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Google doesn't get 'social', but Apple doesn't understand the Internet

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Re: Google doesn't get 'social', but Apple doesn't understand the Internet

#61

Post by ryandvm »

alok-g wrote: post #46
fryguy wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exhibit B: In order to do things with your iPhone (like download podcasts, or update firmware), you need to plug it in to your computer and have it do a sync. The phone is on the internet, why do you need to plug it in? Google got this completely right on their phone in that everything syncs to "the cloud." I'm not saying android is perfect, but that is one aspect that's better about it.

My personal plight is the opposite -- In order to do things with Android, you need to sync to the cloud. Plugging it to the computer is not enough.

That's absurd. How difficult is it to connect your wifi-capable, smartphone to the Internet?

Re: Google doesn't get 'social', but Apple doesn't understand the Internet

#62

Post by Herring »

Samuel_Michon wrote: post #11

Apple understands the internet, it just doesn't like what it sees. There's a lot of smut, hate speech, pirated content, and malware out there. Just as Google has tried to do with its search engine, Apple is building a system that makes it easy to find quality content. Content that is legal, age rated and doesn't harm your devices. A lot of families value those qualities over 'absolute freedom'.

I really hope it's other trolls modding up these pro-censorship posts.

Re: Google doesn't get 'social', but Apple doesn't understand the Internet

#63

Post by hrktb »

pohl wrote: post #15
larrik wrote: post #9

Exhibit A: iTunes (the service) is essentially blocked off from being accessed by people who don't have iTunes (the program) installed. This becomes VERY obvious if you run Linux. The App Store and the iTune music library are not easily searchable or browseable from your Linux PC. 3rd party websites that do this instead aren't really the point, either.

I don't think that makes a very compelling exhibit, given that "the internet" is not "all things you can get to via a web browser". The internet, rather, is IP, TCP, UDP, etc...and every protocol built on top of it. This includes HTTP & HTML (which iTunes leverages heavily) but also a many other things that are not browser-oriented. Regardless, I think your exhibit is more easily explained by Apple understanding exac…

>Regardless, I think your exhibit is more easily explained by Apple understanding exactly who is likely to spend money and making them want to be their customers.

It's slightly different from the iTunes situation, but the same case can be made for Mobile me services. On any iOS device you won't be able to access mobile me (mail, calendar, address book, gallery) through the browser, you have to set it up locally and use the native applications.

Mobile me is for people who by definition spent money upfront on the service, and people using iOS devices are the customers. So far it's been a pita to deal with their lack of support for mobile safari access.

Re: Google doesn't get 'social', but Apple doesn't understand the Internet

#64

Post by Anechoic »

fryguy wrote: post #39
larrik wrote: post #9

Exhibit A: iTunes (the service) is essentially blocked off from being accessed by people who don't have iTunes (the program) installed. This becomes VERY obvious if you run Linux. The App Store and the iTune music library are not easily searchable or browseable from your Linux PC. 3rd party websites that do this instead aren't really the point, either.

Exhibit B: In order to do things with your iPhone (like download podcasts, or update firmware), you need to plug it in to your computer and have it do a sync. The phone is on the internet, why do you need to plug it in? Google got this completely right on their phone in that everything syncs to "the cloud." I'm not saying android is perfect, but that is one aspect that's better about it.

> Exhibit B: In order to do things with your iPhone (like download podcasts, or update firmware)

Can you not download podcasts on the iPhone over the cell network? I have 3rd gen iPod touch and it lets me download podcasts over wifi.

Re: Google doesn't get 'social', but Apple doesn't understand the Internet

#65

Post by foljs »

pohl wrote: post #40
btmorex wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

but I have to admit that the linux users are the most tight-fisted demographic I've ever seen. This seems to suggest the exact opposite of what you just said: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/28471/Humble_Indie_Bundle...

Yeah, that always gets trotted out in this context. If what you think this suggests is true there would be more than one such story. To me it just smells of a demographic grateful of finally getting some mercy sex. Besides, it's a charity. I was talking about commerce.

I'd second the "mercy sex" explanation...

