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Chase announces its QR code-based Apple Pay competitor Chase Pay
Yet another bank has announced today that it is launching its own mobile payment solution. At the Money20/20 conference in Las Vegas today, Chase announced that it is launching Chase Pay. Chase Pay is digital wallet solution similar to Apple Pay that allows users to pay with their phones at retail locations and online (via Re/code).
There’s one notable difference between Chase Pay and Apple Pay. Chase’s offering works by giving shoppers a QR code to show to their cashier, while Apple Pay works by using NFC technology to tap and pay. Another example Chase showed is paying for a dinner by taking a photo of the bill.
To get Chase Pay into more retail stores, the company will be partnering with MCX, the consortium that has recently faced more than its fair share of struggles thanks to increasing competition from Apple Pay. In some MCX stores, Chase Pay users will be able to show that QR code to pay, while in others they will be forced to use Chase Pay within MCX’s CurrentC app on their phones.
Chase’s QR code solution is an interesting idea that certainly sets it apart from the competition. But given that Chase credit and debit cards are supported by Apple Pay, it seems like a steep task for the bank to be able to convince users to use its solution versus Apple’s, which is built-in to the operating system and included in the set-up process through which every iOS user goes.
Chase Pay is slated to launch in “about the middle of 2016,” the company said.
Filed under: Apple Pay, Tech Industry Tagged: Apple pay, chase, Chase Pay, mobile payments
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Want to work with Zane Lowe on Beats 1? Apple Music is hiring
While it appears to be an entry-level position, it will likely be a hot one for anyone looking to get a job in radio: Apple just posted a job listing looking for a production assistant that will work directly with famed radio personality Zane Lowe and the team producing the 24/7 Beats 1 radio station that Apple launched alongside its Apple Music streaming service back in June.
The job listing posted on Apple’s website is seeking a production assistant for Beats 1 to work specifically on Lowe’s show. That includes “creative content ideas, editing, and execution of both audio and video,” and it also means the position will be at Lowe’s Beats 1 studio located in LA. Apple gave a brief tour of the studio back in July.
Zane Lowe was hired away from his popular show on BBC Radio 1 to run the live streaming radio offering included with Apple Music. The DJ and radio personality recently gave his take on how things have been going so far noting that Apple told him not to worry about numbers, but simply to “go out and make noise.”
Following that interview, Apple earlier this month revealed for the first time that it has 6.5 million paying Apple Music subscribers and 15 million total users since launching in late June. It didn’t, however, break out any numbers related to Beats 1 specifically.
Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Apple Music, Beats 1, DJ, job listing, LA, production assistant, radio, zane lowe
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Facebook bolstering iOS Notifications tab with sports scores, birthdays, more
If you’re a Facebook user, you’re definitely familiar with the Notifications tab in the company’s iOS app. Although it has barely evolved from being a simple stream of your notifications since its introduction many years ago, Facebook has today come out to outline some changes on the way to make it more useful and personalized.
Assumably since most of us rarely use or view notifications that are more than a day old, Facebook has decided to use the space in the Notifications tab in other, more useful, ways. With the new version, you’ll find the 5 or so most recent activity notifications at the top, with handfuls of additional — and hopefully useful — information below.
Among the things that Facebook says it is adding to the Notifications tab are friends and family “milestones” (which include birthdays, major life events, and the like), sports scores and television notifications based on the pages you have already liked, as well as events that are around the corner (but, seemingly, only those that you’ve already joined).
Facebook says that if you head into the app settings and allow it to see your location history (which many users already have), you can see things like local events based on your physical location, as well as weather updates, movies that are playing at nearby theaters, and even places to eat. Unsurprisingly, most of these features will connect your with many locations’ Facebook pages.
Facebook says that the update is rolling out “gradually,” so it should appear on your device sometime in the next few days.
Filed under: AAPL Company, Apps, iOS Tagged: Android, app, Apple, Facebook, Google, iOS, iPhone, notifications, update
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Do You Flit or Do You Lead?
Do You Flit or Do You Lead?
By Roy Osing
Many leaders don’t lead at all, they flit from this to that, from one crisis to another, from one priority to another. They don’t land on anything.
They don’t spend too long on any one issue because they want to avoid being pinned down for an opinion or […]
from Project Management Articles – PM Hut http://ift.tt/1kI807w
via pmhut.com
The best accessories for the new Apple TV: MFi game controllers, keyboards, cables, more
From 9to5Toys.com:
The new Apple TV is now available for pre-orders with the first units set to ship on Friday. Apple has introduced a number of features to its new streaming device, including an App Store, a fresh remote with Siri built-in, universal search and support for MFi gaming controllers. However, the fourth generation Apple TV is pretty light on included accessories. It doesn’t even come with an HDMI cable.
Head below for all the must-have controllers, add-ons and accessories to take full advantage of Apple’s latest release.
