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Feb 08 2010

Apple Stock Still Down Two Weeks After the iPad Rocks the Planet – iPhone-H(uge)

Category: iPad-iWay!,tech opinion,tools — jmacofearth @ 2:08 pm

Screen shot 2010 02 08 at 1.45.05 PM Apple Stock Still Down Two Weeks After the iPad Rocks the Planet iPhone H(uge)Truth is, the Apple stock price had been flying super-high prior to Steve Job's key note last week, Wednesday Jan. 27. Anything short of a magic trick and Apple's amazing run was going to plateau. Until the unit actually starts shipping that is.

I put my order in today. (Or I would if I could, currently you can't even pre-order the unit.) Base model is all I need.

Here's why the stock has been hit so hard.

One: the markets are looking for economic optimism.

Two: Apple is one of the brightest stories in all of tech.

Three: Steve Jobs is a hero, and we want to see him win. And like L Armstrong, beat cancer.

Four: The value in Apple stock was run up in anticipation of the announcement on January 27th. All the demos and examples of what this thing will do were already out there. Jobs had two major cards to play.

Price.

Availability.

The other issues: wireless provider (still ATT), camera (not yet, look for a v2 before the next holiday season), single threading (yeah, big deal, it's a phone-like thing, not a power-user computer), just a HUGE iPhone.

So some smart analyst can do a better job than me of looking back two years at the launch of the iPhone. I'm pretty sure you can model the trajectory of the iPhone on it's way to selling MILLIONS of phones. Lay a map of today's markets and today's AAPL value and then place your bets and valuations where you will.

Of all the non-sense that has come out of the Apple iPad announcement my favorite was, it's really just a big iPhone. And this was said with some disappointment.

Oh, and there's the non-issue of the name. They could've called it NGMCD for all anyone cares. At the end of the day, people are going to line up in droves to buy one. Just like the iPhone, it's a game changer. If you disagree, that's fine. Just sit out and watch.

Mark my words. The iPhone-H is going to be HUGE. Yes, it's a HUGE iPhone. Any further questions?

@jmacofearth
permalink: http://bit.ly/aapl-value

Google's iPad Visualizations on Gizmodo

CoverItLive (event streaming tool) crashed under the heavy traffic at the iPad announcement

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Jan 09 2010

Disruptive Innovation in a Single Character: If the * Came to the URL (a social media stimulus plan)

Category: code is poetry,lifestreaming,social media,speed the web,tech opinion — jmacofearth @ 4:39 pm

So what would turn the online world upside down in a fundamental way, be very simple and a cause a flurry of business and prospecting, goldmining and domain squatting?

Imagine if we were allowed to add a new non-alpha character to domain names. (You think the .me or .tv spaces got heated up?) So what if, starting in July 4, 2010, the powers that be at the domain services servers determined that we could start buying domains with * asterisks added within them? (Suspend for a moment the objection that the * is a programming symbol and would never be allowed as part of a domain name.)

So on day one, second one, I register about 1,000 *-enabled domains. (*nike.com, *coke.com, *dell.com, *microsoft.com) While those domains would eventually be legally transferred back to the rightful brands, domain squatting is not legal, many new domains would be legal and unique and immediately valuable. (*socialmedia.com, even social*media.com) The sports industry, porn idustry, branding and entertainment industries would have a nearly infinite number of new domain possibilities.

So the asterisk is probably not coming to a domain name near you anytime soon. We can still use "-" and "." in some circumstances, but a totally new character could generate millions in new revenue for the domain hosting companies, the design and branding companies who would come up with and design new brands and visual identities around the new use of the * symbol. I think it's a good idea.

@jmacofearth
permalink: http://bit.ly/bs-socialmedia

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Jan 01 2010

Work/Life Balance Aspirations: Or Is the Goal a Work/Life Blend?

Category: about me,career,connections,social media,trust & reputation — jmacofearth @ 3:47 pm

image: path, sign, two paths, creative commonsI picked up a special "ReInvent" issue of the HBR (Harvard Business Review) today. And several things inside have got me rethinking my work life balance strategy.

We all talk about improving our work life balance. Now to take an example from HBR, when we think of Tiger Woods do we wonder about his work life balance. (Overlooking the kidding about his infidelity admissions and loss of Accenture, TAG, Buick, AMEX and other million dollar sponsorships.) When Tiger is traveling the world as a professional golfer do we worry if he is satisfied with his life. Aside from the fact that all the investment companies and brand associations of this sports hero did not protect him from his own demise. But I don't think any of us have spent any time wondering if he "likes" traveling in first class all the time. Or if "golf" is something he "likes" to do. (WORK)

I'd say, prior to December's major fail, Tiger Woods has a pretty rockin work life thing going. He's doing what he loves and loving…well, "golf" anyway. (Couldn't help it, sorry.)

