...the PC is a'comin...

I am not tech-savvy enough to know if the title of my post is true, but I do know this. Apple and the IBM battle back and forth, it has been that way forever. Their ads attack each other, everyone knows that Apple has had the upper hand for a long long time, but everyone also knows that at one point in their life their interaction with computers was primarily PC-based.

I bought my first iPod in '05, I believe it was, and I have been pretty much apple ever since. Many iPods, an iPhone, 2 or 3 Macbooks, iTunes, iPhoto - I am hooked on Mac products and proud of it.

But everything comes to an end. I was saying yesterday to some friends that the 49ers were on top of the NFL world and it's fans seriously could never imagine fully what the collapse would be like, but if you fast forward to some of the rebuilding years just experienced, you see inadequate QB's, Joe Montana as a spokesperson for one of the all-time ugliest shoes ever, and Bill Walsh buried 6 feet under. Times change.

The latest release of the iPhone 4.0 is, I think the beginning of the end for Apple. We all know that MP3 players existed before the iPod, they just executed theirs better. We all know that music filing programs existed before iTunes, they just did theirs better. We all know that smartphones existed before the iPhone, they just launched it better.

Well here we are at a crossroads - while products are still selling, and will continue to sell, the mystique and charm of Apple products is dwindling, and the iPhone 4.0 has been riddled with problems. These types of problems simply did not exist with earlier tech advances. You cannot underestimate the power of a smooth launch, flawless execution, and a compelling, untainted story. Here are the 5 reasons why I think the iPhone 4.0's execution is a sign of bad things to come, given there were missteps at every level of the process.

1. Manufacturing Suicides - Starting with the actual creation of the product, the environment in which these phones are manufactured is clearly a reckless and dangerous one. 10+ workers have killed themselves due to the extreme pressures put on them by their bosses, the manufacturers, and the working conditions in some of these factories. A product is only as good as how it is built, and there are a lot of underlying issues in Chinese factories, in particular, that are making the creation of goods (not just phones) a difficult process.

2. Lost Phone - In terms of prototype development and the protection afforded Apple's launch products, the well-documented case of the lost iPhone at a California bar is amongst the most egregious errors that Apple has seen from a PR and product launch standpoint. Apple is so careful and so calculated, this type of error isn't a huge issue in itself, but as one of the 5 reasons why this launch was/is a bit of a disaster, it does rank pretty high up there on the gaffe scale.

3. Network problems - We all have watched the launch of major products on Apple's main stage, and have wondered, "imagine if the network crashes?!", well, for Steve Jobs last week it did. And that really does speak to the fact that the phone itself, my phone specifically, is not so good at surfing. It isn't. It is supposed to be, and it claims it is, and to a casual user who may not be frustrated by persistent network clogging, it may not be a big deal. But to someone who has dumped thousands of dollars into a device (monthly charges, people forget about those!), I am fairly consistently disappointed in the phone. The creation of more phones, over-saturation in the marketplace, and a refusal for Apple to address AT&T's huge 3G network issues is just a symptom of the overall Network drama us iPhone'rs are forced to endure on a daily basis.

4. Data charges - I was talking to someone yesterday who tried (see next note) to purchase the iPhone, and she wasn't even aware that she was going to be charged new data fees. This isn't an uncommon thing. Users have no idea what they are about to experience in terms of data charges, and I don't mean that in the cliche sense of the phrase - people literally have no idea how much data they use on a daily basis. Good thing the people charging us do know, exactly, how much we use, and with the addition of streaming Netflix, streaming video chat, and other network clogging applications, Apple & AT&T are going to have a cash windfall, at our expense, when this device hits the network. This problem isn't something people realize yet, but it'll hit them hard when the new charges fall in their laps.

5. Purchase problems - Yesterday folks started to try to buy the phone, available for pre-purchase. Here is one of many articles that sums up the disaster that ensued yesterday morning on pre-purchases. I don't think I need to say more on this one.

Once the design phase was done and complete, it seems like error after error has marred this phone - I get the feeling that the google phones of the world, the Droids and Nexus', are slowly starting to seep out there, and continue to gain momentum.

As iPad users start to ask themselves, "why do I have this thing, again?" and iPhone users start to say, "why am I paying so much to use this thing again?". I think we are at the start of a major shift away from Apple, but we are just at the start. In the meantime, you can call or text me on my iPhone, or email me and I'll respond to you from 1 of 3 Macbooks in my house.

