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Opinion: These attempts to best the iPhone X notch only validate Apple’s design

Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is one of the biggest weeks of the year for Android manufacturers as it gives them a chance to showcase their latest and greatest smartphones.

With this year’s event taking place 4 months after the release of the iPhone X, Android manufacturers are doing everything in the books to try to steal Apple’s thunder – mainly by trying to “out do” the notch design of the iPhone X.

But in my opinion, these solutions don’t do much other than validate that Apple’s decision to take the notch approach was the correct one …

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035: iPhone X Plus details, high-end Apple headphones, iTunes Store changes | 9to5Mac Daily

Today we’ve got new details about the rumored iPhone X Plus, a brand new prediction about Apple making high-end on-ear headphones, and changes to the iTunes Store on older technology.

9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.


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At Mobile World Congress, 5G Is All the Rage. So What’s the Big Deal?

Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 is underway in Barcelona, with major announcements emerging from the likes of Samsung, Huawei, and more.

And while the former’s latest generation of smartphone, the S9 — which is really being positioned less as a phone, and more as a camera — stole most of the spotlight yesterday, Samsung and its counterparts all seem to be vying for the starring role in a certain emerging technology.

That former technology, it seems, is 5G: the latest generation in wireless connectivity.

Throughout the MWC’s short span thus far, there have been numerous announcements and claims made about 5G. Samsung unveiled “the world’s first 5G FAW [fixed wireless access] commercial solutions” for smart homes, cities, and transportation.

Rajeev Suri, Nokia’s CEO, announced partnerships with carriers like Vodafone to deploy 5G in certain regions. Intel previewed 5G commercial deployments for the 2020 Olympic Games. Ericsson pointed to potential new 5G-powered revenue streams. And to cap it off, GSMA — the organization behind MWC — noted in its annual Mobile Economy Report that by 2025, 5G networks will account for 14% of global connections (for context, 4G accounted for 23% in 2017).

So what, in the name of all things mobile, is all the 5G fuss about? And why should it matter to us?

How 5G Will Impact SEO

As with most evolving technologies, one major reason for progressive generations of wireless connectivity is to meet growing demand and users.

According to Pew Research Center, more than one of every 10 U.S. adults use the internet via mobile only — that is, they own a smartphone, but don’t have or use a home high-speed internet connection. And HubSpot’s own research shows that for 50% of consumers in the U.S., mobile is their preferred online device.

That growing demand is two-fold. First, there are more users for networks and providers to support, since more data is being exchanged, downloaded, and consumed. Then, there’s the competitive aspect: As more users turn to mobile, it’s an opportunity for brands to say, “But wait — here’s what else you can do, right from your palm.”

That’s how we’ve evolved into multiple generations of connectivity. People don’t just demand mobile online access anymore. They don’t just want to check their email. They want to be able to do those things, browse, use apps, message their friends, watch a movie, make dinner reservations, and more. And, they want to be able to do those things quickly.

At the foundation of all of those mobile capabilities is the ability to seek and discover information or content. That means it also changes the way that we search for it.

We’ve written quite a bit about the general shift toward voice search and activation. Take my experience with three different smart home speakers, for instance, and how I used voice commands to get different information or experiences from each one. These smart speaker capabilities are rooted in voice search tools like Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant — the fact that they are now being built into branded, assistive ecosystem is just one indication of changes in the way we search.

Source: GSMA, “Key areas of innovation – major players and use cases” for 5G

All of these developments point to a growing reliance on wireless technology, and the improvements made to it in response. “Ultimately, the faster mobile internet speeds become, the more advanced web experiences become,” says Matt Barby, HubSpot’s Director of Acquisition. “Creating richer and more load-intensive experiences on mobile — without the additional load time — is what will dramatically increase the usage of mobile devices.”

And that increased usage, Barby explains, also means “an increase in usage means an increase in mobile searches. An increase in mobile searches means more focus from Google to tailor the entire search ecosystem towards mobile searching patterns. This will also increase voice searches.”

Incorporating mobile into ranking factors isn’t exactly new territory for Google. That began in 2015, when the search engine updated its algorithm to favor mobile-friendly sites for searches performed on such devices. That continued to evolve last year, when it penalized sites with interstitials that would interfere with the mobile browsing experience.

