Microsoft's Monopoly vs Apple's 'Monopoly'

There's been some talk in the media that since the EU has sought to tackle Microsoft's abuse of market dominance on the Desktop Operating System market, Apple should be next for its dominance in mobile digital music.

This, in my opinion, is crazy and this is why; Choice. Apple's so-called monopoly has been achieved through the choice of people wanting its products. Microsoft's monopoly has been achieved through people having to use their products where no choice was offered.

Let me put this another way, if you were to walk into a high street electronic store or a computer store with a view to purchasing a digital music player, you would find choice. Lots of choice. There'd be so many different makes and models of digital music player from which to choose that your head would spin. You'll find music players by Fujitsu, Sanio and Sony (to name but a few). There'd be a bunch of cheaper ones with a brand you've never heard of before. You'll find players that can handle video made by Creative and yes, you'll find media players by Apple. What you'll see is that you have choice, you can choose which player you want and guess what, they will all play MP3 files.

But what if you were looking to buy a computer? Granted, you could walk into a store and find computers made by HP, Lenovo and Sony and many more. Is that choice? Kind of. But what about the Operating System? Sure, you can choose between Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Enterprise and so on, but the bottom line is this, you will be buying a Microsoft operating system. Sure, if you ask around and make the effort, you can get yourself a Linux box and maybe even a Mac, but let's look at the shop window; All you can have is Windows.

Whereas you can choose your music player, you can't choose your Desktop Operating System. And this is the difference between Microsoft's monopoly and Apple's 'monopoly'.

But how did we get here?

Microsoft got here by illegal means. They bullied companies into not including other Operating Systems on their computers thus making sure that the only Operating System that could breathe was Windows. Anything else suffocated through lack of exposure. Ever heard of BeOS? There we go then. Windows succeeded by becoming the default installation on almost every computer sold. Not many people actually choose Microsoft Windows because, as far as they can see, Microsoft Windows is all there is.

How did the iPod become so dominant? Apple released it, marketed it and people chose it. It's that simple. Apple didn't have to stop others from making music players and it didn't have to stop shops from selling them. In other words, Apple made a media player that people wanted more than the others, hence their market lead. If Apple were to start making media players that people didn't like, people could move on and buy something else instead. Apple doesn't own the market through bribery and corruption, it owns that market by appealing to the materialistic values promoted in today's modern media - in other words, Apple owns the market because it makes things that people want.

But the EU is worried because Apple is locking people into the iPod. They say that there's no means for people who use iTunes to use their music with other devices. That's not strictly true. I play my iTunes music on my Nokia smartphones by burning the music to a CD ROM and ripping it back in MP3 or unprotected AAC. It's my music, I listen to it on my phone and my iPod. What's the EU talking about?

I really don't see what there is to investigate regarding Apple and it's alleged monopoly. Nobody forced me to buy an iPod, I could have just as easily bought a Windows Media Compatible player (that would be compatible with Windows Media, for a while, before Microsoft changed the format without giving me a path to upgrade for free - a la Plays For Sure), but I wanted an iPod.

Yes, Apple has a massive chunk of the mobile digital media market. Ok, it's a hugely massive chunk and it is the biggest fish in the pond, but it got there by the market (that's us) choosing to put it there, not because people were forced or tricked into buying Apple products.

How much of a stranglehold does Apple have in order to force the market to do what it wants? Ask NBC who have decided on their own volition to not work with Apple and instead work with Amazon. Nobody stopped them and people are as free to buy NBC products from Amazon as they were when NBC were in iTunes.... Well, except that NBC video will no longer play on Apple Macs because Microsoft doesn't support protected Windows Media on the Mac..... Wait a minute!

So, EU dudes, before you complain about Apple's media monopoly, take a look at the BBC's iPlayer, ITV.COM, Amazon's video service, Channel 4's 4oD and tell me where you see Apple's monopoly. Then pop down Currys or Dixons and count how many music players support protected WMV and WMA compared to protected AAC. If there is a lockout monopoly going on, you want to be knocking on doors in Redmond, not Cupertino.

4 Oh Dear

Any companies that want to take on iTunes and the use of DRM for purchase of legal video downloads will need to perform well to be in a with a chance. Unfortunately for Channel 4, there is no chance of it's online TV service coming close to threatening even the most unreliable of services since it is, probably, the most unreliable of services.



For example, the only TV show I can imagine myself watching on the channel is The IT Crowd. When it first started being made available on 4oD, I couldn't get the video to play inside the 4oD player, so I had to find the video file on my Hard Drive and play it from there straight into Windows Media Player.

