Apple's iPhone...Could They Introduce An iTunes Browser And Create An ECommerce Powerhouse?

The Apple iPhone arrival is almost here.

I thought it would be a good time to jot down some ponderings about what the iPhone could provide for mobile marketing and Physical World Connection.

In my opinion, it's not the phone itself that will be a huge success, it's that Apple is tying in their iTunes platform (PC) with a mobile device.

The iPhone could be "the" universal remote control that ties in a website for control and further review.


If Apple can make it as easy to interlink a mobile phone and a PC (like they do with iTunes and an iPod), they could become a mobile marketing and mobile commerce powerhouse .

A user with an iPhone interacts with the physical world, outside of the PC world. (mcommerce, barcodes, text messages, maps, alerts, phone calls etc). They "dock" their iPhone into their PC and pass/store their mobile world activity into the iTunes platform.

Your Physical World Connection activity (mobile phone) can now be presented on the iTunes platform creating exciting opportunities.

This product/service could be a mobile marketer's dream.

Outside of the phone itself, why could Apple become a mobile marketing powerhouse?

Ecommerce billing method is already resolved with iTunes, and the platform is so easy to use.

I am already thinking of the link the iPhone could provide with TV and Internet advertising. It's not hard to see how the iPhone could be a universal "remote".
Remember, more shows are offering to sell episodes thru iTunes.

Bring your iPhone home and upload/download activity (surfing, text, email pictures, calls) and content to your PC. Advertiser can place relevant ads.

Keep a record of your text messages, and all of those links sent via text that you couldn't really open using your mobile. Advertisers place ads next to relevant text messages.

So will Apple introduce an iTunes browser and complete the circle?

I see an iTunes browser that allows a user to search, buy and "work" with the activity generated on the iPhone. Also an iTunes browser will allow ecommerce to be facilitated easier (billing platform) with other merchants. Pay with iTunes or iBill.

Mobile Ticketing.
Apple can start selling tickets (movie, airline) through the iTunes platform. A barcode can be sent to the phone and presented at the door.

Pictures.
The pictures taken with phone are uploaded to the PC for numerous interactive and advertising options.

Apple has already started to use QR codes in their advertising too. All of those 2d codes that an iPhone scans can have another dimension to them. Not only will the user be directed to the URL when iPhone scans the mobile code, but your Physical World Connection activity will be recorded on iTunes. This allows you to get more information about a product using your PC and advertisers (2D code owners) will be able to continue the interaction with the user on the bigger screen.

This will make mobile codes even more valuable.

Other ponderings about the iPhone

With $15 Billion, What Should Apple Buy?

Last week it was announced Apple had been saving a bit of money. Lots of speculation on what Apple should buy.

From 9to5Mac 15 Billion Dollars What Will Apple buy?

ARS Technica sees Adobe, TiVo and Nintendo as possible candidates.

9to5 Mac suggests telecom related companies: ClearWire, Skype, or Apple bidding on the 700 MHz spectrum.

What do I think Apple should buy?

Apple's iTunes and their variety of products allow anyone to download, carry, and play content. iTunes has developed into a content portal, but why couldn't it be a commerce portal as well?

Apple generates revenues by selling products (iPod, Nano, iPhone etc) that play content, and by selling the content itself through iTunes. Music, videos and and various types of tickets (concert, plane, coupons) are purchased and downloaded through iTunes.

Millions of Apple "real world" (mobile) devices get connected to a PC and to the Apple portal (iTunes) making Apple a true m-commerce player. Apple needs a financial platform to support this. Millions of transactions occur through iTunes (and soon through the Iphone), Apple should want to get a cut of this.

For the right price, would eBay ever consider selling PayPal?

What do you think Apple should buy?

Apple's iPhone Offers More Than A Phone But A Killer Platform

Apple probably has to go down as one of the first companies to link the physical world with the Internet.

When you download a song on iTunes from the the Net, and then transfered to an Ipod (mobile device), indirectly and in reverse order you created a physical world connection.

Apple and iTunes got millions of people (especially the targeted demographics) to link a mobile device to their PC. The disruption isn't in the iPod or the Nano, but in the iTunes platform. I think the same thing will occur around the platform for the iPhone.

I see the iPhone being more than just a communication device that surfs the Net and holds music. An iPhone pplication could provide the platform for two of the fastest growing industries, mobile marketing and mcommerce.

An iPhone application on the PC could link your mobile world to your PC.

If Apple can make it as easy to interlink a mobile phone and a PC (like they do with iTunes and an iPod), they could become a mobile marketing and mobile commerce powerhouse .

I know iPhone won't be the name of Apple's new phone, but I use the term because it's easy to identify.

Apple could do what every wireless carrier dreams of, tying your PC world with your mobile world. iTunes provided the conduit for the PC and mobile worlds. The iPhone will provide the Internet access.

Your iPhone application on your PC becomes a place where you store all of your mobile search requests, text messages, pictures, phone calls (think voIP applications), mcommerce transactions (soon). Yes a universal remote control but with a website that allows control and review.

How many times in the last 6 mos have you logged into your wireless account online?

I have often wondered why wireless carriers don't spend more time marketing a "MyCell" webpage. They are sitting on an advertising and customer relationship goldmine but they are ignoring it.

Apple Computer Inc. will finally end the rumors and announce a cell phone today with wireless service from Cingular Wireless LLC, a news report said.

Apple and Cingular team up for cell phone

Rather than tie itself to a single service provider, Apple is likely to introduce an “unlocked” phone that can be used on different networks.

Would you allow Apple to deliver ads on your iPhone if they compensated you with extra minutes?

Apple can provide a billing platform for movie tickets, coupons, airline tickets.

Go to iTunes or the iPhone application, download a ticket for Jimmey Buffet concert and get a 2d code, barcode on your iPod/iPhone. The billing is ALREADY IN PLACE and you just wave your iPod/iPhone at the door.

Apple has already tapped into a Physical World Connection application

Just imagine the possibilities if the iPhone has a camera too.

Thoughts comments?

Could Apple Trigger The Cloud Computing Boom?