Barby says that users should only continue to expect these types of updates. “Google has already started shifting to a ‘mobile-first’ search index this year,” he says. “So don’t be surprised if we see more and more web experiences being developed to cater for mobile-specific user experience patterns.”

How We Connect to Things and Interact With Them (and Each Other)

There’s another element to aforementioned smart home speakers. Not only are their origins rooted in voice search and assistant capabilities, but users can also control them remotely from their mobile devices.

And the connectivity of our devices — these “smart things,” as they’ve come to be known — has largely influenced this fifth generation of wireless connectivity.

Last fall, at the Samsung Developer Conference, the internet of things (IoT) permeated many of the conversations and sessions taking place. Soon, it would be possible to turn any appliance or electronic device in one’s home, from lamps to washing machines, into a smart, connected device that could be controlled not only remotely from one’s mobile device, but also with the help of Bixby, Samsung’s digital voice assistant.

And again, at CES in January, IoT was frequently the topic du jour, with more than one brand exhibiting its own ecosystem of smart, connected things. We were looking at a future, it seems, where everything was online and could be controlled remotely via mobile. But that requires a high level of communication both between the devices themselves and the mobile platform being used to control it. That involves the exchange of a massive amount of data, which requires particularly strong and fast connectivity.

Enter — you guessed it — Bixby.

“If you thought the world was already connected, sit tight,” says Conor Cirillo, HubSpot’s conversational marketing manager. “5G will improve the way we interact with our devices. But more important, it will be a massive leap in how machines communicate with each other.”

Samsung 5G FWA commercial solutions

 

Cirillo, who specializes in the evolution of digital communication like messaging and bots, also points to the way 5G will change the way the human users of 5G connect — and is personally following the technology that will make it easier for people to interact with each other and brands through wireless devices.

“There are big implications here,” he says, “of more people being able to talk to more people, on more devices, to do more things.”

That interaction with brands is a key element of many IoT ecosystems. A growing number of consumers are already turning to messaging — onsite or via third-party apps like Messenger — to connect with businesses for things like customer service. And at CES, for example, some brands suggested that such capabilities will be built into appliances themselves, some of which can detect mechanical issues and remotely repairing them before the user even knows about them.

While we haven’t seen too much in the way of customers directly communicating with brands through their appliances for service needs, there are many signs that we’re heading in that direction — potentially eliminating the need for messaging apps and introducing a new platform for this type of communication, whether with a human representative or an AI-powered bot.

But such communication still requires a powerful network to support it. And as 5G permeates the mainstream — the first commercial networks are expected to launch in 2018 — our reliance on this generation of connectivity is likely to grow.

“Everything We Have Now, but More”

When I asked my colleague, HubSpot Marketing Fellow Sam Mallikarjunan for his take on 5G, he pointed to three key elements he expects to see from it:

“Less reliance on apps. More reliance on smooth native web experiences. More flexibility for rich media.”

Remember what I said about the possible elimination of third-party platforms like Messenger to communicate with brands? From Mallikarjunan’s perspective, that’s only one piece of a decreased need for such apps that could come from the introduction and growth of 5G connectivity.

The-Mobile-Economy-Global-2018 IoT

Source: GSMA, “Key areas of innovation – major players and use cases” for 5G

It makes sense. While this type of network will help us do things that require more data and quicker speeds from our smartphones, it will also help to build the ability to do similar things directly from an appliance itself that are currently controlled by a mobile device. Here’s where something like the Google Home is a good example. While I can control it remotely from my phone, for most purposes, I don’t have to. I can just tell it what to do.

The exception is if I need help using it. Right now, I have to turn elsewhere to troubleshoot, usually through the app on my phone or through Google’s online support pages. But soon, it seems, I’ll be able to ask the smart speaker for help with whatever I’m having trouble getting it to do, whether I’m speaking to a human representative or Google Assistant’s AI.

It’s an elaboration of how Mallikarjunan summarized what 5G will bring.

“Everything we have now,” he predicts, “but more.” 

