Product or Feature: iCloud Disrupts

Brief - with Apple's 6/6/2011 announcement of iCloud, a new product for apple uses that promises to sync music, documents, mail, apps, and more across multiple devices, a long discussed iTunes product feature becomes another link in the Apple chain.

Since last weeks announcement last Monday, I have begun noticing a few new things from Apple that signal the incoming cloud.  For example, I downloaded an app on my iPad and I was almost instantly sent a push notification on my iPhone asking me to turn on a feature that would automatically download that app to all of my synced devices.  That was without any updates to either the iPad or the iPhone.

But the big news of the WWDC, despite Weiner distraction, was the new iCloud service that takes what could have been a great feature for iTunes, iWork, iOs, etc. . . but instead created a product.  This subtle difference from Jobs and gang was even more exciting news with a $0 price tag.  The music match feature for $25 is a steal too!

To truly get the most out of Apple devices, one must surrender their tech life to Apple.  "It just works".  A popular quote from Jobs' keynote.  Last time he talked about being beyond features, focusing on what it can do for you.  Now it is all about how easily it works together.  The cloud ties all those devices together.  Always gaining on PC's, this makes the higher cost of Mac's a little more tolerable.  Call it a feature or call it a product, this platform is sure to be Apples next greatest success.  

Authors Note:
Key Elements for Disruption: 3rd Party Development
Will developers add iCloud?  Will businesses trust iCloud?  We will see when it goes live.

Google Wallet and the Payment Wars

Google announced a new NFC program for mobile payments that uses the embedded chip on the new model of google phone with hopes that NFC will become the standard in the next generation of smart phones. This means google has already identified partners for payment processing, being the major credit card providers. The bigger implication will be their power to crush groupon. Google Deals can be tied to payment through Google Wallet and vice versa. Deals can be open ended or tied to a specific merchant.

A crucial element of this, even more than NFC enabled phones is NFC enabled point of sale (POS) systems. Having Checkouts that accept this form of payment is a requirement. Google should look to partner with mobile tech early adopters that have a customer base that is in the target demographic for mobile payment users. My shortlist: The Gap, Best Buy, Old Navy, Macy's, Express, Home Depot, Journeys.

If google wants to own payments and deals for consumers, square wants to own the spending, transaction, and card swiping for mobile devices. A new iPad cash register app makes the free square adapter and app a pair of small business essentials. Google boasted in the announcement press conference that they want to parter with everyone (referring to phone makers). But a partnership with Square could make the most sense. The next generation of square card readers could be NFC enabled and Square could go from a collector to a two way receiver for any iPhone or android (and other brands are an app away). And Squares forecasted 2.9% of $1 Billion in forecasted transactions in 2011 should help them get started and a play toNFC just makes sense.

NFC is perfect for parents, put a little money down and see where they use it. Security will be a concern. If Google Wallet or Square (or whatever startup moves mobile payments into the mainstream) want to be the leader, they will have to be the first to convince thepublic that the technology is safe. If it's easy to use and helps you track and manage your money, mobile payments will be the standard. But merchants and phone makers need to be convinced first or the whole thing is a non starter.

I am looking out for the first "tap phone here to pay" sign at the checkout counter.

Are cloud devices going to free us from the desktop?

Google just announced a subscription-based "laptop" that runs nothing but a browser and taps users into the cloud.  Available June 15th, this new device, as the video below describes, is the next step in googles evolution/domination of our web activity.  They have a healthy share of mobile users with Android, their email is the tops, and their docs and apps have become the default applications for my work and play.  Instead of focusing on the Tablet marketing and going head to head with the iPad, they went a different direction and went laptop.

In keeping with their open policy (as they have with the android devices), they are introducing two devices from Samsung and Acer.  The screen size of the devices are 12.1" and 11.6", respectively, and they look like something between a netbook and a full size laptop.  All black and an attempt to be sleek, the first shots of the devices don't look half bad.

Subscribers get 100 MB of free data usage from the Verizon wireless network and they can save the mobile data by using wifi networks when possible.  Additional data plans are in increments of 1 GB for $20 and a limitless day pass for $10.  Unfortunately no unlimited plans, which makes the packages expensive for any heavy user.

The Chromebook is targeting two markets, the business user and the education user.  Business users get the device for $28/month for businesses and $20/month for students/educators.  In about 2 years you will spend as much as you would have just bought a laptop, but you can say you were an early-adopter on the cloud.  And I know I don't keep a computer much longer than 2 years.  Plus their refresh program is pretty appealing.  Like car leases for those than just like new. (I like new!)

Promoting on their microsite, www.google.com/chromebook , they devices will first be sold through Amazon.com.

SHARING: QR Codes Anywhere: The App Factor Will Drive QR Code Scans Into The Future

I don't usually do this, but Nick Ford wrote an awesome piece on the opportunity for qr code marketing that paints a vision of codes dominating ad space that will be on par with Japan.

Great read! QR Codes Anywhere: The App Factor Will Drive QR Code Scans Into The Future

Extra Extra Paper.li the Qr Code Edition

Twitter newspaper publisher paper.li takes your tweets or tweets with keywords to put together a daily newspaper.  An awesome automation tool for marketers to keep you blogging at least once a day.  

QR Codes: Marketers are using them, but will they be more than a fad?

Does your company allow linkedin at the office?

With the vast number of social networks and the potential for wasted time, many companies resort to a flat "no social networks" policy, but does your company make an exception for linkedin?