A major transformation took place when computing power moved from the PC/phone to the Internet.

The PC used to be the device that did the work and used the Net to deliver it. Now, the PC, iPod, cellphone are merely connection devices and the Net does the "work".

An example. Your home phone probably has a built in answering machine which jacked up the price for your phone. When the power goes out, so does the time and your recorded message. Your local phone company offers voicemail as a service option. For x amount a month they record and store your messages. Your phone no longer does the "work", your local phone company's server does.

This transformation is called "cloud computing" and it has disrupted the personal computing industry.

Consumers are maxing out their iPods and other digital devices. The next place to store their stuff is in the cloud.

I said a while back that Apple is sitting on a goldmine with iTunes.

iTunes could be a mobile commerce platform

Apple could introduce and iTunes browser.

iTunes represents a killer platform, it's only fitting that they lead the way to consumer cloud computing.

From C/Net Apple to store video in the cloud

By cramming digital songs, videos, and all manner of software applications on computers and handheld devices, there's some indication that consumers are maxing out hard drives, particularly on smaller mobile devices. That has led to speculation among Apple watchers that some consumers might slow their purchasing of new content, if they have nowhere to easily put it.


Now imagine being able to access ALL of your digital content from ANY device, regardless of your location? That is what Apple wants to do. Think of one password protected site that allows you to retrieve and play ANY of your digital content on ANY device....that is iTunes cloud computing.


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Apple The Mobile Marketing Powerhouse?

I mentioned previously that Apple could turn into a mobile powerhouse with some innovation.

Apple could provide the link between the PC and the mobile (and other mediums) using an iPhone with iTunes. This product/service could be a mobile marketer's dream.


IBD has a story Apple iPhone Is Near

An Apple wireless phone and service will debut late this year or early next, say analysts and industry observers.

The iPod and computer maker is in talks to buy excess network capacity from one of the big wireless phone service providers, says one person familiar with the talks.

Apple would resell minutes to its customers. That would make Apple a mobile virtual network operator

At one point, Apple worked with Nokia to develop a traditional cell phone, analysts say.

How could it be so powerful?

Billing method is already resolved, and the iTunes platform is so easy to use.

iTunes provides the conduit for the PC and mobile worlds .

I am already thinking of the link the iPhone could provide with TV and Internet advertising. It's not hard to see how the iPhone could be a universal "remote".
Remember, more shows are offering to sell episodes thru iTunes.

Bring your iPhone home and upload/download activity and content to your PC.

Keep a record of your text messages, and all of those links sent via text that you couldn't really open using your mobile.

What's next, an iTunes browser?

I have lots of thoughts on what mobile marketers could do with this.

Thoughts comments?

Apple One Step Closer To Physical World Connection Domination

Apple one step closer to a mobile marketing powerhouse.

The big story here isn't that an airport scanner resolved a 2d bar code on an iPhone.

The big picture is that the iPhone with an iTunes browser represent the opportunity to connect the physical world with the Net using a mobile device that has an established billing platform. Powerful.

iPhone As Electronic Boarding Pass

Gerald Buckley tells how he was allowed to board an American Airlines flight from San Antonio to Dallas by having the gate agent scan the bar code of the ticket on a PDF displayed on his iPhone (this is an addition to the TSA official verifying a paper boarding pass).

A couple years ago I said that Apple could turn into a mobile marketing and mcommerce powerhouse if they introduced an iPod cell phone. (Who knew about the iPhone then).

Apple could provide the billing platform for all types of mobile content (songs, coupons, tickets etc).....and yes airplane tickets.

How could it be so powerful?

Billing method is already resolved, and the iTunes platform is so easy to use.

Think about it. Go to iTunes, download a ticket for Jimmey Buffet concert and get a 2d code, barcode on your iPod or iPhone. The billing is ALREADY IN PLACE and you just wave your iPod or iPhone at the door.

Did you ever consider what would happen if Apple introduced an iTunes browser?

When Apple introduces a mobile bar code scanning application on the iPhone, they will become a mobile marketing powerhouse.

Some other ponderings about Apple and physical world connection possibilities.

The iPod Nano With Video..A Threat To YouTube?

The iPod Nano and iTunes...disruption ahead for the video industry.

Now that iPod introduced a Nano that is capable of recording video, is YouTube's business in jeopardy?

Will this feature allow users to make money from their content creation?..not just using their Nano but from other video creating devices as well? (phone, camcorder).

Almost everyone has some sort of iPod device and uses iTunes as their upload/download and storage portal. Once people start shooting video with their Nano, and storing on iTunes, wouldn't the next logical step be to earn advertising (and subscription) revenue from public uploads?

Would you take and upload more videos if you knew you could get paid for them? What type of videos would you take? What kind of videos would you pay for?

Why Apple Is Overvalued And Destined For Hard Times

Yes, we love Apple and their products...but they are still thinking "local" and it is going to cost them dearly.

From the ability to carry around all of our music IN the iPod to the neat way of running applications ON our phone, Apple has clearly nailed this strategy...

However, this is their downfall.

Content and computing are shifting from being ON the device to IN the cloud and when your business depends on selling high end consumer devices, that is going to be a very big problem going forward.

Adding a camera was a pretty big step for the mobile phone. Then the creation of the app store and all of the wonderful things you could now do with a phone, was a boom for many people/industries.

Where are we going?

It is called cloud computing because the computing is done on the cloud, not the device. The applications and content will be accessed and run in the cloud and not on the device.

So when you're selling a phone for $800, when YOUR COST is $200, but the true cost of just the hardware is $25, that's a very problem for your business.

Apple, and others, should look very closely at Google and their Chromebook to see where the future is headed. The number one selling laptop isn't a laptop at all, it's simply a connection to the cloud.

Indeed Microsoft sees the future and thinks it can give the Chromebook a run for its money with the recently announced partnership with Qualcomm

The next "must have" mobile phone will be a "cloud phone", or something very similar to Chromebook capability in a mobile phone size. A simple device, costing under $100 that just accesses the cloud for your content and applications. You drop it or it gets stolen, no big deal. The battery life will be days now that unnecessary applications dont need to be running constantly. The bandwidth used will shrink (telecoms will love).

