Microsoft Surface

The Microsoft Surface is a new and cool product that is taking the industry by storm, or at least plans on to. The Microsoft Surface is a mixture of an iPad as well as a laptop, being able to use the product in multiple ways is what makes this product very unique. Being able to type on a keyboard when they want as well as being able to walk around and use a touch screen for other services. Some complaints would be the fact that an iPad is hard to type on and it is something that they want to be able to fix the developing issue. What I find to be interesting is the market reaction to this product, since it is a Microsoft tablet/laptop I wonder if it would have as much success as if Apple came out with a similar product. Only time will tell if this product will be only that attracts the market in several positive ways. This debate will continue for a long time but if I had the option to buy a product such as this one I might consider it just because it looks like a a product that would be very efficient to use. Being able to use it for multiple things would also be a strong advantage but in the end Microsoft is really going all out to try to close the gap with its highly feared competitor, Apple. Apple and Microsoft have been competitors in  this industry for a very long time, since Apple is way ahead of Microsoft, Microsoft is putting all their eggs into this basket. They cannot continue to go on if Apple is coming out with superior products. The last PC I have had was a freshman in college, my computer only lasted 3 years because of its poor quality. I have had a Mac for nearly a year and a half now and it has been one of the greatest investments I have ever made. With this in mind, I believe that several potential customers think and act the same way as I do. Whether or not this is true or not is still uncertain but in the end that is my opinion.

Black Friday deals

With the biggest buying day of the year approaching, there are several retail stores that are offering discounts ahead of time. One of the major retail company's in the world (Wal-Mart) has come out with all their discounts.

Apple iPad 2 16GB with Wi-Fi:

1. $399
2. Buyers also get a $75 Walmart Gift Card as a part of the deal

LG Blu-ray Player:
1. $38

Xbox 360 4GB Bundle:
1. $149

Samsung 43" Plasma HDTV:
1. $378
2. Starting at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving

Nikon D3000 Digital Camera with Lens Kit:
1. $449
2. Starting 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving

Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones:
1. $179.95
2. Starting at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving

Nook Color 8GB Tablet:
1. $99
2. Starting at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving

Acer 13.3 Ultrabook 4GB:

1. $499
2. Starting 5 a.m. on Black Friday


 http://money.cnn.com/gallery/pf/2012/11/09/walmart-black-friday-deals/index.html

Text messaging falls for first time in U.S.

A new study that has come out has shown that text messaging by Americans has decreased in the past year. When evaluating why this change occurred there are several things that come to mind. I believe this has something to do with disruptive technology and possibly just an overall change in the way we go about doing things as Americans. "With a growing number of Americans carrying Internet-connected smartphones in their pockets, text messaging is on the decline. The average number of monthly texts sent by each user fell for the first time in U.S. history last quarter, according to a report released Tuesday by independent telecommunications analyst Chetan Sharma." U.S. cell phone customers sent an average of about 675 messages per month in the third quarter. Cell phone carrier's text messaging revenues were also down last quarter for the first time in history. All of these factors contributed to the decline in text messages sent. Another major factor is the fact that it is an expensive way to send data. There are now several services and devices that are replacing this current system. I just find it odd that such a popular thing such as sending text messages would decline so quickly in such a short amount of time.

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/13/technology/mobile/text-messaging-decline/index.html  

