The return of Gorden Gekko: ‘Someone reminded me I once said Greed is Good. Now it seems it’s legal.’
Painfully true. Especially in todays rumoured news that Llyod Blankfein, the CEO of Goldman Sachs, will get a +100Mio bonus for 2009.
Expected release in April 2010.
I already gave some feedback from bob’s ’sometimes true often frank always interesting’ Lefsetz remarks – and here is a copy of his post today about some iPad negatives
More iPad
1. Shitty Name
There’s a linguist somewhere who can explain why the hard “a” sound in “Pad” is unappealing. “iSlate” was better. So many of the Web prognostications were better. And if the original hard drive iPod can be renamed the “Classic”, maybe the iPod Touch can be renamed the “iPhone For Verizon Subscribers” and the iPad can gain its rightful title, “iTouch”.
2. Narrative
Steve Jobs understands it’s about story. Whenever you try to sell something, facts and emotions need to be woven into a fable, starting here and ending up there. Presentation is key.
And speaking of presentation, the Keynote effect of dust being blown up whenever a price descended was genius. Kind of like when lasers were first introduced in rock shows.
3. No Fakery
Jobs was actually using the iPad, you could see what he was doing on it transferred to the big screen, it lent credence to the product, to the whole proceeding. When you drape your music in effects, it actually undercuts the music itself. Then again, if the music can’t stand on its own…
4. A&R
The presentation needed to be shorter and needed a hit single.
Got to give Jobs credit, when no one was clapping, he didn’t lose his cool, he didn’t speed up, he stayed to the script. If you do live presentations, you know this is almost impossible to achieve. Which is why bands will tell you one show is better than the next, they can feel the energy of the audience, the audience was with them. Steve started out with the audience in his hand, then he lost them, minute by minute.
5. Hit Single
Jobs needed the one killer app that would make us rush out and buy an iPad. He was so busy focusing on album tracks, he forgot the home run. Sure, the iPad can surf, display pictures, create presentations, but what can it do that wows us? The iPad is like a blank CD. The technology is marvelous. But you get over that. Because the music is what you’re truly interested in, even if the sound ain’t that great, you get the magic of “Satisfaction”.
One can argue that iBooks is the killer app. If so, Jobs should have focused on that, convinced people why they needed the iPad for books. Talked about inventory, prices, readability. But he did none of this. So busy trumpeting elements we didn’t care about, he buried his message.
6. Saving The Media Business
I think Jobs tried. But he shouldn’t have introduced the product until he had partners. Hell, he’s not shipping for 60 days anyway. It would have looked better if there were more desirable ways to consume films and tv shows and magazines, all the elements the media speculated about. But these were completely absent. It was like launching a new record company without product. Sure, you might have some legendary executives, you’re getting me to pay attention, but now what?
7. Buzz
Now this is the modern music business. Where the anticipation is at a fever pitch, and the product is wanting. And by telling us how great the iPad was, Jobs just made us uncomfortable. He would have been better off underselling it. Talking about hopes and dreams.
Again and again, Jobs has delivered. Met our expectations, even exceeded them. This time, he did not. Proving that everybody can fuck up.
But if you know your rock history, Bob Dylan finally released a clunker known as “Self Portrait”. Reviews were scathing. What did Dylan do? He immediately went back into the studio and recorded “New Morning”. Because when you’re pissed and you’ve got something to prove, you refocus, you can do great work almost instantly.
Steve… How about another presentation the day this product actually ships?
And how about a Verizon iPhone? Yeah, I know it’s incompatible technology, that only a few countries use CDMA, but trumpeting AT&T is like the music industry trumpeting slotMusic and the Digital Compact Cassette, lame formats that work for the businesses purveying them, but are considered a joke by the public.
2010/01/28 | Apple | Trackback |
Like always, some good and true arguments, probably somewhat overshooting.
Just had a fascinating conf call with my Los Angeles colleagues about the iPad: sdk, the non-pc-like processor, screen – but the main focus was the incredible opportunities media and apps: gaming, publishers and the bookstore (Apple’s continued strategy for disintermediation- in line with the music stores, the videostores, the appselling stores), the competition with amazon, the positioning, the VOD, the cloudmedia. The pricepoint of 499 USD creates huge opportunities for the educational purposes. Also, large expectations for games and apps like the zen bound (which were new to me). Now figuring out the impact for music.
