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History of Apple: Goodbye Steve Jobs, Hello Steve Jobs.

Jeffrey Powers — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:23:11 +0000

It’s interesting to see the irony in life. You win, you lose. It’s like rain on your wedding day….

Steve Jobs was seeing a bit of resistance from Apple in 1985. By May, Steve was in an internal struggle for CEO against John Sculley. Ultimately, Apple agreed and Steve stepped down as CEO of the Apple Mac division. 4 months later, Steve decided to leave Apple to start NeXt - a new computer company.

The NeXt OS was released in 1989 and the NeXtstation and NeXtCube in 1990. Jobs built it into a decent powerhouse while Apple continued to struggle. Ultimately in 1997, NeXt was purchased by Apple for $429 million. They got not only the NeXtSTEP Operating System, but they also got Steve Jobs as a consultant.

However, this came to Steve Job’s advantage as in July 1997. CEO Gil Amelio was ousted and Steve Jobs took an interim CEO role. Then, on Sept 16th 1997, Steve Jobs took back his CEO position to which he still resides.

This really shows people not to burn a bridge. If it wasn’t for Jobs’ return, Apple might have taken a downward spiral. We might have even seen a “Microsoft Apple” system. iPod and iPhone would have been a NeXt product - Maybe.

Geekazine Podcast 8-20-2008 Ep.47 - On Justin.tv

Jeffrey Powers — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:07:10 +0000

On justin.tv today - High numbers yesterday - Major spamming last night - Geek of a different nature

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I - S.U.N. (Straight Up News)
iPhone 2.0.2 - Computerworld
Qik for iPhone - Scobleizer
Beta Android
MobileME Supplimental 60 Days
iPod Replacement - CNet
Dell Extends Warranty - Gizmodo
No to Take Two - NYTimes
Netflix is Fixed - Bizjournals

AccessoryGeeks.com

II
RIAA Wins One - Webware
Video Gamers Sued - TimesOnline
MS Sued on XP Cutoff - SeattlePI
Back to XP - Computerworld

TCT Podcast - SensoGlove
Email from Frank
Dell Cloud Computing
TechTweak - Install Old Printer in Vista

III
Pirillo on Spamz@
SATA r.3 - Engadget
Open Source Textbook - LATimes

Edward Jones

IV
Too Human Not all That - Joystiq
Our Digital Footprint - EMC
Now you can Buzz News - Geek

Apple - get an iMac

Listeners’ Notes:
help a reporter
Laptop Napkin
Face Your Mangia
MiniColeco
USB Heated Shawl
Star Trek Command Chair
Tie Fighter WebCam
iPhone Mod
The Moon is on Fire!

YouTubin
You are the Motorcycle

Twitter - Pownce - Plurk - Myspace - Facebook Group - FriendFeed - Digg the Podcast

Episode 35 05-28-08

Jeffrey Powers — Wed, 28 May 2008 02:31:07 +0000

HTML clipboardMissed a Couple - Playing with Widgets - Rock Band - Other Writings - Fish & Dog Update - 3rd PC - Live Show

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I
Phoenix
$1632 Vista - Consumerist
Viacom Sues YouTube - USAToday
Another OLPC Defection - Ars Technica
More on MacMinute
eBay Baby - Reuters
Open Source Facebook - TechCrunch

II
Renewable Energy Scams - NYTimes
Windows 7 in 2010 - Don’t be Fooled
Macbook Air Cuts Bread - Engadget
256 Gig SSD - CNet
Samsung Laptop - Gizmodo
Solar iPod - ecogeek
Best of 08 - PCWorld

III
Via UMPC - Hothardware
Twitter Charge Superusers? - Scobleizer
Twitter Follow - AlleyInsider
No Zune at Gamestop - PortalIT
Monster Sue Happy - Engadget

IV
Firefox Plugin - Make
Wheres the XBox - WindowsITPro
Robot Climbs Grand Canyon - Engadget
Houseplants Fight Toxins - Boingboing
Crue Outsells on Rock Band - ArsTechnical

Of Note:
Convert the Toaster
Snake on a Building

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Small Crisis Averted - iPod / Zune Giveaway status

Jeffrey Powers — Thu, 15 May 2008 16:21:57 +0000

Today I was working on the site and the delete button jumped up and bit me! OW!

