marketing

In May 2010, Apple attained a ranking long thought unthinkable -- the world's most valuable technology company, a position it achieved by dethroning longtime rival Microsoft.

Apple still sits atop the throne. But in the meantime another company has come along to kick Microsoft down a peg: Google, which capped off a summer surge in its stock price by overtaking Microsoft today in market capitalization. In the technology sector, only Apple has a bigger market value.

Google closed the day at $761.98, up 0.99 percent. Microsoft closed at $29.51, down 0.82 percent. And just like … Read more

How many fronts can a good war have?

An infinite number, if the bazooka fire around the iPhone 5 can be believed.

For Google's Motorola doesn't want to be left behind Samsung and Nokia, both of whom have already tried to mock Apple's new elongated marvel.

I am indebted to TechCrunch for coming upon a Motorola Google+ post (also on Motorola's Facebook page) that enjoys an ad with a mocking tone.

What reason could Motorola have to mock the iPhone 5? Why, it's the iOS 6 Maps app, of course. You know, the one that doesn't seem to quite get the locations right.… Read more

The lovely thing about a new iPhone is that it brings people together.

Whether your Karl is Rove or Marx, whether your Justin is Bieber, Timberlake, or Theroux, somehow the iPhone has always brought so many together in wondrous adoration.

And yet the new iPhone 5 ads released yesterday seem to be creating an oddly conflictual atmosphere.

The ads, to my eyes and ears, seem to be a rather smooth journey back to the future. Some of Apple's recent ads have tended toward the dull. Can anyone remember even one exciting ad for the iPad?

At heart, they've … Read more

Although some claim the rapid adoption of tablets has ushered in a so-called post-PC era, one HP executive begs to differ.

HP printing and personal systems group executive vice president Todd Bradley said in an interview with PC World that the notion PCs are declining as tablets take over is plain nonsense.

"Look, it's just wrong. Just think of the decision when your child is going off to college," Bradley said. "What's a requirement? A PC. Or you run a business and need your employees to be productive. You need a PC. The size of … Read more

I don't think they've kissed and made up yet.

I don't even think they're talking.

When one party embarrasses another so badly -- and in public -- you don't expect the hurt one to just take it, do you?

And so Samsung is greeting the arrival of the iPhone 5 with an ad that will run tomorrow in certain national and local newspapers (how modern). It is not a flattering ad. It suggests that the iPhone 5 isn't even good enough to be, well, a copy of the Galaxy S3.

Clearly, it's been … Read more

As it usually does, Apple got the tech world excited this week when it introduced its new iPhone 5.

The magically, magnificent device will be an experience like no other and will provide consumers a 4-inch display and 4G LTE connectivity. In other words, stuff that Android phones have enjoyed for the better part of two years. That is, of course, unless you get a Sprint or Verizon iPhone 5 and want to use simultaneous voice and data.

In all seriousness, though, the new iPhone will be a good step forward for Apple as it does improve upon the existing … Read more

Apple's stock keeps soaring higher and higher following this week's unveiling of the iPhone 5.

Earlier today, the shares hovered at around $696, up almost 14 points since yesterday's close and within a hair's breadth of the $700 threshold. They closed at $691.28.

The climb began Wednesday during the iPhone event.

Shares started to rise as the event unfolded, reaching $668. Many investors decided to cash in at that point, since the stock fell back down to $657 after the event. But further trading drove the stock up to $669. It jumped still further in … Read more

Add another entry to the lengthening list of reduced revenue estimates for Facebook.

eMarketer said in a report issued earlier today that it has cut its 2012 revenue estimates on Facebook from more than $6 billion to around $5 billion.

In February, eMarketer estimated that Facebook's total revenues would go beyond the $6 billion mark this year, but the company's underwhelming performance in the first and second quarters of 2012 has changed the opinion of analysts.

The new estimate has Facebook's revenue at a 35.9 percent increase from 2011, according to eMarketer's forecast, but analyst … Read more

A number of child protection and privacy groups have asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to launch an inquiry into viral campaigns that are centered on children through online networks.

The main cause for complaint involves what is known as "tell a friend" or "refer a friend" campaigns. The Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) and 16 other advocacy groups named McDonald's, Viacom, Turner Broadcasting -- known for its Cartoon Network channel -- General Mills and Subway in five separate complaints with the FTC.

At the center is the contention that these major corporations have violated … Read more