MFi Apple-Certified Gaming Controllers:
The Apple TV has a new App Store with games and other titles that require more input than the usual directional pad. There is only support for one Siri-connected remote at a time, so if you’re wanting to play multiplayer games, you’ll need another controller. To fully enjoy games like Manticore Rising, Shadowmatic, Guitar Hero Live and others we recommend the following options:
- SteelSeries Stratus: $58
- 10 hour battery life
- Familiar console-style design
- Available in white or black
- Also available in a larger size
- SteelSeries Nimbus: $50
- Apple TV-specific controls
- Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity
- 40-hour battery life
- HORI HORIPAD Wireless Gaming Controller: $80
- Dual analog buttons, eight face/shoulder buttons and directional pad
- Up to 20 hours of battery life
- Includes USB charging cable
- Mad Catz C.T.R.L.i Mobile Gamepad: $48
- Up to 40 hours of gameplay with AAA batteries
- Accompanying iOS app
- Adjustable iPhone holder
Keyboards:
While text entry is expected to be somewhat easier with Siri built-in, sometimes a keyboard is just simpler. There are a number of options out there on the market, but here are some of our favorites:
- Anker Bluetooth Ultra-Slim Keyboard: $16
- Low profile Keys
- Three months of battery life with two AAA batteries
- 18-month warranty
- Logitech K810 Wireless Keyboard: $37
- Support for up to three devices
- Cradle for Apple TV remote, iPhone, iPad
- Single dial switch to go from device-to-device
- Logitech K810 Wireless Keyboard: $74
- Support for up to three devices
- Backlit Keys
- Aluminum finish
HDMI Cables:
It’s pretty disappointing that Apple still isn’t including an HDMI cable with its Apple TV. One of the standout features of this new device is CEC support, which allows users to control their HDTV and other devices through a HDMI cable. Not all HDTVs support this, you’ll want to grab a HDMI 2.0 cable to be safe, which includes support for 4K, ethernet and an Audio Return Channel. Don’t be fooled by expensive cables, these options from Amazon will do.
We also recommend grabbing a HDMI switcher for your setup. Many HDTVs only offer three to four HDMI inputs. By adding a switch, you’ll have plenty of room for any other additions.
MFi Lightning Cables:
Thankfully Apple does include a Lightning Cable for recharging the included remote. The bad news? It’s not very long. No one wants to walk up to the TV while the remote is charging. Grab a cable with extra length to keep yourself locked on the couch.
- 6-foot Lightning Cable: $8
- 10-ft. Braided with Lightning cable + microUSB connector: $18
- 15-foot Lightning Cable: $13
Developers and those with early access to the latest Apple TV OS will want to grab a USB-C cable for diagnostics and programming. We recommend this six-foot cable, which is going to give you plenty of room to operate.
HDTVs:
If you’re still rocking a standard definition televsion, it’s time to upgrade. If you have a 720 or 1080p set from a few years back, there are likely some features you’re missing out on. Here are a few of our favorites, with CEC compatibility, to take full advantage of the new Apple TV. Below you’ll find some of our favorite options.
- VIZIO E50-C1 50-inch 1080p Smart LED HDTV: $528
- Wi-Fi connectivity
- Three HDMI inputs
- 120Hz refresh rate
- Sony KDL50W800C 50-inch 1080p Smart LED HDTV: $698
- Wi-Fi connectivity
- Four HDMI inputs
- 120Hz refresh rate
- LG 65LF6300 65-Inch 1080p 120Hz Smart LED TV: $1,398
- webOS 2.0
- Three HDMI inputs
- 120Hz refresh rate
Other Important Apple TV Accessories:
Filed under: Apple TV Tagged: Apple TV, Best Accessories, cables, HDTVs, MFi Controllers, remote, Siri
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9to5Toys Lunch Break: $100 iTunes Gift Card for $75, Power Bank + Lightning Cable $15, Polk giveaway, 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:
$100 iTunes Gift Card for $75 with email delivery from PayPal (25% off), more
USB Roundup: Aukey 5000mAh Charger + MFi Lightning Cable $15 (Reg. $21), Lumsing 13400mAh Power bank $23, more
Giveaway: Polk Audio’s Omni Whole Home Music System – Soundbar w/ subwoofer and S2 Speaker ($880 value)
Best Buy lands the first major blow in this year’s battle for holiday shoppers
Amazon thinks leaving your house is over-rated, expands Prime free same-day delivery service
Dell Black Friday Ad Leak: Gears of War Xbox One w/ Fallout 4 + controller $300, VIZIO 60-Inch 4K HDTV $800, more
More new gear from today:
Fashion deals at Amazon – extra 20% off fall athletic/outdoor shoes: Caterpillar boots $52, ASICS running shoes $40, more
- GoPro HERO4 Session action camera w/ $40 Amazon Gift Card: $275 shipped ($340 value)
- Headphones: Audio-Technica Over-Ears $135, JayBird Bluetooth In-ears $102, more
- Protect your new iPad mini 4 with this folio smart case: $3 Prime shipped (Reg. $10)
- Daily Deals: Garmin Nüvi 5-inch GPS $150, Foscam HD Wireless Plug & Play IP Camera $60, more
- Games/Apps: Fallout 4 pre-order (Prime only) $50, Nathan Drake PS4 bundle w/ Destiny $350, iOS freebies, more
More deals still alive:
Gift Cards up to 20% off: JCPenney, Sports Authority, more
App Store Free App of the Week: Dr. Panda’s Mailman ($4 value)
- proXPN VPN: Premium Lifetime Subscription for $39 ($375 value)
- Get started with Google’s Express delivery service: $35 credit for $10
- Marvel’s limited edition 13-disc Phase Two Blu-ray collection arrives just in time for the holidays
- Freebies: Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack + METRO 2033 eBook + Redbox movie/game rental + More!
