Yahoo Job Cuts
Yahoo said it will cut 1,000 jobs of its 14,300-person work force by mid-next month. Curiously, Google currently employs only about 1,600 more people (15,916 total as of Sep. 2007), yet does over two-times the quarterly revenue of Yahoo.
Alvin and the 200 Million Dollars
Including this weekend’s box office return, Alvin and the Chipmunks has passed the $200 million mark. Seriously, Alvin and the Chipmunks? Guess David Cross never even needed to explain his decision to take a role in this flick. Who’s slated for the sure-fire sequel? Johnny Depp?
BitTorrent Movie Downloads
When you read stories like this, it’s not too hard to figure out why Hollywood is seeing DVD sales drop.
The Search for Digital Audio Harmony
Like a lot of music fans with a large digital library, my search for the ultimate digital audio player is never ending. Sure, all of the latest game consoles and network media players stream audio from your computer. There are of course stand-alone devices such as the Squeezebox that do a whole host of things besides just play back of MP3s. And let’s not forget about the iPod accessories that attempt to do streaming. For me, however, they are all lacking, for one reason or another.
My needs are relatively simple. The solution should:
- Provide a non-TV-based interface. I want to listen to music, not watch TV. This rules out consoles and most digital media players, including the AppleTV.
- Integrate seamlessly with iTunes and, ideally, play back iTunes DRM’ed tracks.
- Enable library browsing without a computer through a standalone remote.
To-date, only Sonos has come close to this holy grail of digital audio playback. Their system consists of an iPod-like controller and Zone stations that enable you to stream different tracks throughout your house. The product garners rave reviews, but, even in its cheapest configuration, you’re looking at a $749 pricetag. Steep to say the least.
The portability factor of the Sonos controller is definitely appealing and makes it a tempting purchase. My current system is an AirPort Express and MacBook Pro, which does the job, but leaves me tied to my computer. Going near my machine just increases the chances I’ll get sucked into some work project or distracted by some news story. A self-contained Sonos controller solves this, as does Slim Devices’ upcoming $399 Squeezebox Duet.
Still, I’d rather not spend $400 when I already own two devices that can make the ideal solution. The iPhone (and for that matter, the iPod Touch) with its built-in WiFi and touch screen, combined with an AirPort Express can deliver exactly what myself and surely many others are looking for. The ability to send music to AE’s throughout your house from an existing device that you already carry with you is a powerful concept.
For Apple, I could see a product like this becoming the first for-pay iPhone application they release. The ability to stream music directly from the iPhone and browse a remote iTunes share would surely be worth $39 for users who are looking for this capability. If they pass, it’s yet another perfect opportunity for a third-party developer to take it and run.
Starbucks Testing $1 Coffee
Starbucks is testing a $1 bottomless eight-ounce coffee at select stores in Seattle. To me this says less about the company trying to compete with the budget brands and more about having a free refill hook that keeps customers in stores longer.
This means more time interacting with the brand and purchasing even more services (such as iTunes downloads).
Palm Closing Retail Stores
Palm said last week it will be closing its 8 branded retail stores as well as its 26 stores within airport shops. File this one under the “who even knew these existed” category.
Anderson Cooper in the Congo
Anderson Cooper’s 60 Minutes report earlier this month on the prevalence of rape throughout Congo is one of the most infuriating stories you’ll see. When 90% of women are being attacked by the country’s own soldiers, is there anything that can be done to stop it? The brutality and humiliation these women are going through is sickening.
MacBook Air Benchmarks
Not surprisingly, the initial MacBook Air benchmarks show that the machine is the slowest amongst the current crop of Apple machines (Mac mini isn’t included in tests).
Last.fm Frees The Music
Tracks on Last.fm can now be played in their entirety for free, thanks to an ad-supported revenue model that pays artists based on number of plays. Deals like this are 8 years too late, but at least they’re getting done.
Come late February, my guess is that some crafty developer will write an iPhone app that hooks into the entire library to create a huge on-the-go jukebox. If Last.fm was smart, they’d do it. (Via Daring Fireball.)
Poor VUDU
(Full disclosure: I wasn’t selected as a beta tester for the VUDU box, but the company did reward my early interest in the form of a $99 box and $99 worth of free movies. Not bad, huh?)
I first read about VUDU last spring when the company’s first product — a supposed movie store in-a-box — was exclusively unveiled in a big New York Times Sunday spread. Netflix in your house was what they promised. These guys worked for TiVo! Awesome new peer-to-peer network! Movies to rent and own! Social features to connect with friends! And hey, don’t forget about that freaky looking remote. I was very intrigued.
