Beyond the iPad Hype
Posted on April 6, 2010 |
Guest blogging today is George Colony, CEO of Forrester Research, who for 30 years has been advising CEOs on the impact of technology on business. He also blogs at The Counterintuitive CEO:
The iPad signals a fundamental change in the way software will work, and CEOs should understand how.
You're going to hear a lot of conflicting ideas about the meaning of Apple's new device. Most of the talk will be about iPad's impact on the media world: newspapers, books, and movies. Don't be tempted to tune it all out. The iPad is important to you and your business, no matter what industry you're in.
Your company runs on software. Whether it's the word processor you use to write memos, your factory's supply chain management system, or your corporate Web site, your company wouldn't last for 15 minutes without it.
The iPad combines two methods of delivering software: the style the runs on a PC, and the kind of software that runs on servers and is delivered through a Web browser, over the Internet. With Apple's iPad and iPhone, the local software, which runs on a device that's powerful for its size, cooperates with services available on the network.
The result could be applied to create new kinds of business scenarios. Think about a hypothetical Wal-Mart store manager using the iPad to design shelf space, swiping its screen to see how the DVD players might perform when sold next to the DVDs. The iPad's software could call up Wal-Mart's database of merchandising history and come back with a verdict on whether such a move would resonate with shoppers. 'No, no' the iPad says, 'Over here by the flat-screen TVs would be better,' and lights up a new section of the store map.
On the iPad you won't know or care where the software is running-- the experience is still quick, easy, and intuitive. And while the software runs over the Internet, it's not dependent on a browser. That makes the experience more PC-like.
So what should a CEO do? Nothing substantial at the moment. But CEOs should be aware of the possibilities that the iPad is presenting. Consider the case of automaker Hyundai, which is offering buyers of its upcoming Equus luxury sedan a free iPad, preloaded with an Equus owner's manual. The iPad has the potential to change how software works within your company, and how customers relate to your brand. Forrester has some more analysis here.
I would go out and buy three iPads (get the ones with 3G networking and lots of memory). Keep one for yourself to experiment with. Give the second to your CIO. And give the third to your head of application development. Use them for four or five months. Come September, sit down with your executives and ask a simple question: "Can we use this device to improve our business?" I would bet the answer is yes.
Why the Jury’s Still Out on the Apple iPad
Posted on January 27, 2010 |
Does Apple's tablet computer, the newly announced iPad, live up to the
hype? There's no doubt Apple fans will flock to the device, with
its svelte build and 9.7-inch color screen. But Steve Jobs' confirmation of the long-rumored device was more striking for what wasn't announced than what was.
The iPad is designed to access the same applications available for
iPods and the iPhone on Apple's popular App Store. There's even
software that will automatically re-size existing applications for
better viewing on the larger screen.
But even Jobs, during his presentation in San Francisco, wondered
aloud whether Apple has what it takes to establish a third category of
products between smartphones and laptops. He says yes, but it's not that clear.
One reason is because there was no immediate word on any of the
rumored subscription content deals with Hollywood and other content
providers that might make the iPad a must-have gadget that moves beyond niche
markets such as education, health and graphics arts.
Much has been made about Apple's attempts to revive the markets for various forms of media, but little was said at the Apple event to clarify just how the iPad will do that.
Jobs' announcement of Apple's foray into the electronic book market also
left questions about the price of the books and whether consumers will
be able to seamlessly sync them among Apple devices.
The challenge for Apple is whether it can convince the millions of
consumers who already own an iPhone or iPod Touch, or are content with
their notebook computers, that it's worth shelling out at least
$499--the base price for six model categories -- for a larger
touch-screen machine. The iPad offers 10 hours of battery life even
when playing video, which should help. And the touch display helps distinguish the iPad from Apple's MacBook notebook computer lineup as well as Windows-based notebooks and netbooks.
Apple did strike what should be a consumer-pleasing deal with its
wireless carrier partner AT&T to offer two data plans, one for $14.99, the other for $29.99 unlimited monthly data. Combined with built-in Wi-Fi and free access to AT&T's national Wi-Fi hotspot network, the plans could make the iPad an all-around mobile device.
