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Las 3 grandes mentiras de las herramientas de Social Media. Lo que no te puedes creer…
¿Te crees todos los informes que se comparten en redes sociales? ¿Sabes que, muchos de ellos, probablemente no tengan el fundamento que dicen y se basen en mentiras?
Es indudable que las herramientas de Social Media han evolucionado mucho, especialmente aquellas que incluyen criterios de Escucha Activa. De hecho, la Escucha Activa es un concepto que hemos adaptado desde la psicología y convertido en infinidad de herramientas. Y es indudable que la proliferación de las redes sociales, de ese concepto Big Data que tanto nos gusta y está tan de moda, y lo que este tipo de herramientas es capaz de hacer, nos brinda una visión del mundo inimaginable hace tan siquiera unos pocos años.
Pero hoy quiero compartir contigo algo que me preocupa y que creo que los profesionales de Marketing Online no se suelen plantear:
Las grandes mentiras de muchas herramientas de Social Media
Te voy a explicar cuáles creo que son las grandes mentiras que nos cuentan y qué debes tener en cuenta para que, cuando presentes informes a tus clientes o a tus jefes, lo hagas con coherencia y sabiendo de qué datos dispones.
Con estas mentiras no pretendo desilusionarte con respecto a las bondades de la Escucha Activa, ¡todo lo contrario! Con estas mentiras pretendo prevenirte contra infinidad de oportunistas que, en ocasiones por desconocimiento, te pueden vender algo que no es acorde con la realidad.
Y esto siempre es positivo, porque cuando uno conoce los límites de la realidad, está más cerca de ella. Así que vamos allá, te voy a agrupar las distintas mentiras respondiendo a 3 tipos de información que se puede extraer de este tipo de herramientas. ¡Pero ojo, no son las únicas!
# 1. Las mentiras de la información demográfica
Me gusta empezar por la información demográfica porque es el núcleo de mi tesis doctoral, la identificación de la edad y el sexo de un autor en Social Media a partir de sus textos escritos.
Y no es la única investigación en esta línea. Desde 2013 llevamos organizando la tarea internacional de author profiling en el laboratorio del PAN en el marco del foro de evaluación CLEF precisamente por la importancia de la misma.
Y es que, en la mayoría de las redes sociales, la información demográfica no existe o no es cierta, por varias razones:
- En la mayoría de ellas esta información no se reporta. Por ejemplo, ¿en Twitter puedes informar de tu edad y tu sexo?
- En otras no es accesible por terceros. Por ejemplo, ¿has probado a informar de tu edad y tu sexo en Facebook, y ver si en el perfil público lo ves?.
- Y en otras la gente miente descaradamente con propósitos varios: spam de opiniones, promoción y posicionamiento web, ¡¡pedofilia y acoso!!…
Entonces, ¿cómo es posible que la mayoría de herramientas proporcione información demográfica como el sexo o la distribución por edades?
Pues bien, se me ocurren varias aproximaciones:
- Que descaradamente mientan. Aunque no lo creo, ¡la gente es imaginativa!
- Que tomen estadísticas oficiales y las apliquen a su muestra de datos dando las cifras correspondientes. Por ejemplo, si el 13% de la población en una determinada red son mujeres adolescentes y la herramienta ha recuperado 100 mil datos, pues 13 mil se corresponderán con mujeres adolescentes.
- Que utilicen algún heurístico tal como los nombres propios de las cuentas. ¿Qué sucede con nombres ambiguos o con cuentas organizativas?
- Que apliquen técnicas de author profilining, es decir, procesamiento del lenguaje natural + aprendizaje automático para predecir el rasgo concreto.
Pensarás, en cualquier caso, que es un engaño. Pero no, un engaño es que no te digan cómo lo están obteniendo.
Por ejemplo, Google Analytics te da esa información a partir de las visitas a tu web y te explica cómo lo está haciendo. Luego a lo mejor no es verdad, pero por lo menos te da su método.
Una cosa importante que te deberían dar es el porcentaje de fiabilidad del método. No es lo mismo que el método de detección de sexo acierte un 60% de las veces a que lo haga un 85%. Piensa que decirlo de manera aleatoria acertaría un 50%, y que decirlo de manera aleatoria ligeramente ponderada hacia la distribución estadística oficial de la red social, aumentará considerablemente esa tasa de acierto (aunque no acierte a nivel individual en cada autor). Por otro lado piensa que estas técnicas no van a alcanzar nunca un 100%,
No juzgues una herramienta por su tasa de aciertos en una de estas tareas. Júzgala por la transparencia a la hora de indicarla.
# 2. Las mentiras de la información geográfica
Lo de la información geográfica es incluso más divertido, puesto que la mayoría de herramientas la incorporan.
Y aquí hay en juego gran cantidad de mentiras.
a. La mentira del canal
La primera mentira tiene que ver con el canal. Y es que normalmente, cuando se está pintando una distribución geográfica de contenidos, se hace única y exclusivamente de Twitter.
Y eso no está mal. Si realmente es la red de la que podemos pintar esto con cierta fiabilidad, pues adelante. Pero esto tiene que estar claro, porque en una escucha no sólo interviene Twitter; es más, puede ser incluso el canal que menos información válida nos proporcione, por lo que no podemos extrapolar conclusiones geográficas sin tomar esto en consideración.
b. La mentira del porcentaje de tuits
La segunda gran mentira es el porcentaje de tuits que están georeferenciados y que por lo tanto se pueden pintar en un mapa.
Empíricamente te puedo confirmar que, después de haber analizado centenares de millones de tuits, apenas el 2% -¡y con suerte!- de ellos lleva asociadas coordenadas geográficas. ¡¡Eso es insuficiente para extraer conclusiones!! Está bien para hacerse una idea y queda muy bonito un mapa en un informe, pero no es una muestra representativa y hay que sacar conclusiones con cuidado.
c. Técnicas alternativas para extraer conclusiones
Existen técnicas alternativas, como por ejemplo:
# 1. Tener en cuenta lo que la gente reporta en el apartado de localización de su cuenta
Lo que con ayuda de un diccionario se puede convertir en localizaciones geográficas representables en un mapa. Por ejemplo, si alguien tiene en su localización la palabra Argentina, o tiene la palabra México, fácilmente lo podremos asignar a esos países (que no a una ubicación concreta). Pero ojo, aquí hay que tener en cuenta todas aquellas ubicaciones ficticias o imaginativas (por ejemplo, la luna, mi casa o Narnia) y aquellas que no se informan porque se dejan en blanco.
Si la herramienta trabaja de esta manera tenemos que conocer un dato: ¿cuál es la proporción entre los datos de los cuales podemos conocer ciertamente su ubicación y de los que no? Por ejemplo, si tenemos recuperados 1 millón de tuits de los cuales la ubicación más frecuente es Argentina con 235 mil tuits, tenemos al menos un 23,5% de la muestra situado en Argentina. Si tomamos las 10 ubicaciones más frecuentes, igual llegamos a algo más del 70%. De este modo las conclusiones geográficas se pueden toman teniendo en consideración la representatividad de la muestra.