- Seagate 4TB Portable USB 3 Hard Drive w/ 200GB Cloud: $150 shipped
- Netflix November Preview: Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Seven Deadly Sins, Aziz Ansari, more
- Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 interface + Sennheiser HD600 + Condenser Mic $400 shipped ($655 value)
- TP-Link Archer C7 802.11ac Router + DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem $130 shipped ($155+ value)
- GoPro HERO4 Silver Action Camera w/ built-in LCD display: $329 shipped (Reg. $400)
- VIZIO 2.1 Sound Stand w/ subwoofer & remote $100 shipped (Orig. $250)
- KMASHI 10,000mAh Battery $9 (Reg. $14), 6-Ft. Braided MFi Lightning Cable $8.50, more
- Media: Spider-Man Blu-ray Trilogy $14 (Reg. $32), $1 HD movie rentals, more
- 2.1-Ch. Home Audio: LG Soundbar 120W (refurb) $65 (Orig. $149)
- Acer Chromebook 1.50GHz/4GB/16GB SSD: $249 shipped (Reg. $279)
- Amazon and Toys R Us give a peek at this year’s must-have holiday gifts
- Ticket To Ride goes free on iPhone for the first time in years (Reg. $2)
- 50% off Fashion Sales: PUMA – Down Jacket $75 (Orig. $150), more
- Samsung Smart 4K HDTVs: 40-inch $550 (Reg. $700+), 50-inch $699 (Reg. $1,000+)
- Jawbone UP Move Activity Tracker: $20 w/ in-store pickup (Reg. $50)
- Display your iPhone 6/s w/ this Mpow Car Air Vent Mount $5 shipped (Reg. $9)
- Adjustable iPad mount for $17 Prime shipped (Orig. $30)
New products & more:
Dyson’s pricey 360 Eye robo-vac finally sees the light of day
Use your smartphone as a controller for these AirConsole Mac/PC browser games
- The MiniBrew launches on Indiegogo as an iPhone-connected way to make your own beer
- Bird of Prey’s prone-style bicycle puts the rider facedown while riding
- Garmin drops the bulk and adds color with its new Forerunner wearables
- D-Link’s latest surveillance cameras go wide-angle with “less distortion” than the competition
- Libratone introduces multi-room audio alongside two new colorful ZIPP speakers
- Guitar Hero Live lands on iOS with a new mobile instrument bundle
- Gold is Best: This one-off Macintosh is a must see with its walnut enclosure and shiny keyboard
- This mini Segway hopes to take-off with its affordable price tag and compact design
- You’ll have to hurry to grab one of these limited edition Fallout 4 Xbox One controllers
Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 9to5Toys, Amazon, app deals, Best Buy, Daily Deals, free apps, Gold Box, itunes gift cards, video games
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Apple Stores will send some iPhone 6/6s phones for off-site repairs, offering 16GB loaners
In an effort to reduce wait times at Genius Bars within Apple Stores, Apple this week will begin piloting a new repair program for the iPhone 6, 6s, 6 Plus and 6s Plus in select stores across the United States, Europe, and Japan, according to several employees. Rather than completing all repairs in store, the new program will allow Apple Store Genius Bars to determine that these phones should be shipped to an off-site repair center if the issue falls into one of three categories:
- If the device is unable to connect to iTunes on a computer
- If the iPhone will not power on
- If the iPhone does not boot up past the Apple logo
Apple has told employees that fixing these issues in the store takes significant amounts of time that could be instead allocated to serve other problems. If a customer agrees to have the iPhone 6, 6s, 6 Plus or 6s Plus sent off-site for diagnostics and repair, he or she will be loaned a 16GB iPhone 6 to use in the interim. This is the first time that Apple is offering loaner iPhone 6 units to customers and repairing the devices for general issues off-site. Apple expects the off-site repair process to take three to five business days.
Mailing in iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s units for issue diagnosis, repair, and potential replacement is a significant shift for Apple’s Genius Bar operations. This means that customers now facing certain iPhone issues will have to wait up to a work week for their iPhones to be diagnosed, fixed or replaced while they use a low-capacity, basic model loaner device in the meantime. Apple Store employees say that a new automated systems within Genius Bars will determine if the device should be fixed on-site or off-site, taking away decision-making power from the employees on scene.
Of course, this program is just launching in pilot form and may not end up spreading to all Apple Stores across the world, so customers may end up avoiding needing to use low-capacity loaner phones. This would be a huge differentiator from the previous Apple Store Genius Bar standards, whereby a customer with an iPhone under warranty has been able to come in with a problem and leave with a solution, and it is unlikely that Apple Store employees and end-users alike will all enjoy this change.
Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Apple Store, Genius Bar, iPhone, mail-in, off-site, repairs
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Want to Rank Better in Search? Avoid These 10 SEO Mistakes [Infographic]
Search ranking is a critical component of any inbound marketing strategy. When it comes to designing and writing content for your website, it’s important to have search engine optimization top-of-mind.
After all, the top three results on a search query get 61% of all search clicks — and 75% of search engine users never scroll past the first page of search results.
If you find yourself struggling to gain exposure in search engines, it could be because your website isn’t optimized for search.
Want to increase your website traffic via organic search? Start by ensuring you aren’t making any of the most common SEO mistakes on your website. Mistakes like keyword stuffing, broken links, duplicate content, and non-unique title tags can really hurt your chances of being found in search.
Check out the infographic below from Fertile Frog for a list of 10 common SEO mistakes and how to fix them. (And read this blog post to learn about common SEO mistakes in more detail.)
AAPL down ahead of Apple’s Q4 2015 earnings call tomorrow
AAPL is down significantly today ahead of Apple’s fiscal Q4 earnings call scheduled to take place tomorrow, despite the usual predictions of growth across the board by the market and the majority of analysts.
Apple shares were down around 2.70% to approximately $115 at time of writing, which Reuters noted this morning made it “the biggest drag on the three major indexes.”
As for what the market is expecting at Apple’s earnings call tomorrow, the average from analyst estimates predicted around 48.72 million iPhone units sold, which would represent growth from the 39.72 million units it sold in the same quarter last year. Of note, however, is the fact that China wasn’t included in the initial launch and thus not included in sales for Q4 earnings last year.
