Sometimes Apple/Jobs Just Goof'd

When the iMac first came out, it had a tray CD-ROM.  Then the moved onto a slot based while its competitors continue to use tray CD-ROM but they can burn CDs which the iMac could not.

At the time, I remember thinking it was just another move by Apple to offer incremental upgrades.  It turned out, as you will read in the book, that was not the case.

Sometimes, Apple, as forward looking as they are, can still screw up.

Back to today and the iPhone. Not having 4" screens.  No NFC chip.  Keeping Siri only on the iPhone 4S.  I don't know.  Maybe it could be a calculated move.  However, I am not discounting the possibility that Steve Jobs just does not see the 4" screen as right for the iPhone just as he doesn't see a 7" iPad as something viable.

Expecting NFC?  Well, Apple has a few patents but we may still not see it.  I go to Starbucks a lot and I'm able to make payments with my iPhone.  No need for an NFC app.

So, what are reasons for some omissions of features for the iOS devices?  Who really knows.  Maybe there will be another book about Steve that explains all this or we'll have to wait for one about Tim Cook or Jony Ives.  I do know this.  Apple is very much fallible.  The only thing is that they are heck of a lot more often right than not.

And this is imperfection, a human characteristic, is what makes Apple as a company and story so compelling.

Subscription Comes To iOS Gaming; Totally Expect Other Computing/Mobile Platforms To Follow Suit

This is one of those things that came out of the left field.  Far, far left field.  Apple is allowing a gaming developer that many Mac gamers should be familiar with, Big Fish Games, to utilize the subscription model that Apple developed for magazines and periodicals and let users subscribe to play games on a monthly basis.

Terrific deal?  You'll have to be the judge of that.  However, it is just another mobile innovation that we like to see.  Don't be surprised if this feature is adopted for other uses as well and not just gaming.

I reckon it's possible for studios to release sets of video in a similar fashion.  Take SyFy.  They can release an app just for science fiction fans to indulge themselves with content from the network and other materials.

After all, multimedia does mean multimedia.  And for any developer or studio out there looking for additional revenues, well, this could be it.  Google, Microsoft, or even Facebook could be doing something similar.

And it doesn't have to be just for handsets like the iPhone.  This subscription model for gaming can be extended to tablets (iPad) and onto the PC as well.  Facebook could be a great platform for just such a service to be launched.  Movies, TV shows, games, ebooks, etc. are just the beginning.

It is something for you?  Personally, I tend to buy games and only games that I like with replay value.  However, to entice users to sign up, BFG can offer added value for some games like new levels.  Angry Bird would be a perfect game just for something like this.

Source:  Bloomberg via Cult of Mac