Apple needs to invade the automobile market
I’m not talking about Apple manufacturing a car(but that’d be neat too), I’m talking about partnering with an existing manufacturer and using their iOS software in the dashboard. I have yet to use a navigation system that wasn’t cumbersome. They are beyond frustrating even in luxury cars. With rumors swirling about Apple creating their own mapping system, why not extend it to cars? It seems like a no brainer. Imagine getting in your car and having the dashboard sync with your iPhone. Siri in your car? Yes please.
Why I bought Facebook stock…
Last Friday was a pretty disappointing day for outside investors looking to get in on one of the biggest initial public offerings in the history of Wall Street. The Facebook IPO was so hyped and covered by the media that expectations for it’s performance were unrealistically high. This was realized when the stock hit $45 on its opening day and subsequently fell nearly 30 percent two days later. I had no intention of even considering the stock purchase simply because of all the media hype. When the bloodbath ensued, however, my interest was piqued. I’m not typically the contrarian when it comes to picking stocks, but the Facebook IPO was being so berated by literally everyone that I couldn’t hold back from picking up the stock when it was down 12% on Monday. That’s right, I basically bought the stock because everyone else hated it, which isn’t the best strategy. But you have to also keep in mind the power behind Facebook. They have an active user base of nearly 900 million users worldwide and a multitude of corporations eager to get their ads in front of those individuals. It’s a massive audience. I didn’t buy much (50 shares @ 33.61) and I don’t plan on holding it long, but I’m buckling up for the ride.
Prediction: Apple’s TV hardware will be underwhelming
Don’t get me wrong; Apple has a great track record of annihilating the competition once they enter a specific market. iTunes was a huge hit and changed the way we consume music. The iPhone revolutionized the way we use our mobile phones. I get it. What makes the TV market different though is the timing of Apple’s attack. While a marginal amount of consumers are ditching cable and going online to get their fix, the majority of consumers are still relying on cable providers to watch their favorite shows. That’s because it’s a lot easier to flip through a guide on your TV, than scour the web to find your favorite shows. Digital Video Recoreders(DVRs) have made TV watching even more convenient.
Apple had success with iTunes because record executive were desperate to capture digital music sales. Beyond desperate. Apple struck while the iron was hot and it paid off big time for them. Television executives, on the other hand, haven’t hit that panic button yet. And they shouldn’t. While video piracy does take place, it’s no where near the level that we saw with music back in the Napster days. This will give Apple very little leverage when negotiating with cable providers over content.
At some point in the future, we’ll be able to subscribe individual channels a la carte. It’s going to be a great day, and hope it’s sooner rather than later. But for the time being we’ll have to put up with the outrageous channel bundles cable providers currently offer us. Even Apple wont be able to change that in current market environment. They’re for sure releasing a TV(and it’s going to look amazing) but I bet it incorporates the existing Apple TV software and possibly Siri integration. Nothing more.
AT&T turning up the heat against the iPhone
On April 8th, Nokia will be releasing its most high-end phone to date on AT&T. Although it will be running the Windows Phone 0S, which currently only has a 1.5% share of the mobile OS market, it may prove to be quite the competitor.
For starters it has specs that are mostly on par with the the latest iPhone and even better in certain areas(larger screen, better camera). But most importantly, it’s priced right. When phone makers typically compete with the iPhone, they price their device at that exact same price point. Nokia is being more aggresive and offering a very well built, high-end competitor that will cost you only $99 on a two year contract. If you shop around, you’ll even be able to find it for free.
To top it all off, AT&T is reportedly calling the launch of this device their ‘biggest ever’ and spending nearly $200 million to support the event.
Are some CNBC interviews just paid advertisements?
Occasionally while working I’ll turn up the TV to listen to what the people on CNBC have to say. On Monday of this week, I happened to have the volume up when I saw this lengthy interview with BlackRock President Rob Kapito. He spent roughly five minutes explaining his view on volatility in the market and how it’s too expensive for the average investor to keep their money in cash. I didn’t think much of the segment until today when I went to CNBC’s website to check a stock symbol, and noticed the giant advertisement at the top of the page. Coincidentally(but probably not) it happened to be an ad for BlackRock with the exact same talking points their president covered two days prior. I don’t know much about the advertising bundles CNBC offers, but some seem to include contrived interviews.
SAM SPRATT’S SPRING PORTRAIT CONTEST/CUSTOM PORTRAIT/SIGNED PRINT GIVEAWAY!
Spring is around the corner which means as thanks to you for following me here, as usual—I am giving TWO of you the chance to win a custom portrait made by me, custom-tailored to your heart’s desire. Free, no strings attached. The rules are simple, but read them so you can win.
What You Get:
A Web-resolution (1100 pixel) custom portrait, tailored to your most bizarre of requests. You can get a very traditional portrait done or as outlandish as you can dream. Zombies, Hipsters, Pirates, Ninjas, Superheroes, Robots, etc. are all fair-game themes in which you can have yourself transmogrified in painted form.
ADDITIONALLY, I’ll be giving 3 runner-ups their choice of a 13”x19” signed velvet archival print. Choices are: Sherlock, Ron Swanson, and Inspector Spacetime.
How to Enter:
FACEBOOK: Simply comment on the following facebook post. You get an extra entry if you click the “share” button and post it to your wall. ( Sam Spratt - Facebook Contest )
TWITTER: Follow http://twitter.com/#!/SamSpratt and tweet the following phrase verbatim on twitter:
“ Entering to win a custom portrait #painting from @samspratt’s portrait contest! https://www.facebook.com/sam.spratt ”
This also counts as an entry.
TUMBLR: Just reblog/like this post!
How long this will last:
This contest will run until April 6th, 2012.
You all are the best! Good luck and thanks again to all who follow my little slice of artwork on the web.
NOTE: You must be a follower or subscriber at the time of the win.
Why all this? Well, you’ve gotta write a big check with quite a few zeros at the end of it to commission art from me—and call me crazy, but I firmly believe that in a perfect world, people *should* get to own art AND do things like “pay rent”, “eat food-like substances on occasion”, and maybe even “continue to live”. Two of you can do that, the rest of you… you’re screwed. Sincerely, <3 Sam
General Motors is a joke!
I’m watching the Ohio State vs. Michigan State basketball game on TV right now and I couldn’t help but notice all of the Chevy Volt ads during the commercial breaks. The timing couldn’t be more ironic considering the news on Friday that General Motors is shutting down production lines for the vehicle and laying off 1,300 employees until April 23rd.
The story of the Chevy Volt has been in the media spotlight since the car’s inception. To make it brief; General Motors was the top car manufacturer for 77 years until 2007, when the Great Recession hit America. Since then they have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, returned to Wall Street in 2010 with the largest IPO in U.S. history($20.1 billion) and finally staked their big comeback on a car(the Volt) that nobody wanted. In the process, they convinced the federal government to take a huge equity stake in the company that has gone on to lose gobs of taxpayer dollars.
My question is this: How can a car company go through so much pain and come out on the other end so arrogant? I’m not against hybrid cars by any means, but GM made a huge misstep when they assumed American consumers would pay over $40,000 for a Volt that pales in comparison to Toyota’s Prius offerings.
No TV ad is going to convince me that their Volt is competitive.
Now back to the basketball game…