And while Apple is unlikely to break out any sort of solid sales numbers for Apple Watch, the analyst estimates are all over the place ranging from as low as 2.5 million units to 6 million units during the quarter with an average of almost 4 million.
During its Q3 2015 earnings, Apple offered guidance for the upcoming fourth quarter results of revenue between $49 billion and $51 billion, and a gross margin between 38.5 percent and 39.5 percent. Wall Street is estimating an average of around $51 billion, on the high end of Apple’s guidance for the quarter.
While Apple reported record iPhone sales with the launch of its iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, Wall Street didn’t respond positively and AAPL stock didn’t rise, which at the time was thought to be due to expectations related to the addition of China as a launch market.
As always, we’ll have full coverage of Apple’s Q4 2015 earnings call tomorrow.
Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: AAPL, Apple, earnings, earnings call, Q4 2015
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How-To: Get the expensive Apple Watch Hermés look for under $100
There are now four “versions” of the Apple Watch — the $349+ Apple Watch Sport, the $549+ Apple Watch, the $1,100+ Apple Watch Hermés, and the $10,000+ Apple Watch Edition. Apart from metal and glass differences, all four Apple Watches are virtually identical to one another, enabling DIYers and entrepreneurs to tweak one model to look like another. Earlier this year, gold plating services made the Apple Watch look like the Apple Watch Edition for under $400. Now there are ways to make the Apple Watch Sport or Apple Watch look like an Apple Watch Hermés for under $100.
Apple uses the silver stainless steel Apple Watch as the base for the Apple Watch Hermés, but upgrades it with three Hermés leather watch bands: Single Tour ($1,100 model, 38mm or 42mm), Double Tour ($1,250 model, only 38mm), or Cuff ($1,500 model, only 42mm), representing a premium of over $500 to $900 depending on the band. Here are some third-party alternatives that let you achieve the same basic look without dropping the extra cash….
Cuff
The Cuff is both the most expensive Apple Watch Hermés option — $1,500 — and the most limited, available only in a single 42mm size and color (“Fauve Barenia”). But third-party cuff alternatives are a lot more affordable and offered in a much wider variety of sizes and colors. Arguably the closest to Hermés is Black Forest Atelier’s $99.90 Leather Cuff Band (far left) which comes in 38mm or 42mm sizes, with your choice of stainless steel or space gray lugs, as well as three brown color variations: two-tone medium brown C1, two-tone dark brown C2, and the Hermés-like one-tone C3 (shown). Jack Foster Leather’s $165 Cuff Strap (center left) uses Horween Dublin leather in either dark cognac or English tan colors, similarly in 38/42mm sizes with stainless or gray lugs.
There are two other custom-made options, the Leather Watch Cuff Strap from EternitizzzStrap ($120) and Goriani’s Leather Watch Strap ($82, 38/42mm). The former (shown center right) is solely for 42mm Apple Watches, made from French leather, and sold by default in “classic brown” with white stitching as shown; you can request customizations of the leather and stitching, and choose from lugs in silver, gray, black, gold, or rose gold. Goriani’s (shown far right) is the least expensive of the Cuff alternatives, but also looks the funkiest. It’s sold in 38mm or 42mm versions, but only one color.
If you want to take a risk on something that’s less expensive, the V-Moro Cuff Band ($37, above) looks like a close knockoff of the Hermés cuff, and comes in brown, black, or red versions, each 38mm or 42mm. Made by Vilo Tech and shipped from overseas, this is advertised with some of Apple’s official Apple Watch Hermés product shots — something that should give you pause. Unlike what the photos suggest, none of the cuffs magically enables a regular Apple Watch to display the Hermés watch faces Apple includes with that model.
Double Tour
If you like the look of the double-wrapped leather band of the Apple Watch Hermés, but not the contrast stitching, there are a few options. San Antonio-based Arrow & Board makes a Double Wrap Strap ($99, shown left and center) in whiskey brown with your choice of black, silver, or gold lugs in 38mm or 42mm sizes, with either black or brass hardware. Brooklyn’s E3 Supply Co. has eight different colors of its Double Wrap Band ($139, shown right), each with stainless steel or black hardware, in 38mm or 42mm sizes.
Alternately, Leathersy offers a Double Tour strap (shown left) in five different colors: natural tanned, deep brown, navy blue, purplish red, and black. Unlike the Hermés version, you can choose from 38mm or 42mm sizes, as well as watch lugs in silver, black, gold or rose gold to match any Apple Watch. Unlike the others, it uses a stud to hold the band on your wrist, and included hardware lets you reposition it for an ideal fit. The bands are $90 without lugs, or $110 with your choice of lug sizes and colors.
Goriani (shown right) sells a funkier, more obviously handmade version of the Double Tour with less precise contrast stitching for $60-$80, color-dependent. You can choose from black, red, brown, or high-contrast brown. Like the Leathersy versions, you can choose from 38mm or 42mm bands. The company uses Italian leather, and can custom-make a version to your specifications. You’ll have to order the Apple Watch lugs separately.
Once again, there are some lower-end options available, starting with a V-Moro version of the Double Tour (left) available for $36 in black, blue, brown, or red, Another company called Kartice sells black, brown, and blue Double Tours (center) for $37, as does a vendor named HappyCell, which has inexpensive-looking blue, black, red, brown and gray versions (right) for $25 each. As mentioned above, this collection of vendors tends to use official Apple Watch Hermés images in promoting their products, but you shouldn’t expect the Hermés watch faces to be available on a non-Hermés Apple Watch.
