Big Is The New Small

This is a great 60 minutes interview with Walter Isaacson, the author of Steve Jobs autobiography.  There are some great nuggets from Steve Jobs’ life, family, style and some crazy cool twists and turns.  Then end of the interview focuses on how the iPad has changed the lives of families of and individuals living with autism. Really Good Stuff!

This is a great video and reminder of an iconic figure whose legend lives on.  As a matter of fact I’m typing this post on some distant version of the 1984 computer that Steve Jobs introduces in this video.

Outside of the people yelling and screaming for the introduction of this product.  The one thing in this video that I really liked was the simple 2 word cursive writing that showed on the screen. The words were simply Insanely Great!  One thing is certain, Mac and iAnything are all insanely great.

~Insanely Great

Below (Video #2) is the video for the iPhone 4s which is being released this Friday.  There are some cool additions to the iPhone 4s including: The dual-core A5 chip, 8MP camera with all-new optics also shoots 1080p HD video, iCloud, Retina Display and the highly anticipated voice recognition personal assistant Siri.

Siri is actually ridiculously amazing and is the feature that I’m anticipating the most, the unusual thing is that this feature has been around the App store for some time now.  Yes Siri was a start-up company that featured a voice recognition, personal assistant app. The app quickly gained notoriety and the rest is a part of Apple history.

Apple Inc. acquired Siri Inc. just a few months after the start-up’s voice-activated personal-assistant program launched in the App Store.  Apple’s purchase was originally confirmed Robert Scoble aka “Scobleizer” who theorized that the Cupertino, Calif., company might have paid about $200 million to purchase Siri. Previously, Scoble had declared that Siri was “the future of the Web.”  You can check out Siri’s original promo video in (Video #1) below, pretty similar to Apple’s, however Apple’s is better.  Great companies move things from good to great.

If you can’t invent it — buy it.  I remember reading this old Steve Jobs quote that may speak to Apple’s purchase of Siri. Jobs said this, “We’ve demonstrated a strong track record of being very disciplined with the use of our cash. We don’t let it burn a hole in our pocket, we don’t allow it to motivate us to do stupid acquisitions. And so I think that we’d like to continue to keep our powder dry, because we do feel that there are one or more strategic opportunities in the future.”  With the iPhone 4s having record pre-sales, many due to Siri — I guess you could say that Siri is one of those strategic opportunities for the future.

Oh and if you were one of the lucky folks to have previously downloaded Siri, enjoy it while it lasts.  You only have a couple of more days to enjoy it.  It has been removed from the App Store and will be removed from all non iPhone 4s devices on October 15th.  Existing Siri Customers are receiving messages like the one shown below in (Image 1).

The Legend of Steve Jobs.  They should change the Siri female voice to Steve Jobs’ voice and change the name of the technology to Steve instead of Siri.  ”Hi this is Steve, How May I Help You?”

(Video 1)

(Video 2)

(Image 1)

Will you be grabbing the iPhone 4s? Is Siri your primary reason for the upgrade? Share your thoughts on Apple’s approach to Siri and it’s existing App owners.

Steve Jobs was a a brilliant innovator and iconic CEO.  He will be remembered for the many contributions that he has made to culture via Apple inventions.  Below are 15 Steve Jobs Quotes from over the years that he can also be remembered for.

Top 15 Steve Jobs Quotes:

• 1. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. ~Steve Jobs
• 2. Design is not what it looks like and feels like.  Design is how it works. ~Steve Jobs
• 3. Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. ~Steve Jobs
• 4.A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them. ~Steve Jobs
• 5. You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. ~Steve Jobs
• 6. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. ~Steve Jobs
• 7. One of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex. ~Steve Jobs
• 8. Picasso had a saying: ‘Good artists copy, great artists steal.’ We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas… ~Steve Jobs
• 9. There’s nothing that makes my day more than getting an e-mail from some random person in the universe who just bought an iPad over in the UK and tells me the story about how it’s the coolest product they’ve ever brought home in their lives. That’s what keeps me going. ~Steve Jobs
• 10. No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. ~Steve Jobs
• 11. I have looked at myself in the mirror every morning and asked myself, ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ and whenever the answer is ‘no’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. ~Steve Jobs
• 12. My job is to make the whole executive team good enough to be successors, so that’s what I try to do. ~Steve Jobs
• 13. Why join the navy if you can be a pirate? ~Steve Jobs
• 14. Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles. ~Steve Jobs
• 15. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. ~Steve Jobs

People will remember not only the quotes that you say, but the quotes that you live.  How will you be remembered?

