LogMeIn Reaches out to Ignition App Users →

Cheers to the folks at LogMeIn for taking care of existing customers. Several people, myself included, purchased the Ignition app for $20 (before they had a free app and a $99 app, there was a single $20 iOS app), and these people will retain full control via their mobile app whether or not they ever upgrade to the Pro tier of service.

We hope as a LogMeIn Ignition customer you are enjoying your complimentary 6-month subscription of LogMeIn Pro. We’re reaching out to help clear up any confusion surrounding the recently announced change to LogMeIn Free and clarify what the changes mean for Ignition app users.

Specifically, we want you to know that mobile access to your computers has not been impacted by this change, and will remain available even after the expiration of your complimentary LogMeIn Pro subscription.

You can continue to remotely access your computers, as you have, from your mobile device with full access to the premium functionality in your LogMeIn Ignition app, whether or not you ultimately upgrade to LogMeIn Pro.

The news is good, and most welcome, but I'm undecided on whether it is enough to keep me as a customer. While mobile access via the app accounted for 90%+ of my usage, there are times it is nice to use the web browser interface. Truth be told, I already uninstalled LogMeIn from all of my computers, but I wasn't thrilled about that. The TeamViewer interface and apps just aren't as good.

Either way, I give my thanks and respect for the folks at LogMeIn making the customer-centric decision that they've made.

Thoughts on Viticci's iPad Pro Scenarios →

The discussion on The Prompt last week (episode 31) sparked a series of thoughts for me regarding whether or not Apple is even considering an iPad Pro (12.9") and what exactly the device would be. Despite being an unlikely product for the near term, it is an interesting discussion.

Federico gives three scenarios:

  1. Just a larger iPad. Same iOS, same hardware features, larger (12.9") screen.
  2. iPad Pro with substantial hardware and software feature changes.
  3. Hybrid device, or "convertible" as Intel calls them.

Let's be clear here, Federico isn't making the case for any of the three options, this is merely a game of "what if" that we're playing. I think it is also important to preface this analysis with an immensely relevant comment from the podcast -

"All these arguments we are having... they are based on four years of the iPad. God knows what is going to happen in five years. We are writing all of these articles because we think we know what the iPad is, but we really don't because it is such a young product." Federico Viticci (54 minutes into The Prompt episode 31).

Just a Larger iPad

The idea of Apple just making a larger iPad actually makes the most short term sense out of the three to me with regard to Apple's position today. I'd peg the probability of it happening (near term) at ~0.02%. The iPad Air is the iPad Pro for all intents and purposes. It has the top of the line processor, top of the line graphics, top of the line battery, top of the line screen. Sure it could use more than 1GB of RAM, but we won't see a new iPad model just to add RAM.

There is an argument for additional screen real estate making more complex video and image editing possible, but that notion is assuming the UI for such activity is based on the old mouse-based systems. Clicking little details, dragging small corners of boxes, etc. Rather than making the screen larger to allow these archaic assumptions to take hold, the market is more likely to take the next step in UI to be designed specifically (and only) for touch input. 

Substantial Hardware and Software Changes

My first thought is that this was the most likely of the three, after all it makes the most sense as a professional device. It stands out the most, it has the most to offer. Looking longer term, this seems to have the best chance at coming to fruition. Short term, it isn't an Apple-esque product segment today. This product would introduce the complexities of a legacy and mature market, the laptop, and mix them with a young and yet-to-be-entirely-defined market, the tablet.

The nature of a "Pro" device is to cater to those detailed use cases, enable customization, give power to power users, and enable productivity on par with a traditional laptop. I don't think this is bad, but I'm conflicted, and I don't see it happening too soon. When it does happen, it will need to happen without the legacy baggage of adapting a computer UI to touch input. We have all seen the miserable flop they call Windows 8.

Federico talks about two types of multitasking, multi-window (legacy concept) and "multi-feature" (his proposed new concept). The multi-feature proposal is essentially a system wide and inter-app "Plugins 2.0" proposal. One example is converting text to uppercase; rather than opening a new app you could select it, tap and hold, and get a menu popup. Another example is 1Password, you tap and old on a login box in Safari and get a menu to fill the fields and log you in. Sounds a lot more like a traditional computer, and (dare I say) Android.

