The Importance of 2 + ε Dimensions: Flat is the Name of the Game

In a 2010 email, I wrote the following about Steve Jobs:

Sent: Mon, May 31, 2010 5:02:32 PM
Subject: Why Jobs has been vindicated on quality

Observation: Jobs has finally been vindicated on his stand over high quality (and premium price, although not as premium as it used to be). Why?

Theory: Jobs has made the computer 2-dimensional.

Data: From the earliest days of the Mac, Jobs preached quality (there's even a video clip with him slagging Gates for failing to understood quality). For 2 decades Jobs was proven wrong, in the sense that customers were not willing to pay a premium for quality, so Apple never garnered more than 4-5% of the PC market.

A4 (ain't just paper anymore): Apple's New Chip

In case you missed it, with the advent of the iPad, Apple Inc. has entered the CPU business. While many pundits are still scratching their heads and wondering, "Who needs a giant iPod Touch?" Chris O'Brian notes:

"For the first time, Apple has built it’s own chip for a product. For years, the company has worked with others, first Motorola and then IBM, to build its processors. But for the iPad, the company debuted its A4 chip. The chip came via its acquistion of P.A. Semi in 2008. Building its own chip reportedly was one of the key reasons Apple was able to bring the cost of the iPad down. But early reviewers have also noted the iPad’s speed at rendering Web pages. The A4 potentially puts Apple in a position to build more of its own chips, and it also sets up a new rivalry against Intel for the mobile computing business."

Apple has built chips before; he means home-grown microprocessor.

MacET Phone Home or Il Papa or Starbucks

As Apple Inc., drops the word 'computer' from its name and focuses on the commodity computer of the future (currently called 'The iPhone'), I had forgotten that Apple's history began with The Steves playing with (analog) phones, in the shape of a Blue Box.

This cute NPR piece reminded me of all that. In it, Steve Wozniak recalls his meeting with Captain Crunch ca.1971, learning how to make Blue Boxes and later using it to place a free prank call to the Pope. Fast forward to the 2007 MacWorld introduction of the iPhone and Steve Jobs placing a prank call to Starbucks for 4000 caffè lattes.