Incredible vs. iPhone 4
Apple is reportedly changing the game again. But this time, some big names aren’t going to play with them anymore. Effective June 30th 2011, any iPhone or iPad app that sells anything, will be required to sell it within the framework of the application (no more linking to outside sites like Amazon.com). Why? Because Apple takes a 30% cut of all sales made within an iSO app.
What does this mean for the consumer? Some of the things you love doing on your iPhone or iPad may not be available after June 30th. Rhapsody has already said they could not operate under the new demands. Amazon will almost certainly have to pull the Kindle app as well (or raise the rates).
What does this mean big picture? When it’s all said and done, I think Apple will regret this move. Here’s why:
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Technology Team had another great meeting yesterday. In our second official meeting, we expanded on the last lesson about the inner workings of an XBOX and a PC.
This time, it was the kids turn to get up to their elbows in technology.
We brought the same PC from last week (in about 30 pieces tho). First, Sean (DE Consultant) went over each component as a refresher. Next, he let the students figure out where the parts went, showing them the finer details— like how to align the processer correctly so you don’t bend the pins.
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Cody High School in Detroit had a graduation rate of around 20%. It was selected with a few other schools in Detroit to be good targets for a “turnaround”. Cody has since been split up into 4 different schools based on area of interest: Medicine and Health, Public Leadership, Critical Thinking, and Technology.
“The Small Schools at Cody are supported by the Greater Detroit Education Venture Fund, which was created by United Way for Southeastern Michigan. United Way is a leader in high school turnaround, and provides funding, advocacy, and other supports in five metro Detroit turnaround high schools.” ~United Way
DE is helping out at Cody this year by volunteering time and resources for an afterschool technology lesson each week. Deb (Customer Experience Manager) and I (Sales and Marketing… Superhero?) met with some students a week ago to gauge interest and find out what types of things they’d like to learn about. Six kids were at that initial meeting. We put up some fliers and told them to spread the word.
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Now that Facebook has digitally entrenched itself in every aspect our society, even the slowest to adapt are picking up the habit.
“No, Grandpa, I’m not joining your mafia– I don’t care if we’re family…..and stop poking me!”
This shift has allowed Facebook to move from a tool for marketing to college kids, towards an media that can touch everyone. For businesses, the process starts with creating a “fan” page. A Facebook Fan Page is a great tool for drumming up new business as well as keeping current clients —potentially.
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The Facebook ad system is based on a supply and demand bidding system. It can be tricky (and expensive) to get the results you want from your Facebook ad campaign. Here are some tips to get your costs down and results up:
Paying for your Ads – CPC vs. CPM:
CPC you pay for each click. CPM you pay for each 1000 times your ad shows up on a profile. I recommend “Cost per Click” for beginners. The only way CPM will be cheaper is if your ad beats the average click through rate.
Bidding: During peak times the suggested bid is very high. It dips in the middle of the night. To get more clicks for less money, post your ad around 4am.
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Planning to travel this holiday season? Taking your laptop along for the ride? Here are some tips to make sure you aren’t asking Santa for your data back.
Before you Leave
Run software updates 2 days before you head out: Installing updates can rejuvenate your machine and help protect it from the latest viruses. However, sometimes an update can have a negative effect on performance. Run it two days in advance to test it out. If things aren’t running smoothly, you can remove it manually and return to the previous version. Microsoft will eventually fix the glitch and you can reinstall it at a later date.
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