The magic of iPad
January 29, 2010

Source: GlobalX on Flickr.

Posted by Jason Stamper on 4:58 PM | Comments (0)

The 10 biggest iPad disappointments

The much-hyped launch of Apple's new tablet-style computer on Wednesday has done little to change my belief that it's a solution looking for a problem.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs, in trademark black turtle-neck sweater, said, "iPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices that will connect users with their apps and content in a much more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before."

Getty Images.

Creating a new category in the fast-moving electronics industry is no mean feat. Let's not forget that despite its numerous successes, even Apple has not always been able to do that. There were portable music players before the iPod, and smartphones before the iPhone. There weren't many square computers before its G4 Cube, but then that product bombed anyway.

Is the iPad really a brand new category of device?

I fail to see that it is. As we've established, tablet computers have been around for many years. What makes the iPad drastically different? It runs a different operating system (most others run Windows or Linux) and because it's from Apple, integrates well with the likes of Apple's iTunes and its online iBookstore, and can run all the apps than run on the iPhone. That's about the long and short of it.

Apple's says the iPad is a "magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price". But who really needs it? iPhone users already have access to the thousands of apps in the Apple App Store (not to mention an existing subscription to a telecoms operator). Anyone with a laptop, notebook or netbook has large-screen portable computing nailed, with the advantage of a folding keyboard that protects the screen from scratches and knocks and is more familiar and faster than the iPad's on-screen touch keyboard.

Much has been made of the argument that it will revolutionise publishing because you can download thousands of books, or read newspapers on it in glorious full colour. Sure, for a few hours. While Apple claims "up to 10 hours" of battery life you're unlikely to see that in real-world situations, especially once you have a number of battery-hungry apps running from the App Store and are using Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity in anger.

Compare battery life to the e-reader competition: the Kindle from Amazon claims the battery will last 7 days from a single charge, while Sony's eReader measures battery life as up to 7,500 continuous page turns. So it's not a direct e-reader competitor, if all you want to do is read digital books on the move.

I'm sorry, but I still don't quite get it. I clearly don't believe in magic. As I've also said before, people will buy this thing. That's the cult of Mac.

Anyway for my pick of the top 10 iPad disappointments read the extended entry here.

Posted by Jason Stamper on 3:25 PM | Comments (0)

Gartner assures us Apple is launching tablet style Mac tomorrow
January 27, 2010

If anyone was wondering whether all the hype about a possible Apple tablet computer -- variously being called the iSlate or iPad -- was just a spoiler and that the firm may not launch something after all, you might want to think again.

Analyst firm Gartner, which is likely to have its ear pretty close to the ground on this one, is admant that some kind of slate will be launched at the Apple event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco tomorrow.

One interpretation of what the iSlate might look like. Source: Cult of Mac.

The analyst firm has sent round a list of analyst contacts it says can offer comment to the media on the day, which is quite telling in itself:

"Carolina Milanesi, Gartner Research Director can comment on the hardware and its positioning within both the Apple portfolio and the connected devices market from smartphones to notebooks."

"Charles Smulders, Gartner Managing Vice President can comment on the product's positioning within the Apple portfolio and the client device market in general."

"Van Baker, Gartner Research VP can comment on the viability and usability of the product and the likely consumer reaction as well how it relates to the overall tablet market."

"Mike McGuire, Gartner Research VP can comment on content capabilities and significance of the device to media companies and rights holders."

Meanwhile CBR's Jason Stamper can comment on why whatever Apple launches, he won't be buying it.

Posted by Jason Stamper on 9:05 AM | Comments (0)

Morning Roundup: pick of the comment
January 25, 2010

Our pick of the best of the morning reading

Why I will wait in line again (Scobleizer)
Web watcher Robert Scoble outlines why he'll be first in line when Apple's mystery device finally goes on sale.

Apple Tablet: The Second Stage Media Booster Rocket (Flurry)
The eagerly-awaited tablet has been spotted in the wild! Mobile app analysis firm Flurry claims that about 50 devices are in use on Apple's Cupertino campus and takes a look at what they are being used for.

Bill Gates launches his own website (The Telegraph)
Microsoft founder Bill Gates starts his own website to keep us up to date on his current life and work. The announcement comes days after he joined social networking site Twitter.

Will no one slate the iSlate? (CBR)
As the countdown continues to Apple's event on Wednesday, where the firm is expected to announce a tablet computer, CBR editor Jason Stamper cuts through the rumours to ask whether all the hype is really justified.

Why the NHS can't get its browser act together (The Guardian)
Organisational inertia means we're saddled with an ageing, vulnerable browser across our hospitals and key government departments. That's not good, says Charles Arthur.

Posted by Jason Stamper on 10:08 AM | Comments (0)

Why I'm slating the iSlate
January 22, 2010

Amongst the thousands of news articles and blogs gushing over the anticipated launch of an Apple tablet computer next week - possibly called the iSlate or iPad, or neither - it's perhaps worth taking stock of the situation and asking whether all this hype is really justified.

