for Netflix's streaming service is on the rise.

Netflix's roughly 16 million subscribers can access streaming content from a variety of devices - XBox 360, iPads, laptops (and that's just in my household). And that adds up to a substantial A recent study has found that Netflix makes up more than 20% of downstream Internet traffic during peak times in the U.S. These peak times, during primetime hours,

According to the study, North America still trails other areas in the world for bandwidth consumption. And in North America, the average time a connection is active is 3 hours, while in Asia, it's closer to 5.5 hours.

As Netflix weighs increasing its streaming-services, it may well be that no longer do we tap our feet impatiently, waiting for the DVD to arrive. After all, we already have to wait almost a month for new releases to arrive in the mail.