March 31, 2008

iPhone 2.0: Answering the call of the enterprise

Earlier this month, Apple announced that the next revision of the iPhone software would support "enterprise features," including a direct link to Exchange, a software development kit, and IT-friendly management capabilities. While the free update is not due for three months, it's clear that the consumer-centric iPod maker will find its iPhone is much more accepted, if not embraced, by usually anti-Apple IT departments.

Continue reading "iPhone 2.0: Answering the call of the enterprise" »

Posted by TomR at 10:15 PM |

September 26, 2007

Amazon MP3 store is the first real Apple challenger

Yesterday, Amazon launched a beta of Amazon MP3, a Web-based store that sells music without restrictive DRM and in the widely supported MP3 format. Unlike other stores based off Microsoft DRM technology and file formats, this means that Amazon files can easily be played on the most popular portable devices -- Apple's iPod family. Consumers will benefit from the store launch, and at last, Apple will be given some real competition in the digital download market. As usual, some of the major record labels still can't decide what to do, despite seeing the success of the Apple store.

Continue reading "Amazon MP3 store is the first real Apple challenger" »

Posted by TomR at 03:22 PM |

September 06, 2007

Marketing lessons from Apple: The iPhone price drop & rebate

Apple continues to generate an enormous amount of publicity around its iPhone product line. Its preview, launch, and price cut, as well as numerous events in between, have made it this year's most covered technology product. Other tech vendors can leverage some -- but not all -- of the lessons learned during the short life of the iPhone.

Continue reading "Marketing lessons from Apple: The iPhone price drop & rebate" »

Posted by TomR at 10:59 AM |

April 24, 2007

Global brand ranking report puts a tech company on top

The 2007 global brand ranking report from market research firm Millward Brown Optimor had 17 tech brands in its top 100 list. Marketing executives at Google will be happy with the results, while those at Sony may wonder how they can claw their way up the brand value ladder. As for Microsoft and Apple, score a victory for the Zune and Vista creator.

Continue reading "Global brand ranking report puts a tech company on top" »

Posted by TomR at 11:21 AM |

February 06, 2007

Time for Apple to increase ITS video resolution

Later this month, Apple will start shipping Apple TV, its new set-top designed to enable iTunes Store video and audio content to be easily played on high-definition TVs and their accompanying surround sound systems. The device will help bridge the traditional divide between the PC and the TV. But with its release, the company should -- though it may not -- also announce it is upgrading its video to a high definition resolution.

Continue reading "Time for Apple to increase ITS video resolution" »

Posted by TomR at 09:53 PM |

January 10, 2007

Apple's Jobs touts the iPhone as the next big thing

On Tuesday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs delivered his annual keynote address at the 2007 Macworld Conference and Expo. This year, the story of the show was Apple's iPhone, a combination cell phone, iPod, and handheld computer that runs the company's PC operating system, Mac OS X. While most of Jobs' keynote focused on the iPhone, he also revealed some other interesting company details and another product announcement.

Continue reading "Apple's Jobs touts the iPhone as the next big thing" »

Posted by TomR at 03:13 PM |

December 08, 2006

A boom in digital content and DRM headaches will drive "Apple iServ"-like products

Consumers are investing in digital content, but they increasingly face the challenges of needing more storage and having to manage commercial, personal, and hybrid content. As a result, consumers will be drawn to home media servers, lightweight devices designed to store, stream, sync, and manage a household's complex portfolio of digital assets. We examine what Apple, a leader in commercial digital downloads, could offer if it developed its own home media server.

Continue reading "A boom in digital content and DRM headaches will drive "Apple iServ"-like products" »

Posted by TomR at 02:56 PM |

September 20, 2006

The Zune 1.0 dud

Last week, Microsoft officially announced details of its new Zune consumer brand. The September 14th announcement came two days after rival Apple announced a refreshed iPod family, updated iTunes software for Windows and Mac OS X, and a revamped iTunes Store that now supports movie downloads. The verdict? The soon-to-arrive Microsoft device and its accompanying Zune-branded ecosystem will not slow the iPod juggernaut. Zune, in its initial 1.0 incarnation, will be a dud.

Continue reading "The Zune 1.0 dud" »

Posted by TomR at 01:42 PM |

July 24, 2006

Microsoft's consumer obsession leads to Zune

For the last week, the rumor of Zune, reportedly some kind of Microsoft-branded iPod, dominated tech news, community, and blog sites. The general media was obsessed, too, as the Zune story offered so many enticing angles, such as Microsoft battling its arch-rival Apple, the company now defining the digital music experience; Microsoft back-stabbing its digital music partners by embracing a vertical digital music strategy; and Microsoft jumping deeper into the consumer electronics space despite huge...

Continue reading "Microsoft's consumer obsession leads to Zune" »

Posted by TomR at 01:36 PM |

May 15, 2006

Microsoft and URGE won't defeat Apple in digital audio

To take on Apple Computer in the digital audio market, Microsoft is playing favorites, tying its latest effort to dethrone Apple on the soon to be unveiled URGE music service. URGE, due May 17, is a product of Viacom's MTV Networks. MTV Networks includes the youth-oriented MTV properties, the older demographic VH1 offerings, and the country music CMT brands. Announced last December, the service will not provide the only digital music store that can be...

Continue reading "Microsoft and URGE won't defeat Apple in digital audio" »

Posted by TomR at 04:21 PM |

January 08, 2004

Another interesting Apple crop

Apple Computer just wrapped up another Macworld, and, as usual, the technology world paid a seemingly inordinate amount of attention to a company that has a relatively small percentage of the worldwide PC installed base. Why? Because while Apple may not dominate sales charts the way Microsoft or Sony does, the influence of its offerings and strategic direction are tremendous to both the PC and consumer electronics industries.It is interesting to note, that while there...

Continue reading "Another interesting Apple crop" »

Posted by TomR at 10:35 AM |