Anarchy in the App Store – Businessweek:
“how often a downloaded app gets used, the leader board might more accurately reflect popularity, says Craig Palli, a Fiksu vice president.”
Interesting idea to create a more relevant ranking system. What are people downloading and how often are they using it? This could be a problem for apps that are not used frequently. I’m thinking of the app Pages, an app from Apple. I have it, but don’t use it often.
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.
If Apple is increasing manufacturing capacity at or near 100% per year, when does capacity begin to out-pace market demand for the device output of that capacity?
This question came to mind while reading a post on the Asymco blog, How did I get the iPhone number so wrong (part II).
Surely there is some maximum number of units that this capacity can fill. How do you find the point where capacity growth needs to slow so that the plant remains highly efficient? IE, capacity does not out pace market demand by a significant margin.
Consider the iPhone, even if every person on Earth had one, max market capacity would be equal to all of human life on Earth. Perhaps it would be worth while to find markets of people to exclude to find a max market demand for the product. From there, one might need to factor out people who are unable to afford the iPhone under current prices and with current purchasing plans. Certainly these market segments could be served by finding or creating a pricing and payment system that allows more people to afford and acquire an iPhone. This payment and affordability innovation may not occur, or Apple may choose not to play there because it hurts average earnings per unit to the point where total profits increase at a slower rate or actually decrease. There is a cost to serving all market segments.
NOTES & MORE (+ questions)
Upgrade cycle: Is it every 2 years? Is a new device coming every 15-18 months now?
Do people wait when there are rumors of a new device?
Market demand may fluctuate on a quarterly basis. An iPad makes a nice Christmas gift and perhaps schools will buy a large volume in July and August to gear up for a new school year. For a device like the iPad there is probably a significant drop off in demand after the holiday season.
Smart phones are becoming the new standard for mobile phones. Not everyone will use this ‘computer in your had’ to its fullest, some may not use it for much more than calls. There will most likely be a large segment that will use apps to do more things and solve new problems by having a smartphone.
Steve Jobs 1955- 2011. RIP.
It’s going to be tough for Tim Cook to hold that top rating.
Note Section: Data source for the above screenshot is Glassdoor. Click the image to visit the page.
The four consumer technology and Internet firms to watch over the next five years and possibly beyond are, in no particular order.
These firms are starting to have overlapping products and services.
Notes:
These firms have been competing in similar spaces for a while now. Apple has been selling music in the iTunes Music Store since April 2003 and Amazon has been selling MP3’s since September 2007. Google recently introduce Music Beta by Google.
Will Facebook get into streaming movies? They recently added Spotify integration to make their music offering more robust.
Amazon has a streaming movie service, Amazon Instant Video, and Google has YouTube. What will happen to Hulu? Will one of these four players make a move to buy it or create a strategic partnership?
Terms of Service – Compliance
See the difference between the two screenshots? The one on the left has the “Shop In Kindle Store” button that takes you to the Kindle store in Amazon.com to buy books. The link was removed to comply with the terms Apple has set forth. I’ve never used that link to buy books. Of the sixty or so, free and paid, books I’ve bought for Kindle, all have been done via the Amazon.com store on a computer.
BEFORE
AFTER
Looks like recent changes were not well received.
This is for the Golf Digest App. It was shared on Twitter here. The link from the tweet is here.
As I was checking the weather radar this evening I noticed an ad at the bottom of the page, see banner images at the bottom of each of the images nearby. Apparently the iTunes Store from Apple will rent movies before they hit the theatre. There is a bit of a price premium, but if more than one person was going to the theatre, the $9.99 price to see it early is cheaper in most cases.
This could become an interesting play on exclusivity. The question I have is, is there a limit on the total number of households that can buy in on this deal? Some amount of exclusivity might drive word-of-mouth especially if there is a number that continues to fall towards zero as people buy the offer from iTunes.
What if people could buy in on this even after it is in theatrical release for the same price …
Hopefully this is an issue to revisit in April as the movie is in theatres.
NOTES:
Movie: Ceremony via IMDB.com
This bottom banner as was seen in the AccuWeather app for iPad on March 10, 2011.
D.L. Damore 