Hell might partiallly freeze over

According to this article:

HP's blockbuster deal with Apple will have one exciting side effect. The company will be working with Apple to add support for Microsoft's superior Windows Media Audio (WMA) form

Go Microsoft, Go Apple, Go HP!

HP + Apple == Sign of times to come?

Could this be the start of more partnerships between Apple and Computer Makers/Consumer Electronics companies or is this a one-off - HP jumps on the iPod bandwagon - The iPod name has become synonymous with mp3 players, such is the power of the marketing behind the product. Xerox == photocopy, Band-aid == bandage, iPod == mp3 player - it does have a nice ring to it doesn't it?

The key in my opinion is for Apple to capitalize on it's established brand - this is definitely a step in that direction. By licensing it's intellectual property to other companies, Apple is ensuring that these companies don't produce knock-offs that ride on the wave created by it's flagship product (730,000 iPods were sold during the holiday season last year) thereby ensuring that Apple continues to get a piece of the mp3 player pie (read profits) even though the product that sells isn't a 100% Apple.

Question is, will they ever let other companies start cloning Macs or license out their OS? Hmm, that will be day when "Hell freezes over" (the Eagles re-united so there is hope here!)

Interesting news links

Verizon to spend $1B on Wireless Upgrade

So honestly, if you want to get a new cell phone - make it a Verizon plan. If you work for a company that makes CDMA technology for Verizon, don't sell your shares. And you guys at Qualcomm are the luckiest ever - the company's stock has gone through the roof, up by nearly $20 in the past year - chart

Apple's unlikely Guardian Angel

Who is Apple's guardian angel? It's the firm that Mac users most love to hate, the bogeyman of the Mac universe, the one company whose products some Mac fans refuse to use on principle. You're not gonna believe this, but it's Microsoft

Yahoo! News - Tech Firms Defend Moving Jobs Overseas

Tech companies provide their rationale for the jobs "out"flux. Some of the reasons cited being garnering a foothold in foreign markets among others. For the first time though, the tacit has been made explicit, companies are hiring foreign candidates with more acute math and science skills compared to their American counterparts - is this the wake-up call to American schools at every level to up the ante and focus more on imbibing 'rithmetic and science to the next generation of kids?

Snow Storm ravages the North-West

What a mis-leading headline - we had so much fun thanks to the snow storm that hit our corridor of the United States yesterday. Lemme give you a brief overview:

1. Most no one showed up at work
2. Everyone drove within the speed limit (more like 20 below at least)
3. Hand-break turns were the norm, not the exception :)
4. My car did a 180 without much motivation - I drove straight back to my carport and parked
5. I slid down any slope in sight on a cardboard box
6. It was TJC
7. The Karans and I ate Thai food without clatter - the service was prompter than usual
8. NO TRAFFIC
9. I slept wishing for more snow ;)

Intel pulling off an AMD?

This article at the enquirer briefly touches upon the thought in the Intel camp to launch a processor like the AMD 64 bit line of processors through an interview with a PR man at Intel. What does this spell for the future of the Itanium Chip into which Intel sunk in millions billions of research dollars? What is even more interesting is the entire slew of links at the end of this short newspiece/article providing pointers to other stories that confirm/strengthen the rumours making the rounds. Manoj scratches chin and wonders... And then he reads this in an article at the Register:

"This fateful step will necessarily consign Itanium to low volume, high end computing solutions as a mainstream, high volume x86 horse-race develops between Intel and long-time rival AMD that will push 64-bit x86 performance well into the low-mid range server territory for which low power Itanium was slated."

Though the Register is known to jump the gun sometimes when it comes to forecasting market trends, it's quoting an analyst who ofcourse, are never wrong ;)

The Limits of Innovation

The author draws heavily on trends in the Computer Industry to show that innovation isn't everything in the world today. Not that this isn't a known fact, the most innovative companies have never been among the money, Apple Computer and Xerox PARC being cases in point. Though verbose in text and repititive (at times) in thought, the article does prove it's point - that an innovative idea must be followed up with a sound marketing idea for commercial success to ensue. In the end, it's the bottomline that matters, not how uber cool the product turned out to be...

Kumble, Pathan give India glimpse of win - The Times of India

I haven't been able to get any work done just because I've been listening to commentary all day today and yesterday - ruthless. But India can win, India can win :) Reminds me of the way we watched the live telecast on while programming Net Prog Assignments at RPI. Nostalgia I say...