Hasta La Gadget!

Apple’s success in the technology industry has been well-documented. During the fourth quarter, the company generated a $13.1 billion profit – a massive sum that makes it the world’s largest technology firm. Apple’s success has been built on the iPhone and iPad and surprisingly, Macs are starting to gain real traction among corporate users. Apple is officially a company that can deliver outstanding products and services to every customer, and those customers are buying its devices because of it.

At the same time, issues are arising at Apple. The company’s $700+ stock price is now in the $400s. And although the iPhone was able to outpace Samsung’s Galaxy S III in the fourth quarter, it appears to be fighting a battle against Android that it can’t win.

So, I pose this question: is it getting easier or harder to not buy Apple products?

Those who say it’s getting harder might be making a good point. Apple is delivering some of the best products out there, and it’s doing so in the industries that excite us most. For instance, Apple is delivering the most popular smartphone on the market as smartphones increasingly gain traction among consumers and enterprise users. And although several Android tablet vendors are trying to take down the iPad, so far, they’ve been incapable.

“Apple has a secret weapon in its battle with Microsoft: Windows 8”

Even on the computing side, Apple is making it harder to buy competing products. The MacBook Air is still the best thin and lightweight computer on the market, and its software is top-notch. When compared to Windows 8, it’s getting harder and harder to buy a PC over a Mac. Apple has a secret weapon in its battle with Microsoft – Windows 8.

Others, however, disagree. They say that the logic that Apple is still making the best products in the mobile space and thus is the only worthwhile choice is outdated. They point to devices like the Samsung Galaxy S III, Google’s Nexus 10, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, and others to prove their point. And although Android didn’t necessarily top iOS when it first launched years ago, it’s now delivering more (and perhaps better) features than its chief competitor.

On the PC side, Apple detractors point to the increasing popularity of Ultrabooks to question the desire to buy a Mac. Ultrabooks, after all, are well-designed and lightweight and later this year, will deliver tablet-like functionality, giving them an advantage over devices like the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Retina Display.

In the end, though, I still think Apple wins out. The company’s sales seem to indicate that people are still finding a lot of value in its products. And try as competitors might, they’ve yet to find a way to beat Apple in terms of design. And in today’s technology industry, that truly matters.

So, perhaps it really is getting hard to not buy Apple products. And Apple is laughing all the way to the bank because of it.

Is It Getting Easier or Harder to NOT Buy Apple Products? is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Everywhere tech fans turn lately, they’ve been hearing rumors about Apple’s plan to launch a smartwatch that could eventually be known as iWatch. That device, the reports say, is being handled by a team of more than 100 people charged with getting the company’s wearable tech to the marketplace.

As with other Apple rumors, the iWatch is exciting the company’s fans. Surely Apple has something great up its sleeve with the watch, those fans might say. Others are already predicting that they’ll buy one and wear it each day, and before long, just about everyone else will, too. The iWatch has somehow joined the pantheon of Apple greats, like the iPod and iPhone, before it’s even launched.

[Image concept by ADR Studio]

But perhaps we need to come back down to reality. Apple’s iWatch idea is probably the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard in a long time. And I, for one, wouldn’t be caught in public wearing the company’s watch.

Now, I’m sure there are many people who will respond to this column by saying that many industry observers believe that wearable technology is the future. And I can’t disagree with that. But is a watch really the product to deliver the next giant leap in technology?

The beauty of Apple products is that they can be used anywhere a person goes. The iPhone is a work and home device. The same can be said for the iPod and iPad. Macs have even found a way to bridge the gap between consumers and enterprise users.

But a watch is a different story altogether. I’ve yet to find a tech-lover’s watch that actually looks good on the wrist. More importantly, it fails to deliver the kind of end-to-end solution that Apple’s many other products might.

“I don’t see bigshots putting down their Rolex for an iWatch”

For example, would you really wear the iWatch to work? Sure, it’ll help you keep the time and maybe check your e-mails, but you already have an iPhone and iPad for that. And if you’re in a client-facing business, would a big, bulky Apple watch really send the right message? Perhaps. But it depends on the industry. I don’t necessarily see financial-industry bigshots putting down their Rolex for an Apple iWatch.