Unfortunately, Channel 4 have stopped me from doing that and now force me to do it from the web page itself. So, I load up the software and after some coaxing (which involves downloading the video then starting up a streaming video only to have to copy the URL to the stream and paste that into Windows Media Player), it plays and I get to have my weekly TV giggle.

That was last week. This week, I'm playing it in the web based player and it says "Oh no! You naughty little man! You need to be playing this in the web based player!". I am. It's wrong. I'm right. I don't get to watch my video.

I'm still unable to watch it. It's free, so all it's really cost me is the time it takes to connect, download and try to kick it off.

But if I had to compare that with the smooth runnings of the iTunes experience, it should be clear to everyone except a Channel 4 executive that 4oD is utterly useless.

When it comes to iTunes, I just pick my Song/Video/Movie/TV Show and play it. I'm fully legal and yet the whole DRM issue doesn't show its head at all. It's transparent. Sure, I'd rather it wasn't there at all, but it's Ok because it causes me no trouble whatsoever whereas this Microsoft-based DRM means that I can't run it on my preferred platform (Mac OS X) and even under Windows, it won't run because it isn't sure of what software I'm using to run it.

Like, hello?

Eczema - Clearing Up

My eczema flare up seems to be finally subsiding. What made it go could be one or a combination of prayer, hydrocortisone, tonnes of diprobase moisturiser, unique eczema ointment from West Wales or ointment and tablets from a Chinese medicine shop.

But with it now, slowly ebbing away, I don't want to forget what it was like because when it happens, the shock can be frightening and it can make you wonder if it ever will go away.

So here, in public view, are my memories of what I had. I fully acknowledge that what I went through is nothing compared to what other have gone through and go through every day, but I want to encourage anyone who stumbles upon the blog entry to know that if you don't normally suffer from the condition, but you got it bad right now, there's every chance it will go away.

It started with the itch, and I can promise you that there's nothing that compares with scratching an eczmatic itch. It didn't seem so bad on that first day, but when I woke up with blood on my bedsheets and deep red skin all over my torso, I guessed something was up.

I started trying my limited supply of hydrocortisone but it was like the jet fighters against the aliens in Independence Day - it just wasn't enough to handle this kickass invasion.

I got advice to moisturise and moisturise and moisturise and moisturise. This is what I did and while it slowed down the rash's progress, it didn't make it better.

Hot days were bad because the rash was all over and into my back so I couldn't sit comfortably in my car to drive because it would get hot, sweat and then sting like there were needles being pushed out through my skin (yes, out).

In some ways, nights were worse because I'd have to 'grease up' and wear a t-shirt to bed and that meant feeling too hot to sleep. Sometimes, I'd wake up to find myself sitting on my bed with lumps of dead skin under my nails and a horrible feeling in my back and shoulders... A feeling like someone had just gouged out a bunch of skin.

I remembered back when I was around 19, when I had my last flare-up, and some exclusive ointment from a pharmasist in Carmarthen cleared me up in three days. I tried to get hold of it and my parents tried to get hold of it but it took more than a week. One memory that sticks in my mind is that of being at the pharmasist's and being able to see jars of the ointment on the shelf but because my ordered lot hadn't arrived, I couldn't have any! The desperation was so intense, I even considered shoplifting! I did offer to pay double, but that wasn't acceptable either.

I got some in the end and, greasy though it was, I started using it and although I didn't get it fixed in three days, it did start to make it better.

Last Saturday, I fixed on trying my luck at asking some Chinese herbalists for help. They gave me some ointment and tablets to try. It cost... A lot. But over this last week, I have seen improvement; my skin isn't as red, I can sit in my car and handle heat better. I don't itch as much and I'm able to walk on a warm day.

I still try and keep my clothes few and loose, but things are getting better. Yet, I have found that where the redness was, dryness now is. This dead skin falling off has made me shower twice a day (instead of my usual once) and is a little distressing, but I guess it's a sign of healing - but waking up to a neck that looks like it's about to crack like dry mud isn't exactly something that makes me feel sexy.

As I said, it's getting better, slowly, and so I can do little more than hope and drink more Goats' milk.

Thank you for reading.

Productivity - One

I've been struggling to find a system that works well for me to get organised in my line of work. A recent discouraging appraisal has caused me to think again about the bottlenecks in my attempts to get things done and so I've made some changes.

Looking at how I've been working, I'm astounded that I still have not yet settled on a single collector. What started off as an attempt to try out various online tools (Remember The Milk, Hive Minder and Stikkit), turned into three collectors, none of which became definitive and, if I'm honest, none of which were really designed to be collectors. Sure, they do a great job of tracking tasks, but I rather foolishly lost sight of the need for ONE collector.

