Being an armchair product designer has its advantages, but the most important is the lack of accountability. You can say anything you want without regard to the consequences of your statements. After all, you’re not actually inventing anything except for some words strung together in sentences, and sentences strung together in paragraphs. If someone is […]

As the iPad 2 remains sold out most anywhere, the only question is whether Apple can build enough to satisfy the demand. But there’s another cloud hanging over production, which is the impact of the earthquake in Japan. Since many semiconductor parts are built there, any slowdown or halt in manufacturing is bound to cause […]

The other day, Sony’s stock price soared several percent amid clearly unconfirmed rumors that Apple would make a bid for a hostile takeover. This would be an ironic development, in light of the fact that Steve Jobs said some years back that he wanted Apple to be more like Sony, not to mention his high […]

Whenever an analyst wants to write something without thinking, it’s easy to pontificate on such silliness as the alleged resemblance of the iPod to the Sony Walkman. Both gained iconic status, but the latter was eventually largely supplanted by me-too products that were cheaper and offered identical or additional features. And let’s not forget the famous […]