2-1: Weekly Written Analysis 2

While reviewing the technology news this week, I noticed that Apple is about to announce a new product, the iPad 2. They are going to make the official statement Wednesday, March 2^nd. The electronics world is wildly speculating about the advancements that have been added to the existing iPad 1. Rumor has it that the iPad 2 will include video phone features, a Retina display, a USB connection, and a 3-axis gyroscope. The current iPad 1 does not include these features, so it will be exciting to see how they are integrated. It appears Apple is planning to do a mild upgrade for now, then another more extensive update is slated for sometime this fall.

Apple is bringing the iPad up to date with the current specs from their iPhone 4. The iPad 2 will add a front facing camera so you can use it with Facetime and chat with people who also utilize Apple products. The Retina display upgrade is going to provide much crisper images on the screen, making text and video clearer. An included USB connection will be a nice addition, although at this point it is hard to tell exactly what it will be able to be used for. The new 3-axis gyroscope is a welcome improvement for Apple’s gaming audience. Improved handling and precision will provide a better gaming experience, and many of the games currently available in the App Store are already enabled for 3-axis gyroscope technology.

Even with the beneficial advancements being rolled out with the iPad 2, I am still a little hesitant to buy. The deal breaker for me is the inability to custom install programs that aren’t linked to the App Store. If a product is released that lets me install whatever software I want, then I would be more inclined to purchase one. All we can hope for is that Apple rolls out a major refresh this fall and delivers a product that can live up to its hype. I really enjoy the tablet format but I still think it needs work to become an asset to an advanced consumer. I understand that Apple is first trying to appeal to the mass market, but I do not consider myself part of this majority. Next week stay tuned and I’ll be talking about the new MacBook Pro that Apple just released last week.

Assignment 2-2 Icon Analysis

In keeping with my blog’s technology theme, I have chosen 3 “techie” icons of mine: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg. These men are giants in the world of technology, and their innovations have kept themselves very relavent in today’s society.

Bill Gates parlayed his lucky experience with a teletype machine in high school into co-founding of one of the world’s largest businesses, Microsoft. With designing a rudimentary tic-tac-toe game being his first experience with computer programming, he could see great possibilities in both the corporate and private sectors. Lead by Gates, Microsoft’s Windows operating system revolutionized the computer platform in 1985, taking over where the hard-to-navigate BASIC system left off. Suddenly an untrained person had the capability to utilize a computer in their daily life. Another technology icon that got his start approximately the same time as Bill Gates was Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Apple’s focus was similar to Microsoft’s in that their goal was always to make computers understandable to everyone. Apple’s innovations never forgot the computer as an art form, though, and their products like iMac and iPhone are still known for their “artsy” edge today. My last technology icon, Mark Zuckerberg, is different from my other icons in that he is the “new kid on the block”. Growing up with Gates’ and Jobs’ innovations and picking up where they left off, he has brought a whole new level and look to the technology landscape. His social network, Facebook, has grown to be the United States’ third largest web company.

All three of my contemporary technology icons mean a great deal to me in my daily life. Whether I’m using my newest version of Microsoft Windows on my PC or updating my Facebook profile on my Apple iPhone, I’m reminded of what great achievements are possible. These men started out with just a lucky break and an idea, then transitioned their innovations into a global phenomenon.

Weekly written analysis 1

When I look back at June 29, 2007, one event comes to mind. The iPhone was released. This groundbreaking product, developed by Apple, has proven to be very successful. iPhone has created a whole new market for mobile devices, making cell phones that can also perform computer functions available to a much broader range of consumers. It is now commonplace to see anyone carrying “smart phones”. This has created a new kind of culture for mobile phones and has caused other businesses like LG, Google, and Microsoft to get on board with this new technology.

The iPhone has a vast array of features that most people would find very useful every day. With my iPhone I have the ability keep current on just about everything. I have the ability to check my email or stay in contact using AOL instant messenger or Facebook. Websites that I access are able to be viewed in a non-abridged format, rather than a somewhat cramped mobile format. An added bonus with the iPhone would be that I can look at my voicemails with visual voicemail. This feature increases productivity and saves me a lot of time by letting me click on a particular voicemail I want to listen to instead of logging into voicemail and going through a long series of prompts to listen to one message. The IPhone brand has continued to grow and has reached bigger markets. Exclusively available to AT&T subscribers for the past three years, Verizon has also recently forged an agreement with Apple, allowing their customers to utilize iPhones as well. With this move Apple has even made their iPhone an even bigger competitor in the fast-changing mobile market.

Assignment 1-2

Popular culture is an idea or artifact that is unique to a time or place in history. The mass appeal of popular culture would be the driving force that influences the population. It is a generalized or simplified idea that brings a product to mainstream society. Marketing of popular culture usually centers on the belief that it will cause a new trend. Popular culture influences my choices on a daily basis. It has the ability to influence my ideas when even purchasing a product. I find when I’m looking to purchase a product that I am much more likely buy if I think it is acceptable to my peers. In my everyday life I have found that it even influences me at work.

In today’s work environment pop culture influences my company’s decision to roll out new products. I work for Armstrong Cable and they determine what new products they offer by popularity. For example, we are releasing a new product this year called Whole-Home DVR. It is a product that will have one hard drive to service your house, allowing you to view all your recordings from any televisions in the house. In the past, individual DVR’s did not have this sharing capability, so a person was only able to watch a recorded program on one TV. Due to the mass popularity of a whole-home solution when offered by other cable providers, Armstrong decided to buy into the product and make it available to their customers as well. As you can see, the popularity of a product to a consumer drives businesses’ merchandising choices. In an ever-changing market and more and more viewing options available, cable companies have recognized the need to continue to provide more choices to their customers.

The mobile phone platform has been growing at exponential rate over the past ten years. Phones have become almost as fast as laptops and one in particular has captured the eye of pop culture. The iPhone, developed by Apple, has been dominating the mobile platform and continues to create new innovations that other companies have followed suit with. Android (developed by Google) has been Apple’s number one competition and continues to be just as innovative if not more in some cases. With the continued growth and popularity of these mobile devices, it has created a phenomenon within the mobile industry. Other companies like Microsoft, Nokia, and Blackberry are all trying to mimic Apple and Android’s success and are now trying to play catch-up with these mobile powerhouses. Pop culture has influenced these other companies to be inventive and find new ways to market their products to become successful like Apple. It’s amazing if you sit and ponder what the possibilities are in the future for these mobile platforms. With such great potential we have the capability of basically carrying a computer with you at all times.