I can have access to IBM's Watson and high powered graphics, there is NO point in keeping the computing on the device any more.

The days of different app stores will be a thing of the past and Apple's iTunes gold mine will end fast. Why do I need to download the Facebook app from several stores for different devices? App stores are just glorified browsers and who pays for those?

In 2007 I discussed how Apple could introduce an iTunes browser and become an ecommerce powerhouse, Amazon beat them to it.

In 2010, I stated how Apple could turn their iTunes into the "killer platform" and be a cloud pioneer, but they sacrificed future for device revenue.

The shift from websites to apps that run websites fragmented many industries..that all changes. One app that runs on all devices. Period.

Kodak didn't see the shift from analog to digital. Apple isn't seeing the shift from local to the cloud.

Will Apple Start Selling Concert And Movie Tickets Through iTunes?

What do a barcode and Apple have in common?

The first thing I thought of when I read this story was Apple would start selling tickets (of all kinds) through iTunes.

Did you ever think Apple as a ticket seller? Seems pretty easy now. Guess I have to add them to the list

bCODE(TM), the universal provider of mobile ticketing solutions, today announced that it will showcase Mobile Ticketing technology to a group of customers at the Telstra Technology Showcase during the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.

bCODE provides the world's most compatible solution for mobile ticketing.

Unlike 2D barcode and RFID-based mobile ticketing technologies that require a phone specific chipset or graphics, the bCODE solution is based on standard SMS text messaging and is supported by 99% of all mobile phones in the market
including, PDAs, RIM Blackberry, Palm Treo and other devices like the Apple
iPOD.

bCODE's Mobile Ticketing solution enables customers to have a paperless ticket delivered directly to their mobile device (not limited to a mobile phone), providing instant delivery and removing the hassles of physical pick-up and queuing.

Think about it. Go to iTunes, download a ticket for Jimmey Buffet concert and get a 2d code, barcode on your iPod. The billing is ALREADY IN PLACE and you just wave your iPod at the door.

Are airline tickets next?

Aaaah the visionary innovations for this are endless.

Thoughts, comments?

Google, Froogle, Bugle?

From desktop search to weather forecasts, Google is covering the gamut. After playing around with Google's SMS (46645) and seeing what results I got back with certain music queries, it hit me. Could Google SMS be the Itunes for the mobile?

Would it matter what phone you used a Google music search on? No.

With phone manufacturers designing in the ablilty to download and play music, could this be a way that Google "goes mobile"?

Do an SMS for any barcode on any CD, you get the music title and a Froogle like listing of all sites and the prices they charge. So Google has access to a database of the barcodes, how hard would it be to offer the titles on that CD and send back via text.

Heres my suggestion. Google registers the code MUSIC (68742). Send a text to this number with either a barcode, the artist or the song as the subject. Google knows this specific code is intended for music downloading only so it searches the database associated only with music songs.

One element of the slow mobile web is eliminated by sending and receiving a text. The only pitfall is how long would it take to download a song on a mobile.

Could Google share Itunes database? Would this be a threat to the Ipod?

It is becoming quite clear music IS coming to the mobile phone. The question is, who will provide the service and application to make it happen.

Would you as a user download a Google mobile toolbar if it allowed an easier way initially to send text messages to Google? Replace www.google.com on your mobile phone browser with the SMS function to any of Google's codes.

Let Google introduce a BOOGLE or BUGLE toolbar that is a designated music downloading tool for the mobile phone. Would kids want this?
Bill any downloaded songs right to the cellphone bill....well that could be a big problem considering the ringtone abuse/credit problems already.

Just an idea, it would be a great way for Google to enter into one of the hottest spaces right now (music downloading). After all, when you use your Itunes, what are you really doing, searching, Google's specialty.

Another thought to discuss later. Have you ever wondered what Google does with the data from all of those SMS queries they get? I bet I do.
Wanna know who pays for that data? Stay tuned.

Stories I Found Of Interest (weekly)

• Move To Another Country To Escape The Collapse Of America? | Market Daily News

  • According to the U.S. State Department, an all-time record of more than 6 million Americans are now working or studying overseas.  Of course many of those that have left the country do not believe that the U.S. economy is going to collapse, but without a doubt there are an increasing number of preppers that believe that now is the time to “escape from America” while they still can.  And certainly there are a lot of reasons why the U.S. is becoming less appealing with each passing day.  In addition to our economic problems, crime is on the rise in our cities, our liberties and freedoms are being eroded at a frightening pace, political correctness is wildly out of control, and our corrupt politicians continue to make things even worse.

• Online-Only TV Shows Join Fight for Attention - NYTimes.com

  • The companies are, in effect, creating new networks for television through broadband pipes and also giving rise to new rivalries — among one another, as between Amazon and Netflix
  • But the trend may inflame cable companies’ concerns about cord-cutting by subscribers who decide there’s enough to watch online.

• Revolution in Resale of Digital Books and Music - NYTimes.com

  • a New York court is poised to rule on whether a start-up that created a way for people to buy and sell iTunes songs is breaking copyright law. A victory for the company would mean that consumers would not need either Apple’s or Amazon’s exchange to resell their digital items. Electronic bazaars would spring up instantly
  • The technology to allow the resale of digital goods is now in place, and it will cause a dramatic upheaval,
  • The resale of e-books would send the price of new books crashing
  • Amazon’s patent envisions a book or movie or song being kept in a customer’s personalized “data store.” When an item is no longer wanted, the user could sell or trade it to another user, an action that would automatically delete the item from the first user’s store
  • The patent describes what is essentially a gigantic swap meet

• Marijuana legal in Florida? Bill proposed in Florida Senate to legalize medical marijuana use

  • BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Florida could be the next state to legalize marijuana for medicinal use.