We had a small issue, and I had to restore the backup database. There were a couple tables that were restored from the weekly backup. There should be no data loss, but if you signed up for the site this week, you may have to do it again.

Speaking of signups - Some have been asking about the iPod - Zune Contest info. According to the rules I set up (found on the Giveaway Rules Page) I will be choosing a winner today. I will email that user and they will have 7 days to respond. Once a winner is acknowledged, I will post the results.

NEWay, thanks for being a part of the site and participating in the contest. I have taken your information to heart and will be using it down the road.

Wednesday is the last day to sign up for the Zune or iPod Nano.

Jeffrey Powers — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 03:13:26 +0000

Just one last reminder - We are giving away a Zune or iPod nano (You get to choose which) on May 1st - that’s less than a week away. All you have to do is comment on the following page about the site or the podcast - good or bad - and you are entered into the contest.

Just go to http://www.geekazine.com/win-a-zune-or-ipod-nano and send me a comment on that page!

episode 27 4-02-08

Jeffrey Powers — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 03:00:24 +0000

WordPress 2.5 - New Washer - Garage Door - Fish Saga - Live Show Monday 7PM EST and thanks for a great show last Monday.

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Part I
April Fools hurting more than joking?
Bejing, Open the Internet - USAToday
Dell Closes site, lays off 900 - Register
IBM Contract Ban - Wired
iPWNED in 24 - Gizmodo
JavaScript Slows Internet? - ArsTechnica

Part II
3G iPhone in May - Yahoo
Nomophobia - DailyMail
New Microsoft Live Search - Cnet
Wii be Coming - Yahoo
iMac Sued on million colors - USAToday

30 Second Promo - Totally Cool Tech Podcast

Part III
Dude, Wheres my iPod?
11 year old NetAdmin - Network World
Bully Bosses - CIO
Sofware says your pretty - ZDNet
It’s still a Windows World - ZDNet

Part IV
Jobs on WaterMac - Boygeniousreport
This next article I found out later to be an April Fools joke. I am omiting the link.
iPod Portability - Makeuseof
Microchips on Bodyheat - Inhabitat

Of Note:
Jabra Dog Tag
Hummer made by Lottery Tickets

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Apple to offer iPod with Free iTunes for Life?

Jeffrey Powers — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:45:09 +0000

USAToday reported that Apple is trying to negotiate with Record Labels a plan to allow iPhone and iPod users unlimited access to iTunes for an extra fee. We look at the good and bad and if this plan can work.

episode 25 3-19-08

Jeffrey Powers — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 03:00:32 +0000

*Podcast was re-edited on 3-19 at 10:30 AM.

Live show on Ustream.tv Tues. 7PM EST, Monday 3-24 @ 7PM EST - Fish - Friendfind - Joining Geekazine and Dorkazine - New Video Card - Email or phone - Changes to Podcast - Is Gizmodo/Valleywag going to ever approve my account?

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Part I
Vista SP1 released - Engadget
Yahoo and Click Forensics - Cnet
Yahoo Padding? - InfoWorld
Is IM a Mental Illness? - Textually
Advertiser to Pay Fine - Networkworld
Parallel Computing - Reuters

Part II
Will Android Beat iPhone? - United Press
iPhone Flipphone - Gizmodo
Disable TLB on AMD - Techreport
Wordpress 2.5 Sneak Peak - Dougal.gunters
Flickr Video beta April - CNet
Apple = 14 percent in Feb - AppleInsider

30 Second Promo - The Force Field

Part III
Spam King = 26 Years - Yahoo
1 year Standby with phone? - Engadget
Safari 3.1 - MacRumors
iPod Touch Price Drops - MacRumors
Make Social Networking Profitable - digitalpodcast
Blogger Podcaster Advertising - TechCrunch
Instablogs $3 Million - TechCrunch