Por otro lado, hay que saber qué hace la herramienta con el resto, ¿lo elimina o lo mantiene? Porque esa representatividad de la muestra deberá considerarse dependiendo de lo anterior: en el primer caso podrá estar distorsionada por inclusión, y en el segundo por omisión, pero en ambos casos, por algo menos del 30%
# 2. Utilizar técnicas de author profiling en el campo de la identificación de la variedad lingüística
Y esta es mi segunda pasión y el segundo foco de mi tesis doctoral. Esto significa saber qué variedad regional, dialectal o de lenguaje similar utiliza una determinada persona. Por ejemplo, español de España, de Argentina, de Chile, de México, etcétera. Si sabemos que una persona utiliza español de México, podemos inferir que su ubicación geográfica, con gran seguridad, sería México (si no, siempre se puede echar mano de estadísticas de migración y ponderar).
Pero ojo, si la herramienta trata técnicas de este estilo, es de nuevo muy importante que conozcamos la tasa de acierto/error, porque por ejemplo, en nuestras investigaciones que están al nivel del estado del arte, en medios formales como noticias se ha llegado a obtener porcentajes de acierto superiores al 90%-95% mientras que en medios informales como blogs esta cifra cae por debajo del 70% (curioso porque sería esperable lo contrario, pero ese es otro tema…).
Y repito, no hay que juzgar los resultados como buenos ni como malos, sólo saber la certeza que tenemos para aplicarla en nuestras conclusiones.
Si quieres profundizar más sobre este tema, te dejo un artículo que publiqué recientemente: Dime cómo escribes y te digo de dónde eres.
# 3. Las mentiras de la Reputación Online
Y lo que más me gusta, la reputación entendida común y erróneamente como análisis de sentimiento (#ironyoff).
Son muchos los que se sorprenden con las técnicas de análisis de sentimiento que les muestran que el 30% de los consumidores hablan bien de sus productos, mientras que el 20% habla mal y el 50% restante es neutro (¿¿en serio algo puede ser neutro?? Ya hablaremos otro día de esa falacia…).
Y también son muchos los que se decepcionan cuando entran al detalle y ven la cantidad de errores que estas técnicas comenten. Pues voy a echar un capote a las técnicas: ¡no hay que ser tan extremista: ni son tan maravillosas, ni son tan malas! Son técnicas. Eso sí, con un porcentaje de acierto/error que depende de muchas cosas, y ahí residen las mentiras.
¿Cómo piensas que la mejor de estas técnicas indicaría la polaridad de la siguiente oración? (Es más, ¿qué opinas tú? Puedes dejarlo en los comentarios y abrimos un debate.)
“Este año, de nuevo, no habrá ambulancias en la playa”
Lógicamente la mayoría lo hará en negativo. Porque hay una negación que se corresponde con algo que no debería negarse, como es que haya ambulancias, porque hay un intensificador que es “de nuevo”…
Pues bien, la anterior oración en determinados contextos puede ser muy positiva. ¡¿En qué contexto?! Por ejemplo en el de un regidor municipal que lleve quejándose 10 años a un regidor provincial de que no le manda ambulancias a su playa y este año por fin consigue un titular tan sensacionalista en un periódico regional. ¡¡Por fin se han hecho eco de su problema!!
Hay ciertas mentiras con respecto al análisis de sentimiento que debes conocer cuando se trabaja con una herramienta de este tipo.
Por ejemplo:
a. Si se basa en una heurística de conteo de palabras o si utiliza aprendizaje automático
Muchas de las herramientas existentes simplemente cuentan la aparición de palabras positivas frente a palabras negativas y se deciden por la que más tiene, dejando un margen entre medias para las neutras.
Pero esto tiene un problema, y es que la mayoría de diccionarios tienen un porcentaje mayor de palabras negativas que de palabras positivas, aproximadamente un 70/30, lo que decanta la mayoría de textos, especialmente los largos, hacia lo negativo. Además, dependiendo del rango de diferencia entre positivas y negativas, puede ser mayor o menor el número de resultados neutros.
b. Si la herramienta trata la negación de manera lingüística o estadística
De manera lingüística se tratará de identificar las posibles negaciones con respecto a qué se producen, intentando determinar el sentido real de la oración.
Las estadísticas sin embargo tenderán a cambiar la polaridad de la oración hacia la contraria de la predicción, es decir, si la frase es positiva (por ejemplo, la de arriba, al tener más palabras positivas como nuevo, ambulancia y playa), la tornarán negativa.
c. Si se le puede incorporar contexto
Es decir, que un consultor especializado en ese cliente sea capaz de indicarle reglas al sistema que le den contexto al análisis.
Por ejemplo, decir que la prima de riesgo está en 180 puntos es algo que todos los sistemas dan por neutro. Pero si el contexto del proyecto tiene que ver con las elecciones catalanas, la polaridad de la frase será muy diferente si se produce tras una prima de riesgo de 250 o tras otra de 120.
d. La utilización del lenguaje figurado y extremadamente creativo por parte de los usuarios
Es decir, la utilización de la ironía y el sarcasmo, entre otras. Y, por lo tanto, si la herramienta tiene cierta fortaleza (mejor aún si lo trata) respecto a ellas, es un punto importante sobre todo en proyectos que tengan que ver con personas y no con productos de consumo (especialmente proyectos en el ámbito político).
Aquí es quizás aún más importante saber el tipo de aproximación que se hace al problema y la tasa de resolución del mismo.
No es malo saber que un determinado porcentaje habla bien de ti y otro mal si tenemos claro que puede haber un error y cuál es aproximadamente ese error. No se invalidan los resultados, al contrario, nos los ponen en perspectiva. Siempre es mejor eso que nada, pero siempre es mejor nada que creer a pies juntillas un resultado y cuando ves el detalle te decepciones porque en ciertos casos falle y no sepas la certeza que tienes.
Conclusión
Mentiras y más mentiras, pero lo más peligroso de las mentiras es saber que existen y creérselas. Así que a partir de ahora espero que, si lo hacías, no te las creas e intentes saber qué está haciendo tu aplicación de Escucha Activa.
Y ten presente que lo importante no es que una herramienta obtenga un 60% de acierto en una tarea mientras que otra obtenga un 85%. Ninguna de ambas va a tener certeza total. Lo importante es que conozcas ese porcentaje para tenerlo en cuenta en tus análisis, porque los harás de manera más acertada (y con mayor fundamento científico).
Así pues, resumiendo todo lo anterior, lo siguiente es lo que debes saber cuando se dispone de un resultado obtenido por una herramienta de Escucha Activa. Concretamente:
- Qué método sigue para obtener ese dato.
- Qué porcentaje de fiabilidad (tasa de acierto, tasa de error…) tiene el método.
Sólo en este punto podrás empezar a pensar que tu herramienta de Escucha Activa ha evolucionado, y se ha convertido en una herramienta de Escucha Inteligente.
¿Y tú? ¿Conoces cómo hacen las herramientas que utilizas para darte los datos que te dan? ¿Te parecen suficientes los porcentajes de acierto/error para sacar conclusiones válidas? ¿Dónde crees que las herramientas mienten más? Deja tus comentarios y veámoslo juntos.