Samsung mobile chief denies copying Apple, says he works on his ‘own roadmap’

Samsung is often accused of copying Apple, and it doesn’t help its cause with features such as the Galaxy S9’s support for animated emoji, seemingly a direct copy of Apple’s Animoji feature.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Samsung mobile chief D.J. Koh refuted claims that ‘AR Emoji’ idea was a copy from Apple, saying he works on his own roadmap…

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7 dicas essenciais para alavancar os negócios e vender mais

Foi-se o tempo em que se acreditava que para conquistar clientes e vender mais era preciso ter dom. O nível de competição existente atualmente no mercado não permite mais argumentações baseadas em “achômetro”.
 

O cliente quer que você mostre que tem soluções reais às necessidades dele. 

Justamente por isso, no mundo dos negócios, há diversas estratégias e técnicas para se vender mais produtos ou serviços. Elas permitem que você se destaque diante da concorrência. 

Transmitir as informações que você deseja de forma eficiente e conseguir prender a atenção do público é um desafio que todos enfrentam na hora de vender.

Porém, mais do que criar estratégias, é preciso seguir uma série de passos, ficando longe da mesmice e de automatismos. Afinal, uma das tendências para 2018 é, justamente, personalizar. É isso que seu cliente quer e este é um dos segredos que fazem vender mais.

Como vender mais?

O momento de se apresentar a um cliente em potencial é crucial. Pode ser em uma região agendada diretamente com ele, em um evento que vocês se esbarram por alguns segundos, em uma entrevista que você concede à TV ou em uma palestra: você precisa prender a atenção.

Então, todos os aspectos devem ser avaliados, começando do roteiro, passando por cada imagem inserida na apresentação e chegando às expressões corporais mais adequadas. 

Tudo isso, pensando no público a ser conquistado.

Confira algumas dicas essenciais para prender a atenção do público em qualquer ocasião!

Confira o CRM gratuito da HubSpot aqui.

Conheça sua audiência

Por mais que você tenha um ótimo produto ou serviço, lembre-se que o mais importante é seu cliente. Você deve oferecer soluções às dores dele. É por ele que você está ali e é a ele que você deve falar. 

A cada apresentação, lembre-se de pensar no público-alvo. Esse termo vai além do seu uso em estratégias de marketing, é realmente um artifício essencial a fim de se vender mais.

No âmbito empresarial, saber quem são as pessoas que consomem seus produtos e porque elas fazem isso, é de fundamental importância ao se estruturar seu negócio da melhor maneira.

Quando se trata de uma apresentação de impacto, você deve identificar quem será sua audiência. Estudantes ou empresários? Pessoas com conhecimento técnico sobre o tema ou leigos? 

Qual a faixa etária?

Falar a um gestor de marketing que faz parte da geração Z é bem diferente de lidar com um CEO nascido na década de 1960. 

Por isso, pesquise e avalie a quem vai falar. 

Seja claro e preciso 

Dê preferência, sempre, a dados tangíveis e não a abstrações. Prefira uma linguagem simples. Termos técnicos e jargões corporativos, ainda que usados a fim de mostrar conhecimento, podem ser um tiro no pé. 

Identifique o problema de seu interlocutor, mostre que ele existe e que você sabe como resolvê-lo. Explique como a sua solução é inovadora e atende à demanda de quem te escuta. 

Seja sucinto ao descrever seu produto ou serviço, destaque seus principais benefícios.

Trabalhe a linguagem corporal 

Acredite, sua postura corporal também irá ajudar a vender mais. Usar a linguagem corporal na composição de seu discurso é uma boa estratégia subjetiva para atingir as pessoas, indo direto ao subconsciente delas.

55% do impacto de uma comunicação é feito de elementos não-verbais.

Por isso, apresentar uma boa linguagem corporal durante seus discursos será fundamental para que seus clientes em potencial percebam e confiem mais no que você está dizendo. 

A partir do momento em que se torna o centro das atenções, seja em cima do palco ou ao vender sua empresa em uma reunião de negócios, a linguagem corporal está diretamente ligada ao sucesso de sua apresentação. Segundo o escritor Pierre Weil, o corpo “fala”.

Evite excessos 

Você ama seu produto ou serviço, a história da sua empresa é incrível e há uma série de dados que você julga interessantes inserir em sua apresentação. Mas isso não é suficiente para vender mais. Cuidado! 

