Commentary

The Apple Event – Some Predictions

by dldamore

Apple Event March 7, 2012

A few thoughts. I’ve been reading some blog posts and listening to some podcasts and below are a few thoughts. Some are guesses others have that I agree with. Also, this is not all-inclusive. Just want to get a few things written down before the event.

This will be an iPad event

There will be a double resolution screen. It’s my understanding that the pixels per inch would not make it a true retina display, but every one seems to be calling it that. *1

As for the name, iPad HD seems more likely than iPad 3. *2

The current iPad 2 will still be manufactured. It will probably only be available in 16 GB sizes. *3

The iPad HD will also come in storage capacity double each of the three variants currently available. There will be three sizes. The new sizes will be 32, 64, and 128GB. Some iTunes U lectures are nearly 1 GB each, hence the need for more storage. *4

There will be new software for acquiring, scheduling and watching video programming on a tv. This may be part a new Apple TV, the set-top box, not an actual Apple TV. *5

It’s my belief that the iPad will not have a 4G option. It’s a bit fuzzy if there will be mobile operator integration. Meaning, there will not be an AT&T model and a Verizon/Sprint model for 3G. *6

The Big Guess

The surprise as I believe it will play out is that there will be a new larger iPod Touch. The screen will be about 7″ as measures diagonally. This has been a thought of mine for the past five of six months. Reading Kindle books on an iPad would be better on a slightly smaller device. A larger Touch might fit the bill for content consumption. This will keep the iPad brand strong (and separate), and clear in the minds of consumers and users. The iPad is the tablet computer and the Touch is more of a content consumption device. *7

 

Notes

*1 This seems to be the consensus view.

*2 There are some people who suggest this will be the name.

*3 Believe I heard about this on the Talk Show podcast. Might be episode 81. They also spoke of lower prices on the iPad 2.

*4 Apple has increased device storage capacity options in the past. There is a real need for more space with use cases for iPad. iTunes U files, iBook textbooks, Movies etc.

*5 This may mean a new version of iTunes. Not sure.

*6 As the iPad becomes more mainstream, users are less likely to want of need another data plan. They already have broadband at home with a wireless router (Wi-Fi) and a data plan on their phone. A third data plan is an extra and unnecessary expense. There will still be a market for the 3G version, but it will be come a smaller fraction of overall sales. my guess, between 10-15% of sales when yearly output is greater than 50 million units and less than 100 million units.

*7 Have not heard or seen many people thinking this. There was some conversation about a 7″ iPad coming out later this year.

Do Albums Drive Track Sales? +$6.93

by dldamore

Listening to Groove Salad on SomaFM is something that really makes my ears happy. A few minutes ago I was listening and the song Desert Storm by Nor Elle came on. It sounded good, so off to the iTunes music store I went. This song came back as being on the album Slapstick. Well, I decided to see what kind of vibe the other songs on the album gave off. Actually, I ended up buying 8 of the 14 songs. If these were not on an album it’s very unlikely that I would have bought more than just the song I came for.

Total Sale = $7.92

$6.93 in extra sales as a result of songs being part of an album collection.

Album

 

Questions & Thoughts:

Will more artists release albums that have songs with a theme or connected sound? Could envision albums containing between 5 and 8 tracks.

Will people buy the entire album if they like just over half the songs? Perhaps they will buy to have the whole thing. Maybe they will buy to see if the songs that didn’t strike them on first listen grow on them. Perhaps more important is do albums get people to sample extra tracks and make a buy or not buy decision. Extra samples are like having more foot traffic in a retail store. The more traffic, the more sales.

Notes:

Track numbers purchased were: 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 13 & 14

How to Get Past a Subscriber Pay Wall

by dldamore

Below is a screenshot of a Google search. As you might notice, the search terms are the same as the article I want to read. The Wall Street Journal includes short snippet articles in their RSS feeds. Sometimes these are interesting articles and I want to read the whole thing after reading the one or two paragraphs you can see without being a subscriber. Usually, you can copy and paste the full headline in to the Google search box, you will probably get a page similar to the one below. The link in the search result acts as something of a referral link and should allow access to the full article. A few times I tried this it didn’t work.

Google Search Results Page

WSJ: PayPal Launches Pilot In-Store Payment Service

by dldamore

PayPal Launches Pilot In-Store Payment Service:

PayPal, the electronic-payments division of eBay, said it is testing an in-store payment system with Home Depot that allows shoppers to purchase items without cash or a conventional credit card.

(Via WSJ.com: US Business)

 

This is a development worth watching. Retailers are pushing back on interchange fees and there is an opportunity for new ideas to take hold with some big players.

Prediction: Disruption to the credit card payment system is coming.