NOTA: Todas las capturas de pantalla proceden de la herramienta de análisis de social media y escucha activa Cosmos de Autoritas.
Imágenes del post: Shutterstock
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KGI: Apple releasing a new 4-inch iPhone early next year, iPhone 7 w/ A10 chip on track for Q3
Generally reliable KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has today shared an investment note in which he breaks down what Apple will do in terms of its smartphones come 2016. In the note, Kuo claims that Apple is still working on a refreshed 4-inch iPhone model…
Kuo says that the 4-inch iPhone “resembles an upgraded iPhone 5s” and features an A9 processor. The design of the device is somewhat unclear from Kuo’s report, but he hints that it will feature a metal casing as opposed to the plastic design featured on the iPhone 5c.
Furthermore, Kuo anticipates that Apple’s 4-inch iPhone will not feature 3D Touch in an effort on the company’s part to clearly differentiate it from the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Kuo believes there is still a healthy market for a 4-inch iPhone and that Apple will launch the device in the first half of 2016 and ship between 20 million and 30 million units by the end of the year.
Regarding the next major iPhone refresh, Kuo says Apple will keep on track with its normal third-quarter unveil and subsequent release of the device. Kuo anticipates that both the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models of the iPhone 7 will feature Apple’s A10 chip. The two variants of the device will differ, Kuo believes, when it comes to RAM. The analyst expects the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 to feature 2GB of RAM, like the current-gen devices, while the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus will feature 3GB of RAM.
Kuo believes that Foxconn will be the sole manufacturer of the 4-inch iPhone and TSMC will produce the A9 chip for it. TSMC will also be the sole provider of the A10 chip for the iPhone 7, he anticipates.
Kuo makes no comments regarding earlier rumors stating the iPhone 7 will feature a new waterproof and dustproof design. The analyst also does not provide color on rumors that the device will move away from metal in favor of a new casing material.
Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Apple, iPhone, iPhone 7, rumor
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GT Advanced reaches new agreement w/ Apple to pay off $439 million debt
More than a year ago, Apple’s sapphire supplier GT Advanced Tech announced that it was filing for bankruptcy under Chapter 11, with the company parting ways with Apple as part of the restructuring. Despite the parting being amicable, GT still was in debt $439 million. Today, however, The Wall Street Journal reports that GT and Apple have come to an agreement on how to pay off that debt.
According to documents filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, GT Advanced Tech will auction off the sapphire manufacturing equipment it acquired while constructing its operations to build sapphire displays for Apple. GT will keep up to 600 furnaces as part of the agreement, while all unsold items will go to Apple. GT had originally revealed more than a year ago that it planned to sell the furnaces from its Arizona plant, but it was unable to do so, forcing it to turn to this auction idea.
The items that Apple receives will be disposed of. The company will then erase the loan it gave to GT when the partnership was originally constructed. The earnings from the auction itself will be split between GT and Apple.
Earlier this year, GT Advanced cut another 40 percent of its workforce after initially laying off 700 workers when it announced its bankruptcy.
Before GT and Apple can move on with the auction, a bankruptcy judge must sign off on the plan.
Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Apple, GT, GT Advanced Tech, Sapphire
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Fallout’s new C.H.A.T. app allows users to communicate in emoji & GIFs from the game
Ahead of the highly anticipated release of Fallout 4 on November 10th, Bethesda, the company behind the game, has released a new app called Fallout C.H.A.T. While it’s not an actual messaging app, or even an actual keyboard, it’s a neat way for fans of the popular Fallout series to communicate with one another.
C.H.A.T. stands for Communications Hub and Transmitter and the app itself consists of 60 different emoji characters and animated GIFs featuring the Vault Boy character. Users of the app can build their message within C.H.A.T., then export it to the communication app of their choosing as an image. In addition to choosing emoji and GIFs to send, users can also add text via a standard keyboard.
While it’s not the most seamless experience to have to share your message as an image, it’s definitely a unique and fun way for fans of Fallout to communicate. The app is also free to download on the App Store.
Back in June, Fallout Shelter was released on iOS as a free download. The basic idea of the app is to build yourself a subterranean paradise in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Fallout 4 is slated to be released for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on November 10th.
Filed under: Apps Tagged: app, Fallout, keyboard
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iOS 9.2 beta 2 brings AT&T Wi-Fi calling to the Mac and other devices
Apple has built support for AT&T’s NumberSync technology into iOS 9.2 beta 2, which was released to developers earlier today. Currently Apple’s Continuity feature allows users to use their Mac, iPad, or iPod touch to make phone calls as long as the computer (or other iOS device) is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as their iPhone.
The software upgrade will allow users to enable Wi-Fi calling on all of those devices and make and receive calls without the need to be on the same network, or even in the same area.
Below you’ll find steps to setup and start using the feature now.
After upgrading to the latest beta software from Apple, AT&T subscribers will be able to start using NumberSync. First, open the Wi-Fi Calling settings page (Settings app > Phone > Wi-Fi Calling) and look for the option that says “Add Wi-Fi Calling For Other Devices.”
Tap that button to get started. You’ll need to step through a few agreements and acknowledgements, then you’ll be informed that the setting has been turned on.
Now you need to enable this option on your Mac. You should see a FaceTime notification appear instantly on your Mac informing you that it’s available. Clicking this banner or opening the FaceTime app will take you to the next part of the process.
You’ll be prompted to turn on Wi-Fi Calling by a banner at the top of the window. If you choose to dismiss this banner for now, you can get back to it by opening the FaceTime preferences window and selecting the “Upgrade to Wi-Fi Calling” button.
After selecting either of these options you’ll be presented with a code that you need to enter on your iPhone. This is similar to the setup process for SMS Forwarding.
After entering the code, you’ll need to confirm that your emergency location is setup correctly. This information will be used when you make a 911 call to provide emergency personnel with your address.
If you need to change this information later, you can access it from the FaceTime preferences window.
Now you’re all setup and should be able to start making calls from your Mac when your phone isn’t on the same Wi-Fi network. If you want to manage which devices are connected to your account or disable the feature entirely, you can do so in a new settings panel located just below the Wi-Fi Calling option on the Phone settings page.
In our testing, we were able to place and receive calls even when the connected iPhone was in Airplane Mode. This feature should be especially handy in the event of a dead phone battery or a missing handset.
Filed under: iOS, Mac Tagged: AT&T, ios 9.2, ios beta, Mac, NumberSync, wifi calling
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Review: ClearTouch screen protector adds reachable Android-like back button to iPhone
While iOS and Android have for the most part caught up to one another from a software feature perspective, lack of a handy back button is still one of the biggest sources of embarrassment for iOS devices. BoxWave’s new glass “ClearTouch SmartButtons” screen protector has built-in buttons that aim to solve some of the back button issue on iPhones, so I took it for a test drive…
Android has long had a system-wide physical or software “back” button, conveniently located in an easy-to-reach bottom corner that takes the user back to the last used screen. Apple, however, has a back button in the upper left corner that only works within apps and not system wide. Reaching Apple’s back button is enough of an issue that the company rolled out a software feature called Reachability with the larger iPhone 6 and 6 Plus to make reaching buttons at the top of the display easier. But that didn’t help much and in my use feels like a clunky solution to the problem.