The concept of a tablet or slate PC is not new. They've been around for about 10 years, and it's a format that came to the mainstream thanks to a product announcement by Microsoft in 2001, which saw the Redmond-based firm launch a pen-enabled computer running a licensed copy of the "Windows XP Tablet PC Edition".

It was essentially a laptop-style device that featured a touch-screen with handwriting recognition, to make it easier to jot down notes, rush off a quick sketch or whatever. Some manufacturers opted to stay with the laptop's physical keyboard, spawning a category known as "booklets", while others dropped the keyboard in favour of just a touch screen in a device resembling a slate.

So first off, let's just remind ourselves who brought this concept to the masses - Microsoft - before we wonder whether Apple's version will "change the world" as some commentators are suggesting.

Second, it's worth noting that so far, such tablets have found only a limited audience. A recent Morgan Stanley report suggested two million tablet PCs were shipped last year, compared with 34 million netbooks and 131 million notebooks.

So why hasn't the concept of a tablet PC overtaken more traditional laptops, notebooks or indeed the latest netbooks already? Wikipedia has a fairly comprehensive list of disadvantages including the higher cost, snail-like speed of handwriting recognition compared to a keyboard, screen and hinge damage risk, less familiar ergonomics and in most cases a relative lack of power.

So if Apple launches a tablet-style Mac next week, will it change any of this? I sincerely doubt it. To read the rest of this article click here.

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Posted by Jason Stamper on 5:16 PM | Comments (0)

Should Google have done more about China years ago?
January 13, 2010

Action over China is long overdue

There are around 1.3 billion people who live in China, not one of whom is likely to be able to read this blog. That's got less to do with whether Google opts to pull its operations out of China, and more to do with the 'Great Firewall of China' in particular, and the Chinese regime's lack of respect for freedom of speech in general.

Nevertheless, it must be increasingly difficult for Google to defend its decision to operate in China, and in so doing comply with the Chinese authorities' insistence that the search engine giant, too, censor the search results that the people of China are able to see.

Indeed, Google's decision to open an office in China made it a mere pawn in China's attempts to repress free speech. No surprise, then, that Google's decision to operate in China was widely criticised when it was first announced. Had Google been around during the Apartheid years of South Africa - which saw the censorship of books, magazines and other literature deemed destabilising by the then South African government - one must wonder whether Google would have operated there if it meant helping to enforce such restrictions, and thereby helping to repress freedom of speech and the anti-Apartheid movement.

So the fact that Google is only now threatening to pull out of China - and only after serious cyber-attacks on Google and 30 other Silicon Valley firms - will do little to reassure civil liberties campaigners. They justifiably argue that Google, in its dealings with China so far, has done little more than put its profits above all else.

To continue reading this blog entry click here.

Posted by Jason Stamper on 4:52 PM | Comments (0)

Progress Software buys BPM player Savvion
January 11, 2010

Hot on the heels of news that IBM is buying business process management company Lombardi, Progress Software has announced it is buying fellow BPM firm Savvion.

Savvion is a privately held software company based in Santa Clara, California. Progress is buying the firm for around $49 million, net of cash acquired.

Savvion has15 years of market experience. The company offers what Progress calls a comprehensive, standards-based BPM suite that helps around 300 of the world's companies - including 24 of the 'Fortune 100' - automate and improve critical business processes.

Dr John Bates, CTO of Progress Software, told me on a call not 15 minutes ago that the reason for picking Savvion rather than another BPM provider is that: "Savvion is a great fit for a number of reasons: it's a very rich product, and the BPM platform is events based." Progress, remember, has a complex event processing (CEP) product called Apama, and Bates hinted that there could be scope for some integration there.

As for why now was the right time for Savvion to sell, Dr. M.A. Ketabchi, founder, president and CEO of Savvion, told me: "We have a large customer base of leading enterprises, and for them BPM is increasingly becoming more critical, with more complex solutions. For Savvion to offer them multi-national support I thought we needed several years to get there, and by then it would be too late."

Dr Ketabchi said that wheen seeking a buyer, he wanted to find a company where Savvion would fit well pretty much straight away, so that, "Customers do not face disruption like Lombardi customers will face at IBM" -- IBM announced it is buying Lombardi just before Christmas.

Asked to summarise Savvion's key differentiators from the BPM competition, Dr Ketabchi said: "The first thing is the extent and scope of our functionality: for example our BPM comes out of the box with a business rules management system, which Lombardi does not. IBM has the Ilog business rules but there is no integration between Ilog and Lombardi."

"Second, we made sure our BPM is enterprise BPM -- Lombardi, Metastorm and those others are departmental BPM. Our BPM is event-centric and supports event-centric patterns, decision-centric operations, case management and so on," Dr Ketabchi told me. "And thirdly we are unique among the companies you mentioned in that we have very efficient, very effective solutions tailored to verticals, such as a Telecom Foundation and a Life Sciences Foundation."

Meanwhile Dr Bates confirmed that one area where additional integration might make sense is between Progress' Sonic enterprise service bus (ESB) messaging technology and Savvion.

As for what Dr Ketabchi thinks about Lombardi's Blueprint hosted modeling tool, he said: "Actually Lombardi Blueprint is hosted but it's not BPM in any way. We believe BPM solutions on demand will be very important, but Blueprint is just a hosted modeler.

