#CES shows the technological pad for 2012

Goodbey Steve – Stay foolish Stay creative!

And then we wake up in a world without Steve Jobs…he pasted on his life in August writing a letter on the Apple legacy and how they (this Apple team) can keep Apple alive! ironically Steve Jobs passes away after the ‘let’s talk iPhone’ event….as he’s saying: “ok guys keep it up, a job well done. It’s safe to close the door…”

I’ll remember him as one of the big influencers of PC era, who creative ideas where always ahead of time. His vision on business was unique. His complete integration of hardware and software made Apple the NeXT brand to be. He made the switch into the web world, creating one of the most viral brands online ever (up untill now)….

Will Apple keep this up….yes if they stay foolish and creative. They have to be tot keep his legacy alive!

Key Moments in the life of Steve Jobs (1955 – 2011)

1977 – Apple II
One of the first affordable computers are marketed.

1984 – MacIntosh
The first computer with a graphical interface and controlled with a “mouse”.
Launched with the legendary “1984” commercial.

1985 – 1996 – NeXT era
Not a commercial succes but the basics of the www from Tim Berners Lee are build on the NeXT platform.

1998 – iMAC
The Internet central colourful computer was the start of a vast success for the re-born Apple brand.

2001 – iPOD
Not the first portable music player, but by far the most easy to use design for a portable music player. Together with iTunes one of the biggest creations ever!

2007 – iPhone
“Today we re-invent the mobile phone” With a slim design and touch screen the iPhone created a new buzz amongst cell phone use. Apps were added not much later, which made the iPhone a 360 device for a lot of tasks, know how, ….

2008 – Mac Book Air
The end of Murphy’s law regarding the vast growth of hard disk memory space. The MacBook Air only used flash memory!

2010 – iPAD
The low price for this tablet computer and it’s user-friendly Apple look and feel made it an instant success!

#Jobs of #Apple – just a bright future if…

Almost a week since Steve Jobs resigned as CEO from Apple….but still everybody keeps writing about it. Why Jobs left? What is going to happen with Apple without Jobs in command?  and so on…. But I think the real question is: Why is everybody so fond of  Steve Jobs? He is off course the Apple Icon who lifted the ‘Apple’ brand up, with a clear strategy and vision!

In my Apple – Case you can see a brief version of the Apple history, and why the role of Steve Jobs was so important.
But lets take a look a the future!
Steve Jobs had a clear vision on how the Apple future would look like….but had a great team around him. This team has been at his side for many years now, and really got the hang of the Apple feel and touch. Tim Cook, the ‘new’ CEO, was already Steve Jobs right hand for years. Jonathan Ive has been the creative source for all Apple products for many years and Philip Schiller transformed the Apple company into a lean mean operations machine. With Steve Jobs out of the daily picture, this 3 people will keep on playing key-roles in the future of Apple.

With the iCloud in pole position, the iPhone 5 waiting around the corner and the iPad first mover advantage the near future is safe….and knowing Steve Jobs a lot of new ideas will be at the drawing table waiting for further exploration.  With Tim Cook in control, these ideas will see the light of day, and probably thanks to his close relationship with Steve jobs, Tim Cook will be able to lift Apple into the new decade with fresh ideas and quality products.  The Apple Business Model is solid, safe and dynamic enough to deal with the end of the Jobs era (which was coming one way or another).

The stock markets also feel this ‘positive’ vibe for the past Jobs-era. The first reactions on the stock markers where calm and only a slight drop was visible when the news broke. So a real big drop in the Apple stick price is not to be expected in the future (as long as the Apple philosophy remains intact: good visionary and quality products!)

To be Continued…

Digital or Unplugged holiday?!

Holiday season has arrived! Time to slip away from day 2 day work, and into a holiday outfit! Escape from reality to an exotic destination (unknown)!
Back-up systems, interns, interim labour, out-of-office assistant, … in place and we are set to go!

What do we take on holiday? Our iPad, iPhone, MP3 player, PSP, Nintendo, …. all bright and shiny digital stuff to stay connected. So what’s the use of ou back-up system when we stay connected anyway? The idea of being unplugged….but who wants to come home after a two-week holiday with a stack of Emails, Tweets, status updates, …. and work waiting at the office!? I don’t….