Single Tour
The Single Tour is Hermés’ least distinctive leather band, and one that can easily be approximated using any number of different leather straps at various price points. RDSTrading sells entry-level Single Tour-like bands for $30 each in your choice of 38mm or 42mm sizes, including black or brown colors similar to Hermés’ Noir and Fauve Barenia options. Zenok Leather custom-makes fancier $85-$95 versions in various shades of red, brown, and black, letting you choose the stitching and leather colors you prefer. You can go with something subdued like the Hermés options, or a higher-contrast version such as soft red or baseball glove black.
I’ve covered a couple of other Single Tour alternatives in recent reviews, notably Incipio’s Premium Leather Band and the Nomad Strap, each of which bears more than a passing resemblance to the Hermés Single Tour. They may not be exact matches, but then, with $60 to $150 price points, you’ll save a lot of money versus the $1,100 Apple Watch Hermés, regardless of whether you start with a $349+ Apple Watch Sport or $549+ Apple Watch.
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:
How-To, Apple Watch Tagged: Apple watch, Apple Watch Hermès, hermes
Continue reading more about Apple watch, Apple Watch, and
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Apple’s new Lightning-equipped Beats Pill+ is now available
Apple TV 4 isn’t the only new hardware coming out of Cupertino today. Announced earlier this month, the new Beats Pill+ is now available to order for $229 in black or white finishes. The new portable Bluetooth speaker is the first new design to come out of Beats since Apple bought the headphones and speaker company last for $3 billion last year in part to use its Beats Music service as the foundation for Apple Music. The rechargeable speaker uses a Lightning port and cable, the same as iPhones, to power up for up to 12 hours of use.
Pill+ also works with an app, available for both iPhone and Android, to let you and friends control what music plays next as well as set the sound preferences. The Pill+ also supports pairing two units together for a stereo effect.
Similar to the larger recalled Pill XL and cheaper Pill 2.0 (reg. $199, on sale $155), Pill+ also features a USB port with charge out for powering your smartphone on-the-go using the speaker’s built-in battery. Like other Beats speakers, Pill+ still relies on Bluetooth (or line-in) and doesn’t support Wi-Fi or AirPlay. Aside from the clearly Apple-influenced redesign, Apple’s proprietary Lightning port and Apple Inc. stamp on the bottom is the only major changes here.
Beats Pill+ is available to order for $229 in either black or white from Apple.com with other retailers coming soon. Free shipping promises Wednesday deliveries for most people with paid options for shipping as soon as before noon tomorrow. Beats Pill+ comes with a 1.5m Lightning cable and 12.5W power adapter for recharging.
Filed under: AAPL Company, Apple Music Tagged: Apple, Beats, Beats Pill, Pill
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Email suggests Singapore will get its first Apple Store late next year on Orchard Road
Pure Fitness has sent an email to its customers reporting that its branch at 170 Orchard Road in Singapore will be closing at the end of the year to make way for a new Apple Store set to open in late 2016, reports TechInAsia.
Pure and other tenants will be handing back space to make way for the opening of a new Apple store in late 2016.
It made the same statement in a later press release. While this is an unconfirmed report, the location would make sense …
Orchard Road – commonly referred to in Singapore simply as Orchard – is the best-known retail area on the island, and home to many fashion brands, upmarket restaurants and hotels. The Grand Park hotel is located above the stores on the block.
While the online Apple Store is available in Singapore, retail sales are currently only available via third-party resellers.
Apple this week held the grand opening for one of its largest retail stores in the world, in Dalian, China. The title of world’s largest Apple Store looks set to be taken by the Dubai store, set to open this week.
Photo: parkhotelgroup.com
Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Apple Store, Asia, china, Dalian, Dubai, Orchard, Orchard Road, Pure Fitness, Singapore, TechinAsia
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Home tracking firm Zillow demonstrates the Apple effect on housing prices in San Francisco & San Jose
It’s long been taken as read that high tech company salaries push up housing costs in the surrounding areas, but the WSJ commissioned home tracking company Zillow to provide some hard data. By tracking the increase in values of homes owned by Apple employees, it was able to prove that home values in those areas rose further and faster than in surrounding areas with similar demographics.
The piece notes that zoning laws and regulatory red tape also have a significant effect, by limiting the supply of housing at a time when demand is increasing, but the comparison does suggest that there is a direct link to tech companies like Apple.
Homes occupied by Apple workers are appreciating at 18% a year, compared with 11% for San Francisco as a whole and 12% for San Jose. Since iPhone sales launched in June 2007 [and stock values rose], the Zillow analysis found, the average difference between the median home value of Apple workers and San Jose workers has swelled to 20% from 13%.
The problem of lower-paid workers finding it hard to find housing within reasonable commuting distance of tech companies like Apple has been highlighted in the past. Apple took the decision back in March to hire the majority of its previously contracted security guards as staff, providing them with health insurance and retirement benefits. The company also arranged for its contracted shuttle bus workers to get an improved deal.
Filed under: AAPL Company, General, Tech Industry Tagged: Apple Inc, housing, San Francisco, San Jose, tech companies, Zillow
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The new Apple TV is now available to order from the Apple Online Store, first units ship October 30th
The Apple TV is now available to order from Apple’s online store, $149 for the 32 GB model and $199 for the 64 GB model. The first Apple TV orders will ship later this week, from October 30th.
The new fourth-generation Apple TV is first launching in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and many more … with a total of 80 launch countries. Not all countries get all the features however — only 12 of those regions are able to use voice search on the Siri Remote.
International pricing for the Apple TV varies. For the UK, the 32 GB model costs £129 and the 64 GB costs £169. In Canada, the device starts at CAD $199, maxing out at $269. The European price is 179 euros for 32 GB and 229 euros for the 64 GB model.