This computing power on a tablet has a place. It certainly has power. It has an audience who wants it. I'd even go as far as to say it will happen, eventually. If software progresses fast enough, it may be only two or three years away, maybe. The beauty and simplicity that have launched the iPad and iPhone into their cultural stronghold are paramount to their success right now. Both markets have come a long way, but both are still incredibly young. If Apple forks their hardware and software on the iPad now, they'll lose the simplicity and magic that makes them unique.

The flip side of this is that if Apple waits too long to enable cross-app integration (or interapperability) at a feature level, then the potential exists that Android will have gone through several generations of it and have a more refined solution. Again, I'm conflicted. I love customizing my Mac in so many ways, but hated needing to customize my Android and love not needing to customize my iPhone/iPad.

Hybrid Device

I suspect Federico included this for the sake of including it. Convertible PCs are the netbooks of the modern day. People proclaimed that Apple was doomed when they didn't participate in the netbook market. Their response was the MacBook Air that forever changed mobile computing. The ultrabook market is thriving thanks to the Air. Apple will not participate in the convertible market, it is that easy.

Closing Thoughts

There is a lot more that could be discussed on the topic. I'd like to think that there are new ideas for redefining how we interact with "pro" level work rather than just carrying forward the legacy interaction we're all used to. I don't have the answer to what that would look like though. There are two conclusions I can draw with some confidence - you won't see a 12" iPad in 2014 and you won't see an Apple "convertible" laptop at all.

LogMeIn Discontinuing Free Service Tier →

It pains me to see the free tier getting discontinued, but I understand it. I have used LogMeIn for many years to manage my always-on PC server at home, to remote into my laptop if a security camera appears offline, and more. I paid $20 for the app before they offered a free one and never regretted it.

Thankfully in today's market, there are free options to replace it.

Target Credit Card Breach →

The breach of data from Target (along with Neiman Marcus and reportedly a few more) seems to be getting worse by the day. There are some things I find highly concerning.

First, some facts.

  1. Attacks started on November 27, 2013 (just in time for Black Friday).
  2. The attack went unnoticed until December 15, 2013, over two weeks later.
  3. Hackers got names, addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers of 70 million people; 11GB of data total.
  4. Siphoned data has been sent to Russia and who knows where else from there.
  5. Attackers used a RAM scraper to capture un-encrypted data from point-of-sale systems after the credit card swipe, but before it was encrypted and sent to a central location for routing to the credit card companies.
  6. Target and Neiman Marcus both passed all annual compliance testing for their handling of credit card data by the credit card industry standard (PCI-DSS).
  7. A similar attack happened in 2005.

Why does this keep happening?

The short answer is pretty simple, as disappointing as it is. The industry standard is subpar, retailers are too cheap to upgrade, and people are frequently reactive in nature. Now there's something to react to, let's see if it works.

So let's break that down. The standards exist, but they're too weak. In fact, these retailers passed their most recent annual inspection, though the post-crisis analysis shows they're no longer in compliance. Seems like a pretty obvious solution - there needs to be constant monitoring for compliance. 

Even constantly being compliant will not suffice though, case and point:

In August 2006, Wal-Mart was also certified PCI-compliant while unknown attackers were lurking on its network. [Emphases is mine.]

So what needs to change? Two excerpts caught my eye:

PCI standards don’t require companies to encrypt card data while in transit either on the company’s internal network or on its way to a processor, as long as the transmission is over a private network.

Target was likely using such a secure channel within its network to transmit unencrypted card data. But that wasn’t good enough. The attackers simply adapted by employing a RAM scraper to grab the data in the point-of-sale device’s memory, where it was not secured.

To overcome these obstacles, there needs to be an unbiased third party to write the new compliance standard. This new standard needs to be written with the understanding that retailers can and will opt for the bare minimum implementation that meets the standard; they have very little incentive to do otherwise (sadly caring for their customers isn't nearly as profitable as appearing to care for their customers). This means adopting the already-circulating EMV card standard and end-to-end encryption on payment systems. 

There is no silver bullet. It's a general rule of thumb that hackers will always be one step ahead of security. With the right measures in place, we just might be able to catch the leak after 70 credit cards are stolen rather than 70 million. I am also not a security expert, but when flaws are this glaringly obvious people have the right to be outraged.