Google has generated a ton of buzz in the world of social media with its launch of Google+. It is a powerful social network that borrows good things from Twitter, Facebook, Quora, and other communities. Many have already adopted Google+ and are busy contributing to it. If you are on Google+, you will be happy to know that Google+ for iPhone has just made its debut in iTunes.
There is a big difference between Android Market and Apple App Store. Both are growing fast. Android fans always point at Google’s more open policy with Android apps to make the case for the platform. Not all apps deserve to be included in app stores though. Apple has a more strict policy. For instance, the company does not like developers creating apps that mention Android or cover Android related topics. Many critics consider that content censorship. So far, Apple has not backed down from this approach.
Android related apps are not the only ones getting the axe from Apple. Apple does remove controversial applications from its store on a consistent basis. That seems to be the case with Manhattan Declaration. It was an application that advocated “the sanctity of life, the dignity of marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and religious liberty.” Change.org organized a movement to get Apple to remove this app from iTunes. Apple obliged in the end. Read the rest of this entry »
It seems the talks between Steve Jobs and Eric Schmidt have gone so well that Apple has decided to become even more serious about the challenge that Google poses to its products. Apple has allowed Google search engine to be its default engine on its devices. There is nothing wrong with that as Google arguably has the best search platform on the market. Google search may look harmless on the surface, but it does provide Google with a ton of data it can use to come after Apple. Google can easily see what iPhone owners are searching for and what are they needs and desires. That’s not something Apple is willing to give up to Google at this point.
So how’s an Apple search engine will work? After all, the search business is not exactly one of Apple’s core competencies. According to Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster Apple has enough data to work with:
We believe Apple could utilize data unavailable to Google, data generated by the company’s App Store, to create a mobile centric search engine, which would be a unique offering to Google’s search engine.
Apple may lack the experience to build a search engine as powerful as Google. But one does not have to look further than Facebook to figure out the importance of “data” in this digital world. Facebook has made a few mistakes along the way, but it has used its data to its fullest to become one of the most popular sites on the planet (challenging the top dogs in the process).
Microsoft has done a lot of great things in its illustrious history, but it has managed to pull of some very dumb moves as well. The company has had to fight hard to replicate the success it used to had with Windows OS just a few years ago. XBox has become a successful project for Microsoft but you could make the argument that Zune has failed to get going. So these past few years have been a mixed bag for the company. Nevertheless, Microsoft seem to have gotten something right with Bing. In a world that Google dominates, Bing has certainly held up its own.
The troubles between Google and Apple have been well documented in the media. It seems the saga will move to the next chapter as Apple is poised to bring Bing to iPhone as its default search engine. Google has been somewhat dismissive of its rivalry with Apple, but Apple giving the go to Bing on iPhone (and perhaps Apple tablet) could sting Google.
2009 was a very busy year for gadget manufacturers. We got to see a few decent gadgets, and a few exciting niche markets emerged or re-emerged onto the scenes. With everything that Apple did in 2009, you could still call it a quiet year for the company, considering what it has for store for all of us. We now know that Apple is planning to release its tablet (iSlate) sometime this year. The tablet has been rumored for months, but Apple has danced around the topic for too long now. The cat is out of the bag now. iPhone 4G has also been in the works for quite some time, and we may get a glimpse of Apple’s future plans as its contract with AT&T winds down.
The impact of iSlate can’t be underestimated in a tablet market that has been somewhat stagnant lately. Tablets were expected to rock the world a few years back, but just like the e-book market, tablets somehow became stagnant. iSlate is expected to change all that, considering that it will be a complete portable digital media solution for on the go. Many analysts are claiming that iTablet could indeed have iPod like effect on the tablet market. Apple certainly knows how to change the game with its gadgets. Read the rest of this entry »
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