Greg's bite: Flummoxed defined
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Greg's bite: Flummoxed defined

By Greg Mills




Flummoxed synonyms listed by Merriam Webster are illuminating: addle, baffle, bamboozle, beat, befog, befuddle, bemuse, buffalo, confound, discombobulate, disorient, confuse, fox, fuddle, get, gravel, maze, muddle, mystify, perplex, pose, puzzle and vex.

Flummoxed-related words are listed as: stick, stump, weird out: abash, discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, embarrass, faze, fluster, mortify, nonplus, rattle; agitate, bother, chagrin, discomfort, discompose, dismay, disquiet, distress, disturb, perturb, stun, unhinge, unsettle, upset, beguile, cozen, deceive, delude, dupe, fool, gull, hoax, hoodwink, humbug, misguide, mislead, snow, string along, take in, trick

Webster uses: assure, reassure, satisfy; enlighten and inform as near antonyms.

Now that we understand the word "flummoxed," let us put it to work in some sentences related to the high tech world that fully illuminate the situation Apple CEO Steve Jobs was referring to in the PC and slate computer market, that all the competitors are hoping to compete in.

1. Steve Ballmer was so flummoxed upon actually holding an iPad 1 in his hands, that he immediately canceled the unreleased Windows tablet computer his company had already spent millions of dollars developing, as he realized it wouldn't compete with Apple's new product.

2. The engineering staff at RIM were so totally flummoxed by the long battery life Apple claimed, (before the first iPhone was released), that they went on record with their management stating that Apple was lying through their teeth and was making false promises, though Apple's claim proved to be true a few weeks later. 

3. The bewildering death spiral mentality of RIM must be even further flummoxed by the abrupt resignation of their chief marketing executive right after the release of iPad 2 specs, but before the actual release of RIM's "PlayBook" slate computer.

4. The executive vice president of Samsung was so completely flummoxedby Apple's iPad 2 specs he stated, on the record, that his company's Galaxy Tab's specs and pricing were "inadequate" compared to Apple's new product (perhaps Merriam Webster needs to add "inadequate" to the list of related words).

5. Motorola stockholders must have felt flummoxed by the announcement of the iPad 2, since so many of them sold their stock, despite the recently announced Xoom tablet.

Yep, Apple is the flummoxifier of the PC market. Apple's competitors -- the flummoxed (victims)-- spend millions of dollars on research and development, but before they can actually produce and launch a new product that competes with the iPad 1, Apple dumps the iPad 2 on the market. What makes it even worse for them, is that iPads are sold at a low enough price point that it is almost impossible to match Apples products.  

While  "flummox" is the right word, perhaps it is a much milder word than the competitors are really thinking or saying in private. I prefer not to use the words the competitors are likely using, children might read this article. I think I like the word "flummoxed."

Thanks, Steve.  That's Greg's Bite for today.



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