Okay so the other magazine I was reading falls on the opposite side of the yin yang of life balance from HBR. Kripalu puranam is a magazine devoted to the study of yoga and health, based on a non-profit retreat and research center (Kripalu) that focuses on "yoga and health." In my balancing act this would be the other side of the coin from HBR. (LIFE BALANCE)

What I can tell you from my personal self-observations is that I am as drawn to HBR as I am Kripalu.

Here are the top three stories from HBR that caused me to buy the magazine at B+N.

  • Ten Breakthrough Ideas for 2010
  • ReInvent: Your Company, Your Strategy, Your Marketing, Your Career
  • Five Ways to Bungle a Job Change

And here are the top three stories from Kripalu:

  • Your Brain on Yoga
  • The Yoga of Leadership
  • Dancing for Life

And so what I can observe is I am drawn to, fascinated by and driven in both halves of my life. The two feed one another in both career and family. And both are essential to happiness. Both magazines are about how to make your walk through life more centered and focused. Continuing down this thought progression for a minute, what struck me was how the two seemingly disparate paths are actually part of the same journey. And that my intention is to walk confidently in both WORK and LIFE BALANCE activities.

Back to Tiger for the last time.

So what makes Tiger Woods' life seem like such a dream? Security? A beautiful wife and kids? Lot's and lot's of money? Love of the public?

Or, my guess is, it is that he is doing something he loves, day in and day out, as his WORK. His balance, his joy and fun, are all combined in the activity of playing golf. So our fascination also blooms with Tiger's infidelity crisis, because it is hard to imagine someone with so much still wanting to cheat. What was he lacking in his support system that caused him to get things so wrong with his life? What does someone like Tiger suffer from but his own self-inflicted mess?

While I have ignored the roar of the Tiger drama as it unfolded across the internet, television and newspapers, I have not been able to put the question out of my mind: "What else did Tiger want from his success?"

So as I look to balance my work, my intention is to infuse my working activities with joy and focus. I cannot escape having to work any more than I can escape having to get up in the morning. But I can define and shape that work with integrity and by leading activities I enjoy. Part of that is doing what I call "the good work." If it's only about selling more CPUs or soft drinks, I'm not all that interested. I mean, don't get me wrong, I will do it for a living, but I will be eyeing "green" ideas and ways to actually "help" people if I can. And through that awareness, through an aspiration towards blending my career with my life goals, I can draw from both sides of the coin of work/life and enjoy my time ON equally as well as my time OFF.

@jmacofearth
permalink: http://bit.ly/two-paths

(image from creative commons: path.jpg)

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Jul 15 2009

Personal Branding, What's In It For You?

Category: about me,career,community building,executive learnings,social media,teaming & leadership,tech opinion,trust & reputation — jmacofearth @ 8:11 am

Picture 4

[My response to a great post by Tom Martin: Can a 10 Year Old Have a Personal Brand?]

"NOT having a personal brand is like standing in a stadium full of people and hoping work will find you."


There is a difference between a personal "brand" and being a kickass 10 year-old pitcher. What your son has is budding reputation, not a brand. The brand comes in when he/you/the coach/the company starts putting a phrase, ID or "brand" around your son.

In my case, building a personal brand inside Dell was vital to my survival. In a company with over 80k workers and lots of really smart people how would I get my name on the radar of the executives that might actually give me a shot at something bigger than I was already working on?

This was never more apparent then during a global online "innovation" contest. When I stepped up, after about 30 or so entrants, one of the insiders hooted, "Jay-Maaac!" My nick name had become a brand. And at that moment I stuck out from the crowd as someone to be watched.

Turns out my idea was chosen as one of 7 finalists out of 71 entries. In fact, I had 2 ideas chosen. Is that a rockstar? Well, the VP who sponsored the contest was let go within a few months of the first round and the winner was never crowned. Was it a personal brand? Yep, right there in the crowd, a person basically "sponsored" my pitch. And since this person had been at Dell for more than 7 years, his calling me out was a huge boost for my confidence.

I can think of some branding to apply to your son, but for now I say he should perfect his craft and keep working hard. The "brand" will be established in the process of becoming an ever better player and more importantly a good person.

@jmacofearth
permalink: http://bit.ly/personal-brand

Note: I really want to explore the elements of personal branding in a future post. But for now, go Google or Bing yourself and see what your "internet brand" says about you. If it's not what you want it to say, then you'd better get to work. Many people and events can affect your personal brand, but taking control of your brand on Google or Bing is a matter of effort and strategic work. I can tell you more about that in a bit as well.

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Next Page »

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future posts

∴ A Collaborative Space: WebEx, Go-To-Meeting, Skype, Basecamp (Teaming/Meeting Tools)
∴ Twitter Problem: How do you find enough interesting people to follow? Then how do you keep up with them?
∴ The Agile Mind: Construction, Evolution, Care, and Feeding Instructions for Mental Flexibility

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