Yahoo! calls Google’s homepage “A Button and a Box”

Last thing you would have ever pondered would be Yahoo! taking over the web and becoming homepage to everyone. Google’s phenomenal success scares a lot of tech companies, Yahoo! esp. as it’s business’s are continuing to be shot down one by one. Yahoo! search has shrunk rapidly and simultaneously Google has grown to take a large part of the Search cake.

Both the companies have different philosophies. Big “G” believes in simplicity and it’s homepage is a mark of it, while at Yahoo! they want the homepage to be your eternal lookout for everything, yes Twitter, Facebook, Search, News, Entertainment, Everything. Yahoo! constantly stresses that Google needs to “diversify” if it wants to retain it’s market, and that’s what Yahoo is doing with multiple partnerships with leading social networks, portals and lot more.

Here’s a piece of Yahoo’s 85 Million Dollar marketing campaign, the commercial is straight from Yahoo!’s heart. BTW i kinda like the tune they’ve used! Video down after.

Over 1 Million iPads grabbed till date : All within 28 days

Remember the iPhone craze? Do you have a iPhone? Ya i do, and i am the coolest man on earth! Somewhat drama like this was everywhere around the globe with Apple selling over 1 Million in just 74 days. Now it’s the iPad which broke the record shipping one million boxes of fresh iPads in just 28 days.

I just don’t get it. First people say its an oversized iPhone, and now this? Holy Smokes, it raining money at Apple!

First iPad Commercial on TV [Video]

As we approach iPads official delivery date, April 3 Apple starts gearing up with it’s advertisements flooding everywhere including TV after the internet.

Apple never fails to deem its product as a “cool gadget” on TV as that’s what most non-techie’s call it. It looks nice, has multitouch and many applications. That’s what all the non-geeks know because that’s what Apple is showing in it’s ads.

History has proven that Apple rocks all the TV commercials, *cough* Apple has loads of Anti-Windows Commercials airing too *cough*, and Apple does it again.

Here’s a neat commercial which gives a flow of features available in the iPad (though it doesn’t tell you which features are missing which it should according to Consumer Rights) and teaches you how to position your iPad while using it :P Video after break.

90,000 iPads sold by Apple within first six hours

Apple’s marketing campaigns, confidential games and rumor mill publicity payed off. Apple’s online store opened floodgates last nights allowing pre-orders and reservations for their iPads and what we had expected, did happen.

Despite people talking about the missing camera and multi-tasking, Apple sold well over 90,000 iPads in the first six hours of pre-orders which they will ship in April.

Investor Village’s AAPL Sanity Board have rolled out their own sales figures based on their calculations and estimates. They claim to have found out Apple’s sales figures, by putting down their order numbers on Google Spreadsheet. By 11:05 a.m. ET they had 15 confirmations with estimates as high as 74,000 products sold but we are not sure if these are just iPad sales or they start from 0 or not.

“51,000 orders in two hours,” announced Victor Castroll shortly after noon. He’s an analyst with Valcent Financial Group and an AAPL Sanity member who, with the blogger-analyst who calls himself deagol, has been monitoring the spreadsheet.

At 4:21 p.m E.T Victor shoots a update, “We’re at about 91k in six hours”. If this is true, then it’s Party time for Mr. Jobs. Frankly, the not-so-remarkable product had received just too much buzz and they did successfully capture as many as consumers in so less time, if the reports are found to be true.

We still strongly believe that this isn’t the success which a company would want, atleast not Apple. They would be concerned with User Satisfaction more (you can obviously say that looking at Apple’s Branding techniques) and so the real reports of Pass or Fail will be coming after the iPads are shipped and people have used them.

[Via Cnn Money]

One simple reason why Apple did not make iPad technologically fat [Myth Buster]

Everyone’s frowning over Apple’s decision to not add camera, multitasking etc.. to the iPad. But you know there’s one man somewhere smiling, in the dark and the reason is because everything is going just as he wished.

It’s not a joke that humans more than the capabilities look over disabilities first but finally, whatever it is they have to accept it and if you ask me, then Apple has added a lot of features to the iPad and it has focused a lot on not what is currently existing but what is going to be there with you, in your hands in the future and you will desire for it.

