Apple's new iPhone 2008

I almost bought an iPhone (sold around $500 USD) in 2007. Glad that I didn't do it. Now the new iPhone costs only $199. Though Steve Jobs is credited with the coming back of Apple, some of his decisions really turn consumers off. Remember, in the early 80's, he didn't like the Macintosh and was kicked out from Apple. Later Macintosh became the hot, dominated product in the 80's. Jobs was also opposed to making Macintosh an open platform. Otherwise, MacOS, not Windows, would have become the most popular operating system now. The decline of Apple in the 90's was a classic show case of how propriety products lost to open standard (Windows) products.

I love my iPod. However, with iPod, you can only download songs from Apple's site. Chances are there will be sites offer more songs, better choices to customers of the world. Apple will not sustain its current victory with the mentality of Apple vs the rest of the world. There are already a lot cheaper, even better imitation of iPods. Will iPhone, iPod be cool forever?

Update:
iPhone 3G phne: $199 USD
iTouch (basically, an iPhone without a 3G phone): $299 USD
???
Source: apple computer

Powerset 、Google 莊子論

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宣稱要以 Google 為假想敵的 Powerset.com 搜尋器, 自然要留要意一下, 暫時未見 Powerset 有何特出之處。Google 及 Yahoo 是用關鍵字(Keyword)去搜尋文章，Powerset 則要用者(User)輸入Natural Language, 即書寫及交談用的語言。用者輸入整個句子給 Powerset, 會否比 Google 找出更好的效果? 用者在搜尋器找資料, 步驟如下:
1. 心中構思要找尋的東西(意)
2. 想出與該意有關的關鍵字
4. 輸入給搜尋器
6. 搜尋器輸出有關文章
Powerset 需要在以上步驟按次序加多兩步:
3. 用關鍵字構成完整句子(言)
5. 搜尋器將完整句子分解成關鍵字

難處在於, 意及言很多時都不是一一對應, 同一個意思, 可用不同文句來表達; 同一個文句, 亦可令不同讀者產生不同意思。所以, 用者想要找某些資料, 輸入整個句子並不一定是最好的方法。這令我想起了莊子"得意忘言"那句話:
筌 者 所 以 在 魚 ， 得 魚 而 忘 筌 ﹔ 蹄 者 所 以 在 兔 ， 得 兔 而 忘 蹄 ﹔ 言 者 所 以 在 意 ， 得 意 而 忘 言 。 吾 安 得 夫 忘 言 之 人 而 與 之 言 哉 ！ 」《莊子·外物》

莊子認為, 語言文字只是傳達意思的工具, 得到魚兔之後, 捕捉魚兔的工具筌蹄便可以不要, 所以意比言重要。要傳達"意", 用關鍵字會更快更準, 將來在Web ?.0 時代, 連圖畫、聲音都可以輸入, 又何必拘泥於整個句子文字? 忘言吧。

要賺錢, Powerset 的目的可能是要上市或等大公司收購, Microsoft 的 Bill Gates 一向對這類技術有興趣, 當然還有Google。