With the widespread news of Media and Entertainment 2007: By the Numbers Recap
New years seem to start with a tempered excitement. As a symbolic beginning, we’re prone to look ahead anxious of the unknown. As a symbolic end, we’re drawn to look back and take inventory of what has passed. Where have we been? What have we done? And, most of all, where are we going?
In the mix, the glass is neither half full nor half empty. In the beginning of a new year, it is just there with some liquid in it open to all voices to call it what they will. Looking back is a means of measuring where momentum is taking us. Corporate earnings, personal achievements (or faults), annualized statistics: all numbers and quantities to set benchmarks and goals.
From the Labs: Better Batteries, Smaller Devices?
Even as reports are starting to indicate there’s no cause for concern, one of the most common complaints (or perhaps concerns) raised about Apple’s new Macbook Air is the fact that the battery is not meant to be user-replaceable. A few years from now, however, that design decision may be even less relevant.
Earlier this week, Yahoo and other news sites began to report on work researchers at Stanford’s Materials Science and Engineering department reported in the journal Nature Nanotechnology in mid December. The scientists’ breakthrough discovery could yield batteries that can run for 40 or more hours and be smaller than what we use today. And these high powered wonders could be just a few years from being on the market. The implications for portable gadgets, our entertainment on the go, even electric cars, could be significant.
Macworld Update: Macbook Air, A First Look
Around the Macworld show Floor, I heard a lot of the same comments. The Mac faithful groaned consistently this morning’s keynote address was a snoozer. They weren’t impressed enough. There was too little surprise, they said, and, worse, only little changes. It’s not that something is wrong with the existing Apple product line, Apple’s Steve-worshiping fans just wanted more. Their expectations were over stoked. They wanted to be surprised, wowed and awed. The reality was short.
In a way, it’s not unlike the stock price. It tends to rise before the trade show and drop a bit after; a consequence of Apple’s finely tuned marketing machine. Sometimes, it’s almost too good for their own good.
It’s true, Apple’s product announcement this morning largely validated the rumors, or the rumors largely pegged the announcements. There were few surprises. Odds on, most expected announcements were made. Like a predictable book, Apple delivered the comfortable conclusions. That’s not to say it wasn’t satisfying, however. The new Macbook, in fact, is rather impressive. The improvements to the Apple TV’s software aren’t bad either.
The Macworld Announcements: New…and improved, products
The allure of a suspense is irresistible. 50 pages into a good book the outcome may already be foretold but if well done, you anxiously read the next two hundred to find out for sure. Macworld as a trade show has built for itself the same kind of dramatic tension. Over the years, as ringmaster, Steve jobs has crafted himself into an impressive storyteller. Legions hang in wait for his word. At Macworld, the lines were long and formed hours early for those anxious to see the live spectacle.
At 9:15 PST, following a new Mac vs. PC ad, Steve took the stage. He gave the obligatory recap of 2007, and then launched the crowd into the future.
Major news outlets were vastly in attendance. They’ll be covering the announcement all day.
Here’s the quick list: iTunes rentals (Check), New Macbook (Check), improved Apple TV (Check), software update for the iPhone (check).
And in more detail:
2008 Apple Macworld Predictions: Laying down the Odds
2007 was a banner year. There was the iPhone, a new (and very successful) iPod family, a new and improved iMac, the Leopard update to the OS X operating system and a stock price that’s accelerated like a Ferrari on a track. Now it’s 2008 and Macworld, the trade show that is “Apple’s State of the Union” is just a blink away. Last year’s show revealed the iPhone. “What can we expect this year?” is the question on the minds of many. We all want to know: what promise and surprise does the 2008 product pipeline have in store for us?
Nobody’s talking, which is usual, and as usual, that has everyone talking. Steve Jobs and his team guard their secrets as tightly as a Vegas magic act, and like the elite illusionists, they enjoy misdirection just as much. That’s fueled a constant stream of predictions and forecasts. Analysts with inside sources, press and fans alike all have a perspective. Handicapping Apple product announcements is rarely a wise endeavor, nevertheless, below are some rumors, and odds of their likelihood:
Sony Shortcomings: Dear Howard, What about the Customers?
Ask a politician and they’ll tell you, consistency in policy and staying on point is essential. Stick to the Message. If you flip flop from pro to con, then con to pro, credibility will disappear. Without credibility, there’s little trust. Without trust there’s won’t be a favorable vote. In retail, similar maxims apply. There’s the famous “the customer is always right.” There’s also the old “K.I.S.S.” principle: “keep it simple.” You can confuse your customer with too many changes, or too many choices. That’s bad marketing. Better practice is to offer them value, offer them what they ask for; what they want or need. Do that and they’ll probably purchase your product. Don’t and the sale is going to be difficult to close.
Lately, it seems more and more like Sony (especially the gaming division) has gotten off point, or keeps forgetting the message. Since launching the PS3 gaming platform in November 2006, they’ve made multiple marketing mistakes and repeatedly juggled their lineup and pricing models to adjust. I can recall at least three changes in the console’s first year on the market. Now they’re at it again.
