Digital Magazine Racks
Jun 7th
Along with the rise of eBooks and eReaders like The Kindle and The Nook, so has the new concept of reading magazines and publications on tablet based PCs. This new medium of publication delivery really has the potential to complete change the game in terms of how publications and print materials are consumed. This completely shifts the role of publications from content providers and distributors, to being more focused more on software and content moderators. Now how does the magazine and newspaper publisher move into the role of a software oriented focus? Consumers will grow to expect more with their new digital copies of magazines and newspapers. Consumers will now expect interactivity, better design, and extensions into social media and other sites. This puts the magazine publisher into the new role of software developer in terms of providing the end user with a more content rich experience expected on these new tablet PCs. This also presents a drastic new revenue model for most publications. Publishers can now take the money they save from the actual printing process and focus more on content and less on delivery. It is even possible that we will begin to see dynamic publications, where its almost more like a website than an actual publication. Users will be presented with a magazine that differs hour to hour, as new content is added by editors and authors.
Although this in many ways eliminates the middleman that is the retailer or newsstand, a new middleman stands in the way; Apple. As apple commands the biggest share of the tablet market currently, it also takes a 30% cut of all applications sold in its App Store. Content is also very bias towards Apple’s demands, especially in the case of Playboy, who was not allowed to publish their content via an app but rather created an iPad friendly website instead as the App Store disallows nudity of any kind. How will publications withstand this 30% Apple tax? Will more publications move in the direction of iPad friendly sites instead of applications? How will Apple react to this? Will Apple be able to block publishers from developing websites to get around the 30% App Store charge? My bet is that Apple will create certain functionality that will enhance the readers experience only available to applications, but what these new features are remains to be seen.
From Data Storage to Frisbees
Jun 6th
Is this the death of CDs as we know it?
So Apple’s new OS X edition, “Lion”, is set to be released in the next month to consumers. So whats changed besides the numerous tweaks and performance issues? Well most importantly, the distribution of this product has changed. For the first time in the history of paid operating systems, you will be unable to buy a physical copy of this new operating system, but rather it will be downloadable exclusively on Apple’s App store within all its iMacs and MacBooks. Is this the death of the CD as we know it? Although this method of downloadable applications is far from new, in terms of providing a substantial operating system upgrade, it is in fact very new. This really moves Apple from the software aspect into the full blown content distribution and transportation facet of the industry. Although some consumers and analysts are arguing that this move has been made because the new OS x itself is merely a small upgrade; there are much more implicit factors that must be examined with this drastic change in distribution strategies.
So what does this mean for the industry?
Well the first obvious impact on the industry is the elimination of the retail store middle man. This means higher profits for the software developers and hopefully lower prices for the consumers themselves. But there are some other implicit impacts to this change in distribution strategies. Is there a new middleman being created by this? The answer is yes, Apple. Apple is now setting a standard for products to come, in addition to any new products released on its operating system. In a sense, Apple is becoming the new Best Buy of our generation, imposing a 30% “Apple Tax” on all of the software distributed on its platform. Apples moves to create a completely vertical value chain model and eliminate any middleman but themselves. The question remains however, how will this affect consumers? We can only hope that this is a positive move, in that we can already see that OS x Lion will be a mere $29.99, a long-shot from the typical hundreds of dollars typically charged by Microsoft for similar operating system upgrades. What does this mean for Apple’s P&L? Well we can expect a shift from being a true hardware and software provider to a content provider and distributor as well. Perhaps we will see Apple emerge as a content provider and manager more than a true hardware and software company.
Sounds By Mattador
Jun 1st
Here’s a little promo mix I made last fall for a promotions company here in Madrid. The mix itself is quite poppy and vocal for my taste but includes a lot of electro elements with big bass tracks.
Mattador’s EV Pop Promo Mix 2k11 by themattador
The Filter Bubble
May 31st
A TED talk of truly epic proportions. Is the over personalization of the web only hurting us in the end? I hate doing math homework but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t learn it, right? Check out Eli Pariser’s groundbreaking vision of how the new social web is perpetuating into an entity that could become the next gatekeeper of information.
Glitchy Back Flips
May 30th
I’m a sucker for ski videos, especially the trailers. To make matters even more complicated, this one is backed by a track from The Glitch Mob, so you are all in for a treat. Poor Boyz Productions is an incredibly talented group of producers and if you like this video then check our their flick “Reasons”, one of my favorite new-school ski movies. So what exactly is this new-school ski movement everyone is talking about? The movement is about meshing the cultures of back-country skiing and park skiing together into one seamless experience. The days of old presented us with skiers skiing the sickest lines in waist deep powder as they dropped cliff after cliff. Then as twin skis began to develop, the park skiing movement was born, as skiers hit the park with their counterpart boarders and began to incorporate half pipes, jib-rails, and kickers into their routines. The new-school movement combines both of these into a unbelievable spectacle of raw nature and park skiing. Skiers are free to interpret the terrain as they please, morphing barren pine trees and jagged cornices into spectacular environmental jib-rails and natural table top kickers.
Make sure you select HD and full-screen this bad boy before viewing.
