Monthly Archives: September 2011

The Capsule’s Price

September 25, 2011 – 9:12 pm

TweetDo encapsulated digital editions make sense? Is the notion of having a “news container”, similar to a newspaper or magazine, a relic of the past or is it still associated with quality journalism? In an era of instant information, is it worth proposing a self-contained, stop-motion shot of the news cycle? For some, the reflexive [...]

Edited by Frédéric Filloux | Posted in online publishing | Comments (14)

How Bad Boards Kill Companies: HP

September 25, 2011 – 8:58 pm

Tweet‘A good Board can’t make a company, but a bad one will inevitably kill it.‘ Thus spake Barry Weinman, the Gentleman Capitalist, when I joined the VC brotherhood. He meant to tell me to watch out for co-investors on the Board of companies in our portfolio of investments. And he was right. We, Vulture Capitalists, [...]

Edited by Jean-Louis Gassée | Posted in hardware | Tagged | Comments (35)

The (Overly Personal) Litmus Test

September 18, 2011 – 7:44 pm

TweetOver the past three weeks, I’ve been followed. By advertising. Like many, week after week, I land on dozens of sites. Some visits originate from my set of bookmarks, others from the usual click hopping that defines internet serendipity. In numerous instances, I get the same ad in different formats. The advertiser is called Litmus. [...]

Edited by Frédéric Filloux | Posted in online publishing | Comments (9)

Windows 8: BFD — Big Forking Decision

September 18, 2011 – 7:44 pm

TweetWhether we’re living in a post-PC world, as many think today when they look at growth rates and profits, or it’s PC-Plus, For Ever, as Microsoft’s very literate chief ideologue staunchly maintains, it doesn’t really matter. When the Redmond giant comes up with a new version of Windows, it’s a Big Festive Deal that will [...]

Edited by Jean-Louis Gassée | Posted in software | Comments (41)

The Blogosphere’s Soft Corruption

September 11, 2011 – 7:18 pm

TweetThe TechCrunch / Arrington saga is the perfect illustration for the stealthy corruption plaguing digital information. Skip this paragraph if you know the story. In a nutshell: on September 1st,  Michael Arrington, founder of the site TechCrunch, announced the launch of a venture fund (Fortune broke the story). Rather small token by Silicon Valley standards: [...]

Edited by Frédéric Filloux | Posted in journalism | Comments (21)

Crazy Patent Wars

September 11, 2011 – 7:18 pm

TweetEvery week we see more companies filing more lawsuits over patents. Microsoft and Oracle sue Google, Apple sues a long list of companies…and they all countersue in a new kind of circular firing squad, a real MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) conflagration. Soon, high-tech companies will have more lawyers than engineers. First, a word on the [...]

Edited by Jean-Louis Gassée | Posted in hardware | Comments (17)

Politico’s Way

September 4, 2011 – 7:55 pm

TweetTo cover American politics, Politico deploys an editorial staff of 150. This is more than any news organization in the United States for the same beat. It all started five years ago: a niche website launched by three seasoned political reporters who sharpened their claws in mainstream medias. As envisioned by John Harris, Jim VandeHei [...]

Edited by Frédéric Filloux | Posted in journalism | Tagged | Comments (12)

An Apple TV Set In Our Future?

September 4, 2011 – 7:34 pm

TweetNot another Apple TV black box but a real 50” flat-screen TV, “Designed by Apple in California” — and Made in China, like most Apple products. Or Made In Korea, if the company concludes a new pact with its best frenemy, Samsung, the new king of TV sets, the new Sony. Rumors of an Apple [...]

Edited by Jean-Louis Gassée | Posted in hardware | Tagged | Comments (102)