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Yah, you're pretty much right. Honestly, I dunno why this is such a big deal. Apple's intent here is to bypass the carriers - anyone remember the at&t mms debacle?

If you're using Apple devices, iMessage is great since it's encrypted end to end and 'just works'. If you're using something else, you can still get messages from iOS devices - I do this all the time. I have friends that have left iMessage and sms still works fine.

Not sure what the big conspiracy is here, except more Samsung fud..?

Everyone is moving off of sms, that's why you see more an more messaging apps. I'm not giving Apple a pass, or Microsoft, or anyone else. This is just the natural evolution of smartphones gobbling up carrier services. I don't think the device makers are the ones to blame here - the carriers are the ones that gauge everyone for ridiculous fees for sms. As a user, I would expect my device/os company to create solutions to work around the rip off that is sms.

I hear there are only crap informercial for closetted ghery asstards on that silly excuse for a web site. Even Taco had some more to offer instead of that junk.

My family and I were looking to move recently. Of course, we have to print out our credit reports. It used to be nice years ago when Yahoo had a service where you could easily get all 3 in just a few mins. But I'm sure since that was actually useful in real life, someone had to end it. So now, you have to log into the big 3 separately and request your 'free' report.

Of course, it's not 'free' since there's quite a bit of time involved in just getting it. You have a right by law to get this information once a year, but in order to do so, you have to put in your credit card. Red flag right there. This 'entitles' you to a free month of credit 'protection'.

After your done with your 'free' month, you have to call and cancel or else they'll charge you. Yup, you're right, no easy way to do that, no cancel account link or button to click - you gotta get on a phone and do an old school call. To keep the good times rolling, once you're actually off hold and connected to someone, it's some call center in another country. Mine happened to be India. What ensued next was back and forth on just getting the fucking thing canceled. There were many "just a moment" pauses and even a few upsells. I had to tell the guy 3 times I want to cancel. Just click the cancel button in your crappy web app.

30 mins later, I was off the phone. This company and the people that work for it are trash, plain and simple. They are a scourge on society and a drain on humanity. And along with banking (and warring I guess), credit 'scoring' and manipulation has to be one of the worst human endeavors ever. I don't understand how these people sleep at night and I'm not surprised they're selling people's info to whomever will pay.

Apple is not the only company doing this. Google does it was well.

Nice title. Maybe it alludes to you being able to tell the future?

No one is saying Apple will last forever. Nokia blew it because they made their money on things that were not the next generation. No one has (yet) out next-gen'd Apple, so they still make the most money.

Regardless of their success over the years, they've been celebrated by their users (who constitute their actual sales), and pounded down by the tech pundits and their detractors (who are none of their sales). In the end, they still have the highest market cap in the world and are the most profitable handset maker. No one is claiming gold is 'innovating', but people want it. For the local stores I checked, they all said it sold out in the first hour - all sizes. I don't see how this is a gimmick. My wife wanted a gold one and she wasn't 'tricked' into liking it.

If you step back from the hype and punditry (which you don't seem to be able to), the reasons Apple's been on such a tear is because people love their products. They make things that are not based on the lowest, cheapest crap, but quality with thought behind it. It's not about tech specs and everyone at this point is still playing catch up. Especially Nokia.

Yah, I totally agree. I think this will be a mostly Google thing and maybe extreme nerds. Sorta like how the Segway was gonna take over the world and it never did. I already wear glasses and I don't necessarily want some thick rimmed things with a hud messing w/any of my vision. My goal with wearing 'real' glasses is to have the frames as lightweight as possible and as little metal as possible - glass only almost. And, unfortunately, I have 2 prescriptions - 1 for close, 1 for distance. So I'd have to have 2 pair of Google glasses (I'm sure they'd love that)? Now if I could get a pair that could adjust the light based on what I'm focusing on, then *that* would be cool.

I just can't see 'everyone' wearing these in 5 years. I think it's gonna be another Google project (like wave) that was so 'revolutionary' and then just quietly went away. It's not there yet and too nerdy for the mass population.

You can't say this for sure. There are plenty people working on longevity issues. In fact, this issue is not just about possibly working longer, but also has huge social implications (do you stay married for over 100 years for example) and life experience (if you retire at 75, do you vacation for 50 years and if so, where?).

The body is just (a real complicated) machine. Like Aubrey De Gray says, it's only a matter of maintenance and trying to figure out how the maintenance will work. Once we start living longer, social security will not work, drugs will be astronomically priced (some would say they already are), and so we'll probably have many 'careers' and why not? Einstein didn't stop 'working' when he turned 65.

Personally, I have no doubt this sort of thing is coming and I'm looking forward to it. Just the advancement in technology will be worth seeing, not to mention space exploration and other ways humans will progress in the future.

Riiiight.... I'm not gonna argue os here, just hardware.

So, let's back up a bit here. What did 'smartphones' look like before the iPhone? Various screen sizes, clunky thinkness/form factor and a alpha numeric keyboard of some sort. We all know history, iPhone comes along, all touch based and it sets the precedent for things to come. Apple invented that. No one else did, especially not Samsung.

Then the iPod Touch follows about 8 months after. Note around this time, if you search everywhere on the web, for Samsung's tablets or anyone else's (like Archos, etc) all look like something between a Sony PSP and a Nokia 770. Yes, all rectangle, but just not the Apple glass touchscreen with a black bezel and metal band around the edge.

Now, few years later, Apple extrapolates out the form of *their* invention for a natural progression, the iPad. Somewhere in between all this, patents are filed for how the device looks and functions. Note: form + function == *design*! Apple purposefully designed their device. Their physical thing. They didn't copy a HP TabletPC or Sony Ericsson or Nokia. They made their own design and they popularized it and people loved it. Go back to 2010 and look at the Samsung Vibrant. Glass front, no keyboard, black bezel, chrome border. Hmm, I've seen that before somewhere in 2007.. Galaxy Tab, same thing.

Now, let's look at the packaging of a Galaxy Tab. White box, picture of device on it. Gee, where have I seen that? Open it up, same unpacking experience as the iPad/iPhone - device up front, other stuff underneath. Btw, Apple patented their packaging - all the way back in 2007! And speaking of packaging, even Samsung's USB charger adapters look like Apple's, except, get ready for it - they're black and not white. Looking at the USB cable, same. Black not white, but same connectors on both ends.

If you want more evidence of rip off, search around the web a few weeks ago for the picture of the Samsung store. Look hard - pictures of Apple's app store and Safari icons on the wall. That's pretty blatant - even Microsoft doesn't do that (altho they did have a lot of pc ads with Mac laptops, but anyway). After all this, in my mind, it's pretty clear that Samsung would rather copy, on multiple levels, one of the most successful brands out there instead of paving their own way. Plain and simple. They're also damaging the Android ecosphere with all this crap. Android needs to have devices for it that push the envelope, not copy designs years old.

This whole Samsung copying thing goes way deeper than just the 'rectangular touch screen'. It crosses multiple products and up to physical storefront. It is undeniable that it's rip off. Plain and simple. Patents do need to be reformed, but this is not an example of it in my mind as it has nothing to do with software, where the real ridiculous shit is goin on.

how is that news?
it's like suggesting there'd be more than a handful of intellectuals on crapdot.

it's like windows: stinks like poo and looks empty.

gaytse is like osx.

...is it?