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The Talk Show

28: Inappropriate Outfits, with Dan Frommer

 

00:00:00 ◼   ► have you ever been to CES i have not and

00:00:03 ◼   ► this is the first year sorry this is the

00:00:05 ◼   ► second year that I kind of kicked myself

00:00:07 ◼   ► a little for not going

00:00:09 ◼   ► I when we are we taping now or should we

00:00:12 ◼   ► I'm taping all right good i'm taking 2

00:00:14 ◼   ► i'm always taping I tape everything good

00:00:18 ◼   ► so when i worked at business insider or

00:00:21 ◼   ► like if i were to work at the verge or

00:00:23 ◼   ► in gadget or something like that I don't

00:00:26 ◼   ► think CES would be any fun I think

00:00:27 ◼   ► that'd be miserable because you have a

00:00:29 ◼   ► lot of work to do if the runaround if

00:00:30 ◼   ► the post stuff and you have to you know

00:00:33 ◼   ► constantly be available for editors and

00:00:36 ◼   ► that sort of stuff but now that now that

00:00:39 ◼   ► I don't work in a situation like that i

00:00:41 ◼   ► actually think it might be kind of fun

00:00:42 ◼   ► because ok kind of walk around and see a

00:00:46 ◼   ► weird stuff and pace yourself you know

00:00:50 ◼   ► work when you feel like working and

00:00:51 ◼   ► don't work when you don't feel like it

00:00:53 ◼   ► and no one's telling you when to post or

00:00:55 ◼   ► what to do and actually sounds like it

00:00:57 ◼   ► might be kind of fun at least to go once

00:00:59 ◼   ► or something like that

00:01:00 ◼   ► yeah I have the exact same thought and

00:01:02 ◼   ► I'm if it wasn't last year it was two

00:01:05 ◼   ► years ago I think I had this same

00:01:06 ◼   ► conversation with that damn Benjamin on

00:01:09 ◼   ► the old talk show where I said the same

00:01:11 ◼   ► thing and and said I think next year I'm

00:01:13 ◼   ► gonna go

00:01:14 ◼   ► I for the exact same reasons that you

00:01:17 ◼   ► just said that I wouldn't have to do it

00:01:18 ◼   ► and I well there's got to be 30 posts a

00:01:21 ◼   ► day from daring fireball about this

00:01:23 ◼   ► stuff I to have that I'd have to you

00:01:25 ◼   ► know it here to some kind of crazy

00:01:27 ◼   ► schedule where I'd have to make all

00:01:28 ◼   ► these nine o'clock keynotes and have

00:01:32 ◼   ► meeting scheduled throughout the day and

00:01:34 ◼   ► and you know I mean that some of the

00:01:36 ◼   ► stuff is just horrible like and then I

00:01:38 ◼   ► wonder you know for people never been to

00:01:39 ◼   ► Vegas it's can be tough to get around

00:01:41 ◼   ► the strip even for places that seemingly

00:01:44 ◼   ► are only two three blocks apart their

00:01:46 ◼   ► huge blocks and the cab situation sounds

00:01:50 ◼   ► terrible at CS and so people who are

00:01:52 ◼   ► like at the convention center in the

00:01:53 ◼   ► morning and then have like a noon

00:01:55 ◼   ► meeting with some company at I don't

00:01:58 ◼   ► know the plot so or something like that

00:02:00 ◼   ► it's it's like impossible you can't walk

00:02:03 ◼   ► it it's too far to walk and it's like an

00:02:05 ◼   ► hour long way to get a cab and all of a

00:02:07 ◼   ► sudden you've spent three hours to get

00:02:09 ◼   ► to a meeting that's I don't know half a

00:02:11 ◼   ► mile

00:02:12 ◼   ► so if I wouldn't have to do that do that

00:02:14 ◼   ► ya know if you and if you make that kind

00:02:17 ◼   ► of part of your experience like taking

00:02:19 ◼   ► time to get from one place to another

00:02:21 ◼   ► not setting up back to back to back

00:02:23 ◼   ► meetings or you know avoiding keynotes

00:02:26 ◼   ► and that kind of stuff i don't know i

00:02:27 ◼   ► think would be really fun and this year

00:02:29 ◼   ► it was like a couple days before I i

00:02:32 ◼   ► could completely forgot obviously the

00:02:33 ◼   ► CES was even happening and then like two

00:02:35 ◼   ► days before I was like haha i wonder how

00:02:37 ◼   ► much it would cost if I decided to go

00:02:39 ◼   ► right now and it turned out I could have

00:02:41 ◼   ► booked a plane ticket for free using

00:02:43 ◼   ► miles and then you know either try to

00:02:46 ◼   ► bomb a hotel like square square foot of

00:02:49 ◼   ► floor space from someone or just find

00:02:52 ◼   ► some cheap hotel somewhere but I had

00:02:54 ◼   ► ended up not being worth it was just him

00:02:56 ◼   ► maybe next year because i don't want to

00:02:58 ◼   ► kind of stay in comfort and you know and

00:03:00 ◼   ► not and not be bumming it too much so

00:03:03 ◼   ► right but so there's a there's a weird

00:03:07 ◼   ► you know if you follow a lot of tech

00:03:08 ◼   ► journalists on Twitter the way I do and

00:03:10 ◼   ► I assume you do too

00:03:12 ◼   ► there's a lot of like people being

00:03:13 ◼   ► downers about it like oh this is

00:03:15 ◼   ► horrible so stupid why do we do this

00:03:18 ◼   ► I I think I I don't like that you

00:03:21 ◼   ► anything I think that it's kind of dumb

00:03:23 ◼   ► like there's a lot of people who

00:03:24 ◼   ► actually really enjoy going there and

00:03:26 ◼   ► there's a lot of people who actually get

00:03:27 ◼   ► really good business out of it you know

00:03:30 ◼   ► if you if you're looking at the people

00:03:32 ◼   ► who are are going there for real work

00:03:34 ◼   ► and not just to to post a bunch of stuff

00:03:36 ◼   ► on a tech blog like people you know that

00:03:39 ◼   ► this is a really good opportunity to

00:03:40 ◼   ► make money and to meet people that only

00:03:42 ◼   ► fly maybe to the US a couple times a

00:03:44 ◼   ► year and then also even like the media

00:03:48 ◼   ► guys can do it right like I love Brian

00:03:50 ◼   ► lambs attitude is always you know from

00:03:52 ◼   ► the wire cutter and no heat he slummed

00:03:55 ◼   ► it for many a year is the editor of

00:03:56 ◼   ► gizmodo you know forcing people to write

00:03:59 ◼   ► however money doesn't suppose today and

00:04:01 ◼   ► now he says all right we're going to

00:04:03 ◼   ► have everyone here we're gonna hang out

00:04:05 ◼   ► together for a few days and we're going

00:04:07 ◼   ► to collectively right one post for the

00:04:09 ◼   ► wire cutter about what's actually

00:04:11 ◼   ► interesting at CES and I think that's a

00:04:13 ◼   ► great attitude now fortunately he has a

00:04:15 ◼   ► business model that supports that I'm

00:04:17 ◼   ► you know the sites with with banner ads

00:04:19 ◼   ► and that sort of stuff and especially

00:04:21 ◼   ► the ones who seem to be like official

00:04:22 ◼   ► media partners of CES they probably have

00:04:25 ◼   ► a lot more work that they're required to

00:04:26 ◼   ► do but i love Brian lambs attitude one

00:04:29 ◼   ► of the reasons I want to go now is just

00:04:31 ◼   ► to go hang out with him in control

00:04:33 ◼   ► everyone else

00:04:34 ◼   ► yeah totally I I see it the same way

00:04:36 ◼   ► like with the story i would like to

00:04:38 ◼   ► write and you know other people have

00:04:40 ◼   ► done with the scent of certainly not the

00:04:41 ◼   ► most original tape but just do my take

00:04:43 ◼   ► on it is the sort of gonzo

00:04:46 ◼   ► what is it like to be at CES story and

00:04:48 ◼   ► it made you know it's the sort of thing

00:04:50 ◼   ► that I almost certainly would not be

00:04:51 ◼   ► able to finish up during CES it would be

00:04:54 ◼   ► something maybe I would work on the

00:04:56 ◼   ► flight back to these coast or something

00:04:58 ◼   ► like that are finished with it later but

00:05:00 ◼   ► the sort of you are there what what

00:05:04 ◼   ► exactly is it like sort of thing where

00:05:07 ◼   ► which you don't get it all from most of

00:05:08 ◼   ► the the gadget blogs you don't and I

00:05:11 ◼   ► think actually mat Honan did a fun one

00:05:13 ◼   ► last year Matt did it really close to

00:05:15 ◼   ► that and and i was teasing him a few

00:05:17 ◼   ► days ago but you know my editor last

00:05:20 ◼   ► year was here is basically like every

00:05:22 ◼   ► post you write for the rest of the year

00:05:23 ◼   ► must be as good as mat hona and CES post

00:05:26 ◼   ► and I'm like you're crazy

00:05:27 ◼   ► yeah that was a really good piece yeah

00:05:29 ◼   ► it was awesome is inspired

00:05:31 ◼   ► uh there's actually a good us a couple

00:05:33 ◼   ► good slide shows up that I had was just

00:05:35 ◼   ► looking at before we started taping one

00:05:37 ◼   ► is from tech hive which is affiliated

00:05:41 ◼   ► with macworld it's from CES 2013 amazing

00:05:44 ◼   ► spectacles and awkward moments and it's

00:05:46 ◼   ► kind of like a visual you know like that

00:05:49 ◼   ► that what is it actually like to be here

00:05:51 ◼   ► sort of thing there's there's a lot of

00:05:52 ◼   ► ridiculous stuff going on it seems there

00:05:55 ◼   ► was another 10 gizmodo the most

00:05:58 ◼   ► wonderfully unrealistic gear from CES

00:06:00 ◼   ► 2013 and that's like unrealistic yeah

00:06:03 ◼   ► totally like the like flexible the ink

00:06:06 ◼   ► tablets and a 20 inch panasonic 4k

00:06:09 ◼   ► tablet and that can stop just like the

00:06:12 ◼   ► the really ridiculous stuff that to me

00:06:14 ◼   ► actually sounds like the more

00:06:15 ◼   ► interesting reason to go to CES like

00:06:17 ◼   ► I've been to the the mobile world

00:06:19 ◼   ► congress a couple times in Barcelona and

00:06:21 ◼   ► a lot of stuff there's like realistic

00:06:23 ◼   ► and I go yeah there's a bunch of new

00:06:25 ◼   ► cell phones but CES there's really

00:06:27 ◼   ► potentially some really ridiculous stuff

00:06:29 ◼   ► there

00:06:30 ◼   ► and I wonder and it's funny because you

00:06:32 ◼   ► know and I guess part of it too is that

00:06:34 ◼   ► I just happened you know I enjoy Las

00:06:36 ◼   ► Vegas like to gamble like to drink a

00:06:38 ◼   ► little bit and go there in a couple

00:06:41 ◼   ► times a year and then here's like the

00:06:43 ◼   ► one time of year where I could

00:06:44 ◼   ► legitimately write the whole thing off

00:06:46 ◼   ► and and charge it as a legitimate

00:06:49 ◼   ► business expense and I I've never gone

00:06:51 ◼   ► and then it's a it is partly though it's

00:06:54 ◼   ► sort of like a South by Southwest type

00:06:55 ◼   ► thing where if you want to go

00:06:57 ◼   ► you really got a plan for it many months

00:07:00 ◼   ► in advance because it's such a big show

00:07:03 ◼   ► ah that hotels really do sell out

00:07:07 ◼   ► I mean it's not that you can't get a

00:07:08 ◼   ► hotel in las vegas but I the ones that

00:07:11 ◼   ► are closest do seem sold out like I did

00:07:14 ◼   ► the same thing you did what I thought

00:07:15 ◼   ► well maybe I'm maybe I'm a book at last

00:07:17 ◼   ► minute

00:07:17 ◼   ► ah and I saw like the mirage was totally

00:07:21 ◼   ► sold out and the wynn and encore it was

00:07:24 ◼   ► like 800 bucks tonight

00:07:26 ◼   ► yeah like 800 so I looked I looked and I

00:07:29 ◼   ► found that the el cortez downtown head

00:07:31 ◼   ► rooms for like fifty bucks and I've

00:07:34 ◼   ► never been there like that's where when

00:07:35 ◼   ► I was 21 that's where we used to go play

00:07:37 ◼   ► five-dollar craps and like right i do

00:07:39 ◼   ► not like I've never stayed and ya know

00:07:41 ◼   ► it just seems really nasty so I was not

00:07:44 ◼   ► you know the very least I could crash

00:07:45 ◼   ► there on the floor and then just get the

00:07:47 ◼   ► hell out of there but the best deal is

00:07:49 ◼   ► off for a last-minute you know I'm it's

00:07:51 ◼   ► not a bad dog I've never stayed there

00:07:52 ◼   ► but i know from being inside it

00:07:54 ◼   ► certainly you know it's it's more

00:07:55 ◼   ► upscale than downstairs downscale I so

00:07:57 ◼   ► when I tried to book the mirage and they

00:07:59 ◼   ► said nope were sold out they had rooms

00:08:02 ◼   ► at bellagio for like 200 and summer

00:08:05 ◼   ► night and then they had rooms at the MGM

00:08:07 ◼   ► for like a hundred nine dollars a night

00:08:10 ◼   ► which is I dad that's probably the best

00:08:12 ◼   ► you're going to do although the MGM's

00:08:14 ◼   ► all the way down the other end of the

00:08:16 ◼   ► strip from from the convention center

00:08:18 ◼   ► maybe just bring a skateboard and cut

00:08:21 ◼   ► your commute down yeah I don't know it

00:08:22 ◼   ► seemed but it is crazy though cuz i also

00:08:25 ◼   ► saw from following along externally and

00:08:27 ◼   ► watching where people are going and

00:08:29 ◼   ► stuff like that i saw people you know is

00:08:32 ◼   ► i don't know if they're officially part

00:08:34 ◼   ► of CES or if it's just ad hoc stuff that

00:08:36 ◼   ► people are just renting out you know

00:08:38 ◼   ► companies are renting out on their own

00:08:40 ◼   ► but I saw people doing happened

00:08:42 ◼   ► inside mandalay bay which is even

00:08:45 ◼   ► further than MGM at the what is that the

00:08:48 ◼   ► north end of the strip or south end of

00:08:49 ◼   ► the strip i forget which ones north and

00:08:51 ◼   ► south

00:08:51 ◼   ► yeah there seems to be a lot of stuff

00:08:53 ◼   ► that's like that's loosely affiliated a

00:08:56 ◼   ► lot of its like the weekend before CES

00:08:58 ◼   ► officially starts and I wonder i'm sure

00:09:00 ◼   ► there's like really strict rules about

00:09:02 ◼   ► what you're allowed to do even in like

00:09:04 ◼   ► the whole area of vegas during CES and

00:09:07 ◼   ► before it and you know if you have to

00:09:08 ◼   ► pay an extra fee or something like that

00:09:10 ◼   ► but a lot of that stuff's seems to be

00:09:13 ◼   ► unaffiliated like random marketing and

00:09:15 ◼   ► mcs have these little advise anybody

00:09:18 ◼   ► know in terms of Michael what it would

00:09:19 ◼   ► cost him in you know obviously you can

00:09:21 ◼   ► in MGM 409 dollars a night isn't that

00:09:23 ◼   ► bad but it's not it's good

00:09:25 ◼   ► that's pretty good i don't want the plan

00:09:28 ◼   ► on it next year maybe we'll do it

00:09:30 ◼   ► together

00:09:31 ◼   ► absolutely i'm there here's the one

00:09:35 ◼   ► thing that I just don't get and I was

00:09:36 ◼   ► kind of wondering if you had done it

00:09:38 ◼   ► when you were at business insider

00:09:39 ◼   ► Business Insider was never Billy been

00:09:42 ◼   ► like you know it's more of an operation

00:09:45 ◼   ► you've got this like a staff and there's

00:09:46 ◼   ► a bunch of writers but it's not really

00:09:47 ◼   ► like a virgin gadget type thing to think

00:09:50 ◼   ► I that boggles my mind is the number of

00:09:53 ◼   ► people that these outfits have set like

00:09:55 ◼   ► somebody said i think they said that

00:09:57 ◼   ► scene that has 90 people there and the

00:09:59 ◼   ► verge has 80 ah and Africa how many

00:10:03 ◼   ► people in gadget I mean I die how does

00:10:05 ◼   ► the verge even have 80 people it doesn't

00:10:07 ◼   ► make any sense to me

00:10:08 ◼   ► I don't what are they doing there yeah

00:10:10 ◼   ► they had a world trailer it's crazy i've

00:10:12 ◼   ► never been a part of that sort of team

00:10:14 ◼   ► coverage

00:10:15 ◼   ► I've certainly witnessed it like again

00:10:17 ◼   ► at the the mobile world congress in

00:10:19 ◼   ► barcelona that you know the verge

00:10:20 ◼   ► probably had like six or seven guys

00:10:22 ◼   ► there last year but I can't even imagine

00:10:25 ◼   ► the CES thing we're literally everyone

00:10:27 ◼   ► from the whole staff you know even

00:10:29 ◼   ► international bureau's gets flown in and

00:10:31 ◼   ► they all do stuff together it looks so I

00:10:33 ◼   ► mean if you look at the site there's

00:10:34 ◼   ► just a ton of stuff on there there's

00:10:35 ◼   ► articles they have they brought it seems

00:10:38 ◼   ► their own their whole video people out

00:10:40 ◼   ► there and they have a studio setup so

00:10:42 ◼   ► they're doing videotaping

00:10:45 ◼   ► and 80 people that I know it's crazy and

00:10:48 ◼   ► just think about the expenses involving

00:10:49 ◼   ► 80 that's eight you know and assuming

00:10:52 ◼   ► nobody's local de las vegas that's 80

00:10:54 ◼   ► round-trip air tickets even if you

00:10:56 ◼   ► double everybody up in a room that's for

00:10:58 ◼   ► free hotel rooms and that's if you

00:11:01 ◼   ► double everybody up

00:11:02 ◼   ► I asked the guys at the verge I didn't

00:11:04 ◼   ► remember when I wrote that weird article

00:11:06 ◼   ► about like all the tech sites include

00:11:09 ◼   ► you in that they did that funny artwork

00:11:10 ◼   ► with you and and Topolsky and all those

00:11:13 ◼   ► guys i think i'd ask them all I remember

00:11:16 ◼   ► that yeah I was like last summer's day

00:11:17 ◼   ► dresses up as superheroes or something

00:11:19 ◼   ► yeah yeah it's pretty funny is why i

00:11:21 ◼   ► never ever going to do photos

00:11:23 ◼   ► it's like if you wanted to everybody

00:11:25 ◼   ► wants goofy pictures so it's like you

00:11:26 ◼   ► know what higher in Illustrator they did

00:11:28 ◼   ► it was actually pretty it was a anyway

00:11:31 ◼   ► it doesn't matter

00:11:32 ◼   ► um I had asked the guys I've like you

00:11:34 ◼   ► know because I i interviewed Joshua

00:11:35 ◼   ► Topolsky and nilay patel and also one of

00:11:39 ◼   ► the guys in the business side i asked

00:11:40 ◼   ► him like what is it actually cost for

00:11:42 ◼   ► you to do CES and I he said it was

00:11:46 ◼   ► surprised if i recall correctly my notes

00:11:49 ◼   ► in front of me but I I think he told me

00:11:51 ◼   ► that it was it would surprise me how

00:11:53 ◼   ► little it actually was relative to you

00:11:56 ◼   ► know what you know what a you know what

00:11:58 ◼   ► you think it would cost right and you

00:12:00 ◼   ► know they have to run out i guess they

00:12:01 ◼   ► have this trailer and they do have to

00:12:03 ◼   ► put everyone up in a hotel room and

00:12:04 ◼   ► there's 80 flights involved but it can

00:12:07 ◼   ► be a really big opportunity for

00:12:09 ◼   ► sponsorship like if you get a kind of a

00:12:11 ◼   ► marquis sponsor like I'm looking at

00:12:13 ◼   ► gizmodo and it says CES live from Las

00:12:16 ◼   ► Vegas presented by outlook.com right you

00:12:19 ◼   ► know the I don't know how much that they

00:12:20 ◼   ► paid for that but it could be tens or

00:12:22 ◼   ► hundreds of you know thousands of

00:12:24 ◼   ► dollars for that hole sponsorship I'm so

00:12:27 ◼   ► it could end up being you know

00:12:28 ◼   ► profitable or or break even and you know

00:12:31 ◼   ► if you make a spectacle covering see a

00:12:34 ◼   ► sec you know the idea is that it would

