Fully 12 years after the original G3 iMac dropped support for the 3.5-inch floppy disk, Sony has finally decided to stop making them. The reason is a lack of demand. The surprise is that it took so long.
If you still rely on the massive 1.44MB of space to move files quickly around between far-flung computers, don’t worry: Sony will keep the production lines running until March 2011, giving you a year to stockpile the things. You won’t be alone. Apparently, “lack of demand” is somewhat relative, and Sony sold a jaw-dropping 12 million floppies in Japan during 2009.
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Stock vs. Product
In 2001, a PowerBook G4 would have set you back $3500. Suppose instead that you had purchased $3500 in Apple stock instead of the computer…that stock would now be worth about $110,000. Even an original iPod’s worth in AAPL ($399) would be worth almost $12,000 today.
No Mac App Store, says Jobs
Windows Phone 7 Does Office
While Office itself is a handy thing on a mobile device, the biggest thing I walked away from this video with is an impression that Microsoft has worked very hard to remove all the window chrome in their mobile OS. This UI is gorgeous.
Things Banned from Mythbuster Refrigerator
Handwritten additions include:
No human body parts filled with noodles.
We have the same problem at the Salvation Army some days.
20 Years of Hubble
In the 20 years since it has seen near total failure and has brought back some of the most important and astounding images humankind has even seen of the Universe. In celebration of Hubble’s 20 years of service, Nobel Intent has a taken a moment to look back at some of the most significant images that the flying observatory has brought us.
Stunning.
Camera Connection Kit for iPad Released
You use these adapters to transfer images when you’re away from a computer with which the iPad syncs. You can view imported photos and videos at full scale, or use Photos or third-party apps to upload to various services, like MobileMe or Flickr. Photos lacks any way to send or upload multiple photos at one time, a silly limit for software that can import images. Some developers offer apps with multiple-picture upload, and I expect we’ll see more targeted more precisely at those who import photos to iPad.
iWork on iPad
In the end, using iWork for the iPad is a lot like going to the moon. It might be a nice place to visit, and it may even be fun to bounce around for a bit, play a little golf, or buzz around in that sweet little moon buggy, but in the end, it’s not a place I’d like to live, or even stay for any extended amount of time. iWork is decent, but there is only so much you can do for an office suite without a full keyboard and a mouse.
Instapaper Pro 2.2.3 Released
Details here. It’s a great app, and on my favorite on the iPad.
Gizmodo Keeps Pumping iPhone for Hits
They just keep posting stuff — this story doesn’t even include anything new, just links to the week’s news.
Massive traffic is addicting, I guess.
iPad Unable to Save Media Alone
Technology, of course, can’t save publishing unless publishing gets on board and saves itself. The industry, however, has not been up to the task. Their heads are so far up their old approaches that they can’t (yet) see a way out.
Police Investigating Gizmodo’s iPhone Prototype
CNET:
Silicon Valley police are investigating what appears to be a lost Apple iPhone prototype purchased by a gadget blog, a transaction that may have violated criminal laws, a law enforcement official told CNET on Friday.
Apple has spoken to local police about the incident and the investigation is believed to be headed by a computer crime task force led by the Santa Clara County district attorney’s office, the source said.