Samsung Galaxy S III dethrones iPhone as world's top seller

This title basically sums it all up, The Samsung Galaxy S III is now the worlds top seller when it comes to the smartphone industry. I am shocked at this new development, the iPhone in my mind is the far superior product in comparing the two devices. The last four years have been dominated by the iPhone in the smartphone industry, but it obviously appears that in recent years the Samsung Galaxy was able to close the gap. "For years tech pundits have been searching for an "iPhone" killer -- a mythical new device that would dethrone Apple's mighty handset as the most admired or popular smartphone." Everyone knew that this "fake" device will come into the industry and overthrow the superior Apple product. Many people highly invested in the industry were wondering where or when that product will come around and now there is a thought that it could possibly be here. "For the first time, Samsung's Galaxy S III overtook Apple's iPhone 4S to become the world's best-selling smartphone model for the third quarter (July through September) of 2012, according to new research by Strategy Analytics." The Galaxy S III shipped 18 million units worldwide, compared with 16.2 million for the iPhone 4s. This is about 11% of all smartphones shipped on the planet. It appears to be clear who the top two players are in the industry but determining who will be in the number one spot appears to be unknown for the current time and in the future. It is believed that these numbers will change with the release of the new Apple iPhone 5. The recent ads have helped Samsung's overall cause in trying to attract customers to buy their product. "Yes, this is the phone in those mocking TV ads that show annoying fanboys and fangirls in a thinly disguised Apple store line, obsessing over their impending purchase while a happy Galaxy S III owner saves a place in line ... for his parents."This article is very interesting and was something I was very surprised to see, it will be intriguing to see what develops in the future.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/08/tech/mobile/samsung-galaxy-iphone/index.html?hpt=te_r1

Additional Windows 8 smartphone info

Here is a video that talks about the new Microsoft Windows 8 smartphone that will be released today. The video talks about the improvements to the phone and shows what they have in relevance to their competitors. In this industry that is key, having a competitive advantage is what every strives for and really works hard in order to achieve. I found the phone to be pretty interesting, it reminded me of my Xbox live system that is just displayed in a phone. It has been pretty obvious that Microsoft has taken large steps to improve their devices, so with the development of this smartphone I feel that establishing themselves as a player in the industry will be key for future possible sales. It is just hard to determine if they will be received well, going from the past data that shows that they have not been so it will be hard to see if this one is the opposite. Only time will tell in the end, with the holiday season rolling around this is the time where smartphones are sold more than any other time during the year. If they do not do well in this time than it will be hard to see if they will be able to do anything in the future.

Here comes the Windows Phone Hail Mary

As I have mentioned several times in these blogs, the smartphone industry is continuing to develop and become the industry that every player wants to get into now. Microsoft is the latest player to try to fit their product along side all of the other major players including the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy. Microsoft has been trying to figure out a way to become a major player in this industry and all of their efforts have not been successful. The first Windows Phone 8 devices are going to start going on sale this Friday or today. It will be interesting to see the sales as the approaching holiday season rolls around and whether or not they will be able to compete with the major competitors. Like I mentioned before the Windows Phone 7 was released two years ago and was not very successful. They have been planning their return in the market by working on their marketing programs as well as improving their device. The market does not seem to be very interested in Microsoft smartphones, it appears that getting an iPhone and/or a Samsung Galaxy is what they are looking for. "In some respects, it's heading in the wrong direction. Microsoft's smartphone sales are slowly ticking up, but the rest of the market is growing much faster. Microsoft's smartphone market share fell to just 3.6% in September -- roughly a third of the share Microsoft commanded a month before Windows Phone launched." As a person that is pretty familiar with smartphones, I have not heard much about this product. When looking at the reviews I found several people talking about the product and was surprised to see the reaction. "The irony is that the product is actually pretty great. Most reviewers praised its innovative interface, and the relatively small number of people who actually use Windows Phone love it. Windows Phone 8 is even better, offering a host of improvements over the previous iteration. The new software got some much-needed tweaks and snazzy new features that rival those on the iPhone or most popular Android devices." This is an odd thing to notice mostly because the product is actually a innovative product that is just having issues breaking into the market. I would consider myself a loyal Apple customer, I got my first iPhone last Christmas and I have realized that I will never get another smartphone besides an iPhone. This product should be something that the major players should monitor and it will be interesting to see the return if it ends up being successful.

 http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/09/technology/mobile/windows-phone-8/index.html

Xbox Smartglass

I mentioned the newer Xbox Music that was just released or plans on being released in the next couple of years. This new product is similar to the cloud in that you can store movies and tv shows on a cloud and watch them on any of your devices. This is important in that transferring movies over to other devices instead of just having a DVD you could store them all together and select them whenever you want.