Daily Update: Google Stuff, Apple Stuff, Dell

Happy weekend.

Google claims that it achieved 99.99 percent uptime with Gmail in 2010, "for both business and consumer users." I'm calling BS on that one, not just once but twice. First, I simply don't believe it. Second, Google says that Gmail  was somehow "46 times more available than Microsoft Exchange." That's quite a claim, and one I expect Microsoft to at least try to refute. For now, what we have to go on is an unlinked mention of a Radicati Group study called Corporate IT Survey – Messaging & Collaboration, 2010-2011. Since it was unlinked, I looked it up. And its one of those deelies you have to pay for--really pay for, to the tune of $2500. But using just common sense, wouldn't it be impressive if Gmail had just 1.1x the uptime of Exchange? 1.5x would be crazy. But 4600 times? Hm.

On a more believable note, Google also responded to complaints about its dropping of H.264 in Chrome. And I do find this explanation to be quite reasonable. First, the move only affects the HTML video tag. And as Google notes, H.264 playback will always work in Chrome anyway, thanks to plug-ins such as Flash and Silverlight. Controversy diffused? Maybe.

And since this is apparently an all-Google Saturday, everyone's favorite online monopoly might be facing an antitrust suit over its attempted purchase of ITA. I feel pretty good about that.

Link-bait of the day: the WSJ supposes, with absolutely no conviction at all, that maybe Apple's best days are behind it. Don't worry. Apple's second biggest corporate sponsor doesn't really think that.

That said, Apple's biggest corporate sponsor of all is finally figuring out what I've been writing about for quite some time: That many of the iPhone's problems are because of Apple's bad design and not because of AT&T. That this will actually be eye-opening for many people is, of course, obvious but ridiculous. Where was this level of scrutiny in the past? (To be fair, I've always really liked Joe Nocera's work.)

CNET reports that Dell has dropped the price of its MacBook Air-like Adamo to $799, well under the Air's starting price. Or, you could simply save even more money and get a Dell Vostro V13, which features the same form factor, if not the same cache. Learn more here: Prices start at just $399. Take that, CNET. (Fun side-note. This is my wife's computer. She loves it.)