    It's estimated seven out of 10 people polled would support a recent bill proposed in the State Senate

• The Scary Reality Of The Student Loan Bubble In 5 Charts | Market Daily News

  • The explosion of the student loan bubble could lead to the next financial crisis in the United States, says a new federal report -which highlights the growing problem in these alarming new charts.
  • As of 2012, about $1 trillion was tied up in student loans – more than the total amount of credit card debt in the nation,
  • No longer does a bachelor’s degree guarantee a secure job, enough income to buy a house or the opportunity to advance in a career
  • We’re in the midst of the greatest investing boom in almost 60 years. And rest assured – this boom is not about to end anytime soon. You see, the flattening of the world continues to spawn new markets worth trillions of dollars; new customers that measure in the billions; an insatiable global demand for basic resources that’s growing exponentially ; and a technological revolution even in the most distant markets on the planet

• BBC News - TED 2013: 4D printed objects 'make themselves'

  • The process uses a specialised 3D printer made by Stratasys that can create multi-layered materials.

     

    It combines a strand of standard plastic with a layer made from a "smart" material that can absorb water.

     

    The water acts as an energy source for the material to expand once it is printed.

     

    "The rigid material becomes a structure and the other layer is the force that can start bending and twisting it," said Mr Tibbits.

     

    "Essentially the printing is nothing new, it is about what happens after," he added.

     

    Such a process could in future be used to build furniture, bikes, cars and even buildings, he thinks.

     

    For the time being he is seeking a manufacturing partner to explore the innovation.

  • Engineering software developer Autodesk, which collaborated on the project, is looking even further into the future.

     

    "Imagine a scenario where you go to Ikea and buy a chair, put it in your room and it self-assembles," said Carlo Olguin, principal research scientist at the software firm.

     

    The 4D printing concept draws inspiration from nature which already has the ability to self-replicate.

• Citi: Demand For Apple Products Is Soft - Business Insider

  • "Citi basically thinks demand for Apple products has reached a peak. Incremental products will be a snooze. No new product categories.

• Mobile data spending outpaces voice for first time - The Washington Post

  • U.S. consumers spent more on mobile data than on voice for the first time in 2012
  • Wireless carriers must improve network efficiency to accommodate the growing demand for data services

• ABC Unified: Disney's new advertising platform could finally put TV anywhere you want it | The Verge

  • ABC is making the biggest leap: its "ABC Unified" campaign sells programs to advertisers across all platforms, from TVs to computers, tablets, and smartphones.
  • If a show's audience is measured and ads are sold in a single buy across all platforms, that creates a tremendous incentive for a network to maximize the number of platforms where its shows are available. It also makes it more likely that networks will push toward parity across those platforms

• YouTube to launch music streaming service, take on Spotify - Fortune Tech

  • Google is planning to roll out a music streaming service to capitalize on the power of YouTube
  • YouTube is already one of the most heavily used music services in the world, but it hasn't yet charged users. Instead, it sells ads against its music videos; a cut goes back to the record companies. Of the ways music is consumed today, spending on subscription-based streaming ("renting" music rather than "owning" it) is a fraction of what spending on digital purchases on stores like Amazon (AMZN) or Apple's (AAPL) iTunes store can reach. Fewer people subscribe, and of those, the spending per month is generally lower
  • major music labels have found that there is money to be made via streaming music services. The Warner Music Group, which, sources say, has partnered with YouTube and Google on the new ventures,
  • Content ID is another notable partnership: a bit of backend software YouTube runs to match videos with their "audio fingerprints," then tags uploaded videos and ensures royalties go to the copyright holders.

• With gesture, voice or eye control, tech gets more human-centered | JWT Intelligence

  • The theme behind a crop of new products is technology becoming more intuitive rather than requiring people to adapt to it. Gesture control, for instance, feels more natural than operating a mouse.
  • Apple and others are pursuing intuitive 3D interfaces using Famo.us, a new Java-based framework
  • claims it will “bring about the next big change in the way we interact with computers and other devices and systems

• YouTube Programmers Complain About Video Advertising Dollars - Peter Kafka - Media - AllThingsD

  • Things are fuzzier for some of YouTube’s biggest programming partners. Their views are also increasing. But the ad revenue YouTube generates for their stuff isn’t keeping pace
  • that’s pushing many big YouTube networks and partners to look hard for new sources of revenue.
  • “Every single person in the entertainment group complained to [YouTube content executive] Alex Carloss: ‘We’re not making enough money,’”
  • Maker Studios, another big “multichannel network,” is looking to boost revenue via alternate streams like iTunes soundtrack sales, among other strategies.
  • Many big programmers are also concentrating on selling their own “integrations” with advertisers
  • Others are working to direct traffic from YouTube to their own sites.
  • Video makers who control their own sites say they are often able to generate much bigger payouts than YouTube provides

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

CTO Of Nortel Discusses Upcoming Bandwidth Boom

The Financial Times has a piece on the upcoming bandwidth boom. The author is John Roese is chief technology officer at Nortel.

Some interesting points:

At the heart of the internet are fat "pipes" - the fibre-optic equivalents of the LA Freeway - which can carry huge amounts of "traffic" in the form of voice, data, video and any combination thereof. The myriad on and off-ramps - connections that telecom service providers have hooked up to it - are not quite so fat or quite so fast.

Downloading a DVD on demand takes the equivalent bandwidth of 16m web page downloads, 400,000 e-mails, or nearly 2,000 iTunes songs (the size of web, music and e-mail files varies greatly, but these are realistic averages). And one movie on a dual-layer Blu-ray disk consumes the staggering equivalent of 100m web page downloads, 2.5m e-mails, and more than 12,000 iTunes songs.

The new services are gobbling up huge amounts of bandwidth, to the point where we have virtually eliminated the "bandwidth glut" of unused capacity that was built up during the late 1990s dotcom boom. We are, in fact, speeding towards a "bandwidth crisis".

On top of that, we are fast approaching a state of hyperconnectivity, where the number of devices, machines, and applications connected to the network will far exceed the number of people connected to it.

we need to expand the freeway but without the year-long roadworks that cause endless frustration. I would advocate doing this with advanced optical technology that essentially allows vehicles to be stacked on top of each other. This enables up to 10 times as much information to be carried in each lane of traffic without physically widening the road.