May be a gamechanger for publishing; TC covering this more in detail
Not everyone convinced: bob is giving some criticisms, some of them here
Also – the audience at the presentation wasn’t overly enthousiastic, steve didn’t loose his cool (though I did find this presentation wasn’t his best) – so I expect another presentation in 2 months when delivery starts with apps and media that will blow us away. For me: I’m buying 
A cool live demo
Interesting thoughts in an era where traditional manufacturing is getting increasingly preasured by low cost alternatives and in-country favouritism.
Transformative change happens when industries democratize, when they’re ripped from the sole domain of companies, governments, and other institutions and handed over to regular folks. The Internet democratized publishing, broadcasting, and communications, and the consequence was a massive increase in the range of both participation and participants in everything digital — the long tail of bits.
Now the same is happening to manufacturing — the long tail of things.
The tools of factory production, from electronics assembly to 3-D printing, are now available to individuals, in batches as small as a single unit. Anybody with an idea and a little expertise can set assembly lines in China into motion with nothing more than some keystrokes on their laptop. A few days later, a prototype will be at their door, and once it all checks out, they can push a few more buttons and be in full production, making hundreds, thousands, or more. They can become a virtual micro-factory, able to design and sell goods without any infrastructure or even inventory; products can be assembled and drop-shipped by contractors who serve hundreds of such customers simultaneously.
Full article on Wired: In the Next Industrial Revolution, Atoms Are the New Bits
Over the last couple of days, I have had quite a few discussions about the great live concerts of 2009, and the huge expectations we have for 2010. It made me think: what did I enjoy the best? While drawing up my list, I noticed it often came down to a combination of content and context. So, let me share my ‘09 favourites, if only for my little boy to read zhat dad liked 15 years ago :
number 15 * Customs at AB Club, Brussels
Walking on a dreary evening around 8pm in the centre of Brussels, I intended to go see a movie while Femke had some of her friends over at our house. While heading to the UGC cinema, I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen for a while, who was on his way to the Customs concert at the AB Club. I had just returned from Los Angeles a couple of days before and didn’t know Customs had been ranked number 1 on Belgium’s best radio station (Studio Brussels) for some weeks.
Fortunately I was able to get a ticket, and what a surprise it was. Small venue, simple show, not the most exciting stage banter by the band in between songs, but great music and a cool live show. Many will probably think it’s a clever mix of Interpol and Editors, but the songs sounded just amazing. Of course, I was somewhat biased, because of the way most people got to know Customs–they emerged via the vi.be platform from Poppunt.
Besides the fact that Poppunt is an amazing organisation that blends passion and professionalism (the secret ingredients of a great organisation, IMO), it signals an important change in the way talent gets discovered and promoted. The internet is making it possible for a beginning band to emerge with the help of their fans and organisations or companies that care, and that evolution will definitely continue. Classic labels will never disappear, but let’s hope that their problems, losses, or down-sizing in every sense of the word will push them to reflect on the reason why they once wanted to be ‘in music’–because music matters, damn it!
Below is a short YouTube video of ‘We Are Ghosts and Rex’, recorded at the concert that day. Go to 4:15 for their 2009 hit.
Band: Customs
Origin: Belgium
Location: Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, Belgium
For the 2nd time, bad weather around Heathrow is creating a rescheduled flight. Happens, will happen again. So we took this extra day in california to arrange a couple of things (finalize accounting, brief collaborator, read book by Slash and some other trivialities).
On top of that, I have (finally) started to complete a new kinda blog. Ofcourse tweets and statusupdates are hot now, but 2010 may be the year to start writing again. To share some insights, to create context.
Ofcourse, don’t expect a scientific correctness. This other ‘blog’ will be my ’soulfground’ about Music and Startups, the 2 things that occupy me most for the moment. Give me another week – but you’ll find it here: www.beckstage.fm
Seen some of you come here – there will always be an overview on those page. On beckstage.fm you’ll find MY perspective on music and the startups that I think I can share anything about. I’ll be kind gentle – hope my boy will wants to read when he’s a little older.
Tomorrow I will start with a TOP15 of my favourite concert moments in 2010.
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Hi friends,
below a video of moreese.com.
A SonicAngel release, and yes – we are proud of it!!
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