As the cold weather starts to roll in for many of us, it’s easy to get curious about what the near future has in store, temperature-wise. The Farmer’s Almanac claims that it can predict the weather with 80% accuracy months in advance, based on a top-secret mathematical formula that takes into account tidal and sunspot activity. In reality, their predictions fall pretty short of perfect most of the time. Modern meteorologists fare a little better, looking at atmospheric conditions in the present and the past to make their predictions. It’s all about the tools that you use.
So what tools can you use in business to help you figure out the temperature of your market? Predictive analytics are the hot new trend helping marketers to identify risks and opportunities by looking at existing data, but how well do they really work? Enough to justify your investment? This infographic was created through a partnership between CustomerThink and Forrester, and is based on surveys and conversations with the CMOs of over 100 B2B companies over the course of 3 months. They talked about their experiences with using (or not using!) this marketing approach, and the sort of impact it made on their businesses. Let’s take a look at what they had to say.
The CustomerThink and Forrester survey revealed the following findings.
2% of those polled denied having any interest in predictive analytics.
61% had already adopted the technology or were already expanding their investment in it.
37% were interested in implementing predictive analytics at their company.
It’s pretty easy to see why this interest is justified – 83% of users see a significant impact on their business, with twice the annual revenue growth, market share, and likelihood to exceed marketing value contribution goals than non-users! Use of predictive analytics, not surprisingly, predicts a more modern approach to marketing by the companies that use it.
They are most likely than non-users to have a standardized marketing platform (79% v. 34%).
They are most likely to implement analytics solutions in under 2 weeks (36% v. 21%).
They track their conversation rates (55% v. 36%).
Predictive analytics can be used to address tough challenges faced by B2B businesses. Those polled named limited visibility into addressable markets as the #1 hurdle they face, and 86% agreed that predictive analytics helped them to see where their companies could fit in these new markets. Predictive analytics helps marketers understand not only markets, but also customers. 97% said that it helped them see how and why their best customers buy, 89% said it helped them identify new leads, and 92% said it helped them adjust their marketing mix to best reach new buyers.
With all of this new information about predictive analytics in front of you, I wager that you’re starting to seriously think about adding this tool to your marketing strategy. That’s my prediction, anyway. Have you already been looking into or using this technology? Let me know in the comments.
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COMMENTARY: Radius, the B2B predictive marketing software company, commissioned Forrester Consulting to survey 106 B2B marketing executives and CMOs in the U.S. The findings revealed predictive analytics is going mainstream, with a majority of marketers (61 percent) using predictive analytics today, allowing them to anticipate outcomes with a significant probability of accuracy.
Published in September 2015, the study, “From Insight To Action: How Predictive Analytics Improves B2B Marketing Outcomes,” yielded three key findings:
B2B marketers who use predictive analytics outperform their counterparts who do not.
Predictive analytics users are twice as likely to outperform non-users on several key business metrics, including the following:
Exceeding revenue growth target;
Exceeding marketing goals for revenue contribution;
Commanding a higher market share than competitors.
Predictive analytics helps B2B marketers identify and address new markets.
According to the study, marketers’ top challenge is limited visibility into addressable markets, but:
86 percent agree that predictive analytics help them evaluate new market opportunities;
84 percent say that insights from these marketing-focused analytics have become the primary driver in their go-to-market strategies.
Predictive analytics impacts the entire customer lifecycle, not just pre-sales acquisition.
While most marketers (89 percent) see value in using predictive analytics to identify new opportunities and to better qualify leads, the more advanced users also realize upstream and downstream benefits:
97 percent of predictive analytics users analyze their best customers and understand how/why they buy;
92 percent of predictive analytics users optimize the marketing mix to reach the right types of buyers.
Radius Director of Product Marketing John Hurley said.
“As the findings of this study prove, the best B2B marketers are predictive analytics users. This is because they can pursue new market opportunities and attract, analyze and engage customers with insights backed by data science, not guesswork. Given our goal for this study was to evaluate the use of predictive analytics among B2B marketers, we were excited to find the majority of companies have already incorporated these systems into their marketing arsenals and are actively driving business growth. We’ve entered an age where technology and data science can deliver the power of analytics to marketers.”
Courtesy of an article dated October 21, 2015 appearing in Online Sales Guide Tips and an article dated September 29, 2015 appearing in Radius
Twitter shares are crashing in after-hours trading after the company reported another quarter of disappointing user growth and a weak revenue forecast for the last three months of the year.
Here are the key Q3 numbers:
Monthly active users: 320 million, versus the 324 million expected by analysts, and compared to 316 million users in the second quarter.
Monthly active users, excluding SMS followers: 307 million users, compared to 304 million users in the second quarter.
Revenue: $569 million, up 58% year-on-year, compared to the $559.6 million expected by analysts. Twitter had already pre-announced that revenue will be at or above the top end of its forecast range of $545 million to $560 million.
Adjusted EPS: $0.10 versus the $0.05 expected by analysts.
Net loss: Another huge loss of $132 million, compared to a net loss of $175 million in the year-ago period.
Q4 Revenue Guidance: $695 million to $710 million, versus analyst expectations of $739.7 million.
Twitter shares plunged roughly 13%, or $4.04, to $27.30 in after-hours trading Tuesday.
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It's not a great debut for Jack Dorsey, who was appointed CEO earlier this month. He previously served as interim CEO, and will be hosting his first earnings conference call with investors as the company's new chief later Tuesday. Wall Street will be looking for answers about how Dorsey intends to revitalize the company's flagging user growth and reverse the growing impression that Twitter could become a social-networking also-ran.
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To put Twitter's stalled user growth in perspective, the company added a total of 4 million new users this quarter. Facebook, more than four times the size of Twitter, added 49 million new monthly users during its second quarter.
Twitter also appears to have suffered a steep and sudden drop in the prices that it charges marketers to run ads on its service. Twitter revealed that its "cost per ad engagement" fell 39% year-over-year.
Dorsey said in prepared remarks that the company has simplified its "road map" and organization around a few big bets across Twitter, Periscope. and Vine that it believes represent the largest opportunities for growth.
Busy Period
It's been a busy few months for Twitter. In addition to appointing a new CEO, the company launched the new Moments feature, which tries to make it easier for new users of the service to follow live events, such as sports and presidential debates. And the money-losing company recently slashed 8% of its workforce.
