iOS devices finally outnumber Windows PCs | Cult of Mac

iOS devices finally outnumber Windows PCs | Cult of Mac If current trends continue (and there’s no real guarantee of that), Dediu humorously predicts that Mac units shipped will overtake Windows PCs in about 12 years, so we have that to look forward to.

I got the time.

Walt Mossberg: Apple should fix its software in 2016

Walt Mossberg: Apple should fix its software in 2016 Walt Mossberg was Steve Jobs’ favorite critic, and has long been one of the most respected Apple analysts out there — with some people even arguing that he can be too forgiving when it comes to Cupertino’s mistakes.

The first change I'd make as CTO would be to move Mac OS X to a 3 year cycle and start issuing patches for the prior versions as well, like a modern OS company should/would. 20 years of Windows XP comes to mind. Sure, there were warts with XP, but it's Apple that just topped the list of software vulnerabilities, not Microsoft. I have two nieces in their teens and neither of them are excited about new versions of Mac OS X breaking their working systems. The 19 year old complained that the latest OSX had crippled her use of Pages with iCloud or some such thing.

200 floppy disks belonging to Star Trek's creator have been recovered and could offer some surprises | VentureBeat | OffBeat | by Paul Sawers

200 floppy disks belonging to Star Trek's creator have been recovered and could offer some surprises | VentureBeat | OffBeat | by Paul Sawers Thought to date from the 1980s, the 5.25-inch disks store around 160KB of data each, and DriveSaver said its engineers spent around three months working on a way to access the information contained on the floppies, which basically involved creating software that could read the disks.

Amazing they can still find engineers who understand the tech. I'm sure they are Javascript coders.

Apple to host artistic iPhone photography & iPad illustration workshops at retail stores

Apple to host artistic iPhone photography & iPad illustration workshops at retail stores Starting next month, Apple Stores will offer higher-level iPhone photography workshops covering "various accessories and techniques," including things like long exposure, timelapses, and macro imaging, the company said in a statement. Students will also be taught artistic editing approaches.

It's like 1993 all over again.

CNN to air Alex Gibney's 'Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine' this Sunday

CNN to air Alex Gibney's 'Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine' this Sunday CNN has launched a microsite advertising its upcoming broadcast of "Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine," the controversial Alex Gibney documentary about Apple's iconic co-founder.

It took them 40 years to make a biopic about the life of Jackie Robinson. And only 3 years to make 4 movies about Steve Jobs. Between the two, I think Robinson was a more significant historical figure in American history.

Samsung launches 6-inch, all-metal, super-thin Galaxy A9, in China | VentureBeat | Mobile | by Evan Blass

Samsung launches 6-inch, all-metal, super-thin Galaxy A9, in China | VentureBeat | Mobile | by Evan Blass Like the rest of the A handsets, Galaxy A9 is a metal and glass design, running Android 5.1 Lollipop (with a Marshmallow upgrade likely to arrive in a timely manner). At 7.4mm thin, the A9 features a full HD (1080p) Super AMOLED display, 3GB RAM / 32GB storage, and a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 652 SoC, all powered by a massive, albeit non-removable, 4,000mAh battery.

Marvy!

'Blank’s Rule': To predict the future, 1/3 of your team needs to be crazy | VentureBeat | Business | by steveblank, Steve Blank

'Blank’s Rule': To predict the future, 1/3 of your team needs to be crazy | VentureBeat | Business | by steveblank, Steve Blank Yet in 1961 LOR was a completely insane idea. We hadn’t even put a man into orbit, let alone figured out how to rendezvous and dock in earth orbit, and some crazy guy was suggesting we do this around the moon. If it didn’t succeed, the astronauts might die orbiting the moon. However, Houbolt wasn’t some crank, he was a member of the Lunar Mission Steering Group studying space rendezvous. Since he was only a mid-level manager, he presented his findings to the internal task forces and the experts dismissed this idea the first time they heard it. Then they dismissed it the second, fifth, and 20th time.

Yes!

WhatsApp will take on FaceTime with video calling feature

WhatsApp will take on FaceTime with video calling feature Having added voice calling at no extra cost earlier this year, WhatsApp is now reportedly looking to introduce FaceTime-style video calls, according to a new report.

It ain't a standard if it only works on one platform. Sorry, I can't call you, you don't have an Apple device.

Microsoft acquires Ray Ozzie's team communication startup Talko, will integrate tech into Skype | VentureBeat | Mobile | by Jordan Novet

Microsoft acquires Ray Ozzie's team communication startup Talko, will integrate tech into Skype | VentureBeat | Mobile | by Jordan Novet Part of Talko’s appeal was that former Microsoft chief software architect Ray Ozzie was at the helm. Ozzie himself invested in the startup, as did Greylock Partners, Kapor Capital, and Andreessen Horowitz.

The app brings together talk, texting, and conferencing. It’s been available on iOS and Android.

It's a mixture of Mozart and Bach, I call it mach!