Re: Google doesn't get 'social', but Apple doesn't understand the Internet

#66

Post by foljs »

redial wrote: post #36
alsomike wrote: post #13

Google has failed multiple times at launching social apps. Is there an equivalent series of Apple failures from being too controlling? If not, what makes this a blindspot?

iTools, .Mac and MobileMe. Also, Ping.

Those are failures from "being too controlling"?

I'd say there are from being lackluster.

Re: Google doesn't get 'social', but Apple doesn't understand the Internet

#67

Post by bgruber »

notahacker wrote: post #47
zipdog wrote: post #14

Thinking about the questions at the end, Microsoft is (or was) really good at backwards compatibility (and making it easy to import other formats into their own). This is their weakness: they are focused on getting content into their own formats. Facebook's strength is to get people to impart information into their system. Their weakness is in always trying to make it public (or at the least visible to anyone you fri…

My slightly different spin: Microsoft is very good at understanding the median user. Their sweet spot is good enough to justify paying rather than reassuringly expensive, and they impress users with feature lists and [sometimes illusory] choice over usability and extensibility. As a result their products can be pretty horrible for beginners and power users alike, and their blindness towards early adopters leaves them…

this bit of thread makes me feel like it's time for neal stephenson to write a sequel to in the beginning was the command line, only this time the car companies are apple, google and facebook instead of microsoft, apple, be, and linux.

Re: Google doesn't get 'social', but Apple doesn't understand the Internet

#68

Post by rictic »

Anechoic wrote: post #64
fryguy wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exhibit B: In order to do things with your iPhone (like download podcasts, or update firmware), you need to plug it in to your computer and have it do a sync. The phone is on the internet, why do you need to plug it in? Google got this completely right on their phone in that everything syncs to "the cloud." I'm not saying android is perfect, but that is one aspect that's better about it.

> Exhibit B: In order to do things with your iPhone (like download podcasts, or update firmware) Can you not download podcasts on the iPhone over the cell network? I have 3rd gen iPod touch and it lets me download podcasts over wifi.

From personal experience, you can not (unless maybe you come across an especially small podcast episode; there might be a maximum data limit like you get with apps)

Re: Google doesn't get 'social', but Apple doesn't understand the Internet

#69

Post by vinceval »

I think facebook understand human intra-actions. It understand community. But it lacks understanding complications in relationships. What is lacks is understanding of what is excess of usual social-ness. I dont really think they are helping anyone with their social gaming time-waste-con or their wall post advertisements or lot of means to do completely unproductive stuff.

For Microsoft its simple. They understand customers, and they understand that avg customer never needs over-excellence in product. So, they would never be creative like apple, or tech-savvy like google. Its sad, but the software giant will never be upto the mark when it comes to driving technology and innovations.

Re: Google doesn't get 'social', but Apple doesn't understand the Internet

#70

Post by fakelvis »

Bud wrote: post #54
btmorex wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, one real story is a whole lot more compelling than hearsay.

He has a bit more than hearsay going for him; Apple's success in various markets lately has been huge. Linux's success in getting people to spend anything like that kind of money in any consumer context? Basically nil. Come on, we all know this, we don't need a page of citations to prove to us that Apple is the biggest non-Exxon company in world history, and it's not by accident or some mysterious means.

Linux's 'failure' in getting people to spend "that kind of money" in a consumer context is most likely due to the fact that it's not a centrally-owned commercial entity with a product line and shareholders (i.e. what Apple Inc. is), not due to do any actual 'failure'.

I'm not saying that the users of Apple products and those of Linux distributions don't differ in their purchasing habits (and I'm not saying they do, either)--I'm just pointing out the flaw in this line of reasoning.

And I don't know why you keep repeating this "biggest non-Exxon company in world history" argument, too. It's sensationalist and by two of the most common metrics, false:

* By market capitalization they've been the biggest in only three quarters in history (most recent), all of which are smaller than other companies in history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_corporations_by_market_...

* By revenue there are many, many non-Exxon (i.e. oil?) companies bigger than Apple: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companies_by_revenue

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