While Twitter eliminated some of the uncertainty about its management by completing its CEO search, the appointment of Dorsey to the role creates more questions. The 38-year-old Twitter cofounder also serves as the full-time CEO of digital-payments company Square, which is in the process of preparing for an IPO.
Twitter's stock has plunged 41% from its 52-week high of $53.49, though it has rebounded from recent lows when shares were trading below the company's IPO price.
Twitter warned investors last quarter that they should not expect any meaningful user growthfor a "considerable" amount of time. The question now is whether Dorsey has a plan to change that.
You can also view Twitter's press release regarding their Q3 2015 earnings report by clicking HERE
COMMENTARY: Twitter's third quarter 2015 earnings failed to meet investor expectations on user growth and guidance for the fourth quarter 2015, driving down its stock price. More specifically, Twitter continues to struggle in attracting and retaining new users to its platform, and its advertising business is facing challenges with respect to direct-response advertising.
In addition, while ad engagement and videos have recently snowballed on the platform, the average cost per ad engagement continues to decline substantially. Notwithstanding these challenges, we think it’s too early to expect results from the new leadership. Product changes have recently accelerated on the platform (for both users and advertisers), and if successful, these initiatives could meaningfully drive growth over the coming quarters.
Key Takeaways From Twitter’s Third Quarter Earnings
User Growth Failed To Impress: Twitter’s total average monthly active user base was 320 million in Q3 2015, as compared to 316 million in the prior quarter. Excluding SMS fast followers, the MAU base was recorded at 307 million, which represented a sequential rise of 3 million users. These metrics failed to match expectations, as other social networks such as Facebook FB +0.00% and Instagram have seen much stronger growth. We believe the recent product innovations undertaken at Twitter should start to yield results (in terms of user base growth) going forward.
Guidance Came In Below Expectations: Twitter’s management guided for revenues of $695 million to $710 million for the fourth quarter of 2015. This came in significantly below average analyst estimates of $739.7 million. We believe this weak outlook indicates continued challenges in the company’s advertising business (most prominently in its direct response ad units).
Revenue Growth Driven By Rise In Ad Engagements: Twitter’s overall revenues rose by 58% annually to $569 million during Q3 2015. Advertising revenue increased by 60% in dollar terms and by 67% in FX-neutral terms. This was primarily driven by a 165% annual increase in the number of ad engagements, due to growth in both auto-play video ads and off-network advertising business. Off-network advertising revenue (which includes advertising through TellApart, TapCommerce and MoPub Network) contributed about 13% of overall ad revenue during the quarter. The average cost per ad engagement dropped by 39% annually, due to a shift towards lower-cost auto-play video ads. Going forward, we believe growth in overall ad engagements will continue to drive the company’s advertising business, as there is still significant potential to increase ad load levels on the micro-blogging platform.
Video Usage Has Gone Up Significantly On Twitter: Video consumption has been growing tremendously on Twitter of late with the launch of auto-play videos. Native video views have risen by up to 150 times across the Twitter, Periscope and Vine platforms over the past six months. As a result, video ads have gained much more prominence on Twitter over the past few months. Moreover, the company plans to pilot Promoted Moments (video-focused ads) across the U.S. during Q4 2015.
Innovation Has Accelerated On The Platform: One positive that we have noted of late is that product changes have accelerated under the leadership of Jack Dorsey. With new features such as Highlights on Android, Polls, and recently launched Moments, the company aims to step up engagement levels on the platform. Additionally, changes have also been made on the Vine and Periscope platforms, such as introducing music on Vine. While it’s too early to measure the precise impact of these changes, we believe these recent initiatives could drive growth in the coming quarters. Twitter’s efforts to simplify its service will be central to its long-term goal of drastically expanding its audience base, and we will be keeping an eye on its progress in meeting these goals.
Conclusion
I don't know about you, but I don't see Jack Dorsey turning around Twitter anytime soon. The fact that Twitter will fail to exceed Q4 2015 guidance should give you a good hint. All these wonderful things that Jack has implemented since he took over the helm as CEO (I actually consider him part-time CEO since he splits duties with Square) will do very little to increase new users, monthly active users, revenues and profitability.
Twitter is very troubled company whose original business model has become outdated and has lost its luster. It is no longer an exciting and fast growing social network when Dick Costolo came on board as its CEO in June 2010. Since the beginning of 2013, Twitter quarterly MAUs have been growing at single digit rates, and have remained this way ever since. Year-to-year growth rates have also been on a steady decline when Dick Costolo took over. The following charts make this point very clearly.
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I find it unforgiveable that Twitter's stock was rewarded with a nice "bump" (opened at $28 and ended the day at $48) when it went public in November 2013. MAU quarterly growth rates were in single digits and the company has never generated a profit since it was founded in 2006. Fast forward to today, and nothing really has changed. MAU growth remains stagnant and another huge loss.
Twitter really needs to make radical changes and this does not leave out the possibility of making a huge pivot in its business model. When I say radical, I men possibly rebranding. This might include a name change, getting rid of the blue bird logo, and getting rid of "tweets."
Twitter also needs to consider transitioning from a pure online microblogging site to a true social network. This means giving Twitter a completely new look that's modern, slick, and cool, and offers more functionality and customization.
I would also consider eliminating the ad-based revenue model, and going to a subscription based model for larger users. I would not mind paying $4.95 to $9.95 per year depending on the number of followers and tweets and retweets I post. If these changes are too radical for you, then I would recommend a mix of subscriptions and advertising.
Bottomline, Jack Dorsey needs to make Twitter easy and fun to use. This is the only way to increase usage and engagement. Increasing the length of tweets doesn't do it. You need RADICAL changes to Twitter. Sleep on that. Comments gladly encouraged.
Courtesy of an article dated October 27, 2015 appearing in Business Insider, an article dated October 29, 2015 appearing in Forbes, an article dated October 27, 2015 appearing in Marketing Land, an article dated October 27, 2015 appearing in Fortune, and an article dated October 27, 2015 appearing inSeeking Alpha
For the September quarter (FY Q4 2015), it earned $1.96 per share, on $51.5 billion in revenue. Its earnings were well ahead of expectations, while revenue was roughly in line.
