Matt Kelly

The Day Console Gaming went ONLINE!

I picked up a copy of FIFA 10 for Xbox 360 to check out the online content/play ability, and have been pleasantly surprised.

EA Games have really pulled together to develop a game which allows true online, social gaming.

Log in to LIVE on a Wednesday and all of your game specs are updated based on the latest round of games from the weekend prior.

All EA need to do now is establish multi-cross platform gaming to enhance that ‘social experience’ and they will own the market. Not that they don’t already.

Graphic Quality – 9/10

Game Selection – 8/10

LIVE Experience – 9.5/10

Overall – 8.8/10

The Apple iPad, a PR Disaster!

So it’s a week after the first announcement and I don’t know if I have ever heard of a companies product get as bashed as I have the iPad pre-release. Apple need to step in quickly and hose down these fires to prevent potential customers being deterred before the product even hits the shelf.

See, PR is everything. An ideal recent example is that of Windows Vista, which was dramatically improved a year after release, however the product was so scared by negative vibes that there was no chance of success. Hence Microsoft turning Windows 7 around quickly and launching the new operating system as a complete innovation (Which for the record has many likenesses to Vista).

There are a number of issues which I keep hearing about from consumers and commentators about the iPad…

It doesn’t have a camera. It doesn’t allow multitasking. It doesn’t have USB/SD card slot. You can’t read on an OLED screen. It doesn’t allow flash, therefore loosing 70% of online game and video content. There aren’t enough buttons.

Firstly, this isn’t a netbook, this device won’t do the things a laptop is designed to do, that just isn’t the purpose of this machine. Apple see this as the device that changes personal computing in the same way they changed the music industry with the iPod. An arrogant attitude? Maybe, but Apple have a track record (with a few bumps) which shows that they have the capability of changing the entire information technology industry.

I suppose the biggest concern for Apple, is that some of the above points do in fact have justification. Perhaps this is the exactly reason why Apple need to jump on this and create hype about the ‘INSANE’ applications which can be developed (with ease). Jobs needs to take the focus away from what the machine won’t do in the first release and push the features it does have, push it as a brand new platform!

Remember, as far as we know, if this is going to be the game changer which Apple expect it to be, there could be explicit justification for each of the above omissions.

At the end of the day, all we can do is think back to the days of the first generation iPod. Thick, terrible screen, would only sync with a Mac, etc. Everyone bagged the iPod to oblivion, but what happened? As the generations rolled by, people realised that this device changed the personal entertainment AND music industries. Apple have dealt with this before, if they take all of the feedback in and add the best possible features to the 2nd generation product, whilst promoting the platform itself, rather than the product, all will be fine.

Sabre Corporation's Acquisition of Dunder Mifflin Paper Inc.

I just stumbled upon this link to the Sabre Corporation’s ‘official’ website http://www.sabre-corp.com/.. They even mention a potential acquisition of Dunder Mifflin.

Really?! They are taking this, this seriously?

Amazing marketing, Amazing social media integration.

NBC, I applaud you!

Official Review - iPad

So last night (27^th January) Apple announced the brand new, highly speculated iPad. As anticipated for several years now, this tablet PC is basically an overweight iPod touch with a dumbed down version of OSX (similar but different to the iPhone).

However! The device looks sensational, the LED screen makes for incredible HD video, the multi-touch functional screen will make navigating through your photo albums extremely easy, and a unit with a screen like this will make reading ebooks a walk in the park compared with the e-ink screens currently available on the kindle, nook, etc.

Shockingly, the iPad does not feature a front (or back) facing camera, which is a huge surprise. Having a front facing camera would make Skype/video calling a breeze with a screen like this, so I’d imagine we’ll see a camera in the 2.0 release (next year?).

I suppose my biggest concern is that I just don’t know what market apple are shooting at. This seems like it could be a laptop replacement for people who don’t do anything beyond basic browsing. The lack of a hard keyboard built in makes it difficult to type excessive amounts which I’d think will be the biggest limitation for large scale business integration. If you use any 3^rd party software on a Windows or Mac notebook, you’ll need to wait for app development to take place before you can fully rely on the iPad.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the keyboard based dock Apple have announced. This one single attachment just turned this device from a big iPod touch to a all-in-one (limited) desktop. If (or when) I pick up the iPad, this add on is definitely something I would be grabbing at the same time.