Do we need a boom in bandwidth or just bandwidth efficiency?

Ponderings about bandwidth.

Get Cash Back On iTunes Purchases

Yes, that's right. Anytime you make a purchase on iTunes (song/video) you get cash back.

A lot more benefits with this site but there's a reason you need to act quickly.


Membership is free, no cost or obligation.



Free Membership (link to get free membership)






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Stories I Found Of Interest (weekly)

• The Presidential Wheel Turns - WSJ.com

  • This week something changed. George W. Bush is back, for the unveiling of his presidential library. His numbers are dramatically up. You know why? Because he's the farthest thing from Barack Obama.
  • Obama fatigue has opened the way to Bush affection.
  • One thing Mr. Bush didn't think he was was superior. He thought he was luckily born, quick but not deep, and he famously trusted his gut but also his heart. He always seemed moved and grateful to be in the White House.

• Apple's 10-Year-Old iTunes Loses Ground to Streaming - Businessweek

  • “There is nothing on iTunes’ store today that gives anyone the impetus to buy something.”
  • “It’s no longer about individual tracks, it’s about access,”
  • “The concept of buying music at 99¢ a song is becoming irrelevant.”
  • the market for downloads will begin to decline, albeit slowly, within five years. “We are in an interesting transition,” McGuire says. “Download-to-own will persist, but with younger consumers, access through streaming services makes more sense.”

• 22nd Century unit signs overseas deal | WKBW News 7: News, Sports, Weather | Buffalo, NY | Top Stories

  • Dutch Magic cigarettes fall into the "very low nicotine" category, and contain approximately 95 percent less nicotine than typical "ultra light" and "light" cigarettes
  • The new deal with Wilshire marks the first time VLN tobacco products will be available to consumers in Europe

• The economics behind Amazon's possible set-top box gambit | Internet & Media - CNET News

  • Here's his logic: If Apple, Roku, and others can make money on streaming media devices, so too can Amazon. The advantage Amazon has, though, is that it already provides streaming content. So if Amazon decides to give its set-top box customers Amazon Prime subscriptions for, say, one year, the company will be able to offer a better value than rivals even if they charge the same amount for the device.

• The TV Everywhere Revolution Has Finally Kicked Into High Gear -- AppAdvice

  • Cable’s stranglehold on Hollywood looks less secure than at any time in the history of the medium. The result is that 2013 could finally be the year when TV Everywhere finally becomes a reality, at least in a larger way than before
  • While cable is still the dominant method of TV viewing, streaming is gaining in popularity.
  • the ability to download or stream ad-supported content will be everywhere, no matter the device

• Few cable users aware of TV Everywhere - paidContent

  • Only about a fifth of pay TV subscribers know their cable, satellite or telco service provider offers technology that lets them view video content over the internet on digital devices.

• The Abundance Of "Rich-Hating" | Market Daily News

  • Wealth is no longer seen as a sign of virtue and hard work but as a symbol of exploitation.
  • Mitt Romney was right when he said there exists a mindset of “victimology”. No matter what brilliant entrepreneurs bring to the market, they are demonized simply because they earn much more money than the average Joe. This has lead to a growing sect of businessmen who find it necessary to tell the public that not only do they not support the system that brought them immense wealth, but they support government regulation to make things more equitable.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

An Apple iPod Cell Phone Rumor A Day.....

I have said a few times that Apple could be a mobile marketing and mobile commerce powerhouse if they introduced an iPod cell phone.

iTunes could provide the conduit for the PC and mobile worlds.

They could introduce an iTunes browser.

Apple could provide the billing platform for all types of mobile content (songs, coupons, tickets etc).

Give the iPod cell phone a camera and think of the possibilities.

Could they be a physical world connection player too?

Don't know if it's real or not, but news agencies are reporting that Apple will introduce an iPod cell phone.

Analysts say Apple Computer is working on their own cell phone; a rumor long-held by many in the industry, yet the group says new evidence conclusively proves the gadget's existence.

Don't know if it happens, but it sure could shake up the wireless world if it did.

The Killer Platform For 3G?....

It wouldn't be right if I didn't ponder a big topic, so here goes more pondering about music and the mobile phone.

Here's where I started. From MocoNews.com Interesting mobile music info.

a recent Consumer Mobility Study by In-Stat/MDR finds that 11.4% of US mobile subscribers are very or extremely interested in moving beyond basic ringtones and purchasing more full-featured music/audio services for their wireless phones including music and news/talk content available as downloadable content or on demand. The most popular service concept is the ability to download MP3s or other digital music files directly to wireless handsets, followed closely by the ability to listen to streaming music on demand.

I can't help but think that we can learn from previous mistakes.

Take Napster and their ability to bring broadband to the mainstream Internet access to the PC, and combine that same music downloading demand with a cell phone. Would you or could you force service providers to push 3G faster to the consumer?

There will have to be a wireless application that consumers will want,and requires higher speeds, in order for consumers to pay up for this. I'm guessing here, but if you had a downloadable app or preinstalled platform that people would demand when choosing a service provider and plan, THEY WOULD GIVE THE SERVICE PROVIDER PERMISSION to market to them.

What was the hottest topic at GSM conference? Downloading music on phones.

Now heres my idea.

This can be one or all type of platform. There are a few ways I see how an Itunes or an EMI music could implement this.

You're not going to do a Google search for Billy Joel, so the time consuming search for the artist and the songs is eliminated. The user knows its Billy Joel or U2, so it's more of a info retrieval process than search (which is how Internet on cell phone should be treated).

What if you could send a text with subject "billyjoel" to this creative company and get back a list of songs that would be downloadable to your cellphone via an SMS. An SMS is faster than surfing, so the available "list" of billyjoel songs comes back as a menu. Click on the desired song, Piano Man , and the song is transferred/downloaded to your cell phone. The downloading would be the time comsuming part and this would be the incentive to get higher speeds implemented.