00:12:35 ◼   ► kind of flow through to the rest of the

00:12:38 ◼   ► year so i don't know but i've never been

00:12:41 ◼   ► part of that I think this your business

00:12:42 ◼   ► insider they sent a few people there

00:12:44 ◼   ► which is definitely more than you know

00:12:46 ◼   ► whenever I was working there I think

00:12:48 ◼   ► maybe we had one person go but it was

00:12:51 ◼   ► never me

00:12:52 ◼   ► the thing I guess the thing I would like

00:12:53 ◼   ► to try to capture and and to me it's a

00:12:55 ◼   ► forest for the trees type thing and that

00:12:57 ◼   ► all these other gadgets sites it's just

00:12:59 ◼   ► a tree tree tree tree Tree bombardment

00:13:02 ◼   ► all day long of of trees and no sort of

00:13:05 ◼   ► picture of what the forest is like and

00:13:09 ◼   ► what you know I feel like you're talking

00:13:10 ◼   ► about you're interested in the same sort

00:13:11 ◼   ► of thing where yeah I night and I do

00:13:14 ◼   ► think I think that CES in a weird way

00:13:16 ◼   ► has gotten more interesting now that it

00:13:21 ◼   ► is some of the bigger companies aren't

00:13:22 ◼   ► going and Microsoft's not doing the

00:13:24 ◼   ► keynote uh I mean that Qualcomm keynote

00:13:27 ◼   ► was weird but it's weird in a way that

00:13:29 ◼   ► sort of tells you something about what

00:13:33 ◼   ► what that companies thinking that was

00:13:36 ◼   ► super weird and now I've actually I've

00:13:38 ◼   ► seen something like that in person it

00:13:40 ◼   ► was the samsung keynote at Mobile World

00:13:42 ◼   ► Congress the year before last and like

00:13:46 ◼   ► the clock i mean the Qualcomm thing was

00:13:47 ◼   ► like an hour and a half long

00:13:49 ◼   ► it's crazy like they bring it and

00:13:51 ◼   ► there's the samsung was the same way and

00:13:53 ◼   ► it was like you know the first there was

00:13:55 ◼   ► some hilariously kind of just really

00:13:58 ◼   ► bizarre scare space alien yeah like they

00:14:02 ◼   ► hired like three actors a young woman

00:14:05 ◼   ► and two young men are all probably about

00:14:08 ◼   ► 25 but we're pretending to be teenagers

00:14:10 ◼   ► and we're talking about themselves as

00:14:14 ◼   ► the mobile generation or something like

00:14:16 ◼   ► that and and I couldn't tell if it was

00:14:18 ◼   ► if they were being if they were mocking

00:14:21 ◼   ► themselves or not which usually means

00:14:22 ◼   ► they're not you know it's like I it was

00:14:25 ◼   ► I don't know I thought it was parody at

00:14:27 ◼   ► first but then it clearly wasn't when in

00:14:30 ◼   ► when Qualcomm CEO paul jacobs rises from

00:14:34 ◼   ► you know my wife and I were watching

00:14:35 ◼   ► she's like is that Jesus is a no-no it's

00:14:38 ◼   ► paul jacobson no CEO what is earlier if

00:14:43 ◼   ► i vote from a guy on Twitter's name is

00:14:45 ◼   ► Andrew J doesn't have his real name on

00:14:48 ◼   ► his twitter account buddy I thought his

00:14:52 ◼   ► little tweet captured it perfectly

00:14:54 ◼   ► what's missing from Qualcomm CES keynote

00:14:56 ◼   ► is authenticity overproduced and vapid

00:14:59 ◼   ► and that it in in tweet like there it is

00:15:03 ◼   ► that's the whole thing it was so

00:15:04 ◼   ► inauthentic

00:15:05 ◼   ► like so phony in a totally non ironic

00:15:09 ◼   ► sense but it it it's that says something

00:15:14 ◼   ► now you know I mean there's something

00:15:15 ◼   ► about that that tells you what the heck

00:15:17 ◼   ► is going on

00:15:19 ◼   ► it's interesting because I've never felt

00:15:21 ◼   ► that way about the bomber keynotes like

00:15:24 ◼   ► I always felt that they were probably a

00:15:25 ◼   ► little too long and you know we're like

00:15:28 ◼   ► the content was not that that compelling

00:15:31 ◼   ► but there was never a moment where I was

00:15:33 ◼   ► like oh this is too ridiculous for

00:15:34 ◼   ► forwards

00:15:36 ◼   ► where's there's I think there was

00:15:38 ◼   ► another samsung keynote where they were

00:15:40 ◼   ► doing some really really silly stuff

00:15:42 ◼   ► yeah samsung had 1 i'd forget what event

00:15:44 ◼   ► it was it was Mike Mobile World Congress

00:15:46 ◼   ► last year for the CES last year but yeah

00:15:49 ◼   ► they had a real crazy like we're dancers

00:15:52 ◼   ► and all kinds of stuff right like I'd

00:15:54 ◼   ► like in 1978 variety show on TV like

00:15:57 ◼   ► that in hindsight it's like what the

00:15:59 ◼   ► hell were we thinking and they spend

00:16:00 ◼   ► like probably a million dollars on this

00:16:02 ◼   ► sort of thing I mean it's not you know

00:16:04 ◼   ► it's not cheap like there's a lot of

00:16:06 ◼   ► production involved so I yeah I don't

00:16:09 ◼   ► know I i wonder if you know you gotta

00:16:11 ◼   ► wonder if a company like Qualcomm is

00:16:13 ◼   ► happy with it i mean i'm sure they got

00:16:14 ◼   ► all their getting a lot more attention

00:16:15 ◼   ► from the mainstream than they ever get

00:16:18 ◼   ► on a normal day but still hard to say

00:16:22 ◼   ► it's positive attention i don't know

00:16:23 ◼   ► well I'd the weird thing about Qualcomm

00:16:25 ◼   ► being selected to do a keynote or the

00:16:28 ◼   ► first keynote and and and they're

00:16:31 ◼   ► agreeing to do it is that Qualcomm is

00:16:33 ◼   ► not a consumer-facing company like

00:16:35 ◼   ► normal people have no reason to ever buy

00:16:38 ◼   ► anything from Qualcomm Qualcomm makes

00:16:40 ◼   ► thing I mean I i I've probably got it 8

00:16:43 ◼   ► devices within arm's reach of me right

00:16:45 ◼   ► now that have Qualcomm components within

00:16:47 ◼   ► and you might still have your door to

00:16:49 ◼   ► how they doing yeah yeah they they

00:16:54 ◼   ► remember they bought your door its yeah

00:16:55 ◼   ► but I don't think that I think that

00:16:57 ◼   ► maybe they took that out back behind the

00:16:58 ◼   ► shed and shot it right

00:17:00 ◼   ► yeah shot but that was that was weird

00:17:03 ◼   ► when they were i forgot the quality were

00:17:05 ◼   ► they chosen or did they pay for it i

00:17:07 ◼   ► mean that's the quite don't know i don't

00:17:09 ◼   ► well but obviously those CEO you know

00:17:11 ◼   ► the CEA who run CES thought it was a

00:17:14 ◼   ► good choice you know whether there's I

00:17:16 ◼   ► don't know who pays who more

00:17:17 ◼   ► what happens you know obviously both

00:17:20 ◼   ► sides that thought it was a good idea

00:17:22 ◼   ► I wonder who else could have done it

00:17:25 ◼   ► though I mean you know samsungsamsung

00:17:28 ◼   ► did 10 another night I I don't know

00:17:30 ◼   ► yeah some of those guys might want to do

00:17:32 ◼   ► it on their own schedule and not as the

00:17:34 ◼   ► opening but so if it's not gonna be

00:17:35 ◼   ► microsoft it's not going to be Apple

00:17:37 ◼   ► obviously did you remember though is

00:17:40 ◼   ► that a year ago people were like oh it

00:17:42 ◼   ► could be apples grand entree into CES

00:17:46 ◼   ► now I don't think so

00:17:49 ◼   ► I saw them today that apparently apple

00:17:50 ◼   ► did participate in CES many many years

00:17:54 ◼   ► ago literally the last time that they

00:17:55 ◼   ► were there was 1992 when they unveiled

00:17:58 ◼   ► the Newton haha which is I mean I was

00:18:01 ◼   ► only 19

00:18:03 ◼   ► I was like a soft I I didn't I mean I

00:18:05 ◼   ► was in the Apple but I didn't even

00:18:06 ◼   ► follow stuff like that

00:18:08 ◼   ► yeah wasn't even an internet back then

00:18:10 ◼   ► yeah that's why don't the Newton I mean

00:18:14 ◼   ► then forcing every year Apple does have

00:18:16 ◼   ► employees there they're just not rent

00:18:20 ◼   ► you know they're not doing us a booth or

00:18:24 ◼   ► anything like that

00:18:25 ◼   ► I are you going to Macworld later haha i

00:18:29 ◼   ► guess not huh

00:18:31 ◼   ► no I am I will be there and that's the

00:18:34 ◼   ► other reason I wonder why don't you see

00:18:35 ◼   ► yes i still like going to Macworld and i

00:18:38 ◼   ► still get I i find it to be very

00:18:41 ◼   ► worthwhile and I feel like for the exact

00:18:42 ◼   ► same reasons it would be worthwhile to

00:18:44 ◼   ► go to CES you know that i meet you at

00:18:48 ◼   ► the networking I mean that's right

00:18:49 ◼   ► reason to go you meet with people you

00:18:51 ◼   ► know II I'm sure you meet with a lot of

00:18:53 ◼   ► developers and people who are doing

00:18:55 ◼   ► hardware and you can get real answers to

00:18:58 ◼   ► questions that you know it in my in my

00:19:01 ◼   ► kind of old day job is a you know proper

00:19:03 ◼   ► reporter like they set you up on these

00:19:06 ◼   ► interview or meetings with people and

00:19:08 ◼   ► they're usually they're there to talk

00:19:10 ◼   ► their book but if you meet someone at a

00:19:11 ◼   ► conference you know and they had a

00:19:13 ◼   ► couple drinks or dinner or something

00:19:14 ◼   ► they'll tell you stuff that you know you

00:19:17 ◼   ► would never get from them in a normal

00:19:19 ◼   ► meeting or something like that so

00:19:21 ◼   ► somebody pointed out that if you if you

00:19:23 ◼   ► went to CES this year and you wanted to

00:19:25 ◼   ► stop by every single exhibitor on the

00:19:28 ◼   ► showplace showplace floor

00:19:30 ◼   ► and you were there all day every day

00:19:33 ◼   ► that the exhibit hall was is open from

00:19:37 ◼   ► opening until the closing you would be

00:19:39 ◼   ► able to spend 39 seconds at each

00:19:41 ◼   ► exhibitor so obviously its ideas of a

00:19:45 ◼   ► scale that you you know that its

00:19:47 ◼   ► enormous but that's but no one would

00:19:49 ◼   ► ever do that like you know why you've

00:19:51 ◼   ► been to Macworld I've never been to see

00:19:52 ◼   ► yes but I mean I've been the macworld

00:19:53 ◼   ► and other trade shows you don't want you

00:19:56 ◼   ► know you're not you know when you walk

00:19:57 ◼   ► down the aisle most of them don't catch

00:19:59 ◼   ► your eye and aren't doing something that

00:20:01 ◼   ► you find interesting

00:20:03 ◼   ► no and that's yeah and that's kind of

00:20:05 ◼   ► why some of them do really absurd stuff

00:20:07 ◼   ► right there was a company that was I

00:20:10 ◼   ► supposedly band for mobile world

00:20:12 ◼   ► congress because they and they were from

00:20:14 ◼   ► like Russia and they had these russian

00:20:16 ◼   ► girls dressed up and very like kind of

00:20:18 ◼   ► inappropriate outfits handing out very

00:20:21 ◼   ► weird posters and stuff it was but you

00:20:24 ◼   ► know and and so everyone knew who they

00:20:26 ◼   ► were

00:20:27 ◼   ► uh but it was still a little

00:20:29 ◼   ► over-the-top it looks like that stuff's

00:20:31 ◼   ► pretty normal at CES there's a lot of

00:20:33 ◼   ► booth babe type stuff and even yeah I

00:20:36 ◼   ► can't remember feeling to it yesterday

00:20:38 ◼   ► or if it's still open a tab but I know

00:20:40 ◼   ► the BBC had another video sort of not

00:20:44 ◼   ► really chastising them over it but just

00:20:46 ◼   ► sort of kind of looking at the booth

00:20:49 ◼   ► babe situation at CES with an objective

00:20:51 ◼   ► view you know sort of like this is weird

00:20:55 ◼   ► this is a little weird and it's no

00:20:57 ◼   ► wonder that you know women feel a little

00:21:00 ◼   ► uncomfortable as engineers and in the

00:21:02 ◼   ► industry for just going to pretend that

00:21:03 ◼   ► this is acceptable marketing yeah and i

00:21:06 ◼   ► think it made a little more sense like

00:21:08 ◼   ► when the porn convention was also there

00:21:10 ◼   ► at the same time but I think they're not

00:21:12 ◼   ► even there now so and there's only like

00:21:14 ◼   ► mac world has gotten I don't think

00:21:17 ◼   ► macworld ever been as booth baby as CES

00:21:19 ◼   ► is I mean I think the fact that it's in

00:21:21 ◼   ► Vegas certainly exacerbates it and I

00:21:23 ◼   ► think the fact that CES is like the

00:21:25 ◼   ► kingpin of this sort of consumer

00:21:27 ◼   ► electronics stuff where it's harder to

00:21:30 ◼   ► get attention because the show is so

00:21:32 ◼   ► much bigger and it's going to draw you

00:21:35 ◼   ► know the sort of one-off companies from

00:21:38 ◼   ► around the world that may be our only

00:21:39 ◼   ► like you said maybe only coming to North

00:21:41 ◼   ► America once this year

00:21:42 ◼   ► I but I have noticed that maybe i just

00:21:46 ◼   ► notice it more because I don't know it's

00:21:50 ◼   ► more people are sort of criticizing the

00:21:52 ◼   ► whole idea of having you know female

00:21:55 ◼   ► models in your booth just to draw

00:21:56 ◼   ► attention but it's weird like me

00:21:59 ◼   ► Macworld Expo has gotten a little bit

00:22:01 ◼   ► more like that in the years now that as

00:22:05 ◼   ► it gets longer and longer from the old

00:22:07 ◼   ► days when Apple was there because it

00:22:09 ◼   ► seems like they've attracted more

00:22:10 ◼   ► smaller companies i don't know and maybe

00:22:13 ◼   ► the smaller ones are the ones that to a

00:22:15 ◼   ► little more than I just remember the one

00:22:17 ◼   ► year I was at macworld it was the last

00:22:19 ◼   ► year that Apple did the keynote it was

00:22:21 ◼   ► Schiller with the i want to say a

00:22:25 ◼   ► macbook pro or something and forgot he

00:22:28 ◼   ► was introducing their that was shoulder

00:22:31 ◼   ► though because the last year last year

00:22:33 ◼   ► Apple did it was a year that Jobs was he

00:22:37 ◼   ► was out right right it was in it was

00:22:40 ◼   ► awkward and mysterious because he had

00:22:42 ◼   ► originally said he was going to be out

00:22:43 ◼   ► of it was like the yeah yeah like the

00:22:45 ◼   ► low point of the Steve Jobs decline i

00:22:49 ◼   ► think because it was clearly we're like

00:22:52 ◼   ► in hindsight behind-the-scenes you can

00:22:54 ◼   ► tell that you know there was a bit of

00:22:56 ◼   ► denial and and question you know going

00:22:59 ◼   ► on because it was a sort of he's gonna

00:23:01 ◼   ► be out for a couple weeks and then it

00:23:03 ◼   ► was the I did he say that like a

00:23:07 ◼   ► chemical mental and emotional imbalance

00:23:09 ◼   ► and it can be adjusted by diet and a

00:23:11 ◼   ► week later it was like I never mind i'm

00:23:13 ◼   ► gonna be out for six months because

00:23:14 ◼   ► that's when he realized he needed the

00:23:16 ◼   ► liver transplant right so you know that

00:23:19 ◼   ► was the year yeah that was the last year

00:23:20 ◼   ► and then Apple is like you know what

00:23:21 ◼   ► we're not doing this backwards shit

00:23:23 ◼   ► anymore anyway

00:23:23 ◼   ► sure i'll be there Phil Schiller will be

00:23:25 ◼   ► there in a couple weeks but after that

00:23:27 ◼   ► we're out of it but remember they were

00:23:29 ◼   ► like a couple couple girls and like

00:23:32 ◼   ► bumble bee costumes i remember to take

00:23:35 ◼   ► photographs of this stuff for I probably

00:23:36 ◼   ► did a slideshow for business insider and

00:23:39 ◼   ► it was a little bit of that but it was

00:23:40 ◼   ► mostly not so much I don't know the one

00:23:44 ◼   ► I remember I can remember it was last

00:23:45 ◼   ► year or the year before and it was and

00:23:48 ◼   ► to me it was almost like over the line

00:23:52 ◼   ► because it was outside the exhibit hall

00:23:55 ◼   ► i think it was last year because it was

00:23:56 ◼   ► in Moscow any west and and i think last

00:23:59 ◼   ► year was the first year that they move

00:24:00 ◼   ► the show to Moscow me West I the

00:24:03 ◼   ► building where WTC takes place as

00:24:06 ◼   ► opposed to the north and south halls

00:24:07 ◼   ► where where it used to be and what it

00:24:10 ◼   ► wasn't around I it says how effective

00:24:12 ◼   ► that the marketing you know the

00:24:14 ◼   ► technique is I have no idea what the

00:24:15 ◼   ► company was but they had hired three or

00:24:18 ◼   ► four women to stand outside the hall

00:24:22 ◼   ► like as you go in and that's what to me

00:24:24 ◼   ► put it over the line because it wasn't

00:24:25 ◼   ► like in their booth it was outside in

00:24:29 ◼   ► like the lobby area as you go in and

00:24:31 ◼   ► they had these things on their on their

00:24:33 ◼   ► butts that they were encouraging people

00:24:35 ◼   ► to take photos of so I wasn't just that

00:24:38 ◼   ► they were scantily clad women promoting

00:24:41 ◼   ► something they literally were promoting

00:24:43 ◼   ► it with signs on their butts that they

00:24:46 ◼   ► were voluntarily bending over so you

00:24:48 ◼   ► could take a close-up photo of and it's

00:24:51 ◼   ► a good place for a QR code i could maybe

00:24:57 ◼   ► they were cute

00:24:57 ◼   ► they might have actually been QR codes I

00:24:59 ◼   ► don't know but it don't think the thing

00:25:01 ◼   ► that struck my mind is what do you say

00:25:03 ◼   ► if and it just done to me in a way that

00:25:05 ◼   ► it that they really should have somebody

00:25:07 ◼   ► at idg I think sort of set you know what

00:25:09 ◼   ► you can't do that we're not you know

00:25:11 ◼   ► that will give your money back if you

00:25:12 ◼   ► want it but you're not doing this I is

00:25:15 ◼   ► what do you say if you're you know the

00:25:17 ◼   ► parent of of a you know 11 12 year old

00:25:20 ◼   ► girl whose it was into this stuff and

00:25:22 ◼   ► wants to go check this out that to get

00:25:24 ◼   ► into the Hall you've gotta walk past my

00:25:26 ◼   ► doughnuts doughnuts

00:25:28 ◼   ► yeah it just feels like something from

00:25:30 ◼   ► an old era that yes passed a bit like

00:25:33 ◼   ► you know smoking in restaurants or

00:25:35 ◼   ► something like I was in Tokyo a few

00:25:37 ◼   ► weeks ago and they were people were

00:25:38 ◼   ► smoking in there at you know it's not a

00:25:41 ◼   ► bar and like a nice restaurant on like

00:25:42 ◼   ► and this is still happening here that's

00:25:44 ◼   ► crazy but it's like antiquated yeah and

00:25:47 ◼   ► that we're not that it was ever right in

00:25:48 ◼   ► the first place but it somehow sticks

00:25:50 ◼   ► out a way now that it didn't you know

00:25:53 ◼   ► when we were who can in less enlightened

00:25:55 ◼   ► times exactly yeah I me and thank our

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00:27:45 ◼   ► let me read a couple of tweets from

00:27:46 ◼   ► people talking about talks here's one

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00:28:03 ◼   ► thanks to Gruber and Marco Arment I'm

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00:28:32 ◼   ► alright i think that was better