...Heartbroken for Perk...

Kendrick Perkins is out for the 7th game of the NBA Finals, and it is the most heartbreaking thing I can remember in my local sports career.

Perkins is a very, very, enigmatic NBA player. He turns off local fans by scowling for all 48 minutes of a game, win or lose. He alienates the fans of opposing teams by being the only player willing to be physical to the point of being inappropriate. He can't jump all that well, he can't shoot well. He never gets to the line, he never hits the big shot or makes the huge play.

What he does do, however, is help the team win.

Kendrick is an absolute monster at Center in Boston. He is the best Center in Boston since Robert Parish, with absolutely no exaggeration, and he is going to be out of Game 7 v. LA on a flukey play - a play in which he battled with 2 Lakers under the hoop for a rebound, something that the Celtics are already bad at, now they have to be worse at it in the biggest game of the season.

All Perk has done is play his role - there was a crucial moment in the '08 Season when Perkins was frustrated with Rondo (I believe) because #9 grabbed a rebound that Perk felt was "his". Garnett, during the play, stepped up to Perk and barked at him - a tremendous show of leadership by KG and a huge learning moment for Perk.

So there is an immediate heartbreak in that Perkins has to sit and watch his team either win or lose Game 7 - neither of which will satisfy him, and rightfully so.

But there is a deeper sadness that comes in the form of Perkins losing a long-term extension, that was absolutely coming his way. Rondo is the only player the C's have locked up long-term, and with the advancements on the court that Perkins has made the last few years, I am 100% convinced Ainge was going to lock up Perkins long term.

Perkins has torn MCL and PCL ligaments in his right knee. I went online during the writing of this post in order to read more about long-term implications, and I came across the quote below.

"I don't want anybody to feel sorry for me. It's an important game, it's not about me. It's about winning the title."

Well I feel sorry for the entire team, and I feel sorry for Perkins. This team has gone on an incredible 2 month run that Perkins was a crucial, critical and altogether impossible-to-give-up player at the center of this run, and I cannot bear the thought of Game 7 without his Small, Sad Face. And his defense.

...BP's Billions...

There is much discussion about what BP should do with its 10.5 Billion Dollar dividend in order to determine what is right, what is fair and what is just. The major complication, as I see it, is that none of the players in this conversation have any kind of real grasp on “right”, “fair”, or “just”.

There is a big time undercurrent (or overcurrent, if that is a word) of sentiment that the money in the world is inherently evil – which always cracks me up because it immediately takes away any personal responsibility for the creation, surplus, lack, or division of money in the world. We all have a stake in this, we are all responsible for the way money is transferred, and ultimately spent.

The perfect example is BP and the many gas stations around the state. I drove by a BP in Maynard and saw people pumping away, and I couldn’t believe it. The lack of personal responsibility in going to a BP station is astounding. As a consumer, our only real course of action against corporations or products we don’t like is to “not”. Not buy, not consume, not share, not talk about, not enjoy…to do “Not” is the only weapon we have against the company.

I don’t know if it was apathy, lack of understanding, lack of caring, or outright ignorance, but when you go to a BP station and fill up your tank you are literally telling BP that you’re behind them, you’re on their side. That’s noble if you believe it, if you are on their side, but if you polled 10 out of 10 people at a BP station they would tell you the spill is horrible, the company is at fault, and something must be done to stop it, immediately.

That’s where personal responsibility comes in – and the lack of it in this country. I have the argument with friends all the time about the Sports. Trust me, this isn’t an NBA post…so don’t worry. But people always say, “Why does so and so have to make 10 million per year!?” Well, the short answer is, they don’t. However, if 10 million is out there to be had, then someone will have it.

How do they get that 10 million? This is how:

1. People buy tickets, the team makes money.

2. People watch TV, advertisers buy advertising on the broadcast b/c of ratings, the team makes money.

3. People buy jerseys, the team makes money.

4. People listen on the radio and read in papers, advertisers buy space, the team makes money.

All 4 of those things, and many others, are 100% controllable by us, the consumers. The only way we can stop Kendrick Perkins from getting a 5 year 50 million dollar extension is to STOP doing the 4 things above. As long as we continue to do those things, we have no backbone in the argument.

Back to BP – as long as we go to the pumps, we have no backbone. Don’t people understand that? And now there is a 10.5 Billion dollar surplus that people all around the globe are going to be mad about. A surplus that rests squarely on our shoulders, and the shoulders of the British where they are a more dominant country. The 10.5 billion came long before the oil started gushing. That 10.5 Billion is there, we created it.

