Once Tricked into Using It, Users Like Vista

This smacks somewhat of those old blindfold taste tests you see on commercials.  It goes a little something like this…

“I hate Diet Coke.”

“Here, try this new soda!”

“Wow, it’s great!”

“That was Diet Coke!”

“Ooops!”

In a similar move, Microsoft took Windows XP fans and showed them a new OS, “Mojave.”  What’s interesting is that this “new” OS wasn’t really new at all…

Spurred by an e-mail from someone deep in the marketing ranks, Microsoft last week traveled to San Francisco, rounding up Windows XP users who had negative impressions of Vista. The subjects were put on video, asked about their Vista impressions, and then shown a “new” operating system, code-named Mojave. More than 90 percent gave positive feedback on what they saw. Then they were told that “Mojave” was actually Windows Vista.

“Oh wow,” said one user, eliciting exactly the exclamation that Microsoft had hoped to garner when it first released the operating system more than 18 months ago. Instead, the operating system got mixed reviews and criticisms for its lack of compatibility and other headaches.

Yep, but they were spared a few things: finding drivers, application compatibility, Vista-capable PCs that run the OS sluggishly at best.  Let’s do another test and add that to the mix, and see what kind of response we get then.

We’re not going on an all out we hate Vista rant here.  In fact, we use the OS in the HH labs for testing and benchmarks, sometimes under some fairly rigorous requirements.  However, setting up a controlled sample test and calling it something that is supposed to be compared to broad market appeal, just isn’t right.  It appears Microsoft needs to ease up on the marketing kool-aide and work on sound research practices of their target user base.

Apple’s secret product is ‘MacBook touch’

Get ready for Newton 2.0 MacBook touch?!
So says our source — the same one who tipped us to wireless iTunes Store sales direct to iPod, iPhone a week before Apple debuted it — in staccato fashion:
Think MacBook screen, possibly a bit smaller, in glass with iPhone-like, but fuller-featured Multi-Touch. Gesture library. Full Mac OS X. This is why they bought P.A. Semi. Possibly with Immersion’s haptic tech. Slot-loading SuperDrive. Accelerometer. GPS. Pretty expensive to produce initially, but sold at "low" price that will reduce margins. Apple wants to move these babies. And move they will. This is some sick shit. App Store-compatible, able to run Mac apps, too. By October at the latest.
MacDailyNews Note: This is a rumor. We have no other information. We cannot confirm this information independently at this time, but felt it plausible enough to bring to your attention.
We are working to develop new products that contains technologies that our competition will not be able to match. I cannot discuss these new products, but we are very confident in our product pipeline. – Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer, during Apple’s Q308 Financial Results Conference Call, July 21, 2008

iPhone 3G jailbreaking tool released

The well-known iPhone Dev Team has released one of the first utilities to jailbreak iPhone 3G and let it run unsanctioned apps, albeit one with more than a few catches.

The group’s new Pwnage Tool 2.0 now simplifies the process of removing Apple’s restrictions on allowable software for all iPhone models as well as the iPod touch.
What it won’t do, however, is unlock iPhone 3G for use with wireless carriers other than those Apple has officially chosen. The different cellular hardware prevents the unlock process for the original device from translating directly to the newer phone. Unlocking is still possible for earlier phones.
The software also breaks backwards compatibility with earlier iPhone and iPod firmware and requires version 2.0 firmware on all of these devices.
Apple has historically been relatively passive in its responses to unlocking tools. While the company warned that its 1.1.1 firmware update risked rendering unlocked iPhones unusable, most other updates haven’t created a similar effect and the company has largely kept to thwarting unlocking efforts by patching against security exploits that would also compromise locked devices.
With iPhone 3G, the iPhone maker has primarily relied on controlling the retail experience by requiring that iPhones be activated for a contract in-store, discouraging casual unlocking. The availability of approved third-party apps is also widely believed to curb the demand for jailbreaking and unlocking tools.