00:28:36 ◼   ► yeah I gotta try that stuff actually i

00:28:38 ◼   ► have I become a coffee snob as well and

00:28:41 ◼   ► I should try this subscription stuff you

00:28:45 ◼   ► know the only coffee I've had since I've

00:28:47 ◼   ► started drinking songs that I've found

00:28:48 ◼   ► that was up to par with it was Marco

00:28:52 ◼   ► himself and roasted some beans over

00:28:55 ◼   ► right before Christmas and sent out like

00:28:57 ◼   ► a marco arment roast who coffee thing to

00:29:01 ◼   ► I don't know handful of friends school

00:29:03 ◼   ► which was great and it was great and it

00:29:05 ◼   ► was delicious

00:29:06 ◼   ► ah I like my wife still talks about

00:29:09 ◼   ► Marco coffee that mark like we're at his

00:29:12 ◼   ► house couple months ago and Marco make

00:29:14 ◼   ► coffee and it really was like it's like

00:29:16 ◼   ► a pulp fiction moment like a hot damn

00:29:18 ◼   ► that's good coffee but on the other hand

00:29:22 ◼   ► to me sending out delicious hand roasted

00:29:25 ◼   ► buy you coffee is like a holiday gift to

00:29:28 ◼   ► your friends is sort of a rotten thing

00:29:29 ◼   ► to do because it really makes you feel

00:29:31 ◼   ► like a bomb if you don't do something I

00:29:34 ◼   ► didn't send Marco anything and if you

00:29:37 ◼   ► like it you can't just buy more right

00:29:39 ◼   ► yeah almost like a tease

00:29:40 ◼   ► yeah it's both the T's and like a guilt

00:29:43 ◼   ► trip yeah so thanks mark out thanks a

00:29:45 ◼   ► light

00:29:45 ◼   ► okay um

00:29:48 ◼   ► I what else is going on this week but we

00:29:51 ◼   ► had a UI you want to talk a little about

00:29:55 ◼   ► the the maybe we can talk a little about

00:29:58 ◼   ► the the phone sizes and and nokia if you

00:30:00 ◼   ► want the little things you posted

00:30:03 ◼   ► yeah I want to talk about the phone

00:30:04 ◼   ► sighs thing because it part of it is

00:30:08 ◼   ► it's stupid digit times report from a

00:30:10 ◼   ► week ago but there's all these rampant

00:30:13 ◼   ► rumors now that you know there's a wall

00:30:15 ◼   ► street journal story in a bloomberg

00:30:16 ◼   ► story that maybe apples working on a

00:30:19 ◼   ► second iphone you know maybe they'll

00:30:21 ◼   ► switch to two iphones this year in that

00:30:23 ◼   ► would later in here they're going to

00:30:24 ◼   ► have one that's cheaper than current

00:30:26 ◼   ► iphones and I guess and and some of the

00:30:29 ◼   ► articles just skip right over this like

00:30:30 ◼   ► it i guess not already there that they

00:30:33 ◼   ► don't already have cheaper iphones they

00:30:35 ◼   ► do they sell old you know last year's 4s

00:30:38 ◼   ► and two years ago is iphone for it at

00:30:40 ◼   ► lower price points the idea i guess is

00:30:43 ◼   ► that maybe instead of doing that the

00:30:45 ◼   ► lower price tiers for iphones would be a

00:30:48 ◼   ► new a new model that's you know I don't

00:30:52 ◼   ► know but anyway digit I'm says that

00:30:54 ◼   ► they're going to do that and it's going

00:30:55 ◼   ► to have a bigger 5-inch screen and did

00:30:58 ◼   ► you know digit times make stuff up but

00:31:01 ◼   ► the thing I one of the things I think

00:31:02 ◼   ► interesting one of the thing is the

00:31:04 ◼   ► angle of this cheap iphone which is not

00:31:06 ◼   ► that interested in meeting the other

00:31:07 ◼   ► thing that interests me is this the the

00:31:10 ◼   ► size thing because there's something

00:31:12 ◼   ► weird in the industry that that I still

00:31:16 ◼   ► can't figure out what the explanation

00:31:18 ◼   ► for it is and it's you know what I had

00:31:20 ◼   ► that tweet or was that

00:31:22 ◼   ► so what while you're looking for that

00:31:24 ◼   ► i'll just say the cheap iPhone I you

00:31:25 ◼   ► know

00:31:26 ◼   ► yes they do sell in in subsidized

00:31:29 ◼   ► markets last year's phone in the year

00:31:31 ◼   ► before for you know a price and for free

00:31:34 ◼   ► basically but those are still

00:31:36 ◼   ► six-hundred-dollar five-hundred-dollar

00:31:37 ◼   ► unsubsidized phone right and you know

00:31:40 ◼   ► the word that comes to mind when when

00:31:41 ◼   ► they start talking about cheap iphones

00:31:44 ◼   ► is this China is you know somewhere

00:31:46 ◼   ► where you could easily sell a hundred

00:31:49 ◼   ► million of something that that costs you

00:31:52 ◼   ► know $100 unsubsidized or two hundred

00:31:55 ◼   ► dollars unsubsidized but you're not

00:31:57 ◼   ► going to sell a hundred million six

00:32:00 ◼   ► hundred dollars

00:32:00 ◼   ► things they're so and you know it as

00:32:03 ◼   ► China becomes apples second most

00:32:05 ◼   ► important market and maybe someday their

00:32:07 ◼   ► first most important market i could see

00:32:10 ◼   ► the potential for you know developing

00:32:12 ◼   ► something for that but on the other hand

00:32:15 ◼   ► you know as you posted and you know as

00:32:18 ◼   ► as people who realistically look at

00:32:21 ◼   ► applewood know they're never going to

00:32:23 ◼   ► sell crap at any price like they're not

00:32:25 ◼   ► going to go to a two-hundred-dollar

00:32:28 ◼   ► 100-dollar price and sell something that

00:32:30 ◼   ► they're not happy with it's just not

00:32:32 ◼   ► something they have absolutely never

00:32:33 ◼   ► done in and I can't see them ever doing

00:32:35 ◼   ► but if they can develop something within

00:32:37 ◼   ► a couple years that they can

00:32:39 ◼   ► realistically sell for two hundred

00:32:41 ◼   ► dollars 100-dollar unsubsidized that is

00:32:45 ◼   ► as good as you know maybe last year's 4s

00:32:47 ◼   ► or or even now you know this year's five

00:32:50 ◼   ► like sure they'll do that of course they

00:32:51 ◼   ► will but it just has to be that you know

00:32:54 ◼   ► the quality for the price not just

00:32:56 ◼   ► strictly trying to reach a certain price

00:32:59 ◼   ► right and and my comparison today was

00:33:02 ◼   ► with netbooks versus the ipad we're at

00:33:05 ◼   ► 2007-2008 everybody was netbook netbook

00:33:08 ◼   ► netbook and that's you know and and my

00:33:10 ◼   ► take back then and I still stand by it

00:33:12 ◼   ► was exactly right is that netbook wasn't

00:33:14 ◼   ► really a new category it was just a

00:33:16 ◼   ► labeled a slap on cheap notebooks they

00:33:20 ◼   ► were all just cheap windows notebooks

00:33:22 ◼   ► that were less expensive than what

00:33:25 ◼   ► people are used to paying from notebooks

00:33:27 ◼   ► i thought i was actually what what Steve

00:33:30 ◼   ► Jobs said to you

00:33:31 ◼   ► netbook right now are they're just cheap

00:33:33 ◼   ► laptops alright and well and he said we

00:33:35 ◼   ► we can this isn't 2008 something I could

00:33:38 ◼   ► look at the exact quote but he said

00:33:39 ◼   ► because you don't want to misquote keep

00:33:42 ◼   ► jobs but he always said netbooks are

00:33:44 ◼   ► better at anything there are some

00:33:46 ◼   ► customers which we choose not to serve

00:33:50 ◼   ► we don't know how to make a

00:33:51 ◼   ► five-hundred-dollar computer that's not

00:33:53 ◼   ► a piece of junk and our DNA will not let

00:33:55 ◼   ► us ship that now two years later they

00:33:57 ◼   ► shipped a five-hundred-dollar computer

00:33:59 ◼   ► called the ipad maybe you've heard of it

00:34:01 ◼   ► ah and then but everything really is the

00:34:05 ◼   ► 390 engine jobs does two different

00:34:08 ◼   ► things in his quotes there's two things

00:34:09 ◼   ► that jobs is famous for or one of the

00:34:11 ◼   ► things he's famous for is saying I went

00:34:13 ◼   ► we're going to do a video ipod nobody

00:34:15 ◼   ► wants that in a year later we've got a

00:34:17 ◼   ► great new ipod now plays video and it's

00:34:19 ◼   ► like he never said the other thing

00:34:20 ◼   ► before and and one of the reasons you

00:34:22 ◼   ► did it wasn't even any minute

00:34:23 ◼   ► one of it was just that if they didn't

00:34:25 ◼   ► have it yet he's just gonna lie and say

00:34:27 ◼   ► that it's a terrible idea because i

00:34:29 ◼   ► don't have it yet and to it especially

00:34:33 ◼   ► since his biography has come out and and

00:34:36 ◼   ► you know since she's died and Tim Cook

00:34:37 ◼   ► has said this many times that the the

00:34:39 ◼   ► man really was remarkably able to change

00:34:42 ◼   ► his mind you know that maybe he didn't

00:34:44 ◼   ► think video ipods for a piece of crap

00:34:46 ◼   ► and then nobody want to do it and if you

00:34:48 ◼   ► could you know a year later convince

00:34:50 ◼   ► them know it's a good idea then he would

00:34:52 ◼   ► change his mind that you know something

00:34:54 ◼   ► like that but I think with the the his

00:34:56 ◼   ► dismissal of netbook sell clearly they

00:34:58 ◼   ► were already working on the ipad at the

00:35:00 ◼   ► time

00:35:01 ◼   ► ah it wasn't about day I think what he

00:35:05 ◼   ► said there was not a lie or even

00:35:07 ◼   ► misdirection I think he was being come

00:35:08 ◼   ► just completely honest that at the time

00:35:10 ◼   ► there was no way they could make a

00:35:11 ◼   ► five-hundred-dollar computer that wasn't

00:35:13 ◼   ► a piece of Chuck wasn't that they would

00:35:15 ◼   ► never do it it's just that once they

00:35:16 ◼   ► could they did

00:35:18 ◼   ► yep yeah and at that point he probably

00:35:21 ◼   ► had no idea that the ipad would cost

00:35:23 ◼   ► five hundred dollars i mean that they

00:35:25 ◼   ► have been something that that Tim Cook

00:35:26 ◼   ► supply geniuses only made possible

00:35:28 ◼   ► within the few months before it we don't

00:35:32 ◼   ► know yeah I don't know that I i'll bet

00:35:34 ◼   ► it yet in 2008 I bet they had no idea

00:35:36 ◼   ► what it

00:35:37 ◼   ► I've had ipad would cost him 2010 in

00:35:40 ◼   ► fact is just finally we have an iPad

00:35:42 ◼   ► Mini which is basically better than the

00:35:44 ◼   ► first ipad for even half the price of

00:35:46 ◼   ► that so right and I i also remember too

00:35:49 ◼   ► that the it wasn't until summer of 2009

00:35:55 ◼   ► that internally that Apple was like okay

00:35:57 ◼   ► total green light on the tablet and you

00:36:01 ◼   ► know and i think that was in am almost

00:36:02 ◼   ► certain to that 2009 was when he came

00:36:06 ◼   ► back from that medical leave

00:36:08 ◼   ► yes and that I mean there was an article

00:36:10 ◼   ► talking about how you know I was

00:36:12 ◼   ► focusing on a new but prior to that I

00:36:15 ◼   ► mean they were you know famously now you

00:36:17 ◼   ► know it Peters come out that that a

00:36:19 ◼   ► tablet size thing was the whole origin

00:36:21 ◼   ► of iOS and touch screens and that they

00:36:23 ◼   ► scrapped it put it aside and said let's

00:36:25 ◼   ► do a phone with

00:36:26 ◼   ► this stuff first I mean they've been

00:36:29 ◼   ► working on tablets forever the whole

00:36:30 ◼   ► reason I always exist was tablets but in

00:36:32 ◼   ► terms of actually like saying this is

00:36:35 ◼   ► the what the tablet is going to look

00:36:37 ◼   ► like and be like it wasn't until two

00:36:39 ◼   ► thousand nine but i still think that

00:36:42 ◼   ► quote from 2008 is exactly applies to

00:36:45 ◼   ► phones that maybe there is a huge market

00:36:47 ◼   ► for piece-of-crap hundred-dollar phones

00:36:49 ◼   ► you know it does certainly as nokia sold

00:36:51 ◼   ► they just had you know everybody's

00:36:54 ◼   ► calling it really good results they sold

00:36:56 ◼   ► 4.4 million Lumias which are really the

00:36:59 ◼   ► only good phones that they make they

00:37:01 ◼   ► also sold 70 million phones that don't

00:37:04 ◼   ► count as smartphones and 16 million of

00:37:07 ◼   ► these asha things that they call

00:37:10 ◼   ► smartphones but there you know I don't

00:37:12 ◼   ► know once like a what they called s40 or

00:37:15 ◼   ► what I don't even know what the name of

00:37:16 ◼   ► the operating system is certainly

00:37:17 ◼   ► wouldn't qualifies as a smartphone that

00:37:19 ◼   ► you would put up against you know

00:37:22 ◼   ► high-end android or iphone so you know

00:37:27 ◼   ► you could sell the company's can sell 80

00:37:29 ◼   ► 90 million piece-of-crap phones a

00:37:32 ◼   ► quarter doesn't mean that there's any

00:37:34 ◼   ► money to be made and are that they're

00:37:35 ◼   ► good devices right and that's and again

00:37:39 ◼   ► I think that's where they'll draw the

00:37:40 ◼   ► line but then as far as like this the

00:37:43 ◼   ► screen size on the iphone series like

00:37:47 ◼   ► and did you find that tweet the or

00:37:50 ◼   ► you're going to read from yeah here it

00:37:52 ◼   ► is it's from Vlad sebab who i am hoping

00:37:56 ◼   ► that misremembering i'm pretty sure he

00:37:57 ◼   ► repeat rights for her right

00:38:00 ◼   ► I just want to make sure it wasn't a

00:38:01 ◼   ► gadget but i did I think he's one of the

00:38:03 ◼   ► guys who used to write in gadget and

00:38:04 ◼   ► went to the verge when they left

00:38:07 ◼   ► so here's the tweet and I've written

00:38:08 ◼   ► about this many times before but it's

00:38:10 ◼   ► still true

00:38:11 ◼   ► the world's best-selling smartphone has

00:38:13 ◼   ► a 4-inch screen

00:38:14 ◼   ► none of its competitors have a flagship

00:38:16 ◼   ► model smaller than 4.7 inches on and

00:38:21 ◼   ► then over at the courts this guy is such

00:38:24 ◼   ► a jackass what's-his-name i got this

00:38:29 ◼   ► when their website makes it so hard to

00:38:30 ◼   ► find bylines christopher mims yeah

00:38:34 ◼   ► christopher mims I has his article about

00:38:38 ◼   ► see now I've lost it because they got

00:38:41 ◼   ► them websites when you scrolled if you

00:38:43 ◼   ► scroll too far it goes to the next

00:38:45 ◼   ► article m Apple refuses to make the one

00:38:48 ◼   ► mobile device taking over the world but

00:38:50 ◼   ► not for long

00:38:51 ◼   ► and what's that device fab phablets

00:38:53 ◼   ► uh-huh right and so but why why do you

00:38:58 ◼   ► see there I've seen this argument for

00:39:00 ◼   ► why when his apple going to make a

00:39:01 ◼   ► 5-inch from one example going to make a

00:39:02 ◼   ► 5-inch on Apple's gotta make five inch

00:39:04 ◼   ► from because everybody else is making

00:39:05 ◼   ► and some people are you know they're set

00:39:07 ◼   ► somebody selling 10 million of them or

00:39:08 ◼   ► something like that

00:39:09 ◼   ► I you know instead what it's I think

00:39:12 ◼   ► samsung sold 10 million galaxies notes

00:39:14 ◼   ► which is their giant as you know

00:39:17 ◼   ► five-plus inch phone which is a lot but

00:39:20 ◼   ► apple sells like 25 to 30 million

00:39:24 ◼   ► iphones quarter now so it's not like 10

00:39:27 ◼   ► million Galaxy Notes means that

00:39:31 ◼   ► something is totally beating the iphone

00:39:35 ◼   ► as Vlad said the single best selling

00:39:37 ◼   ► phone in the world is is the iphone why

00:39:40 ◼   ► does nobody else write articles like why