To me, the iWatch sounds like a gimmick. It’s something that I could see someone wear while on a run or perhaps working around the house. But to wear it as the central part of an outfit each day doesn’t quite add up.

Of course, the technology industry is littered with people like me who have doubted Apple’s ability to score big and succeed. But I think the iWatch is an attempt by Apple to bite off more than it can chew. I get the smartphone, the tablet, the music player, and the television idea. But I don’t get the company’s reported desire to make a push for timepieces.

I’m impressed by Apple’s ability to make smart decisions year in, year out. But if the iWatch launches sometime this year, I couldn’t help but wonder if the best ideas have already been revealed.

Would You Really Want to Wear the iWatch? is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Apple television has been rumored for years now. And every chance a media person gets, they ask Apple CEO Tim Cook what his plans are for that device. Will Apple launch a television? When will the television launch? What sort of features will the television boast? These are all questions he has been posed – and dodged in one form or another.

And yet, the rumor persists that Apple – either later this year or sometime in 2014 – will launch the long-speculated set. That device, its supporters say, will be the product that television buyers have been waiting for, complete with access to apps and high-quality specs. Apple will find a way, the company’s supporters insist, to revolutionize the television industry.

But perhaps those supporters are wrong.

If Apple is indeed working on a television, the company finds itself in No Man’s Land. In the television market right now, plasmas, while still delivering great picture quality, are seeing their sales dwindle. LCDs and LED-backlit screens are performing relatively well, but also seem to be waning. If CES 2013 taught us anything, it’s that vendors believe the future of television relies in OLED and 4K (Ultra HD).

The problem with OLED and 4K is that televisions featuring those technologies are wildly expensive. Currently, some Ultra HD sets are on sale for tens of thousands of dollars. And although OLED delivers an incredible visual experience, models using that technology are similarly cost-prohibitive to the average consumers.

However, most of the folks in the television industry believe that there’s a good chance that by the end of 2014, those prices will be down to levels that some consumers would find acceptable. Interestingly, it’s possible that the Ultra HD sets will be cheaper than OLEDs at first, simply because of the issues vendors are having producing OLED panels.

“A standard 1080p Apple TV would quickly become obsolete”

Still, it identifies a potential issue for Apple: if the company launches a standard 1080p, LED-backlit screen this year or next, it might get some traction in the marketplace for a time, but it’ll quickly become obsolete. If Apple waits until 2015 to launch an OLED or 4K television to capitalize on that new trend, all of the hype the company has been taking advantage of over the last few years will be lost.

Realizing that, I can’t help but wonder if Apple’s television efforts are in trouble. Granted, the company will deliver a software experience in the television that will likely top anything in the marketplace, and Apple has the ability to succeed in spots where others might not, but the television industry is highly competitive and notorious for its low margins. If Apple can’t find a way to deliver the right product at the right price for the right value to consumers, it’ll lose.

Tim Cook and his executive team must know that. They must also realize that the ideal time to launch an Apple television was not 2013 or 2014, but 2012, when the new technologies were still years off.

Like it or not, Apple might have missed its best opportunity to succeed in the television market.

Will 4K and OLED Scuttle the Apple TV’s Chance of Success? is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

As many of you who read my work here on SlashGear know, I’m an avid technology lover. My entire life has been dedicated to learning about technology, leveraging the tools that work best, and educating others on the value of it. From a young age, I was building my own PCs and taking apart products to see how they worked. It wasn’t long that I realized that having some sort of career in this fascinating world was a good idea.

[Image courtesy VintageComputing]

But over the last decade or so, I’ve seen a shift in the technology industry that makes me worry about the future. The technology industry was once a haven for folks like me (and perhaps you) that wanted to immerse themselves in electronics and use them as much as possible to get work done. For us, technology wasn’t an interest; it was a way of life.

Back then, those of us who loved technology had formed a special bond. We were speaking another language that many folks didn’t quite understand, and we were able to solve problems that others couldn’t. It was a special thing. And it was ours.

