Apple's $250 Band Would Be A Huge Life Saver (And Quite Profitable)

Motley Fool is not a quite I'd recommend anyone go to for financial information, tips, or eye-opening posts but their fear-mongering post about the Apple Watch has made me decide to write this post, one that has been a long time in coming:  Apple should release a workout band.  Like what Fitbit, Jawbone, and dozens of others have released years before and continue to improve upon. 

First, why $250? You think that is expensive and you're right if this was Fitbit's own workout band.  But this will be Apple's own iOS-linked band to the iPhone ecosystem.  Plus, it'll look pretty good too just as the Apple Watch does.  And yeah, it's an Apple product so it will command a premium. 

The main reason Apple should release it is because it is leaving a ton of money on the table.  Tens of millions of these workout bands are sold annually and an increasingly health-conscious mobile population, Apple has a lot to offer.  Furthermore, sensors on these bands will fit right into Apple's own health care platforms.  It will serve as a halo device to other Apple products as well. 

Furthermore, an Apple band can serve as a remote to the Apple TV (and gaming) or the future Apple car just as I'm certain that the Apple Watch will play a pretty big role on the home as well as the car. 

Timing will be an issue.  Apple will give the Apple Watch ample time to mature and serve as the sole wearable device from Cupertino for another year or so before it launches any band, if it seems fit to do so. 

The question is whether Apple will indeed release an Apple band.  I'm gonna say yes only because Nike gave up its effort on the Nike Fuelband.  And Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, who happened to sit on the Nike board likely has some hand in that.  Perhaps through a collaborative effort, Apple will brind a band to the market with Nike's help.

On top of that, the health features of the Apple Watch is its main and killer feature.  If it did not have that, would anyone buy a watch just for notifications? 

iPad As a PC Replacement: It's Already Happened for Many But It Does Have A Long Way To Go

Post from The Verge arguing that the iPad Pro, or any iPad isn't ready to replace the PC yet.  This is arguable but the post seemed to argue against itself.  At the end of the day, it's what you use a computer for, whether this computer happens to be in a PC or tablet form factor).

The article said that people are not upgrading their iPads because their older iPads are simply adequate for what they need to do with it.  And for the most part, I think I would be happy with my iPad Air (I skipped the iPad 2, 3, and 4 and got an iPad mini).  I recently got an iPad mini 4 because I just wanted something small for media and ebook consumption.  And honestly, I'm done. 

I'm interested in the iPad Pro but I'm more looking forward to an updated 12" Macbook, whenever Apple decides to ship it.  Why?  Keyboard, mouse, and productivity tools that are available only on the Mac and that I'm more comfortable with certain things on a laptop form than on a tablet:  mouse and keyboard.  Sure, I can hook up a Bluetooth keyboard up to an iPad but I'm just more used to a mouse and being able to flip easily from one app or screen to another.

And here's the irony of it all for the iPad as far as Apple is concerned.  Apple is not putting touch interfaces on the Macs because Apple argues rightfully that people don't want to poke at their monitors or LCD screens. And yet, it is asking iPad users to do just that when they are using them in laptop form (with a BT keyboard).  Wouldn't it be easier with a mouse?

And this is where The Verge is arguing that the Surface Book from Microsoft is hitting all the right notes.  And on this front, based on my needs and habits, I agree.  The Surface Book seems to say that it wants to bridge the best of both worlds.  And it does - it runs Windows 10 and you can use it as a tablet or laptop.  And yeah, it sits comfortable on your lap. You cannot say the same thing about the iPad in some scenarios. 

At the end of the day, you just wish that maybe Apple would come out with a MacPad running OS X that works as a tablet and can quickly transform into a Macbook when it is sitting on a laptop-like dock just like the Surface Book.

Whether the iPad is a PC replacement depends on the user.  It already is for many folks.  It is for me for the most part except the 20% of the work I do that requires a Macbook - some out of necessity and others out of how productive I want to be.  The Verge seems to suggest that the iPad and the Surface Book will evolve and converge to meet somewhere in the middle.  Perhaps, but it is awesome to see just where that might be.

Apple Likely Will Bring Interest Free Payment Plan To iPad To Spur Sales

I love Apple's new iPhone payment plan where you can pay for a brand new iPhone over two years and upgrade to a new one after 12 payments have been made to get a new one (you'll have to trade in the old one though).  And here's the kicker:  I am not even a part of this installment plan because T-Mobile had issues the day I went to the Apple store to get my iPhone 6S.  However, given its appeal, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that Apple will expand this plan not only internationally and online so that you don't have to visit the store to do it (not sure how Apple will handle the part about you trading in your old iPhone), but Apple will include the iPad as well.

When Apple add the iPad to the installment plan, it could be the catalyst that Wall Street and investors are looking for to jump start the iPad.  Furthermore, it could be also mean more sales as people who cannot or are unwilling to pay a premium up front for the iPad, iPad mini, or iPad Pro up front but would not mind paying for the Apple tablet over a couple of years with the option to trade in for a new one after a year.

For the same reason that I upgrade my iPhone annually, I, along with many others, would be willing to do the same for the iPad. 