00:39:43 ◼   ► does it seem like almost nobody writes

00:39:44 ◼   ► articles saying when it when are these

00:39:46 ◼   ► other guys going to make a 4-inch from

00:39:48 ◼   ► like why not copy the best like of all

00:39:51 ◼   ► the stuff and all the accusations of

00:39:52 ◼   ► copying that's out there doesn't seem

00:39:54 ◼   ► like anybody has any interest in copying

00:39:55 ◼   ► the size of the ipod well and then when

00:39:59 ◼   ► they do like Nokia had that one windows

00:40:01 ◼   ► phone but it was severely underpowered

00:40:03 ◼   ► it was like clearly builders like

00:40:05 ◼   ► they're cheap phone

00:40:06 ◼   ► yeah that's that's a good example that

00:40:08 ◼   ► was the original all Lumia I forget the

00:40:11 ◼   ► number of things i said something maybe

00:40:12 ◼   ► was at the 800 of the 700 and it was a

00:40:15 ◼   ► what are the big ones but yeah the

00:40:17 ◼   ► original was a 700 yeah and it's my

00:40:19 ◼   ► single favorite hard with my single

00:40:22 ◼   ► favorite non iphone smartphone that I've

00:40:24 ◼   ► ever used by far really not really nice

00:40:29 ◼   ► and I love the size and in fact the size

00:40:31 ◼   ► was actually if anything it was a little

00:40:34 ◼   ► bit bigger wasn't a 3.5 inch screen

00:40:37 ◼   ► because I i think all the windows phones

00:40:39 ◼   ► are 69 I think they have the it's like

00:40:41 ◼   ► hard coded in the rules for Windows

00:40:43 ◼   ► Windows Phone that their screens are all

00:40:45 ◼   ► 69 so it's really more like the iphone 5

00:40:48 ◼   ► screen size and I think it was you know

00:40:50 ◼   ► like 4.1 inches or something like that

00:40:53 ◼   ► but about the with you know it was very

00:40:57 ◼   ► much like the iphone 5 sighs about the

00:40:58 ◼   ► width of the traditional iphone but

00:41:02 ◼   ► taller so it was actually they got to

00:41:05 ◼   ► where Apple has gotten too before Apple

00:41:07 ◼   ► but there's a big difference and I've

00:41:11 ◼   ► you know I've used some of these bigger

00:41:12 ◼   ► 5 or 4 points something you know I 4.7

00:41:16 ◼   ► inch phones and i'm not saying that

00:41:19 ◼   ► there's a you know meee when I bad mouth

00:41:21 ◼   ► then people say well I love mine and I

00:41:24 ◼   ► don't doubt that I don't doubt that some

00:41:26 ◼   ► people like the bigger size i'm sure you

00:41:28 ◼   ► know there's plenty of use cases for it

00:41:31 ◼   ► I but I don't understand why nobody

00:41:34 ◼   ► copies apple in this regard given that

00:41:36 ◼   ► the iphone remains the single

00:41:37 ◼   ► best-selling and most popular phone in

00:41:39 ◼   ► the world

00:41:40 ◼   ► well and some of that so some of that

00:41:43 ◼   ► could be just power efficiency like

00:41:46 ◼   ► remember you know I think you wrote

00:41:48 ◼   ► about some other people were writing

00:41:49 ◼   ► about how the first LTE phones had to be

00:41:52 ◼   ► that big because of that was i said and

00:41:56 ◼   ► i had heard that from a guy from HTC and

00:42:00 ◼   ► I asked him about that and he basically

00:42:02 ◼   ► confirmed you know I don't even

00:42:04 ◼   ► it wasn't like some interview on the

00:42:06 ◼   ► record but it was just some guy in a in

00:42:08 ◼   ► a booth and he's like yeah that sounds

00:42:09 ◼   ► right like that the the the first

00:42:12 ◼   ► generation LTE phones have to be bigger

00:42:16 ◼   ► because of the chipset and maybe maybe

00:42:18 ◼   ► also the battery I don't know

00:42:20 ◼   ► yeah because uh oh I think the chips

00:42:23 ◼   ► were bigger but the it and it's every

00:42:25 ◼   ► time a new generation of cellular

00:42:26 ◼   ► technology comes out the first round of

00:42:28 ◼   ► chips

00:42:29 ◼   ► are woefully power and efficient right i

00:42:33 ◼   ► mean that's why it's exactly why the

00:42:34 ◼   ► original iphone didn't even have 3g was

00:42:37 ◼   ► that Apple you know when they made the

00:42:40 ◼   ► I've original iphone in 2006 to to ship

00:42:44 ◼   ► in 2007 couldn't get the battery life

00:42:47 ◼   ► they wanted out of 3g took another year

00:42:51 ◼   ► uh that's why Apple was later than any

00:42:53 ◼   ► of its major competitors to LTE that

00:42:56 ◼   ► they couldn't get the battery life they

00:42:57 ◼   ► wanted out of it so i think that I mean

00:43:01 ◼   ► it could that'd still be the explanation

00:43:03 ◼   ► for why android phones are much bigger

00:43:05 ◼   ► it is it that that Android the operating

00:43:08 ◼   ► system uses more power you know it is

00:43:10 ◼   ► less efficient than iOS or maybe that

00:43:14 ◼   ► the chips that that they use are less

00:43:16 ◼   ► efficient than the ones that Apple has

00:43:17 ◼   ► custom designed for itself

00:43:19 ◼   ► I obviously have no idea but that's one

00:43:22 ◼   ► potential reason another could be that

00:43:25 ◼   ► people actually do like the larger

00:43:26 ◼   ► phones i actually I it but there's

00:43:29 ◼   ► existence proof the fact that the iphone

00:43:31 ◼   ► is the world's most popular single phone

00:43:33 ◼   ► means that there's also there is also

00:43:35 ◼   ► demand for smaller well that's a little

00:43:39 ◼   ► i mean so to play devil's advocate the

00:43:41 ◼   ► reason that the iphone is the world's

00:43:43 ◼   ► best-selling phone probably has very

00:43:45 ◼   ► little to do with its screen size which

00:43:47 ◼   ► is a you know another argument as to why

00:43:48 ◼   ► that the other ones me should you maybe

00:43:50 ◼   ► shouldn't you should should try to go

00:43:53 ◼   ► smaller but part of it is because Apple

00:43:56 ◼   ► only has what like three different phone

00:43:59 ◼   ► model if you want to get an iphone even

00:44:01 ◼   ► really only got it you choose a model

00:44:03 ◼   ► year

00:44:04 ◼   ► yeah you don't little choice and you

00:44:05 ◼   ► don't get a choice inside so you we

00:44:07 ◼   ► can't prove it that is a good point to

00:44:08 ◼   ► prove you know i mean it and it's the

00:44:11 ◼   ► iphone it's better in so many other

00:44:12 ◼   ► categories that people you know perhaps

00:44:14 ◼   ► there are people who say man I really

00:44:16 ◼   ► want a 5-inch screen but i want an

00:44:18 ◼   ► iphone more so I'm gonna get the iphone

00:44:20 ◼   ► so I don't you know I don't know if

00:44:21 ◼   ► that's necessarily like causation but

00:44:23 ◼   ► well but the thing that gets me though

00:44:26 ◼   ► is that there's why hasn't anybody even

00:44:28 ◼   ► tried it though

00:44:29 ◼   ► why hasn't anybody since that one first

00:44:31 ◼   ► lumia tried and iphone sighs device and

00:44:37 ◼   ► that you said that first lumia if it you

00:44:39 ◼   ► know sputtered in the marketplace

00:44:41 ◼   ► I don't

00:44:42 ◼   ► certainly had nothing to do with the

00:44:43 ◼   ► physical size of it was the fact that it

00:44:45 ◼   ► was the first version of windows phone

00:44:47 ◼   ► 7i and was really really limited

00:44:51 ◼   ► technically by the the software and a

00:44:53 ◼   ► lot of ways it was a great device but it

00:44:58 ◼   ► was really really limited software wise

00:45:01 ◼   ► in terms of the apps and may however

00:45:02 ◼   ► however far behind windows phone remains

00:45:04 ◼   ► today in terms of apps in their app

00:45:06 ◼   ► store and stuff like that

00:45:08 ◼   ► ah it was like night and day when you

00:45:10 ◼   ► know compared to think about two years

00:45:12 ◼   ► ago when that first lumia came out so

00:45:14 ◼   ► someone somewhere is making this

00:45:16 ◼   ► decision and you know i would love to

00:45:18 ◼   ► hear it i'm sure you would to like what

00:45:19 ◼   ► the actual reasoning is behind it

00:45:22 ◼   ► one reason maybe just the opportunity to

00:45:24 ◼   ► set to say that

00:45:26 ◼   ► oh there is something different about

00:45:28 ◼   ► this phone than the iphone and it's

00:45:32 ◼   ► bigger and bigger is better right

00:45:34 ◼   ► big of course Biggers better but not one

00:45:36 ◼   ► competitor not one but not even writing

00:45:38 ◼   ► again right and that's supposed to be

00:45:40 ◼   ► the difference between apples platforms

00:45:43 ◼   ► and quote unquote open ones like windows

00:45:46 ◼   ► in the android is it is and it's a lot

00:45:48 ◼   ► easier to see how it's in Apple's

00:45:50 ◼   ► interest to have one canonical screen

00:45:53 ◼   ► size

00:45:54 ◼   ► ah or now a new one but that is

00:45:59 ◼   ► minimally different as the old screen

00:46:01 ◼   ► size as possible right and that when

00:46:03 ◼   ► they went to hire screen resolutions

00:46:05 ◼   ► they did it instead of going incremental

00:46:07 ◼   ► II and adding a few pixels per inch

00:46:09 ◼   ► every year they waited three years and

00:46:12 ◼   ► then one fell swoop went to double the

00:46:15 ◼   ► resolution but at exactly the same

00:46:16 ◼   ► physical size you can see how that's an

00:46:18 ◼   ► apples interest with the control they

00:46:20 ◼   ► have over the whole platform you know so

00:46:23 ◼   ► that for the ease of software

00:46:24 ◼   ► development and developer targeting

00:46:26 ◼   ► devices and wha what's the word

00:46:28 ◼   ► everybody always uses a fragmentation

00:46:31 ◼   ► fragmentation to minimize fragmentation

00:46:33 ◼   ► edited apples interest but the whole

00:46:35 ◼   ► point with android I supposed to be like

00:46:38 ◼   ► windows where you get this incredible

00:46:41 ◼   ► plethora of devices that are supposed to

00:46:44 ◼   ► you know run the gamut from everything

00:46:46 ◼   ► from

00:46:48 ◼   ► you know blackberry style keyboard

00:46:50 ◼   ► devices to you know touch screens

00:46:53 ◼   ► ah so some of the funny thing is it a

00:46:56 ◼   ► lot of that is being dictated by the

00:46:59 ◼   ► carriers and that's kind of my point to

00:47:02 ◼   ► you linked to a great post by mg Siegler

00:47:05 ◼   ► the other day about samsung is the fifth

00:47:06 ◼   ► horseman and the the reality about

00:47:09 ◼   ► samsung and most of the android

00:47:11 ◼   ► companies is that they're in a way not

00:47:14 ◼   ► not necessarily you know the only one to

00:47:17 ◼   ► credit for their success or failure so

00:47:20 ◼   ► much of their business is dictated by

00:47:22 ◼   ► you know the the guy at verizon and AT&T

00:47:25 ◼   ► and Sprint who decides what phones they

00:47:27 ◼   ► want to sell in their stores right now

00:47:29 ◼   ► there's a lot of interplay they're both

00:47:31 ◼   ► ways and credit samsung for being able

00:47:34 ◼   ► to be profitable which a lot of their

00:47:36 ◼   ► competitors aren't but a lot of their

00:47:37 ◼   ► lot of their all of their competitors

00:47:39 ◼   ► are right yeah right i mean that's the

00:47:41 ◼   ► thing to keep in mind is that there are

00:47:42 ◼   ► only two companies in the world right

00:47:44 ◼   ► now turning a profit in and smartphones

00:47:47 ◼   ► and that's apple with like seventy-five

00:47:49 ◼   ► percent of the profit and Samsung with

00:47:52 ◼   ► all of the rest

00:47:53 ◼   ► I mean HTC just reported results that

00:47:55 ◼   ► made like 10 bucks last quarter it was

00:47:57 ◼   ► really I mean it was like

00:47:58 ◼   ► record-breaking Lee sad like 2,000 all

00:48:01 ◼   ► the way back to like two thousand seven

00:48:02 ◼   ► levels of like profit for your HTC yeah

00:48:06 ◼   ► I wonder if that that horrible

00:48:09 ◼   ► acquisition they made and then get rid

00:48:10 ◼   ► of the beats headphone company i wonder

00:48:13 ◼   ► if they had anything to do with it

00:48:14 ◼   ► I can't imagine that they paid that much

00:48:16 ◼   ► for beats that it would that it would i

00:48:18 ◼   ► think it was like half a billion dollars

00:48:20 ◼   ► but i think it's i really think i have

00:48:22 ◼   ► got their stuff but a horse did you and

00:48:25 ◼   ► I link to the earlier this week has

00:48:27 ◼   ► pointed out that Samsung spends an

00:48:29 ◼   ► ungodly amount of money on marketing

00:48:31 ◼   ► compared to all of its competitors and

00:48:33 ◼   ► that they're on pace to spend like I

00:48:35 ◼   ► think like 12 billion dollars for

00:48:37 ◼   ► calendar 2012 and he wrote this post

00:48:39 ◼   ► like 3-4 months ago so like the

00:48:42 ◼   ► projection was like projected for 2012

00:48:44 ◼   ► but mostly based you know based on a

00:48:46 ◼   ► couple quarters of actual results that

00:48:48 ◼   ► Samsung spends like 12 billion dollars

00:48:50 ◼   ► last year on marketing and stuff that

00:48:54 ◼   ► you can more or less call marketing I

00:48:56 ◼   ► Apple spent I think under a billion

00:48:58 ◼   ► dowel and hpc

00:49:01 ◼   ► a little more a Microsoft spend a little

00:49:04 ◼   ► more but you can add up

00:49:06 ◼   ► Apple Microsoft del I who else had a

00:49:10 ◼   ► list and they were all like combined

00:49:12 ◼   ► we're like one-third of what Samsung

00:49:13 ◼   ► spend on marketing and that they spend

00:49:16 ◼   ► even more than coke and coke like

00:49:18 ◼   ► coca-cola company and has famously all

00:49:21 ◼   ► marketing like that's the only thing you

00:49:22 ◼   ► could do with with soda pop is is

00:49:25 ◼   ► marketed I because you're selling you

00:49:29 ◼   ► know you're selling stuff you know fifty

00:49:31 ◼   ► sixty cents you know I guess so to cost

00:49:34 ◼   ► more than that what I've been that's

00:49:35 ◼   ► like a dollar you know a dollar a shot

00:49:38 ◼   ► I you have to market the hell out of it

00:49:40 ◼   ► when you're only selling stuff for a

00:49:41 ◼   ► dollar a shot and that nobody else can

00:49:45 ◼   ► compete with that HTC can't spend 12

00:49:47 ◼   ► billion dollars a year on marketing and

00:49:49 ◼   ► the results have been maybe you know how

00:49:51 ◼   ► they're able to win all these deals with

00:49:53 ◼   ► the carrier's say will spend the hell on

00:49:55 ◼   ► marketing because we can

00:49:56 ◼   ► that means you'll buy our phones at

00:49:58 ◼   ► these prices and you know we'll work

00:50:00 ◼   ► together on on what the products

00:50:01 ◼   ► actually right and feel like and right

00:50:03 ◼   ► and it'll work out for all of us and

00:50:05 ◼   ► part of that marketing is not just it's

00:50:07 ◼   ► not just advertising it's stuff like

00:50:09 ◼   ► look if you you know that the spiffs and

00:50:12 ◼   ► kickbacks and stuff like that they give

00:50:14 ◼   ► to you know the salespeople in carrier

00:50:17 ◼   ► stores one that works that works for

00:50:21 ◼   ► phones because in on I've written about

00:50:23 ◼   ► this for years to that the phone

00:50:24 ◼   ► business is still you know unique in

00:50:27 ◼   ► that way it's like it's like buying a

00:50:29 ◼   ► car we're buying a car is is unlike

00:50:31 ◼   ► buying anything else because car dealers

00:50:33 ◼   ► are this weird sort of Moon Man retail

00:50:35 ◼   ► landscape buying cell phones is still

00:50:37 ◼   ► like that you know their most people

