Ever take a knife to a gun fight?
First, I do not own stock in either company. I do not give financial advice. And I definitely do not take myself too seriously.
I bought an Apple Mac in March 1984. A lot more of them since. My Mac Mini (Intel inside!) this past October. Bought an IBM PC clone around 1986. I do not actually recall ever owning a true, blue IBM computer, but a lot of clones. All but my laptop were converted to Linux.
Bought my iPod Mini in December 2003 (as I recall), and have been looking to upgrade a video iPod. My cell plan's two year agreement is up. I have used all major carriers, except Verizon, and have been looking to drop Alltel... until they came up with the "circle" of ten free numbers. But I miss the superior service of Cingular. Yet, they dropped my favorite feature: two phone lines! I was living on Hilton Head Island, but working on a contract in Myrtle Beach. For just five bucks per month I added a local Myrtle Beach number to my phone. As an aside, if you know anybody offering such a feature today, drop me a line.
So, like a lot of folks, I watched Steve Jobs the other day do what he does best: demo insanely great products. I must admit, the iPhone exceeds my wildest expectations. The hardest part? Can I wait til June or July.
Well, I said all that to say that the news this morning was that IBM had another record year of patent awards. 3,621 last year. Which is a good thing. I wish that I had a few.
Apple has Steve Jobs. IBM has the most patents.
I'll take people over tangibles every time. Yea, I have been burned on occasion. Still, life worth living is based on social factors. Family and friends. Personal accomplishments. Recognition. Rewards. Results.
Speaking of people, I mentioned Jobs stealing Tim Cook away from Compaq. Jobs mentioned Cook during the introduction of the iPhone. I just happened to look at Cook's compensation and stock options. Wow! I wonder what he might have earned at Compaq...
Yea, I gotta pick people over technology.
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.ThroughputPress.com
P.S. Note to Steve Jobs: I am available!
tags: Apple, IBM, Steve Jobs, Tim Cook, Jeff SKI Kinsey