Part IV
Calacanis Thoughts Upset Some - Mashable
60 Free Linux ebooks - linuxhaxor
Qwest Buyouts - Yahoo
Intel Quad Core Notebook Chip - Wired
No Blu-Ray for Xbox - CNet

Of Note:
Air Vortex Candle Cannon
Good April Fools Day Joke
IV Lamp
Dirty Jobs of IT
Google Sky

Someone is always Challenging Someone – Apple iPhone vs. Blackberry

Jeffrey Powers — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:45:39 +0000

Today in the Gym I was watching a report that Apple iPhone was challenging Blackberry for market share in the corporate world. I agreed with the report – Apple has a better user interface than the Blackberry, Blackberry is too expensive in their messaging systems and an iPhone looks a lot better than a Blackberry device.

But then I got to thinking about it. Is this really news? I mean, yeah – we’ve got one company trying for a niche that another company has. However what company hasn’t tried to emulate or compete with another company’s corner-hold before?

Apple has been the underdog for many years. iTunes and iPods are really what broke Apples’ shell and put them on the forefront of something. Even though iPhone is not there just yet, Apple really shows how cutting edge technology should look.

At one time or another, a company is an underdog. How many people remember when Microsoft came to power? What was the leading company before Cisco took the reins? Google wasn’t the first #1 search engine: Google didn’t even start until 1998 whereas the web started in 1991. And no, it wasn’t Yahoo, either. WebCrawler, Lycos, Excite and Dogpile were a few of the favorites back then.

If we look at the phone market, names like LG didn’t show up until later. In the earlier days, you most likely had a Nokia phone, or a Motorola phone. Before Dell came on to the scene, you had IBM Compaq or Packard Bell computers. In 1996 Dell overtook Compaq in the Personal Computer market. And where is Compaq nowadays?

To be the “New kid on the block” is not a uncommon occurrence. To take over a market from another is once again, not a new occurrence. Keeping that status – well, that might be tougher to do.

So let’s go back to the iPhone/Blackberry issue. What can Apple do to really rival this product?

First of all, Apple needs to better integrate into Microsoft – for you are most likely going to connect to Microsoft servers. Blackberry’s biggest issue was that you had to purchase a Blackberry server – which up until a couple months ago was a real expensive acquisition. IT Admins have enough to worry about. Another server to handle email should not be one of them.

Apple’s biggest issue is simply “3^rd Generation” – Otherwise known as “3G”. Even Steve Wozniak says an Apple iPhone missed the mark when they didn’t put this into the phone.

In a nutshell, 3G is to phones as Digital Cable is to TV. If you don’t have cable, then you have a set that could possibly get 100 channels, but only have 5-6. 2G would be like having Extended Basic Cable and 3G is the full blown Digital – 500 channels.

Steve Jobs answered why there was no 3G in Sept 2007 - It was a Power Hog. The iPhone has a 8 hour talk-time phone. 3G would suck that down to 2.5 to 3 hour range. Instead Apple took stock in making the phone with a powerful WiFi system.

AT&T says that a 3G iPhone is planned for sometime this year. That is, if 3G can curb its power appetite. However, Apple should really just bite the bullet if it doesn’t and make an iPhone with either a larger battery, or with a “3G switch”. Turn it on and off at will so if you need the ability, you have it.

The biggest thing would be to have the iPhone customizable. IT Admins like it when they can control the system. It’s not because they get pleasure in it – it’s because if they know what is on a system, then they can better troubleshoot if there is a problem – especially in mobile phones, for the problems don’t occur in the office, they occur out in the field.

For instance – lets say you have a corporate computer at home and decide to install Webshots on it. Once installed, your computer starts acting slow. When you call your in house tech support, are you going to tell them you installed Webshots? Most likely not. Sometime because you just don’t think about it, other times because you don’t want to hear a lecture on how Webshots is not “Corporate software”.

