As you may or may not have heard, Apple is spending $3 billion dollars to buy a hip hop music company called Beats. Why? Damned if I know. The guess is they want to improve their iTunes radio app and perhaps appeal to a younger crowd.
I don’t understand it as both iTunes Radio and Beats are not very successful in the marketplace…with Beats being even less successful than iTunes. Beats also makes a popular headphone using sports stars and other so-called celebrities to market them. Smart. Watch some of the basketball players walking into arena and you will see them wearing Beats headphones. They may be great for hip hop but for most other styles of music, they are crap. They load up the bass end without a whole lot of attention paid to mid range and high end sounds. You would be much better served to buy Bose or some other brand that pays attention to quality.
And the cherry on top of this fiasco is Apple is bringing the two top execs of Beats into the company, including their foul-mouthed President. That may be OK for a company that promotes the chaotic, ugly music that is Hip Hop and Rap, but not for one of the classiest tech companies in the world. One of the top Apple execs said today that Steve Jobs would be proud of this acquisition. Sorry…I believe Steve Jobs is rolling over in his grave.
Now, I realize that I am an old fart that may not “appreciate” today’s music (my parents never liked my music when I was a kid) and time is moving past me, but I still believe in the power of beauty and good taste. And while some pundits think this is a good move for Apple, so many others do not. They point out that Apple would have been better off buying Spotify or some other Internet music company.
For Apple, $3 billion is a drop in the bucket. They will not lose on the deal. The Beats folks say they are doing this to “Save Music.” Total BS! They did it for the money. Music doesn’t need saving…at least good music doesn’t. Mozart, Beethoven, Frank Sinatra, Dave Brubeck, Chuck Berry, Elvis` and many others are still going strong and their music will still be around when you and I are gone. Can you say the same about Hip Hop?
So you read our two top stories here and decide for yourself. If you read on past them, I think you will find some good info here that may help you out with your tech products. –JRC
Tech News and Opinions
Confirmed: Apple acquires Beats for $2.6B and $400M in stock
After three weeks of rumors, it's finally official. Apple has acquired Hip Hop subscription streaming music service Beats Music, and headphone maker Beats Electronics.
Let's spend Apple's money: 10 acquisitions that make more sense than Beats
Since Apple is opening the wallet for acquisitions let's spend some money. Hello Nuance, Shazam, ARM and a bunch of others. All of those proposed deals could deliver more value than the $3 billion dropped on Beats.
Apple is in Reset Mode - Walt Mossberg On Apple
It’s not necessarily a bad thing. But it was forced on them by somebody dying who was an extraordinary figure, so they’re going through a reset.
Opinion: Rebooting Windows for a new era of computing
The next couple of years will be crucial for Microsoft, but I believe that the company has what it takes to surprise us, and that it still has a good chance of transforming itself into a company that can rise to the challenges and changes thrown up by the post PC era.
Microsoft announces Windows 8.1 with Bing for low-cost devices
The new edition of Windows appears to be the same as the standard version of Windows 8.1 (complete with this spring's Windows 8.1 Update), but with one major distinction: Windows 8.1 with Bing ships with Microsoft's search engine set as the default in Internet Explorer. And it is free for manufacturers of low cost devices.
Computer Tips and Tricks
Windows maintenance, done dirt-cheap
To read the advertising by Windows maintenance suite vendors, you'd think Microsoft sells technologically challenged operating systems that will function properly only with the grace of third-party intervention. In truth, the utilities that Microsoft has included with all its operating systems since XP will do the job.
How to automate basic PC maintenance tasks
You can automate many basic PC maintenance tasks, such as removing temporary files, fixing drive errors, keeping drivers up-to-date, and backing up files.
How to get the Start menu back in Windows 8
If you have recently purchased a Windows 8 computer and hate the layout, here is a roundup of the latest free and paid apps that will get a Start Menu back on to your computer. Its been updated with several new apps since we last wrote about this subject.
10 Wrong Ways To Set Up Your Wireless Network
When I turn on a wireless device in my apartment, I immediately find over twenty five wireless networks, all with strong signals. This is an example of how prevalent wireless Internet has become, but some of the networks I can find are not set up properly, making them insecure or unreliable.
8 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With Google Drive
The multifaceted feature that allows you to create documents, photos, spreadsheets, drawings and more has boundless abilities. However, with Drive's constant updates and added hacks, we're only scratching the surface of what it can really do.
Mobile Computing
6 Reasons Why You Can’t Move Your Cell Phone To Any Carrier You Want
Unlike with Wi-Fi, there are many different competing cellular network standards — both around the world and within countries. Cellular carriers also like locking you to their specific network and making it difficult to move. And that is just for starters.
10 indispensable iPhone apps for Windows users
If you’re one of the two out of three Windows users who also own Apple products, you may not realize you can use the traditionally adversarial platforms to get a productivity edge.
Applications to Secure your Android Smartphone
Android is a very flexible OS, and all these challenges can be well dealt with if you choose the right security app from Google Play. Yet there is an abundance of suitable options, so we decided to help you by making a short list of the best security applications.
Sunrise for Android makes Google Calendar look ugly
Following a stint as an iOS exclusive, calendar app Sunrise launched today on the Play Store and on the web. It was well worth the wait. (Includes a video)
3 simple ways to clear up "other" memory on your iOS device
"Other" memory, the nonspecific space hog that greedily takes up memory on your phone without adding value to your life. Is there a simple way to reclaim those precious GB back from your phone without restoring it? Yes dear reader there is. Here's how
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