You can watch 9to5Mac’s hands-on with the 4th-gen Apple TV developer kit from a few weeks ago to get a feel for the new device or simply watch the beautiful new Aerial screensavers, if you are still on the fence about ordering.
The new Apple TV features a remote with a touch surface for easy navigation as well as built-in microphones to enable Siri voice searches. The box itself will include an App Store, vastly expanding the content selection over the third-generation Apple TV which is still available to buy for $69. Its also a much more powerful device in general, with an Apple A8 SoC included inside for high-performance apps and games.
If you are a developer working on something cool for the debut of tvOS and Apple TV, please get in touch with details about your upcoming launch.
Filed under: AAPL Company, Apple TV, iOS Devices Tagged: Apple TV, Apple TV 4, preorders
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Microsoft says iPhone users welcome in Apple Store-like 5th Ave Microsoft Store
After setting up shop just a few blocks away from Apple’s signature retail store on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, Microsoft says that iPhone users will be welcome to drop into the new Microsoft Store opening today, reports the NY Times.
“If you bring your iPhone in here, I’d love to show you how to use Office on it,” said Kelly Soligon, senior director of retail stores marketing at Microsoft.
While the piece notes that previous Microsoft Stores have seen few visitors, the company is hoping that its recently-launched Surface Books will change that.
Photo: Engadget
Filed under: Tech Industry Tagged: Apple Store, Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, Microsoft Store, New York, NY
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The Marketer’s Guide to Developing a Strong Corporate and Brand Identity
Chances are, if someone mentions GoPro, you think of a super-sturdy camera for the adventurous.
Why’s that? Because GoPro has done a good job defining its brand. Great brands like GoPro are easy to recognize. Their missions are clear, and they foster that customer loyalty all businesses crave.
A brand is one of the most valuable assets of a business, and it needs to be carefully crafted to ensure it properly and authentically represents the business.
Crafting a brand is a shared endeavor, though. Customers, employees, blog readers (sound familiar?), and anyone who interacts with a business has a role in shaping the brand, which is why we’ve created a very short survey to see what HubSpot means to you. Because what it means to you will help us deliver on your expectations. (We’ll get to that a little later in the post.)
Do you know how your brand is doing? Does your business have a brand identity?
If it doesn’t, or your brand isn’t as strong as it could be, follow along with this post. Branding may seem like a fluffy concept, but we’re going to try to put some structure around it so any marketing team can get started defining their brand strategy.
For more tips about brand identity development, download our free branding guide here.
The Definition of Brand Identity
A brand is the “name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s goods or service as distinct from those of other sellers,” according the American Marketing Association.
Your brand identity is the representation of your company’s reputation through the conveyance of attributes, values, purpose, strengths, and passions.
It includes what your brand says, what its values are, how you communicate its concepts, and which emotions you want your customers to feel when they interact with your business. As Jeff Bezos says, “Branding is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
The Brand Identity Prism
To help illustrate brand identity with a more holistic view of a brand, an internationally recognized corporate branding specialist named Jean-Noel Kapferer created a model he called the “Brand Identity Prism.” The Brand Identity Prism illustrates six aspects of brand identity: physique, personality, culture, relationship, reflection, and self-image.
Image Credit: Salman Abedin
According to the model, the synthesis of each of these elements is what drives a brand’s success. Here’s what each of them means:
1) Physique is the recognizable, physical aspect of the brand.
It includes the logo, color scheme, packaging, and the online spaces and communities. If we’re talking about Coca-Cola, it’s stuff like the logo, the cursive font, the shape of its flagship glass bottle, and so on.
2) Personality is the brand’s character.
It’s how the brand communicates with the outside world. This might be expressed in a certain writing style or voice, design style, color scheme, and even by way of celebrity endorsements. Coca-Cola’s personality is happy, playful, refreshing, and all about sharing and having a good time.
3) Culture is the value system and basic principles on which a brand bases its behavior.
There is an intimate connection between a brand’s culture and its organization. Coca-Cola’s culture is based around socializing and sharing.
4) Relationship refers to the relationship between people that a brand might symbolize.
One example would be a relationship between a mother and child, or among friends. Coca-Cola symbolizes an equal and friendly relationship among people in a community.
5) Reflection refers to the reflection of the consumer; in other words, the brand’s most stereotypical buyer.
While a company might have multiple buyer personas, this is the “top” type of buyer. For Coca-Cola, this might be 15-18-year-olds who value fun, friendships, and sports, although Coca-Cola’s target audience is much broader.
6) Self image is the consumer’s ideal self.
It’s kind of like a mirror the target persona holds up to him or herself. Marketers and advertisers can draw on their target audience’s self image to direct their strategy and approach. A Coca-Cola drinker, for example, might see him or herself as social, communicative, and the type of person who seeks adventure and pushes boundaries.
Now that you have a better idea of what brand identity is, let’s talk about how it applies to your branding strategy.
Determine Where Your Company Sits in the Market
Before you attempt to define your brand, you need to do some exploration. Take a long look at your company to get a clear picture of its purpose and place. The familiar SWOT analysis can help, actually. Here’s what each letter of the acronym stands for:
- Strengths: Characteristics of the business or project that give it an advantage over others.
- Weaknesses: Characteristics that place the team at a disadvantage relative to others.
- Opportunities: Elements that the project could exploit to its advantage.
- Threats: Elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the business or project.
When you do a SWOT analysis, you should involve everyone in your company, as well as some of your best (and worst — yes, your worst!) customers. This can be done with a simple survey that asks questions that get at the four points in the SWOT analysis. Or if you prefer, it can be achieved with an in-depth research survey and audit that looks at your brand awareness, usage, attributes, and even purchase intent. They are typically performed by an outside firm … but more on that later. You can also download our SWOT analysis template.