Customizable interfaces mean tailoring to a company can really boost production. Some companies run their own specialized apps that shouldn’t get out to the public. These apps make corporations millions – if not billions of dollars.

When I worked at the Department of Revenue, we talked about making home assessments something an appraiser can do on a laptop. At that time the appraiser would write down the info, snap analog pictures and then come back to the office to input all the data. Imagine if they had an application that would work on an iPhone. The assessment would be done in the time they can walk through the building – including pictures. No need to go back to any office.

In today’s’ corporate world, we are always seeing one company go after another. It’s all about standing on top of the hill an pronouncing yourself king. However, some people miss the top because they are too concerned with mundane details that could propel them. After all, the premise of “King of the Hill” is to expect that someone is trying to knock you off. And someone will do that eventually.

My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-511b01904537b65efbeedeb80bde4a5d}

Episode 21 2-20-08

Jeffrey Powers — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 03:00:26 +0000

Weather, AGAIN! - Next week on System Showdown - Appx 70 listeners 507 in Feb! - New Phone Number! - 5 min show Mondays: This Week in Tech.

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Goodbye HD DVD - Cnet
Whistleblower Site Taken Down - BBC
1.8M Court Rulings Online - Slashdot
GM Wiki - LinuxInsider
SCO Not Dead Yet - Internetnews

Gates Calls Yahoo Offer Fair - eWeek
Proxy Battle Begins - Yahoo

Sprint Gets Windows Mobile - Geek
Another Processor in the mix? - Ars Technica
Analog Signals Start Turning Off - InfoWorld

30 Second Promo -Caffination Podcast

Mtron 128GB SSD - Engadget
Thunderbird 3.0 - Cnet
Give up Facebook, MySpace for Lent - PilotOnline
Rush Limbaugh to Steve Jobs - Valleywag
Will PS3 Take the Reigns? - Reuters

10 things to do with HDDVD player - Engadget
5 Things to Know About Unified Communications - Computerworld
200 Year Lamp - Gizmodo
Motorola vs. RIM - Geek
Prince and Village People to Sue Piratebay - Slashdot

10 Year Watch:
XML

Of Note:
Handheld Guitar Hero
iPod Shuffle Price Changes
Mac Documentary
PSPhone?

Vocalo Ep 6

Jeffrey Powers — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 06:51:12 +0000

I post for Vocalo.org - http://vocalo.org/node/13199 is the article.

Listen at: http://vocalo.org/play/?playerID=13442

Vista SP1
Apple Increases iPod, iPhone storage
Half of British Men will Swap Sex for 50 inch TV

Pitfalls of Social Web
ComputerWorld put out an interesting article marked “The Pitfalls of Social Networking”. In the article it lists a lot of downfalls of the Web 2.0. In this new version of the web, we are able to voice our opinions and share information in many ways. Vocalo.org and Geekazine.com are both part of this - otherwise, this show would not be possible. Is Social Networking causing problems?

REG Won an iPod. You can, too (or a Zune)

Jeffrey Powers — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 16:02:45 +0000

The winner from the last contest was REG, he opted for the MP3 player, so we shipped him a new iPod Shuffle. Here is what he had to say:

I wanted to thank you for the IPod shuffle. It Great .
l try to catch Geekazine and Your new five minute cast. I can only imagine how much work is involved In those audio casts.
Thanks again
REG

Remember - the new contest is up and running. Just register and comment either on the Podcast or the website itself. Go to http://www.geekazine.com/?page_id=60 for all the details.

2007 - the Retrospect

Jeffrey Powers — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 10:49:25 +0000

Everyone puts them out; the best - and worst - of 2007, all in one article. And Geekazine is no different. However, we’re taking a slightly different approach. It’s more of a look back to see what has happened in the last year and maybe some hints for what should be done in 2008. Gets you wondering what items you lived without a year ago and what you can’t live without today. So without further ado….

