Spotify is seriously Facebook-friendly, says the service on its website. But it’s one thing being friendly and another being assimilated. So it’s with more than a little sadness that I read this thread on Get Satisfaction. Baffled user Dean asks:

There seems to be nowhere on Spotify’s website that lets you sign up for Spotify without a Facebook account. The sign up links ask to to log in to Facebook or create a new Facebook account.

Is there a hidden link anywhere on the website that lets you sign up without linking it to a Facebook account?

Clearly, Dean must be some kind of numpty, because, surely, Spofity wouldn’t be so insanely stupid to require you to have a Facebook account to sign-up, right? Right? Luckily, ’employee’ Darran was on hand to put everyone’s minds to rest. And by ‘put everyone’s minds to rest’, I mean ‘punch you all in the face if you had any idealistic thoughts about Spotify being anything other than Facebook’s bitch these days’:

Unfortunately you will need a Facebook account to access Spotify from now on, unless you already have an account set up.

This does not stop you creating the Facebook account adding nothing to it and making it totally private as the Facebook account does not have to be actively used.

This is a mind-bafflingly stupid decision. The only thought that crossed my mind is that Spotify is in a financial mess and needed a Facebook injection, but Facebook said “I will only inject money goodness into you, if you’re shackled to me forever”. Because Zuckerberg is kinky that way.

Matt Gemmell, writing SEO for Non-dicks:

I’m asked sometimes for advice on building an internet presence, and I usually have to fumble for an answer – because I haven’t pursued any particular strategy beyond the glaringly obvious: create original, relevant content repeatedly.

He’s right, of course, but it’s not quite that easy. The stats in Gemmell’s post that he says aren’t massive nonetheless dwarf those I get, and, from what I hear, my stats are larger than some people I know who are writing great stuff. I’d argue the same sort of effect we see in the App Store is just as rampant on the internet in general, in that big brands (and people can be brands in this context) get lodged in people’s heads, regardless of whether they’re writing great content or utter bollocks. It’s also well known that sites that update more often get more hits, even if the content is churn-based tat that you can read on a million other sites. Now and again, you get a ‘breakout indie’, which is where I’d place Gemmell—smart, intelligent writing that bucks the trend of ‘churnalism’ that’s depressingly common these days.

The thing is, content is all that should matter for most writers at the personal level, unless they’re naïve enough to think their blog is the road to riches. Revert to Saved bumbled about in various forms for a bit, before settling in its current incarnation—largely tech-oriented bitching from a largely tech-oriented writer. It was never meant to be anything massive, although I am hugely grateful when people read my stuff and it sparks discussion, either online on other blogs, or directly with me in the comments or on Twitter. And then there is always that possibility that audience and traffic will grow, The Deck will come knocking and you’ll be able to make something of a living off of your own project’s writing, rather than solely writing for others.

Of course, traffic tends to only grow if you’re a dick (write often, rip-off others, use dodgy SEO) or a talented non-dick who perhaps gets a bit lucky (or makes their own luck). I’d certainly rather be the latter than the former.

Mary-Jo Foley at ZDNet argues that the Windows 8 interface will be consistent across all devices, partly contradicting what I wrote yesterday about the system (in that on a tablet Windows 8 would be closer to iOS in concept than Windows).

Given that we’re a year away from Windows 8’s release and Microsoft’s being quite contradictory about it, I’d say there’s a lot of time for things to be nailed down. I suspect there is also an internal struggle at Microsoft. I’ll bet there are certain people within Microsoft arguing hard for retaining ‘proper’ Windows on tablets, because “that’s what people want”, and others arguing to ditch it, because “that’s what people need”. Alternatively, perhaps we’ll end up in a situation where the Desktop ‘app’ that boots the ‘classic’ Windows experience exists on tablets, but is all but irrelevant, due a lack of app support and the interface not being suitable for touch. That wouldn’t be great, but assuming there are plenty of Metro-style apps, that wouldn’t hugely affect performance nor the experience of using a Windows 8 tablet.

Tsk, eh? Those pesky, uncooperative (if you’re a tech pundit) markets are really screwing things up. Last week, we got the news that in the face of myriad iPad killers, the iPad’s share had PLUMMETED. No, wait. Electronista reported IDC’s data as stating that

the iPad had gained share, moving up from 65.7 percent at the start of the year to 68.3 percent.

But surely all those wonderful Android tablets with loads of ports and Flash and not-at-all-iPad-like shells are selling fast, right?

Multiple Android tablets’ arrivals only led to Google’s share shrinking, dropping from 34 percent in early 2011 to 26.8 percent mid-year.

Oh.

Still, I’m sure that won’t stop plenty of people banging on about how the iPad is doomed at some point in 2011, or 2012, or definitely by 2013. 2014 at the latest. Or maybe 2015. Just like Apple itself, really. Now Steve Jobs is no longer CEO,  the company’s pretty much screwed, as evidenced by the hard-hitting article in the New York Times, Without Jobs, Apple Shares Hit All-Time High:

At the end of regular trading Monday, Apple shares closed at $411.63, up 2.78 percent, with a new record-high market valuation of $381.62 billion. It is now clearly the most valuable company on the stock market, displacing Exxon Mobil, with a market capitalization of $358.34 billion.

Ah. Still, give it a week or two and I’m sure we’ll have analysts and pundits falling over themselves to argue that this time, the new iPhone won’t sell, because of all the great alternatives out there. Just wait and see!

As I’ve said before, I’m concerned with Windows 8’s attempts to be all things to all people and provide a ‘desktop’ underneath the touch-based loveliness of the Metro interface. The more I read, though, the more I wonder whether Microsoft’s pulling off a feint, attempting to coddle its long-standing partners (“Don’t worry, guys—it’s still the same old Windows underneath. Honest!) while setting up a potentially audacious land-grab for the tablet space.

Late last week, Microsoft rudely shut the door in the face of plug-ins (source: Wired), citing that doing so

improves battery life as well as security, reliability, and privacy for consumers.

Presumably, Adobe will soon release a statement that Steve Jobs only quit as CEO of Apple to hold Microsoft hostage and force it to ditch Flash Player from tablet devices. And today Ars Technica reports on interesting developments in a primer for Windows 8 devs:

[Distribution] of traditional desktop applications will proceed as usual. […] Metro apps, on the other hand, will be “Distributed through the Windows Store. Apps must pass certification so that users download and try apps with confidence in their safety and privacy. Side-loading is available for enterprises and developers.”

No plug-ins in the browser. A sleek, modern interface. An app store-only route for applications, with a 70/30 split. Sounds familiar. Thing is, I’m not going to be snarky here, because this is Microsoft doing things right (and, to be frank, at least the company’s created a unique interface, rather than ripping off Apple, unlike certain other players). And, as I said, perhaps the dual-OS thing is largely a feint, a unified code-base that will provide touch-oriented components to desktop users who want them (in a manner similar to OS X Lion’s Launchpad), but won’t enable tablet users access to raw Windows, instead showcasing a version of Microsoft’s future. I sure hope so.