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Sunday July 8, 2007

Some good reads …

I’d like to simply point you to some good articles with little commentary that I think are worth noting.

Here, a great visual of every product Apple ever made since 1976. I became a customer in 1984, worked there from ‘89-96, left the line briefly for two years and returned in or around the year 2000 and have happily remained in the family. My point is that I’m a fan and I’ve never seen a well described picture of all the things Apple has made. This picture is wonderfully historic and offers a perspective beyond Apple but of the tech industry and where it’s going.

On a more educational note, tech business folks often talk about the “whole product” thing and this article takes a nice example of todays business and the expectations, using the Iphone as the example. Very well written; I wish I had done it.

Worth noting that Adobe is making the Open Source move. And it’s about time. On a related note, an article about how Microsoft’s inconsistency around open source is an issue.

Best line:

“Cause while Microsoft may think we are playing Monopoly (” Go directly to Jail. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200”), the open source world is building a whole new world.”

It reminds me that the innovators choose where to play and with whom to play. They are the creators who innovate what will get made next. Many of the best-of-the-best are focused on web and community based applications. Those that love industrial design all work at Ideo or Apple. Most of them are not at Microsoft.

And I thought this was insightful for those doing marketing with search. Dollars might be better spent on Yahoo’s engine. If Yahoo could figure out how to do a few things right, they’ll be incredibly successful. They’ve been playing a “me-too” game for way too long. If they focus on a few things that they can own, the advertiser / brand manager community could easily switch from Google to Yahoo.

Technorati Tags:
Adobe, Microsoft, iphone, whole product, apple, open source