Let’s start with the beginning of the year. It was good. PS3 came out in the console wars, and it was predicted that it will win out of the 3 game systems. That still has to happen. SSD was introduced at CES, and it was tech that is long overdue. The static drives can reduce heat, battery consumption and wait times loading the machine. The technology is slowly coming down to earth prices, and when it does, watch out America.

Apple made some great advances in 2007. The biggest is the leap to Apple computers. At CES in January, Apple promised a OS upgrade, a new phone, an updated iPod and a new way to watch TV. Well, 3 out of 4 isn’t bad. And it’s not like Apple TV is a failure – it’s more the fact the device needs some work to put it in competition with other devices.

Apple really pushed touch screen devices in 07. Now we’ve had touch screens before 07, however Apple really ran with the ball in getting the technology on handheld items and ultimately getting rid of buttons. (Personally, I like the buttons, but oh well)

Apple opened the 200th consumer store. They plan another 20 in 2008. The innovative stores, the Genius Bar and a host of other itmes has brought in a lot of walk-thru traffic. It’s a good strategy even if the consumer doesn’t buy anything. They get intrigued and then they will buy.

The biggest accomplishment from Apple was the increase in Market share. It’s been steadily rising since the introduction of the iPod, but this last year we saw it really hit. It’s an interesting idea – if you’re buying the iPod or iPhone, you might as well buy a Mac…

Microsoft also did its part in 2007. Live Media Center, Home Server, Vista, Silverlight, Office 2007, Zune 2 and Halo 3 were some of their accomplishments. Vista didn’t take as well as we wanted, but it’s slowly gaining its place. Apple really went for the jugular with the failure. Hey, it’s a tough world out there, but I think Microsoft will survive this one.

Zune 2 is getting some bad press. A lot of lists have this device on the worst of 2007. I don’t understand why. It’s got great functionality and easy to use. The Digital Rights Management area needs to be straightened out, but that’s minimal. It also has an FM tuner – something that iPods don’t have.

Finally, Microsoft got into the Social Networking game by obtaining share in Facebook. While we haven’t seen too much from that, I can imagine it will boom out within 2008 as the Social Network Wars heat up. Facebook had its own issues with their failed attempts in advertising. Letting people know what other people bought? Targeting advertising? At least they learned quick and straightened it out.

We can’t leave out Linux . They had some great strides, too. Ubuntu – and all of its versions – have been flooding the market. OLPC’s use of Red Hat gave Linux strength. Linux mobile gave people alternatives for their smart phones.

Google also had an interesting year. Gmail, Pay per Post, DoubleClick, Android, announcement of Knol and its subsidiary - YouTube. Maps are better than ever. I would like to suggest another feature for the Google staff in 2008 – Bus Routes. I don’t take the bus myself, but think about how that can grow this impressive system?

Toward the beginning of the year, Gmail continued to suffer the same growing pains of 2006. By the end of 07, Google had a majority of things worked out. I have been running Gmail for a while and I have not experienced as much woe as a year ago. Most important, a note to Yahoo – make POP3 a regular feature, not a pay feature. I want to download my email. Not read it from a web viewer.

Google ran into some issues when they purchased DoubleClick. Privacy was the biggest concern. It wasn’t a Google fault, though. Would Microsoft have had the same issues if they won the bidding?

Google had worked on different ways to give better rankings – changing the rules with Pay per Post, and will ultimately be going with a new Page Rank system. The only thing I would like to see is if you search on a site, the .com, .net, .org or other sites are listed at the top in some way. Weed out the “bad” sites but put our sites at the top. Geekazine.com is #2 on the ranking behind twitter.

Android and Knol are currently Vaporware in 2007. Android is Google’s attempt at smart phone software while Knol is to rival Wikipedia for a Encyclopedic knowledgebase. Both have been under a lot of fire.

YouTube also had its good and bad points. Battles with Digital Rights Management made people speculate if this site was going to survive. Then came shows like “Chad Vader – Day Shift Manager” and we saw that this media outlet can really be of value. However, nothing showed it more than the CNN/YouTube Presidential Debates. Not only could you watch the candidates, but people had a chance to ask the questions.