As expected, Apple announced it had struck deals with five of the major
book publishers to create its own store for downloading books in
electronic form. But many rival makers of mobile devices, including
Amazon's Kindle family and Sony's Reader ebooks, include mobile
broadband connections in the purchase price.
Early adopters enamored with all things Apple will flock to the iPad. But until Apple gets developers to create more iPad-specific applications that showcase the hardware, it may face the same mainstream consumer apathy that has plagued other tablet-specific devices created over the past decade by its rivals.
Qualcomm’s MediaFlo to Come to the iPhone
Posted on January 6, 2010 |
On Jan. 6, Qualcomm announced that accessories maker mophie has built an antenna to catch Qualcomm MediaFlo TV's programming into its cases for the iPhone and iPod touch. The move will allow Qualcomm to sell its TV service while bypassing wireless service providers, which haven't been as successful as hoped in pushing the service thus far.
Carriers like AT&T and Verizon Wireless have long offered the MediaFlo service for select phones carrying Qualcomm's antennas, but it's not taken off as fast as many analysts hoped. Many people balk at paying a monthly fee for the service when they can get plenty of free programming online. And the market growth has been inhibited by the limited availability of MediaFlo-ready phones. The iPhone -- one of the most popular smartphones in the world -- had lacked the feature.
Now that an antenna is being built into a smart smartphone case, at least one of the barriers to MediaFlo's adoption will come down. iPhone fans will no longer have to wait for Apple to built the antenna into the smartphone in order to receive MediaFlo broadcasts. They will still have to pay Qualcomm fees for using the service. But at least Qualcomm won't have to share the revenues with the carriers.
Later on, mophie could make similar cases available for other devices, such as BlackBerry and Android-based phones, I suspect. Qualcomm is sure to benefit from no longer having to depend on carriers for so much of its MediaFlo traction and revenues.
Shoppers’ Interest in the iPhone Slips
Posted on January 4, 2010 |
Fewer people shopping for smartphones were interested in buying Apple's iPhone in December than in September, according to a new ChangeWave Research survey. Last month, 28% of more than 4,000 people surveyed were planning to buy an iPhone in the next three months. That's down from 32% in September.
What happened? Some of the decline in consumer interest could be due to the fact that the latest iPhone model, released over the summer, is getting older, and many people who wanted to buy it have already snapped it up. What's more, competitors such as Motorola, HTC and Research In Motion have come out with new, compelling smartphones in the last couple of months. Motorola's Droid in particular is gaining traction; the gadget is based on Android operating system that allows users to buys and use apps similarly to the iPhone. In December, some 21% of the survey respondents were planning to buy an Android-based smartphone in the next 90 days, according to ChangeWave. That's up from 6% in September.
It's not a big leap to assume that Android-based smartphones are starting to eat in a major way into iPhone's mindshare with consumers.
Apps: The Top Reason to Buy an iPhone
Posted on December 12, 2009 |
While, initially, many consumers snapped up iPhones for their touch screens, that's changed. Nowadays, it's the apps that are the biggest driver of iPhone purchases, according to a new report from Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster.
That should come as no surprise: Apple and its official U.S. carrier distributor, AT&T, have been touting apps such as Bump, which allows iPhones to exchange contacts and photos by bumping two phones against each other, in their TV commercials. Today, Apple is the mobile apps leader, with more than 100,000 apps offered through its iTunes store. And this could be just the beginning.
Apps currently available in the Apple App Store have "just scratched the surface of what the iPhone can do," Munster wrote in a Dec. 9 report. "With the addition of various accessories, or built-in features like RFID, the iPhone could become even more functional," he wrote in a Dec.9 report.
Mobile payment applications could represent one big future opportunity. "....Apple, with the iPhone, iPod touch and iTunes accounts that each have an associated credit card, is uniquely positioned to make mobile payment a reality in the U.S.," Munster writes. Related mobile apps may help people track their spending or transfer funds, for example.