Apple sold 48.05 million iPhones, which is a 22% jump compared to the previous year, and is about what analysts expected.
Investors basically yawned at the results, with the stock going nowhere in after-hours trading.
Apple offered holiday guidance that is a little light of expectations, but is generally fine. If Apple hits the high-end of its guidance, $77.5 billion, it would deliver 4% growth, which is reassuring to investors who were worried Apple's growth would go negative.
Apple analyst Gene Munster wrote in a note shortly after the numbers were released.
"Our early take is that the guidance seems to imply flattish (74-76 million) iPhones for December. This would imply iPhone units down 1% to up 2% year-over-year. We view this as a relief given investors were bracing for the start of the 6S cycle to be down meaningfully (down 5-8% y/y)."
Here are all the numbers versus expectations:
Revenue: $51.5 billion, up 22% year-over-year (y/y), versus expectations of $51.04 billion
EPS: $1.96, up 38% y/y, versus expectations of $1.88
Net income: $11.1 billion
iPhone units: 48.05 million, up 22% y/y, versus expectations of 48.5 million
iPhone's average selling price: $670
iPad units: 9.88 million versus, down 20% y/y, expectations of 10.2 million
iPad's average selling price: $432.66
Mac units: 5.71 million, up 4% y/y, versus expectations of 5.6 million
Gross margin: 39.9% versus expectations of 39.3%
Cash on hand: $206 billion
December quarter revenue: $75.5-$77.5 versus expectations of $77.13 billion. If Apple hits the top end of its guidance, revenue will be up 4% y/y.
Here's a table with all the results:
Revenues by Geographic Segment and Product Summary
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Charts
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Earnings Call Log
You may also view the Apple Q3 2015 Live Earnings Call Log by clicking HERE
COMMENTARY: Cook said the company began taking orders on Monday for the new Apple TV. He called it a “huge day” based on demand for the new product.
Apple also issued a healthy forecast for the holiday quarter, which began this month. These are the highlights:
revenue between $75.5 billion and $77.5 billion
gross margin between 39 percent and 40 percent
operating expenses between $6.3 billion and $6.4 billion
other income/(expense) of $400 million
tax rate of 26.2 percent
But analysts appeared to be concerned with Apple’s ability to continue growing strongly into 2016.
The company has not yet broken out numbers for Apple Watch sales but Cook said sales are ahead of Apple’s expectations.
I feel that investors and analysts were short-changed and left with a blank stare when it came to sales of the Apple Watch. For two consecutive quarters, Tim Cook has declined to provide data on actual Apple Watch sales. Cook stated that the lack of information about the Apple Watch is for "competitive reasons." Translation: He doesn't want to feel embarassed if Apple Watch sales are poor or below expectations.
Its my belief that Apple Watch sales are okay, but not spectacular, and he wants to wait until after Christmas to give the Apple Watch a boost in sales because consumers are likely to buy the watch as a gift. This period also gives existing Apple Watch owners and new buyers time to report any bugs or issues with the new Apple Watch OS 2.0.1 update which just became available for downloading on Monday. The new OS update improves batery life and security measures and offers bug fixes and new emoji's.
Apple's Q3 2015 (Fiscal 4th quarter) unaudited financial reports can found in its press release by clicking HERE.
Courtesy of an article dated October 27, 2015 appearing in Business Insider, an article dated October 27, 2015 appearing in Forbes. and an article dated October 27, 2015 appearing in Forbes Tech
WASHINGTON, September 23, 2015 – Ready to embrace cooler weather, fall traditions and spirited celebrations, more than 157 million Americans plan to celebrate Halloween this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s Halloween Consumer Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. The average person celebrating will spend $74.34, compared with $77.52 last year. Total spending on Halloween is expected to reach $6.9 billion.*
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NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay said.
“After a long summer, consumers are eager to embrace fall and all of the celebrations that come with it. We expect those celebrating Halloween this year will look for several different activities to do with their family and friends. Consumers are ready to take advantage of promotions on candy, decorations and costumes, and retailers are ready to serve them.”
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Consumers celebrating Halloween plan to spend an average of $27.33 on costumes for the whole family, and a total of $2.5 billion on store-bought, homemade, large and small costumes. Those celebrating will spend the most on adult costumes ($1.2 billion), and will spend a total of $950 million on children’s costumes and $350 million on fashionable and fun costumes for their furry friends. It’s estimated that 68 million Americans will dress up this Halloween and another 20 million pet owners will dress up their pet.
Nine in 10 (93.7%) Halloween shoppers will buy candy, spending a total of $2.1 billion, and an additional 33.5 percent will buy greeting cards, spending a total of $330 million. Two in five celebrants (44.8%) plan to decorate their home or yard, meaning there’s no question consumers will see their fair share of pumpkins, hay bales and even life-size Minions and black cats strewn across their neighborhoods. The average person planning to buy decorations will spend $20.34 with total spending expected to reach $1.9 billion.
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When it comes to how consumers plan to celebrate, most will hand out candy (67.8%), or dress in costume (43.5%), though there will be no shortage of jack-o-lanterns lighting up windows this year with 41 percent of people planning to carve pumpkins. Nearly one-third of consumers (31.5%) plan to throw or attend a party with friends and family.
More consumers have decided to head to stores or shop online early to pick out costumes and decorations. More than one-third of consumers (34.1%) will start their Halloween shopping before the first of October, up slightly from 32.1 percent last year, while 40.9 percent will get started in the first half of the month and one-quarter (25%) of celebrants will wait for the final weeks of October.
Prosper Insights Principal Analyst Pam Goodfellow said.
“People shouldn’t be too surprised when they see Halloween candy and decorations available in stores as early as September first. Given that more than a third of Americans enjoy taking advantage of early-bird deals to kick off their fall celebrations, it seems there’s plenty of appetite among consumers to enjoy a perfectly ‘frightful’ Halloween.”
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Similar to past years, the majority of consumers will find inspiration for their costumes online (31.4%) or will head to costume shops and retail stores (26.8%) before they make a final decision.. Pinterest continues to grow in popularity among those looking for costume inspiration (13.3%), as this year’s percentage is nearly double the amount who used the site for inspiration just three years ago (7.1%).
Millennials remain the drivers of Pinterest traffic around Halloween though with 24.9 percent of 18-24 year olds and 23.7 percent of 25-34 year olds using the site for costume inspiration.