Share your favorite Steve Jobs quotes from this list or others.

If you have not seen this Apple commercial, it’s definitely worth your time – especially on the eve of Steve Jobs’ passing.  I have been inspired by this commercial for years, I talk about it in my book, my mantra of dream BIG. think BIGGER. has a kindred spirit.  Thinking different is where it’s at.

Steve Jobs helped us to Think Different…  he helped to move a generation to think beyond what is, to what could be.  dream BIG. think BIGGER.

Today is the highly anticipated release of the iPhone 5, or at-least that’s what I’ve been told. As I was in the air at about 30,000 ft. in route to NY, I decided to send Apple a Txt Msg. Maybe since I was in the iClouds they will receive the text. Sometimes you just think about things that make you go hmm.

Will you be getting the iPhone 5?   Can you relate to my text msg.?

I know the title of post may seem a little contradictory, but trust me it’s not.  We have all seen the people walking around with the Beats By Dre Headphones.  They are sleek red, white, black and come in many different styles.  Not only do they come in different styles, but they appeal to one of the largest demographic groups I’ve seen when it comes to a set of headphones.

You will see everyone from young hip- hop kids, middle age pastors (like myself), professional athletes, to corporate businessmen sporting these headphones.

These headphones are a status symbol, a status symbol that comes with a price tag ranging from $189 for the in-ear, all the way up to $450 for the over the head Pro’s.  Personally, I love the look, the brand and the symbol of the headphones.  My wife and boys bought me some for Father’s Day, I think this was part my wanting and part my boys trying to keep their approaching 40-year-old father hip.

I owned the in ear Tour headphones (shown in above pic.) First, let me share the things that I liked about the headphones.

• I liked the brand; I liked the name brand appeal, the overall feel & tribe nature.
• I liked the flat no tangle cord.
• I liked the look. (Coolest looking headphones on the market)

Although I liked the brand, I didn’t like the product.  Below is what I didn’t like about Beats By Dre and in my opinion, what makes Beats By Dre Not A Great Product.  Keep in mind, I only wore these for a couple of weeks and kept them in the case.

• The little “B” emblem near the plug-in fell off within the 1^st week.
• The flat no-tangle cord started to fray at the end.
• The shiny little chrome looking plastic piece came a loose.
• They only sounded average, the extra bass was an added feature without an ability to adjust it or remove the feature.
• They were just cheaply made.

Let me say Monster has done an excellent job of creating a tribe, a brand and a following with Beats Headphones.  Every time you turn on the TV you see people wearing them, even the American Idol contestants wore them as they were in the studio.  The branding is masterful.  Similar to Apple, their branding is masterful; you want an iPad, MacBook, IPhone or iSomething just to be a part of the tribe and associated with the brand.  That’s why Apple unassumingly moved from 3% to has 21% of the U.S. market share.

The difference between Apple and Beats by Dre is the simple fact that Apple is a Great Brand that has great products.  For the record, I can’t speak for any of the headphones other than the in ear Tour’s that I owned.  They scored an A+ for Look and Feel and a D- for Quality and Performance.  My son’s Skullcandy Kevin Durant Headphones sound and appear to be made better than Beats By Dre.

The silver lining and irony of the story… Apple gladly returned the headphones and gave me a full refund.

Share your thoughts on Beats By Dre, Apple or any other great brands and or not so great products.