And all the fear about sagging iPad sales from Wall Street will go away.  I don't know what the actual profit and cash flow projection is or what Apple's internal numbers really show but I do know it's this.  HUGE.  Possibly bigger than HUGE because none of its competitors can really follow Apple down this route because they simply do not have the cash on hand to do it.

And here is another reason why Apple will start selling the iPad with installment plans as an option:  Apple is looking down the road at the bigger picture when Apple Financial or other services come online.  We'll get into another day but these small baby steps Apple is taking, starting with the iPhone installment plan, will amplify into bigger sales and profit in the decades to come. 

Apple TV Review Fore-Thoughts

I decided perhaps I should try my hand at giving a product review. And it just so happens that I've got a brand-new Apple TV all set to go.  It'll take a week or so.  I don't see how people can review anything after spending only a day or two with it.

Let me start by pointing this out.  I got it on Monday, 11/2.  I bought it home along with the controller and it's sitting by my front door.  And since Sunday, I've been watching Sling TV, Amazon Videos, Netflix, and my own iTunes purchases on the current Apple TV I have. 

So, I've had the newly "no longer a hobby" Apple TV for almost 48 hours and have not rushed to open and put it to use.  It says a lot about the old Apple TV as an useful media center and what it is capable of with Airplay and how much better the new Apple TV better be for people to buy and use it as their primary media box for their home.

Holidays: In-Store Pickups Are Not Worth It If It Means Frustration

Here is a Bloomberg post about Holidays free shipping that struck a cord with me. Not all free shipping are the same but the post delved into something more important: in-store pickups. And not all IPSU ate all the same.

I've experienced them before. Going to Best Buy. Wal-Mart. Even Apple stores. And the one thing that makes them a hassle even if you get what you ordered more quickly and free than online shopping is that you still have to wait.

And I'm not talking about a couple of minutes. Tens of minutes. This is especially true for Apple stores. Move here. Line up there. Ten you have to wait until someone is free to help you. 

Just add bad and mentioned in the Bloomberg post is that you have to walk around the store to find out where to go pick up what you need. And most of the time, when you do managed to find someone to help you, they haven't a clue what you're talking about.

So far, Best Buy has the best of the lot because you just go tot he customer service area.

Retailers like Wal-Mart and Target are only starting to match Amazon with free shipping but they have an inherent advantage: brick-and-mortar stores. ISPU is their natural advantage. They need to exploit that against their online-only competitors. And they need to do a much better job at it.


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Mobile: Maybe Map Apps Like Waze Can Also Let Users Rate Safety

A woman was killed when she and her husband using Waze, the popular GPS mobile app, went to the wrong address.  Instead of leading them to a popular tourist distination, they ended up in the wrong neighborhood where their vehicle was opened fired upon by local criminals.

This has sparked great concern over the use of GPS apps in Brazil as the South American country is set to host the next summer Olympics in 2016.  Perhaps Waze and other apps can update their apps to allow uers to rate the safety and accessibility of maps and locations. 

Including myself, we've relied to eavily on technology especially the GPS that we take for granted we will be led to the right location.  For the most part, they do work as advertised.

Source:  CNN.

Apple Going All In To Gut Advertisers, And Kill Google

Source: TechCrunch

Apple means business. Google really need to figure out another solution to show ads or money elsewhere as billions if not tens of billions of mobile revenue on iOS devices will dry up as Apple moves to block ads not only in Safari but perhaps even within apps that serves up ads themselves.

Called"Been Choice", it works its magic through a combo of Safari and VPN voodoo. However it works, it'll serve as a huge disruption to the current status quo for app makers who rely on ads as their main source of revenue. And oh, the app also works on Facebook's own ads as well. 

As if it wasn't enough, content providers and publishers have already been running for cover and wondering what the future of publishing without the ability to serve not only adds but trackers as well. This app even works against Apple's own newsreader as well.

Why are the creators of Been Choice doing this to them, Google, trackers, and publishers ask. Well, they want to offer users the choice between blocking ads and being compensated for sharing their personal info and activities. So there is the angle. Compensation.

The are two modes. The usted can set Been Choice up as a traditional add blocker or sign into the app's VPN device where a deeper analysis is performed (but there is risk there too) through pattern analysis. That's how the app is able block ads even from Apple and Facebook. 

Then comes the earning mode that users can opt into and earn cash or gift cards from Amazon by sharing their data. And yes, the developers found that people are indeed willing to share info if they find that they are compensated for it. 

TechCrunch which obviously makes its money from ads and tracking us seemed more skeptical so its author should beer consider biased in this case. Otherwise, it's a good read.

This may have greater consequences for ad servers like Google in the long term of adoption is greater that expected. Already faced with a diminishing return on the desktop, Google will find itself squeezed even further. 

This will also have huge consequences for developers as well as app users. This could force a realignment of the app revenue s system that currently relies on ad revenue to generate income for developers in order to provide users with free apps. Perhaps, this is what Apple wants all asking if Apple comes its aggressive privacy push to root out all forms of ads and trackers. After all, Apple receives a cut off all apps paid but it gets nothing from free apps. 

Been Choice already has a 4-star rating on the App Store. Highly recommended.