Verdict

I think the iPad will make a fantastic on the road/on the couch media viewing device. I don’t expect that this to be a laptop replacement, or even a netbook replacement as it just doesn’t have the flexibility of a standalone PC. For the average user, this will make a great browsing, email and media portal, and like everything from Apple, people will flock to it.

Tech Spec Wrap-up

Display: 9.7 inch LED

Capacity: 16GB, 32GB or 64GB flash drive

Processor: 1GHz

Wifi: 802.11n

3G: 3G capable

TV and Video: H.264 up to 720p

Developing Your Business - A 5 Part Series

So I wanted to develop a few simple points which I’ve learned over recent years.. Click any of the following links for more on each of the topics!

Lesson 1 - Paying for good people

Lesson 2 - Innovation

Lesson 3 - Picking your market

Lesson 4 - Developing your USP

Lesson 5 - Complacency

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me with any input you might have via any of the avenues down the right side of the page.

Developing Your Business - Lesson 3

So many times I’ve heard a company say that they can achieve sales of 1 – 3% of all Facebook users or 0.5% of all of Google’s visitors. These aren’t real numbers because you don’t know who that market is (or even) how to reach that entire market (sometimes ‘social media’ just isn’t enough).

The first step to marketing is to determine who you want to target (modestly) with specific criteria. A tightened target allows for more accurate marketing initiatives which are significantly easier to implement, cheaper and with less waste. Remember, you can always broaden your target market as increased resources become available.

Once you have your great idea, it’s time to determine who the key purchaser will be. A key method of calculating these demographics is through various methods of market research, this could be as simple as talking to friends and family, or as complex as creating a survey which is sent to a sample of 100 000 people. This research will allow you to pinpoint exactly who would make the buying decision and ultimately support your organisation.

Having too broad a target market for a business in its infancy prevents effective marketing from taking place. With unlimited budgets there is no limit to the number of consumers which can SEE your brand, but effective marketing will be compelling for potential customers and will require a level of 2 way interaction, this is what locks in brand loyalty.

Picking your key target market is vital to effectively promoting your brand. Be specific and target niche markets before setting yours sights on global domination.

Developing Your Business - Lesson 5

Lesson 5 is about complacency.

It doesn’t matter if you’re Google, Microsoft, or the local jeans store, if you aren’t moving forward, you’re moving backwards.

Being an ‘industry leader’ does not concrete future success. Whilst it’s true that it is far more difficult to win consumers over an existing, dominating company (eg: Google vs. Bing), ultimately the company with the best product/services will defeat all.

Don’t get me wrong, too much change quickly will leave consumers and employees unsettled, however it’s vital that a happy medium is determined to ensure all key stakeholders appreciate the change rather than fear it. Finding this difference will ensure steady development occurs whilst taking stakeholders into consideration.

If business isn’t moving forward relative to the broad economic cycle, consumers will look for alternatives.

This marks the end of my 5 step series. I’d love any feedback you have to contribute, which can be communicated via any of the links on the right.

Developing Your Business - Lesson 4

A USP (Unique Selling/Service Proposition) is the energy that develops the foundations of a businesses focus and ultimately the success it achieves. The ultimate goal of any USP is to have potential consumers relate to the product and create brand recognition.

In order to create your USP it’s important to break down what this actually means…

1. Unique - It clearly sets you apart from all other players in the market, positioning your business as the BETTER option.
2. Selling - It persuades others to actively seek out your services in order to give you business.
3. Proposition – The proposal or offer you promise to consumers.

Your USP can’t simply be centred around being reactive to competition, many organisations (or disorganisations) know what they sell, but don’t know how to add additional value to the client. If as an organisation you can’t develop your value adding experience, you will eventually be left behind. Being simply reactive often results in too little change, too late in the game.

It is also important to develop your USP based on industry developments, this should be revisited quarterly at the very least to ensure that regulatory or competitive influences are not ignored. Staying ahead of the game will always give you a competitive edge, it’s that simple.

Developing your USP ultimately comes down to knowing what you sell, and how you do it better than your competitors. This key focus will give you the foundations you need to specifically target marketing initiatives.