About the survey
NRF’s 2015 Halloween Consumer Spending Survey was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to Halloween spending. The survey was conducted for NRF by Prosper Insights & Analytics. The poll of 6,754 consumers was conducted September 1-8, 2015. The consumer poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.2 percentage points.
Prosper Insights and Analytics delivers executives timely, consumer-centric insights from multiple sources. As a comprehensive resource of information, Prosper represents the voice of the consumer and provides knowledge to marketers regarding consumer views on the economy, personal finance, retail, lifestyle, media and domestic and world issues. www.ProsperDiscovery.com
Google is working on a new wearable technology effort known as Project Aura and is hiring consumer electronics experts from Amazon's secretive Lab126 to jump-start the new group.
Project Aura appears to have gotten started in June and is focused on reviving Google's troubled Glass computer eyeglasses, as well as accelerating Google's efforts to develop related wearable technology.
Project Aura will remain within Google rather than being a standalone company under the new Alphabet holding company or being folded into the Nest smart appliances business, a source familiar with the matter told Business Insider.
Nest CEO Tony Fadell will continue to have high-level oversight of the project, though it's unclear what will happen after Nest becomes a separate Alphabet company, the source said. Ivy Ross, a fashion industry veteran that Google hired to lead the Glass team in 2014, is heading up the Aura group.
Google has hired at least three employees from Lab126, Amazon's hardware division, to work in the new group and Aura has a dedicated recruiter tasked with bringing in more talent.
Several LinkedIn profiles and job listings viewed by Business Insider describe Project Aura as "Google Glass and Beyond."
The new Aura group provides a much-needed re-branding to the tattered Glass image as well as opening the door to a broader scope of wearable technology initiatives to help Google compete against rivals such as Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft.
By remaining within Google, the Aura group will be able to collaborate more closely with other advanced technology efforts such as Soli, which allows consumers to control gadgets through gestures such as rubbing fingers together, and Cardboard, which turns ordinary smartphones into virtual-reality devices using a cardboard headset.
While virtual-reality technology is an growing area of focus within the technology industry, particularly as Facebook preps the release of its Oculus VR headset, the source said it's still too soon to know whether the Aura group will be focused specifically on VR.
Although Business Insider first spotted Google job postings that indicated that the company planned to release other products in the Google Glass division besides just smart eyewear back in May, the existence of the Project Aura group and its new hires has not been reported until now.
Google stopped selling the initial $1,500 version of Glass to consumers earlier this year following waning interest and criticism that the device was too expensive and clunky, without enough practical-use cases. The head-mounted device, which allowed users to record video, also raised privacy concerns and caused a consumer backlash.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin officially unveiled Google Glass at the Google I/O 2012 Developer's Conference held at Moscone Center in San Francisco. It was one of the most exciting, buzz-filled new product unveilings that I have ever witnessed. If you didn't catch the Google Glass unveiling here's the Google Developer's video.
Incidentally, both Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak shotdown the idea for wearable VR glasses. Jeff Soto – an ex-Apple employee and founder of TENDIGI – a mobile development firm, writing on his personal blog – I am not Robot narrates an interesting story, which explains the reason Jobs shotdown wearable glasses like Google Glass.
"As soon as I saw the video for Google’s Project Glass I instantly recalled a funny story from my time at Apple. I was once at a Town Hall meeting in Cupertino where Steve Jobs commented on this type of wearable computing. An Apple employee in the audience asked Steve a question to the extent of: 'How can we reach out to our leadership if we have a really good idea'. Steve immediately put him on the spot and made him pitch the idea in front of everyone there. An opportunity to pitch Steve Jobs. What? The employee proceeded to pitch an idea about glasses you can wear that display various types of information. A heads up display a’la terminator cyborg vision if you will. He continued to explain how he wished he had a way to see projected information while he perhaps went for a run outside. Keep in mind this is happening in a room filled with a lot of people. Steve immediately shot his idea down and told the guy that he would probably trip and fall if that were the case. Steve also suggested he should get a girlfriend so he has someone to keep him company while running. I can not watch this Project Glass video without recalling this moment. So if you’re wondering what Steve would think about Project Glass, that’s pretty much it."
Google Glass Sales Suspended
The original Google Glass cost $1,500, and was only available to conference attendees. An estimated 2,000 people placed pre-orders.
Almost a year later, despite outstanding pre-orders, Google expanded the project. A competition was set up where the public were invited to explain what they'd do with Glass. They had to use the hashtag #ifihadglass.
In May 2014, Google started selling its new Glass Explorer for $1,500 through Google Play store to anyone who wanted it after months of exclusive, invite-only availability.
Google hasn’t disclosed sales of Google Glass, but Statista estimated that more than 831,000 units were sold in 2014. (NOTE: I find this number difficult to believe)
In January 16, 2015, Google suddenly suspended sales of Google Glass Explorer, its most hyped new product offering to come along in a long time. Sales were suspended not because Google Glass failed commercially, but because of the controversey Googe's "smart glasses" raised. The following infographic lists several issues that many people raised about Google Glass.
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Ori Inbar, the chief executive of the non-profit AugmentedReality.org, said it couldn’t be “farther from the truth” to call Google Glass dead, or a failure. He says Google has sold more hardware in the smart glass category than anyone else so far, which has helped to raise public awareness and create inroads for competition. Inbar said.
“Google elevated public awareness to smart glasses to an unprecedented level.”
Google's suspension of Google Glass gives competitors like archrival Epson, which was at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early January 2015 full force showcasing its eyewear enterprise apps, the opportunity to grow their own installed base in its wake.
The popularization of smart glasses in the workplace has created inroads for other tech heavyweights to launch their own augmented reality glasses, attachments and goggles as well. Sony and Microsoft both stepped into the breach in January 2015, Sony with its SmartEyeglass Attach prototype that would clip into an existing pair of glasses, and Microsoft with HoloLens, a headware that implants holographs into the physical places, spaces and things of a wearer’s actual reality.
Lab126 Experts
Dima Svetlov, whose LinkedIn profile says he worked on Amazon's TV streaming stick, joined Aura as a software development manager in May. Amir Frenke joined in June as a director of software development. Tina Chen left Lab126 in August after working on its TV streaming box and smart-home assistant, Echo, and now works as Aura's manager of technical program management.