Technology advanced in many ways – some good, some… well, not so good. Citywide WiFi pretty much came to a screeching halt for now. HD DVD and Blu Ray discs have people scratching their heads. After all, what’s so wrong about my regular DVD player?

LCD TV’s started to really ramp up this last year. A 32” Flat screen can be found at about $500-800. HDTV is also showing a sign of ramping as it has to be put in place by February 19, 2009. You can still get a CRT, but for not that much more, you can get a flat panel monitor that takes up a lot less space.

Dual Core has dominated the market, but Quad Core is really starting to sound like the item to have in 2008. With 45nm processors giving us more computing with less power, it’s hard to ignore.

AMD has had some struggles recently. Due to a glitch, the Quad Core chip was less than sought after. It wasn’t until the end of the year when Spider was released that AMD could breath again. So far Spider has had some good reviews and looks to be AMD’s savior. But what would AMD be if they didn’t have a shareholder scare every few years?

Digital Media really got some shots in the arm. RIAA has already stated they are not winning any battle by going after the file shares. They still do it for the principal. However, with bands like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails who are breaking free from the labels and going it alone, the lines get a little blurry.

We lost a few friends along the way in 2007. Life Magazine said goodbye. Yahoo Photos closed its doors and shuttled all the pix to flickr. CompUSA announced the closing of the final stores when the holiday season is over. As for OiNK.com, it was a case of “Never heard of it until it got shut down”. ThinkSecret.com will also be turning off the lights.

We did gain some new friends. Stumbleupon.com, slide.com and Joost.com are a few new names. Of course, we can’t forget about Geekazine.com.

Anyway – we got some new terms to ponder, too. DRM, Digg, Facebook, Twitter, W00t (actually, this one has been around a while, but now that it’s in the dictionary, it counts), Widget, CAPCHA and OLPC. Web 2.0 is also not a new term, but it really showed up in 2007. Social Networking is all the rage.

There is a lot more that we could cover. Adobe Flex, Vonage and VoIP issues, Dell opening sales to Retail stores, WiFi on planes, 802.11n, etc, etc, etc. However, that would bring this article to an outstanding number of pages. Still, we haven’t talked about the one important thing I feel 2007 brought us.

Context – aware gadgets are items that help you in real time. Has anyone seen the new tomtom commercial where the truck of rubber duckies spills over the highway? The user is instantly warned of the problem, and given an alternate route.

This is a big advancement in technology. And its only at the infancy. So far, we have had only robots like Asimo doing consumer controlled tasks. What if Asimo could tell you to not forget the umbrella cause it’s going to rain? Maybe state the traffic conditions are bad, so here is an alternate route. Hello, Dave.

2007 was a good year. We saw some great strides in computing, some new gadgets that changed the market and some new places to go to talk and be part of the community. We lost some friends along the way and for that, we remember them dearly. If 2007 is any indication of what we can see in 2008, then we are going to be in for one wild year.

Episode #13 12-26-07

Jeffrey Powers — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 03:00:55 +0000

Computer Woes, 24 hour Podcast, Guest on Totally Cool Tech Show, Looking for Geeks

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Show Notes:
Vista Better than Mac? - ZDNet
MCK Authors Arrested - Ars Technica
Is Circuit City Next? - Cnet
Flying Carpets? - Telegraph.co.uk
20 hour Notebook Power - Tom’s Hardware

On Geek.com

Adult Websites Records Comprimised - ICWT
Retail Sells Wii on eBay - RealTechNews
All-In-One Projector - Gizmodo
Apple to Turn Down iPod - Telegraph.co.uk
Top 5 Fails of 07 - ValleyWag

Foot In Mouth Awards - Wired
Top 25 Web Celebs - Forbes
How NOT to Mail a Laptop - Computerworld
Ten Startups to Watch - Wired

Other Geeks:
Guinness is Good for You - FHM
Land a Job in 08 - Computerworld

Of Note:
Fudge Daleks
Action Figure Modder
Calendar Etched into Fingernails
Make Sure it’s Really Titanium

Focus#5 CompUSA closes, Apple Store thrives.

