| |
As Companies Focus on Services, Will Hardware Become Irrelevant?
Even as Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft and a number of other companies unveil their latest devices, the market is becoming less about the gadgets themselves, and more about how firms can make money off additional services and purchases. But such a strategy does not come with an assured payoff, Wharton experts say.
Publish Date: Nov 28, 2012
|
Can Twitter Monetize the Cultural Zeitgeist?
Since launching in 2006, Twitter's platform has tapped into the collective consciousness around events ranging from the Arab Spring to the Super Bowl -- 140 characters at a time. Recently, Twitter retooled the design of its profile pages and moved to take greater control of its developer ecosystem -- both signs that the company is trying to focus on a more sustainable business model than its current advertising-based approach, experts say. They note that Twitter has created a unique application, but needs to figure out exactly how to leverage it into a service that businesses and consumers would be willing to pay for.
Publish Date: Oct 31, 2012
|
Apple's Maps Fiasco and the Mobile Arms Race
Apple's decision to replace Google Maps on its devices with a mapping program of its own has sparked widespread outcry -- much of it from users frustrated with the company's error-prone new service. But the move was about more than maps, Wharton experts say. Although the apps are often some of the most popular features on smartphones, Apple was just as interested in gaining increased control over its ecosystem.
Publish Date: Oct 17, 2012
|
The Apple-Samsung Case: What It Means for Patents -- and Innovation
A California jury awarded Apple what could be a decisive victory in the smartphone wars in August by ruling that Samsung infringed on a number of patents relating to the functionality and design of the iPhone. Samsung plans to appeal, but Apple is now calling for a ban on U.S. sales of some of the devices at issue in the case. Some observers believe the verdict might open the door for additional Apple lawsuits against other smartphone makers -- including Google. Wharton professors David Hsu and Andrea Matwyshyn discuss the key players, the future of smartphone design and the U.S. patent system.
Publish Date: Sep 19, 2012
|
The Smartphone Shakeout: Time Is Running Out for a Viable No. 3
Once buoyed by surging sales and expanding interest in smartphones, a number of device manufacturers are now faltering as powerhouses Apple and Samsung dominate the market. Hardware makers are among those taking the biggest hits because the main differentiator in the sector is software -- the operating platform and application ecosystem. Wharton experts say companies, including Nokia, Research in Motion and HTC, still have a few chances left to emerge as a competitive No. 3 in the smartphone wars. But time, they warn, is running out.
Publish Date: Sep 05, 2012
|
|
|
|