Fast forward to about 6 weeks ago when my little VUDU box arrived at the office. I told my co-workers all about it and how it did this and that, but they were frankly more interested in a coffee run than some $400 box that only played movies. Maybe that was a bad omen.
No Trainspotting. No American Beauty. Why are they presenting some movies in a To Own-only option? The only thing I want to do is rent. I was completely frustrated by the handcuffs and limited selection. Now, people who follow technology know that the movie studios obviously forced a lot of these limitations on VUDU. But I was looking at this new product through the eyes of Joe Mainstream, and I didn’t like what I saw at first.
A few nights later, I picked up the form-fitting remote control again and a weird thing happened. I noticed that I had wasted about 10-15 minutes browsing the VUDU selection and building a Watch List of about 20-30 movies that I would want to eventually see. Catalog size didn’t matter to me at this point. I was growing attached to this thing, in much the same way we all fell in love with their TiVo. Maybe this has a chance, if only they could get the cost down.
Then the company came out with a bizarre announcement at CES. Instead of a cheaper box, they introduced a $999 model (10x what I paid for my box) that features 1TB of disk space. Did VUDU hear from customers that they wanted a larger drive to store purchased movies? To me, the announcement seemed so off that I wondered if they even spoke with one customer. As an owner and movie fan, I want to rent. And apparently I’m not alone.
Two weeks ago, prior to introducing the revised AppleTV software, Steve Jobs said that customers have continuously told Apple they want to rent, not buy, movies. Can you imagine being the VUDU team watching this announcement and the unveiling of the iTunes Movie Rental store? Gulp.
In one fell swoop, Apple essentially added the VUDU service to iTunes and lowerd the price of the AppleTV down to $229, nearly one-half of what the VUDU box cost (and it does considerably more). Granted, many of the same licensing restrictions will dog the iTunes offerings for some time, but VUDU has to go up against the industry’s hottest company, a cheaper device and an advertising budget 100x theirs.
To have any chance, they need to cast a spell and have a $149 product suddenly appear. Good luck.
Update: VUDU announced earlier today they will be slashing the price of their box to $295. For those owners who purchased the product in the last 30 days, the company is offering $100 worth of movies.
Service Equals Success
Have you ever noticed how Zappos.com markets itself? It’s deadly simple but says so much about the customer experience it’s trying to conjure. “We’re a service company that happens to sell.” Everythig the company does, from top to bottom, focuses on pleasing customers.
Each time I shop there, there’s an element of this that rings true each step of the way. They have the best photography to give you the truest sense of what the merchandise actually looks like. They either have the lowest prices available or will 110% price match. Shipping is overnight and free. Standard. Returns are on their dime as well and carry a 365-day return policy. And their customer service department is friendly and, wait for it, intelligent.
Who do they think they are? Normally a company on the verge on passing the $1 billion yearly revenue mark loses sight of what got them there. Instead, Zappos continues to reinvest to make this commitment to service even stronger. Any company looking to increase its repeat purchaser rate, look no further than these guys for inspiration.
Pownce Officially Launches
Twitter competitor Pownce officially launched last night.
A Rainbow of iMacs and Bravias
The latest in Sony’s BRAVIA television commercials has been running in heavy rotation on network television, and as with “Balls” and “Paint”, the sheer complexity of the shoot and resulting visuals are something to marvel at.
What struck me as odd were the similarities to the 1999 Apple spot that introduced the first line of colored iMacs. Not only is color the main theme and focus, but the spots both use the Rolling Stones’ She’s a Rainbow as the main track.
Apple and Chiat\Day themselves have picked up negative attention in the past for some direction that was creatively “inspired,” either directionally or artistically, by others (see Eminem/Lugz and Intel Intro/Postal Service). Ideas aren’t always new and in an industry where thousands of creative people are working to come up with the next killer idea every single day, 100% freshness is nearly impossible.
But what’s next? Dell launching a new machine called “Start” and using Start Me Up? Toyota releasing a new convertible and licensing Nick Drake’s Pink Moon track?
Apple’s Growth Continues To Far Outpace PC Industry
Apple continues to far outpace the PC industry with 47 percent year-over-year growth Mac sales. When will the company ever spend some of its cash reserves, which now clock in at $18.4 billion?
MacBook Air Packaging
The 56% reduction in the MacBook Air’s packaging leaves the box quite petite. It’ll only take one dented machine before people start asking for more padding.