Svetlov, Frenke, and Chen, whose LinkedIn profiles don't reveal any details about Project Aura besides the description that it works on Glass "and beyond," are joining Apple veteran Max Ratner, who worked on the iPhone.
The project even has its own designated recruiter, Jessica Bailow, who has been focused on Aura since June, according to her LinkedIn profile. And Google recently posted several job openings for the Aura team, including a program manager for category development, an industrial designer and a UX designer.
Business Insider also recently reported that Adrian Wong, the former Google Glass lead electrical engineer, who had defected to Facebook-owned virtual-reality startup Oculus, quietly rejoined Googlein June. His LinkedIn profile describes his new job only as "building blocks" for Alphabet/Google.
But the added description that "G is for Gadgets, Glasses, and Goggles" suggests that he may be working on Project Aura as well.
Google declined to comment.
Courtesy of an article dated September 16, 2015 appearing in Business Insider, an article dated April 12, 2012 appearing in iPhoneHacks.com, an article dated January 30, 2015 appearing in MarketWatch, and an article dated September 5, 2014 appearing in The Verge
The outside of the Wendelstein 7-x stellarator with its conglomeration of equipment, ports, and supporting structure (Click Image To Enlarge)
In a large complex located at Greifswald in the north-east corner of Germany, sits a new and unusual nuclear fusion reactor awaiting a few final tests before being powered-up for the very first time. Dubbed the Wendelstein 7-x fusion stellarator, it has been more than 15 years in the making and is claimed to be so magnetically efficient that it will be able to continuously contain super-hot plasma in its enormous magnetic field for more than 30 minutes at a time. If successful, this new reactor may help realize the long-held goal of continuous operation essential for the success of nuclear fusion power generation.
Created by the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) and designed with the aid of a supercomputer, the Wendelstein 7-x is the first large-scale optimized stellarator of its type ever to be commissioned. With a name like something out of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and a containment vessel that literally provides a new twist on the doughnut shape we see in standard tokamak fusion reactors, the quirky stellarator design aims to provide an inherently more stable environment for plasma and a more promising route for nuclear fusion research in general.
Initially an American design conceived by Lyman Spitzer working at Princeton University in 1951, the stellarator was deemed too complex for the constraints of materials available in the middle of the 20th Century, and the more easily constructed toroid of the tokamak won out as the standard model for fusion research.
Though some stellarators have been constructed over the course of time – notably the predecessor to this latest iteration known as the Wendelstein 7-AS (Advanced Stellarator) – the calculations required to ensure ultimate plasma containment and control have only become possible with the advent of supercomputers.
As such, algorithms specifically created to fuse theory and practice have now been applied to the design of the Wendelstein 7-x, and its designers firmly believe that this latest version will have the stability required to be the precursor machine to full-blown, continuous nuclear fusion power generation.
For the eventual success of nuclear fusion power (essentially where two isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium, are subject to such energy that the strong nuclear force is overcome and they fuse to form helium and release copious amounts of neutron energy), stability is essential. This is because the enormous pressures and temperatures (around 100 million degrees Celsius (180 million °F)) used to create the plasma, and then accelerate the resulting ion and electron soup around the containment vessel, means that any instability in the magnetic containment field or the pressure vessel itself will result in degradation and ultimately the failure of the process.
What is the concept underlying the Wendelstein 7-X fusion device? This video, produced from various CADs, illustrates how the device is configured and what objectives are being pursued by the fusion research conducted at the Greifswald branch of Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics with Wendelstein 7-X.
To achieve a more stable environment, the stellarator eschews the method of inducing current through the plasma to drive electrons and ions around the inside of the vessel as found in tokamak designs, instead relying entirely on external magnetic fields to move the particles along. In this way, stellarator designs are basically immune to the sudden and unexpected disruptions of plasma and the enormous – and often destructive – magnetic field collapses that sometimes occur in tokamaks.
As such, a stellarator reactor is able to hold the plasma in a containment field that twists through a set of magnetic coils to continuously hold the plasma away from the walls of the device. This is because, in a normal tokamak, with its doughnut-shaped containment vessel and electromagnet windings that loop through the center of the toroid and around the outside, the magnetic field is stronger in the center than it is on the outer side. This means that plasma contained in a tokamak tends to drift to the outer walls where it then collapses.
A graphic depicting the plasma flow (red) in the stellarator and its magnetic coils (blue) (Click Image To Enlarge)
The stellarator, on the other hand, avoids this situation by twisting the entire containment vessel into a shape that constantly forces the plasma stream into the center of the reactor vessel as it continuously encounters magnetic fields in opposing positions along its entire length.
The advantages of the stellarator over the tokamak come at a cost, however, as the many twists and turns that give the stellarator an advantage in magnetic containment also means that many particles can simply be lost as they veer off course following the path of the containment vessel itself. To help avoid this, a great many more magnetic coils are required for the stellarator and must be set up at very close intervals around the structure and super-cooled with liquid helium for maximum efficiency.
Construction of the Wendelstein 7-x stellerator took over 1 million man-hours (Click Image To Enlarge)
In the case of the Wendelstein 7-x, the weight of the 50, 3.5-meter (11.5-ft) tall non-planar super-conducting electromagnets alone is around 425 tonnes (468 tons) and their placement makes construction difficult and their assembly fraught with problems. Not to mention the fact that piping around vast quantities of liquid helium to ensure that the electromagnets superconduct at temperatures close to absolute zero makes the Wendelstein 7-x a plumber's nightmare, and a tricky addition to an already difficult balancing act.
As such, the physical design of the stellarator itself requires access ports for fuel ingress and egress, along with a myriad other entry points for instruments, sensors, and all the other necessary paraphernalia necessary to monitor the enormous pressures, voltages, and temperatures that it will be subject to in operation.
Dr. Matthias Otte, who is responsible for the measurement process, reports:
“Once the flux surface diagnostics were placed in operation, we were immediately able to see the first magnetic surfaces. Our images clearly show how magnetic field lines create closed surfaces in many toroidal circulations”.
