Author Archives: damanr

Connecting Apple’s Dots: iPad Multitasking And What It Says About the Company

(This is the first time I am writing about tech. I am not a developer and don’t have any technical skill, but I can get my computer to say “Hello World” so I’m kind of a genius at the same time. Seriously, anything I write will be from the perspective of an average tech user, please excuse technical errors)

One of the more fascinating things to me about Apple over the past few years has been to think about how features and products come together by mapping its external development timeline.  To me, one of the most fascinating such features has been the announcement of iPad Multitasking with iPad Slide Over and iPad Split View.

How did we get at one of the classic “finally” arrived features for the iPad? Let’s trace this step by step. First of all, at WWDC 1 year ago, Apple implored its developers to use new size classes to allow their code to flexibly adapt to any sized device.  This was of course a prelude to Apple announcing the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, the first time the company has announced multiple display sizes for a same generation iPhone.  In addition, one of the unique attributes of Apple is their legacy device support for software.  iOS 9 will support the following screen sizes: 3.5 inches (iPhone 4s), 4 inches (iPhones 5, 5c, 5s), 4.7 inches (iPhone 6), 5.5 inches (iPhone 6 Plus), 7.9 inches (iPads mini, mini 2, mini 3), 9.7 inches (iPads 2, 3, 4, Air, Air 2).  Why is this relevant? Apple could have simply announced that iPad finally has multitasking, developers – get on board! Or, they could have planned a product evolution that not only made sense, but allowed for slow and steady adoption that maintained the stability that users of Apple products expect.  In the case of the latter, which has been Apple’s path consistently, developers already have done the work and will benefit from the iPad multitasking with minimal work.  This isn’t about the developers, although Apple has great value for them, but this is mostly important for the end user.  I don’t want to buy an iPad Air 2, launch YouTube and Evernote and be told that they’re not ready for multi-tasking.  This is the standard that Apple has set and continues to meet.

In addition, I believe that the iPad Pro is real, and the increased screen real estate will finally be useful.  I believe that the seeds that Apple has sown with Force Touch will yield the increased support of a stylus (though not necessarily their own hardware) that will help artists create even better art on their iPads.

I myself fall into the trap of “why the hell hasn’t Apple done this already?” (aka the finally fallacy) The truth is, we are as consumers better off with a company taking it’s time and then sticks to their values and their beliefs as a company.  For this reason, I don’t anticipate a Macbook sequel with more than one USB C port.  With iCloud Drive, Photos, AirPlay, AirDrop etc. Apple has been improving its cloud capabilities precisely to prove their vision of what the next generation of MacBooks “should” look like.

Thanks for reading!

Podcast Recommendations: Week of June 22, 2015

As a podcast addict, I have decided it would be a good idea to post the ones that I really enjoyed, hopefully people can enjoy them as well.  I plan on updating these daily as I listen to them.  Please note my recommendations are based on the day I listen to them, not the day they are necessarily published.  For now I won’t be posting links, just full titles of episodes. Monday, June 22nd

  • WTF with Marc Maron: Episode 613 – President Barack Obama [length: 67 minutes]
    • This was a big one.  Huge victory for the medium of podcasting, and Marc Maron and the President did not disappoint.  A wide-ranging conversation that began with the tragedy in Charleston. I think this is a great medium for politicians as they are able to discuss their positions and values in a much more relaxed format, away from the visual spectacle that TV news has become and the hacky segments of talk radio.  Kudos to Marc Maron for not only scoring the interview, but not abandoning his traditional interview style (or location!) for the leader of the free world.
  • Exponent: Episode 049 – In Aggregate [length: 56 minutes]
    • Ben Thompson, of the fantastic Stratechery website, and James Allworth of Harvard Business Review host the great Exponent podcast weekly.  If you are a fan of the business side of tech, this is absolutely the podcast for you.  The majority of this episode was devoted to the California Labor Commission’s ruling that Uber drivers are employees, thus entitled to benefits.  Unfortunately for us, they are taking a well-deserved break as travel schedules will make the summer difficult. I highly recommend going through old episodes, read descriptions of things that might interest you.  Episode 41 – Bubbles is a particularly interesting one to me.
  • Dunc’d On Basketball: June 22 (Dan Feldman: Hawks and Cavs offseason, NBA News) [Lenght: 67 minutes]
    • Quickly becoming my favorite basketball podcast, hosted by Nate Duncan. Often co-hosted with Daniel Leroux of RealGM, today he was joined by Dan Feldman for a discussion on general NBA news about the ongoing offseason.  I appreciate Nate Duncan’s approach to discussing basketball in a very “grown-up” way and is a completely different voice in terms of existing NBA podcasts.  There’s a lot of good options out there, certainly, but this one has really separated itself over the last month or so.  The sound quality of this one wasn’t great, and in general has been a weak point of the show, but I imagine as the show matures that will be fixed.  For now, enjoy the most important part: the content.