00:50:39 ◼   ► when they go by and I get you know I

00:50:42 ◼   ► getting you pregnant like this too but i

00:50:43 ◼   ► can email like this all the time are

00:50:45 ◼   ► there still people who say like hey my

00:50:47 ◼   ► dad went to went to buy a new phone and

00:50:49 ◼   ► he was gonna want to buy an iphone and

00:50:50 ◼   ► he goes into the verizon places but

00:50:52 ◼   ► these last three phones and said I want

00:50:54 ◼   ► to buy an iphone and guys like you don't

00:50:56 ◼   ► want the iphone you want this and and

00:50:58 ◼   ► steersman otherwise i know i want the

00:50:59 ◼   ► iphone and you know either the the

00:51:02 ◼   ► emails usually end with did one of two

00:51:04 ◼   ► ways usually it's like and any ended up

00:51:06 ◼   ► buying that you know the samsung galaxy

00:51:08 ◼   ► whatever and now it kinda hates any

00:51:10 ◼   ► wishes he had the iphone or be that the

00:51:13 ◼   ► guy you know actually had to leave the

00:51:14 ◼   ► store and just

00:51:15 ◼   ► went to the apple store products but

00:51:17 ◼   ► that you know and that's that's why

00:51:19 ◼   ► those retail stores are such a you know

00:51:21 ◼   ► such an advantage for Apple not only

00:51:22 ◼   ► from the no marketing and sales

00:51:25 ◼   ► perspective but they all they sell their

00:51:27 ◼   ► iphone so right if you think to go and I

00:51:30 ◼   ► think that's huge for the ipad 2 I mean

00:51:32 ◼   ► no one in their right mind thinks I need

00:51:34 ◼   ► a new ipad I'm gonna go to the verizon

00:51:35 ◼   ► store right and that's and that's

00:51:37 ◼   ► exactly where I'm heading which is wide

00:51:39 ◼   ► that explains why Samsung has heads you

00:51:42 ◼   ► know trade undeniably terrific success

00:51:44 ◼   ► selling touchscreen smartphones and

00:51:47 ◼   ► almost no success selling tablets

00:51:49 ◼   ► I mean they're you know if I got tiny

00:51:52 ◼   ► little blip on the radar that all the

00:51:55 ◼   ► galaxy tabs that they've sold today

00:51:56 ◼   ► which is why they're also starting to do

00:51:59 ◼   ► their own stores but we'll see how that

00:52:01 ◼   ► works out I don't know it's interesting

00:52:03 ◼   ► i had once heard the nokia before you

00:52:06 ◼   ► know before the iphone all the stuff

00:52:07 ◼   ► nokia was famous for its worldwide sales

00:52:12 ◼   ► infrastructure like it was nokia that

00:52:14 ◼   ► had all the guys in India selling out of

00:52:17 ◼   ► bands and that kind of stuff and the

00:52:19 ◼   ► story I heard was that Samsung was

00:52:21 ◼   ► starting to have some real success their

00:52:23 ◼   ► packaging packaging cell phones along

00:52:28 ◼   ► with their like washing machine

00:52:29 ◼   ► infrastructure and that kind of stuff in

00:52:32 ◼   ► those markets but obviously I have no

00:52:34 ◼   ► idea if that's sure not but it that

00:52:37 ◼   ► could explain how some of that sales

00:52:39 ◼   ► promotion stuff works to it not not just

00:52:41 ◼   ► that the shining out the nice verizon

00:52:44 ◼   ► store in in a big US city but also

00:52:46 ◼   ► around the world where Samsung it was

00:52:49 ◼   ► interesting i was in I was in Japan a

00:52:51 ◼   ► couple weeks ago and Samsung obviously

00:52:54 ◼   ► is has done very well there too but

00:52:56 ◼   ► there's there's a lot of tension between

00:52:58 ◼   ► the Japanese and Koreans over things

00:53:02 ◼   ► like these islands in the middle of the

00:53:04 ◼   ► Pacific Ocean that they dispute who owns

00:53:06 ◼   ► them and just stuff like that and so it

00:53:10 ◼   ► and of course that the decline of sony

00:53:12 ◼   ► and Japan is just a huge topic of

00:53:15 ◼   ► embarrassment for the Japanese and so

00:53:18 ◼   ► what Samsung has done there is

00:53:20 ◼   ► interesting is in their advertising they

00:53:22 ◼   ► don't have Samsung's name at all it's

00:53:25 ◼   ► just it's all galaxies

00:53:26 ◼   ► uh-huh they interesting because

00:53:29 ◼   ► galaxy is a new brand that's not you

00:53:30 ◼   ► know that's not owned by the Korean

00:53:32 ◼   ► samsung company but it's a no you know I

00:53:35 ◼   ► try not to amplify that part it's just

00:53:37 ◼   ► galaxy it's a whole new thing so there

00:53:40 ◼   ► were a bunch of i posted on splat after

00:53:42 ◼   ► a bunch of like merry Christmas from

00:53:44 ◼   ► galaxy signs up in Tokyo that had that

00:53:48 ◼   ► literally did not have samsung you know

00:53:50 ◼   ► in the ad at all or maybe it was like

00:53:52 ◼   ► really really small and some of the

00:53:53 ◼   ► phone but it wasn't like Samsung Galaxy

00:53:56 ◼   ► wishes you merry christmas it was all

00:53:58 ◼   ► galaxies so it's kind of interesting the

00:54:00 ◼   ► way they've done that there i've seen a

00:54:01 ◼   ► few things from people who have a I

00:54:04 ◼   ► definitely have a better perspective on

00:54:06 ◼   ► those sort of cultural dynamics in Asia

00:54:13 ◼   ► better than I do i do who said that you

00:54:17 ◼   ► know for a long time that months you

00:54:20 ◼   ► know you're even really is this Apple

00:54:22 ◼   ► Samsung rivalry and and legal stuff has

00:54:25 ◼   ► escalated that escalated that however

00:54:29 ◼   ► much it gets played up in the press of

00:54:31 ◼   ► samsung vs apple it's really that's

00:54:33 ◼   ► really just a coincidence of the fact

00:54:36 ◼   ► that they're both in this specific

00:54:41 ◼   ► market of touchscreen smartphones and

00:54:43 ◼   ► that they're battling it out and the

00:54:45 ◼   ► stakes are very high and they're both

00:54:46 ◼   ► both having tremendous success but that

00:54:49 ◼   ► institutionally the company that Samsung

00:54:52 ◼   ► has as long had its gunsights on his

00:54:56 ◼   ► sonne that they have they have

00:54:58 ◼   ► explicitly been gunning for everything

00:55:01 ◼   ► sony does for years decades maybe that

00:55:05 ◼   ► they know when they got started in

00:55:06 ◼   ► consumer electronics their whole goal

00:55:08 ◼   ► was to to take sony down and they kind

00:55:12 ◼   ► of have really they really have I mean

00:55:15 ◼   ► even in stuff and like you said is that

00:55:17 ◼   ► in terms of being a source of

00:55:18 ◼   ► embarrassment like the fact that they've

00:55:19 ◼   ► taken over as a leader and in TVs is

00:55:25 ◼   ► really weird I guess you're old enough

00:55:26 ◼   ► and I don't know I feel like if you're

00:55:28 ◼   ► young maybe you don't know but like when

00:55:30 ◼   ► we were kids like a sony TV was it and I

00:55:33 ◼   ► mean that was the best that I mean that

00:55:35 ◼   ► was it i mean you know if you got this i

00:55:37 ◼   ► don't even matter what sides or whatever

00:55:39 ◼   ► if you got sony tv trinitron turn it on

00:55:41 ◼   ► what

00:55:42 ◼   ► like any new you got like you know if

00:55:44 ◼   ► it's just so much better it was I mean

00:55:46 ◼   ► you just added maybe it wasn't even

00:55:48 ◼   ► better but everybody certainly thought

00:55:49 ◼   ► it was better it was the you know as

00:55:51 ◼   ► they say the Cadillac of tvs i remember

00:55:55 ◼   ► the first time I bought a samsung

00:55:56 ◼   ► computer monitor and I think my dad was

00:55:59 ◼   ► like what you got a samsung and I'm like

00:56:01 ◼   ► oh I actually they're pretty good now

00:56:03 ◼   ► but so here's the funny thing is that i

00:56:06 ◼   ► have been using my iPad Mini like a ton

00:56:10 ◼   ► over the especially over Christmas I was

00:56:12 ◼   ► kind of not really doing anything for a

00:56:13 ◼   ► couple weeks and I don't know I kind of

00:56:17 ◼   ► now I kinda see where the stick galaxy

00:56:19 ◼   ► note is coming from like the really big

00:56:21 ◼   ► phone and I don't think I would want

00:56:24 ◼   ► that i don't know i don't know if i want

00:56:26 ◼   ► that is my only phone like I do really

00:56:28 ◼   ► appreciate that the iphone barely even

00:56:30 ◼   ► makes a bump in my pocket but it would

00:56:33 ◼   ► be kinda cool to have an iPad Mini or

00:56:35 ◼   ► something a little smaller than that

00:56:37 ◼   ► with me all the time as my kind of

00:56:40 ◼   ► everything device i don't know maybe I'm

00:56:42 ◼   ► maybe I'm getting a little weird but

00:56:44 ◼   ► well I don't deny that and I do feel

00:56:47 ◼   ► right you know there's there's a certain

00:56:48 ◼   ► anti-apple contingent that you know I

00:56:51 ◼   ► saw it on Twitter today just from a few

00:56:53 ◼   ► things that I tweeted who their

00:56:54 ◼   ► perspective is sort of

00:56:57 ◼   ► I'm not quite sure why they think they

00:57:00 ◼   ► seem to think that if it's true there

00:57:02 ◼   ► they assume that it's true that Apple is

00:57:04 ◼   ► going to make a five-minute phone and

00:57:06 ◼   ► that you know in that interview Apple

00:57:08 ◼   ► gets every all these idiots think apples

00:57:10 ◼   ► leader but apples really the follower

00:57:12 ◼   ► like that the ipad mini is just a

00:57:14 ◼   ► response to these other tablets you know

00:57:18 ◼   ► the 7 inch sized tablets and that it's

00:57:20 ◼   ► an about-face because you know Steve

00:57:22 ◼   ► Jobs poo-pooed a 7-inch tablet three

00:57:25 ◼   ► years ago and that Apple is going to

00:57:28 ◼   ► make a 5-inch phone and that i'm not

00:57:32 ◼   ► quite sure why they think they haven't

00:57:34 ◼   ► yet though that they did they think that

00:57:36 ◼   ► they think that Apple couldn't that

00:57:37 ◼   ► Apple is like technically inept and

00:57:39 ◼   ► can't make a 5-inch phone it doesn't

00:57:42 ◼   ► really make much sense to me where

00:57:44 ◼   ► they're coming from with this sort of

00:57:46 ◼   ► apples gonna have to follow these other

00:57:49 ◼   ► guys eventually perspective you know

00:57:52 ◼   ► that clearly apple can make an iphone

00:57:54 ◼   ► whatever size they want

00:57:55 ◼   ► I that they choose not to write I think

00:57:58 ◼   ► that a lot of people I see this will

00:58:01 ◼   ► actually a lot in even just tech

00:58:03 ◼   ► journalist him which is confusing the

00:58:06 ◼   ► order of in which things happen with

00:58:08 ◼   ► with what's actually the cause for them

00:58:12 ◼   ► yes yeah so much of it has to do with

00:58:14 ◼   ► things that are you know are not

00:58:17 ◼   ► actually one thing causing another thing

00:58:19 ◼   ► just because it happened after it like

00:58:21 ◼   ► there could be that Apple wanted to

00:58:23 ◼   ► release a four-and-a-half inch phone a

00:58:25 ◼   ► year before but they you know they're

00:58:27 ◼   ► there was something else in the product

00:58:29 ◼   ► cycle that that didn't permit or maybe

00:58:31 ◼   ► the ipad mini had been tested just as

00:58:34 ◼   ► long as the first ipad but they didn't

00:58:36 ◼   ► want to make it so close to the size of

00:58:38 ◼   ► a phone at first because they weren't

00:58:41 ◼   ► sure if that was you know a convincing

00:58:43 ◼   ► argument to buy it so writer just

00:58:45 ◼   ► couldn't make it thin enough or that

00:58:47 ◼   ► graphics performance exactly thin enough

00:58:49 ◼   ► for cheap enough or any of you know that

00:58:52 ◼   ► they're there could be a billion

00:58:53 ◼   ► different reasons for why these things

00:58:55 ◼   ► happen especially in the order that they

00:58:57 ◼   ► happen that that really have nothing to

00:58:59 ◼   ► do with you know what else is going on

00:59:01 ◼   ► an apple is a lot of times except in the

00:59:04 ◼   ► cases of something like the iphone where

00:59:06 ◼   ► really was like nothing that came before

00:59:08 ◼   ► it but when it comes to things that are

00:59:11 ◼   ► more incremental like new sizes of

00:59:15 ◼   ► existing things apple usually is behind

00:59:19 ◼   ► certainly not first because they don't

00:59:22 ◼   ► rush things out and somebody else is

00:59:23 ◼   ► going to rush that the thing out right I

00:59:27 ◼   ► mean somebody else is going to make a

00:59:28 ◼   ► 7-inch tablet first ones tablets exist

00:59:31 ◼   ► because they'll somebody else is going

00:59:33 ◼   ► to be willing to do it badly

00:59:35 ◼   ► absolutely and like for example this you

00:59:38 ◼   ► know that the iphone what if what if to

00:59:42 ◼   ► make the screen bigger a year earlier

00:59:44 ◼   ► they had to ship it

00:59:45 ◼   ► I you know a 2 millimeters thicker to

00:59:49 ◼   ► account for the old 30-pin cable

00:59:51 ◼   ► well now we're talking about a really

00:59:52 ◼   ► big phone in your pocket but the fact

00:59:55 ◼   ► that they were able to make it thinner

00:59:57 ◼   ► because of the newport and also probably

00:59:59 ◼   ► some other in

00:59:59 ◼   ► some other in

01:00:00 ◼   ► programs and battery and that sort of

01:00:01 ◼   ► stuff that that may have justified

01:00:03 ◼   ► making it a little longer because it's

01:00:05 ◼   ► it's thinner so that's overall volume is

01:00:08 ◼   ► about the same i don't know there's a

01:00:10 ◼   ► lot just a lot of weird stuff that goes

01:00:12 ◼   ► into the stuff that it's not a apple

01:00:14 ◼   ► copied amazon kindle because they have a

01:00:16 ◼   ► smaller I've had let me run this by you

01:00:19 ◼   ► before before we switch topics and and

01:00:22 ◼   ► it's the sort of thing that I don't know

01:00:24 ◼   ► if i run it up on daring fireball to

01:00:26 ◼   ► sort of thing that's gonna drive the

01:00:28 ◼   ► people who think I'm and I'll just an

01:00:31 ◼   ► idiot fanboy up a tree but the my

01:00:35 ◼   ► thinking on this sort of goes along the

01:00:37 ◼   ► lines of something that John siracusa

01:00:39 ◼   ► has often mentioned about buying tvs

01:00:42 ◼   ► that when you go into a big box retailer

01:00:44 ◼   ► retailer to buy a TV they have the TV's

01:00:48 ◼   ► on the show floor set at these

01:00:50 ◼   ► preposterous settings with unbelievable

01:00:53 ◼   ► amount of contrast and color saturation

01:00:55 ◼   ► because when you're sitting there

01:00:58 ◼   ► looking at 30 different tvs in a best

01:01:01 ◼   ► buy your is going to get drawn to the

01:01:04 ◼   ► one with these the most vibrant color

01:01:07 ◼   ► saturation and contrast even though you

01:01:10 ◼   ► would never want to set it like that in

01:01:12 ◼   ► your home because it you're ruining skin

01:01:15 ◼   ► tones in the way that like movies and TV

01:01:17 ◼   ► shows are supposed to look they're not

01:01:18 ◼   ► supposed to look anything like that but

01:01:20 ◼   ► what you buy when you're looking at

01:01:22 ◼   ► things side by side isn't necessarily

01:01:23 ◼   ► what's best for you right

01:01:28 ◼   ► and so I think there might be a factor

01:01:29 ◼   ► like that play with phone sizes that

01:01:32 ◼   ► you're in the market for an whose phone

01:01:35 ◼   ► and you go into look at them and you see

01:01:38 ◼   ► one that's bigger and you think well I

01:01:40 ◼   ► want to do a lot of reading it's better

01:01:41 ◼   ► to read and clearly this the whole thing

01:01:44 ◼   ► it's clearly a trade-off right this

