Big NTT DoCoMo Nets Google and LiMo: Microsoft and RIM Should be Worried
November 24, 2008
DoCoMo, KTF to sell Google phone next year: report | www.reuters.com
The roll-out of the Google phone into Japan, through the largest carrier in the country and one of the data innovators, is a shot across the bow of Microsoft, RIM, and Nokia. It is impossible to stem the tide of the new OS mafia -- from Apple, Google, and LiMo -- but if Microsoft doesn't wake up quickly and radically re-invent, they will find themselves on the outside looking in. Good for the consumer, bad for the complacent incumbents.
Higher-Pay Employees Most Likely to Leave Sprint
November 17, 2008
Sprint offers voluntary package to employees | www.fiercewireless.com
I don't think the Sprint voluntary package is going to draw mass defections. The market is too weak, and options for the unemployed are not rosy. However, on the margin, higher up employees might be the most likely to bolt, and this post goes through a theoretical breakdown.
PwC TV Ad Study Reaches Silly Conclusions: Branding isn't just TV Domain
November 14, 2008
Cutting TV advertising will harm your brand | www.mandmglobal.com
This PwC study really got me riled because it reflects a nonsensical version of the brand, one that can only be broadcast over the TV, that is just no longer true. Sure, Comcast and Time Warner and ESPN may want you to believe it it true, but Google's interactive medium is the wave of the future, even the branding future. The shift to interactive has been far too slow, and this study paints exactly the wrong picture.
HTC Google G1 not an iPhone: Will Cut Price Quickly
November 14, 2008
Report: G1 costs 10 percent less to make than iPhone | news.cnet.com
The release of the first "Google phone" certainly does not come at an ideal time, given the economic environment. Sure, they can price high, then lower as everyone does. However, the true measure of how long they can sustain the high price is looking at pent-up demand, which is done in this article.
Scrooge will Visit Apple and Dell for Xmas
November 14, 2008
Holiday shoppers like Apple and Dell | apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com
The ChangeWave survey paints an overly positive picture on Apple and Dell sales this year. As Circuit City and Best Buy foreshadow, this holiday season will be awful for high-end products, especially those whose purchase can be forestalled.
I Bet Against Microsoft's Azure in Cloud War Against Amazon, Google, Sun, ...
October 31, 2008
Azure: Can Microsoft Meld Windows with the Web? | www.businessweek.com
Microsoft has a checkered history of product releases as of late -- from Vista to updated versions of Windows Mobile and Internet Explorer. They seem to release minimal updates, expecting a non-demanding user not looking for vast improvements in user experience and features. In the face of Google, Amazon.com, Sun, and others, they better overachieve with Azure, or they will face deep erosion of Windows within a few years.
Cox May Make Huge Mistake by Investing in Wireless
October 30, 2008
Cox to Enter Wireless Services in 2009 | www.businessweek.com
Cox must have something up their sleeve with wireless. Otherwise, why would they become a Sprint MVNO, right on the heels of the huge flame-outs by Amped, Helio, Disney, and others? Bundling surely can't be the only answer, as there has been precious little proof behind that strategy; there must be another reason.
Yahoo's Display Ad Nightmare and a Dismal Holiday to Come -- Bah Humbug
October 30, 2008
New ad cuts raise worries for Yahoo | www.livemint.com
Yahoo faces a miserable head wind entering this holiday season. Retail marketers, those likely to drop big bucks around Turkey Day, are having a very bad Fall and may not chase the ghost of Christmas Future. Yahoo's dependence on online display ad revenue could be disastrous for their holiday quarter.
Apple's Pricing Strategy will Face Problems this Holiday
October 29, 2008
Apple Holds Prices on Laptops - Computer Maker Refreshes MacBook Lineup | online.wsj.com
In just this instance, Apple's arrogance may be its undoing over the holiday season and into next year. It is generally wise, and always tempting, to stay true to the brand, and, in Apple's case, deliver premium pricing on its premium product. However, there are several pricing strategies that could maintain their brand and maximize revenue; arrogance is not that strategy.
Google, Apple, and Amazon.com are Best Bets to Weather the Recession Storm
October 29, 2008
Can Anything Derail Google's Growth Engine? | www.businessweek.com
Google will see slowing search business domestically, of course, but they continue to expand in other arenas that take advantage of their competitive positioning. Like Amazon.com and Apple, they make moves based on the opportunity, even if the opportunity may not be apparent to the investment community. These companies have an approach to innovation that is not arrogant, even though Bezos, Jobs, and Google have been accused of such; rather, it is pragmatic.
February 7, 2012
SOPA and the wisdom of Yogi Berra
January 19, 2012
Larger wafers present a growth opportunity for LEDs
January 6, 2012
Smartphones threaten digital camera industry
December 1, 2011
Google music launches: The end of the end for the music industry
November 22, 2011