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Posts from the ‘Business Excellence’ Category

Jun 8

OS X Lion: At $29.99 Apple Applies Pressure to Microsoft

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Yesterday’s trio of announcements by Apple were like manna even for ardent Apple critics.    With new versions of OS X and iOS on the way, Apple also announced iCloud, a set of cloud based services meant to replace aging MobileMe.  There was a lot to like.  While comparisons between OS X Lion and upcoming Windows 8, and iOS5, Android and Windows Phone 7 are inevitable, I continue to be impressed with Apple’s focus on making life easier for its users.  All three initiatives (Lion, iOS 5, iCloud) are major steps forward.  Which bring me to an interesting point.  Pricing.

OS X Lion will be released via the Mac App Store for $29.99.  Yes, $29.99.  OS X users will remember that the current version of OS X, Snow Leopard (10.6) was also $29, but Snow Leopard was positioned as a minor update to Leopard (10.5).  Lion will be different in several ways.  First, Lion will only be available with the Mac App Store.  No disk based distribution.  Second, Lion can be installed on all home computers for $29.99–one, two, three, or ten, it doesn’t matter.  They all get Lion for a one-time charge of $29.99.  Third, Lion will ship as unified client and server versions.

If one is to believe the Apple marketing machine, the Mac continues to gain market share in the personal computing market–a market that shrunk by ~1% for maybe the first time ever.

This led me to think about the pricing pressure on Microsoft as they contemplate the next version of Windows, Windows 8.  The Apple model is different in two very important ways. One, every copy of Lion will be installed on a device built by Apple and on which Apple has earned margin.  Two, the Mac App store gives Apple a share of the revenue on many of the apps & applications which run on its OS.  Apple is moving the personal computing business model toward the wildly successful iOS/iPhone/iPad model.  Lion is the next step.

At $29.99, Lion should bolster Apple’s OS market position while applying a significant pressure on Microsoft to sell the next version of Windows for much less than it has historically.  This cannot come at a worse time for Microsoft.  Already facing pressure from Google in its core productivity application Microsoft Office, Microsoft now faces an OS challenge from Apple that like the threat from Google, applies downward price pressure, but more importantly changes the underlying business model.

Take the new app business model of Lion and bolster it with iCloud services and the way we think of operating systems fundamentally changes.  Apple is truly moving us into a post PC era and they aren’t afraid to cannibalize current products, profits and business models to get there.  Apple’s willingness to innovate on behalf of its customers is reflected in its current share price (AAPL) and market capitalization.

Mar 3

LED Lighting: Finally Ready for Primetime?

Let There Be Light

I’m a huge sceptic when it comes to new lighting technologies. Nothing seems to work quite as well as a good old-fashioned incandescent light bulb.  Yes, they are inefficient, they give off large amounts of heat and  yes, they have a short lifespan.  However, they are relatively cheap, provide a nice warm light, they are dimmable and are simple to dispose of.  There is an almost endless variety of incandescent lighting options.   In the Northwest, with our filtered sunshine and 9 months of gray skies, good lighting is vital. Read more

Oct 20

Gyro Bowl

This isn’t just for kids.  I NEED one too!  From Amazon.com

The Löopa gyro-bowl may look like it’s out of this world because, well, it is. Made with revolutionary spill-resistant technology, the Löopa gyro-bowl will keep your kids entertained and your living room clean at snack time. With gravity-defying engineering, dry food and snacks stay inside the bowl and off your floor no matter what kind of high-flying fun your kids get into.

Sep 29

Viral Loops, the A-list and Building a Successful Business

I started writing this post about a year ago, but never published it.  Today,  I came across an article in FastCompany, entitled “How much are you worth to Facebook?“ The author,  Adam Penenberg, introduces a concept called “viral loops” with which companies like Facebook and Twitter have successfully grew their user base by connecting one user to the next. Read more

Dec 27

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Customer service is not dead!

In the past I have ranted about examples of poor customer service, such as the iPhone 3G launch by Apple, or the exclusive selection of AT&T as the iPhone carrier by Apple.  I thought it only fair to point out an example of excellent customer service I experienced today at Les Schwab.

