Does a great pair of earbud headphones for the iPhone exist? I sure haven’t found one, but lets find out.
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“Whoa it just got so freaking loud, are you in a wind tunnel?”
“I’m sorry, I just caught about every third word that you just said.”
“What? Can you repeat that last part? Your father is kissing a lizard?”
“Hello? Hello? I think I lost you.”
“Oh my gosh your phone is the worst thing ever I hate your damn phone it is HORRIBLE and I hate you and your damn phone please don’t ever call me again with that stupid phone.”
I don’t know about you, but those are just 5 of the types of things people say to me as the owner of an iPhone. By the way, the reference of “Your father is kissing a lizard” came from the sitcom Good Times, when they were on the phone and mishearing things, and then they figured out - and were devastated - when they realized the other person was saying “You father is stuck in a blizzard.” That’s right, I just made a Jimmy Walker joke. Dynomite.
The podcast and blog this week is being done to accomplish three things, as we set out to find best earbud headphones for the iPhone.
1) On the personal side, after 2 years the right earbud on my iPhone 3G headset stopped working, so I need to replace them, hopefully with a model that cuts down the complaints above.
So the much-ballyhooed Apple iPad was announced on January 27. What do I think?
Well, I reveled in all the hype, blocking off my lunchtime calendar and jumping between 5 different live-streaming tabs on my browser.
And first off, you DO have to give Apple credit for the hype. Love them or hate them, just think about the sheer number of people talking about this product, and the entire industry of bloggers, writers, reporters, photographers, and so on that exist just to speculate and cover this stuff. I can’t think of another company off-hand that creates another sub-industry just to cover it (other than “Hollywood” or “Wall Street”).
However, with this hype, you live by the crowd and die by the crowd. And right now, the crowd is turning on Apple. My take is that the device is certainly not as good as everyone had dreamed it would be (how could it?), but c’mon people… let’s at least HOLD the thing and try it before passing judgment. Perhaps there will be a double reverse backlash where it now becomes cool to say that it IS the new device to have.
In the podcast I dive into why it could be compelling, and the 5 types of people that would use it.
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I think the most compelling features could be:
- Super light 1.5 lbs
- Instant-on like an iPhone
- The potential as an eBook reader (which I don’t think has been discussed enough)
So who are the 5 people that will use the iPad?:
1) Professional geeks, early adopters, unwavering Apple fanboys
I am a professional geek. That’s what I do. I love gadgets. I don’t always get the first version of every new thing, but I like to keep on top of it for sure. I will strongly consider getting it once the hype dies down and I see it, and maybe I can unload my barely-used netbook on someone.
So will early adopters flock to it? I’m not sure. It’s never good to question the unwavering passion of some of the Apple fanboys, but perhaps Steve Jobs and Co have a Macbook Air on their hands. It was very cool, incredibly designed, and you’d think that it would be something an early adopter would love. But I haven’t seen many bloggers pulling one out of a manila envelope.
2) Travelers
We’re venturing into netbook territory, and it’s hard for me to defend what the iPad can do over a light, small, fully-equipped computer. But I HATE bringing out my laptop on a flight. At least with my work-assigned computer, it’s too big, I hate the whole boot up and log in, and the battery life barely makes it halfway across the country.
I’d much rather keep it in my bag and watch a movie or read. Aha… that’s the advantage of the iPad. You can do all that – watch 10 hours of movies (allegedly), listen to your music or podcasts, read an eBook, or easily browse your photos. And… you can simply slide it into the seatback when you get up from your window seat and have to crawl over people, or want to set it aside when you get your inflight meal.
3) Couch surfers
Here’s the scene… you own a desktop, not laptop. It’s in another room. Or you have a laptop, but it gets too hot, and too heavy on your lap while watching TV. The iPhone is just a bit too small for effective web surfing. The solution is that the iPad is sitting on the coffee table while watching TV.
Picture the scene at a Super Bowl party. You’re watching the game, focused on the big screen. Whoa, that crazy commercial just told you to go to GoDaddy or Pepsi or you want to check a stat. No bringing out the laptop and clearing away a pile of nachos and beers, just pass around the iPad.
Or if you’re on the couch and have an idea, you can just pick it up, turn it on instantly, fire off an email, jot some notes down, and put something on the calendar. (OK, I know I know… you can do this with a laptop or your iPhone too… I’m trying here!)