The Final Frontier
May 29th
Without a doubt, Google’s biggest opportunities, threats, and challenges lie within the same aspect of their business, mobile. With more and more users everyday becoming converts of traditional tabletop laptops and personal computers, Google will need to keep the momentum moving and expand its arms even more so into the mobile world. First and foremost, what will Google do to differentiate itself from the already highly competitive saturated market of smartphones? As of now, Android is the leading the race in sales for handsets, but is it because Google is “spraying” its resources in the mobile market just to get something to stick? When the time comes to refine Android, what will set it apart from iPhone and WP7? Next in the mobile aspect is the new Google ChromeBook. Can Google really effectively offer the world’s first cloud based computer? Is the world’s current internet infrastructure adequate to provide a service like this?
Google’s next biggest threat is that of Facebook. As the web grows more and more social every day, Google is seen as the arch rival of Facebook, and it may be that the two heavyweights never get along in the playpen. How will Google combat a potential alliance of Facebook and Bing to create a more relevant social search platform? Personally, I believe the answers lies within that of Twitter. In order to truly stay the search giant of the world, Google needs to form an alliance or a straight up acquisition of Twitter to keep its searches relevant and social. Sorry Larry and Sergey but I don’t think any new social networks are going to cut it. The true answer to this threat of Facebook is to acquire Twitter and become to one source of web information, both real-time and cataloged.
TextBooks 2.0
May 28th
The Distribution Shift
The concept of eBooks and eReaders are nothing new in terms of technology and adoption, but they are turning the entire publishing industry on its head as we speak. Prior to the introduction of eReaders and the like, we had a very distinct value chain among book publishers. You have the author, his agent, the actual publisher, the publishing house, and finally the retailer. With the introduction of eBooks, we are seeing the demise of the agent, the publisher, the publishing house, and finally the retailer. This moves the distribution model inherently into the hands of the author who disperses content directly to the consumer now. Although some might argue that books offer a nostalgic experience that cannot be mimicked by eReaders, the fact still remains that retailers are going out of business faster than ever and eBooks are now outselling paper books by a landslide. But does this hold true for all books? IS this really the end of the paperback book as we know it? Probably not, like I said before, there is this inherent connection with print books that will exist until the end of time. But what about textbooks? The books we love and hate, the books that cost us a fortune every semester, the books that hurt our backs as we haul them to class everyday, the books that we only buy because we are required to, the books that are constantly outdated and force us to purchase new ones. I believe that these textbooks are seeing the beginning of the end , as their slow death slowly unravels over the next ten years.
Print is so 2001
And now I would like to introduce you to a new application called “The Kno“. This innovative application not only provides consumers with an easy platform to purchase textbooks, but also a very intuitive way to organize and read them, from any Android or iOS based tablet. What’s great about The Kno is that it allows you to group books and even PDFs by courses, so you can keep all your course-packs, syllabus, notes, and now textbooks in one easy to find area. You can also easily highlight text, add notations and stickeys, and even send links to your friends if you possibly have questions on a specific passage or document. This marks a monumental shift in the role of the textbook publisher. The publisher moves from the role of playing a content creator, to now a content manager and distributor. I envision that textbook publishing companies move away from their typical revenue model of charging for new books, and now offer bulk subscriptions to schools that last several editions. Publishers can focus more on content and less on delivery, as they can make small minor changes over the course of time rather than investing in brand new print books every time. This will also mark a significant push in revenues. As of now, there is no way to guarantee that a school or educational institution will choose to pick up the next volume edition just because its released, now they can count on it. By potentially providing consumers with a subscription model, they can better plan their revenue flow and focus on providing better content. This will also help the consumer, as typically savings of these digital eTextBooks range from 30% – 50%. The enhanced features also have the potential to enhance learning. Interactive learning modules, live lectures, note-sharing, all becoming distinct possibilities with this new type of technology. This shift in distribution methodology creates the potential for a whole new revenue model for textbook publishers, and offers a great deal of benefits to the end consumer as well.
Simon Dumont Never Disappoints
May 24th
Arguably one of the best if not the best skier in the world right now, Dumont throws down some madness never seen before. Flying nearly 60 feet above the open ground, Dumont shows why two boards are better than one. Once again, another fantastic production of Poor Boyz.
Back in Business
May 24th
To make a long story short, my entire SQL databases got deleted on my previous blog so I lost everything, not bueno. Right now I’m doing my best to get this site looking the way it used to, give me some time. I will start out with a lot of digitial media and technology based posts at first then slowly shift back to my travel posts as I have a lot of blogging to do for school. Until I start getting some posts back up, here is one of my favorite travel quotes to live by…
We need to travel. If we don’t offer ourselves to the unknown, our senses dull. Our world becomes small and we lose our sense of wonder. Our eyes don’t lift to the horizon. Our ears don’t hear the sounds around us. The edge is off our experience and we pass our days in a routine that is both comfortable and limiting. We wake up one day and find that we have lost our dreams in order to protect our days. Don’t let yourself become one of these people. The fear of the unknown and the lure of comfortable will conspire to keep you from taking the chances the traveler has to take. But if you take them you will never regret your choice. To be sure, there will be moments of doubt when you stand alone on an empty road in an icy rain, or when you are ill with fever in a rented bed. But as the pains of the moment will come, so too will they fall away. In the end, you will be so much stronger, so much clearer, so much happier, and so much a better person that all the risk and the hardship will seem like nothing compared to the knowledge you have gained.