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Bill Gates on the iPad

> The multi-billionaire spoke with Brent Schlender of *BNET* and admitted that while he became [envious of the iPhone](http://blogs.bnet.com/corporate-strategy/?p=101), the iPad has not elicited the same reaction from him. > > “You know, I’m a big believer in touch and digital reading, but I still think that some mixture of voice, the pen and a real keyboard — in other words, a netbook — will be the mainstream on that,” Gates reportedly said.
via [appleinsider.com](http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/02/11/bill_gates_unimpressed_by_apple_ipad.html)
I wonder why Bill Gates would promote netbooks? Could it be because netbooks have been the only growth sector for Windows-based PCs in the past few years?

Here’s the guy who suggested ten years ago that Tablet PCs would be the primary form factor in a few years. He truly believed that the whole world would want to use their computers like clipboards, writing notes with a stylus like the nerd he is. (No offense, Mr. Gates. I actually have tremendous respect for your accomplishments. But you are a nerd.) And he looks at the iPad, and his biggest complaint is that it doesn’t have a keyboard?

The iPhone killed the stylus. It’s dead. Really. I’m serious. There will never be a successful mainstream computer appliance with a stylus ever again.

iPad has great voice recognition for disabled access, but mainstream voice control for computers is still a Star Trek fantasy, not something most people want to do every day. It just feels creepy talking to your computer.

The ultimate next-gen text input method, the replacement for the QWERTY keyboard, has yet to rear its head, but I’m fairly certain it will be neither voice input nor handwriting recognition.

Buzzkill

I’m glad that Google is taking another step into the social networking arena with its new Buzz product. But like Wave, Buzz has the problem of having to convince people it needs to exist.

My biggest problem with Buzz is the same as it is with Wave: Google continues to assume that most people spend all their time in a browser. Even worse, for Buzz you specifically need to be logged into your Gmail page.

I have a Gmail account. I only use it on rare occasions and so that I can have access to other Google services. I get my Gmail the way I get all my email, in Apple’s OS X Mail application. I NEVER go to my Gmail web page in a browser, unless I have to for some reason. Why would I want to look at ads while reading my email? And why would I want to have to continually log into a web site to see if I have a new email, when the standalone app informs ME via a notification when I have new mail?

For that reason alone, I’m extremely unlikely to check in with my Buzz updates. The only Google page I go to on a regular basis in the browser is my Google Reader page, because RSS is the one service that truly belongs in a browser. Oddly enough, though I have access to Buzz from my Google Reader page on my iPhone, that same functionality does not appear on my desktop Safari Google Reader page. Integrate Buzz into the Reader page on the desktop, and there’s a chance I might start using it. As long as it’s trapped inside the Gmail browser, it’s a non-starter for me.

Ultimately, Buzz isn’t going anywhere without both true integration with and true differentiation from Facebook and Twitter. That, plus some sort of standalone application.

A lesson in Customer Service: Waterfield Designs (@SFBags)

Good customer service is about as common as snow in San Francisco. Quality products are even more rare.

Waterfield Designs delivers both, and much more. I can’t say enough about how great my experience with this company has been. They respond quickly to questions. They ship promptly after ordering. They get the order right. And they design a top-notch product.

Everything they make is made in San Francisco, not a sweat shop in China. And all of the products are designed with intelligence, thoughtfulness, and an obvious passion for creating a truly useful product.

Believe me when I tell you, the pictures on the web site don’t even begin to describe how stylish and well-made these bags are in reality. 
This company, in essence, is the Apple of laptop bags and travel cases. 

Like Apple, Waterfield sometimes gets criticized for being too expensive. Anyone who buys quality bags will tell you that they are not.

[![Img_0661](http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/jcieplinski/naESJ99bTdBsoDUGXYdnxdZpqfFZG6VEf7SJ2BtfjwiCL1dXGpn9yy36iWeW/IMG_0661.jpg.scaled.500.jpg)](http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/jcieplinski/vMzlDndqYULZlSS8CWxzVl7TNTLfTJ5uilKoHdNlclthdbCCbQNMeMKUpGVd/IMG_0661.jpg.scaled.1000.jpg)
I wasn’t even buying this Vertigo for myself, but as soon as it arrived, I knew my next bag was going to be a Waterfield. 
It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the market for any kind of bag for myself. My Brenthaven laptop backpack has served me well for years now, and my older Brenthaven briefcase-style bag lasted several years before that. They’re great bags, and they’re not worn out. But now that I’m switching my Mac strategy from laptop only to an iMac/iPad combo, I’m going to need something smaller to carry my iPad and everyday items to and from work, the coffee shop, etc. 

I’ve preordered the iPad sleeve. Can’t wait until it comes in. Eventually, I’ll have to get myself a Personal Muzetto.

And no, I’m not getting paid to say all of this. I guess it’s silly to go on so much about a company that simply does what it’s supposed to do. But it’s just such a rare thing that you can’t help but be stunned by it when you see it.

Rumor: NBC is prepping a non-Flash version of Hulu for the iPad

> **Hulu is rumored to be working on an iPad-friendly version of its site which could be ready by the iPad’s March launch date.** > > According to *TechCrunch*, popular video site Hulu is [already at work](http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/10/hulu-ipad/) developing a way to deliver its content to the iPad platform outside of its normal Flash-based site. > > “The TV shows on Hulu would be perfect on the iPad. There is just one hitch: the iPad doesn’t support Flash, and all of Hulu’s videos currently run inside a Flash player,” states *TechCrunch*
via [appleinsider.com](http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/02/10/hulu_to_make_videos_available_on_ipad_without_flash_rumor.html)
This is just a rumor, and a rumor from TechCrunch, at that, but if true, this would be just about the final nail in the coffin for Flash on the iPhone/iPad, and perhaps in the long run Flash as a delivery method for video on the web in general.

As many have argued before me, and I will continue to argue until Flash is completely dead, Apple has no obligation to make Flash work on the iPhone/iPad platform. Content providers instead have an obligation to make their content available on the devices that people want to use. If you want customers, you don’t ignore your customers’ clearly stated preferences. Not if you want to stay in business.

If Apple had lost sales of the iPhone over the lack of Flash, it would have to change its policy. But that clearly hasn’t happened.

Waterfield @SFBags Vertigo arrived already, in just two days. Pictures don't do this thing justice.

[![Image](http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/jcieplinski/ybfclztzDzopjAJbBfrtftqeoyvvGlJFwfgCJznexktJwlxbuzbCvwexBHIG/image.jpg.scaled500.jpg)](http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/jcieplinski/ybfclztzDzopjAJbBfrtftqeoyvvGlJFwfgCJznexktJwlxbuzbCvwexBHIG/image.jpg.scaled1000.jpg)
via tweetie