The flux surface diagnostics enables the structure of the field to be precisely measured. For this purpose, a thin electron beam is injected and moves along a field line in circular tracks through the evacuated plasma vessel. It leaves behind a tracer, which is created by collision of the electrons with residual gas in the vessel. If, in addition, a fluorescent rod is moved through the vessel cross section, light spots are created when the electron beam hits the rod. In the camera recording, the entire cross section of the magnetic field gradually becomes visible.
The fluorescent rod test made closed, nested magnetic surfaces visible (Click Image To Enlarge)
Despite all of these problems, tests on the completed stellarator to maintain the sub-millimeter accuracy for the plasma path are progressing and show promise. In one recent test, an electron beam was injected into the stellarator and progressed along a predetermined field line in the circular tracks through the evacuated plasma vessel. As it moved through the machine, the beam created a tracer in its wake created by collisions with electrons contained in the residual gas in the vessel.
Photograph that combines the tracer of an electron beam on its multiple circulation along the inside of the containment vessel (Click Image To Enlarge)
Meanwhile, as the electron beam constantly circulated through the system, a fluorescent rod was pushed transversely through the vessel in cross section, and when the electron beam struck the rod, visible spots of light were created and the results recorded with a camera. In this way, the whole cross section of the magnetic field was gradually made visible.
Dr. Matthias Otte, the man responsible for this measurement process, said.
"Once the flux surface diagnostics were placed in operation, we were immediately able to see the first magnetic surfaces. Our images clearly show how magnetic field lines create closed surfaces in many toroidal circulations."
Coil tests are conducted in the control room, the measured data from all test series are brought together and evaluated (Click Image To Enlarge)
Whilst in itself just another stepping stone toward the ultimate goal of practical fusion energy, the IPP stellarator is an important juncture in the field. With tokamak-based reactors still requiring more energy in than they actually produce, both the scientific and general public alike have grown wary of the long-held promises surrounding nuclear fusion. And, though many bodies, such as the University of Washington, Lockheed-Martin, and MIT, claim to be "close" to producing a working, sustainable, self-powering machine, nuclear fusion still remains a pipe dream.
This is where IPP's proving of the technology over the coming months leading to a full-blown commissioning of the machine may well provide the nexus between theory and practicality and, if not deliver on the promise of boundless energy, at least provide a proof of concept and renew flagging interest in a field that may, one day, solve all of our energy needs.
With approval to continue from nuclear regulators in Germany expected by the end of this month, the Wendelstein 7-x stellarator is slated for its first fully-operational tests in November this year. At a cost of more than €1 billion ($US 1.1 billion) and over 1 million man-hours of work committed so far, the hopes of Europe's future being a nuclear fusion-powered one may well rest on the ability of this machine to perform as expected. Watch this space.
COMMENTARY: The objective of fusion research like that being conducted by the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP)is to develop a power source that is friendly to the climate and the environment. Similarly to the sun, it harvests energy from the fusion of atomic nuclei. To light the fusion fire in a future power station, the fuel – a hydrogen plasma – must be confined in magnetic fields and heated to a temperature of over 100 million degrees. The Wendelstein 7-X, which will be the largest stellarator-type fusion device in the world, will not produce energy but will enable the suitability of this type of device as a power station to be investigated. With plasma discharges lasting up to 30 minutes, it should demonstrate its significant property – its ability to operate continuously.
A ring of 50 superconducting magnetic coils approximately 3.5 metres in height, is the key component of the device. Cooled with liquid helium to the superconducting temperature which is near to absolute zero, once switched on, they consume very little energy. Their special shapes are the result of refined optimisation calculations. Their task is to create a magnetic cage for the plasma with particularly good thermal-insulation properties.
In May 2014 the assembly of Wendelstein 7-X was completed on time and for over a year the preparations for operation have been under way. One by one, the operation of each technical system is being tested. From the end of April to the beginning of July 2015, attention was turned to the magnetic coils. As soon as the functional capability of these central system components was confirmed (see IPP Info 6/15), the testing of the magnetic surfaces was carried out. Configuration of the computer-supported data collection for the experimental operation is still to be carried out and in the periphery of the device the equipment for monitoring and heating the plasma requires completion. The objective: the Wendelstein 7-X should produce the first plasma this year.
Let's wish the physicists at IPP much success in taking the first step in the development of sustainable, self-powering, clean and efficient fusion energy. This sort of science was thought to be impossible due to the ultra-high temperatures required to create fusion energy. The radical Wendelstein 7-X stellarator, with its wacky, twisty, donut-shaped containment vessel, appears to be viable in containing the super-hot plasma, according to early tests. We hope that fusion energy theory becomes reality, and during the first real test in November, and that there are no dangerous accidents. Would hate to see $1.1 billion go up in smitherings.
Courtesy of an article dated October 25, 2015 appearing in Gizmag
The forecast provides a glimpse into the demand for the Apple Watch, a high profile product in the burgeoning category of wearable devices. Unlike the iPhone or iPad, Apple doesn't break out how many watches it has sold. This has led to a guessing game of sorts by analysts and investors. The Apple Watch, which competes against other wearable tech products and luxury goods, commands a premium price over rival smartwatches.
Despite some of the more bearish estimates, the Apple Watch seems to be doing relatively well, according to research firm IDC. In its latest quarterly report on wearables, IDC gave Apple's smartwatch the No. 2 position, just behind market leader Fitbit. Over the second quarter, Apple shipped 3.6 million watches, said IDC, grabbing 20 percent of the wearables market. Fitbit shipped 4.4 million wearable devices.
Apple CEO Tim Cook refused to reveal sales numbers on the Apple Watch, calling it "competitive information," at a Wall Street Journal technology conference Monday. He said.
"We shipped a lot the first quarter...then last quarter we shipped even more. I can predict this quarter we will ship even more."
The Apple Watch is available in three varieties: the entry-level Sport version starting at $349, the Apple Watch starting at $549 and the Apple Watch Edition starting at $10,000.
Apple declined to comment on the analyst projections.
COMMENTARY: In a blog post dated July 13, 2015, I boldly proclaimed that the Apple Watch was a "big flop" and I am not backing away from that opinion. Honestly, would you pay $10,000 for a watch if it wasn't a Rolex? Just because the Apple Watch is an Apple product, does not guarantee success.