Lack of a back button is still often one thing Android users hold over iPhone users. My last interaction with Android users at a social gathering ended in pointing and laughing as I attempted to tout the new contextual back button in iOS 9, a software button that appears in the upper left corner of the display that aims to make jumping back to the last used app easier. But the new feature is far from successful at solving the overall problem.
While the BoxWave screen protector with built-in buttons is a big improvement, it’s not perfect. It’s essentially just moving the buttons normally located in the upper right and left corners of your display to an easy to reach location on either side of the home button. And it worked flawlessly for me during my tests after taking a minute to get used to the amount of pressure required. It does take a tap much harder than a tap of a touchscreen or Apple’s MacBook trackpads for example, but once you get used to the amount of required pressure, taps were recognized just as consistently in my experience.
So it solves the issue of reaching Apple’s contextual and in-app back buttons (and any buttons that appear in the upper right corner), but that doesn’t solve the issue of Apple not having a system-wide “back” function. In other words, you’ll be limited to whatever buttons are in those locations in the app or iOS screen you’re currently viewing.
My one complaint: The screen protector isn’t exactly a perfect fit or the iPhone 6 I tested it on. As you can see in the photos above and below, it stops just short of the rounded edge/bezel of the display, making the outer edge of the screen protector visible when the display is off. But it’s not an issue when the display is on as it lines up perfectly with where the screen meets the bezel.
The product comes with the tempered glass screen protector and a small lint-free cloth and alcohol pad to clean the device before applying the screen protector. You simply remove an adhesive backing on the screen protector, line it up with the device and press down to make sure it grips the entire screen. It’s a hard piece of tempered glass, not a flimsy film like other screen protectors, so there’s not much concern with air bubbles or damaging the product during installation. You’ll just need to make sure the device and your hands are as clean as possible so nothing gets trapped underneath. And I had no problems removing the screen protector, but the adhesive will eventually wear so reapplying is hit and miss.
At $20 or less, to me it makes a lot of sense to opt for the BoxWave ClearTouch over another screen protector that doesn’t offer any functionality beyond protection. The product is on par with other glass screen protectors I’ve tested from the well known brands, and so it’s worth the few extra dollars to get the addition of the invisible buttons built-in.
The BoxWave ClearTouch SmartButtons screen protector is available for the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus ($20.95), or the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus ($17.95) now.
Filed under: iOS, iOS Devices, Reviews Tagged: Android, Apple, back button, boxwave, cleartouch, Glass, review, screen protector, tempered glass
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Tweetbot 4.1 for iOS brings the popular Twitter app to Apple Watch
Tapbots is out with Tweetbot 4.1 for iOS, bringing Tweetbot to the Apple Watch for the first time. The update follows the massive Tweetbot 4.0 launch at the start of October which included a redesigned iPad version plus iOS 9-specific features and more. The new Tweetbot 4.1’s Apple Watch app is made for watchOS 2 and lets users compose new tweets, view recent activity, respond to mentions, and view profiles. Tweetbot for Apple Watch also enhances the way notifications look with a richer, custom appearance.
Tweetbot for Apple Watch works more like Twitterrific and less like Twitter’s own Apple Watch app. There’s no timeline for viewing recent tweets from people you follow and you can’t yet view direct messages after their alerts are dismissed.
What the app does offer is very similar to the new activity view added in Tweetbot 4.0. Launch Tweetbot for Apple Watch and you’ll see a scrolling view of Twitter mentions, your tweets as they’re favorited, new follows, and the like. Tap one of these alerts and you jump to a more detailed view where you can reply, favorite, retweet, follow back, and more based on the alert.
Tapping an avatar from the detailed view takes you to that user’s profile where you can see their profile picture, a peak at their cover photo, read their bio, and see their location. From here you’re also given the option to reply, direct message, or follow/unfollow.
Force Touching, or firmly pressing the display, from the main activity view lets you tweet from the app using dictation. After you compose a tweet, you’re able to confirm the tweet, edit and start over using either dictation or emoji, or cancel altogether.
And that’s about it for now. Tweetbot for Apple Watch doesn’t yet offer a watch face complication or include a glance, but what’s there does make following up with alerts easier for Apple Watch users. The recently added Stats page might make for a useful glance in a future version, but most people tend to agree that viewing recent tweets from your timeline is better done on the iPhone (although I do enjoy peeking at the official Twitter app for seeing what’s happening in the moment). The app also includes a neat set of sounds like Tweetbot on other devices if your Apple Watch is unmuted that I enjoy.
Tweetbot 4.1 for iOS, now with Apple Watch support, is available for $4.99 (reg. $9.99) on the App Store.
Filed under: Apple Watch, Apps Tagged: Apple watch, Apple Watch apps, Tapbots, Tweetbot, Twitter, watchos 2
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Apple releases first tvOS 9.1 beta for new Apple TV
Just a few days after the retail launch of the fourth-generation Apple TV set-top-box, Apple has seeded the first beta of the device’s first software update to developers. The new version, labeled tvOS 9.1, is available for download via the developer center, much like iOS and OS X betas have been seeded. The release notes for tvOS 9.1 indicate improvements coming to WiFi network compatibility, in-app-purchases for App Store apps, and improved scrolling. This update needs to be downloaded to a computer and then installed to the set-top-box via a USB Type-C cable. Apple today also seeded the second betas of iOS 9.2 and OS X 10.11.2 to developers.
Filed under: AAPL Company
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Apple releases iOS 9.2 beta 2, second OS X 10.11.2 beta to developers
Apple today released the second iOS 9.2 beta for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch to registered developers. iOS 9.2 beta 2 follows the initial iOS 9.2 beta release just one week ago. The update is available over-the-air through the Settings app for developers already testing the release. The prior release contained few changes including extension support on Safari View Controller. The release notes only highlight bug fixes and improvements.
iOS 9.2 beta 2 continues to improve Safari View Controller, which lets you open web pages inside other apps using full-blown Safari. The second beta adds a swipe gesture for dismissing the window that was previously absent. Developers including Tapbots for Tweetbot previously had to create workarounds for this behavior.
The placement of the Done button has moved to reflect this (new left, old right).
Mac users also have a new beta available for testing today. The second OS X 10.11.2 beta is available for developers through the Mac App Store.
Over on the Mac, the latest El Capitan beta continues to focus on Graphics, Mail, Wi-Fi, Calendar, USB, Notes, Photos, and Spotlight.
Filed under: Developers, iOS Tagged: beta, developers, iOS, ios 9.2, iPad, iPhone, IPod Touch, Mac, OS X, OS X 10.11.2
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Review: Bowers & Wilkins’ Zeppelin Wireless finally brings Bluetooth to an iconic, premium iOS, Mac + Apple TV speaker
I don’t envy any vendor of legitimately premium audio accessories made for Apple’s devices. After established audio companies including Bose, Klipsch, and Bowers & Wilkins demonstrated that Apple device owners were willing to pay $300, then $400, then $600 for all-in-one speaker systems with increasingly better sound quality, Beats by Dre materialized, hooking people on expensive, stylish, and sonically underwhelming alternatives. Between Beats and the Bluetooth revolution, it seems clear that the speaker market is all about flash and convenience rather than audio quality… right?