So, with this in mind, I have caved in to the Moleskine! In this, I collect everything and handle each item as required. Each item starts off with an associated empty box drawn beside it and then I put a symbol in that box depending on what I've done with it so that I can cross it out.

Merlin Mann, in his Inbox Zero talk, mentioned limiting himself to five actions. Alas, I'm not as clever as him which is I've got eight which are as follows;

* Awaiting Action (Default)
This is merely something that's just been put in and hasn't been actioned. I suppose that if this doesn't count as an action, I'm already down to seven! Nice!

* Done
I was able to do it there and then. Very nice.

* Scheduled
I've put it in my diary for later action. This is no longer an issue for my collector and it will be brought to my attention when appropriate.

* Cancelled / Forget About It
It's no longer an issue so just cross it off and forget it even existed.

* Correspondence
I have actioned this by replying to the person who brought this to my attention or I've brought it to someone to who's attention I need to bring it or someone else (maybe someone who can get me more information regarding it). This would need to have a flag in a follow up diary entry.

* Logged / Updated
The biggest gripe against my disorderliness in the office is that I don't log and update calls in the helpdesk. The fact that our helpdesk software is to organisation what concrete slabs are to keyhole surgery is no excuse and so I hope that specifying this as an option will help me highlight it and bring it more readily to my attention. This is pretty much going to be only in my Office Collector, but more on that in the last action.

* Reference Only
There's nothing that needs to be done with this information, but it's useful for reference.

* Placed In My Office Collector
While I want to limit myself to one collector, I don't want to take my work home with me, so if something does crop up in my personal time that needs to go to the office, then I'll put it into my personal collector and channel it through that to my Office Collector (if immediately logging it isn't the best thing to do).

As far as the office is concerned, calls should be tracked by the 'helpdesk' software. However, since projects aren't allowed to pollute the helpdesk for fear of making it useless (ahem!), I need something else to track them. For this, I'm using Hive Minder (or is it Hiveminder? Surely, a true Web 2.0 app would have been called HivMindr?) and that seems to be pretty good what with its powerful features, group membership, web front end and even a usable mobile web interface.

I've been getting behind on some stuff and that is getting me stressed, but I'm hoping that this little shift in implementation and a little more discipline will get me to where I want to be.

I need to understand and overcome my two main obstacles (indiscipline and discouragement) to succeed. I can but hope and do my damndest!

Dealing With Imperfect People

The first rule, when it comes to dealing with imperfect and flawed people is simple; humility.

When you're being corrected, directed, appraised or criticised, you can guarantee that the person doing it to you is imperfect. Without humility, there's scope to say 'who does he think he is saying that when I've seen him....' or 'how dare she tell me to do that, I've never seen her...'.

But with humility, you can quietly accept the words of the roughest of rouges by seeing the rough diamond through the fog of western lusts and accepting them as who and what they are.

But why humility? Humility allows you to see your own flaws and in that, the futility of an argument which pits the other person's right to say something against your own to not have to listen to it. Humility puts the rights of the self aside and finds peace in a deeper truth than that of who can have the last word in a battle where nobody is truly 'right'.

This isn't about being a weak doormat, it's about being strong and that is why you find it harder to stay quiet than to speak up and tell him how wrong he is in the same way as it is harder to hold a weight at arm's length than to let it rest by your side.

Very often, you'll find yourself at the receiving end of a barrage of noisy imperfection, but you'll find truth in silence.

Humility rarely makes a noise. When it does, it whispers so that only the still can learn its peaceful secrets.

The Bittersweet Memories of The Bus Ride to College

You know, when I'm paid to worry about crazy things in order to pay my rent and earn a crust to eat at night, when I'm selfishly thinking about what I want to do, what I want to get, why I want to be somewhere and how long I will be stuck behind this stupid car that's holding me from my home, I'm million miles from memories that can warm the coldest of winters but also full of denied regrets for not keeping in touch with good people who played a part in shaping my world.

And so I find myself wanting to end this blog post without talking so much about 'me' because tonight, I've been overwhelmed with memories of the daily bus rides I took to-and-from college for two years. At the time, the bus ride was just a functional device for transporting my then not-so-fat butt. However, upon receiving an e-mail from a friend who shared part of that journey with me, I can see that it was a whole lot more than that.

Even some of the conversations are coming back, and among the memories of the people, there are memories of the interactions and the characters who were there; The nutters, the thinkers, the hippies and the singers and there was even a glamour model! What a mixed bunch we were, but if I remember correctly, I think I might have even felt accepted. How weird!