So thinking about how to cope with a ‘unplugged’ holiday….I’m considering staying plugged for current affairs (like the Belgian government). Keeping up with mails, tweets, status updates, news, …. just along my holiday. I’m not reserving half an hour a day work time or so…I’ll just check in when it suits me fine. We all have time to kill on holiday….so why not use it wise and smart with “keeping up to date”?
No hotel with a fancy WiFi connection needed…only a connection when I need to kill time…to make sure I’m not only working on my holiday. I truly think this is for the best…otherwise I’m coming home even more stressed then when I left….knowing all the work that waits for me at my PC/iPad/LapTop/….

Besides staying connected has it advantages besides work…you can check weather updates (quite interesting when you want to climb a mountain), check reservations (handy if you want to make sure you have a seat in a theatre), check your walking trail, …. So a digital holiday isn’t so bad after all. But as always it depends on how you deal with this digital environment!

How’s your holiday? Connected and digtal OR Unplugged!?
Take the poll and leave your comments!

The App – business model

Amazon to launch its app-store on march 22nd….it’s been a while but again Amazon is adapting to the new generation of business modelling entering a cloudy and mobile app-world. 

But why change a winning team….when everybody says, never change a winning team! The future of  new mobile and cloud era forces Amazon to take action. App’s are the future is this era, so the time was right after the big 2: Google and Apple (through iTunes) for Amazon to adapt to the app era. Why? Easy…it’s the business model (stupid!), so let’s take a closer look at the business model of a digital business where the app-store takes a central role!

This image points out a clear role for the app store…central in the business model between business, developer and customer.  The app-store serves as a central hub where network effects plays connecting customer value to app. On the revenue part, it’s easy the app store is the middleman containing the data and money flows (look at iTunes, who keep everything very close and gains a lot of money and data).

What’s in it for Amazon….easy Amazon’s web store will focus on web apps, who are accessible to the cloud on any device. Buy once, use everywhere. That’s the future of app….not only accessible through one device but accessible through multi devices, and adapts to the device. This is a weak point regarding the Apple strategy….I can’t access my iPad Apps through my iPhone and vice versa. I’ve got to buy them both, because they run locally. The web App is stored in the cloud, and can be accessed in an adopted format on every device…and that’s when it starts to get interesting for companies like Amazon. The app has proven it’s effect, and the app stores becomes the central service point, because everything can be made into an app, and this means business if you can reach a lot of potential customers like Amazon. It adds to the already connecting and sharing strategy of Amazon, and make Amazon available everywhere on any device…that’s a good business model in the mobile and cloud era!

Cloud 4 Mobile

Apple is feeding the rumours again for the cloud based version of iTunes….off course this is bound to happen one day, since the mobile era will need a cloud version of iTunes (f.i.).  Google is integrated the Google Cloud Connection to Microsoft Office, the re-launch of Google Wave…

Examples enough to show the mobile future is near, because in this mobile future we’re always connected, sync and in touch but those mobile devices need to have access to the same information, music, documents, …. thanks to these cloud applications this is possible and easy. Apple taking it one step further with the vertical integration through software and hardware, but once they opened up the cloud version of iTunes this means (hopefully) full access to iTunes from any device!

For businesses this is also a major step, because businesses can be run anytime, anywhere! SAP already delivers this service to his customers….just to give an idea on what this means for your business I have added a small video (not as a commercial to SAP but to give some insight on how a business is run in the mobile clouded era!). And if you think this is only for the few big multinationals out there, think again….through small (sometime) free apps (think Google Apps & Docs) even a small of medium enterprise can be run through cloud and mobile technology (and save money….less IT costs!)

The Apple business model succes?!

The Apple business model….a lot has been written already (I did myself – Flat Education – Case: Apple Inc), but then again you wonder: Is my business model Apple proof?

With the launch of the iPad 2, last week, Apple had a major advantage: they were first to give an updated version on a tablet at a ‘cheap’ price. How is it possible for a Market introduction to put these ‘low’ price for such a ‘high’ tech product. In normal marketing pricing terms, we would use a market skimming pricing strategy, coming in high and then lowering the price (a classical marketing theory….I love it – in the off-line world, or the web 1.00 world), but in the online web world of 2011 traditional marketing isn’t always the right way. So way is Apple able to introduce the new iPad 2 at a competitive price? Easy….it’s the business model!

Let me explain it you!
“Apple is the only company in the IT industry that sells the whole widget” – Steve Jobs!
Apple has used this business model since it introduction mid 70-ies. Apple wants to produce  integrated software and hardware-solutions, look at Macintosh, Apple 1, ….even the iPhone and iPod use the same strategy. Apple makes everything in-house, even adding the iTunes store as the third-party intermediary between the Apple user and the commercial world. (See my case: Apple Inc.)

