The Value of New Movie Releases

According to CNET's Buzz Out Loud, Episode 1316, several major movie production companies (including Sony and Disney) are in discussion with TV providers to start a new rental service for recently released movies. Current On-Demand services for cable and satellite companies offer 24 hour movie rentals for approximately $3.99-$4.99. The movies made available On-Demand usually coincide with their respective DVD release dates, which arrive about 4 months after the movie has left theaters. The new plan being tested by the movie production companies is making new movies available immediately after their run in theaters; the current window being tested is somewhere around 30 days after it has left theaters, although some people have claimed they are trying to have movies available as quickly as the following day.

Although this sounds like a great idea, the price tag being attached for this service seems to be fairly high. The current testing price for this service is ranging from $24.99 to $30. For some customers, especially large families, this could be a great deal; there would be no travel expenses, no need to pay for eating out at a restaurant, or any of the expenses once you arrive at the theater (tickets, snacks, or the non-monetary expense of missing parts of the movie and being in a crowded theater). On the other hand, if you could simply wait for the movie to be released, a customer could OWN the movie for the same price the studio companies are asking for a rental. I believe there are people who would be willing to pay the premium for this shortened-release window, but in the end, the price point may be too high for most consumers to seriously consider this option.

Is Intel stealing from the poor?

Intel has sunk to a new low. It's not like they don't already have the monopoly in computer chips as it is, but that's not good enough. They are trying to prey on the computer illiterate to make an extra buck. According to Buzz out loud episode 1312, Intel is selling low end to mid grade computers with chips that have features disabled. This is nothing new. People who are computer savvy have long been able to take the chips that Intel puts out and overclock them to preform better. Of course, this take someone who knows a pretty good deal with computer hardware. I consider myself to know a pretty good bit and I feel a little overwhelmed when trying to overclock my pc. Well Intel has discovered a way to cash in on our lack of computer savvy. They are selling cards for $50 that we can purchase and go to the Intel website and download software to unlock some advanced features in the chips they are putting in these low/mid grade systems. This is a slap in the face to many everyday computer users. The main question being asked is why sell me something that has the ability to do this much but limit it to do less and make me have to pay more to get the full benefit of it. To Intel's defense, they are probable just trying to give low end users a chance to overclock there chips without having a computer guru to do it for them. The problem is this is like selling someone a sports car with a v8 engine but telling them they have to buy an extra package to unlock the last 2 cylinders. Another good point brought up buy apcmag.com is how are the retailers going to handle returns. More than likely they will only take a return if the card itself has not had the covering on the code scratched off. But what about the people that buy the upgrade and can't see a visible difference in how the computer responds. Don't these people deserve a refund? But then again, once the chip has been unlocked how do you re lock it? For now, these pc's are only being sold at Best Buy. I wander what the pitch line for the card is? "Would you like to buy a 3 year extended warranty? Also, do you want to buy this $50 card so that your computer can run to its full potential?" That's going to be a hard sell. I fell Intel is opening up a can of worms that may see many low end computer users learning who AMD is.

http://apcmag.com/intel-to-sell-unlocking-cards-to-add-features-to-your-pcu.htm

The Dell Aero Is A Dud

Dell has attempted to break new ground by releasing the smartphone called the Dell Aero. The Dell Aero is a sleek phone with a 3.5 inch diagonal screen and weighs only 104 grams. It's lightweight and presents itself as the go to device for individuals who are not interested in other smartphones that dominate the market. Bonnie Cha, the senior editor of CNET, has tested the Aero and was left with more frustration and confusion rather than satisfaction. The phone may it less susceptible to damage compared to the Apple iPhone, but has setbacks. The navigation buttons are not on the top or bottom on the front like other phones. Dell may have tried to differentiate itself by doing this, but has hurt Dell actually. The navigation buttons on the side making navigating through the Internet or one's contact list more difficult rather than easier. It is unclear whether Dell issued prototypes to customers, but if so, not alot of potential customer feedback was used. If prototypes were used, customer feedback on the product's unique design, the issuing of surveys, might have helped the phone be easier to use. Many companies' new products fail because the consumer is the last to know, their opinion is undervalued, and are left with a substandard product. Dell should be applauded for its foray into the smartphone market, but it should try to redesign the Aero by making in more user friendly as opposed to being different from the ordinary smartphone. Dell should hit the drawing board immediately if it wants to increase its market share in an area which is dominated by its competitors.

Ping: Apple's Attempt at Social Networking

One of the minor announcements coming from Apple's latest PR conference was the development of Ping. This new feature available on iTunes is an attempt to bring social networking to their popular music software program and have people share their music with friends. Jobs and the rest of the Apple team said they had high hopes for Ping and its potential impact for users. According to CNET's Buzz Out Loud (Episodes 1300 and 1301), however, there are already several issues facing this new feature.


Several blog posts from the online version of the Wall Street Journal and the technology driven blog All Things Digital (URL's at bottom) have pointed out some of the early flaws with the network. One of the key features originally advertised by Jobs and Apple was the ability to connect your Ping account with Facebook. This was a move that many believed would be a key selling point and get people interested in using Ping. Right before the launch, however, the two sides could not reach an agreement and "Facebook Connect" features were lost.

The loss of Facebook meant a huge loss in real social networking functionality for Ping. Ping is extremely limited in networking features, as people are unable to find their friends or favorite iTunes artists, have no typical "homepage" or "wall" for sharing, and can only comment on things they have liked (artists, songs, or albums). The biggest issues has been the lack of security features. Since the launch of Ping, spammers and phishing scams have been covering most of the comment sections, most notably offering free iPhone's and iPod's (which is hysterical). These phishing and scam attacks present a unique challenge for iTunes, as every account is tied to credit card information, unlike other social networking sites that only require basic personal information.


When you couple this with the recent iPhone issues, it seems Apple has fallen out of touch with their customers. It appears their newest business model is "let's design anything we feel like, regardless of quality, because we can get people to use anything we make." Apple needs to change their current path before public perception concerning their company slowly begins to change.

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/09/03/ping-proves-problematic-for-some/

http://kara.allthingsd.com/20100902/facebook-blocked-api-access-to-ping-after-failure-to-strike-agreement-so-apple-removed-feature-after-launch/