If we fly back to 2001, when iPod was first released people said that it was called a big fat storage device for “fat” people to store their huge libraries. The first review from Slashgear also highlighted all the negative points about the iPod which convinced people quite well. Lastly, ask me who won? Selling over 240,000,000 pieces from 2001 till last month, Apple clearly did and they know quite well that they will.

If we see Apple’s iPad is the perfect for everything it does. iPad’s large screen size made it to be called as an oversized iPod by everyone, including me, said that but well it did take me sometime to realize it’s potential. a 9.7 inch is capable of doing things which you did earlier on other devices too, but there is something impressive and un-noticed about it unless you actually start using it. I have often desired the iPod and iPhone screens to be larger while i was watching videos and something less heavy and more portable than my laptop and television. Here’s where the iPad steps in. Guess what else? It does nearly most of what all the devices do, sort of.

iPhone and iPod touch OS being used on iPad was lamented all over by all experts as people wanted innovation. Well, iPhone OS itself was a innovation but it’s true that it has grown 3 years old but it’s always evolving. Amidst all this, one most not forget that whenever something new enters the market, you need to teach your consumers how to use it and the iPhone was as simple, a 12 year old kid or a 70 year old man could just unlock and start using it easily and i couldn’t have imagined for anything much simpler than this for the iPad. It’s a real smart move.

Next on the track. Where’s the camera? I know if i say that not adding a camera was a brilliant move by Apple, there will be people waiting to kill me. Wait, read the rest of this. When Steve Jobs introduced the iPad at the keynote he showed you a picture. He said that he wanted to introduce something, a new product line which was between the MacBook and the iPod, iPhones and not a replacement for the rest of the products. Get that right, it’s not a replacement.

That will surely answer all of your questions. Steve Jobs is a shrewd businessman. He knows what to sell, when and most importantly he knows what not to sell. Just imagine, if iPad had multitasking and a camera, people would think twice before going for a iPhone. Also the larger screen gives it a huge advantage over the iPod touch, so if it had additional features, would people buy iPod Touch’s?

If iPad had a OS somewhat similar to the MacBook’s and MAC OS X do you think the Mac sales will continue to be as they were? Obviously not. They would see some amount of sales drop and those people will be the one’s the buy iMacs.

What I have learnt from history, it shows that Apple always wants to sell most of it’s products to one customer at a time, like iPhone and Macs have real tight integration via iTunes and so does iPad. It’s like a family and without any member it cannot survive so Apple is trying to do something like that.

Apple is reknowned for the simplicity of it’s products and I have never seen any gadget made by Apple crammed with all features. The art of segregating is very well known by those at Apple and they know what is important for the product and not.

The last thing that i have always noticed is that Apple would not add anything to it’s army till it’s competitors force it to, like the Video Recording feature to the iPhone. It’s this simple game that Apple always plays and wins, either you accept it or not. Overall Apple is seriously a marketing genius!

Then there is this saying,

If your product is great, it doesn’t need to be good.

The Art of leaking news : Learning it from Apple

The first thing i see when i log on to Digg.com is some Apple news. When i start reading articles in my RSS reader, all i see is Apple Rumors on all blogs. Who gives birth to these rumors? Why is everyone interested in Apple news? How does it spread so fast?

Apple knows all the answers. Let’s take the questions one by one.

Who gives birth to these rumors/leaks?

Apple itself. Apple has a team of marketing geniuses and news hungry people. That makes a perfect combination.

What? Apple itself leaks news?

I read this article at MacObserver which gave me a deeper idea as to how Apple made leaks. It had few simple steps.

  • Some Senior Executive instructs juniors to find to talk to someone at Major news outlets and reveal some information.
  • It is done over phone or in person and never in writing or emails because then no one comes to Apple with a proof.
  • This method works out the most as it’s claimed as a “Rumor” and so it may or may not be true and in this case the reputation of the both the parties is maintained and both of them benefit, Apple get’s required buzz and the authors get reader’s interest!

How do they get people interested in their news?

There are about 94,143,486 blogs who have posted about iPhone with a collective readership of over 30 Billion readers but only 45 Million iPhone were sold.