But over the last decade, I’ve watched my beloved technology industry become awfully commercial. Products are no longer judged solely on their usability or component power. Instead, products are judged based on their looks and how “intuitive” they are for the average technology user. Value has won out over power. And those of us who remember the old days are left scratching our heads.

“Computers are now personality-extensions, with branding and design to reflect that”

See, the technology industry is now a key component of pop culture. There’s not a day that goes by that someone on the news or a late night show or on MTV won’t mention an iPhone, iPad, or Android-based device. Computers were once purely functional pieces of equipment that helped us get work done. Now, they’re extensions of our personality, and have branding and design features to reflect that.

It’s now cool to go to school with the latest gadget in hand and show it off to friends. While discussing “gigabytes” and “Flash” and other topics were once reserved for the so-called “geeks,” they’re now commonplace in discussions with supposedly ordinary people.

Of course, some in the industry believe this is a good thing. As technology has become more accepted, major companies have generated more cash. Small companies built out of the success of larger firms are thriving. And more and more people are being employed by the industry.

It’s hard to argue with that. The technology industry really has become the cornerstone of the world economy. And companies like Apple, Google, Facebook, and Samsung are employing thousands of people that, 20 years ago, wouldn’t have had a job.

But excuse me for believing that maybe – just maybe – there was something special about the old days. The technology industry might not have been “cool,” but it was fun and exciting. And it was unique.

Maybe the old days are gone. But there’s something to be said about remembering – and honoring – your history.

Is the Technology World Too ‘Pop Culture’? is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is a sales juggernaut in the U.S. In fact, according to the latest data from NPD, the Xbox 360 led all consoles in sales for 24 months in a row. The console even was able to beat out the Nintendo Wii U in December – a surprising feat considering that console just went on sale in November and the Xbox 360 has been available for seven years.

The Xbox 360’s staying power in the U.S. is nothing short of astounding. In December, alone, Microsoft sold 1.4 million consoles in the U.S., indicating gamers see no reason to hold off on buying the device until the Xbox 720 launches later this year. Better yet for Microsoft, many of those folks sign up for Xbox Live, providing the software giant with a steady stream of revenue over the course of its lifecycle.

All of that success, however, has me thinking: why is the Xbox 360 – a console that, at launch, some thought would be trounced by the PlayStation 3 – so popular in the U.S.?

Perhaps the first reason is its core market. Microsoft isn’t trying to take on Nintendo’s more casual gamers. Instead, Microsoft has found a loyal following in the hardcore segment, where gamers like to play online, pick up shooters, and play for hours. To those gamers, the Xbox 360 is a device worthy of its success.

According to NPD, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was the most popular game in the industry last year. And for the fourth year in a row, the Xbox 360 version was the most popular option among U.S.-based consumers. That’s perhaps as much a testament to the console as it is its robust online-gaming service that delivers the features today’s customers want far more effectively than on competing consoles.

Speaking of competing consoles, is it possible that they’re causing the Xbox 360 to be so popular? Granted, the PlayStation 3 has sold more units worldwide than the Xbox 360, but let’s not forget that that is due mainly to Sony’s international success. In the U.S., the Xbox 360 is still the dominant force.

“Gamers became more wary of the PlayStation Network after the hacking scandal”

Perhaps that’s due to Sony’s sluggish online services. Although they’ve been around for years, Sony’s online services haven’t really caught on until recently. Plus, with the hacking scandal that rocked the platform, gamers became a bit more wary of the PlayStation Network.

The Wii and Wii U might also be pushing gamers to Microsoft. As mentioned, those consoles cater to a casual sector of the market – one that Microsoft doesn’t really care about. At the same time, hardcore gamers who have played the Wii and Wii U and try to stick with it have trouble. Like it or not, the consoles just aren’t capable of keeping their attention as much as the Xbox.

Finally, I think we should point to the Xbox 360’s strong library. For years now, it has offered just about every major franchise, and exclusives like Halo have kept customers coming back. Hardware might get all of the attention in the marketplace, but it’s software that drives customers to buy the consoles. And on that front, Microsoft is winning handily.

Of course, the Xbox 360’s success might be due to several other factors. Why do you think Microsoft’s console is so popular today?

Why is the Xbox 360 so popular in the U.S.? is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.