1. Stable OS: The two leading mobile OS makers, Apple and Google, have very entrenched operating systems that over thousands of apps that actually enhance user experience. By and large, these os’, iOS and Android, are stable and don’t crash.
2. Small Form: Tablets have embraced the consumer’s preference for small form. While you are still getting a 10″ screen in some cases, the devices weighs a mere fraction of even a netbook. Anyone who has ever lugged around a laptop knows what a blessing this is. It should reduce the visits to the chiropractor.
3. Overall Usability: While you won’t be editing the next great multiplex film on a tablet, you can do a lot with these devices. Plus, you don’t need to be a computer expert to operate one. Even netbooks rely on a version of desktop operating systems. All you have to do is remember back to Windows Mobile to see what you get when you try to cram a desktop system onto a mobile device.

This is not to say the computer is going anywhere. To the contrary, the PC will be around in some form for the foreseeable future. However, the days of the laptop being the dominant form of mobile computing are clearly over. If you are in class or in a business meeting, chances are you don’t need a full OS. All you need is system with web access and a note taking app. Tablets do that perfectly.

Apple unilaterally decided to increase the song preview time in iTunes from 30 seconds to up to 90 seconds. Here is a screencap of the notice they sent to the record labels. My favorite part is the “we are pleased to inform you” line.

I knew I could count on someone from some branch of the hopelessly clueless recording industry to pipe in with a take. That someone is Rick Carnes of the Songwriter’s Guild. Here is his reaction.

“It’s like giving away ice cream samples–someone has to pay the cost,” said Rick Carnes, president of the Songwriters Guild of America. “I think it would be a good thing for consumers to go to 90 seconds. But they’re tripling the amount of time, and they want it for free. I think there ought to be compensation. I believe anytime you use music, you ought to reward the people making the music.”

Seriously?!?! How do you get from ice cream samples to song previews? I feel like I’m stating the obvious, but ice cream is a scarce good. Music is not. The two don’t compare. Anyone who has ever tried to sample a song on iTunes knows that 30 seconds can be too short. This extra preview time will help people buy more, because they will be confident in what they are buying. Surely Mr. Carnes knows this. In fact, I would suspect this is an attempted money grab.

Say what you want about Apple’s way of doing things, but I’ve got to side with them on this one. If the industry wants to start making money again, they need to start embracing the reality of how people purchase music. They should also keep folks like Mr. Carnes quiet.

I do find this new way to distribute software downright revolutionary. It’s a fantastic way to discover terrific new software. Sites like MacUpdate have been my go-to place to find new software in the past. In fact, that’s how I discovered my favorite FTP client, Forklift. However, MacUpdate is not integrated with the operating system like the App Store will be.

Despite all of the positives, it will be hard to get past the large chunk of the pie Apple takes for using it’s App Stores. With an iOS device, there is no other choice. With a Mac, many developers may choose to stay on their own, thus maintaining control.

Apple has announced a new update to Mac OS X, version 10.7. Going with the familiar cat-themed names, it will be called Lion. The operating system update was just the tip of the iceberg, however. The MacBook Air, iLife Suite, FaceTime for Mac and a new Mac App Store were big announcements yesterday.

I think the Mac App Store is the most intriguing announcement that was made. The Mac developer community has always been vibrant, and this should take that to a whole new level. Users will have one central place to find software for their Mac. This should enhance the user experience, as more and more people are getting accustomed to finding their applications via “App Stores”.

There is quite a bit more information about the Apple announcements yesterday, and Apple has even posted a video of the press event online. I look forward to the release of these new products.

Tablet PC’s would seem to be. The iPad has sold extremely well, and competitors have been scrambling to keep up. Android would seem to be the most poised to enter the market next. Their app store is second only to Apple to volume of apps. Plus, the open environment has developers flocking to Android. It’s unclear how Research In Motion can keep up. Their name was built in the business community with smartphones. They have not dominated the regular consumer market, and it’s remains to be seen if they can develop a tablet to reverse that trend.

I really don’t know who the dominant player is going to be, but I suspect it will be a two headed monster consisting of Apple and Google. Those two are the only ones really innovating right now. I’m looking forward to seeing how the tablet PC market evolves.

I seriously doubt there will be a Verizon iPhone in the near future, and here’s why. Verizon uses CDMA technology for their wireless service. Very few mobile services worldwide use that technology. The preferred worldwide technology is GSM. Apple has been building the iPhone with GSM only parts, which makes it very easy to maintain quality control when selling the device worldwide. If they decide to make second model with CDMA parts, then they’ve doubled their work. Apple has made their name on “it just works” products. I can’t see them changing that now.

Another problem is Verizon’s notorious controlling attitude toward device makers. Apple has the same reputation in it’s dealing with carriers. That would setup a showdown between the two that would end up likely hurting customers.

The one way I see Apple selling the iPhone on Verizon, or any other carrier for that matter, is the upcoming transition to the LTE standard. This new standard is faster than 3G, and both AT&T and Verizon are adopting it. This would alleviate the need to manufacture two separate devices.

I just don’t see the iPhone-on-Verizon rumor coming true anytime soon. However, that’s not going to stop wishful Verizon customers from keeping their hopes alive.

Apple updated it’s Apple TV set top to be more of a streaming device. It’s also got a new black outside finish instead of the aluminum of the older models. I’m very curious to see if this actually works. Personally I’d like to have one with a hard drive to store my data, but Apple is betting that most people will want the simplified streaming-only version. Intel’s CEO isn’t impressed, calling it a device “for mom”.

One of the rumored Apple product releases would be a new iPad that would sport a front facing camera. This would allow Apple to continue rolling out it’s FaceTime service. Since this is merely a rumor, I’m not holding my breath. Speaking of tablet devices, there are still several rumored Android-based tablets that could be nearing release.

If you have a gadget fetish, hold on tight. There are some exciting things on the way!

Not really. They still have the final say, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Some of the more annoying aspects the app approval process still remain. For instance, political satire apps are allowed, but only for professional satirists. Apparently the “professional satirists” label will be decided by Apple. They also will not approve any apps that fit a category already saturated in the store. God forbid there be an app developed for a saturated category that is infinitely better than the existing ones.

This is a good move on Apple’s part, but approval process still has too much capriciousness in it. These new “open” guidelines feel less like receiving the gospel and more like CYA.

There are many folks on the anti-Apple bandwagon. It happens any time a company becomes a dominant player in their field. And that’s okay. No matter how smug you think Apple and their legions of fans may be, Apple products work. They work very well. The iPhone is the most intuitive mobile phone to ever hit the market. The iPod changed the way we listen to music. The iPad is on it’s way to changing the way we read books.

Apple will continue to create this buzz for the foreseeable future. They only thing that could trip them would be if they started to rest on their laurels. However, with Google really pressing hard with their Android mobile ecosystem, I don’t Apple being able to rest. This means more great products.

In the past couple of years we’ve seen companies go the route of nuclear patent war. Apple, Nokia, Google, Oracle and many others have resorted to huge lawsuits. You could say this was probably started by patent troll companies. These are companies who make nothing and sell nothing. They simply purchase patents, and sue anyone they think has violated that patent. Once these large companies started getting hit with this type of lawsuit, they eschewed the mutually assured destruction doctrine for a nuclear holocaust doctrine.

The real problem here is the US Patent Office. They grant some patents willy-nilly, and allow others to languish as an application for years. There needs to be real reform in our patent and intellectual property system. It’s a problem when true innovators are allowed to be sued by those who create nothing.