Of course not. There have always been low-end, mid-range, high-end, and ultra-premium audio options; Beats has succeeded at capturing (a lot of) low- to mid-priced customers. By comparison, the respected British speaker maker Bowers & Wilkins focuses on the upper end of the scale. It literally established the high-end Apple speaker category with its original Zeppelin back in 2007, then refreshed it with AirPlay support as Zeppelin Air in 2011.
Now that another four years have passed, B&W has returned with another “even better” sequel: Zeppelin Wireless ($700). Having spent years touting its atypically upscale design and components as alternatives to low-fidelity speakers, the company is offering a compromise to broaden the new Zeppelin’s appeal. Despite packing speaker and amplifier hardware that’s in the same league as B&W’s $800 A7, Zeppelin Wireless includes a key feature — Bluetooth — only found in its entry-level $350 model T7. But the new Zeppelin still has AirPlay, for those who care, as well as Spotify Connect. So while the price tag may limit the number of people who can afford this new all-in-one speaker, its feature set has broad appeal…
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Key Details:
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Zeppelin Wireless’s industrial design continues the ellipsoid shape of the earlier Zeppelins, though like Apple, Bowers & Wilkins has continued to iteratively refine the initial concept. Despite the polarizing shape, this is actually the most neutral-looking Zeppelin that Bowers & Wilkins has ever made, thanks to a series of small and large tweaks that are mostly positive. Compared with its predecessors, I prefer the way Zeppelin Wireless looks both up close and from a distance, as its updated textures give it more of an ability to blend into a room.
To start with the small changes, Zeppelin Wireless is now around 26″ wide rather than just over 25″, 7.4″ rather than 6.8″ tall, and 7.2″ rather than 8.2″ deep, changes that accommodate the new model’s larger speakers. B&W has removed virtually all traces of glossy plastic from the chassis, and upgraded the front fabric from a slightly shiny material to a more sophisticated black and gray grid. The back is now matte-finished, and there’s no bass port on the rear, a surprise since prior Zeppelins had prominent rear vents.
Three large buttons are obvious near the top rear, ready to adjust volume and play/pause status, while aux-in and Bluetooth buttons are hidden on the left and right front sides of Zeppelin Wireless’s stumpy new base. A tiny multi-colored dot off to the right of the metallic Bowers & Wilkins logo is the only power and status indicator, changing from off to red to green, while a small blue-glowing Bluetooth logo on its side indicates active Bluetooth pairing. This is another set of welcome design improvements; the original Zeppelin hid one large status light behind its speaker grille, and the smaller new solutions are more subtle, enhancing a pinhole-sized lighting design found on B&W’s A7.
On the “highly noticeable” side, B&W has chopped off the chrome Dock Connector/Lightning dock that protruded from the Zeppelin and Zeppelin Air, eliminating Zeppelin Wireless’s ability to mount and charge a connected device. While the dock was a signature Zeppelin component back in 2007, it declined substantially in utility and desirability after Apple discontinued the 30-pin Dock Connector, making its omission in Zeppelin Wireless almost irrelevant. The 1″ savings in depth is primarily attributable to the missing dock.
Because it’s expected that you’ll hold your device while streaming audio to Zeppelin Wireless, B&W doesn’t include a remote control or any other frills in the package: all you get is a wall power cord and a collection of printed materials. The rear ports now are solely for wall power, optional Ethernet connectivity, 3.5mm analog aux-in, and a micro-USB service port. A tiny reset button is there if the system’s settings need to be erased.
Software, Wireless + Sonic Experiences
Setting up Zeppelin Wireless is easy. If you want to use it as a Bluetooth speaker, you just hold down the right-of-base Bluetooth button for a couple of seconds, select it from your iOS device’s Bluetooth menu, and start streaming. You can also use Bluetooth to automatically wake Zeppelin Wireless from sleep and begin playing a track, a great convenience. Alternately, if you prefer to use AirPlay, you download B&W’s free Control app (ab0ve), share your iOS device’s Wi-Fi settings with Zeppelin Wireless, select it from the AirPlay devices menu within Control Center, and press play. There’s a rear power button to turn the unit off, but it can be left on if you don’t mind the power drain. The system draws under 0.3W of power in standby mode, versus 0.8W in Zeppelin Air.
The part that’s no surprise but difficult to handle psychologically is that the Bluetooth experience is for the most part superior to AirPlay. Most audiophiles know that AirPlay offers higher bandwidth and the potential for lossless audio, thus the ability to take fuller advantage of Zeppelin Wireless’s 24-bit/192kHz DAC. AirPlay speakers can also be used — if controlled by a computer running iTunes — for simultaneous, synchronized audio, even across multiple rooms in a home.
Like Zeppelin Air, Zeppelin Wireless can do all of that. But the new model’s Bluetooth 4.1 chip is, despite its lower bandwidth, faster for pairing and more reliable for wireless streaming than AirPlay. During my testing, there was zero perceptible Bluetooth lag when changing volume, play/pause status, or tracks — something that can never be said for AirPlay streaming — and I was able to walk the entire length of a house without losing the Bluetooth wireless signal. By comparison, the AirPlay streaming (like virtually all AirPlay speakers I’ve tested) dropped out, most frequently when I went to change tracks or play/pause status; it’s unclear whether this is an iOS or speaker bug. I could switch effortlessly from an AirPlay to Bluetooth connection, but when I went in the other direction, there was an extended buffering pause. These sorts of issues with AirPlay are regrettably common, and the reason most people have stuck with Bluetooth.
What about differences in sound quality using Bluetooth or AirPlay? Most people under most circumstances would be hard-pressed to find any difference in quality between music played over Bluetooth versus AirPlay — I ran a bunch of comparisons with songs across various genres, and couldn’t find a case where the difference was even apparent at normal volumes. It’s nice that Zeppelin Wireless supports both standards, but there’s a lot of reason to prefer the way Bluetooth works as a daily driver for even a $699 speaker.
Sonically, Zeppelin Wireless continues the performance trend the Zeppelin family has been on for eight years, making meaningful under the hood technical improvements that are hidden behind the fabric facade, which notably has been radically reinforced for extra stability. In addition to using dual 1″ double-dome tweeters, the new model upgrades from twin 3″ to twin 3.5″ midrange drivers, and from a 5″ to a 6.5″ subwoofer. B&W’s web site currently lists the subwoofer as 6″, but the company’s representatives (and external pages) note that it’s actually larger.
Collectively, the changes mean that most of Zeppelin Wireless’s speakers are at least a little larger than the ones in B&W’s boxy $800 A7, which combine with the larger chassis to deliver even bigger, wider stereo sound. However, amplifier power remains the same at 150W total, a hint that the systems aren’t as different as might be guessed from the outside. It’s also worth noting that the new model’s lack of venting ports in the back means that bass won’t change as much based on this Zeppelin’s proximity to a wall.
