Walt Mossberg

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

In this podcast with ⁦@MarkVenaTechGuy⁩, I talk about lots of tech developments, plus an exciting new free product coming soon from the ⁦@NewsLitProject⁩. This one helps everyone hone their news literacy skills, not just students. https://t.co/0fzbTS3ZE2 — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@Satcom_Guru Ok, fair enough to all. I guess it’s the fault of Microsoft and Skype, not Apple. I’ve been using Zoom for so long that I hadn’t launched Skype in over two years. But I needed it for a podcast. As recently as 2017, I was successfully using it for my weekly podcast on a Mac. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@caro_milanesi Great speech. Great show. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@megangrA So sorry. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@peterdelevett @NewsLitProject Thanks, Peter! — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

Note: Skype was up to date. Even so, on one of the Macs, I tried downloading it again from the Web and was told my Mac couldn’t run it because Apple couldn’t check it for malware. I saw no opt out from this warning box. Again, WTF? — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

Today I upgraded both of my fairly new Macs to the Catalina OS. Then I tried to run Skype. On my MacBook Pro, it wouldn’t load. On my MacBook Air, it launched fine, but wouldn’t work. Had to use an iPad. Is this Apple’s way of forcing a switch to the iPad from the Mac? WTF? — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

I really enjoyed being a guest on @MarkVenaTechGuy’s podcast, where I discussed an exciting new initiative at the @NewsLitProject and a whole bunch of tech issues. Please listen. Even though he’s a @Yankees fan. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@sallyshin @MikeIsaac Definitely — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@dobruno @ATT @reckless We live in different areas. But neither has a broad 5G rollout from any carrier, including @ATT. Just small pockets of territory here and there. Same in other major cities. And that’s OK. These things take time. But @ATT uses a service indicator that might mislead some people. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@Ips65 @ATT It isn’t only that. @att has been using a 5G designator called 5GE, which appears to be meaningless. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

RT @backlon: https://t.co/GoXh42o7zZ — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@MTrums Read the article. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

Welcome to the real world, @ATT. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

Netflix shares audience numbers for (some of) its TV shows and movies - Vox https://t.co/HlGoRI3d4f — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

T-Mobile’s latest merger gambit isn’t subtle - The Verge https://t.co/8mrFM21hzf — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@ShawnRiegsecker Um, you’re mixing up Windows Mobile, a much older, primitive pre-iPhone thing, with Windows Phone, which was post iPhone and Android, and three years late. It was indeed very good. But couldn’t attract enough developers. Among other issues. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

RT @alanmillerNLP: .@GeraldFSeib said at a @NewsLitProject event that he shares NLP’s “goals and aspirations” and that the project’s missio… — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@dangillmor Absolutely. It’s the poison at the heart of so many ills. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@jonfortt Ha! — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@reckless And this is yet another reason why it’s a GREAT idea for Google to turn over the next iteration of text messages to the carriers! — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@nelbar But he wasn’t kidding. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@tomwarren @leonzandman The iPod vs Zune was the proving ground for this change. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@tomwarren @leonzandman Google took the middle ground: free licensing but also strong focus on consumers. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@tomwarren @leonzandman A good question. I think that a huge factor was that Apple’s vertical integration model, which was trounced in PCs by MSFT’s paid software licensing model, turned out to work much better in the post-PC era. That, and Apple’s laser focus on consumers, not IT guys or carriers. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@tomwarren @leonzandman I still think the moment when Microsoft lost mobile was the moment Steve Ballmer laughed publicly (and, even worse, privately) at the iPhone and failed to call an emergency meeting to figure out how to respond. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@tomwarren @leonzandman You’re right about a lot of this but: again, you’re comparing prototype Android with shipping Windows Mobile. And all of it was about appealing to IT managers and techies, not consumers. Those were huge oversights, also shared by RIM. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@tomwarren @leonzandman I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about shipping products. The first Android phone was inferior to the iPhone, but vastly better than either Windows Mobile or BB. Even if MSFT had landed that Moto deal, I strongly believe Android would have won. And, BTW, I blame Ballmer. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@tomwarren @leonzandman Tom, you know that was an Android prototype. It didn’t ship to actual consumers. The only fair comparison is to the version of Android that shipped in the fall of 2008, post-iPhone. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@mpmassaro Lots of phones were out there ahead of the iPhone, most notably Blackberry. But they had terrible user interfaces and were aimed at techies and big businesses. That’s why the iPhone was a revelation and a revolution. Similarly, there were lots of MP3 players before the iPod. — PolitiTweet.org