Jeffrey Powers — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 10:11:52 +0000

After a few years of turbulent times, CompUSA will finally be closing their remaining 103 stores. In the meantime, Apples’ Surge allows them to open a 3rd store in New York - which pushes them to 201 stores. So with all this, is it “Out with the Old, in with the Apple”?

The Computer and Electronics retail store known as CompUSA opened it’s doors to the public in 1985 (the company started in 84, but was only a wholesale distributor. It was also not called CompUSA until 1991.). By 1996 it was making it’s presence known by launching CompUSA.com. In its existence, the chain grew to over 226 stores and acquired other companies like Computer City (Tandy) and “Good Guys” stores, which were native to the West Coast.

However, the changing computer market has made the chain work very hard to keep up. Their strategies were sound - retail sales, repair sales and support for consumers and business. They even brought in 3rd parties and branded the CompUSA label on the hardware.

Within the last few years, sales were not doing what was expected. Last year CompUSA sold half their stores to keep things in margin. Apparently that was not making the chain a profit.

In the meantime, Apple stores are starting to thrive. The first Apple store opened in 2001, and currently has 200 locations in Malls around the world. The design is different, with a “Genius Bar” for support and a more open area to play with iPhones and iPods. Of course the store only sells Apple products including the Mac, iPhone, iPod and iTouch.

We have seen computer stores come and go. Gateway surged it’s stores until 2004 when financial woes forced it to close. The Gateway store in my area is now a bank. Acer bought the Gateway name to poise themselves in the computer market.

Not to say Apple is going to dry up and go away. Apple has been around for over 30 years. It’s continuing market of accessories is certainly not going to dry up anytime soon. Up until last year when the Zune was released, the iPod had only luke warm competition.

Still, history can have a tendency to repeat itself. The shift in emerging technology can make standards of today obsolete tomorrow. Since the iPhone, there has been a race for companies to develop better smartphone technology.

Not to say that Apple has had hit after hit. Apple TV isn’t really that successful. Does anyone remember the Pippin Game console? Of course, the biggest Apple failure was undoubtedly the Newton PDA.

Best Buy or Wal-Mart seems to be the electronics store leaders nowadays. The stores adopt more than just computer-related sales. From CD’s to Movies, Stoves to Vaccuums and even services like (in Best Buys’ case) Car Stereo installation and GeekSquad.

Circuit City is another place to get “Gadgets” while their service technicians called “FireDog” are ready to help and install. Of course we cannot discount Radio Shacks’ contribution to tech. While the average consumer doesn’t always need it, the Shack has always been the place for the “tinkerer” to get cables, connectors, resistors, capacitors and all those little geeky odds and ends.

Getting back to the focus at hand - What can Apple learn from CompUSA or for that matter Gateway and Best Buy? What are they doing right and should they do anything different? Should they sell an iVac?

Maybe one good thing is the fact the Apple Store is majorly in Malls. Why a Mall store vs. it’s own building? Walgreens has made an aggressive move to own all their buildings. Then again, Walgreens tries to have the ability for drive through pharmacy service. Can’t really do that in a Mall.

On the other hand, a mall has foot traffic that will browse the stores. To get the browsing crowd to play with an iTouch might be enough for that person to buy the product. At least ask for an iTouch for the holidays.

Another angle is to sell yourself, then sell the product. In working on this article, I came across a blog from eFIPO called “Why do some Companies Fail?” It was an ironic twist as the blogger was at a CompUSA store shopping for a Mac. They noted the customer service they got from CompUSAs’ Mac area was surpassed.

I personally am the opposite. I hate it when I walk in the store and someone instantly comes up and says “Hello, can I help you?” Yeah. You can help by going away.

I’ve been thinking about the saying “Can I help you?” It’s so open ended and programmatic. I remember hearing about a person who made success by changing the question. “Hello. Just so you know, I am here to answer any questions if you need it. Just let me know” was a statement that changed the tone of communication.