"We have been delivering hosted BPM through partners for some time," Dr Ketabchi said. "We have very exciting plans ahead and lots of innovative ideas for hosted modeling and BPM on demand." Dr Bates added that it is too early to give further details on those plans just yet.

Dr Ketabchi confirmed that he is "committed" to work for Progress now, though exact details of what his position will be are yet to be determined.

Dr Bates said Progress Software wants to become a, "Leading BPM player in its own right", because "that's what we're hearing customers say they want and where we think it is going. Customers are asking for us to help make their business processes more responsive , and we of course want to make our customers successful."

Dr Ketabchi told me that Savvion has been profitable for the last 8 quarters, and that he believes the purchase price of $59m is "fair".

More from the press release:

Richard D. Reidy, president and chief executive officer, Progress Software said: "We believe that achieving operational responsiveness has become a business imperative, enabling businesses to achieve the highest level of operational performance. Our acquisition of Savvion enhances our goal to provide unprecedented business visibility, responsiveness and business process improvement, coupled with the highest degree of data integrity and integration."

Dr. John Bates, Progress Software's chief technology officer and head of corporate development added: "The Savvion BPM suite is a perfect fit for Progress because it offers leading capabilities for business process modeling and execution. The suite also uniquely includes other integrated key capabilities, including business rules management, document management, an event engine and an analytics engine."

Dr. Bates continued: "In addition, Savvion has developed powerful industry-specific BPM solutions for financial services, communications, healthcare, life sciences, energy and manufacturing industries in which, Progress already has a broad customer base that will benefit from these capabilities. Each Savvion solution features pre-built business processes and dashboards based on industry best practices. These solutions are proven to accelerate customer deployments with a high return on investment (ROI) and a low total cost of ownership (TCO)."

Sandep Phanasgaonkar, president and CTO, Reliance Capital noted: "The Savvion BPM suite has quick deployment time. Reliance reduced turnaround time and increased adherence to SLAs after implementing the Savvion BPM solution. Savvion helped create an 86% reduction in policy generation time. Our ROI was realized in less than six months."

According to Maureen Fleming, program director of IDC's business process management and middleware research service: "As enterprises increase their focus on operational responsiveness - and most of them are -- there is a need to build event-driven systems that adapt continuously to current and trending business conditions. We call these 'business navigation systems,' which converge visibility, event processing and BPM software. Vendors offering all three capabilities as a system are in a much stronger position to partner with their customers to build these new types of high value applications."

The combination of Progress Software's Business Event Processing (BEP), Business Transaction Assurance (BTA) and Integration portfolio, coupled with the Savvion BPM suite better enables enterprises to achieve the highest levels of operational responsiveness. With this set of solutions, enterprises can:
1. Ensure efficient execution of business processes by detecting system bottle-necks through visibility into process transactions and resolving;

2. Capture, analyze and respond to opportunities and threats to the business through business event processing in real-time;

3. Easily integrate existing disparate systems and processes; and,

4. Achieve end-to-end business process visibility to detect and resolve any system bottlenecks and exceptions ensuring every business process is completed successfully.

Progress Software is providing the following guidance, which reflects the anticipated impact from the acquisition of Savvion, for the first fiscal quarter ending February 28, 2010:

GAAP revenue is expected to be in the range of $124 million to $128 million.
Revenue, on a non-GAAP basis, is expected to be in the range of $125 million to $129 million.
GAAP diluted earnings per share are expected to be in the range of a loss of 20 cents to a loss of 1 cent.
On a non-GAAP basis, diluted earnings per share are expected to be in the range of 44 cents to 46 cents.

The outlook for the non-GAAP amounts excludes the amortization of acquired intangibles, stock-based compensation, purchase accounting adjustments for deferred revenue, restructuring charges and acquisition-related expenses.

Posted by Jason Stamper on 11:55 AM | Comments (6)

Remote working could avoid snowy absenteeism, but at what cost?
January 6, 2010

It kind of goes without saying, but I guess someone had to say it: if your staff can work equally well remotely, they won't add to the absenteeism roster just because the UK has seen some snow. That was the revelation from ntl:Telewest Business today.

The firm points out that remote working could help businesses to continue operating despite unexpected events, such as snow.

"The British weather seems to be getting even less predictable placing greater emphasis on organisations to have a continuity plan in place to ensure that operations do not hit a standstill when the worst happens," said Andrew McGrath, commercial director of ntl:Telewest Business. "Severe snow always means travel disruption whereby employees cannot make it in to the office - in fact, business groups have estimated that the cost of absenteeism to the economy because of this week's snowfalls could reach £2 billion."

"Businesses can prepare for this with a remote working policy so that employees can still be productive and continue their work, wherever they are," McGrath addded.

Still, the many who secretly hope for heavy snow in order to get a precious day off, would be disappointed if travel chaos had little impact on their working day. Still, there's always the option of pulling a 'sickie' if you are desperate to get the sledge out. Is there such a thing as 'snow-itis'?

Posted by Jason Stamper on 1:49 PM | Comments (0)