Comment

Your Panorama anecdote is irrelevant to the success of the original iPhone. They weren’t marketing small features like that, they were marketing around the fact that it’s the best iPod and that you can experience the full web on it. They were also putting a lot of attention on the UI and how it can do advanced smartphone tasks a lot more easily than competing phones.

And honestly I don’t know where you’re coming from with your Samsung hate thing. I didn’t even mention Samsung. You’re just randomly changing subject to praise Samsung out of nowhere. You seem like a fanboy with no grasp of what make some tech successful, or at least act like it.

about 3 hours ago on Samsung's "record" sales vs Apple's "disappointing" sale.

Comment

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_satiation

1 day ago on Things called One

Comment

Educated guesses + SEO.
Move along…

3 days ago on IOS 7 possible release date

Comment

Really?
You think Apple could have released some BlackBerry clone back in 2007 and be where they are now only with good marketing?
Don’t be ridiculous, I see plenty of Surface / WP8 / BB Z10 ads every week (more than I’ve ever seen iPhone ads at its launch) yet these are definitely not commerical successes or game changing products.

3 days ago on Samsung's "record" sales vs Apple's "disappointing" sale. 1 reply 13 recommends

Comment

But having a shitty skin is how almost everybody experiences their “stock” Android.
I doubt people make the distinction and for them, stock is how the phone came when they bought it.

Nexus 4s represent what, 0.6% of overall Android sales?
Why would you compare the experience all iPhone owners get to the one only a very small proportion of Android owners get?

Android as a whole still has a performance problem, and not only is it hurting smoothness but form factors as well. Phones are gigantic because they need big specs to be to compensate for Android’s lagginess. You can’t get a single Android phone that isn’t gigantic with smooth performance.

It doesn’t matter what’s to blame, the end result is the same for consumers. If Google / OEMs still can’t get their shit together 4 years after Android’s launch, Apple making software and hardware does prove to be an advantage. No matter how much people point fingers and justify the lagginess, it’s still there for (almost) everybody, plus there are currently no high-end Android phones unders 4.7" as a result.

3 days ago on Android amazes me 2 replies 1 recommend

Comment

The G4 Cube is also often cited as a flop product by Apple.
It’s been 13 years though.
The Pippin was 18 years ago.
Not bad.

6 days ago on New Google Music app breaks compatibility with ill-fated Nexus Q media streamer 1 recommend

Comment

A couple nerds may do that but even in 5 years, I bet 99% of current smartphone owners will still use a smartphone and no Google Glass.

Mark me. Im calling it.

6 days ago on Google Glass becomes more useful with new Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr apps 1 reply 8 recommends

Comment

iOS 6 preview
- New matte look with soft gradients and subtle textures. Skeuomorphisms toned down but still present.
- All preinstalled apps that are 2+ year old have a redesigned icon
- Mostly the same UI in terms of function
- NCSettings-like toggles in Notification Center (optional)
- Downloadable widgets in Notification Center (but not on your lockscreen/springboard)
- Minor updates to core apps (Maps, Siri, Music, Safari)
- A new camera software feature (not sure what yet)
- A new app/feature that will not be revealed yet since it would require some unrevealed iPhone 5S hardware

OS X 10.9 preview + DP available for developers
- New Finder with tabs and design inpired by iTunes 11
- Maps app
- Siri integrated in Notification Center and started by some shortcut/gesture
- Safari 6.1/7 with improved UI performance (like WebKit nightly)
- System-wide performance improvements (boot/shut down/sleep time, framerates on Retina displays)
- Better Messages/FaceTime syncing

New Mac Pro
- Roughly the same design as before with minor differences (like the differences between a G5 and MP)
- Up to 16 cores
- USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt support
- All assembled in USA
- Still very pricy

New Thunderbolt display
- Still the same panel and price
- Thinner and laminated like the new iMac
- USB 3.0 ports and MagSafe 2 connector
- Still no second input

No new iOS devices or MacBooks announced, but Apple teases “lots of new stuff in the pipeline” for Fall.