4) Thieves
On 1/27 the iPad was announced. That same day, I’m sure developers were getting together to tailor their apps, publishers were meeting to figure out content, and video game management teams were having breakout sessions.
But what about the ICSE? The International Cartel of Stolen Electronics? OK, I made that up, but did you know that 10,000 laptops are stolen per week at airports? And according to a Forbes story in 2008:
- Cell phone thefts were up 33% from 2006 to 2008
- Digital camera thefts were up 25% over 3 years
- iPod thefts were up 91%
- A 2007 study showed iPod robberies bumped up overall crime rates in some major U.S. cities
- Stolen iPods accounted for 4% of all robberies in Washington, D.C., in 2007.
So if I was ICSE president, I’d say it’s the best news since white headphones. While you can’t just stick it in your pocket and take off like a phone, at less than 2 pounds it’s not like the old days when you had to steal a 200 lb Sony Wega TV.
5) 3P: Portfolio Presentation Professionals
OK, another made up term, 3P. I think the iPad would be amazing anywhere a professional person with a portfolio has to meet with clients. For example:
- Fashion Designers
- Architect or engineer
- Illustrator / Comic Books
- Artist
- Photographer
- Real Estate Agent
- 1:1 Salesperson
- Interviewees
Imagine you’re an artist trying to sell high-end paintings to a gallery. How impressive would it be to pull out this small device and just swipe your way through your best work?
Or what about being a wedding photographer and sitting down with a couple on their couch to show them your best shots?
Or you’re a real estate agent… out in the field, running around, showing people photos, layouts, and floor plans. Maybe it’s to people not used to using a computer that much. Swipe. Here’s the master bedroom. Swipe. Here the map that shows the nearest schools. Swipe. Add those people at the open house to your contact list.
And lastly, what about on an interview? I’ll tell you I’d be impressed if you took out an iPad and said can I just show you a few of my projects?
As for the Apple iPad’s prospects with me… it may not have the job yet, but it’s definitely going to get an interview.
Hey everybody and Happy New Year! It is so great to be back and diving into 2010 like a toddler at a kiddie pool.
Today’s topic is a little of everything. A pot pourri. A pot luck dinner of a multitude of topics.
It’s Ramblings and Rants.
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Here’s an outline of today’s topics:
The 4-Hour Workweek
I talked about this book last year in my Book Report post listing my favorite marketing and business books, and to be honest, not much has changed so I will give you my review again below.
But what HAS changed is that he has an updated version of the book, with 100 new pages. Were these amazing new updates? Not really. However, I really wanted to read the book again, so figured the low price of $11 for The 4-Hour Workweek on Amazon.com was worth it.
“Scary WalMart Security Guards In Black Hoodies Prevent Black Friday Deaths” was a headline I read over the Thanksgiving break on The Business Insider, referring to the sad death of a temporary worker that died last year when early bird customers rushed the doors. Oh, and they forgot to mention the bullhorns. (Photo credit: NY Times slideshow).
But it never should have come to that.
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As a self-proclaimed “hyper-influencer” and in layman’s terms “the guy everyone asks for tech and shopping advice,” there’s no way I would ever recommend forsaking time with family during the holidays, getting out of a warm bed at 5am, and elbowing other like-minded, bad-at-math, so-called bargain hunters for the lowest possible quality flat-screen TV available at retail.
Before I even get to my rules, I can tell you they violate good shopping logic on so many levels.
In Episode 65, I interviewed Daniel Odio, co-founder and COO of a company called PointAbout.com. We geeked out and talked about gadgets for nearly 2 hours before settling down to record the podcast, but even then, we had so much great information, we had to break it into two parts.
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Topics we cover:
How to get to the CEO:
- Daniel’s favorite book for sales tips
- How to write to the CEO and get your message across so that a company takes action from the top down.
- The optimum length e-mail
- How to find any CEO’s e-mail address
- How Daniel got a brand new Dell laptop sent to him in one day after a frustrating experience with overseas tech support
This week Apple announced the new iPhone 3G S, and all the fun hardware and software updates that go along with it. But did they fix all the items that people were clamoring for? Let’s find out.
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It’s June and that means the Apple Worldwide Developer’s Conference is going on, so all the die-hard fans can stop looking at the rumor sites featuring leaked bootleg photos from Chinese wholesalers guessing what will be announced. It’s here.
In the end, the phone itself was largely the same, with Steve Jobs and company giving it more speed, a longer battery life, and a video camera as major features. What, no Kindle-killer? No ultra-light “Macbook Touch” tablet? I guess I can go back to checking out netbooks.
