A Dissenting Opinion on the Fall of Apple

A couple weeks ago Jared posted an opinion about the future of Apple, how the tech giant was losing its touch. I agree, but for different reasons than their less than refreshing product lines. Similar to the Supreme Court Justices, I'm writing a dissenting opinion, agreeing with the judgement, but for the reason that Apple used to be an innovator, but in the last few years, they've modified their product lines to be able to compete rather than take the lead. 

Lets look at the tablet market in the last 2 years. The Kindle Fire, the Nexus 7, the Galaxy Tab 7. All 7 inch tablets made for a market that Apple had no foot in. Thus came the iPad Mini. Something clearly not designed to take lead of the market, with its non retina display, its severely underpowered processor, subpar cameras, and derivative design. For the last 2 years, the retina display has become the centerpeice of Apple's products. It started with the iPhone, moved to the iPod Touch, then to the iPad, and most recently, the Macbook Pro line. It doesn't make sense that Apple would release a product without it. And why would they do that? Rushed development meant no time to develop a suitably sized retina display for the 7.9 inch iPad mini.

Futhermore, the iPhone 5 is not very different from the iPhone 4 or 4S. The 4 inch screen was put in to be able to compete with the larger screens of the Galaxy S3, the HTC One X, and the Note 2. The LTE feature is over 2 years late, put in only to be able to stay competitive with data speeds. The processor is also behind, dual core 1.3 GHz chip that lags behind the dual core S3 or the quad core Nexus 4. The iPhone 5 is a device that was made to compete, its only true claim to innovation is its thinness. But wait, the Motorola Droid RAZR is 7.1mm thick compared to the iPhone 5's 7.6 millimeters.

The only place where Apple now truly excels is their computers. I've had my 15 inch Macbook Pro for all of  5 months, and I already know that there is no way I can go back to using anything else. The Mountain Lion OS is flawless, the keyboard is great to use, and that gorgeous giant trackpad makes swooping through screens more fun that it sounds.

Apple, you need to step up your game. Google, Motorola, HTC, and Samsung have you beat in hardware, Android is quickly learning and evolving, and there are only small differences between the companies you're competing against. My guess is, you'll be overtaken by Android sometime in the next 2 years. The ball is in your court.

OPINION - The Fall of Apple?

I teased a few months ago, that I would tackle the topic of Apple's fall from grace.  At the time, Steve Jobs had just recently passed and the signs were starting to show that the tech behemoth was losing its shine.  But, recent missteps have been very eye-opening for me.  In the next few paragraphs, I hope to show you why I feel that the future is not so bright for Apple.  And before you start accusing me of being an Apple hater, know that I currently have an iPhone 4S and love it.  My wife and I each own an iPad, and again, we love them.  Plus, I'm not the biggest fan of Microsoft, to be honest.  So, there is no bad blood here.  Just some honest observations.

Let's start with the simplest and most visible issue, the product line.  I'm not going to focus on the Mac product line, because they continue to fill the niche that they always have.  Little has changed in that regard.  It's still a wonderful computer for artists, educators, designers, students and the like, but it still hasn't crossed over as the mainstream computer for the home or office.  In a separate article, I may tackle the real chance that Apple does have to save itself in the wake of Windows 8.  But, not now.  Instead, let's look at things like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod.  What came to your mind when you just read that?  Was it "Yea! Let's talk about those!" or was it "What's to talk about?"  I'm betting it was the latter.  There's not much new to talk about in these areas, and the fact is no matter how many more times Apple decides to refresh these devices by making them smaller, faster, bigger, shinier, thicker, cooler or more colorful, there will come a time when you realize that it is just not worth the upgrade.

Wickr - Security in an Insecure World

I recently came across a pretty cool text messaging app called Wickr that promises military grade encryption  and security for your messages.  It's not the first app to make that promise, but what I have found is that it may be the easiest to use.  For that reason, I will quickly say that I recommend it to everyone (in case you don't have time to read my full review).

Let's start with the basics.  Why do you need military grade protection for your text messages?  You're not doing anything that's top secret, right?  Maybe not.  But, it's a great option to have for those moments when you do need to conduct a little secret business.  Perhaps your spouse asks for a credit card number?  What if you are trying to plan a surprise party for a friend?  What if grandma wants to send you a picture of that Christmas present that she's planning on buying, and you don't want little Johnny to see it while he's playing Angry Birds on your phone?  Yes, it's simple enough for grandma.  Whatever the reasoning, this is a tool that everyone should install right away.