However you gather the information, once you get it, you should be able to sit down with your marketing team and clearly state your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Once you have a clear understand of your SWOT, it’s time to define your brand.
The Steps to Corporate Identity Design & Development
Developing or refining a corporate identity is a five-step process that aims to clearly define what your brand stands for: its goals, its personality, the emotions you want people to experience when they come into contact with your brand, and a clear conveyance of that identity through a positioning statement. Here’s what you’ll need to create to do that:
Step 1: Vision Statement
A vision statement describes what you want your company to become in the future. It should be aspirational and inspirational. Ideally, the statement should be one sentence in length and should not explain how the vision will be met. (Don’t worry, that’ll come later.)
When developing your vision, keep these questions in mind:
- What are your most important products and services?
- What products and services will you never offer?
- What is unique about doing business with your brand?
- How would your customers describe your brand?
- Where do you want your company to be in five years?
To give you an idea of what you should end up with, take a look at JetBlue’s vision statement:
JetBlue Airways is dedicated to bringing humanity back to air travel.”
Step 2: Mission Statement
A mission statement defines the purpose of the company. It should be simple, straightforward, articulate, and consist of jargon-free language that’s easy to grasp. It should be motivational to both employees and customers. When crafting your mission statement, keep these tips in mind:
- What are the specific market needs the company exists to address?
- What does the company do to address these needs?
- What are the guiding principles that define the company’s approach?
- Why do customers buy from you and not your competition?
To give you an idea of what a good mission statement looks like, take a look at The Walt Disney Company’s:
The Walt Disney Company’s objective is to be one of the world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information, using its portfolio of brands to differentiate its content, services and consumer products. The company’s primary financial goals are to maximize earnings and cash flow, and to allocate capital toward growth initiatives that will drive long-term shareholder value.”
Step 3: Essence
Say, what? That’s right, your essence. This sounds fluffy, but seriously, you need to develop an “essence.”
The essence of the company speaks to the intangible emotions you want your customers to feel when they experience the brand. A brand’s essence is the representation of the company’s heart, soul, and spirit, and is best described with one word. When defining the essence of your brand, consider these points:
- When your customers experience your product or service, what emotions does the encounter elicit?
- If your brand were a person, how would you describe its personality?
- Check out this SlideShare: “The 9 Criteria for Brand Essence.”
- Read this blog post on cultural archetypes.
Here are some great samples of brands’ essences:
- Volvo is “safe.”
- Disney is “magical.”
- Lamborghini is “exotic.”
Step 4: Personality
Just as with humans, a brand’s personality describes the way a brand speaks, behaves, thinks, acts, and reacts. It is the personification of the brand: the application of human characteristics to a business. For example, Apple is young and hip, whereas IBM is mature and set in its ways.
What personality do you want to put forth when people experience your brand?
- Are you lighthearted and fun?
- Are you serious and all business?
- Are you down-to-earth?
- Are you playful or matter-of-fact?
Step 5: Position or Value Proposition
A brand positioning statement, or value proposition, is a one- or two-sentence statement that clearly articulates your product or service’s unique value, and how it benefits customers. It must define the audience, define the category in which the brand exists, cite a clear product or service benefit, set your brand apart from your competitors, and instill confidence the brand will deliver on its promise.
When crafting a positioning statement, consider:
- To whom are you speaking? (Target market, demographic, and persona)
- Which market segment does your product or service serve?
- What is your brand promise? (Both rational and emotional)
- Why is your product or service different from the competition, and why should your customers care?
For instance, Warby Parker has a great brand positioning statement:
Warby Parker was founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty objective: to offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially conscious businesses.”
(Read this blog post for more examples of inspiring company vision and mission statements.)
To help make this easier for you, we condensed these questions into a checklist that you can reference during this process:
How to Translate Your Brand Identity Into Actual Marketing
Once your brand is defined and you’re ready to take that brand to market with inbound marketing, a new website, content, paid media, and any other element of outward-facing marketing, a creative brief will help you define the purpose of each particular piece of marketing communication underneath your brand umbrella. When writing a creative brief, these are the questions that need to be answered:
1) Define the project deliverables.
What will be the result of the brief? Will it be a video? A website? An infographic? A whitepaper? An email campaign?
2) What is this effort expected to accomplish?
What is the goal of this particular creative project? What do we want to happen after the intended audience sees this piece of creative? What action do we want people to take?
3) Whom are we talking to?
A clear description of the intended audience, which should include demographics, psychographics, as well as how the audience currently thinks and feels about the brand or product in question.
4) What’s our message?
This is derived from your brand position and should include a statement that encapsulates the single most persuasive or compelling product benefit.
5) What do we want them to think or feel?
This is derived from the “Essence” step of the corporate identity process, and should describe the emotion you want your audience to feel after seeing this work.
6) What justification are we providing as support?
Explain why the audience should believe your claims. Here, you can detail the benefits of your product or service, why your offering is better than your competitors, and how these benefits substitute the claim you made in #4 (“What’s our message?”).
7) How is that different from other brands’ messaging?
Here you want to set yourself apart from the competition by clearly pointing out why your offering better serves the needs of your audience. Are you faster? Are you less expensive? Are you easier to implement?
8) How does this contribute to the brand’s positioning?
Every piece of communication you create must tie back to your brand identity. Here you can explain how this singular effort supports the greater brand promise.
9) Which practical considerations or restrictions are there?
The nuts and bolts of your campaign are explained here. If it’s a video, are there length preferences? Are there words or phrases that must be said? Are there things that you absolutely can’t say? Are there cost considerations or time constraints?