You probably could even use "billyjoel" as your identifier and let some server resolve what info should be send back. Could a platform be put on a phone that wouldnt even need to surf the net?

Say you typed in "billyjoel" into this search bar (I think navigation would be more appropriate). The platform deciphers "billyjoel" and they issue all songs available for download.

By sending a text (SMS) you have bypassed the browser for searching. You are staying in this selected music world for those songs available from that company.

Itunes or EMI could publish a catalog with numbers for specific songs that can be downloaded. Service providers could give this out when you sign up for this service.

Another idea I've been suggesting. A creative company could start a music downloading service that would allow any song to be downloaded just by entering in the barcode of a CD or snapping a picture of the barcode and let the resolver decode. The menu of the songs on that CD would come up on cell screen (just like you see at a Virgin Megastore or FYE store) and user could click on selected song and download.

Take that one step further. Any concert ticket, movie poster with soundtrack could now include songs available for downloading.

This creative company wouldn't even need a service provider to implement this.

This creative company could work a deal with Sirius,XMSR that when any song is played, the user could dial a specific number and have the song downloaded OR just publish a specific number on the screen for that song. For instance, U2's A Beautiful Day is playing on SIRIUS. On the display you see U2 Beautiful Day (18726).
Send a text to SIRIUS with subject 18726 and song gets downloaded. Or send a text to this creative company with subject 18726 and they resolve the identifier for this song. Let SIRIUS get a cut of the biz.

All you need is access/permission to a music database. This is constantly changing, so recurring revenues occur here. You also need a software program or platform that allows the resolving of a barcode. That's it.

Access to one of the largest music databases, and a way to download from it. There's an eBay in the making there.

What if you had a program called BUGLE, or BOOGLE. This program would be desired by all 18-34 olds. Download or preinstall from phone company. Anytime you clicked on a barcode, or type in ANY artist name (U2, billyjoel) a list of all of their somgs would come up. Then it's up to the consumer to download.

Would you charge an unlimited monthly fee? Per song? The minutes on your service plan are involved so you have to think about consumer a bit here.

Part of the stipulation with BOOGLE or BUGLE is this company's ability to market to you through the mobile. I think this permission would be very easy to get.

Just some ideas, I think it works but who will be creative enough to offer to consumers? Phone manuf should focus on what platform should be pre-installed to handle this. I know one.

Still pondering but I think I'm getting close to finding the solution.

Thoughts, comments?

Pondering Primate November 08

I am introducing a new service to the Pondering Primate. Each month I will offer a recap of headlines, mandates, events and breakthroughs that are worthy of pondering.

In order to act on these headlines, should this be offered on a weekly basis?
Email me with your thoughts, likes, and dislikes.

"All the news that’s fit to ponder"


Barack Obama wins Presidential election

A win for CleanTech link
What Obama presidency means for the Cleantech industry link

He is calling for a $150 billion investment in clean technologies over 10 years, aggressive targets for greenhouse emission reductions, and programs to promote energy efficiency, low-carbon biofuels, and renewable energies

Obama’s Energy Plan link

Will Obama’s clean coal plans bankrupt the coal industry?

Is this the right idea but at the wrong time? link

However, an E.P.A decision may give Obama what he wants link
Recession will allow lower carbon caps. link

The U.S. and European Union can afford to set tougher limits on emissions because slower economic activity will cut greenhouse gas output and lower emission permit prices.

Businesses are already expediting deals before new Obama tax rates go in effect:
Miami Dolphins owner rushes sale of team link
Signing bonuses before the first of the year for employment contracts link

Former U.S.Energy secretaries call cap and trade an “industrial manager’s nightmare”
link
T. Boone Pickens delays his wind farm plan. The biggest advocate of clean energy loses billions with drop in oil prices. link
He cited the fall in natural gas prices, a competing source of electricity generation, as a deterrent.
Biggest U.S. wind energy adopter cuts capital expenditures. link

Will drop in oil prices lead to another “deja vous” for CleanTech industry (remember the renewable energy buzz in the 70’s?).


The era that defined Wall Street is over link

How is New York City starting to cope with the downturn.
New York City proposes additional tax ideas.
Plastic bag surcharge link

Transit Agency sees higher fees link

Oil prices lose 60%…why did the price of oil drop so fast?
hedge funds have gone into commodities as investors, rather than arbitragers.

Like real estate, commodities permit a high degree of leverage — typically 10 to 1 — compared to stocks margined at 2 to 1. Because of this ability to “leverage-up,” and the fact that the supply-demand equation has been unusually attractive over the last two to three years, these “new speculators” have been encouraged to bid up prices to extraordinary and unsustainable levels
This trend service called it perfectly. link

Oil prices save consumers $270 Billion link

The International Energy Agency (IEA) warns oil will hit $200 by 2030 link
Mexico will soon be a net importer of oil and be forced to stop oil exports to U.S.(11% of our imports) link
Could this have any impact on NAFTA?

Brazil a new oil giant. Offshore drilling pays off big for both employment and oil. link

Could Brazil’s success and Mexico’s aggressive deepwater exploration force US to reconsider offshore drilling?

IEA says world energy use is “patently unsustainable” link
A revolution in the energy business is required to maintain economic growth

Congress proposes $50 billion auto bailout. Tough love could lead to tough times. link

Could conditions for bailout be the catalyst for “green cars”?

Fixed labor and healthcare costs prevent auto industry from adapting and competing. What happens to companies that don’t recognize or have the ability to change.

U.S. unemployment rate hits 25 year high link
Winners (armed services, temporary job services, collection agencies, job training, blood banks)
Losers (charities, high end retailers, restaurants)

Voters approve high-speed rail for California. link

Al Gore wants carbon-free electricity in 10 years link

Clean coal initiatives will force smart grid adoption

Will clean coal lead to more blackouts? link
Carbon policies will have to take into account the problems that will come with switching over from a coal infrastructure. The power grid will also have to be upgraded to allow electricity to be consumed more efficiently.

How much will upgraded grid cost, $2Trillion link

The plan could also help solve the country's economic crisis by creating "millions of new jobs that cannot be outsourced."