In practice, all of the components combine to create a system with the ability to perform wonderfully at both soft and very loud volume levels, though the same was true of the prior Zeppelins and the A7 as well. B&W’s five-speaker array is, by design, able to replicate virtually every bit of the audio spectrum people are capable of hearing, lacking only in the deepest, sub-sonic bass levels one might get from a large, dedicated subwoofer. Regardless of the genres of music I tested with it, Zeppelin Wireless provided impressively balanced, detailed renditions of the original audio, letting me hear both the nuances and the flaws in my test tracks. Only at its very top volumes, namely enough to fill a medium-sized room, was a hint of distortion apparent.
When compared directly against the more expensive A7, Zeppelin Wireless offered ample but more controlled bass, a strong, detailed midrange, and roughly equivalent treble. Given that Zeppelin Wireless has a larger subwoofer, I was surprised that its low end wasn’t as forceful as A7’s, but either the lack of a bass port or otherwise deliberate restraint on B&W’s part give the new Zeppelin a more refined, less gravelly growl. I preferred Zeppelin’s balance, but bassheads may find A7’s more pronounced low end to be superior.
Overall, Zeppelin Wireless continues B&W’s legacy of delivering high-end Apple all-in-one systems that feel worthy of their asking prices. From my perspective, the addition of Bluetooth 4.1 is a legitimately game-changing new feature for this product, as its convenience and reliability are leagues ahead of AirPlay under most circumstances, with no perceptible sonic compromises. If you’ve considered a Zeppelin or A7 before but were holding back, Zeppelin Wireless provides real incentives to make the leap; regardless of the iOS device, Mac, or Apple TV you plan to use it with, it’ll look great while providing a ton of sonic horsepower. It’s the best Zeppelin yet, and dollar for dollar, the best overall speaker B&W has produced.
| Manufacturer: Bowers & Wilkins |
Price: $700 |
Compatibility: iPads, iPhones, Bluetooth iPods, Apple TV 4, Macs |
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More From This Author
Check out more of my editorials, How-To guides, and reviews for 9to5Mac here! I’ve covered a lot of different topics of interest to Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, and Apple Watch users. In addition to my popular guide to the best Apple Watch docks and stands, I’ve recently discussed how to safely prepare and wipe your iPhone for resale or trade-in, and how to get the best iPhone trade-in price to help buy an iPhone 6s, amongst many other topics.
Filed under: Reviews
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Apple Watch survey finds most customers plan to buy more bands, third-party interest increasing
Pad & Quill’s Classic Band (review), an attractive third-party Apple Watch band
Since the Apple Watch debuted earlier this year, Wristly has been tracking interesting user data around customer activity, satisfaction, and much more. The latest survey taken focuses primarily on Apple Watch bands by asking volunteer participants which band came with their Apple Watch at purchase, if they’ve already bought additional bands or plan to buy more, and even a question about the new Apple TV…
The most popular band acquired during initial Apple Watch purchase for Wristly’s participants is rather unsurprising: Sport. The $49 band comes in multiple colors across the Sport, Watch, and Edition collections, and has the lowest purchase price for any Apple Watch.
But how popular is Sport band as the first option according to Wristly’s survey? Three out of four participants opted for Sport to start. The same survey found that while 61% of participants own one Sport band, 25% surveyed own multiple Sport bands.
Runners-up include the $149 Milanese Loop at 11%, followed by 6% Link Bracelet, 4% Leather Loop, 3% Classic Buckle, and about 1% Modern Buckle. The Milanese Loop ranking next in popularity is likely due to its affordable price for a metal option relative to the $449 Link Bracelet.
Looking forward, Wristly asked how many participants plan to buy additional bands in the future. 23% surveyed say they expect to buy one or more bands from Apple while 20% will shop third-party vendors for options; 13% expect to buy from both. And while many plan to buy more bands from Apple or others, 19% surveyed have no plans for more bands and 32% are undecided. Wristly notes that it’s interest in third-party bands that has notably climbed here.
And when it comes to kicking the habit of wearing Apple Watch, 46% surveyed say it would be very hard to stop wearing their purchase while 39% responded that it would be somewhat hard, making up a plurality of 85%. Groups in single digits individually responded that it would be neither hard nor easy, somewhat easy, very easy, or already stopped wearing.
Finally, when it comes to buying an Apple Watch and planning to buy the new Apple TV, there’s overlap from brand loyalty just as you would expect. 56% surveyed plan to buy their first or add a new Apple TV with a whopping majority of responders being upgraders.
If there’s one key takeaway from this data for me, it’s that Apple knew what it was doing when it refreshed the Apple Watch lineup with new bands, mostly new Sport colors, going into the holiday season rather than doing nothing or delivering a totally new Apple Watch.
You can read the full report and see more charts at Wristly.
Filed under: Apple Watch Tagged: Apple watch, Apple Watch bands, Wristly
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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Pebble Time $150, TP-LINK Travel Router $10, Targus iPad Air Case $7, more
Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
Today’s can’t miss deals:
Pebble Time Smartwatch for iOS and Android (multiple colors): $150 shipped (Reg. $200)
This 802.11n pocket wireless router from TP-LINK is a must-have for avid travelers: $10 shipped (Orig. $40)
Targus Ultra Twill Vuscape Case for iPad Air (Black): $7 Prime shipped (83% off list)
Apple iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi: 16GB $399 (Reg. $499), 64GB $479 (Reg. $599), 128GB $559 (Reg. $699)
Apple iPad Mini 2, space gray or silver: $199 shipped ($70 off)
eBay calls on Black Friday shoppers to decide which products will get discounted this year
Amazon’s Black Friday Deals store is now open for business
Everything we know so far about this year’s best Black Friday deals and promotions
More new gear from today:
Fashion: 20% off at Amazon – Kenneth Cole Down Jacket $90 (Reg. $113), shoes, accessories, more
- Sling TV is giving away a 2nd gen Chromecast when you pre-pay three months ($35 value)
- Games/Apps: Skylanders SuperChargers for iPad (pre-order) $50 (Reg. $75), more
- Acer 13-inch Chromebook 2.1GHz/2GB/16GB SSD: $209 shipped (Reg. $249)
- Daily Deals: Two Foscam Indoor IP Cameras $100, JBL Pulse Bluetooth Speaker $90, more
More deals still alive:
Buy a pair of PowerBeats 2 Wireless In-Ear Headphones, get a $50 Target gift card: $144 shipped (Orig. $200)
Beats by Dr. Dre Pill 2.0 Portable Bluetooth Speaker (multiple colors) $120 shipped (Orig. $200)
- Kindle First Books for November: Christmas in Good Hope, more
- Freebies: Gratitude Journal for iOS + Grateful Dead music + More!
- Freebies: Mighty Mac App Bundle + Brad Paisley album + More!