Edit: Sorry, was not meant as a reply.

6 days ago on How are your "realistic" expectations for WWDC ? 1 recommend

Comment

I wouldn’t even compare the two.
Shield will probably have like 1% of PSVita sales.

7 days ago on 'Modern Family' has a surprise guest: Nvidia's Shield gaming handheld (update) 6 recommends

Comment

If I were an Android user I’d be pretty disappointed.

No new Android version announcement. No new Nexus device. For a second I thought they would announce a stock Android/unlocked bootloader HTC One, but they did not. The “Nexus” GS4 is very expensive and I’d personnally be more interested in the One anyway.

Otherwise the Hangout announcement is pretty cool, except it would have been a lot better if it had SMS integration and just became the default SMS app, with the Hangout part completely seemless just like iMessage. The way it is currently only fragments messaging and as a result I don’t see it becoming very popular.

As an iOS user, I’m pleased to see Google takes iOS seriously by giving their users the same features at the same time. It only gives me less reason to consider swithcing to Android seeing as not only do we get the full Google experience on iOS, but it also usually looks and performs better thanks to a smoother, more efficient OS and graphical APIs like CoreAnimation. The new Google Maps demo on a Nexus 4 was choppy as hell. Heck, even their Chrome experiment demo ran better on iOS even though Chrome for iOS doesn’t use Nitro Engine.

The new Android IDE and Play Music All Access were pretty cool but they’re nothing revolutionary, just cool new additions.

The part about negativity and the questions Larry Page answered at the end just gave me the impression Google aren’t totally sure where they’re going with projects like Google Glass. Larry said himself he doesn’t know what he would do with Glass other than taking pictures of his kids. It’s like they’re really relying on developers to find ways to make Glass useful, but I’m afraid we’ll be stuck in a vicious circle of “Developers don’t make Glass apps because no consumers have Glass” / “Consumers don’t buy Glass because there are no apps and very few features besides taking pictures of your kids”.

7 days ago on Your thoughts on Google I/O? 2 replies 20 recommends

Comment

The current one is so I would guess the new one will be as well.
They also suggested developers try the new Google Maps as soon as they get their free Chromebook Pixel.

7 days ago on Google Maps for desktop: hands-on with the world's most-advanced web app 2 recommends

Comment

According to Quantcast, The Verge has 3,924,319 monthly unique visitors from the U.S., and 4,021,512 from outside the U.S.

8 days ago on Units: Is TheVerge meant for the global masses or not? 1 recommend

Comment

My point isn’t to say Google+ is technically superior. It’s just an example.
I purposefully wrote

Google+ being technically slightly superior would n’t necessarily mean…

8 days ago on BlackBerry bringing BBM to Android and iOS this summer

Comment

Yes, how dare developers make mobile games smooth and playable.
I want the full Battlefield 4 running at 2 FPS on my iPhone!

8 days ago on EA working on 'Frostbite Go' game engine for Android and iOS 1 reply 11 recommends

Comment

It doesn’t matter if it’s theoretically superior when there’s one service that all your friends use and are comfortable with already, unless the difference between the two is huge (which I don’t consider it is).

That’s like the Facebook vs Google+ debate. Google+ being technically slightly superior wouldn’t necessarily mean everybody should make the switch.

8 days ago on BlackBerry bringing BBM to Android and iOS this summer 2 replies 1 recommend

Comment

They should stop using different icons for beta apps if they can’t remember to revert them back to normal once they release the final version…

9 days ago on Facebook 6.1 Icon

Comment

Well it does have (mostly) high-end components. What it definitely lacks is the premium feel, and that has to do with a lot of factors that aren’t measurable by specs.

A $800 refurbished last-gen MacBook Air definitely feels a lot more “premium” than this, despite having lower-end specs on pretty much all measurable levels.

You will rarely ever see a Windows laptop that feels expensive, no matter how expensive it really is, unfortunately.