Nothing is or was perfect, but I remember those people who have left a lasting impression on me and now, in my memories, they are still boys and girls but of course, they're not. They're now men and women, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, and things have changed and the fact that I didn't make the slightest effort to keep in touch makes me feel like I've betrayed something really significant. They probably don't even remember me and if they do, they probably don't particularly mind or care that I've not been in touch, but I know that this is a pattern that follows much of how I do things. And I must face up to the fact that one person did try and keep in touch with me but I didn't write back.

Did e'r such joy and regret meet?

I probably deserve to be alone, if I think about it. If I can't make the effort to treat people with respect and dignity, what right do I have to expect it from them?

iPod Thoughts and Why The iPod Touch Isn't an iPod

While it's encouraging to read that even the most hardened Zune fanatics are accepting the rather excellent advance that Apple has made, I'm still struggling to fully 'get' the iPhone/iPod Touch.

I know that the user interface is phenominally sleek, but an interface doesn't make a device, does it?

Maybe it does, because I know that I'm itching to get my hands on one of the new iPod Nanos or an iPod Classic, so maybe it's just personal preference where I don't get my kicks out of touch screen interfaces.

And so I find myself really encouraged at how Apple has actually progressed a 'platform' and put in useful functionality that people can apply to their lives as opposed to functionality that puts a tick in the box but has no practical use (anyone want a squirt?).

And so my thoughts on the range as it now stands begin with the Shuffle which is a wonder of modern media. It's tiny, everybody accepts that it has no special features or functionality but still, there's something about it that makes it desirable. Oh, and I am a big fan of pastel colours.

I see the Nano and the Classic as being of the same ilk now that the only thing that really separates them is capacity. Sure, the Nano uses Solid State memory and the Classic a Hard Drive, but the user isn't going to see that when he (or she) looks to see how much space is available.

The update of the Classic's interface really does give the Zune a kick in the pants because Apple have managed to add elegance without adding the risk of having unreadable text or unecessary 'whizz-bang' waiting. In my opinion, the Classic is the greatest iPod line because it does what the iPod has done since the first days; store loads of songs (and videos, and photos, and contacts, and appointments, and podcasts). I have a 30Gb 5G iPod and I think it's the bee's knees, but the new Classic takes that sleek form factor and adds an interface that makes the user feel special without abandoning the original ideals of what has become an icon of digitial media. It's functional, it's simple, it works.

The iPod Touch is, in my opinion, not an iPod any more than the Motorola ROKR was an iPod. The iPod Touch is just an iPhone without the Phone (maybe it's an 'i' then?). This is somewhere I think Apple may have got the branding a little wrong because if the iPod Touch is an iPod, then why isn't the iPhone a iPod Talk?

As I see it, the iPod Touch may be elegant, but it's not simple and in some ways, it's muddied the water between the Classic and the Nano in that the Nano was a cut-down iPod because of it's lack of capacity and so is the iPod Touch. It can browse, it can buy, it can organise, but the iPod 'part' of the iPod Touch is a cut-down iPod; it's a rather limited PDA with cut-down iPod functionality. I think that this is a bit of a bad thing and I won't be wanting one, not because of some philosophical ideal regarding what an iPod should be, but because I have no use for it an iPod Touch.

The Classic is what I really, really want for Christmas (and the hints are already being dropped). I would really like a Nano in the meantime and a Shuffle is cute... I wouldn't say no to an iPod Touch, but if I had to choose between that and my current 5G 20Gb iPod, I think the 5G would win.

Asthma/Eczema Observation

I've spoken to a few people who have suffered an asthma attack or eczema flare up in the last week. Could there have been something in the air?

It can't have been the water because the people I've spoken to would have had different water sources.

Maybe it's a job for Scully?

Thomas The Tank Engine Rocks!

Today, I went with my parents, sister, brother-in-law and (most importantly) my nephew to see Thomas The Tank Engine at the Dean Forest Railway.

The work that went into presenting something exciting for the kids was so evident.

Apart from stalls and small rides, children (and their parents/guardians) were able to go for a ride on a carriage pulled by Thomas himself, have complete freedom to catch any of the trains on the lines, race Daisy Diesel against another train and they even carried out a fantastic little play where a nasty diesel engine stole Thomas' trailers while he was sleeping which resulted in The Fat Controller instructing Thomas to go and get his trailers back, something he dutifully did.

Fantastic stuff.

Speaking of which, almost upstaging Thomas The Tank Engine was the incredible Fat Controller who patiently had his photo taken with kids of all ages (some were as old as 33!), sweltering in a suit that could have easily doubled as an ecologically friendly oven. Even by the end of the day, he was smiling! Well done Mr. Fat Controller Dude! You rock!

All I can say is I fully recommend that anybody with kids goes to see an even where Thomas The Tank Engine is to appear. If it's half as good as this, your kids will adore it and love you forever because you took them!

Yes, my nephew liked it too ;-)