Apple Butter

After much travail, my son just upgraded the operating system on our Apple IPad ... and I think I might understand why Apple's stock price has been going nowhere of late. The old IPad user interface, to me, had a few problems ... but the new one is even worse. I do believe that Steve Job's defining strength at Apple was his obsession for an intuitive user experience. And I don't think that the new CEO, Tim Cook, has this same neurosis ... and this may point to a declining future for this great technical enterprise.

If users of this new IPad operating system yell AAARG! too often ... like I have ... it suggests that there is not someone corralling the system developers from making their own silly decisions as to what the user really needs or wants. This apparent loss of mojo at the company located on Infinite Loop in Cupertino, California will gradually erode its dominant position in its many marketplaces. Even the Apple Watch's tepid roll out reinforces this unfortunate trend.

What was once a crisp ripe Apple is slowly becoming apple butter.

Swiss Cheese

Recently, I am getting an annoying flurry of messages on my PC from my virus detection software, avast!, which say “Malicious URL Blocked!” Then when I ask for further explanation, I see:

avast! saved your computer from crashing

You just dodged a bullet

You may be wondering how you ended up with a virus, especially if you were visiting a ‘normal’ site. The latest research from the avast! Virus Lab shows that more than 80% of malware (viruses,spyware, and the like) spreads through legitimate websites, with only 1% coming from suspicious or ‘dodgy’ sites.

Now, how is it that my operating system and Internet browser, both from Microsoft, are so inept and insecure that, decades after their constructions, such malicious intrusions can happen? Simple answer – Microsoft has focused its business strategy on maintaining its revenue and profit stream … and ignoring the true wants and needs of its customers. This bloated company's software is so full of holes that is resembles a good Swiss cheese. To me, there in no excuse for this sloppiness and sloth … and this fault will eventually bring Microsoft down.  I predict that, within five years, this fate will become blatantly obvious to anyone watching.