Apple does controlled leaks and it’s famous for not revealing information. If we see, generally you would be interested to know something when the other is trying to hide it. Simple principal is that

The more one hides, the more interest it generates for the other to know

This simple principal is responsible for the companies huge marketing success.

How does Apple get people to post their news?

If there are readers, give me a reason why people wouldn’t like to read about it? I mean our blogs first Digg frontpage was a Apple story too!

Also apart from readers, they do have great communication specialists who know the right people and get them at the right time so the news is a sure hit.

Why do they need news leaks?

To capture public reaction before releasing actual news as this helps them to plan actual stuff for products. I mean they could consider this as an unofficial trial without hammering the companies reputation.

They get the buzz by doing this. I can’t speak much on this because if we compare the Operating System market share, Apple has only about 5%-6% while Windows leads the rest of the market with much higher market share.

How far is this method successful?

In terms of popularity, this method works a lot. I mean every Windows fed up user wants to buy a Apple computer (sort of?).

Frankly if we think what a Apple customer is going through, then it’s hell. Why you ask? It’s simply because first of all he’s putting a lot of money into buying a premium product and on top of that he’s quite unsure about any refresh/updates to the product line so he gets confused if he should buy the product or not and so he wastes time thinking to buy it or not.

Ow! Eating one of those Windows 7 Whopper Burgers is Painful (Video)

Picture 32

Ouch!

We had just posted sometime back, one the Microsoft’s Launch Campaign in Japan, the 7 Patties, 5.1 inch burger found itself one guy who could take the pains of eating the burger. Video Supplied Below.

Well, surely having one of those burgers won’t be good for my apetite though.

[Via Engadget]

Windows 7 Ads : The Advertising focus is now you!

There have been numerous windows 7 ads coming up, in this short period of two months. But one thing, we finally could figure out is that after the epic fall of Windows Vista this time, Microsoft isn’t taking any chance.

Especially with the Burger Campaigns, the Decoration one’s Microsoft is trying to make Windows 7 more personal, you know what i mean. It’s focusing on the audience than more on the high tech stuff. Simple and neat stuff is what people want, and Windows 7 surely has it. So now, there showing it to the world and these ads after the break are a Evidence of the statement!

First there’s this 7 second preview of Windows 7 which shows off the task bar feature, and unlike always, the ad isn’t focusing on the feature but on how it could help you and thats what we want! #Win Microsoft!

Wake Up Windows! That’s what we used to sing, earlier for Windows to wake up from sleep. Now, it’s Fast. Yes Real Fast. Here’s a commercial to prove it!

You’ve might of head the feature, Aero shake, to shake of the clutter of your desktop. Well, there’s a 7 Second Preview for it too!

Windows 7 Launched Now! : Offers, Packages, Marketing Stategies, Reviews are all here! (updated)

Microsoft’s, perhaps most awaited OS, Windows 7 created well enough buzz which it just needed, especially after Windows Vista to change it’s image in front of the customers.

win7Image Credit : BeingManan.com

Windows 7 is now available all over the world (45,000 Stores) and all PC manufacturers have started shipping their computers with Pre-Installed Windows 7 Os. Also, those people who bought their PC’s recently, can now rush in for their free upgrades for which they were promised by their retailers.

Currently here are the  packs that are available for windows 7, 

Buy Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade, Starter to Home Premium for $79.95 from Amazon here.

Buy Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade, Home Premium to Professional for $89.95 from Amazon here.

Buy Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade for $119.99 from Amazon here.

Buy Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Family Pack for $149.95 from Amazon here.

Buy Windows 7 Home Premium for $199.99 from Amazon here.

Buy Windows 7 Professional Upgrade for $199.99 from Amazon here.

Buy Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade for $219.99 from Amazon here.

Buy Windows 7 Professional at $299.99 from Amazon here.

Buy Windows 7 Ultimate at $319.99 from Amazon here.

Home Premium is more preferred choice of Windows 7 among and a Upgrade to Windows 7 from Windows Xp and Vista will cost $119 (Gr… Snow Leopard is just $29). [Thanks SoftSailor for the list]

Track what’s hot with Windows 7 in the Social Web on Microsoft’s Social Page.

