Limitations of Technology, or Marketing Conspiracy?

For the past five years or so I have bought a number of computers (both PC and Mac) and smartphones (Blackberries, iPhones, Androids) and have disposed of each and every single one within a couple of years after purchase. Up until a few months ago, I have always assumed that that there was some inevitable hardware or software issue that caused most of these devices to become nearly incapacitated after a couple years of use. Only recently have I realized that this problem applies to technology as a whole. Is this issue an actual shortcoming of current technology?? Or is it a grand marketing scheme?? Whatever the case may be, American consumers quickly abandon “devices” for the new “new” thing. According to a Forbes article, Americans spend $35 billion annually on mobile devices. Personally, I have abandoned plenty of technology that worked just fine, for the newest device. Is this an extension of good marketing or is technology increasing so quickly that we are forced to keep up or be left in the dust? Besides scrapping devices that worked for ones that are dubbed “better”, I have also had a myriad of devices that have failed on me, and therefore forced me to either buy a new one or switch to a different device (I don’t even want to divulge the number of PC’s or iPhones that I’ve been through – #thankgod for insurance. When a device fails on you, then you have two choices: (1) buy the same one, or (2) spend the extra bucks and get the newest edition. The fact that computers, tablets and mobile devices tend to have problems makes me wonder if technology is made to fail. It makes complete sense. Why would Apple or Dell make a product that will last a decade, and always run like it’s fresh out of the box? It is not in a technology company’s best intrest to create a product that has an extremely long life span. Big tech companies need to sell tablets, laptops, smart phones, iPods, etc., and therefore must continue to put out products that are not made to last, or that will soon be replaced by a “better” product. These “better” products are usually nothing more than a nuance on a previous one. Americans are more guilty than any other people for falling into the trap of abandoning perfectly good tech for a newer version. Why do we do this? Also, on a side note, I had the privilege of working for a very large commercial insurance company in the Extended Warranty Department (as an underwriter). I know from experience that all those mobile devices that you trade in are “refurbished” and resold (BIG MONEY!). American retailers learned early in the 20th century that consumers will readily buy disposable products. Is that the case today with technology? I truly believe so.

-D. Spinelli

Apple and Facebook: “Big Brother”?

About eight years ago when I bought my first iPod I inserted it into my USB port and iTunes ‘magically’ popped up. Immediately I was inundated with questions and forced to create a username (Apple ID). Until this very day I still have that same Apple ID. Therefore, once I created my Apple ID, the company, in a sense, became, “Big Brother” (exactly the type of ‘force’ they were vowing to defeat when they released the 1984 Macintosh Commercial). The company can now track all of my purchases, tastes, dislikes, etc. This type of personal information has obvious benefits for the company which has recently become the wealthiest company with a market cap close to 530 billion dollars. This is over 130 million dollars more than second on the list, Exxon Mobile. It’s a bit disconcerting that an entity can keep such close taps on its consumers, and therefore exploit them. I feel like we are back in the days of the Soviet Union. I picture Stalin’s giant oil based painting of himself, staring down at the entire country. Maybe Apple won’t send me to the Gulag, but they certainly have superior knowledge of my life than most of my acquaintances and even some close friends. And Facebook?…Facebook?! Are you kidding me? Facebook makes Apple look incompetent when it comes to knowledge of its user base. I’m surprised Facebook hasn’t sent me a speeding ticket in the mail! No, but seriously, Facebook knows far too much about me, my hobbies, my interests and other things. Things that I wouldn’t want my mother to find out about, or even the law for that matter. Not only does the social giant know everything about me, it exploits that knowledge to the nth degree. The right side of my homepage is like an enormous billboard telling me I should drink Amstel, go back to Graduate school and donate sperm to Yale Hospital for a quick buck. We’re all slaves to these two giant corporations who cater to interests and control us like puppets. Why don’t you just call me Geppetto, Pinocchio whatever it’s all the same to me. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

-D. Spinelli

Draw Something + Zynga: “Don’t Mix Like Two D**** and No B****, Find Yourself in Serious S***”

Although there may not have been any blood involved in the deal between Zynga and OMGPOP, there was surely a lot of money. Was it a prudent decision for Zynga to buy out a company with only one product? Even though Draw Something was a hit and had an enormous following, the game has turned out to be a total fad (I am tempted to break my Android whenever I see that pencil in the upper-left corner of my screen!!). Why did Zynga purchase the game for such an absurd amount of cash, and why didn’t they just copy the pictionary-esque game (like they usually do, i.e. ‘Tiny Tower’, which btw is much better than Dream Heights). It’s not like they lacked the resources to develop some kind of competitive product to Draw Something. Personally, I thought Draw Something was extremely cool (and definitely addicting), but then it just got downright annoying. In my mind it’s nothing more than a fad. This leads to the pivotal question of what apps, widgets etc. have staying power? Alternatively, which ones are fads that will simply fade away into cyber space. Was Zynga imprudent to purchase an a company that only had one application (for 200 million dollars)? Seems like a bad investment to me.