Fine, but what exactly does it do?  The first thing to know is that Wickr does not store any information on a central server that can be traced back to you.  That's good.  You have to have a password to log in to the application.  Also good.  Your messages are encrypted by both the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) symmetric block cipher implemented with random 256-bit keys and asymmetric RSA-4096 algorithm (cue blank stares).  Trust me, that's also good.  AND, your messages self destruct after a maximum of 6 days, leaving no trace behind.  If you want to, you can set your message to self destruct after mere seconds of being opened by your recipient.  You can send text, pictures, video and even audio securely to anyone who is also using the app.

And, as sad as this is, this is a great tool for parents to share with their teens.  Let's face it, kids today are sometimes using traditional text messaging in ways that wouldn't make us proud.  But, a review on the Wickr page highlights that a mother of three encouraged her daughters to install this app, because in the event that are going to send messages to a boyfriend that you wouldn't want the world to see, at least they can do it with an app that allows you to set a self-destruct timer before you send it out.

Please note that the developers see Wickr as a type of social media tool and not some sort of top secret communication app.  It's meant to be shared with your friends and used often.  In a world of lost cell phones and intercepted messages, it's nice to know that there is something out there that can help protect us from ourselves.

Get the app, share your username with your friends and know that you now have a safe secure way of communicating, in an interface that even grandma can use.

Wickr is currently only available for iPhone, but an Android version is in development.

Wickr website

Why Microsoft Surface with Win 8 Pro could be my next PC

Let's face it.  The idea of working on Windows 8 is not enticing.  Yeah, it is shiny and new...blah, blah, blah, but it is also a serious departure from our comfort zone.  Nobody likes change, right?

Wrong. If I had shown you the iOS interface at the height of Microsoft's reign, you'd laugh and tell me how ridiculous it is that you can't even run two applications side by side.  You would quickly say, why should we take a step backwards?  This will never work.  But, it did.  iOS showed that we are willing to adapt.  The interface on an iPad couldn't be any more foreign when compared to a traditional Windows OS interface.  So, why should Microsoft take a step backwards with Windows 8?  They aren't exactly.  They are promising compatibility with Win 7 applications on the Desktop, but adding a layer of apps and widgets, like we have come to expect from our tablets and phones.  That's acceptable, right?

Regardless of the outcome, the thought crossed my mind that I'm pretty much over desktops and laptops for my personal use.  I have become accustomed to using my tablet and smartphone far more frequently.  Why shouldn't I be able to pick up a tablet device and have it perform like my home computer? I should be able to! I actually think that I want to! More than ever before, I think we are ready for that experience.  How did Microsoft pull that off?  How did they finally convince me that I was ready to ditch my laptop and desktop in favor of something like the Surface?  Well, they didn't.  Nope, Apple did.  Samsung did.  HTC did.  Everyone else who has been battling over domination in the tablet and smartphone world has actually paved the way for Microsoft to waltz in and dominate with a Tablet PC.

Think about it.  We're more accustomed to the concept of a tablet, than we ever have been before.  Many of us still feel that we need a full PC in our lives.  The Surface could very well be the perfect marriage between the two.

Therefore, I honestly think that when it comes time to order my next PC, I will be most comfortable with a fully capable, touch screen tablet. Who would've guessed?

Why ATBOM Doesn't Post Often

As the founder of ATBOM, I was recently asked "Why don't you guys post more often?  Your articles are great!"  Gee, thanks.  There's actually a very simple reason that we don't post more often...we're pretty busy in our everyday lives.  In all seriousness, the contributors at ATBOM have real lives, but all share a passion for technology.  The gig is at-will for them.  And to be completely honest, the Internet is full of places to get basic technology information or a generic opinion on the latest products.  What we have tried to do, is offer an insightful opinion on topics that we feel aren't necessarily being covered everywhere else.

When we sense that there is a topic that can use deeper insight than what your traditional blog is willing to offer, we will be there.  Personally, I will make the effort to write a bit more often.  Simply because there is a lot going on out there that warrants a strong discussion, like the inevitable fall from grace that Apple will soon have.   Or, what will a post-Facebook world really look like?  Or, what really happens when you try to cut Google and all that it has to offer out of your life completely?  These are the topics that we will be getting into.

In closing, do follow us on Twitter @atbomblog.  Any of our original articles will be tweeted from there.  Plus, I tend to retweet many interesting articles that I find, that I think you would find interesting, as well.  Thanks for enjoying our work.