With all the snow we have had in the Seattle area in the past week, snow chains are almost a necessity.  In anticipation of the storms, I purchased chains for each of our cars.  Since chains were in short supply, I had to visit more than one store to find the correct sizes for each car.  I ended up at a very busy Les Schwab store in Redmond, but was greeted within a few seconds of entering the store and after just a couple of minutes had a brand new set of chains.

Well, the chains worked very well for a couple of days, but after repeatedly putting them on and taking them off, the rubber connector for the chain tightener snapped.  Undoubtedly, I was pulling too hard on the connector when it snapped.  To me it is obvious the part is under-engineered and therefore prone to breaking.  In fact, for my second car, they sold me a slightly different version with a much improved rubber connector attached to the chain tightener.   I decided to take the chains back to Les Schwab to see about a refund or replacement.

Arriving at the store, I was again surprised at how busy the store was, but in less than 15 seconds, I was being helped by en employee at the counter.  After listening to my complaint about the poort design of the chains, the Les Schwab employee  offered to immediately repair the chains.  He left the counter to go find a replacement connector.  As my son and I stood at the counter waiting, in the space of no more than 3 minutes, we were asked by 7 Schwab employees if we had been helped or if we needed anything while we were waiting. After about 3 minutes, he returned to the counter and informed me he was having trouble locating a replacement part, and so I would not have to wait any longer, he would simply swap the chains for a brand new set.  I was amazed.

It is a testament to Les Scwab (died in 2007), and the current Les Schwab management, that every employee understands the importance of the customer and ensuring a positive customer experience.

I imagine that Les Schwab will weather (pun intended) the current economic downturn better than many of their competitors because of their relentless focus on the customer.

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Sep 15

ShamWow!

This is my second favorite commercial. I am pretty sure this guy could sell anything to anyone. Have any of you bought one? I don’t know it sells itself.

Sep 2

Your competitive advantage

Seth Godin 2009Competitive advantage is similar to a concept we Product Managers call “Distinctive Competence” and it is a fundamental building block of any business. Those who don’t define it (early), wander aimlessly in search of customers, revenue and success.

Here’s another brilliant gem from Seth Godin:

People are fickle, but we’re generally rational. When someone makes a choice (hiring, firing, choosing a vendor, buying a soda) they’re using some sort of internal logic and reasoning to support that choice.

As a marketer, you win when they choose you.

So, why choose you?

The answer to that question is your competitive advantage. What makes it likely that more than a few rational people will consider their options and choose you or your company or your organization?

Truth: It’s rarely a computerized cost/benefit analysis. Instead, it’s a human choice.

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Aug 22

Jason Calacanis On How To Get PR For Your Startup: Fire Your PR Company

Jason Calacanis is always controversial, and his PR recommendations for startups are sure to engender a reaction amongst PR professionals.  While I won’t go as far as Jason in saying you should fire your PR company, I do think his recommendations are critical for execs in companies of any size.  It’s also a very good idea to make sure your PR folks understand and follow these principles as they represent your company. Read more

Aug 20

The new way of Getting Things Done

Gudjon Mar Gudjonsson, has written an interesting post on his blog about networked productivity.

There are many great resources out there on the holy grail of productivity and time management. One popular method is the Getting Things Done (GTD) method from David Allen.

GTD is a work-life management system and book by David Allen that attempts to free us from a vast workload and instead operate an integrated system of stress-free productivity.

I like GTD but it can be improved. In this post I talk about a new layer to the GTD framework that I believe adds the strength of network collaboration as well; a kind of socialising layer.

I will call this the Open layer thus the methodology is Getting Things Done Open (GTDO).

Here is the post:  The new way of Getting Things Done

Jul 25

Randy Pausch, author of The Last Lecture, has died.

Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor whose final lecture inspired millions, has died of pancreatic cancer. Dr. Pausch, 47, who turned the lecture into a book, said that no one would have been interested in his words of wisdom were he not a man in his 40s with a terminal illness.

For any of you that missed Dr. Pausch’s Last Lecture, here it is:
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More about Dr. Pausch.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Pausch

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