Às vezes, nem todas essas informações devem estar expostas. Excessos tendem a deixar as apresentações entediantes, confusas e exaustivas.

Escolha, criteriosamente, o que realmente precisa ser mostrado e discutido e elimine o que sobra.

Economize tempo 

Lembre-se que seu público, em especial se for formado por executivos ou investidores, valoriza muito o próprio tempo. A correria no mundo dos negócios faz com que cada minuto valha ouro.

Por isso, seja ágil ao se apresentar. Nesse caso, para vender mais, vale trabalhar a técnica da pirâmide invertida, que vem lá das teorias da comunicação. Comece mostrando como você pode resolver a dor do seu cliente, depois, ao prender sua atenção, acrescente informações menos importantes mais que vão contribuir e você irá vender mais.

Além disso, todo mundo sabe que reuniões que se arrastam por um longo período são, por definição, improdutivas.

Ao montar sua apresentação, faça um roteiro detalhado do que você irá mostrar e quantos minutos você irá dedicar a cada item.

Aposte em imagens 

Invista em apresentações mais visuais. A melhor forma de se destacar no barulho é a comunicação visual. 

Segundo Amy Balliett, do Killer Infographics, a ciência atesta que um estímulo visual chega ao cérebro 60 mil vezes mais rápido que um em texto. Além disso, 90% das informações que retemos é visual.

Nessa linha, tão importante quanto ter dados consistentes na apresentação, é saber fazê-lo de maneira atrativa e visualmente agradável a fim de prender atenção do público.

Imagens distorcidas, sem qualidade profissional ou feias colocam em check sua credibilidade. Além disso, não atraem a atenção dos seus ouvintes.

Utilize imagens, e faça gráficos simples e bonitos.

Crie conexões 

Durante sua apresentação, não fique centrado apenas no que está sendo mostrado na tela.

Procure observar seu público e detectar sinais de desinteresse ou de dúvida, a fim de conseguir contornar esses problemas.

Lembre-se da importância das pausas, separe um tempo para perguntas da plateia e responda todas as questões levantadas.

Permita que seu ouvinte faça perguntas, aumentando a conexão entre vocês. Além disso, convide seu público a ações. Para vender mais, use “call to action” ao final de seu pitch.

Pergunte se se seu potencial cliente acredita que seu produto ou serviço resolveria o problema, tendenciando ao positivo. Você pode perguntar, ainda, se pode ligar ou marcar um café, por exemplo, no futuro.

Dica extra: mostre paixão 

Para vender mais, é fundamental que você acredite na solução que oferece. Um bom vendedor é aquele que deixa o cliente entusiasmado com seu discurso. 

Quando você mostra o quanto é apaixonado pelo que faz e pelo que vende, sua audiência se envolve e compartilha da mesma empolgação.

Mas não se esqueça: seu foco deve ser no problema dos consumidores que sua empresa conseguirá resolver.

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Comment: HomePod has made me optimistic about that over-ear headphone report

A KGI note over the weekend suggested that Apple is planning to release new ‘high-end over-ear headphones‘ – though not until late fall at the earliest.

Without my experience of the HomePod, I’d have merely shrugged at the report. Apple hasn’t exactly made a name for itself for headphone quality, either through its own-brand EarPods and AirPods, or through the Beats-branded products it has promoted since buying the company …

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Europe wants to force US tech giants like Apple to hand over electronic evidence across borders

The European Union wants to be able to force US tech giants like Apple, Google and Microsoft to hand over electronic evidence across borders when investigating serious crimes. The proposed law would apply to any company that does business within Europe, no matter where its data centers are based.

Tech firms argue that such cross-border arrangements would ‘undermine consumer trust in cloud services’ …

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Tim Cook to co-chair China Development Forum as he increases engagement with China

Apple CEO Tim Cook is to co-chair this year’s China Development Forum – an annual meeting designed to promote dialogue between the Chinese government and global business leaders. Previous co-chairs have included Ford CEO Mark Fields and Caterpillar chief exec Doug Oberhelman.

Cook gave a speech to the forum last year, the first time he had attended. It comes at a time when Apple’s chief exec has been increasing his engagement with China

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