Renewable energy adoption goes mainstream when there is an efficient delivery method (smart grid).

Goldman Sachs invests in carbon-offset companies.. Carbon offsets are projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. link
These two deals show Goldman Sachs’ interest in the global carbon market.

An immediate solution to our energy crisis?

What has as much capacity as US wind, solar, geothermal and biomass combined? (and it exists today) link
This technology is equal to 29,000 megawatts of capacity during periods of peak summer demand--as much as all U.S. wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass power combined.

One of the largest energy user (Dept of Defense) adopts demand response. link


The “next generation” Internet

Energy is really just another form of data that travels across a network.
Google joins Demand Response and Smart Grid Coalition link

How will Google use the power of information for the energy industry?

Are smart meters the next generation PCs?

The grid is similar to the Internet. Instead of zeros and ones, megawatts is the new “content”. How will Google utilize (and monetize) the data created by the grid?

Smart grid startups merge link
Smart grid is required in order to meet booming electric car demand. link
Smart Grid will require $2 Trillion link

Demand Response Smart Grid Coalition seeks tax breaks for “Negawatts”. 21 policy recommendations for Obama.
link

Newly discovered energy is a huge source of untapped energy. Frozen natural gas could heat 100 million homes for 10 years. link

Could the smart meter be the “next PC”? link

Smart meter rollout and the effects link

Every home and building will have one and it too will be connected to the Net. It will provide energy efficiency and numerous revenue opportunities.


The Future Of Newspapers?

One of the oldest newspapers (Christian Science Monitor) ceases daily print publication and focuses on the Net. link

Will the New York Times adapt quick enough to changing viewing and advertising trends, or will it go under by May? link

Will newspaper extinction drive up online ad prices? Did Craig’s List (online classifieds) eliminate newspaper’s major revenue source….or was the drop in real estate (listings/ads) the final nail?

Yellow Pages Face Extinction link

They could have dominated location based advertising. Will the death of the Yellow Pages be a boom for Google’s local ad biz?

Here’s what the Yellow Pages could have done to be competitive. link
Even this link

Imagine if the Yellow Pages had offered a service for local merchants (Joe the plumber or Sal’s Pizzeria) to create a website quick and cheap (in addition to being placed in the book). Many of these small businesses didn’t have the time or knowledge to create a Web presence. This would have made the Yellow Pages the local search engine of choice.


US Postal Service considers layoffs..first time ever in history (another unionized industry facing obsolescence?) link

Internet services (online banking etc) are eliminating mail revenue.
More proof the government is not a business saavy.

Is the auto industry next? A sign that unionized businesses are antiquated?

Can you see me now?

Cisco sees Telepresence adoption in 12 months link

High-quality video conferencing systems are helping companies save on travel expenses and a consumer version would help people experience something closer to real-life meetings.

Citrix buys high definition conference call equipment player Vapps link

Will the set top box be the “server” for the home?

Cisco introduces new router that can help phone companies and cable operators deal with onslaught of video traffic link


A “M.P.G”. rating for computer hardware?

The Green Grid is hoping to have a new package of standardized metrics in place from next year that will allow firms to compare the energy efficiency of different servers, storage systems and networking equipment, in much the same way motorists compare the fuel efficiency of different cars. link

Virtualization energy efficiency software for servers?
Data center energy bills could be cut by 30% link

Virtualization software comes to mobile devices link next virtualization bonanza


One of the largest US electronic retailers, Circuit City files for bankruptcy. link
Could it be because flat panel TV sales have peaked link

Was there not enough room for two electronic retailers (Best Buy Circuit City)to survive? Could the same thing happen to home improvement market? (Home Depot Lowes)

First the PC and then the high priced high-def TV, what is the next high price electronic item that will save retailers? Hint, it’s already in your living room.

What’s China’s Economy Doing?

China reported its first decline in monthly electricity output in four years, one of the strongest signs so far that the country's economic slowdown may be worse than thought
link

What happens if to world economy if China’s economic slowdown is this drastic?

Chinese solar companies slowing production. link

What companies benefit from falling solar prices ? link

China takes steps toward a national emission trading platform. link


Google shares flu outbreak search results link

Privacy issues? Will people use alternative search engines for privacy matters? Will advertisers use specific search engines knowing this and choose ads based on specific search topics.

Is bandwidth the new oil?

The combined cost of broadband, home phones, cable or satellite TV and mobile phones can easily outstrip our energy bills, and our connected lifestyle is making these services essential. Is history repeating itself? Will our internet addiction become as costly and as dangerous as our addiction to oil? link


“Wi-Fi on Steroids” Gets FCC approval

FCC approves Google backed white space spectrum. Digital TV transformation represents opportunity for true broadband for America. link

Cheap broadband access represents a $100 billion dollar plus a year market. This spectrum will allow billions of devices and objects to be connected to the Net. With speeds up to 80Mbps, it represents a threat to fiber-to-the-premises solutions like Verizon’s FiOS networks.

One of the beneficiaries? GE announces Smart Appliance program link

It could also provide a network for the smart meter.

Dell incorporates white space radios into laptops link
A threat to the Wi-Fi, WiMax and mobile provider players?


No e-waste dumping in landfills or developing countries link

FedEx cuts aircraft emissions, increases fuel efficiency. link

One of the largest users of fuel takes steps to improve costs by eliminating “gas guzzler” planes, will other carriers too?
What airplanes are most efficient? Least?


Energy efficiency will shape US economic recovery.
“the cheapest and most available source of new energy is the energy we waste”. U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman


Information Technology (IT) members are urging lawmakers to keep big picture in mind when they create economic and energy legislation link

How does America waste over 50% of its energy? (you'll never guess) link

China merges electricity infrastructure with information technology. link

Project aims to reduce China’s energy consumption per unit.
China’s stimulus plan that focuses on increased investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy (smart grid) should be a wake-up call for the US.

IBM proposes a technology-fueled economic recovery plan. link

Sixty-seven percent of electrical energy, for example, is lost because of inefficient power generation and grid management.
Energy efficiency offers the highest return for our economy.
Grid management and power efficiency companies should be monitored.