Apple originally developed the Apple Watch as a high-tech fashion item, but the design of the Apple watch should've been left up to jewelry and watch designers who really understand fashion. As a result, the Apple Watch has failed to make a fashion statement, in fact, many fashion designers greeted the watch with a big yawn and called it just another fancy consumer electronics "gadget."
A salesman at the famed department store Printemps treats the watch as a technology gadget, saying his store won't carry the watch, which will range in price from $350 (£232) to more than $10,000 (£6,600) for the high-end Apple Watch Edition in 18-karat gold.
The salesman at Printemps, which carries such brands as Rolex, Montblanc and Longines said.
"You have to understand; we are luxury brands, and [the Apple Watch is] more technology,"
Supermodel Christy Turlington Burns became the timepiece's highest-profile advocate from the fashion world when she joined CEO Tim Cook onstage in San Francisco on Monday, but not everyone is impressed (Click Image To Enlarge)
The Apple Watch requires that you have an iPhone that runs the apps that gives the watch its functiontionality, so in essence, it is basically an extension of the iPhone or just another electronics gadget. People who crave luxury and fashion don't want another electronic gadget on their wrist.
In another blog post dated September 27, 2015, I pointed out that Apple's next watch will be round, not square. Round watches is what consumers are buying, which is why Fitbit is kicking ass in the smartwatch category. Will Jones, a Tablets and Computing Buyer with John Lewis, stated that one reason square watches are falling short with consumers, is that.
“People don’t want to look like they’re wearing a computer on their wrist.”
Even Guy Kawasaki, the former "chief evangelist" for Apple, while attending the CeBIT technology conference in Sydney in March 2015, was wearing a Breitling watch, not an Apple Watch. When asked why he didn't wear an Apple Watch, he said.
"This is a real man's watch, not an Apple."
Guy Kawasaki refused to wear an Apple Watch, but proudly shows off his Breitling watch at a recent CeBit Technology Conference in Australia (Click Image To Enlarge)
Guy added that he "might love the Apple Watch someday," that day is not today.
Guy also expressed some reservations about the design of Apple products under the company's new CEO, Tim Cook.
"Some of their decisions, I just scratch my head."
Take the new MacBook, he pointed out, it only has one USB port.
"What alternate universe are these people living in that they only need one port?"
When the "chief evangelist" for Apple is critical of Apple's new product designs under Tim Cook, you know that Apple's reputation as a technology innovator maybe ending. In short, Tim Cook is no Steve Jobs.
I don't believe that Apple CEO Tim Cook is being honest with analysts. If sales are so good, why doesn't he just provide sales numbers to support his claims. It's my theory that Apple is just buying time until generation 2 of the Apple Watch is unveiled. It will be round and rely on leading edge apps to give the watch functionality and appeal.
Courtesy of an article dated October 21, 2015 appearing in C|NET, an article dated August 27, 2015 appearing in C|NET, an article dated August 27, 2015 appearing in AppAdvice, an article dated March 9, 2015 appearing in the Daily Mail and an article dated May 4, 2015 appearing in Mashable
When the region of the brain, called the claustrum, is electrically stimulated, consciousness — self-awareness, sentience, whatever you want to call it — appears to turn off completely. (Click Image To Enlarge)
Researchers at George Washington University are reporting that they’ve discovered the human consciousness on-off switch, deep within the brain. When this region of the brain, called the claustrum, is electrically stimulated, consciousness — self-awareness, sentience, whatever you want to call it — appears to turn off completely. When the stimulation is removed, consciousness returns. The claustrum seems to bind together all of our senses, perceptions, and computations into single, cohesive experience. This could have massive repercussions for people currently in a minimally conscious state (i.e. a coma), and for deciding once and for all which organisms are actually conscious. Are monkeys conscious? Cats and dogs? A fetus?
When it comes to human consciousness, much like the rest of our brain’s operation, there isn’t a whole lot in the way of actual scientific knowledge. Despite a century of “modern” neuroscience, we still only have a rough sketch of how the human brain works. Most theories, though, generally agree that consciousness is probably created by a part of the brain that integrates activity from different regions of the brain into a single, holistic experience. To put it in (very loose) computing terms, this seat of human consciousness would be somewhat like a CPU; without it, you’d just have a bunch of different parts that are theoretically functional, but not really capable of getting anything useful done.
The claustrum, below the neocortex, in a human brain (Click Image To Enlarge)
The research, led by Mohamad Koubeissi at GWU in Washington DC, was originally tasked with analyzing a woman with epilepsy. The neuroscientists were stimulating regions of the brain with electrodes in an attempt to discover where her seizures originated from. Then, when they stimulated the claustrum — a thin region of the brain underneath the neocortex — the patient slowly lost consciousness. When the stimulation was removed, consciousness returned. When the claustrum was stimulated, the woman just stopped whatever she was doing (speaking, reading, moving) and stared blankly into space; when stimulation was removed, she continued as normal with no recollection of what had just happened. [DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2014.05.027 –“Electrical stimulation of a small brain area reversibly disrupts consciousness”]
“I would liken it to a car. A car on the road has many parts … but there’s only one spot where you turn the key and it all switches on and works together. So while consciousness is a complicated process created via many structures and networks – we may have found the key." Read: Human consciousness is simply a state of matter, like a solid or liquid – but quantum.
As you might expect when it comes to bleeding-edge neuroscience, there are some caveats to the research — most notably, the study only looked at the brain of one person, and due to her epilepsy (and previous removal of part of her hippocampus) she doesn’t necessarily represent a “normal” brain. In short, more research needs to be done — and following the publishing of this paper, you can be guaranteed that there will be more research into the claustrum.
COMMENTARY: While most of us automatically identify the brain as the headquarters of our awareness, neuroscientists seek a more precise location (and understanding) for this unique if everyday phenomenon. A new study by neuroscientists of Vanderbilt University finds that consciousness does not make its home in just one brain region. Instead, researchers say, awareness degrades the brain’s modular function and substitutes an integrated connectivity in which widespread communication arises across areas of the cortex. Consciousness, then, arises from cooperative and not solo brain activity.
Since the beginning of thought, philosophers have wondered where we derive our consciousness, and with the advent of sophisticated imaging technologies, neuroscientists have begun to explore this question in steadily increasing depth. Most recently, a 2014 study suggested that one region of the brain works as an on/off switch for awareness — when researchers electrically stimulated the claustrum of a patient (see video below), she instantly became unconscious. While this experiment does not prove consciousness resides in the claustrum, it raised many questions about the function of this unusual brain region: a thin, irregular structure of neurons hidden beneath the surface of the neocortex.
