Reader's Comments and E-mails
| by Joe Leo, Columnist | December 27, 2006 |
COMMENTARY: (12.27.06)-- Well, Happy Holidays to everyone out there. It's been slow-going here at "The Press Box" at PBCentral.com with nary an update nor a news story since the first week of the month. We've been busy with our other job (read this columnist's bio on the index page) up until the holidays, but now we're back.
And just to ease in, or ease back in, to the routine, let's post the first edition of "The Press Box Mailbox" with our reader's comments in regard to specific articles and our responses to them.
(Note that most e-mails may or may not receive a personal response back to the reader's e-mail address-- though we endeavor to do so --and also, responses posted here may not exactly match what was sent to the reader. If necessary, reader's e-mails to "The Press Box" may have been edited for content).
It's a Nano (Small) World After All?
In response to our opinion piece written on October 6th, "Apple Should Take a Page Out of Sony's 'book," reader N. Santos writes:
In view of Mr. Leo's recent article, I just would like to add to it that SONY has actually come up with an even smaller hand-held, full functioning laptop. The model is the VAIO UX MICRO (VGN UX180P) which features a screen only 45" wide. You can almost call it a Palm Pilot on steroids since one can actually hold it in one hand. Although small, it is quite loaded with features such as two cameras, weight about 1.2 lbs. and retails for about $1800. I personally do not see the convenience factor of having such a small computer that would probably require a toothpick to hit the keys, let alone see what you are looking at in such a small screen. Nevertheless manufacturers are still scrambling to come up with the smallest/compact appliance they can think of. Truly the Nano age is here. At any rate the article was truly interesting, informative, let alone brilliant. I do not agree, however, that Apple should perhaps "dupe" other competitor's techniques. What makes a competitor stand out is their innovative approach that is theirs and theirs alone. That's what Apple has been doing all along.
Your reader,
N. Santos
Thanks Mr. Santos. By the way, did you know that you're also featured in a follow-up piece, using you as one of our sources? Check out the story from November 28th!
In response to a specific comment we made in an opinion piece from October 20th, "A Shift in Newton's Law," reader B. Sears writes:
"Who in their right mind would say, 'Oh, I like my iPod so much that I want to go out and buy a matching Apple computer to complement my lifestyle.' "
That's not what the halo effect is. The halo effect is that the Windows iPod user is attempting to use his or her computer. Windows seizes up for the 3rd time today. Said user looks at his or her iPod and says to self, "I sure wish my computer were as easy and nice to use and reliable as this iPod. If only Apple Computer made computers. Wait - They do!" And another Mac is sold.
B. Sears
Our response to Mr. Sears was that that comment was directed to those people who think that the increase in Mac sales is solely due to the iPod. It was not an attempt to define the term "iPod halo effect." We strongly feel that people are beginning to open their eyes to the benefits of using a Mac over a PC, and that it's NOT due to the iPod, but the way Windows just doesn't work.
Never mind the information presented in our most recent article from December 3rd, with CNBC reporting that sales of iPods are directly influencing hardware sales, but do not state the reason for it... just hard data and numbers from sales figures. "Halo effect"? We'll see.
(In fact, we may have that story, which has been postponed for weeks now, this week. We'll see).
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'Halo' There, Thanks for Calling