01:01:46 ◼   ► there's absolutely good things and bad

01:01:48 ◼   ► things to be said about form factors

01:01:50 ◼   ► that are even smaller than the iphone

01:01:52 ◼   ► right there are some cases where you

01:01:53 ◼   ► know like a 2.5 inch iphone might be

01:01:56 ◼   ► better or wash or whatever right

01:01:59 ◼   ► everything's a trade-off in life anyways

01:02:01 ◼   ► especially when you're talking about

01:02:02 ◼   ► relatively incremental differences in

01:02:05 ◼   ► size and let in the grand scheme of

01:02:07 ◼   ► computing devices if you went back in

01:02:09 ◼   ► time

01:02:10 ◼   ► 20 years just 20 years to like to the

01:02:13 ◼   ► CES r apple unveiled the Newton and you

01:02:16 ◼   ► had an iphone in your one hand and a

01:02:19 ◼   ► samsung galaxy note in the other you

01:02:21 ◼   ► know two radically different to our

01:02:23 ◼   ► minds today the smartphones and show

01:02:26 ◼   ► them to someone in 1992 they would think

01:02:28 ◼   ► they're two of the exact same thing

01:02:29 ◼   ► right and in you know it's the exact

01:02:31 ◼   ► same thing its wow you guys have amazing

01:02:33 ◼   ► little handheld touch screen color

01:02:36 ◼   ► devices

01:02:37 ◼   ► ah 20 years from now can't wait whereas

01:02:40 ◼   ► today we know we can make a bigger

01:02:41 ◼   ► difference over the bigger deal over the

01:02:44 ◼   ► difference between a 4-inch in five-inch

01:02:45 ◼   ► screen but i think there might be a

01:02:49 ◼   ► factor there where if there were two

01:02:51 ◼   ► iphones side-by-side like what if Apple

01:02:54 ◼   ► did a 5-inch phone would it be

01:02:56 ◼   ► would they do it alongside one that

01:02:58 ◼   ► still the existing sighs I don't know

01:03:01 ◼   ► that they could because I feel like I

01:03:04 ◼   ► people when they go and look at them

01:03:07 ◼   ► side-by-side would be disproportionately

01:03:10 ◼   ► drawn to the bigger one because they

01:03:11 ◼   ► just would think on the show floor that

01:03:13 ◼   ► the good things about a bigger one

01:03:15 ◼   ► standout visually whereas the good

01:03:19 ◼   ► things about the smaller one like

01:03:20 ◼   ► feeling better in your pocket all day

01:03:22 ◼   ► long or being easier to use one handed

01:03:25 ◼   ► while you're doing something else or

01:03:27 ◼   ► just walking

01:03:28 ◼   ► I don't really show when you're trying

01:03:31 ◼   ► to finish in a store and that more

01:03:33 ◼   ► people would buy the five than the four

01:03:35 ◼   ► maybe you know to the point where the

01:03:36 ◼   ► four wouldn't even sell for in size 1

01:03:38 ◼   ► wouldn't sell that well even though

01:03:40 ◼   ► Apple might know or at least think based

01:03:44 ◼   ► on their own design work internally that

01:03:48 ◼   ► the smaller size is actually better

01:03:51 ◼   ► you see what I'm getting at and so it's

01:03:56 ◼   ► better for them at least in Apple's mind

01:03:58 ◼   ► that maybe Apple actually truly believe

01:04:01 ◼   ► he was having tried 5-inch iphones or

01:04:04 ◼   ► other sizes in sternly to apple that

01:04:07 ◼   ► more people would be better are not

01:04:09 ◼   ► necessarily everybody but more people

01:04:11 ◼   ► would be happier with the smaller size

01:04:13 ◼   ► than a bigger size but if that they made

01:04:14 ◼   ► both a lot of people whatever would make

01:04:17 ◼   ► the wrong choice and so they're not even

01:04:19 ◼   ► gonna let you make that choice they're

01:04:21 ◼   ► going to make that choice for you and

01:04:22 ◼   ► only make

01:04:23 ◼   ► what are now considered smaller

01:04:27 ◼   ► smartphones

01:04:28 ◼   ► yeah I think there's something to that

01:04:29 ◼   ► and i think that you know and amplifying

01:04:32 ◼   ► on that is that maybe apples the only

01:04:34 ◼   ► company that does try to do that

01:04:36 ◼   ► thinking for you and maybe even the only

01:04:38 ◼   ► one with the confidence to do that you

01:04:41 ◼   ► know every time you see Johnny I've

01:04:43 ◼   ► speak or you know you would hear this

01:04:45 ◼   ► from Steve to its kind of the Dead you

01:04:48 ◼   ► know the the essence of what they're

01:04:49 ◼   ► saying is that they they want you to be

01:04:52 ◼   ► happy with your device and that they

01:04:54 ◼   ► will often make decisions for you that

01:04:56 ◼   ► you may not even know that you need to

01:04:58 ◼   ► make whether you certainly don't know

01:05:00 ◼   ► the right answer to because you haven't

01:05:02 ◼   ► spent as much time with this thing is

01:05:04 ◼   ► they have and you know and ultimately a

01:05:07 ◼   ► year later you'll thank them for it

01:05:09 ◼   ► right and i think it's exactly the sort

01:05:11 ◼   ► of thing about Apple that makes apple

01:05:12 ◼   ► such a polarizing company is that for me

01:05:14 ◼   ► that I see that is a good thing because

01:05:17 ◼   ► I trust that they know more about this

01:05:19 ◼   ► than I do because they're this is what

01:05:21 ◼   ► they do and i would rather leave it to

01:05:24 ◼   ► an expert to make those decisions and

01:05:26 ◼   ► try both out and have you know spend

01:05:29 ◼   ► weeks walking around Johnny I'd secret

01:05:31 ◼   ► lab with a 5-inch iphone before deciding

01:05:33 ◼   ► you know what my thumbs hurt more

01:05:35 ◼   ► you know and making those decisions and

01:05:37 ◼   ► then I feel better I feel like it's

01:05:39 ◼   ► easier to make these purchasing

01:05:40 ◼   ► decisions then having to do it all for

01:05:43 ◼   ► me and I think that's exactly the same

01:05:44 ◼   ► thing that drives some people that to

01:05:46 ◼   ► hate apple well it's it's a similar

01:05:48 ◼   ► argument to you know should you be

01:05:50 ◼   ► allowed to have the file system in iOS

01:05:53 ◼   ► right you know oh I don't people you

01:05:56 ◼   ► know demanding that sort of feature but

01:05:57 ◼   ► maybe the the real answer is it in the

01:05:59 ◼   ► long run know you don't want access to

01:06:01 ◼   ► the file system so and then Apple has

01:06:04 ◼   ► the confidence to make that decision for

01:06:06 ◼   ► you and actually like the to control the

01:06:08 ◼   ► to back it up you know to make sure that

01:06:11 ◼   ► no one gets in there and in the long run

01:06:14 ◼   ► you're happy with it and to make that

01:06:16 ◼   ► two have the foresight to see that there

01:06:18 ◼   ► are many repercussions of making such a

01:06:22 ◼   ► decision that that play out to the

01:06:24 ◼   ► benefit of everyone and that yes even if

01:06:26 ◼   ► expert users could use file system

01:06:31 ◼   ► access on the iphone and not get

01:06:32 ◼   ► confused and not screw things up and it

01:06:35 ◼   ► could in theory be done in a way

01:06:37 ◼   ► where most people wouldn't even turn on

01:06:40 ◼   ► the setting in settings that lets you do

01:06:42 ◼   ► it and they'd still have the same

01:06:44 ◼   ► experience that they have on the iphone

01:06:47 ◼   ► where nobody has access to the file

01:06:49 ◼   ► system that because they've made that

01:06:51 ◼   ► decision it forces all developers to get

01:06:55 ◼   ► on board with this in a way that if it

01:06:58 ◼   ► were an option that you could turn on

01:07:00 ◼   ► developers might not and then you know

01:07:04 ◼   ► you know what I mean that it is a and i

01:07:06 ◼   ► will admit like I'm actually pretty

01:07:07 ◼   ► surprised how quickly

01:07:09 ◼   ► pretty much everyone got the new screen

01:07:12 ◼   ► size apps out for for the new iphone so

01:07:14 ◼   ► maybe that sort of stuff is easier than

01:07:17 ◼   ► we thought I don't know

01:07:18 ◼   ► well that's the land that's the last

01:07:20 ◼   ► point to me about a hypothetical 5-inch

01:07:23 ◼   ► iphone is that to me if they did it they

01:07:25 ◼   ► would have to introduce a new to

01:07:28 ◼   ► completely new app target

01:07:30 ◼   ► sighs I don't think that they could do

01:07:33 ◼   ► it with the same pixel dimensions as the

01:07:35 ◼   ► current phone i'm blown up because I day

01:07:40 ◼   ► in even leaving aside their own

01:07:43 ◼   ► marketing definition of what a retina

01:07:45 ◼   ► display is and how far away it has to be

01:07:47 ◼   ► from your eyes I just don't think that

01:07:49 ◼   ► they could do that I think if they

01:07:50 ◼   ► actually went to closer to five inches

01:07:52 ◼   ► and made a you know radically bigger

01:07:54 ◼   ► screen for a phone at nine sixty or 1136

01:07:58 ◼   ► whatever the current 1136 x 640 it it

01:08:01 ◼   ► would look bad or wouldn't look bad but

01:08:02 ◼   ► it wouldn't look as good you would note

01:08:04 ◼   ► you know you might actually be able to

01:08:05 ◼   ► notice the pixels I think that those

01:08:07 ◼   ► bigger sizes you need higher resolution

01:08:10 ◼   ► screens and developers it would be more

01:08:12 ◼   ► than just a little bit of letterboxing

01:08:13 ◼   ► at the top and bottom I i think it would

01:08:16 ◼   ► be like a totally new

01:08:18 ◼   ► pixelxdimension it would be as if they

01:08:20 ◼   ► cut that retina ipad screen into

01:08:23 ◼   ► quarters right yeah and you know like

01:08:27 ◼   ► you said the appeal of it would be I you

01:08:30 ◼   ► know to get more as you know and you

01:08:32 ◼   ► know I know exactly you're talking about

01:08:34 ◼   ► being a big big fan of the ipad mini

01:08:36 ◼   ► myself more and more as these as the

01:08:39 ◼   ► week's go by

01:08:40 ◼   ► ah ah that you would wit it would be

01:08:44 ◼   ► more than just blowing up this thing

01:08:46 ◼   ► would be about some kind of experience

01:08:48 ◼   ► halfway between the iphone and

01:08:49 ◼   ► ipad mini but there's no way to get

01:08:51 ◼   ► there by you can't shrink the ipad

01:08:54 ◼   ► interface any smaller than the ipad mini

01:08:56 ◼   ► no I'm gonna do that and yeah I don't

01:08:59 ◼   ► think blowing this one up without you

01:09:01 ◼   ► know just scaling it up another inch I

01:09:03 ◼   ► don't think that gives any advantage I

01:09:05 ◼   ► don't know what's the point of making

01:09:06 ◼   ► the phone bigger if it's not more the

01:09:08 ◼   ► the screen bigger if it's not more

01:09:09 ◼   ► pixels and then you can make it i mean

01:09:11 ◼   ► there's it yeah there's a small number

01:09:13 ◼   ► of people who maybe because their

01:09:14 ◼   ► eyesight isn't good who would actually

01:09:16 ◼   ► prefer that and I'm not discounting that

01:09:18 ◼   ► and I I'm fascinated by you know

01:09:20 ◼   ► accessibility issues like that but

01:09:22 ◼   ► that's not that's not a market that's

01:09:24 ◼   ► big enough to do it that's not reason

01:09:26 ◼   ► enough to do it then that gets back to

01:09:28 ◼   ► the point where that's the type of

01:09:30 ◼   ► that's exact dispersion that someone is

01:09:33 ◼   ► another company would would happily make

01:09:35 ◼   ► but Apple will think twice and then

01:09:37 ◼   ► ultimately not do because of that exact

01:09:40 ◼   ► reason is that it doesn't make it better

01:09:42 ◼   ► so just because we can make a 5-inch

01:09:44 ◼   ► phone doesn't mean we should or will

01:09:46 ◼   ► around so I I mean I know ultimately

01:09:49 ◼   ► will see anyone you know who knows

01:09:51 ◼   ► they're there were people who yelled at

01:09:52 ◼   ► me thought I was a crazy insane person

01:09:55 ◼   ► because I said once that they should

01:09:57 ◼   ► make a verizon iphone you know people

01:09:59 ◼   ► were like no why would they have more

01:10:01 ◼   ► than one type of phone so I you know

01:10:05 ◼   ► well let's get I can we should put

01:10:06 ◼   ► ourselves on the record do you think

01:10:08 ◼   ► apple will ship of a bigger screen

01:10:11 ◼   ► iphone in 2013 I think if they do it

01:10:15 ◼   ► would be so i'll say no and i'll say if

01:10:17 ◼   ► they do would be next year because i

01:10:18 ◼   ► think this year we're going to have the

01:10:20 ◼   ► 5s and and that's about it but maybe you

01:10:23 ◼   ► know even i'm going to say no no no

01:10:25 ◼   ► bigger screen iphone in 2013 and you

01:10:29 ◼   ► know any other thing I think people a

01:10:30 ◼   ► lot of people really discount arts

01:10:32 ◼   ► especially people who are who android

01:10:35 ◼   ► fans who really liked the play

01:10:37 ◼   ► unbelievable plethora of android devices

01:10:39 ◼   ► that are that come out every single week

01:10:41 ◼   ► is just how big of an advantage it is

01:10:44 ◼   ► for Apple in the and this ties back to

01:10:47 ◼   ► CES right with the all these idevice you

01:10:50 ◼   ► know peripheral makers just how huge an

01:10:52 ◼   ► advantage it is for Apple that you can

01:10:54 ◼   ► target the entire iphone market with

01:10:58 ◼   ► just three sizes the iphone 3g 3gs

01:11:02 ◼   ► the iphone4 4s and now the iphone 5 that

01:11:05 ◼   ► you could with just three sizes for

01:11:08 ◼   ► cases you can cover all iphones that

01:11:10 ◼   ► have been made since 2008 I'm

01:11:12 ◼   ► discounting the original 2007 iphone and

01:11:15 ◼   ► really everyone is only making cases for

01:11:17 ◼   ► the more that you know the 5 and the 4

01:11:19 ◼   ► right sizes

01:11:21 ◼   ► well that's it and that's a great point

01:11:23 ◼   ► because when i was in in Japan a few

01:11:25 ◼   ► weeks ago literally like an entire floor

01:11:29 ◼   ► of all know like half the floor of some

01:11:31 ◼   ► of these electronic stores are selling

01:11:33 ◼   ► phone cases and that they're you know it

01:11:37 ◼   ► was very it was like three aisles of

01:11:39 ◼   ► iphone 5 cases three aisles of iphone 4s

01:11:42 ◼   ► cases and then like all these different

01:11:45 ◼   ► kinds of things for like samsung galaxy

01:11:48 ◼   ► and all these other like pokemon phones

01:11:51 ◼   ► and all this stuff and it was the the

01:11:52 ◼   ► options that you had as an iphone owner

01:11:54 ◼   ► were like 10 times more more choice than

01:11:57 ◼   ► any of those other ones and child

01:12:00 ◼   ► devices

01:12:01 ◼   ► I'll bet it's like a logarithmic scale

01:12:02 ◼   ► to wear as an iphone owner you've got

01:12:05 ◼   ► ten times the options of the next best

01:12:07 ◼   ► phone which is like the Samsung Galaxy

01:12:09 ◼   ► 3i and then after like one or two models

01:12:13 ◼   ► of those a bit there's another 10 * drop

01:12:16 ◼   ► and if you've got something like the

01:12:18 ◼   ► droid something-something x you're

01:12:20 ◼   ► looking at maybe like a hundred times

01:12:22 ◼   ► fewer phone option you know case options

01:12:25 ◼   ► than the iphone user has yep exactly

01:12:28 ◼   ► know that Samsung is doing well enough

01:12:30 ◼   ► with their flagship ones that may be

01:12:31 ◼   ► there within one order of magnitude but

01:12:33 ◼   ► the other ones are probably two orders

01:12:34 ◼   ► of magnitude behind totally alright let

01:12:39 ◼   ► me do the second sponsor I got a couple

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01:12:55 ◼   ► the mac boom is a utility you install it