IBM is also reviving an old idea, broadband over powerlines. link
Google also invested in this space link

Advertising Comes Into Digital Age

YouTube, otherwise know as the world’s second largest search engine introduces targeted advertising to video searches link

New online video site to match YouTube’s revenue. link

This proves media companies can generate revenues online without having to go through Google. (Apple’s iTunes controls the music industry). The end of Google's video monopoly?

Will they start to include consumer produced videos? A threat to Google/YouTube?

Search videos using text link
A search engine is able to search videos using closed captioning technology and image recognition technology.

Dynamic ad insertion for both linear and non-linear TV viewing (HUGE implications for advertising industry)
Targeted ads to be inserted before, after and during on demand content playback
link

Advertisers can now reach prime time and “my time” TV viewers link

Advertisers can now place targeted ads based on WHEN show is watched, not when it is broadcast. A reason for advertisers to love the TiVo now? TV morphing into PC.

Blockbuster enters the set top box market with an on-demand device. (dumb) link

This is just prolonging the inevitable death of this company and industry (retail video stores). Blockbuster failed to capitalize on movies/games being downloaded over the Net. They didn’t recognize that the physical items in their stores were being replaced with digital content online.


The TV remote comes alive with sensing technology.

The first type of ecommerce through the TV? (order pizza using TV remote control)
link

When Apple incorporated sensing technology (accelerometer) in the iPhone, they didn’t just disrupt the mobile phone industry, they disrupted the entire remote device space.
This sensing technology is transforming remote controls into PC mouses. What’s inside an accelerometer?…small micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS)

The new remote control.

Wii controller and a browser will reinvent the TV and viewing. link

Will the Wii be the new TV remote? Will hand gestures replace button pushing?

Will set top box manufactures incorporate this motion sensing technology (accelerometer)? What other devices will include this technology? The TV is morphing into a PC.

Biggest spam company shuts down link

Who does this affect? Viagra ( sexual and prescription drugs), email database companies. Will eliminating spam drive up the price of keywords at Google AdSense?

The eBay of working capital?

Recession and tight credit markets create a new way for businesses to tap cash. By selling outstanding receivables, much needed financing is available without resorting to vulture financing. link

How will this financing method What kind of impact will this financing method have on balance sheets? Will this put pressure on banks to lend, or will they too get into this business?

Philips develops “intelligent pill”… contains a microprocessor, battery, wireless radio, pump and a drug reservoir to release medication in a specific area in the body link

Intel gets into the home health care business link new laptop (computing device) will remotely sync patients with health care providers

File sharing Internet darling BitTorrent falls on hard times. link

Have .99 songs offered on iTunes AND the iPod eliminated this once Internet file-share darling? Or does geographical distance no longer matter for file delivery?

The rebirth of the barcode…a Physical World Hyperlink
Airline industry adopts mobile barcodes for boarding passes. link
Sprint enables mobile phones to scan barcodes for Internet connectivity. link

The 2d barcode represents a way for camera phones to link physical objects with the Internet. Can the barcode save the print industry?

Is Apple building a search engine? link

The end of phone landlines is near. link

Internet of things fights traffic jams. Cars with mobile sensors that pick up real-time information on the location and speed of the vehicles as well as the condition of the roads. The data are fed back to a central computer that calculates the traffic patterns and can predict the optimal route link

Search engine for sound wave recognition link

Streaming online videos to a high definition TV is next major boom.
So far there’s Apple TV but a new player has emerged link

New bulletproof tire is airless link
What other products could this material be used for?


October e-commerce slowest growth ever, 1%..lowest monthly growth rate since comScore began tracking data in 2001 link

Another form of physical content gets digitized and goes online. Is the end of book retailers fast approaching? link

Digital music finally surpasses compact disc sales. More than half of music sales in the United States are now from digital products, like downloads on iTunes and ring tones for cellphones.
link

While the losers are easy to see, such as retailers, packaging could it also include the management industry? If an artist can produce an album and get it online, what happens to the agency business?

ScanBuy's ScanLife Now Available for Download through The iPhone App Store

The leading physical world connection player is now also available on the iPhone.

Scanbuy, a global leader in mobile marketing solutions, announced today that its ScanLife 2D barcode application is now available for free on the iPhone App Store. Scanbuy's technology uses the phone’s camera to give users an instant connection to information, without needing to search by keyword or type in a lengthy URL.

Individuals can also create and scan Personal EZcodes as links to their blogs or networking sites by registering an account at www.scanlife.com.

ScanLife can launch any URL address and with Wi-Fi access, the application can also send a user directly to an iTunes page to preview and purchase a specific song or to watch a video on YouTube™.

iPhone users can download the free ScanLife software from the App Store, while users on other phones can text SCAN to 43588 or go to www.getscanlife.com on their mobile browser.

In addition to the iPhone, the ScanLife handset software is compatible with hundreds of other phones on every major mobile operating system including BREW, Java, Symbian, Palm, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile.

How does ScanBuy's ScanLife compare to NeoMedia's code scanning application?
According to Scanbuy:
From a code creation standpoint:

- Unlike Scanbuy, a Neomedia user cannot edit the code at a later time – if they want the code to link to something different, they have to make a new one

- The longer the URL, the bigger it needs to be (takes up more space) or the more dense it needs to be (which limits how many phones can read it). A Facebook URL is about 35 characters long. EZcodes can always be the same size – ½ inch.

From a scanning standpoint:

- Do you want 10 million people to be able to read your code, or do you want over 60 million?
ScanLife can be downloaded on 75 other handsets (beyond the iPhone) and the Neoreader mainly works with Smartphones only – and does not work on the Blackberry.

- The ScanLife iPhone app also has a History and Favorites function so people can go back to previous scans.

Want to see how ScanLife works?

Founded in 2000, Scanbuy has a strong and growing intellectual property base in 2D barcode technology. The company's investors include Longworth Venture Partners, Masthead Venture Partners and Hudson Ventures.

More on Scanbuy.