From AC/DC to Zeppelin (and a whole bunch a artists / bands in-between) the world of Rock ‘N’ Roll owes a big debt to Jim Marshall.
(Source) NY Times: http://goo.gl/zre0D
Perhaps the ultimate techno-geeks’ dream might have just moved closer to becoming a reality (as per the debut of Google Glasses prototype).
(Source) NY Times: http://goo.gl/t5b3a
With Consumer Reports giving Apple their seal-of-approval (regarding their latest tablet) this is just another affirmation of how superior this is over their competition.
The greater question is: who will make a comparable device that can actually compete on a sustained basis within this space (Samsung excluded due to the degree that they’ve copied Apple).
(Source) Consumer Reports: http://goo.gl/q3qN2
Oracle’s 2009 acquisition of Sun Microsystems is yet another example of how far downstream Silicon Valley firm’s have gone from nascent Start-up to behemoth / heavy-weight (e.g., bloated) whereas they’re focused more on industry consolidation versus genuine innovation (as has been the case for quite some time now with Oracle in particular).
(Source) SF Gate: http://goo.gl/ViKeC
It’s both clear as well as good to see that Apple is taking seriously the on-going allegations with their primary (PRC) labor supplier Foxxconn… Hopefully, given their high-profile, this will also force the hand of any other (global) manufacturers who (also) have the same orientation.
(Source) NY Times: http://goo.gl/OMuod
A sense of humor is the only divine quality of man. – Arthur Schopenhauer.
Being ‘liked’ is not a guarantee of / nor does being ‘liked’ equate to ‘success.’
No offense to Apple’s new CEO Tim Cook (as it’s not even a remotely easy task to follow Steve Job’s footsteps) but his being liked more than his predecessor (today) could change radically should the company make any missteps (say, for example, the well of Job’s vision runs dry whenever the legacy of ideas that he left in the pipeline dissipates).
Granted, Apple is / was much more than just one person; however, the person that was once at the helm has a track record that speaks volumes regarding their single-handed impact / significance on the firm; industry and the market itself (amongst other impressions that this luminary left on / within the realm of business itself).
(Source) The Times of India: http://goo.gl/q42nt
Things are not looking good for Canada’s (once-proud) high-flyer… In light of the news of a significant loss… the firm decided to re-focus their efforts on corporations versus their (at this point in time) failed consumer push…
Granted, corporations are their historical sweet spot; yet, as their sphere of influence within this realm has been eroded by their competition… they’ve also faced security issues (post the horrific Mumbai attacks) massive network outages (leaving countless users across America; the EU and other parts of the globe without their services on more than one publicly embarrassing occasion) as well as just an underwhelming product release cycle. Here’s the rub: all of these (and other factors / issues not mentioned herein) might pale in comparison to the lackluster attraction of application developers (who their rivals have capitalized on via the brilliance of crowd-sourcing).
The free-hand-of-the-market has clearly taken a toll on this firm (for further evidence just ask the folks at Nokia and/or Microsoft if one would be able to find an honest voice amongst those therein who have ‘drank the Kool-aid’ as the saying goes). In sum, RIM’s present station is certainly the worst of the ‘also-rans‘ who were once the industry leaders in the Smartphone space. A turnaround is always possible… as is the use of the word ‘if‘ which is never a certainty regarding: ‘if’ we X; ‘if’ the market does Y, etc.
(Source) Reuters: http://goo.gl/1PMnz
If the Nokia / Microsoft alliance has any real chance at success… they are clearly not hiding how they are hedging their bets on the PRC. Granted, the firm is still light-years behind their main rivals in China; however, the big caveat for all players involved is that the race for ‘Smartphone Supremacy’ is far from over in one of the world’s fastest growing markets…
The challenge (obviously) is can this alliance turn the fortunes of both companies around?
(Source) Business Week: http://goo.gl/F55A1
Despite all of the manufacturing done therein, Apple has stumbled in China via a number of missteps that have resulted in the firm (the iPhone specifically) actually getting hammered by their main-nemisis / co-oper-tition partner Samsung. That said, it should really come as no surprise that the company is placing a stronger focus on the PRC (as evidenced by Tim aka ‘Captain Cook’s’ current / recent visit). All of the PR-spin surrounding said trip is fine and well… translating this into real growth / sales is still yet to be seen. Moreover, in light of their recent / on-going PR-snafu regarding allegations of less-than-ideal working conditions… one also has to wonder if this is another reason why their CEO visited himself versus sending another CXO-level Executive.
(Source) Bloomberg: http://goo.gl/omzZq