01:12:58 ◼   ► on your mac and it increases the

01:13:00 ◼   ► system-wide volume changes the volume

01:13:02 ◼   ► that comes out of the built-in speaker

01:13:04 ◼   ► sounds like voodoo but it works I don't

01:13:06 ◼   ► even know how they do it i really don't

01:13:08 ◼   ► but it really does work it's kind of

01:13:11 ◼   ► amazing and it's a system-wide equalizer

01:13:15 ◼   ► to it

01:13:16 ◼   ► doesn't just make stuff louder it it

01:13:17 ◼   ► gives you more settings for adjusting

01:13:19 ◼   ► what it's what the audio coming out of

01:13:21 ◼   ► your your built-in speaker sounds like

01:13:23 ◼   ► it's great for the macbook pro macbook

01:13:26 ◼   ► air

01:13:27 ◼   ► I or even imac you really don't need is

01:13:30 ◼   ► the sort of thing that it it you may not

01:13:32 ◼   ► even need external speakers anymore

01:13:34 ◼   ► I and if you're taking a portable around

01:13:37 ◼   ► doesn't make any sense to have external

01:13:39 ◼   ► speakers boom can really change the way

01:13:42 ◼   ► that you listen to netflix or surf

01:13:45 ◼   ► videos on YouTube and of course music

01:13:48 ◼   ► that you play from itunes or or even

01:13:50 ◼   ► something like skype the equalizer has

01:13:57 ◼   ► stuff like some white presets so you

01:14:00 ◼   ► could have completely different presets

01:14:02 ◼   ► for music playback than what you would

01:14:04 ◼   ► use for movie playback or just regular

01:14:07 ◼   ► i'm just doing work uh audio really

01:14:12 ◼   ► great as a great interface super simple

01:14:14 ◼   ► to use

01:14:15 ◼   ► I if you know how to change volume on

01:14:18 ◼   ► your Mac boom is easy-to-use is using

01:14:22 ◼   ► the built-in volume settings

01:14:24 ◼   ► that's that that's how easy it is to use

01:14:26 ◼   ► what's the price how much you have to

01:14:28 ◼   ► pay for for utility like this 699 and

01:14:32 ◼   ► it's on the mac app store so it's super

01:14:34 ◼   ► easy to install and because it comes

01:14:36 ◼   ► from the mac app store you can also

01:14:38 ◼   ► there is one of my favorite things about

01:14:39 ◼   ► the mac app store you hear I hear

01:14:40 ◼   ► something like this like that its

01:14:42 ◼   ► utility that changes your your system

01:14:44 ◼   ► volume system-wide and I start to wonder

01:14:46 ◼   ► when you install it is it going to put a

01:14:48 ◼   ► lot of junk in my system kernel

01:14:50 ◼   ► extensions stuff like that comes from

01:14:52 ◼   ► the mac app store see no it's not

01:14:53 ◼   ► jumping up your system you can install

01:14:56 ◼   ► it and be sure that you're not

01:14:57 ◼   ► installing some kind of crazy thing

01:14:58 ◼   ► that's going to put a kernel extensions

01:15:00 ◼   ► or something like that

01:15:02 ◼   ► just go to the app store here's how you

01:15:04 ◼   ► get it search for boom Bo om I or you

01:15:08 ◼   ► could search for global delight or you

01:15:10 ◼   ► could go to global delights website at

01:15:12 ◼   ► global delight calm my thanks to them go

01:15:16 ◼   ► check out boom in the mac app store

01:15:19 ◼   ► he didn't drop out again today I'm here

01:15:24 ◼   ► i have was on mute

01:15:26 ◼   ► I great utility alright here's the last

01:15:31 ◼   ► time I talked about before I let you go

01:15:32 ◼   ► is as since the last time you've been on

01:15:34 ◼   ► the show you have launched you you dan

01:15:38 ◼   ► frommer you launched a new endeavor

01:15:40 ◼   ► called the city notes and find out about

01:15:44 ◼   ► it city notes dot IO you tell me you

01:15:47 ◼   ► give me the pitch on what what city

01:15:49 ◼   ► notes is so um I basically spent the

01:15:52 ◼   ► last seven years as a tech journalists

01:15:55 ◼   ► watching a lot of a lot of people and

01:15:58 ◼   ► companies kind of start from zero and

01:16:00 ◼   ► and do really cool things and at some

01:16:04 ◼   ► point last year

01:16:06 ◼   ► sorry i was actually here before I got

01:16:08 ◼   ► married and you know we're kind of

01:16:10 ◼   ► talking about like what we do you know

01:16:12 ◼   ► we both kind of want to start our own

01:16:13 ◼   ► things at some point and so I was like

01:16:17 ◼   ► alright finally quit my job and I'm

01:16:18 ◼   ► gonna figure out what kind of start up I

01:16:20 ◼   ► want to do and it took a little while

01:16:22 ◼   ► and that's the last year I had a great

01:16:24 ◼   ► gig writing for readwriteweb about

01:16:27 ◼   ► international travel technology stuff

01:16:30 ◼   ► and I figured out kind of quickly that I

01:16:32 ◼   ► really wanted to do something involving

01:16:33 ◼   ► travel with a name like Frommer you kind

01:16:36 ◼   ► of get that all that is the is the other

01:16:39 ◼   ► 1i they have Frommer to or they flower i

01:16:42 ◼   ► actually don't know how they pronounce

01:16:43 ◼   ► it but it's spelled the same and I I

01:16:45 ◼   ► always people always wondering like two

01:16:47 ◼   ► M's yeah he was wondering are you

01:16:49 ◼   ► related to them are you sure that that's

01:16:51 ◼   ► how you pronounce your name

01:16:53 ◼   ► that's definitely how I pronounce my

01:16:54 ◼   ► name I don't know if that's how they

01:16:55 ◼   ► pronounce there's it might only get it

01:16:57 ◼   ► okay I still get you know and i always

01:16:59 ◼   ► get a lot of rubbers

01:17:00 ◼   ► I'm getting I don't have one be why

01:17:03 ◼   ► would it be grubber I don't get that

01:17:04 ◼   ► yeah like I think it's german and maybe

01:17:07 ◼   ► there's an accent that we've lost i

01:17:08 ◼   ► don't know i have no idea and I'll tell

01:17:10 ◼   ► the people who stake rubber usually

01:17:11 ◼   ► don't seem very German to me anyway

01:17:14 ◼   ► they've gone down so I i always want to

01:17:17 ◼   ► do something involving travel and you

01:17:19 ◼   ► know having been writing about mobile

01:17:21 ◼   ► you know for a long time I I knew that

01:17:24 ◼   ► that was kind of the future where are

01:17:27 ◼   ► you know our digital media industry was

01:17:29 ◼   ► going so it took me a few months and a

01:17:32 ◼   ► figured out exactly what i wanted to do

01:17:34 ◼   ► which was I forever I've been traveling

01:17:38 ◼   ► my whole life and I've always made these

01:17:39 ◼   ► kind of list of things for my friends to

01:17:42 ◼   ► do in different cities you know I had 14

01:17:46 ◼   ► Tokyo and Paris and New York and Chicago

01:17:49 ◼   ► and in san francisco and it's it's not

01:17:52 ◼   ► like here's a list of the obvious

01:17:55 ◼   ► tourist destinations that you obviously

01:17:57 ◼   ► know about already it's not like here's

01:18:00 ◼   ► the Louvre in Paris or here is the Sears

01:18:02 ◼   ► Tower in Chicago it's kind of the idea

01:18:05 ◼   ► of you know if you were to be directed

01:18:08 ◼   ► around a city by a cool friend here are

01:18:11 ◼   ► some of the places they might take you

01:18:12 ◼   ► you know here is it here's a somewhat

01:18:14 ◼   ► obscure restaurant that's really amazing

01:18:17 ◼   ► that you should go to here's a cool

01:18:19 ◼   ► neighborhood you should walk around it's

01:18:20 ◼   ► not going to be in your typical travel

01:18:22 ◼   ► guide or here's a good place to take a

01:18:24 ◼   ► walk or hear you know here's great

01:18:26 ◼   ► coffee in in Paris that they won't show

01:18:29 ◼   ► up in your tour guide and I'd always

01:18:32 ◼   ► kept these lists and kind of sent them

01:18:33 ◼   ► out to my friends for free and and one

01:18:35 ◼   ► day I realized you know this should be a

01:18:37 ◼   ► product like this should be something

01:18:38 ◼   ► that someone can buy and it should be an

01:18:41 ◼   ► app it should be something that you know

01:18:43 ◼   ► if I'm going to Minneapolis for a

01:18:45 ◼   ► wedding and I have six hours to kill and

01:18:47 ◼   ► I want to find you know where should I

01:18:49 ◼   ► have lunch and where can I get an iced

01:18:50 ◼   ► cappuccino and go for a fun walk that's

01:18:53 ◼   ► the kind of thing i should be able to

01:18:54 ◼   ► find really quickly or if i'm going to

01:18:55 ◼   ► Hong Kong for a week for business where

01:18:58 ◼   ► we know where is a couple of good bars

01:18:59 ◼   ► where you know where's a good restaurant

01:19:02 ◼   ► and it's um it's a little like the wire

01:19:05 ◼   ► cutter in the approach that it's not an

01:19:07 ◼   ► exhaustive list of four hundred places

01:19:09 ◼   ► to go in a city it's 10 to 22 you know

01:19:13 ◼   ► we'll have more than that of the best

01:19:15 ◼   ► places to go in a city as I love that

01:19:17 ◼   ► analogy comparing it to the wire cutter

01:19:19 ◼   ► like the wire cutter to travel for

01:19:20 ◼   ► travel guides and a life i think that's

01:19:22 ◼   ► going to make a lot of sense to people

01:19:23 ◼   ► out there listening because ever since

01:19:25 ◼   ► i've started talking about the wire

01:19:27 ◼   ► cutter i get on Twitter all the time

01:19:29 ◼   ► people hey listen to the talk show and

01:19:31 ◼   ► you're talking about what's that gadget

01:19:32 ◼   ► site instead of that only gives you like

01:19:34 ◼   ► three recommendations for everything

01:19:36 ◼   ► everybody wants everybody wants to know

01:19:38 ◼   ► it and like especially last month I i'm

01:19:40 ◼   ► sure it's because people are buying

01:19:41 ◼   ► gifts i got all of these emails like oh

01:19:43 ◼   ► my God thank you for sending me to the

01:19:45 ◼   ► wire

01:19:45 ◼   ► so all of you have checked out the wire

01:19:48 ◼   ► cutter I I i completely agree with with

01:19:51 ◼   ► dance comparison that that's what city

01:19:55 ◼   ► notes are our yeah I mean I it's not

01:19:59 ◼   ► like a necessarily a novel idea

01:20:01 ◼   ► you know I've been doing this for years

01:20:03 ◼   ► but it really makes sense like in the

01:20:05 ◼   ► age of of a phone that has google maps

01:20:08 ◼   ► and wikipedia and Foursquare and Yelp

01:20:11 ◼   ► and you know no shortage of list of

01:20:13 ◼   ► places to go period

01:20:15 ◼   ► why not provide someone a cross-section

01:20:17 ◼   ► of the absolute best places and the most

01:20:19 ◼   ► interesting ones and not just a bear

01:20:22 ◼   ► list so yeah and it's an interesting and

01:20:27 ◼   ► obvious i mean i'm sure you know but it

01:20:30 ◼   ► is interesting that compared it to the

01:20:32 ◼   ► pre smartphone world where you could do

01:20:37 ◼   ► something like this as a website or you

01:20:40 ◼   ► could do something like this as some

01:20:42 ◼   ► kind of print guide right but if it's a

01:20:46 ◼   ► website pre smartphone you're not going

01:20:49 ◼   ► to have it when you're actually there in

01:20:50 ◼   ► the city walking around and if you did

01:20:52 ◼   ► it as a print guide you would have it in

01:20:55 ◼   ► your pocket as you walk around but you

01:20:57 ◼   ► wouldn't have things like a search or

01:21:01 ◼   ► bored or even mapping right i mean

01:21:04 ◼   ► having one of the huge things that makes

01:21:06 ◼   ► this a natural fit for phone is you know

01:21:08 ◼   ► you say yes you can have my location and

01:21:11 ◼   ► then when you're actually in New York

01:21:13 ◼   ► reading your new york guide it tells you

01:21:15 ◼   ► here's how to get there right so things

01:21:17 ◼   ► that are important to me are simplicity

01:21:19 ◼   ► like I want i'm always going to err on

01:21:22 ◼   ► the side of simplicity and I guess I

01:21:24 ◼   ► should describe the product first

01:21:25 ◼   ► basically what we're building is I'll a

01:21:28 ◼   ► guide / city basically to start off with

01:21:30 ◼   ► I we did a pilot test over the holidays

01:21:33 ◼   ► of a new york holiday guide I kind of my

01:21:37 ◼   ► kind of botched the timing of having you

01:21:38 ◼   ► on the show by that's okay because it

01:21:42 ◼   ► has a really good learning experience

01:21:43 ◼   ► like it was the first app I'd ever

01:21:45 ◼   ► shipped and and it it actually did

01:21:48 ◼   ► pretty well like it i'm glad to hear

01:21:49 ◼   ► that but it is kind of funny that your

01:21:51 ◼   ► first one was a holiday guide and then

01:21:53 ◼   ► I have you on the first show after the

01:21:54 ◼   ► what I know it's really nice i'm looking

01:21:58 ◼   ► at it right now and it is it's I have to

01:22:00 ◼   ► say it's really nice

01:22:01 ◼   ► so like it looks good it's a you know if

01:22:03 ◼   ► that's and I think for I think everybody

01:22:06 ◼   ► agree that's it that's the first test

01:22:08 ◼   ► yeah and it's basically you know it's

01:22:10 ◼   ► kind of like an almost an offline

01:22:12 ◼   ► version of Instagram almost it's like

01:22:14 ◼   ► here are and we started with 20 places

01:22:17 ◼   ► for three bucks and we'll kind of

01:22:18 ◼   ► tweaked all that as we see what the the

01:22:21 ◼   ► right model is it may end up being free

01:22:22 ◼   ► with a sponsorship or it may be a dollar

01:22:26 ◼   ► for ten places and we're gonna do a lot

01:22:28 ◼   ► with in-app purchasing so maybe you'll

01:22:29 ◼   ► start off with like a top-10 list and

01:22:31 ◼   ► then you can kind of drill down into

01:22:33 ◼   ► different categories of things you like

01:22:34 ◼   ► you you might start off with like the

01:22:37 ◼   ► top ten whatever San Francisco list and

01:22:40 ◼   ► then if you if you want to do in app

01:22:42 ◼   ► purchases maybe you can get 10 more

01:22:44 ◼   ► restaurants and a guide to noe valley

01:22:47 ◼   ► and like a guide to maybe see great

01:22:51 ◼   ► yeah i mean just tossing some ideas that

01:22:53 ◼   ► give you these ideas free but maybe

01:22:54 ◼   ► separate something like eating from what

01:22:58 ◼   ► to do all day

01:22:59 ◼   ► absolutely i mean raising an army same

01:23:01 ◼   ► just go with my family

01:23:03 ◼   ► what should we do worse working we go

01:23:05 ◼   ► what are we supposed to know how we

01:23:07 ◼   ► spend our time is a very different

01:23:09 ◼   ► problem than where should we go for

01:23:10 ◼   ► dinner

01:23:11 ◼   ► totally SI and and based on that out

01:23:14 ◼   ► there

01:23:15 ◼   ► I appreciate that anything can be a

01:23:17 ◼   ► guide I mean it could be

01:23:18 ◼   ► we'd love to do that John Gruber guide

01:23:21 ◼   ► to philly if you want to do something

01:23:23 ◼   ► like that it could be organized around

01:23:24 ◼   ► something else we can do the

01:23:27 ◼   ► Ghostbusters guide to New York we could

01:23:29 ◼   ► do all kinds of stuff but the goal at

01:23:31 ◼   ► first is just make really really simple

01:23:33 ◼   ► inexpensive guides with things like

01:23:36 ◼   ► beautiful photography and the first appt

01:23:40 ◼   ► didn't have it but offline mapping

01:23:42 ◼   ► something that's important to me in a

01:23:44 ◼   ► lot of people when they're traveling

01:23:45 ◼   ► overseas don't want to spend a bunch of

01:23:48 ◼   ► data on downloading map tile so are you

01:23:51 ◼   ► this our system supports offline mapping

01:23:53 ◼   ► we did not included in the first step

01:23:55 ◼   ► but we can we may in future apps it's

01:23:57 ◼   ► actually changing a little now that now

01:23:59 ◼   ► that maps are vector-based it's actually

01:24:01 ◼   ► a lot less data than it was before so I

01:24:03 ◼   ► don't know if

01:24:04 ◼   ► help sorry that's my doorbell it's not

01:24:06 ◼   ► for me though alright if you need to get

01:24:08 ◼   ► you can get no it's not for me it's me

01:24:11 ◼   ► i'm down the call is coming so so we'll

01:24:16 ◼   ► see

01:24:16 ◼   ► so we have the drm the holiday guide is

01:24:19 ◼   ► still in the app store and actually will

01:24:20 ◼   ► be doing an update of that within the

01:24:22 ◼   ► next couple weeks and everyone will get

01:24:24 ◼   ► a free update to the normal New York

01:24:27 ◼   ► guide which will be launching sometime

01:24:30 ◼   ► in the next month or so i would guess or

01:24:31 ◼   ► maybe even a couple weeks from now and

01:24:34 ◼   ► then we'll do you know we'll do a

01:24:35 ◼   ► Brooklyn guide and will do

01:24:36 ◼   ► Tokyo and Paris are probably going to be

01:24:38 ◼   ► the next ones but the goal is to to do

01:24:41 ◼   ► one for every city and 222 have really

01:24:44 ◼   ► fresh current really high-end guides for

01:24:48 ◼   ► kind of like my target audience is kind

01:24:50 ◼   ► of the the daring fireball reader like

01:24:52 ◼   ► the the person who cares about fonts and

01:24:55 ◼   ► and like-likes design and L you know a

01:24:58 ◼   ► lot of the recommendations are going to

01:25:00 ◼   ► be a little artsy or or a little

01:25:03 ◼   ► design-focused for shopping and for

01:25:05 ◼   ► people who are interested in the best

01:25:07 ◼   ► stuff the best stuff the best

