But survey says Microsoft, USA need to revamp marketing
Reuters Mar 31, 08 10:45 AM CDT
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Apple is the world's "most inspiring brand," as well as the one most consumers say they can't live without, according to a new survey on brand impact. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that Microsoft was the brand buyers thought most in need of an overhaul—with the United States as runner-up.
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Company says it will spin off foundering mobile unit that's lost $1.2 billion
Bloomberg Mar 26, 08 8:13 AM CDT
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Motorola blinked in its showdown with billionaire investor Carl Icahn, announcing this morning it will spin off the foundering mobile-device division that lost $1.2 billion last year and has seen its share of the mobile phone market shrink from 22% to 12%, reports Bloomberg. Moto’s stock rose 6.6% on the news before the markets opened, after losing 45% in the past year.
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Analysis
Competitors cry monopoly, but consumers seem enthusiastic
Ars Technica Mar 24, 08 10:51 AM CDT
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Don’t expect a subscription music service bundled with iPods anytime soon: that’s the consensus emerging from the news flurry since last week’s report Apple was considering such a move. Still, the flurry made two things clear, declares Nate Anderson in Ars Technica: Apple would need to tread carefully to avoid antitrust complications if it did go there, and consumers finally seem ready to “rent” music.
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Apple may bundle unlimited music with next-gen iPhone and iPods
Financial Times (UK) Mar 19, 08 10:00 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Apple is considering bundling unlimited access to the iTunes library with its next generation of iPods and iPhones, reports the Financial Times. In a similar move launched in December, Nokia will pay music industry partners almost $80 per handset for “comes with music” phones. Apple has offered just $20 to labels included in its library. One insider says, “It's who blinks first, and whether or not anyone does blink."
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COLUMN
With a bit more
Apple wizardry, device could be 'micro-Mac'
BusinessWeek Mar 13, 08 11:25 AM CDT
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Take Apple’s iPod Touch, give it a little more innovative juice, and you get the next big thing in handhelds, blurring the line between consumer electronics and computers, writes Arik Hesseldahl in BusinessWeek . The Touch, now considered the “flagship” iPod, can already run the major media formats—music, movies, etc.—and access Wi-Fi. With a few changes, it could become a full-fledged computer in your pocket.
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But worries emerge about Apple's tight rules, lack of support
BusinessWeek Mar 12, 08 12:44 PM CDT
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Developers have swamped venture capitalists who announced a $100 million fund for iPhone applications last week. But many of them say Apple has made the job difficult. Developers must use the software development kit issued by Apple, and they say the restrictive terms prevent them from sharing advice on user forums, and that Apple’s support has been abysmal.
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Banning of VoIP, browser bundling echoes antitrust cases
CNET Mar 10, 08 4:19 PM CDT
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Apple’s iPhone software development kit is facing criticism from net neutrality and antitrust critics, Computerworld reports. Apple has indicated that voice-over-IP programs like Skype will not be allowed on the iPhone’s AT&T network, as its a direct competitor for AT&T’s voice service. Comcast, Computerworld points out, drew net neutrality concerns when it banned BitTorrent to prevent competition with its Cable TV business.
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Releases inexpensive software development kit
New York Times Mar 7, 08 2:00 PM CST
(Newser)
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Apple is opening up the iPhone to outside programmers. The company said yesterday it would release a $99 software development kit, and the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins has committed $100 million to invest in developers' work, reports the New York Times . iPhones so far have been limited—at least officially—to Apple’s included programs. But new applications will be tightly controlled by Apple.
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Ballmer says Google's Internet-ad dominance won't last
Seattle Times Mar 7, 08 10:39 AM CST
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Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer did an animated, sometimes antic, on-stage interview yesterday at Mix, Microsoft’s annual conference for web developers, emphasizing that he has every intention of taking some of Google's advertising business and using Yahoo to do it, the Seattle Times reports. "Advertising on the Internet is a big thing, and will be the next super-big thing," he said. "Search ... at least today and for the foreseeable future, it is the killer application for online advertising."
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Apple's mercurial CEO creates a risky rollercoaster ride for shareholders
CNN Mar 5, 08 1:12 PM CST
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Steve Jobs is an undisputed Silicon Valley superstar, but his genius has a price, Fortune reports. Jobs is a risk-taking, short-tempered tyrant, and those foibles make Apple a potential rollercoaster for investors. Jobs threatened the company—and his own freedom—in two separate backdating scandals, and, reports the magazine, risked his own life by long avoiding treatment for his pancreatic cancer.
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Union proposal OK'd at annual meeting
San Francisco Chronicle Mar 5, 08 4:03 AM CST
(Newser)
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Apple shareholders have approved a motion giving them some input into executive pay levels, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "I hope it will help me with my $1 a year salary," quipped CEO Steve Jobs after the vote at the company's annual meeting—though Jobs bags millions of dollars worth of stock options and other perks on top of his token salary.
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OPINION
The Nike of the field draws praise from marketing experts
Salon Mar 3, 08 3:40 PM CST
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Hillary Clinton is the sturdy candidate resembling Microsoft, John McCain evokes Hummer, and Mike Huckabee’s the Applebee’s of the field, but only Barack Obama "has the secret sauce that Brand America needs to regain its appeal." media consultant Jeff Yang writes in Salon. Yang is part of a team studying the "brand's" international standing, and he shares some insights.
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