9 days ago on Toshiba Kirabook review: finally, a flagship Windows 8 laptop 1 recommend

Comment

Only the 45W quad-core models, meaning a laptop like the 15" rMBP could have Iris Pro if it didn’t have discrete graphics already.

Perhaps Apple will consider making a cheaper 15" rMBP version with it, like when they released the 2009 15" MBP with only a 9400M (integrated) as the base config, for $200 cheaper than the previous base price.

Non-ULV CPUs that are ~35W should still get better integrated graphics than the ULV ones. The next 13" rMBP would probably have Iris Graphics 5100 while the next MacBook Air would have HD Graphics 5000.

That would add another differenciating factor between the 13" MBA and 13" rMBP, which otherwise tend to be pretty similar other than the display. Apple has traditionally hated “overlapping” products, so I guess they will like this.

9 days ago on How necessary are dedicated graphics?

Comment

A laminated display = no gap between the glass and display.
The iPad still feels like an iPhone 3GS in that regard.

9 days ago on iPad 5 Wish-list 5 recommends

Comment

I guess Blu-ray mattered mainly to win the HD format war. I don’t understand the CPU choice though. I remember reading years ago that Sony originally planned to have no GPU in the PS3 and use the Cell even for graphics. They finally contacted Nvidia at the last minute to design a GPU when they realized they overestimated the power of the Cell. At least that would have saved them the cost of the RSX.

13 days ago on Unlike the PS3, Sony isn't expecting to lose money on the PlayStation 4 1 reply 1 recommend

Comment

The 20GB model was $499 at launch.

13 days ago on Unlike the PS3, Sony isn't expecting to lose money on the PlayStation 4 1 reply 1 recommend

Comment

There’s also the fact that the PS3’s Blu-ray player was estimated to have a BOM of $350 at launch. Yes, the Blu-ray player alone.

13 days ago on Unlike the PS3, Sony isn't expecting to lose money on the PlayStation 4 2 replies

Comment

The source is not stated but I believe they just took that rumor from a japanese magazine that it would cost around 40,000 yens, and did a direct Yen→USD conversion which ended up being exactly $428 at the time it was made.

Who the hell could think it would retail for $428? I could pull the $499 price out of my ass with no source as well and have infinitely more chance of being right.

13 days ago on Unlike the PS3, Sony isn't expecting to lose money on the PlayStation 4 1 recommend

Comment

I didn’t consider Firefox in my comparison as I’ve not used it in years but I think you’re right.

13 days ago on Fastest and smoothest web browser on Mac OSX

Comment

Looks like one of those new Microsoft logos, except with a better color scheme.

14 days ago on Introducing Verge Video

Comment

True contactless charging that works from meters away may be the future, but I doubt it would be ready until a few years. Current “wireless” charging is a gimmick and a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.

What’s the difference between it and a charging dock? The fact that your phone stands horizontally? The fact that you don’t have to take 1 second to look and align the dock connector? I’d honestly rather have a thinner phone and/or more battery life than this.

It sounds cool and all in marketing to make a phone sound futuristic, but its actual value is questionable, especially if you already own docks that do the job fine, while also charging the phone faster, positioning the display more appropriatly so I can see my notifications, and can also sync data if it’s connected to a computer.

I’ve been having this position on current “wireless” charging solutions for a while, and Phil Schiller apparently has a similar opinion.

14 days ago on Will the next iPhone have wireless charging? 2 replies

Comment

Best UI performance : Safari
Best JavaScript performance : Chrome
Best Mac-centric features : Safari
Best syncing features : Depends on your ecosystem of choice and what browser you use on your mobile devices
Best extensions availability: Chrome

I personally use Safari (WebKit nightly actually) because I value the huge UI performance difference more than the slight JS performance difference, and all extensions I need are available for Safari.

14 days ago on Fastest and smoothest web browser on Mac OSX 1 reply 1 recommend