- Media: Breaking Bad Complete Series on Blu-ray $70 (Orig. $161), $3 DVDs, more
- Kindle savings (Prime only): Paperwhite $90 (Reg. $120), Voyage $170 (Reg. $200)
- JBL Voyager Portable Bluetooth Speaker $90 shipped (Reg. $119)
- Free PS Plus Games for November: The Walking Dead Season 2, more
- Free Xbox Live Gold Games for November: Pneuma Breath of Life, more
- App Store Free App of the Week: rop mind-bending puzzle game ($1 value)
- Headphones: Audio-Technica Over-Ears $100 (Orig. $250), more
- Power Bank Deals: Aukey 20,000mAh Dual USB $22 Prime shipped (Reg. $30), more
- Target 25% off Toys: Razor E200 Electric Scooter $117 (Reg. $144), more
- The best accessories for the new Apple TV: MFi game controllers, cables, more
- PSA: Best Buy and others launch new Apple TV pre-orders, offer potential savings
- One year Sam’s Club membership + food coupons: $25 w/ email delivery (Reg. $45+)
- The MyKee Titanium Multi-Tool Key fits 18 tools on your keyring: $22 shipped
- 9to5Toys Specials: MiFi 500 plus 1 year of LTE $149.99, more
New products & more:
Mogees iPhone-connected sensor turns any object into a playable instrument
- Panasonic has a new line of solar powered products designed for those in need
- Amazon to offer midnight deliveries for Call of Duty: Black Ops III via Prime Now
- The LEGO Power Functions Idea Book teaches you how to build cars, contraptions and more
- This life-size R2-D2 refrigerator carries your beer to you…for a price
- GE’s new smart LED lightbulbs tell your brain when it’s time for bed
- The Altwork Station cures the standing desk blues with its reclining design
- Gibson’s Neat podcasting microphones mix fun and color
Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 9to5Toys, Amazon Gold Box, Amazon Prime, Black Friday, coupon codes, Cyber Monday, eBay Daily Deals, free, free apps, free shipping, Freebies, Lunch Break, New Toy of the Day, pebble time, playstation 4, Targus, TP-LINK, xbox one
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How to Use Google AdWords: A Beginner’s Guide to PPC Advertising [Free Ebook]
Inbound marketing campaigns are made up of a lot of different elements, making it easy to forget a piece of the puzzle if you’re not careful.
Did you send a well-segmented email? Do you have engaging tweets and Facebook posts going out at optimal times? Did you optimize your blog posts and landing pages for search? What about ads? Are you running those?
*Record scratch* … hold the phone. Ads aren’t inbound … are they?
It turns out that if you approach ad creation with an inbound mindset, they can be an extremely effective way to increase leads and customers and enhance your overall inbound marketing campaign.
In fact, when done correctly, businesses generally make an average of $2 in revenue for every $1 they spend on AdWords, according to Google.
“It’s the content that matters, not the format or path to it. When ads equal good content or help people find it, they contribute to a well-rounded inbound marketing strategy,” explains HubSpot Co-Founder, Dharmesh Shah.
So to enable you with the tools you need to create successful PPC ads using Google AdWords, we’ve created a comprehensive free guide, How to Use Google AdWords: A Beginner’s Guide to PPC Advertising. In this guide, you’ll learn how to:
- Use Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads as a part of a well-rounded inbound marketing campaign
- Use the right keywords to create relevant (and highly searchable) ads and landing pages
- Recognize keyword match types and when to use them
- Create your Google AdWords account and set budgets
- Optimize your ad copy to maximize clicks
- Determine the right goals and metrics for your ads
- … and more!
So, what are you waiting for? Download How to Use Google AdWords: A Beginner’s Guide to PPC Advertising and start earning $2 for every $1 you put in.
Have you seen success with Google AdWords? Let us know how your ads performed in the comments below.
Inbox by Gmail app for iPhone will use AI-powered Smart Reply feature to respond to messages for you
Google’s Inbox by Gmail app for iPhone is one of the best things to happen to personal email management since email was invented (at least, it is for Gmail users). Using Google Now’s power, it can automatically create calendar events, sort out your junk and priority emails and suggest reminders. Now it’s about to get a whole lot smarter.
Making use of the company’s deep neural network tech (commonly known as AI) Inbox by Gmail will soon start giving suggested responses whenever you receive an email. That means that, instead of typing out entire sentences, it’ll offer three suggestions it thinks you’re most likely to use based on the email you received. The update will hit the app later this week and joins a whole host of other AI-powered moves made by Google recently, including YouTube thumbnails, better voice search and nightmarish picture editing, among others.
In its blog post about the update, Google explains how the technology works, stating that as the email comes in, one network encodes the email by consuming the words one at a time and then produces a vector, or list of numbers. This vector essentially captures the message of what the email means. A second network then uses this ‘thought vector’ and creates a grammatically correct reply one word at a time. To the user, it should feel fast, intuitive and natural. But the process of building this capability wasn’t without its challenges:
One challenge of working with emails is that the inputs and outputs of the model can be hundreds of words long. This is where the particular choice of recurrent neural network type really matters. We used a variant of a “long short-term-memory” network (or LSTM for short), which is particularly good at preserving long-term dependencies, and can home in on the part of the incoming email that is most useful in predicting a response, without being distracted by less relevant sentences before and after.
Of course, there’s another very important factor in working with email, which is privacy. In developing Smart Reply we adhered to the same rigorous user privacy standards we’ve always held — in other words, no humans reading your email. This means researchers have to get machine learning to work on a data set that they themselves cannot read, which is a little like trying to solve a puzzle while blindfolded — but a challenge makes it more interesting!
Since testing, Google’s engineers have been surprised by how good the neural network-powered Smart Reply system is at getting it right. If you have the Inbox app installed on your iPhone, you’ll be able to download the AI-infused update from next week. If you haven’t used it yet, you can grab it from the App Store for free.
Filed under: Apps Tagged: AI, Apps, deep neural networks, email, Gmail, Google, Inbox by Gmail, neural networks, Updates
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Apple Pay now works with over 50 more banks and credit unions
With Apple Pay over a year old now in the United States, we’re still seeing Apple add new partner banks and credit unions across the country to support its mobile payment service. In the latest expansion, over 50 additional participating partners have been added to now work with Apple Pay on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Still waiting for your bank to make the jump? These are the latest to join:
Alternatives Federal Credit Union
Army Aviation Center Federal Credit Union
Artisans’ Bank
Bank of Eastman
Bank of Rantoul
Bridgeview Bank Group
Carson Bank
Calumet Bank
Catholic & Community Credit Union
Central State Bank
Charter Oak Federal Credit Union
Cincinnati Police Federal Credit Union
Citizens First Ban
Cornerstone Bank
Cornerstone National Bank
Credit Union of America
Drummond Community Bank
Education Employees Credit Union
First Community Credit Union (MO)
First Federal Bank of the Midwest
First Piedmont Federal Savings and Loan Association
Genisys Credit Union
German American
Gorham Savings Bank
Greenwood Credit Union
Houston Texas Fire Fighters Federal Credit Union
Hudson River Community Credit Union
InTouch Credit Union
KV Federal Credit Union
Lexington Postal Credit Union
Macatawa Bank
Maine Family Federal Credit Union
Marion State Bank
Missouri Bank
Missouri Credit Union
Mocse Credit Union
Municipal Employees Credit Union of Oklahoma City
Mutual Bank
Newaygo County Service Employees Credit Union
Oak Trust Credit Union
Peoples Bank
Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union
PyraMax Bank
Settlers Federal Credit Union
The Bank
The Provident Bank
Tri City National Bank
TwinStar Credit Union
UMassFive College Federal Credit Union
United Equity Credit Union
United Savings Credit Union
University of Kentucky Federal Credit Union
Upper Peninsula State Bank
Weokie Credit Union
In addition to these 54 new partners, Apple turned on support for over 70 more partners at the end of last month. Since then we’ve also seen Kohl’s become the first retailer to let customers use their store credit card with Apple Pay as Kohl’s Charge card was recently added.
