Technology & Business
Facebook has identity and your attention
Facebook has become the premium identity management company on the web with 500 million+ users. Just think of how many apps allow you to log-in using your facebook ID (aka Facebook Connect). In late 2010, Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook COO) stated that 10,000 websites integrate with Facebook everyday (that is over 3.6 million new sites every year). Facebook knows who you are, what you like, who your friends are, where you have been (Places) and what you are thinking about (status updates).
IDC predicts users will download 183 billion apps by 2015
June 28 2011, IDC released an interesting report entitled “Worldwide and U.S. Mobile Applications, Storefronts, Developer, and In-App Advertising 2011–2015 Forecast: Emergence of Postdownload Business Models”. They make a bold prediction that users will download 183 billion apps by 2015 (compared to 10.7 billion in 2010). They further predict that the revenue model is changing from the traditional model (fee charged during initial purchase) to a freemium model (where the app is free but users may purchase additional functions though in-app purchases and advertising).
Will mobile apps kill the internet?
An interesting new report boldly claims that we now spend more time using mobile apps then on the Internet. Flurry, the firm that conducted this research, determined that the average user spends 81 minutes per day using mobile apps as opposed to 74 minutes surfing the internet. The real shocker is comparing this number with the data from a year ago: 91% jump when users spend 43 minutes on mobile apps and 64 surfing the internet. Other interesting information related to time spent :
Consumerization is here and you have to deal with it
What is consumerization Consumerization is a term used to describe the trend where manufacturers release new innovative technologies in the consumer market before the corporate one. Interestingly these same technologies then find their way into the corporate world through the employees. “Consumer IT will affect every enterprise" said David Mitchell Smith, vice president and Gartner Fellow. "Attempts by enterprises to deny this are doomed to failure, just as previous attempts to deny Wi-Fi, 'smart' mobile phones, the Internet and even the PC itself failed.
The PC is dead. Long live the iPad.
Top tech analyst firms, Gartner and IDC, are both reporting that the sale of personal computers dropped for the first 3 months of 2011. It seems this is another trend was able to break. It was able to grow its sales and market share (compared to a year ago). Although the increase is different depending on the firm you choose, it is somewhere between 8.5-9.5% (compared to 7% last year). Could this be the slow and painful death of the traditional PC lead by the tablets?
Are coupons an efficient marketing tool
From newspapers and magazines to flyers and pamphlets, coupons are everywhere. They have become so popular that “coupon clipping” is now a hobby. Putting aside the thrill of saving money (sarcasm intended), is the cost worth it for the retailer or manufacturer? Risk Sharing Using your friends and neighbors as your own personal test subjects is always a lot of fun. Recently a new Greek restaurant opened in my area. The decor looked simple but elegant and their menu appealing.
Cloud computing may be better for the environment
Open any business magazine and you will be bombarded with the words “Cloud Computing”. It is the buzzword of 2011 and something your company will likely consider for point solutions. In simple terms, cloud computing is computing on demand. Like electricity, you pay for what you use without having to worry about any of the back-end magic (hydro-electric dams, generators, transmission lines, etc). When you flip the switch, the service just works. Popular Cloud providers are Google (with their Google Apps), Microsoft (with their office 365), SalesForce.
Real Twitter Usage Statistics
Edison Research/Arbitron Internet and Multimedia Series released an interesting report entitled “Twitter Usage in America: 2010”. What really sets this report apart is the fact that they spent 3 years collecting and tracking usage. The most interesting conclusion is the fact that “twitter is a broadcast channel” contrary to what many marketers believe. The majority of twitter users are lurkers and rarely post. The report is filled with useful and actionable information but some interesting highlights include: In 2 years, American’s awarness of twitter has increased from 5% to 87% Although the level of awareness of Twitter now matches that of Facebook, the latter has significantly more active users.
Corporate Fraud's shocking statistics
The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACDE) published an interesting report in 2010 entitled "Report to the Nations on Occupational Fraud and Abuse". They break down their operational analysis into 3 distinct categories : Asset Misappropriations Corruption Schemes Financial Statement Fraud Interestingly, they were able to show correlation between the rank of the fraudster and the value of the fraud (aka the higher the rank, the higher the value of the fraud.) Numerically, a fraud perpetrated by an owner/general manager is usually 3x more costly than that perpetrated by a "
The impact of low cost competition
Think about how low cost competition has dramatically changed how we work, live and think. It is now common for many professionals to work thousands of miles away from home because of low cost airfare. We have seen doctors from eastern Europe holding part time jobs in the UK to fill the gap. Walmart's low prices have allowed millions to buy products that would otherwise be out of reach. Low prices have forced companies to rethink how they provide services.