Apple’s AirPlay Remains the Sleeper Hit for 2011
Back in January I wrote that Apple’s AirPlay would drive a renaissance for audio. Networked audio solutions have been building slowly to a crescendo I believe plays out over the next 24 months. Of course companies like Sonos and Logitech with their Squeezebox suite of devices left important early footprints while defining the market for networked audio solutions. Several years ago I spoke with […]
10 Themes for 2011
10 predictions for 2011 published in the January edition of CE Vision. You can see the entire issue here. 1) The unemployment rate will end 2011 close to where it is today During the muted economic recovery many metrics and measures have significantly underperformed past economic recoveries despite the fact that the significant depth of […]
on Kindle Pricing Part II
Last week I provided an estimate of the implied revenue Amazon expects to earn in advertising from the newly discounted Kindle with Special Offers. I happened to catch MG Siegler’s post on TechCrunch on the same topic. Siegler takes an approach I heard frequently immediately following the announcement, namely that $25 isn’t a strong enough discount. Amazon should have been more aggressive and marked the device […]
The 360 degree solution
this was previously published in March 2008 in Dealerscope Magazine: Ten years ago, consumers bought consumer electronics devices largely independent of the services and content they would eventually use in conjunction with those devices. Those times are gone. As opposed to piecing together an a la carte experience by coupling hardware, software and services, today’s […]
Organizing Information
The most successful companies – especially in the digital world – will be built around organizing dispersed information (something I said I would expound upon). Name a successful company in the digital space, and you will see data organization at its core. AOL for example – while best known for its ISP business in the 1980s […]
The Value of Advertising on the Kindle
Amazon recently announced they would sell a new Kindle with “Special Offers”version. Kindle with “Special Offers” has the same specs as their WiFi-only Kindle but will include advertisements as the screen saver and on the home screen bar. In exchange, Amazon will only change $114. In all likelihood Kindle hardware will one day be free (or close to free) because of cross subsidization […]
Decision Curbs: How the Miracle on the Hudson will Impact You
Over the weekend I read William Langewiesche’s recent book Fly by Wire: The Geese, the Glide, the Miracle on the Hudsonwhich chronicles the role electronic control systems play in avionic safety generally and US AIR flight 1549’s miraculous landing on the Hudson river specifically. A fly-by-wire approach is something we will begin to see with more frequency. In avionic application, […]
Using Events to Drive Retail Traffic
BestBuy is apparently holding iPad supply so they will presumably have enough supply on stock and in the stores for an “upcoming event.” This highlights the delicate nature of retailing today. Physical media is no longer the traffic driver it once was, but today’s traffic drivers aren’t providing the margin that retailers need so events have become the focus to drive […]
The Future of Data (and the Death of Surveys)
The demand for “metrics” is increasing. At the same time, data availability is accelerating. More, the availability of survey software like SurveyMonkey has driven down both the cost and accessibility to survey tools. In economic parlance, we’ve seen both supply and demand shift out. As the chart shows, the end result is a lower price […]
on Gov’t Shutdowns
Here are the last 11 government shutdowns. The average closing is just 5 days – and excluding in the December 1995 closing, the average is only 3.2 The Government will be open again next week. [table id=8 /]