Please comment, thoughts/opinions always welcome. And remember to tune in for the ‘Rantarella Sunday Special’ at 8PM this Sunday. Happy Pressing!!

 

Apple: The Modern Day Standard Oil

I came across this article discussing how today, Apple removed an app called Airfoil Speakers Touch, which has been in the app store for over 3 years. The app allowed users to share and stream audio in a quick and easy manner. While some speculate that the removal of the app is because of a lack of compliance, others believe that Apple removed the app because they plan on coming out with their own version in iOS 6. I would be surprised if the former were the case…(the apps been out for 3 years). Yes they came out with a new version a month ago, but it doesn’t seem to add up. There were not any significant changes in version 3 of Airfoil Speakers Touch. So, for the sake of argument, let’s assume that the latter of the two scenarios is true and that Apple plans to release it’s own technology and does not want any competition. If this is the case, it is not only disheartening, but it is also imprudent. Apple was founded under a different set of morals, and their products have always mirrored these morals. Now Apple is acting in a completely undemocratic manner…dictatorship? Monopoly (not technically)? The fact that Apple can whimsically do away with any app without just reason makes you kind of wonder if they are turning into the big brother from their 1984 commercial. Remember, the one that the individualist hero brought down with a single throw of her hammer. Also makes me think of the drawing of Standard Oil personified as an octopus grabbing onto all of its small competitors. Is that what Apple is doing? Are they trying to create a monopoly in certain sectors so as to turn over greater profits? Is Apple the Standard Oil of our era? Either way, it is a bit scary.

Samsung Galaxy S3 set to change the game for the Android Market—And Apple for that matter.

 Yesterday, I came across some of the most staggering numbers in terms of future growth of Android phones I’ve ever seen. The galaxy S3 is already set to be the fastest selling gadget in HISTORY. Now that you’ve read that sentence, let it sink in for a second. Now, let’s think of all the “gadgets” in the past decade that have come out and been enormous successes. There’s the iPod, iPad, iPhone, iPhone 2, iPhone 3, iPhone 4, and countless other gadgets that have been some of the most anticipated technological tools ever produced. As you can tell, most of these have been Apple products, but now the Android market has something to look forward to. The Samsung Galaxy 3S is now the most pre-ordered gadget ever with 9 million orders, beating the iPhone 4s by a staggering four million orders. How does this affect the Android market? Well, for one, the Galaxy S3 uses the Android Market and just increased its users by a minimum of 9 million before the phone was ever put in stores. The Galaxy S3 also is going to operate on the much anticipated Ice Cream Sandwich operating system which is sure to be an improvement from the Galaxy S2, which operated on the Gingerbread system. Analysts have predicted that by 2013, Android users will increase from an estimated 350 million users today to over a BILLION users. That number is astronomical. One product in over a year will cause the Android market to increase by 650 million users. This is precisely the game changer that Google had hoped for when they began developing the Android Market. Something big needed to happen in order to close the gap with Apple. That “something” is the Galaxy S3. Samsung and Apple already make up for 49.3% of the Smartphone market. Having established Samsung as operating within the Android Market, Android also has HTC and its line of phones as well as all Motorola phones. The individual brands may compete with each other in sales and profit margin, but as it pertains to the Android Market, it’s all gold to them. You’re talking about 3 big name brands in the mobile phone market all operating in the Android Market vs. the iPhone. This is extremely bad news for Apple. Whatever they do, come next October, they better have something up their sleeve or down the road, they might lose their grip on the strangle hold they’ve had in app store markets for quite some time. Let us know what you think about the Samsung Galaxy S3 and its potentially drastic effects it will have on app store markets. Keep checking OptiLaunch’s blog for all the latest updates and we will get back to you as soon as possible!