A creative brief becomes particularly handy when you’re working with an outside creative firm or ad agency. It concisely provides the direction needed to create the work, and it ensures everyone’s on the same page before resources are expended.
When to Ask for Help Developing Your Corporate Identity
If the above seems like a lot of work, it doesn’t have to be. The basic intent is to paint a clear picture of what your brand stands for and how you want it perceived by your customers. However, if the process seems daunting or you feel you could benefit from some professional help, then by all means reach out to a branding agency. Here are some considerations if that’s the route you’d like to take.
Have a clear understanding of what you are hiring the agency for and the services you need.
Do you have an in-house design staff, but just need help defining your brand? Have you tried to develop your brand identity on your own but are not confident it’s defined clearly enough? Does your research feel sub-standard?
An agency will want to know where exactly you are in the process so they can properly focus their efforts on the areas of need. Here is an RFP (request for proposal) template you can use to formulate your thoughts if you choose to reach out to agencies.
Can you afford a branding agency?
Just like any professional service, a branding agency costs money. On the flip side, just like any professional service, you’re hiring experts with a ton of experience who know their craft and can provide expertise you either lack or don’t have time to learn. Through the RFP process, you’ll begin to get an understanding of what different agencies cost. Be as specific as possible when you detail the scope of the work you’re looking for.
Match the size of your company to the size of the agency.
If you’re a small or mid-sized business, you should seek out a small or mid-sized agency. While you might find a deeper service offering at a larger agency, you might not have access to the agency’s top talent as they will likely allocate it to their larger clients. With a small or mid-sized agency, you’re more likely to have direct access to the agency president if needed, as well as the agency’s top talent.
Match the agency’s area of expertise to your industry.
While any agency worth its salt can certainly learn the ins and outs of your industry segment, many agencies, by design, choose to focus on specific segments and hire personnel with deep experience in that field. Identify which agencies focus their business within your industry, and start there.
Meet the agency principal and everyone who will work on your account.
This is known as the “chemistry test.” Anyone can be the best in their field, but if personalities clash, it’s a recipe for disaster no matter how capable the agency may seem. An informal lunch, meeting at an industry event, or an after-work meetup are the best ways to get past the professional veneer and experience the true personality of the people you may end up doing business with.
Tying the Branding Bow
Remember: Brand is an evolving asset. It’s one that requires continued attention. One that your customers will have a big role in shaping. One that you’ll need to foster. One that you’ll return to, make adjustments to as your business grows or changes.
But overall, defining your brand identity is much like packaging and presenting a gift. You want the recipient to be pleased with the offering — and that includes everything from the outer wrapping, to the style of packaging inside, to the gift delivery, to the usefulness and appropriateness of the actual gift itself. You want the recipient to understand that forethought and heart went into the selection of the gift, and that it was chosen out of compassion and understanding. And you want it to represent the love you have for that person — in this case, your customers.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March 2013 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.
Steve Jobs movie bombs nationwide, looks likely to lose money – Variety
Despite a strong weekend opening, the Sorkin/Boyle movie Steve Jobs appears to have bombed in its nationwide rollout, grossing just $7.3M against earlier estimates of $19M. That gives it a total take so far of around $10M, which Variety says leaves it unlikely to turn a profit.
The picture cost $30 million to make and at least as much to market. That means that “Steve Jobs” needs to do at least $120 million in order to break even. Given that the film is dialogue-driven and lacks a major star, its foreign prospects seem bleak.
The piece notes that the earlier success of Sorkin’s The Social Network may have created false hopes …
“The Social Network” benefited from arriving just as Facebook was becoming ubiquitous. In 2010, it opened as everyone was discovering the thrill of over-sharing vacation pictures and political screeds. Even as it hit the zeitgeist, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg remained largely unknown to the general public. The story of the social media platform’s litigious origins had the shock of new.
With Steve Jobs, there have been endless profiles, the Walter Isaacson biography and the earlier Kutcher biopic. The latest movie also opened at a time when there were a lot of great movies competing for audiences. Its one hope now, suggests one analyst, is to remain in theaters until Oscar and Golden Globes nominations are announced, where it is expected to do well.
Universal says that it intends to continue to work hard to promote the movie.
“We are going to continue to support the film in the markets where it is showing strength and we’re going to continue to do it aggressively and proactively,” said Nick Carpou, Universal’s domestic distribution chief.
Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Aaron Sorkin, Apple Inc, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, Social network, Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs biopic, Steve Jobs movie
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Verizon joins AT&T in asking FCC permission to fully support WiFi calling feature in iOS 9
WiFi calling – the iPhone feature Apple introduced in iOS 9 – is a really handy feature, routing phone calls over WiFi when the mobile signal is poor or non-existent. There’s just one problem: it’s illegal for U.S. carriers to support the feature because it breaks the TTY text-chat protocol used by some hearing-impaired users. AT&T asked the FCC to grant it a waiver to switch on the service, and now Verizon has done the same.
The two companies have, however, adopted different positions on the service …
AT&T said that it believed the FCC waiver was a legal requirement, and called out T-Mobile and Sprint for switching on the service without one. Verizon says it does not believe the waiver is necessary, but is applying for one “out of an abundance of caution.” Verizon does already support WiFi calling via one of its own apps, but doesn’t yet support it natively.
Once it’s available on Verizon, you’ll be able to follow our instructions for switching on the service.
Hearing-impaired customers won’t be left out in the cold: both AT&T and Verizon say that they are working on a replacement for the TTY text-chat protocol that will work over WiFi.
Via The Verge
Filed under: iOS, iOS Devices Tagged: AT&T, Federal Communications Commission, iOS, iOS 9, iPhone, Verizon, Verizon Communications, Wi-Fi, wifi calling
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