David Feldt Proud father. Entrepreneur. Builder. Catalyst. Accelerator. Guide.

iPhone by the Numbers

 

So, iDay is over and the razzamatazz continued all day with reports of people lining up all across the US.

Let's look at the numbers ...

According to Jupiter Research:

"Apple's sales target of 10 million [its targeting a niche, high-end market after all] is modest compared with its established opposition in the media centric phone category: In just the last six months of 2006 -- not the 18 months that Apple is targeting -- Nokia sold 10 million N Series "multimedia computers" (i.e. media-centric smartphones)."

eBay is listing the 8GB model for sale between $710 and $910! And yet, if you look at product availability across the country, no store are sold out of iPhones and every store has stock for sale on Saturday morning (unless Apple's availability calculator has gone on the blink). So, why would anyone buy it off of eBay at a $110 - $310 premium? Doesn't make any sense, right?

Apple says that the iPhone has the best battery life ...

Apple's stock traded in a relatively narrow range today and hasn't really moved much in the past five days ...

Meanwhile, Research in Motion, the maker of the rival Blackberry, had a phenomenal day on the market - the stock closed at an all-time high of $199.00, up $34.40 (+20.77%) and in after-market trading the price was last at $201.30! The company just announced that it will be selling its Blackberry in China (after negotiating with government officials for the past 8 years).
So, Palm is the loser, Blackberry continues to be dominant, with Apple seemingly about to take a large chunk of the high-end smartphone market.

What a great time to be a trader in the financial markets!

Cell Swapping

Jeff Jarvis at BuzzMachine has found a cool marketplace for those hungry iPhoners who are locked into an existing contract with Verizon, Sprint or T-Mobile.

http://www.cellswapper.com

Interesting to see how much business they do in the next few weeks as iPhone Mania sweeps the nation.

Authentic iPhone Reviews

The unprecedented hype and buzz surrounding the impending iPhone launch continues ... MSN is hosting a roundtable of authentic iPhone reviews from the following "anointed" journalists:

Newsweek's Steven Levy, the New York Times' David Pogue, Walt Mossberg and Katherine Boehret of the Wall Street Journal and USA Today's Ed Baig.

Read their collective reviews here.

For a contrarian point-of-view, watch the Ries Report where Al Ries "proves" that the iPhone (a convergence technology) will ultimately fail - He compares the current hype for the iPhone to that of the Ford Edsel in the last century, a product that never lived up to the hype. His thesis is that successful products are divergent by nature (iPod, for example), not convergent.

As a born contrarian, my head says Al Ries is correct. However, my heart WANTS an iPhone!

Thanks to Laura McGowan for the link.

Enter the World of the Chinese Gold Farmer

The world of MMOGs has evolved and matured over the years and today the market is estimated to be worth billions of dollars with 30+ million avid gamers across the world and 80+ major titles in current circulation.

We've previously written about the big daddy of MMOGs - World of Warcraft (WoW) - and this past weekend the New York Times Magazine reported on the grey-market that has developed around these games.

The fascinating article exposes the surreal life of a "Chinese Gold Farmer", Li Qiwen, who works 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, slaying dragons and collecting virtual gold coins in WoW. He is part of a $2 billion a year grey market for R. M. T (real-money-trading), a phenomena of buying and selling virtual goods. "It is estimated that there are thousands of businesses like it all over China, neither owned nor operated by the game companies from which they make their money. Collectively they employ an estimated 100,000 workers, who produce the bulk of all the goods in what has become a $1.8 billion worldwide trade in virtual items."

Julian Dibbell, the author of the article, has written a book entitled “Play Money: Or How I Quit My Day Job and Made Millions Trading Virtual Loot.” He reports that, "for every 100 gold coins he gathers, Li makes 10 yuan, or about $1.25, earning an effective wage of 30 cents an hour, more or less. The boss, in turn, receives $3 or more when he sells those same coins to an online retailer, who will sell them to the final customer (an American or European player) for as much as $20."

Read the article and watch the video to get a glimpse into Li's life.

Practice Being Like a Child by Jim Rohn

Remember the master teacher once said 2000 years ago, "Unless you can become like little children, your chances are zero, you haven't got a prayer." A major consideration for adults.

Be like children and remember there are four ways to be more like a child no matter how old you get –

1) Curiosity - Be curious. Childish curiosity. Learn to be curious like a child. What will kids do if they want to know something bad enough? You’re right. They will bug you. Kids can ask a million questions. You think they're through. They've got another million. They will keep plaguing you. They can drive you right to the brink.
Also kids use their curiosity to learn. Have you ever noticed that while adults are stepping on ants, children are studying them? A child's curiosity is what helps them to reach, learn and grow.
2) Excitement - Learn to get excited like a child. There is nothing that has more magic than childish excitement. So excited you hate to go to bed at night. Can't wait to get up in the morning. So excited that you're about to explode. How can anyone resist that kind of childish magic? Now, once in awhile I meet someone who says, "Well, I'm a little too mature for all that childish excitement." Isn't that pitiful? You've got to weep for these kinds of people. All I've got to say is, "If you're too old to get excited, you're old." Don't get that old.
3) Faith - Faith like a child. Faith is childish. How else would you describe it? Some people say, "Let's be adult about it." Oh no. No. Adults too often have a tendency to be overly skeptical. Some adults even have a tendency to be cynical. Adults say, "Yeah. I've heard that old positive line before. It will be a long day in June before I fall for that positive line. You've got to prove to me it's any good." See, that's adult, but kids aren't that way. Kids think you can get anything. They are really funny. You tell kids, "We're going to have three swimming pools." And they say, "Yeah. Three. One each. Stay out of my swimming pool." See, they start dividing them up right away, but adults are not like that. Adults say, "Three swimming pools? You're out of your mind. Most people don't even have one swimming pool. You'll be lucky to get a tub in the back yard." You notice the difference? No wonder the master teacher said, "Unless you can become like little children, your chances, they're skinny."
4) Trust - Trust is a childish virtue, but it has great merit. Have you heard the expression "sleep like a baby"? That's it. Childish trust. After you've gotten an A+ for the day, leave it in somebody else's hands.

Curiosity, excitement, faith and trust.

Wow, what a powerful combination to bring (back) into our lives.

The Art of Innovation

Here's an awesome presentation by Guy Kawasaki ...

Enjoy!