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Who’s Looking Out For the Big Picture?

I think Adam Silver has done a great job as commissioner of the NBA since he took over for David Stern in February 2014. I also admire the fact that he has lofty expectations for how he views the potential for the product that I personally love so much that it’s become beyond a hobby, more of a passion. Here, Adam Silver says: “As much as we talk about international […] I still think there’s an enormous opportunity in the United States. […] I think this game should be a rival to football. In the United States, it’s the No. 1 participatory sport. We’ve all played it. I want to focus on the game. The business is going well, but this is a beautiful game.”

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Round 1 Preview: What Happens to The Losers?

This great article from Dan Woike of the OC Register is a reminder of how fragile legacies can be.  Is Chris Paul not amongst the best point guards in the league? What can he do if either his team is not as talented or he just keeps running into bad luck? In this case, bad luck is as a first-round matchup with the San Antonio Spurs.
The starting point guards of the past 10 champions, in order from most recent: Tony Parker, Mario Chalmers (x2), Jason Kidd, Derek Fisher (x2), Rajon Rondo, Tony Parker, Jason “White Chocolate” Williams, and Tony Parker.  Doesn’t CP3 get drafted ahead of each one of these guys?  At the same time, what happens if the Clippers lose in the first round again? What happens to each of these teams if they lose in the first round?
Let’s take a look, with my series predictions.

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Why Sim Bhullar’s 10-Day Contract is a Big Deal To Me

I never really knew how to react to the news that Sim Bhullar would be joining the Sacramento Kings on a 10-day contract.  I’m a hoops junkie, so instead of rejoicing that an Indian player made it, my first step was to think of him as a basketball player and I wondered if the Kings really needed him.  But the truth is it means way, way more than that.

sim_release_web.jpg

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Kevin Love and the Fight for Identity

I love the NBA.  I love that I can enjoy the game itself, the beauty of the ball zipping around, finding the open man and hearing the sound of the swish.  I love that I can enjoy somebody like Hubie Brown break down the X’s and O’s and explain to me how a specific screen led to a layup or how an adjustment in the pick and roll defensive strategy slowed down a team that was hot in the first half.  I love how I can read about the economics of the game, about how the new TV deal will affect the NBA economy.
Similarly, I love the discussion of organizational issues.  I’ve been running a family business for some years now, I’m a few months away from graduating with my MBA, and what I’ve enjoyed most is the discussion on how to manage people in an organizational setting.  Most recently, we witnessed Mike Malone being fired from the Kings in what seemed to be a perplexing move after a great start. Similarly, last year saw Mark Jackson depart a team that he had brought back relevancy too.  It’s not always about the results, it’s not always about the money, it’s not always about the X’s and O’s, sometimes it just comes down to something as simple as certain personalities not being the right “fit” for the organization.

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The Curious Case of Nostalgia

False Hypothesis: Keeping a star tied to the franchise for too long is an outdated concept that we must evolve from.

“And I really believe this: [Kobe] should…say to Jim and them, ‘Look, if you don’t sign one of these free agents [this offseason], man, I’m just not going to play next year”

-Magic Johnson’s advice to Kobe. More comments here.

Let’s set aside the fact that it’s an absolute travesty that the person who I believe is one of the greatest Los Angeles based HUMANS (Laker or Athlete simply isn’t good enough) of all time has become nothing more than a caricature in the past few years. Something I’ve pondered for years as a sports fan observing other teams is the concept of “nostalgia”.

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The Great Coach Swap of 2015

GOD: Hi Adam, you’ve been doing a great job, and I’m glad you spared me from having to deal with Donald Sterling in Heaven. I always knew he was a creep, but things have become a bureaucratic nightmare up here and he had good lawyers ready to lobby The Board.

Adam Silver: Oh hey, God. Thanks!

GOD: I just need one more thing.

Adam Silver: Hit me! Get it? Because of the gambling?

GOD: Alright, let’s never do that again. Here’s what I need: There’s this guy named Daman who wants to write about basketball and other things once a week(ish) but wants to do something a little different.  Can you arrange to issue a decree in which each team has to fire their coach and has to hire a coach that never previously was their coach?  Also, since Daman started writing this before Jacque Vaughn was fired, can we keep him in the pool? Thanks! Gotta go, Season 6 of The Wire and the modern reboot of The West Wing are both premiering tonight.

So here’s my “False Hypothesis” (this gimmick will die quick, I promise): I believe that I can re-arrange the current head coaches in the NBA to optimize the league.

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