First of all let me throw out the disclaimer, that I’m what Seth Godin would call an Apple fan.  I just bought the new recently released MacBook Pro, although I don’t even understand how all of the new features work, although it appears to be faster.  My family all has the iPhone 4 and my wife and I had the 1st generation iPad.  I received my latest Apple toy, the “iWatch” a couple of weeks ago.  My staff bought me the “iWatch” (iPod Nano w/ a watch band) as a parting gift.

We sold our iPad’s on Craigslist and purchased the new iPad 2′s. I got the 32 gig wifi white and my wife got the 16 gig wifi white.  I previously owned the wifi + 3G; however I never used the 3G service.  Here is my review, I won’t get all technical; however I will outline the important differences in addition to my thoughts about the new Smart Cover.

iPad 2 Review:

• It’s a third thinner, lighter and feels better in your hands, see the Apple advertisement here.
• It’s has a more vibrant display on apps and games.
• The white version is cool, it’s not gaudy and looks very natural against the silver aluminum backing.  It also appears to show less smudges and fingerprints on the edges as compared to the black version.
• The front and rear facing camera is the most important upgrade.  The camera quality is excellent, Facetime is great and this feature alone is worth the upgrade.
• The iPad 2 will not work with any of the original iPad cases, as it’s definitely much thinner.
• The rear facing camera is going to force some unique designs for enclosed cases.
• The speaker is now on the bottom back of the iPad 2, instead of the bottom ridge in the original iPad.  (I don’t like this feature, as most cases will have to be vented  or opened in the back or you won’t be able to hear the speaker.  Most of the cases out there are leaving an opening there and it looks goofy in my opinion.  It seems as though Apple was only thinking about functionality while using their Smart Cover and not after market cases.)
• The iPad 2 is faster than the original version and has a 1GHz dual core chip.
• Batter Life appears to be the same, which was great… I have not used it that much to see.

iPad 2 Smart Cover Review:

• The Smart Cover is actually quite smart and does exactly what this Apple advertisement says it does.  It finds the exact spot and locks in perfectly.
• The smart cover does not protect anything, except for the front screen and that’s a bit iffy.
• The smart cover leaves the entire back, edges and iPad in general exposed.
• The smart cover is cool on the surface, the instant magnetic connection feature and folding features are awesome, but the Smart Cover is not very smart in my opinion.
• The smart thing for me to do is to return my smart cover to the Apple Store and find a new case that will totally protect my new investment.

iPad 2 Review is simply this:  Apple probably could have put all of these changes in the original design, but they didn’t because they are genius.  They want folks like you and I to buy the new version, sell or hand down our older version and the wheels on the Apple bus go around and around.

The iPad 2 is awesome and a must have in my opinion.

Share your thoughts on the iPad 2 or the Smart Cover.  Do you have one, are you getting one?

Mi Thoughts: Just doodling some random thoughts on my iPad.  What do you think?

As a self-proclaimed Apple enthusiast, I’m always looking forward to the latest greatest products and updates.  My entire family including kids own either a MacBook Pro, iPad or iPhone.  I totally digg the iPad and I’m looking forward to the rumored iPad 2.  The new features are supposed to include: front and rear facing camera, faster processor, more memory, usb and a thinner more MacBook.

I’m not sure if the iPad 2 rumors, name or specs are true, but I can guarantee you this, “I Want One!” It’s not necessarily about the specs, as those are natural bonuses.  Apple is simply the worlds best at creating new candy that makes everyone say, “I Want One!” The older versions are simply passed down, sold on Craigslist or eBay or held onto as a backup.  Having an iPhone, iPad or MacBook is as much bout being in the in-crowd, as it is having a great product.

Apple users will even strike up conversations with strangers, simply because they both tote devices with the forbidden fruit logo.  This would never happen with a PC or Blackberry user. Although both are great products, one has simply mastered the in-crowd appeal.  Many of you are reading this post, because you want to know the latest greatest happenings with the in-crowd.

I think The North Face line of jackets fall into a similar category.  I’m sure they keep you warm, but spending the bucks for a North Face jacket is as much about The North Face logo on the front and back as it is the product.  I don’t have a North Face jacket, but “I Want One!”

What do you think?  Do you want one?