Apple News, Analysis and Podcasts
Apple is rebooting its award winning ad campaign, but this time around it has Tim Cook’s signature all over it.
Apple is taking to the airwaves with a new 60 second ad campaign, focused solely on its brand. Apple’s first brand reboot came in 1997 when Steve Jobs reemerged as Apple’s iCEO and left an indelible mark on the culture of tech, with the amazing Think Different campaign. No products, no glitz, just the impactful words “Here's to the crazy ones...” Apple positioned itself as the heart of the nonconformist during a time when 95 percent of the world was using a Microsoft PC.
Read More >
 Marissa Mayer, formerly of Google and now CEO of Yahoo!, has been making some major headlines in her first year as CEO. Where most would fail to list any one of her predecessors, Mayer is doing her best to make sure Yahoo! is another Silicon Valley turn around story — maybe even a rival to Apple’s story.
The very idea, that Yahoo! could be another Apple, brings to mind, what if Cook doesn't do as well as expected, and what if Mayer were tapped as Apple’s next CEO?
Read More >
Sony, Samsung, Vizio and Sharp are just a few of the titans in the HD-TV universe. Each has carved out its share of the market, exercised control over a distribution channel and built a strong brand loyalty. When Apple decides to jump into this market, the question is whether or not they can duplicate what they did to the mobile phone market when they announced the iPhone, nearly six years ago?
Read More >
It seems since TIm Cook took the controls at Apple it's been one ho-hum Keynote after another. Whatever happened to the day when Steve Jobs would say, "... oh, and one more thing..." and then that thing would be revolutionary. I remember when Steve did this in 2007 at MacWorld with the iPhone. It was totally awesome. Then three years later he did it again with the launch of iPad. However, since 2010 Apple has released new versions of existing products, making them better and better, but nothing revolutionary.
Read More >
 Apple has enjoyed an incredible run since the launch of the iPhone — and one could argue since the launch of the first iPod, or even first iMac. Apple's been on a roll. But to keep the momentum going, Apple needs to have a strategy for what's next.
While I don't have a crystal ball (yet), Apple clearly has a strategy to ensure they are prisoners to no one. Jobs saw this happen to Apple when he had to cut a deal in the late 90's with Microsoft. Without Microsoft's promise to develop software for the Mac OS, the Mac platform was dead. That deal was life support for Apple, and I'm pretty sure Jobs said, "Never again."
Read More >
 It's still an open book question: Will Tim Cook succeed as CEO of Apple over the long-term, and perhaps even the short? While the latter seems to be being put to rest rather quickly, the former is a valid question, one worth exploring at the very least.
Based on Cook's Q&A session at the D10 conference, he may not be a tech visionary, but he doesn't believe he needs to be either. Cook is a financial wizard, with a keen eye on how to leverage the supply chain to maximum effect, while leaving the competition scrambling, forever playing catchup. You won't see Tim walking the Apple campus in flip-flops, a white tank top and jean shorts playing the part of Steve Jobs Part II, but he's a mature enough man to understand he just needs to be the best Tim Cook he can be and that alone keep Apple what Apple is – the essence of creative and main street rolled into one simplified solution set.
Read More >
This photo of Tim Cook with Speaker Boehner was released a day or so ago and there has been much discussion around it. Many are talking about the Chinese dog on the table, the "mystery" man in the chair next to Tim Cook or even about what the discussion was between these powerhouses.
Read More >
 AppleCare has been a mainstay and profit center since Steve Job's returned to Apple. AppleCare is essentially an insurance policy for your Apple device should it fail prematurely. AppleCare grew in popularity and its "payback" became even better when Apple Stores launched and there was a real person you could talk to about your particular problem and get a real answer (not just "Well, send it in and we'll see what we can do for you.").
The question though is whether AppleCare is a good deal. Sure you're buying more peace of mind by turning a 1-year hardware warranty and 90-day telephone support into an overall three year support contract. The question reamins does paying an extra 10 - 75% of the original purchase price make sense? Is that a good deal?
Read More >
It is a given that on next Wednesday, March 7th, Apple will reveal the iPad 3. What's not a given is what will happen next. My colleague has written a nice article about how the iPad 2 will probably show up in the $399 price range, yet the mystery beyond March 7th lingers. Apple is good at that. Fortunately, T-GAAP has some hints as to what Apple's roadmap is likely to follow.
Read More >
When Steve Jobs re-joined Apple in 1997, he drew a grid on a white board that looked something like this
Read More >
|
|
