Pricing of Products... and how it affects diffusion

2.28.2010

I was at the gym the other day and I saw this girl working out in those special foot gloves. The technical name is called "Five Fingers". I have seen these around a few times now - and to be honest, I'm still a little weirded out by the whole concept.... but I'd be willing to try it..... but for free.
 
 Actually, I'd love to try it ... but the going rate for these suckers starts at $75. I can't afford to "try" things at that rate. If you find yourselves swimming in cash money, here is a link to a pair on Amazon:Vibram Five Fingers Women's KSO 

Another product that I think I would really enjoy, but again have been held back by the investment, is the Kindle. I think at this point, we all know what a Kindle is ... and I think I would really like one, especially given the potential travel that will come with a post-MBA job.
.Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation)
In my Technology and Innovation class, one of my classmates mentioned an article from CNN Money referencing a study by the Yankee Group regarding the optimum price point for an e-reader. The sweet spot? $150. Which is a pretty big difference from where the Kindle is priced. Personally, I think my price point would max out at $175 (pre iPad announcement). Given the introduction of the iPad to the marketplace, I think that would still be about right .... Although personally, I'm still hoping this comes true: Amazon wants to give a free kindle to all Amazon Prime Subscribers

So while there are many products I'd love to try, these are two on my list right now :) Perhaps, some day the price point will be a bit lower and more people (myself included) will be willing to buy into the hype.

Spring Break Reading

2.26.2010

I'm headed to the Dominican Republic tomorrow.... and I've packed a handful of books to read on my 7 day glorious vacation.

CAN'T WAIT.

Some of the books were recommended by friends, some by Amazon :). Here are some of the books that I've packed:
The Coffee Trader: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle) Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0Sammy's HillLiar's Poker 
  1. The Coffee Trader: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle) --> Justin
  2. Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0 --> School
  3. Sammy's Hill--> My friend Caroline (www.sweetfoodie.com)
  4. Liar's Poker --> Amazon
Hopefully, I'll have great things to say about all of them when I get back!

Interesting Article of the Day - Thursday

2.25.2010

I'm a pretty big fan of statistics.

In fact, I love them.

To be clear, I'm not any good at confidence intervals, betas, and whatever else comes in the same category... but I love talking about statistics and who is buying and using what.

So, today on Gizmodo I saw two articles which I found were really interesting. One was about the gender divide amongst a few "smart phone" platforms, and then second was the age breakdown over the same platforms.

Lessons learned: dudes like androids significantly more than girls do... and if you own an iPod touch there is a 65% chance you are sub 17 years old. Both of these points make sense if you look at the products.

  • The Android is fairly unattractive and has square edges. Not that my blackberry is gorgeous and iphone like pretty, but it is certainly easier to hold and more appealing to the eye than the boxy Android. (Note, the android falls into the product category of something that I'd love to try ... for free)
  • The Touch essentially gives parents the opportunity to satisfy a kid's need for the functionality of the iphone without the phone - which they can get on their own family plan like package. No internet charges with the Touch. In the same context, this makes sense that Admob reports the Touch has more app downloads than any other platform. The 65% market segment of teens can't pay for applications, so that rationalizes why the Touch dominates the free app downloads but is closer on the paid apps.
 Articles:
Androids are a dude fest
The ipod touch is for the young'ns

Why isn't it all connected?

On Saturday, I'm leaving to take a trip (ahem Spring Break) to the Dominican Republic. As someone who likes to dot all of the i's and cross all of the t's before travelling, I began making all the calls needed (bank, credit card, cell phone, etc).

In this age of information tracking, I'd love to know why I need to continually repeat my account numbers to the people at Bank of America. I would understand if they asked me different questions in order to "validate" - but to completely reiterate my 16 digit ATM card? Seems silly.

When I asked why I needed to say the whole string of numbers again, she said "oh, we don't get that information. I need it so I can pull up your account." So where does my information go?

After we clear that first hurdle, the BOA person apparently felt I wasn't answering her questions well enough and flagged my account for fraud. Fraud. How do I get this Fraud flag removed from my account? I have to send a fax showing my identification and 3 signatures. Really BOA, a fax? This is 2010 and if you are trying to ascertain that it's me .... anyone can send that fax.

These are probably questions I'll never get answered.

where I got the blog bug...

Before I kicked off my first year as an MBA student, an email was sent out looking for people that would be willing to blog about their experiences. I hemmed and hawed about it for a few days and finally decided there was no downside.

So since September 2008, I've been an admissions blogger. Feel free to check out my past posts here. Sometimes when the schedule gets a bit brutal, or when I move to New Jersey for the summer, blog posting got put on the back burner.... however, you can still get a flavor for what I've been doing for the last two years.

Interesting Article of the Day

Intel Leads $3.5 Billion Effort to Advance U.S. Tech and Innovation

From the article on Mashable, it was announced that Intel is leading 24 venture capital firms and 17 technology companies in an effort to bring 10,500 new jobs to college grads and $3.5 billion dollars into American technology companies.

What's this all about? The initiative is called "Invest in America Alliance".

What's the goal? Essentially committing America through public and private efforts to a program that will drive its economic growth in competition with other developing nations ... (think BRIC nations).

From Intel's CEO (Mr. Otellini):
“Unfortunately, long-term investments in education, research, digital technology, and human capital have been steadily declining in the U.S. So, too, has the commitment to policies that made us such an entrepreneurial powerhouse for more than a century.” 
So who are some of the players in this new innovation alliance? There are 24 VC firms and 17 corporations: Accenture, Adobe, Autodesk, Broadcom, CDW, Cisco, Dell, eBay, EMC, GE, Google, HP, Intel, Liberty Mutual, Marvell Semiconductor, Microsoft and Yahoo.

The article link also has a few video clips from the press conference today. They are nice and short ... and most certainly worth a few minutes of your time.

... its kinda official?

2.23.2010

For a few weeks, I've been thinking about starting a blog ... and I now I've done it.

What you can expect from me?
- Potentially an excessive amount of links to articles that I like
- Ways I've saved money and found deals
- Updates on my "Bucket" list

As of this moment, I'm a graduate student in Boston and about to graduate in May. I have managed to land a pretty clutch and great job that will be starting in late Summer. Until then, I plan on living life to the fullest and knocking a few things off of my to-do list.
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