24 years later...

Do you remember the ad 1984 from Apple and the messages that it delivered?
If not, give a look here.



Than, 24 years later, give a look at the rate plan to purchase an IPhone and think for a moment: where all those messages have gone? where the think different approach has gone?

To purchase an IPhone , you are forced to subscribe a plan with selected companies that are overcharging the cost of the navigation in internet and most of the services that are the main reason to want an IPhone. You may say: right, this is the market.
But pricing is the same across different companies, there is no competition, no free market.
Users are bundled in a cost trap.

This time the apple is poisoned.

Apple and the Italian mobile market

As anticipated in this blog few months ago, Apple was forced to change its strategy so to enter the Italian mobile market, which is one of the biggest and most profitable in the world.

The change of strategy reflects the way this market is moving:

- lot of attention on the newest and trendiest device
- an attitude to shift from one operator to another
- a market where operators play a really big role (two big operators, Tim and Vodafone, a medium one, H3G)
- poor wifi availability

The answer is an agreement based on exclusive distribution via Tim for 6 months, no revenue sharing, UMTS based device (44% UMTS share in Italy vs 20% France and 18% UK).

The other key fact is a consideration about device and software.
Motorola is going bankruptcy even if its Razr is the best sold device ever. Why? Because Motorola was not able to deliver contents (software, platform, etc) and get eventually caught in the price trap of the mobile market.
Apple has one chance to avoid this trap: its browser, Safari.
In US 70% of the internet access via mobile comes through Safari.

Selling more devices is the way to remain on top for more advanced market, as Italy.

Microsoft new look

Did you read Robert Scoble's yesterday post? Intriguing, isn't it?
Wow, Microsoft is going to become the next cool thing.
Or is it just a great piece of PR, Apple style, for Microsoft and for Fast Company TV?
Too many question and no answer.

Let's see on Feb. 27th, then.

The roar of a Leopard or of a Bunny?

I've just had one of the most frustratring conversation of my entire life with a tech support hot line.

I'm trying to install Leopard on my MacBook Pro and the dvd of the program does not allow me to choose the type of installation.

According with the instruction, I should have three options.
According with a kind lady of the call center I have to erase my hard disk and install the operating system, period.

But, funny enough, she asked me if I was installing the operating system or and update !! (Leopard is the brand new system, launched a couple of month ago)
Lastly, she asked me if I have the two dvds while the Leopard box contains only one disk: after my answer about having only one, she check with a colleague and then confirm to me that I was right.

Now, this is rather annoying, but to make it more annoying there is a detail: the phone call is at my charge and costs around 5 euros.

I'm not going to erase my hard disk, I'm going to take my Mac to the store where I bought it and check with them.

But, dear Apple, come on! This is not a support: this is rubbish.