01:25:08 ◼   ► restaurants the best coffee shops and

01:25:11 ◼   ► again it's not the most obvious or the

01:25:13 ◼   ► most famous places because usually those

01:25:15 ◼   ► are not the best ones especially anymore

01:25:18 ◼   ► it's it's you know the the really good

01:25:20 ◼   ► up-and-comers who's the hot new sheriff

01:25:23 ◼   ► in town where can you you know where can

01:25:25 ◼   ► you see something new and interesting

01:25:26 ◼   ► and that's the challenge for me is is

01:25:29 ◼   ► kind of aggregating all information and

01:25:32 ◼   ► presenting it in a nice way and building

01:25:35 ◼   ► a business out of it but i'm really

01:25:38 ◼   ► excited about it actually met my

01:25:39 ◼   ► co-founder after appearing on the show

01:25:41 ◼   ► the first time I was on last summer

01:25:45 ◼   ► this guy named Mark dorsen emailed me

01:25:47 ◼   ► and said hey heard you mentioned a

01:25:49 ◼   ► travel thing you know i love to hear

01:25:51 ◼   ► about it and turns out he lives like

01:25:53 ◼   ► around the corner for me basically here

01:25:55 ◼   ► in Brooklyn and we met up and just you

01:25:58 ◼   ► know started hanging out eventually were

01:25:59 ◼   ► like hey let's work on this together so

01:26:01 ◼   ► so I get all the credit for your success

01:26:03 ◼   ► yeah you're you're more than welcome to

01:26:05 ◼   ► join our angel round if you'd like to

01:26:07 ◼   ► donate

01:26:09 ◼   ► alright just take the credit so yeah I

01:26:13 ◼   ► mean you know we both have jobs right

01:26:15 ◼   ► now we're working on this kind of is

01:26:16 ◼   ► what's the next what's the next city

01:26:18 ◼   ► guide that's going to come out so it's

01:26:20 ◼   ► going to be the main New York god I

01:26:21 ◼   ► think I think New York will end up being

01:26:22 ◼   ► probably our best seller overall time

01:26:25 ◼   ► and and then we need to build on our

01:26:27 ◼   ► platform to support like in-app

01:26:29 ◼   ► purchases of a booster packs or whatever

01:26:31 ◼   ► we're going to call them right but will

01:26:33 ◼   ► do New York and Brooklyn those will

01:26:34 ◼   ► probably separate guides with a little

01:26:38 ◼   ► crossover and then I was just in Tokyo

01:26:41 ◼   ► and so will do Tokyo probably and I was

01:26:44 ◼   ► in Paris a few months ago and i'm going

01:26:45 ◼   ► back so we'll do Paris also but you know

01:26:48 ◼   ► I had a couple really nice articles

01:26:51 ◼   ► written about it

01:26:52 ◼   ► techcrunch and also in the new york

01:26:53 ◼   ► times and I've got a lot of requests

01:26:55 ◼   ► from people who want to help me do

01:26:57 ◼   ► guides for the city's there in like new

01:26:59 ◼   ► orleans in Barcelona and some of it will

01:27:01 ◼   ► be contributors and you know kind of you

01:27:04 ◼   ► guys see is it set up such that if you

01:27:07 ◼   ► guys make a Content change does it

01:27:09 ◼   ► require a new version of the app or can

01:27:11 ◼   ► the app does the app already have all

01:27:13 ◼   ► the content or are you to serve the

01:27:16 ◼   ► content to the apps on her to make it

01:27:20 ◼   ► offline all the content comes with the

01:27:22 ◼   ► download so that means the initial

01:27:25 ◼   ► download is going to be a little bigger

01:27:26 ◼   ► than it would be if it were being pulled

01:27:28 ◼   ► live i think having offline access is

01:27:30 ◼   ► super important especially like if

01:27:32 ◼   ► you're in New York on the subway or if

01:27:34 ◼   ► you're overseas without and don't want

01:27:36 ◼   ► to do data roaming the system actually

01:27:39 ◼   ► supports kind of a way to update without

01:27:42 ◼   ► updating the ios app but i don't think

01:27:45 ◼   ► we would use that I think we plan to

01:27:47 ◼   ► update it infrequently enough that we

01:27:50 ◼   ► would also be bundling along some some

01:27:52 ◼   ► kind of changes to the apps technology

01:27:54 ◼   ► as well from you either feature

01:27:55 ◼   ► additions or substitute ility

01:27:57 ◼   ► enhancements that sort of stuff i think

01:27:59 ◼   ► it has a good layout i like it it's it's

01:28:02 ◼   ► simple and I feel like there's a

01:28:04 ◼   ► a tendency in a lot of me in a way it's

01:28:08 ◼   ► an e-book right i mean it's at least in

01:28:10 ◼   ► its a book type content and there's a

01:28:13 ◼   ► lot of there's a nerd that a lot of

01:28:15 ◼   ► people have any design stuff like this

01:28:16 ◼   ► for smartphones and tablets to to design

01:28:21 ◼   ► too much navigational eyes right like

01:28:23 ◼   ► this is an app where when you launch it

01:28:25 ◼   ► doesn't have to explain the interface to

01:28:27 ◼   ► you which is good right i mean that's

01:28:29 ◼   ► the problem with all these apps where

01:28:31 ◼   ► you launch them and you get this like

01:28:33 ◼   ► over you know this like overlay that

01:28:34 ◼   ► says here's how you use the app now you

01:28:36 ◼   ► open it up and it's just a list of

01:28:38 ◼   ► places right you just scroll the list

01:28:40 ◼   ► each one has a photo if you want to read

01:28:43 ◼   ► it you tap it and then you're in there

01:28:45 ◼   ► and you're looking at the place and

01:28:46 ◼   ► that's it and then there's a back button

01:28:48 ◼   ► to go back to the the main menu so it's

01:28:50 ◼   ► like to two levels of hierarchy d

01:28:51 ◼   ► perfect and I mean if you look at the

01:28:54 ◼   ► side that's exactly right

01:28:56 ◼   ► everything that we do I want to be

01:28:58 ◼   ► simple over everything else like that's

01:29:00 ◼   ► always to me the goal for everything is

01:29:02 ◼   ► just to make it simple because

01:29:03 ◼   ► ultimately like people are on vacation

01:29:05 ◼   ► or they're on a business trip

01:29:07 ◼   ► I don't want to waste a lot of people's

01:29:08 ◼   ► time trying to learn some complicated

01:29:10 ◼   ► system or or even read a lot of stuff

01:29:13 ◼   ► like I want to keep my descriptions

01:29:15 ◼   ► really short and succinct because i want

01:29:18 ◼   ► you to have fun while you're in Paris

01:29:20 ◼   ► like I don't want you to be sitting here

01:29:21 ◼   ► reading my my long ass essay about

01:29:23 ◼   ► someplace so I didn't think of it but

01:29:26 ◼   ► now that you mention instagram as like

01:29:28 ◼   ► an inspiration that is what the the main

01:29:31 ◼   ► index page looks like kind of the

01:29:33 ◼   ► pictures aren't square but it which is

01:29:35 ◼   ► actually better because you can fit 22

01:29:37 ◼   ► on the screen at once more on the screen

01:29:39 ◼   ► a little white little better support for

01:29:41 ◼   ► widescreen right but the pictures are

01:29:43 ◼   ► all big enough there are plenty big

01:29:44 ◼   ► enough that you get a good idea of what

01:29:46 ◼   ► what it you know if they're not

01:29:47 ◼   ► thumbnails their full width of the thing

01:29:49 ◼   ► exactly good

01:29:50 ◼   ► it's a great interface i really like it

01:29:53 ◼   ► I appreciate it and so yeah you know we

01:29:56 ◼   ► just we just want to provide really good

01:29:58 ◼   ► information and in an attractive and

01:30:00 ◼   ► simple package so right it that's what

01:30:03 ◼   ► it looks like it looks like a thing

01:30:04 ◼   ► feels like like a little like it's not

01:30:07 ◼   ► just I don't know it's not just web

01:30:09 ◼   ► pages or text it's it's like a little it

01:30:12 ◼   ► feels like a thing in your hand but it

01:30:15 ◼   ► can also be like you said it's kind of a

01:30:17 ◼   ► book it really is kind of

01:30:18 ◼   ► the book and that's kind of our our file

01:30:19 ◼   ► format is almost based off that so we'll

01:30:22 ◼   ► probably do in ibooks version of each

01:30:24 ◼   ► city and maybe even a PDF a lot of

01:30:27 ◼   ► people have said oh what are you going

01:30:28 ◼   ► to do for android and that say uh you

01:30:30 ◼   ► can have a PDF how does that Sam see

01:30:32 ◼   ► this is this is better than I think it's

01:30:34 ◼   ► much better of the the mapping with

01:30:36 ◼   ► location and all that sort of stuff i

01:30:38 ◼   ► think is important so we're just getting

01:30:40 ◼   ► started

01:30:41 ◼   ► this is literally version 1.0 I we we we

01:30:46 ◼   ► shipped a few weeks before the holidays

01:30:48 ◼   ► and it was funny i was in the airport

01:30:50 ◼   ► waiting to fly to tokyo and I got the

01:30:52 ◼   ► email from apple saying that had been a

01:30:54 ◼   ► proof of 10 I'm like oh my god about to

01:30:57 ◼   ► go offline for 14 hours what am I gonna

01:30:59 ◼   ► do

01:30:59 ◼   ► so did you wait uh no I didn't wait it

01:31:02 ◼   ► worked out everything worked out i guess

01:31:04 ◼   ► my ears my last question for you design

01:31:06 ◼   ► wise it is how quickly did you arrive at

01:31:11 ◼   ► the idea of each guide is its own app

01:31:14 ◼   ► and every time you make a new guide it

01:31:17 ◼   ► will be a new app in the App Store

01:31:18 ◼   ► versus the one city notes app and then

01:31:24 ◼   ► you download new guides within the app

01:31:26 ◼   ► which I i can I guess you at least

01:31:29 ◼   ► thought about so the will do both

01:31:32 ◼   ► it's one thing that I wanted to learn by

01:31:37 ◼   ► doing as opposed to just by guessing was

01:31:39 ◼   ► seeing is there a kind of a search based

01:31:42 ◼   ► reason to have a city / app when i'm

01:31:47 ◼   ► searching in the app store and my

01:31:49 ◼   ► searching for tokyo city guide for my

01:31:52 ◼   ► searching for travel guide app what

01:31:54 ◼   ► about what are people searching for

01:31:56 ◼   ► because it is such a city-based thing

01:31:59 ◼   ► short answers will find out but we do

01:32:03 ◼   ► what we do plan to have a main city

01:32:05 ◼   ► notes app and and that may ultimately be

01:32:08 ◼   ► the big winner in terms of sales i mean

01:32:12 ◼   ► that's that's the kind of thing that

01:32:13 ◼   ► would feature I couldn't see Apple

01:32:14 ◼   ► necessarily featuring a single city

01:32:16 ◼   ► guide unless there was a reason to lie

01:32:19 ◼   ► columbia and you're looking because i

01:32:20 ◼   ► don't imagine it's an easier way to help

01:32:22 ◼   ► build the city notes brand as opposed to

01:32:25 ◼   ► wear it with the discrete apps it's more

01:32:29 ◼   ► about the siege app is about that city

01:32:31 ◼   ► right so so we'll see uh you know I'd

01:32:34 ◼   ► love to learn by doing as opposed to

01:32:36 ◼   ► just by guessing it's yeah I now have

01:32:38 ◼   ► the tools to make individual apps for

01:32:41 ◼   ► each city really easily and then it's a

01:32:43 ◼   ► matter of building the kind of flag

01:32:47 ◼   ► tentpole flagpole I don't know flagship

01:32:50 ◼   ► app that has all the stuff in there and

01:32:53 ◼   ► will ultimately see which one works out

01:32:55 ◼   ► best but for now my plan is just to to

01:32:58 ◼   ► make a bunch of these and you know

01:33:01 ◼   ► hopefully the company will succeed and

01:33:03 ◼   ► i'll get to do this forever but who

01:33:06 ◼   ► knows

01:33:07 ◼   ► well it's been amazing sexy I think

01:33:10 ◼   ► you're onto something here so I city

01:33:11 ◼   ► notes that IO is our website city notes

01:33:15 ◼   ► travel is our twitter account again

01:33:18 ◼   ► anyone who buys the initial new york

01:33:20 ◼   ► city holiday guide will get a free

01:33:23 ◼   ► upgrade to the main New York guide so

01:33:26 ◼   ► you know it'll it'll end up costing the

01:33:29 ◼   ► same it's not going to be cheaper

01:33:30 ◼   ► anything close to that Apple turn into

01:33:32 ◼   ► that app yeah I guess so yeah the name

01:33:33 ◼   ► yeah i just noticed that the name of the

01:33:35 ◼   ► app is just New York yeah i mean

01:33:36 ◼   ► basically all you can change that I

01:33:38 ◼   ► think but that right we wanted an excuse

01:33:41 ◼   ► to stop selling it if we decided we

01:33:43 ◼   ► should so that's why we made it the

01:33:45 ◼   ► holiday guide and also that kind of some

01:33:48 ◼   ► of these places in here we're gonna take

01:33:50 ◼   ► out because they wouldn't really fit in

01:33:53 ◼   ► a non-holiday guide but well but that's

01:33:55 ◼   ► a great thing for everybody to know that

01:33:57 ◼   ► if you hear this you're listening to the

01:33:58 ◼   ► show right now and you're curious you

01:33:59 ◼   ► want to check it out

01:34:01 ◼   ► you can buy the the holiday guide in the

01:34:03 ◼   ► appstore knowing that it's not going its

01:34:06 ◼   ► you know it'll soon be more relevant

01:34:08 ◼   ► than just the the just-completed 2012

01:34:11 ◼   ► holiday season absolutely buy with

01:34:13 ◼   ► confidence it will be a free upgrade to

01:34:15 ◼   ► the normal New York guide unless Apple

01:34:18 ◼   ► tells me I can't do that but I don't

01:34:19 ◼   ► think NBC actually did that they turned

01:34:22 ◼   ► their Olympic sap into the NBC sports

01:34:26 ◼   ► app anyone who had downloaded the NBC

01:34:29 ◼   ► olympics app when they did an upgrade it

01:34:32 ◼   ► just turned into the generic NBC sports

01:34:34 ◼   ► app so i had the Olympics app and I

01:34:38 ◼   ► thought it was such a piece of crap that

01:34:40 ◼   ► I deleted it was I did I

01:34:43 ◼   ► delivery i watched like one basketball

01:34:45 ◼   ► game and then and then as soon as the

01:34:47 ◼   ► game was over i deleted the app is it

01:34:51 ◼   ► will have a new york app out within a

01:34:54 ◼   ► few weeks and then we'll do other cities

01:34:56 ◼   ► and you know I i hope by the end of the

01:34:58 ◼   ► year will have a dozen cities up and you

01:35:01 ◼   ► know this will be my full-time job but

01:35:03 ◼   ► who knows

01:35:04 ◼   ► well that's great and and you it should

01:35:08 ◼   ► we try to encourage people who are

01:35:10 ◼   ► interested in maybe writing for it to

01:35:11 ◼   ► contact you or no don't don't sure yeah

01:35:14 ◼   ► i mean i'd love to hear from some people

01:35:16 ◼   ► we're going to be super cautious and

01:35:18 ◼   ► super selective of that stuff at first

01:35:20 ◼   ► but right because i always said here and

01:35:22 ◼   ► if you're if you pull it all off you're

01:35:24 ◼   ► only going to do maybe it doesn't this

01:35:25 ◼   ► year it's not it's not a yeah you know

01:35:29 ◼   ► throw it all against the wall and see

01:35:30 ◼   ► what sticks it's not a shotgun approach

01:35:32 ◼   ► know and most important to me is that we

01:35:34 ◼   ► kind of if if the goal is to build a

01:35:37 ◼   ► brand that people think to know it's you

01:35:39 ◼   ► know make sure that the voice is really

01:35:41 ◼   ► genuine and consistent and and really

01:35:47 ◼   ► means what I wanted to like I would say

01:35:49 ◼   ► it did a decent job at this but I'll

01:35:51 ◼   ► probably look back at it in a couple

01:35:52 ◼   ► years ago oh man I can't believe you did

01:35:54 ◼   ► that but that's really important to me

01:35:57 ◼   ► is is just um really being proud of the

01:36:00 ◼   ► work we do so that's why it first we're

01:36:02 ◼   ► going to be a little slow probably two

01:36:04 ◼   ► to work with other contributors but who

01:36:06 ◼   ► knows we'll see but yeah i definitely

01:36:08 ◼   ► would love to hear you know every every

01:36:11 ◼   ► bit of complaints or praise like you

01:36:13 ◼   ► know if there's something you hate about

01:36:15 ◼   ► it let me know if there there's a link

01:36:17 ◼   ► to a survey at the bottom of the app I'd

01:36:19 ◼   ► love for people have take that survey

01:36:21 ◼   ► it's very simple should take less than a

01:36:23 ◼   ► minute it's just more in a couple

01:36:25 ◼   ► minutes and I'd love to know where

01:36:27 ◼   ► people are planning to travel in this

01:36:28 ◼   ► audience so that we can make guides for

01:36:31 ◼   ► the cities are going to so I've already

01:36:33 ◼   ► learned that Chicago and San Francisco

01:36:36 ◼   ► are two audience favorites so far so and

01:36:40 ◼   ► we'll do some other stuff too i think

01:36:41 ◼   ► that at some point will let readers

01:36:44 ◼   ► either submit places or vote on places

01:36:47 ◼   ► or you know even make and sell their own

01:36:49 ◼   ► guides at some point but for now again

01:36:52 ◼   ► everything I just want to keep this

01:36:53 ◼   ► simple and clear as possible so that

01:36:55 ◼   ► people get

01:36:56 ◼   ► information and have fun while they're

01:36:58 ◼   ► traveling because that's really what

01:36:59 ◼   ► this is about

01:37:01 ◼   ► I i I'd second that notion cool this

01:37:07 ◼   ► great stop think I pre thank you dan

01:37:09 ◼   ► frommer city notes die oh thank you for

01:37:12 ◼   ► doing the show my pleasure as always

01:37:15 ◼   ► well i will talk to you soon right