Facebook Meta Hiring Slowdown Is A Warning To Email Marketing

 

 Facebook plans to reduce hiring.

From CNBC.com

"Wehner reiterated to investors that privacy changes Apple instituted on its iOS devices last year will hurt growth, after the company had already predicted the move would reduce revenue this year by $10 billion."

Those "privacy changes" are impacting more companies and industries than just Facebook.

Not only do they prevent Facebook from tracking users across their apps on the iPhone, but the new privacy features will have enormous ramifications for email marketing companies.

“Mail Privacy Protection hides your IP address, so senders can’t link it to your other online activity or determine your location. 

And it prevents senders from seeing if and when you’ve opened their email.” Apple

It basically sends an email into a "holding tank" so it appears that EVERY email has been opened.

Read more about Apple's email privacy solution. 

 

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.

Apple Kills Headphone Jack But Fails To See Real Trend

Hey Apple,

The future of audio may be wireless, but the future of computing is on the cloud, not the device.

Apple's decision to remove the headphone jack, "diminutive legacy port", in new iPhone is definitely a  step ahead of the crowd and will force even more sales to another new consumer Apple product (Lightning Ear Pods and adapter).


Apple is arguing that the future of audio is wireless, that the world’s current assumptions about mobile audio are not only antiquated, but worthy of immediate abandonment.

 
But right now that future comes with a price: You’ve got to leave behind the perfectly good headphones you own and you’ve got to purchase the new wireless ones as an iPhone accessory.

Don't get me wrong, Apple makes great products but they are behind the curve when it comes to the future of computing. The rapid sales growth of the Chromebook is showing us, the cloud computing shift is already taking place.
 
When the functions on the device (Siri, pinch zoom, camera etc) can be used with the computing power (and content) from the cloud, your disruption takes place. The operating system will be the cloud, not on the device..so what will the new iPhone or Samsung Note really be?..just some metal and glass. I dont think you will see many consumers paying $700 for some metal and plastic.

I dont see consumers paying $700 for that.

Google, iPhone and Speech Recognition...Will QWERTY Keyboards Lose Their Significance?

The iPhone represents two major transformations, one is speech recognition. (know the other?)

One of the selling points to smartphones is the QWERTY keyboard. Will speech recognition technology eliminate the need for them?

When word processing was introduced, it was the beginning of the end of handwriting.

Can you think of the last time you wrote anything of length on sheet of paper?

Google is blending the PC with the mobile phone, and will be creating another revenue stream for keywords

NY Times has a story about Google, iPhone and Machines That Listen

Google’s new speech recognition service for the iPhone, understands you most accurately when you speak to it just the way you enter queries into the Google search box. It may even signify an inflection point — speech recognition that is more useful than typing.

Not only will Apple (using Google's technology) transform search on a mobile, but imagine the other applications that will change with this speech recognition technology (text messaging, email, location based services).

(second transformation)
In addition to transforming the way we use a mobile phone, Apple also disrupted the entire remote device space, when they incorporated sensing technology (accelerometer).

What other industries will benefit from this?

BeeTagg Mobile Bar Code App Now Available For iPhone

The new BeeTagg Multicode Reader (BeeTagg, QR Code, Datamatrix) is now available for Apple iPhone.

BeeTagg Multicode Reader is available for download in the BeeTagg Labs. It supports BeeTagg, QR Code and Datamatrix Code Formats:

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.

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

Google Phone, Google Talk Could We Be Seeing Iridium Part2?

A couple things I wonder.

Because Google is the leading portal of information for the PC, and with all of the applications they are introducing that incorporate mobility, wouldn't this be an easy sell?

What other applications should Google embed.

What if the Googlephone had built in WiFi capablilty and Google Talk was embedded?

One phone, one phone number anywhere in the world, with Internet access.

If this rumor is true, will this lessen the demand for Apple's iPhone?

Which has greater value on a mobile phone, getting information or being entertained?

I see the iPhone more as an entertainment device, than a communication/information device that Google could offer.

According to one of TechCrunch's Michael Arrington sources, Google may launch mobile service in the UK.

We’ve heard from a good source in the mobile industry that Google may be preparing to launch its own branded mobile network in the UK in the next few weeks. If our source is accurate, Google will become a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) via a deal with UK mobile phone company O2.

We’re hearing that there will be no physical stores for the service, and that signups and customer service will be provided exclusively via a website. A number of Nokia handsets will be offered, all pre-loaded with Google mobile software.

One thing Google would have to change and introduce though. Tech support.
As dependent as we have become using the mobile phone, real live people will have to answer tech support 24/7, if they want to have any shot at this market.

Thoughts comments? Does Google have a shot at this, or is this just a great rumor?

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?

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?