One of the greatest launch events and technology moments in history, what transpired at the time only seems obvious in hindsight. What was the tech world like in January 2007.
This was a twitter thread on January 9th.
Today is the 14th [not 13th, oops]anniversary iPhone announcement — easily one of the greatest launch events and moments of technology change in history. What was the “world” like at the time? When something changes the world so much it seems obvious in hindsight. That was not at all the case. 1/
2/ First, Apple itself was on a bit of a rebound with the iPod and iMac. But that only made Apple part of culture and healthy, but still a fringe player in computing. …
Apple’s announcement of “Apple Silicon” is important for many reasons. Delivering on such an undertaking is the result of remarkable product engineering. An annotated thread…
Amidst all the details, installing pre-release, and commentary (including my own) I want to take a moment to reflect on #WWDC putting it in context of the past two decades. Quite simply, what we’re seeing is some of the most remarkable product engineering over time in history. 1/
Debate/discussion/rants about app stores (or perhaps The App Store) have rapidly polarized to the point where it seems difficult to have a rational discussion.
This is an annotated twitter thread. Throughout I have added some additional context based on the discussion including: the rationality of ecosystem actors, ecosystem optimization, most favored nation status, and what’s a fair “take.”
Debate/discussion/rants about app stores (or perhaps The App Store) have rapidly polarized to the point where it seems difficult to have a rational discussion. Even trying to discuss is viewed as a defense. A discussion without defending. The situations are similar, really. 1/
I would defend the value app stores brings, especially based on my experience detailed here. I’m not here to defend any specific rule…
Over time everyone develops a “high order bit” for how they view any new development. In software/biz it might be specific tech principles, org philosophies, pricing, positioning, competitors, etc..
This is an annotated twitter thread.
Trade Adviser Warned White House in January of Risks of a Pandemic // This is all crazy craze stuff. BUT there is a valuable BigCo lesson. Leaders in any org are viewed through their “high order bits” no matter the issue. 1/9
For a while we’ve been hearing rumors of Mac moving to ARM, or something like that. What could this mean? What are the issues such a move faces? An annotated twitter thread.
Postmortem: Many of the comments on this thread affirmed that there’s a preconceived notion or expectation of what a device combining ARM and macOS might be. The discussion here is not a prediction but a discussion of the issues we faced in moving Windows to ARM and how to deal with an existing ecosystem of devices, apps, and “expectations.”
History does not repeat itself and Apple historically has…
The uproar in some places about wearing a mask mirrors the uproar over many previous societal changes in the norms of how we protect ourselves from ourselves, nature, and each other.
// Having grown up in Orlando, I know every small change at Disney is met w/ massive pushback. Masks are no different. 🤦♂️
1/ STILL here’s a journey of personal…
Apple announced a new iPad Pro along with the new Magic Keyboard that adds, drumroll please, a trackpad. Is this Apple’s capitulation? Is the iPad finally a real computer? Read on…
Apple unveils new iPad Pro with LiDAR Scanner and trackpad support in iPadOSApple today unveiled its most advanced iPad Pro, adding an Ultra Wide camera and studio-quality mics, and a breakthrough LiDAR Scanner.
// Is this the “convergence” everyone has been waiting for? A “2 in 1” or a tablet or a toaster-refrigerator? Did Apple capitulate? Some context on evolution of devices… 1/
2/ Hardware evolves just like software but we don’t often see it the same way. We’re used to talking about the cycle software bundling and unbundling, but hardware does the same thing. …
Leading in a crisis is something that is easier said than done, fortunately most don’t have to actually lead through a crisis. Some thoughts…(an annotated Twitter thread.)
Crisis leadership. Leading in a crisis is something that is easier said than done, fortunately most don’t have to actually lead through a crisis. And fortunately most also don’t have to live through a major organizational crisis. Some thoughts… 1/
What is a Crisis? A crisis comes about when the fundamental underpinnings of an organization or value proposition of a company are disrupted in such a manner that immediate action must be taken to prevent an irreversible course. This contrasts with really bad problems. Really bad problems can be approached by normal problem solving means—research, hypotheses, iteration, testing, etc. …
While the press and friends of Apple gathered for the launch event, the Windows team fresh off Windows 7 launch watched from afar. An annotated twitter thread.
1/The announcement 10 years ago today of the “magical” iPad was clearly a milestone in computing. It was billed to be the “next” computer. For me, managing Windows, just weeks after the launch of Microsoft’s “latest creation” Windows 7, it was a as much a challenge as magical.
2/Given that Star Trek had tablets it was inevitable that the form factor would make it to computing (yes, the dynabook…). Microsoft had been working for more than 10 years starting with “WinPad” through Tablet PC. We were fixated on Win32, Pen, and more.
CES continues to be an event where you can see the raw materials of the next big thing far more often than you can see the next big thing. Here’s a hopefully fun and critical eye at those raw materials.
This year’s #CES2020 was the usual spectacle of gadgets, gizmos, pleasant surprises, and near misses. Most of all CES continues to be an event where you can see the raw material of the next big thing far more often than you can see the next big thing. That so often frustrates people who hope for a romantic view of the old days “remember when they previewed the VCR or Atari?” If you expect CES to be that, you will have been disappointed for the past 50 years or so.
Instead, CES is a show where invention meets innovation — inventions…
Steven Sinofsky
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