So now what do we do with the surplus, well, we look at our options. And as a side note, at this point, on this spill, Obama’s opinion really doesn’t seem to have any weight, or any kind of real momentum. He has been passive, at best, in this whole thing. Crouch on an oil filled beach all you want with a furrowed brow and a longing for old times look in your eyes Mr. President, until you absolutely demolish BP your actions are that of a corporate magnate, a Titan of Industry, and if that’s your mission, well then cheerio to you, good sir. However, his opinion here is finally saying something…

Option 1 is to divide the dividend up amongst shareholders. They invested in the company, and the company made money, so they get their investment back plus some, based on their agreement. That sounds okay until you realize that part of investing in a giant, negligent Oil Company comes at a cost. Didn’t anyone see “There Will Be Blood”? I mean, wasn’t the whole point of that basically that greed and desperation for power and money comes at a giant cost? There WILL be blood on your hands if that’s your goal?

When you invest in Bigger-Than-Big oil, there will be blood, and the blood is flowing. You cannot expect, as an investor, to just have your money come flowing in while death and destruction flows out. Here are the options as reported by the Times:

A person with direct knowledge of the board’s discussions said Monday that the board was considering three possible options: suspending payment of the dividend for two quarters, paying the dividend in bonus shares or escrowing the amount of the dividend while paying for the cleanup. Under the last option, BP would use cash generated from revenues to pay for the cleanup and would not tap the fund unless it was needed. This option, the person said, could offer some reassurance to both Washington and to shareholders that BP will pay for the cleanup while also trying to accommodate shareholders.

1. Suspend Dividend for 2 Quarters - Oh, good, thats news to us. The ocean will be oil free in 2 quarters. Thank goodness, because I was talking to a turtle the other day whose younger brother has oil in his lungs and eyes and was under the impression that Texas Tea would be clogging up his arteries for 5, or at least 4, quarters.

2. Paying the Dividend in Bonus shares - Sarcasm only works in point 1. Think about this arrogance - they are destroying the earth little by little with no real end in sight and they not only think they are going to pull through it all, but they're going to pull through it all richer than they came into it, and they think shareholders should be excited by that prospect. Who would want bonus shares!?!?!

3. Escrow the Amount of Dividend while paying for the cleanup - I guess this one seems somewhat reasonable, but I don't like the idea that BP is honestly thinking that the cleanup effort won't nudge into their operating dollars and only will effect profit. At what point do they just give up and realize it's all over?

Cuz you know what? Its all over for BP, its all over for oil, and its all over for us. I was off of Long Island swimming this weekend and I was thinking, in the back of my head, that this literally could be the last summer I swim in that water. How quickly will oil fly up the east coast to New York once it rounds Miami? It's gushing. I try to avoid watching the live footage because it is right up there with some of the most horrifying images I have ever seen in my life. No joke.

...iPhone upgrade...

I don't think people are adequately measuring the effects of a "pay-per-byte" data model that AT&T has unveiled.

Some of the biggest features of the new upgraded phone involve using more data, and this comes on the heels of having users pay a heftier price for data usage.

They are selling us all a bill of goods - the AT&T data network is so clogged already, and it looked like they were going to combat that by giving free wifi in Times Sq, which is a place where the iPhone is basically useless due to high traffic. And they also inserted a pay per byte data model that would charge consumers for using too much.

Those solutions, while sad to the consumer, sounded fair. It makes sense. But then they introduce features like streaming Netflix on the new iPhone, and you have to sit and think about that cost to the user who is paying per byte. And they introduce video conferencing, again, another huge huge data usage tool. Price and traffic, both are driven up with this tool.

Listen, AT&T/Apple are welcome to unveil anything they want, but people need to stop with the jaw dropping on these upgrades that aren't jaw dropping at all. The iPhone has amazed users for a few years now, and there really isn't anything left they can do with this phone to make people go crazy anymore, at least not within reason.

I think of this like the M&M. It's a pretty simple candy, but it's pretty amazingly good. But now you can get the Peanut Butter, Peanut, and a few other "flavors", which are pretty good, but they won't match the excitement you find in a regular old M&M.

We don't need to pretend to be amazed by iPhone anymore, by doing that, we are overlooking the fact that innovation, which was something that the consumer fell in love with with Apple, is giving way 100%, rather than the standard 85%, to the bottom line.