I have found having a good joke for the first line is a fun little tidbit. Instead, go up and say “Hey, what did the Penny say to the other Penny? Lets give the nickel our two cents worth.” Sounds cheesy, but it’s not “Can I help you”. Even by saying “Wow. You have the brightest blue eyes in the store.” or “Hello. Enjoy your shopping experience and I’ll be here if you need anything” will change the meter of a customer.

Of course the biggest reason a store will stay open - or close - is it’s Margin. Bottom line - If you are not selling the right stuff, then the store is going to close. In computer terms - You can sell a laptop, but that’s not going to make the money. The 3 year warranty however, is going to get people to come back even if it is to fix the computer. Then they can buy peripherals like a mouse, case, power supply or software.

For the longest time, McDonalds had gone without failure. I remember back in the mid 90’s hearing a cool fact about this chain. Basically in the history, only 1 store had to close, and that was because the store was in a bad neighborhood. It’s about 10 years later, and there has been some closings. Nonetheless, the chain has over 31,000 stores across the world. That is a lot of Big Macs to make.

So will Apple follow? I don’t think they’ll ever get 31,000 stores. With good planning and solid products, The store can survive on it’s own. However with Dell making the move to retail stores like Best Buy and Staples, it might also be a better idea to let someone else sell it and make money on the support.

As for CompUSA, the nail has been driven. They will be open until the end of the Holidays - then stores will close and the remaining stock will be sold off. The stores that do not get sold to other companies will close down.

According to Digital Trends, the Technical services business and website will continue to run until bought out. A good move so people have a place to go that have technical contracts with the company. No doubt we may see a company poising themselves snap up the remaining assets of CompUSA. It would be a good move if they have the money to do so.

Weekly Focus#2 - The Holidays are coming - 11-18-07

Jeffrey Powers — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 23:55:49 +0000

The Holidays are Coming…

Thursday will mark the beginning of the Holiday Season. Businesses will poise themselves for Black… er…. Green Friday, which is notably the busiest day of the Season. But Why Green? The term “Black Friday” is a financial one – businesses would go from in the Red to in the Black. Yet some might see that as a negative connotation. Of course, green means “Go”.
But Green also means “Energy Efficient”. So we will have a Energy Efficient Friday?
What about Blue? Well, Blue is already been taken by the term “Holiday Depression”. It is an alarming fact to keep in mind. Suicide rates as well as accidents are up and more than 25 percent of losses occur during this time. Just last year, my parents were in a vehicle accident on Christmas Day. Luckily, both were wearing their safety belts and survived. Nonetheless, this is still a time of Depression and Stress. WebMD has some good information to overcome these issues. There are other places to go and discuss holiday issues. There is always help.
Purple is available. Will “Purple Friday” work?
With the holidays comes gift giving. “Black/Green Friday” will give retailers an idea of what the hot gifts are. There are a lot of tech items you can give. Zunes, iPods, iPhones, a new Mac, a new toaster… wait, what? Even Toasters have been turned into tech. With sensors to help brown, heat, defrost, broit and even “Set it and forget it” options, you can have your toast and eat it, too.
What can make people Red is the finding of popular toys. Ever since the days of Cabbage Patch Kids, there usually is a toy that tops the charts. Did you have to hunt for Power Ranger Dolls or “Tickle Me Elmo”? Remember when the XBox was hard to find? What will be this years hard to find list?
What will also be in the Red is Post – Holiday Debt. So you can buy that expensive item for your loved one. Will you be able to pay for it? At what price will it take? Will you still be paying for it by next years Holiday season?
Yellow, White, Red, Green, Blue and many other colored lights will be dawned on the houses. Will we see another Computerized Light Display? Maybe something more entailed? They had a year to work on it….
Lots to think about. And that’s before the holiday season even starts. So we’ll start with the Brown Turkey (or Ham) most people will be enjoying. Then again, if you are a Vegan, you even have your Tofu Turkey and Pumpkin Pie, too. Then get ready for Black/Green Friday with a full stomach.

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