Apple also announced that Apple Pay would expand outside of the US and UK by the end of this year into Canada and Australia for American Express cardholders while Spain, Singapore, and Hong Kong are planned for next year under the same partnership.
And if you’re looking for more places to use Apple Pay, it was recently announced that Starbucks will be bringing support to its stores starting this year (it’s already an option within the app but not in stores) as KFC and Chili’s have signed on for 2016.
Filed under: Apple Pay Tagged: Apple pay
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17 Ways to Prep Your Ecommerce Site for the Holiday Rush
The holidays are coming quickly. Are you ready? Maybe you’ve already started your prep work so you won’t struggle when the orders start rolling in. If not, now’s the time to start decking the halls. Sometimes you need more than a brief overview to get everything organized. That’s why this checklist is everything you need. Ready to get started?
1) Mobile Responsiveness
Not set up for mobile shopping? Your customers will go elsewhere. Projections say 30-35% of shoppers will complete their purchases on mobile devices.
2) Site Traffic
Not used to an influx of visitors to your site? You don’t want to lose valuable sales while your site is down. Be ready for anything.
3) Site Speed
If your site takes more than three seconds to load, you could lose up to 40% of your buyers. Check your site speed and streamline whatever you can.
4) Content Calendar
If you haven’t already started planning your blogs, videos, tweets, and Facebook posts, get on that pronto. Some are already advertising for the holidays, which puts you behind the times.
5) Social Inbox
Know what your buyers are saying about you on social media? Now’s the time to start listening. Be ready to meet their needs when they mention your company in social channels.
6) Sales Planning
Nothing is more embarrassing than launching a sale with the wrong prices and products. Even more embarrassing is losing so much money with your accidental sales that you have to recant. Plan early and pay attention to every single detail. Keep a spreadsheet with all information so you can come back to double-check.
7) Sales Emails
You need time to plan the right copy for your sales emails. If you wait too late, you’ll miss your chance to really move buyers with your words.
8) Graphic Design
Don’t leave all the design work until the last minute, or you might not have a graphic designer on staff for much longer. Get all your graphics ready to go—and there will be a lot—well before you’re ready to use them. Emails, website banners, CTAs, gift guides, blog headers, PPC ads… The list goes on.
9) Ad Keywords
Do you know which keywords you’ll use for your pay-per-click ads? If not, start planning now. You’ll be in competition with many companies for top search spots, so using the most popular choices isn’t an option. You need a strategy, and strategy takes time.
10) Ad Copy
With your keywords chosen, it’s time to consider your ad copy. You need to make sure those terms fit naturally in your copy. If they don’t, you won’t get anywhere with potential buyers.
11) Abandoned Cart Emails
Start planning early for those who’ll inevitably leave your site without making a purchase. Keep in mind that 75% of those deserters do plan to buy; they may just need a little nudge.
12) Social Media Ads
With paid options extending to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and even Instagram, you need to determine the best outlet for your paid ads. Then make sure your message fits your outlet and audience.
13) Plan Shipping
If you want to offer some shipping deals this season, start planning now. You’ll need to adjust your checkout page so that everyone gets the shipping plan they need. Remember that shipping prices are the number one reason for cart abandonment.
14) Plan Staffing
Will you need extra hands on deck during the holidays? Now’s the time to plan for it rather than the day of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
15) Plan Returns
With a higher purchase rate during the holidays, you also have to be prepared for a higher rate of returns. Sometimes people will make gift purchases that just don’t work out. Are you ready to accept those products back and process refunds or exchanges?
16) Track Traffic
To plan for future holiday seasons, you’ll need to know your traffic for this year. Keep an eye on what drives people to your site so you can tweak the results and get even more buyers in the future.
17) Customer Service
Are you ready to field all questions and complaints? Someone should be alert at all hours to keep an eye on social channels, answer the phone, or respond to emails. Keeping buyers satisfied is one of the most important tasks you’ll tackle.
And now you’re ready… theoretically. If you’ve never experienced a holiday sales season, nothing can prepare you for what’s about to come. At least you’ll have all your ducks in a row!
Fitbit says sales unaffected by Apple Watch as revenues rise 168% year-on-year
Fitbit CEO James Park says that the company’s sales have been unaffected by the Apple Watch, as the company announced Q3 revenue up 168% year-on-year, reports the Guardian.
On a conference call with investors, Park said that the rollout of other smart watches, which often come with a step-tracker similar to Fitbit’s main function, did not have impact on the company’s growth. When asked about Apple’s new watch specifically, he said it had “no material impact”. He added that Apple and Fitbit cater to “two very different segments in the market” in terms of price point and use and that “there’s room for more than one dominant player.”
While there is no current overlap in pricing – Fitbit devices start from just $60 and top out at $250 – the statement may look a little optimistic in years to come. Apple is likely to add functionality to future Watches while maintaining its premium pricing, but it’s not impossible it could follow its iPhone strategy of keeping previous-generation devices on sale at a reduced price when new ones launch.
That could see the two companies competing at least at the $250 level – and in the meantime, there are already discounted Apple Watches out there, from Apple and others.
Via The Verge
Filed under: Apple Watch, Tech Industry Tagged: Apple watch, Fitbit, fitness, Health, sales, Wearables
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Apple’s planned manufacturing spend suggests a huge holiday quarter – Morgan Stanley
While most analysts are expecting Apple to comfortably beat its holiday quarter guidance of $75.5-$77.5B, one large firm of analysts goes much further.
An investment note by Morgan Stanley seen by Business Insider says that an analysis of Apple’s financial report suggests that the company could be gearing up for quarterly sales totalling as much as $84.4B.
The clue, claims the company, is the company’s off balance-sheet spending commitments.
Apple’s last quarterly report revealed $29.5 billion in off balance-sheet commitments, and $7.3 billion in other commitments, at the end of the September quarter.
These usually represent money that Apple is planning to spend on parts and manufacturing equipment.
It should be noted that although Apple has recently been beating its own guidance of late, this has typically been by just a few percent – nothing like the leap Morgan Stanley is suggesting. While Steve Jobs used to give extremely conservative guidance, seemingly enjoying blowing expectations out of the water, Tim Cook promised more accurate guidance under his leadership and has more-or-less been delivering on that.
It also wouldn’t be the first time the analysts have made big leaps on little data. We’re going to file this one in the skeptical pile.
Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: AAPL, AAPL Q1 2016, Apple financials, Morgan Stanley, Q1 2016
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