Saturday, February 09, 2008

iPhone’s Growth: It’s An Amazing Story

I can’t think of any other product story quite like this. Can you? In just six short months, Apple has grown from a non-player in mobile to 2nd in the marketplace for smartphones. And that’s with limited availability.

I don’t have an iPhone (they are not available in our area), but I have its almost identical non-phone cousin, the iPod Touch. I can tell you that device delivers a brand experience that is refreshing in its form, simplicity, usability and usefulness. The difference between the iPhone and iPod Touch is a matter of feature/benefits. To me, what Apple is really selling here is a wonderful new interface to harness a crossroads of technologies, wants, and needs. The iPhone is like having a remote control for your digital life, and I am sure that is where Apple and the consumer will continue to prosper from this interface in the future.

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Friday, February 08, 2008

Logo Evolution

Here’s an interesting post from Neatorama on the evolution of logos at several tech giants. The Microsoft logo pictured at right was from around 1975.

Also, check out the original logo from Apple on this link. Yikes! The tragic part of this post is the story of the guy who designed the original Apple logo. He was a founding partner in the company, and shortly after designing the first logo, he decided to leave Apple because he thought the business venture was too risky. He sold his 10 percent stake in the company for $800. Bad move.

Thanks to Drawn! for the point.

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Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Amazon Pulls the 19-0 Book But Not Before Pats Haters Abuse the Tag Function

Stephanie Stradley, from Fanhouse.com reports on an interesting effect of tagging in Web 2.0.  Amazon.com had begun pre-selling a book entitled ”19-0: The Historic Championship Season of the Unbeatable Patriots” before the game was even played (Note, Amazon has taken the page down as of 2/6/08, but you can still see the cached page on Google...).  Of course, it has been pulled now in the aftermath of the New York Giants improbably victory, but not before Giants fans and other Patriot haters used the tagging function to express their views on the team that came oh-so-close to perfection.

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Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Watch Super Tuesday Events Unfold on GNN

That's no typo. GNN is the Google News Network, and although they don't call themselves that, it is certainly part of what they are. From a news perspective, Google is a network that grew out of a web-based business model. CNN, Fox and other major news networks certainly have major web components to their efforts, but their business model grew out of the television era.

For Super Tuesday coverage, Google's approach to today's events represents that web heritage. YouTube (a Google company) is offering a unique perspective to Super Tuesday coverage with an interesting mashup. It's an interactive map, and as they explain it:

Upload your political opinions, analysis, interviews, or campaign trail footage to YouTube and submit it here. Then zoom in on the map to watch Super Tuesday political videos from voters, candidates, and news outlets in your state.

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Monday, February 04, 2008

How Advertising People Watch the Super Bowl

Via AdRants.

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