Based on the reviews in the App Store and the talk on Twitter, it looks like there’s a lot of people who agree with Bryan’s post from last week on the (updated) Kindle app reading experience.
If enough people make enough noise, things can change.
My money is on Amazon un-sucking their iPad app because this uproar.
People want a good reading experience, who knew?

A conversation I was envisioning at Microsoft:
Bill: “Guysguysguys! I have an idea. You know how Apple is having all this success with their iPad?”
Bob: “Yeah?”
Bill: “Well. I was thinking. The iPad is great and all, but it’s missing something.”
Bob: “Missing something?”
Bill: “Yeah, I mean the multitouch display is great and super responsive and all, but like, what if I want another way to type up a message? Or enter text into search box?”
Bob: “Ok…?”
Bill: “Well, that’s when it hit me, what the tablet needs is a keyboard. I real, physical keyboard. No one has ever done that before. We’d be the first!”
Bob: “A screen attached to a physical keyboard. Wow! How the hell did you come up with that?!”
Bill: “I don’t know dude, it just popped in there. You like it? You think it’s a good idea?
Bob: “Do I like it? Bill, you’re a genius. let’s go tell Ballmer, he’ll friggin’ love it! Apple’s going to be dead in the water!”

The ever-insightful Horace Dediu on Apple’s retail stores:

Which brings up an obvious question: Why did Apple triple employment at each store? One could answer that many of the newer stores are bigger, so-called flagship stores. But the vast majority of stores are in mall locations which are of limited size. Flagship stores alone cannot account for the increase. One could also suggest that perhaps the stores are open longer and there is a need for more shifts. Again, the vast majority of stores are constrained by the opening hours of malls which, as far as I know, have been steady. Anecdotally, it’s also evident that there are more employees in a store at a given time. There are many more of those colored T-shirts at first glance.

One hint is in the design changes in the stores. Apple has removed shelving, registers and almost all non-Apple merchandise. It has replaced the visible stock with tables on which rest products that can be used. If there weren’t any people in the store, the store would look almost completely empty, just an open space.

But that’s the whole point. The stores are designed to be filled with people. The stores have an open layout because it allows more people to be inside the store at the same time. And the more people the more employees.

by Mike Brooks

via Automobiliac

Guy English on the when and why of Microsoft’s Surface announcement:

There’s many pieces arguing that Microsoft hurt themselves by not specifying things like screen size (in pixels and DPI), battery life, and price point.

They’re all missing the point of the announcement.

Microsoft introduced the Surface this week, hastily, in order to dodge anything Apple may have announced and to frame the discussion of whatever Google is going to announce at I/O next week.

Google is expected to announce a tablet next week at Google I/O. In the mainstream press whatever they announce is now going to be mentioned along side the Microsoft Surface.

That Microsoft didn’t release specifics about battery life, screen size or price point insn’t a mistake — it’s the entire point.

Since Microsoft doesn’t currently have a tablet on the market, they’re also able to avoid The Osborne Effect—sure, they’re preannouncing a new product, but at least it’s not affecting sales of any current products.

Ha. I’ve done this many times.

I’d love to know the companies who’ve figured out how to do seamless presentations using videos, screen-sharing and conference calls. There’s so many companies out there who describe themselves as ‘bleeding edge’ and ‘innovative’ but can’t figure out how to do a proper presentation with GoToMeeting and a telephone.
In my experience, there’s always a problem with dongles, Powerpoint crashes, stuttering video over GoToMeeting screen-sharing and people trying to figure out how to switch the monitor they want to share.
One of these days, someone’s going to figure this all out.

I want to check out the video of the Windows 8 Summit, but I when I try, I get to this screen:

Oh, Microsoft. You’re so cute with your Silverlight plug-in requirements. You just won’t give up, will you?

In the last half of the movie The Graduate, Benjamin, played by a young Dustin Hoffman, tells his parents he’s marrying Elaine Robinson—the daughter of the older woman he’s been having an affair with. Ben’s parents excitedly suggest they call the Robinsons to celebrate. Ben matter-of-factly tells them Elaine doesn’t yet know of his intentions and that he’s driving to her place in Berkley to ask her. He even acknowledges Elaine doesn’t like him very much.
Upon hearing this Ben’s dad confesses, “Ben, this whole idea sounds pretty half-baked.”
To which Ben naively responds, “Oh, it’s not. It’s completely baked. It’s a decision I’ve made.”
The movie doesn’t quite end horribly, but we’re left with the impression that their future isn’t certain either. What we do know is Ben could have handled things much better and he didn’t.
…
After watching the whole Microsoft Surface keynote and letting it marinate in my head I’m realizing that despite all of Microsoft’s good intentions and motivations for making a tablet computer, their picture is incomplete. Yes, the cues they took from Apple were smart. From the integrated approach to software and hardware to their presentation style, the student has definitely been learning from the teacher.
First, the hardware. It’s uncertain how many (if any) of Microsoft’s hardware partners knew this product was coming: a product being built by Microsoft, not by them. Ballsy move. It’ll be interesting to see what the hardware partners think about this move. It’s like going into an auto body shop before a race, installing all of the best modifications on your car, then leaving the scraps for all the other drivers, but asking them all to race you. Because it’ll be “fun.” So the hardware looks great. Sure they copied Apple’s Smart Cover, but one-upped them by turning the cover into a super-thin keyboard (I personally don’t find this feature the game-changer many in the tech press do, but that’s for another post).
But the solid hardware isn’t what has me perplexed. It’s the complete lack of software demonstrations. It’s ironic, isn’t it? Here’s a company that has made billions of dollars selling software for over 30 years, and when it comes time to debut the device launching them into the future, they don’t bother to allocate even a few minutes to showing off how well software runs on it? No games. No movies. No software. All we got was a 2 second glimpse of a custom Netflix application and a glitchy Internet Explorer. What about the ecosystem? The companies and people outside of Microsoft? What about getting a bunch (hell, even a few) developers and content providers in early on so you have great things to showcase on your product?
Microsoft forgot the part where you show everyone how fun it is to use their device. They forgot to show how it fits into peoples’ lives. The first thing Steve Jobs did after presenting the iPad was to sit down and start playing with it. He opens up web sites, plays movies, checks email.
All Microsoft did was storm into a wedding to steal the bride without proving himself to her and then asked her for blind trust.
To me this whole idea sounds pretty half-baked.

Sorry if you’re getting overloaded on the Microsoft Surface posts, but I can’t not post on these things. Microsoft is shameless:

via Laughing Squid

via Gavin Rothery via Daring Fireball