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 /]
On Privacy
I’ve written about Xobni for Outlook in the past, but a recent experience illustrated the role data will play in the future and ultimate implications for privacy. When it first launched I tried freecycle and several months ago I signed-up again to see how the service had evolved and was progressing. Because I knew this […]
The Future of Postal Service 2020
Last week I had an extended conversation on the future of postal service and wanted to share some of my thoughts on potential scenarios 10 years from today. These are clearly quick sketches. The future – as is often the case – will likely be an amalgamation of these scenarios. Scenario 1: Traditional Mail Ceases to Exist, Small […]