More Applesauce..Android L musings, and the likelihood of a new model for Microsoft OS revenues.

Apple is getting no good press about, well, anything these days. Why the tech press keeps adding "gate" as a suffix to new product difficulties is just strange. Essentially, the whyPhone 6 seems to be getting caught in users hair. The complaints are fun to read. Yes, the phones are far more frequently bent than Apple has let on. Meanwhile, some users are reporting widespread iCloud outages across all Apple devices, and non-Apple devices. Still more...Apple has blamed some of the whyPhone 6 problems on..wait for it...unskilled child labor Okay, I hope that this is an attempt at humor, but Apple has indeed relied on child labor for some time. However, internal company audits have shown decreases in this area. We all know that tech companies can be trusted this area. *heavy sarcasm*

Having worked in the field for almost 30 years, I can assure you that the practice is quite widespread among consumer device makers. Samsung, Lenovo, and Apple, are the biggest players that have acknowledged at least some ongoing child labor issues.

I should not that tech cos. are better than other American multi-nationals that have been implicated in more serious allegations going all the way to using "slave labor" in at least part of their manufacturing chains. Philip Morris--merchant of death worldwide--is an affront to rational thought on so many levels that a little thing like child slave labor isn't likely to get in the way of marketing cancer. Chocolate, and of course clothing makers, are also on the greatest hits of infamy lists.

Am I excusing technology cos. by exposing the egregious acts of other industry groups? Absolutely not. Being in the tech field, I simply hold my own to a suitable standard of conduct.

More Applesauce..

iOS 8 still has stability issues, and in addition to no bluetooth connectivity in certain--but widespread--situations, and file deletion in the iCloud, it seems that Apple did a rush job with the Whyphone 6.

Why the stock is till hovering nears all time record levels seems absurd to me.

If I shipped buggy software and hardware packages, I would expect to the clients that rec'd. the 'alpha' versions to dump me quicker than..something that people quickly dump.

Android with Google will almost certainly not make the Apple errors. Even if one believes that Apple products are superior to Google's purest versions of Android delivered on Google hardware, one never hears about Android devices running the stock released version as exhibiting anything like the Cupertino collapse associated with the iOS 8 launch, and the whyPhone 6 debacles. One can almost tell that things at Mountain View are feeling relief at Apple's continued series of growing woes. Oddly, Android 'L's biggest threat to total world domination comes from Android One. Android One is the project that Google is looking at landing the next 5 billion smartphone users.

I really wish that Google had not launched a phone/tablet OS. Even dominant Chinese phone maker Xiomi uses Android with the custom MIUI UI in various iterations based on phone capabilities. Of course, Indian giant Micromax is on board.

As a consumer with typically American deep pockets, any and all phones are potential purchases, but the Google Nexus 6 will be on short list if the phone comes with the rumoured hardware, and Android 'L' is not plagued with issues. Just because someone can afford a really premium phone does not mean that they will buy one. If the Nexus 6 maintains Google's 350USD price tag, That is still over 10x what I paid for my oft talked about LG l34C. I see that the phone now hovers near the 70USD mark. I got in upon release, and paid less than 26USD at the promotional release price.

I know that I am assisting in utter market control by adding to the billion plus Android devices out there. So, the irony is not lost on me.

On to what is likely to be the new Microsoft model for selling OSes. I knew that Microsoft was doing well by offering Office on subscription basis for the enterprise user. Now they are offering the model for small business, which seems to be ostensibly anyone. I have been on many a Microsoft advisory group, and while pay is not any good, I do get free softwares. I was on the Bing pre-launch panel, and still use Bing as my go to search vehicle. I do enough PC and mobile searches to earn something on the order of 185USD per year. I am working towards something here. I have been granted three versions of Office in exchange for a bit of feedback. Microsoft has given me the $9.99 online Office Online sub., a full Office 365, and the business subscription model. I have no idea why I have more than an inlikng as to why I was granted the business subscription. I am getting to the point..

I am pretty sure that Microsoft is going to transition the Windows revenue model to that of a subscription based service. This is not pure speculation, but given that the subscription of their other cash cow..Office, has exceeded even Microsoft's own projections, a subscription based model for distributing all the stuff associated with an OS--including the OS itself--achieves a few goals. It keeps people using Microsoft OSes for at least years to come, and it really smooths out the revenue stream. Am I in favor of such a shift? Sure. One subscription to update your Microsoft devices sounds grand to me.

I should note that I do not own shares in any of these three companies. My 'relationship' with Microsoft really ended years ago. Other than getting perhaps a few hundred dollars of software that I paid for in lost productivity, I now get nothing cool.

Google's largely successful attempts at mobile world domination have me a bit angst ridden. The "don't be evil" co. is far from harmless. I am pulling for Apple and Microsoft every waking moment. My biggest fear is that the rest of the non-corporate world will be satisfied with "good enough computing," and relegate Microsoft and Apple to niche players. If one looks at Google's trajectory into new markets formerly dominated by others, it is looking like a Google world more with each passing day.

Google may not be evil, but consumers at all levels should be concerned about a future lacking choice.

That is the word from the front.