But here’s the important fact for the millions of people like me that already have an iPhone 3G, and aren’t fanatical about buying every new piece of hardware that Cupertino pumps out. It’s the software.
Five. Hundred. Million. That’s the number of iPhone applications that have been downloaded as of mid January.
So what’s the best revenue model for iPhone applications? Lets find out.
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Apple did it to me again. Back in September when I was doing market analysis for the Wired Product Reviews iPhone application, I stated that a whopping 100 million iPhone applications had been downloaded. But when I checked my stats again a week or so later before the kickoff meeting, the number had already doubled to 200 million.
Then they did it again. I had some pretty recent stats that there had been 300 million downloads. Guess again. In mid January, Apple announced that they had ballooned to 500 million iPhone App downloads in just six months. To put that into perspective, it took 2 years for the number of iTunes songs to surpass half a billion.
Of course when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. In 2003 when the iTunes store launched, far more people were still illegally downloading songs on Napster and other file sharing services. The iPod didn’t have the stranglehold on the MP3 player culture that it does now. But in the last 5+ years, Apple has essentially educated a generation of followers on how to download digital content. The work done by iTunes has paved the way for the App Store. There was no learning curve.
So if you or your company are looking to build an application and jump into the fray, what’s the best - and most profitable - way to do so?
E-mail MarketingGuy [at] Wired.com or leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Revenue Model 1
Price: Free Audience: Mass Market Model: Content extension, advertising-supported Example: Wired Reviews, Facebook, Yelp, NY Times Outlook: Mixed
In this model, a company like Wired released a very solid, free application that brings real value to its readers. Users can browse product reviews that are updated daily, and the next version will feature the ability to view the latest tech videos, and a direct feed of Wired’s Gadget Lab Blog.
Ah, the Super Bowl. Two teams meet on the field, nearly 100 million friends gather to watch the game at home, and ad agencies are charged with making a breakthrough TV commercial in only 30 seconds.
While those in the online marketing world live and breathe social media, we have to remember that outside our inner circle, there are still millions without Facebook accounts and that many think Twitter is a Looney Tunes character.
In this article, I analyze which companies effectively drove their message home, and which ones fumbled their big opportunity. After all, a TV spot during the big game is expensive; extending that brand to your audience via social media costs far less, and is often free.
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The commercials were judged on the following two criteria:
1) Was the spot effective in driving their marketing message
2) Did the website deliver on that message
SUPER BOWL CALIBER E*Trade - The smart-talking baby commercials are hysterical, and may have just coined a new golf term, “shankopotamus.” You watch the spot, you laugh, and you know what the product is about. Upon arriving at the web site, there are links to view the commercials, including even more hysterical outtakes. Bonus: E*Trade bought the Google keyword shankopotamus.
Sent their users flowers when they’ve had a bad day
Received a 99% positive referral rating
Had an entrepreneurial blog and irreverent newsletter
Had a Twitter following so passionate that users solved problems
Instilled a little bit of “magic” into everyday life?
Well, if you’re a marketer, a manager, or public relations rep trying to improve your company’s image, then my interview with Saul Colt, “Head of Magic” for the online invoicing company “Freshbooks,” is a must-listen.
Our 20-minute conversation is a marketing case study for using social media and “retro marketing” to grow a loyal following. We discuss:
How Freshbooks was born out of frustration that many freelancers face
Why they take their customers — even non-paying ones — to free dinners
What just might happen if you get stood up on a blind date
His title, and what happens when the “Head of Magic” heads to Las Vegas
Why he has a Love-Hate relationship with Zappos.com
The iPhone promotion that differentiated them from every other company
Slumdog Millionaire is a love story surrounded by the harsh realities of life wrapped in a game show. While many inspirational and thought-provoking life lessons can be taken from the movie, I’m going to look at 12 Oscar-worthy marketing lessons from the film.
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4 MARKETING LESSONS FROM THE STORYLINE
1) Beware expectations
If you haven’t seen the movie yet, there are some ***spoilers*** in here so don’t say I didn’t warn you. The bigger problem for you right now is that if you haven’t seen the movie, now that it’s getting award show buzz and your friends are raving about it, it’s nearly impossible to live up to expectations.
Ah, the Super Bowl. Two teams meet on the field, nearly 100 million friends gather to watch the game at home, and ad agencies are charged with making a breakthrough TV commercial in only 30 seconds.