If we look at the iPad (2) strategy we see the same strategy:

• hardware: Apple’s patented R&D design, with A4 Chips, …. (and not Intel, AMD, ….)
• software: a closed ecosystem (where you can run third-party Apps, but can’t change the operating system, or else….)
• sold through the Apple retail network: off-line and online Apple stores….and third party stores to get word out! Works especially well in the US, outside the US we see more traditional retail sales. 
• iTunes store which is one of the most succesful online stores around…and fully integrated on the iPad, with the iBook and App Store.

These key elements make sure Apple can sell it’s iPad at a reasonable 500$ price….Maybe the overall value of the iPad is over 500$, but to be the first in the market you can set the price (especially when you have a good product – and the iPad is more than ok! I’m not saying it’s the best!). This means you can make it hard on competitors, which don’t have this vertical integration, and are teaming up with each other….but since everyone wants a piece op the pie, the price is higher. ( Motorola’s Xoom tablet is introduced at 800$ and the Samsung Galaxy Tab is 600$). 

In addition I’m adding an interesting presentation of the Apple  Business model, in comparison to the Amazon business model (see my Amazon.com case for more information Amazon). Although the outcome of this comparison is correct, I still feel that the Amazon business model is sufficient enough to survive the second Bubble…because of other key elements of a succesful flat business (see my page on creating a flat business).

Is your business Apple proof and ready to survive the second bubble?
Maybe you want to rethink your business model?

iPhone 4: Mobile Device of the Year ….iPhone Nano and Mobele Me future?

…not completely unexpected…but still nice to know.

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona the jury picked Apple’s iPhone 4 as mobile device of the year. It was rewarded for its design, used materials, ‘high definintion’ (touch)screen and its user friendly AppStore. Although it was a close call, Apple won because of its fresh corporate strategy to re-invent the smartphone again, and made smartphone hip and trendy (again).

And Apple is already looking ahead….with strategic leaks in the Wall Street Journal it ‘announced” the launch of the iPhone Nano (a small budgetfriendly version of the iPhone) and a new, and maybe free, MobileMe service as a ‘locker’ for personal memorabilia such as photos, music and videos, eliminating the need for devices to carry a lot of memory. Again a giant step forward into the always synchronised consumer cloud computing segment…and taking up arms against the Google and Microsoft free ‘log on/log off’ cloud.

Apple sells subscriptions

[continued from my earlier post on the my earlier post].  The iTunes App store is selling subscriptions to newspapers, magazines, music and other media, but publishers will have the chance to sell their subscriptions through their own channels or give it free with an offline subscription.

When a subscription is being sold through the App store, Apple keeps 30% of the earnings, while other distribution channels will not be charged by Apple. Other question remains: What will Apple do with the subscribers data? Will they hand over the data to the publisher of will it be the exclusive property of Apple?

Mobile World Congress – Integration on softwarelevel! [updated]

Mobile =near Future, but mobile needs its upgrade off course.

Since devices can handle a lot of flat world traffic, networks are getting better so connection is almost everywhere available….it’s time for the next step:
The software – update….The first signal on this new era was given by Nokia an Mircosoft, last week, when they announced they would make an integrated smartphone of the Nokia hardware knowhow, integrated with the microsoft software, and therefore developing an new mobile ecosystem! People have already called it  the cooperation of the losers….because both companies didn’t do well in the mobile world, where Apple and Google (with the Android platform embraced by Samsung, HTC and Sony Ericsson) are setting to lines!

And if we look at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (14 – 17 February 2011) we see a huge accent on mobile software. The Apps stores a making money big time, 15 billion dollar as predicted for 2011 (according to a Gartner study)…..

Android taking over the world!

1 out of 4 smartphones is running the Android system (when one year ago onolu 1 out of 25 was). Samsung was alraedy running Android, and will introduce an updated version of the Galaxy Tab in 2011 (price unknown). But the next big implementation of the Android platform will be the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, the PlayStation Phone…runnin all major games, and is a SmartPhone! The market is open and will be a playing field for Google (Android), Apple (iOS) and Microsoft (Windows Phone)….but in the end consumer will win, and choose the best system for his personal use, interest and needs.

Mobile Internet Explorer 9 on its way

Microsoft will launch an new veriosn of Mobile Internet Explorer in 2011, and will run on Windows Phone 7. It will be equiped with Twitter, a copy/paste application, ….

If you ‘re at MWC…please inform us on what you think is the future of mobile!