Windows 7 Home PremiumIn Japan, Burger King is selling Windows 7 Burgers called Windows 7 Whopper. They are 5.1 inches tall and cost 777 yen ($8.49). What contributes to the height of the burger are the Seven Patties present in the burger.

windows_7_whopper_burger

Microsoft is also giving, Each Resident Dutch village of Zevenhuizen (meaning seven houses) free copies of Windows 7. It has also decorated Spanish village Sietes (Meaning 7) have also been decorated in Windows theme colours! 

Well, my house house has got seven windows, and i haven’t received my free copies of Windows 7 :P

True Strength of Emoticons and KeyBoard keys and How to use them effectively

Picture 18 :) :| :D ;) :P :\ and the list seems endless. I am sure you use them somewhere in your chat, status updates. So Let me define them for you, as per my computer text book.

An emoticon is a textual face of a writer’s mood or facial expression

And what we have made it into

A part of our online language, not limiting just to expressions but a lot more things.

Well, Speaking frankly i never understood the use of these emoticons till i started using twitter. It has been written somewhere that its very difficult to show what you mean by your statement online as you miss some advantages unlike our normal speech conversation where our facial expression, voice tone and speed determines the meaning of the sentence.

If i am speaking with my friend online, one sentence could have various meanings. For example if i say, “Where were you these days?”, if a am speaking then and i want to express the statement inform of a friendly question, I would stress on the word, “were” in the statement, or for anger i would stress on “Where”. But if i am chatting with him yahoo, it’s very difficult for me to convey what i mean (unless i use the Bold, Italics and Underline button every now and then, but after a while it gets a bit annoying).

Emoticons are the best way to express the mood of your statement which helps you out to bring out the meaning of it effectively. 

How “Not” to use emoticons

  • Did you just break up with your girlfriend ;)
  • Congrats, you’ve won the award as the best employee :(
  • You just failed in your exams :P

And lots more. Using them incorrectly may land you in great trouble.

How to use Emoticons effectively

  • You must always, make it a point to throw statements and comments at the right time, and also analyze some part of the reaction you could receive to such a statement and then accordingly use a Emoticon.
  • Don’t use Emoticons very often as they would loose their importance if you do so.
  • Your Timing should be perfect. Well, writing half a joke and then putting a “:P” doesn’t go well. Perhaps you might land yourself in trouble if the person to whom you wrote it does not find it funny.
  • While interacting with clients emoticons are very useful. Well, winking (“;)”) at your clients every now and then is not a good idea. Limited usage but perfect timing makes it work. On the end of every conversation, adding a “:)” if you think the conversation was pretty good would make your client a bit more :)
  • Using emoticons in Twitter Status updates saves a lot of characters in twitter’s 140 character limit. Using Emoticons at the end of every tweet to tell the mood of the update is pretty good. Usage of more then one emoticon per tweet, (again) reduces the value of the emoticon.

Moving from Emoticons

After emoticons, let me tell you importance of some of the characters, i’ll be concentrating on – “?” and “!”

These apart form just lying somewhere on your keyboard as keys, carry a lot of importance. These can change how your statement appeals to the audience and hence heavily altering what reactions you could get.

Here is one statement i passed on FaceBook and Twitter,

I am sick of my Worksheets

the only difference being the use of  ”!”. Analyze the Results i got. 

On Twitter, without using “!”,

 

reaction on twitter

Reaction on twitter

What do you notice? Without the use of a “!” the statement people have nothing much to say about a “Dead” kind of statement but to tell that they had the same experiences. By the way “eu também” means Me Too.

Now check out the Statement made by me on FaceBook, with a “!” and the difference can be spot by the comments about the statement.

Picture 17

Reactions on Facebook

The Comments here are a contrast from those comments on Twitter, made on the same statement without a “!”.  In this case, this would be a pretty, small level to test such things but it’s clearly visible. On twitter, they were sharing their same problem whereas on FaceBook the “!” defines the intensity of the statement and people start commenting advising me to finish off the work.

I don’t have resources to judge these things on Mass Scale but if you see, this can make such differences on small scale then, it’s surely going to make a lot of difference on Large Scale.

yahoo-logo

Well now you know, why Yahoo! uses a “!” in it’s logo. Perhaps using just Yahoo would make it really dull.