Francis Crick and Christof Koch, two pioneers in the field of human consciousness, theorize the claustrum functions as “a conductor coordinating a group of players in the orchestra, the various cortical regions.” Their hypothesis is based on the fact that the claustrum receives input from — and projects back to — almost all regions of the outside layer of the brain, the cortex.
Graphs and Images
For the current study, Vanderbilt University researchers investigated whether one or just a few areas of the brain might produce awareness. To accomplish their work, they used graph theory, a branch of mathematics focused on understanding highly complex, advanced networks, and a simple brain imaging experiment.
The experiment began with participants lying down on the hard bed of an MRI scanner. While researchers observed, participants performed a simple task of detecting a disk as it briefly flashed on the screen before them. After each participant completed a number of trials, the researchers compared all the results. They labeled those tests when participants detected the disk as “aware” and those when they missed the disk as “unaware.”
Upon analysis, the researchers discovered that no one area or network of areas in the brain stood out as particularly active during awareness. In fact, the whole brain appeared to become more connected following each report of awareness. The authors wrote.
“These results provide compelling evidence that awareness is associated with truly global changes in the brain’s functional connectivity.”
Douglass Godwin, one of the authors of the study and a graduate student at Vanderbilt, told KurzweilAI.
“We take for granted how unified our experience of the world is. We don’t experience separate visual and auditory worlds; it’s all integrated into a single conscious experience. This widespread cross-network communication makes sense.”
Courtesy of an article dated July 14, 2014 appearing in Extreme Tech and an article dated March 17, 2015 appearing in Medical Daily
INSTAGRAM'S NEW VIDEO APP BOOMERANG DIRECTLY COMPETES WITH VINE.
Instagram is releasing its newest app, a video maker called Boomerang. The app, announced today, allows users to create short, shareable animations that play from beginning to end and then from end to beginning—hence the name, Boomerang. This is the latest in a wave of add-on apps released by the Facebook-owned company.
In a blog postabout the new Android and iOS app, Instagram wrote:
"Boomerang takes a burst of photos and stitches them together into a high-quality mini video that plays forward and backward. Shoot in portrait or landscape. Share it on Instagram. Boomerang automatically saves it to your camera roll. We’re inspired by the visual stories you tell on Instagram."
Whether Facebook admits it or not, Boomerang is fuel for the ongoing war between Instagram and Twitter’s video-centric Vine platform. Boomerang also competes with that other great GIF purveyor, Tumblr.
Other apps released recently by Instagram include Layout (which lets users create video collages) and Hyperlapse (which lets users create time-lapse videos). According to analytics firm App Annie, downloads for Hyperlapse in iOS have steadily declined since its release in 2014; it now hovers around being the 225th most downloaded photo or video app in App Annie's metrics.
COMMENTARY: To learn more about Boomerang from Instagram check out the Instagram Help Center.
Courtesy of an article dated October 22, 2015 appearing in Fast Company
To capture the all-around image, Hilfiger worked with WeMakeVR, a start-up, which used a special 3-D camera to capture an image with no blind spots. (Click Image To Enlarge)
With its clunky headsets and project names like Oculus and Morpheus, virtual reality has so far been the realm of hard-core gamers and other early adopters of cutting-edge tech.
Now, retailers are jumping for a piece of VR’s promise to immerse its users in virtual 3-D video. (The industry even has a new term for selling through virtual reality: v-commerce.)
Tommy Hilfiger introduces VR headsets in selected stores (Click Image To Enlarge)
Tommy Hilfiger became the first major retailer to make virtual reality a fixture in its stores this week, offering its shoppers a virtual trip, via a Samsung GearVR headset, to the label’s fall fashion show in New York this year.
The virtual reality headsets, which Tommy Hilfiger began renting out at its Fifth Avenue store in New York on Tuesday, give shoppers a three-dimensional, front-row view of the show, held at New York’s Park Avenue Armory.
Tommy Hilfiger introduces VR headsets in selected stores (Click Image To Enlarge)
During a preview, a reporter donned a GearVR and sat a few virtual feet away from models as they strutted down a football-themed runway. Visible above was the cavernous ceiling of the Armory; turning around revealed rows of guests, almost touchable.
To capture the all-around image, Tommy Hilfiger worked with the Netherlands-based start-up WeMakeVR, which filmed the show using a 3-D camera fitted with 14 special lenses. The lenses allow the camera to capture video in 360 degrees both vertically and horizontally, with no blind spots.
Avinash Changa, WeMakeVR’s chief executive, is reflected on the glass of the firm's Falcon virtual reality device (Click Image To Enlarge)
Daniel Grieder, Tommy Hilfiger’s chief executive, said the virtual reality headsets would allow shoppers who might never attend a fashion show to view and shop the season’s runway styles. He also said the headsets, which will be installed in the brand’s biggest flagship stores in the United States and Europe, would inject Tommy Hilfiger locations with an element of entertainment.
That is vital to brick-and-mortar stores as they fight to stay relevant in an increasingly digital world, he said.
Mr. Grieder said.
“These days, you can’t just wait for people to come into the store and try on your jackets. You have to provide entertainment. It’s not about turnover by square foot anymore. It’s about surprise by square foot, or newness.”
'These days, you can’t just wait for people to come into the store and try on your jackets. You have to provide entertainment," said Daniel Grieder, chief executive of Tommy Hilfiger. (Click Image To Enlarge)
Tommy Hilfiger, which had sales of $6.7 billion in 2014 and is owned by PVH Corp, is one of many retailers exploring virtual reality as a sales tool as they compete with online sellers for shoppers’ attention. But actual adoption of the technology in stores has been slow, as headset makers iron out kinks and bring consumer models to the market.
Next month, Samsung is set to release the consumer version of its GearVR, which uses a smartphone as its processor and display. Facebook’s Oculus VR is expected to begin widely selling a VR headset next year. Sony will ship its own virtual reality headset for its PlayStation 4 console, known as Project Morpheus, during the first half of next year.
But there are still plenty of reasons to question whether virtual reality, promoted for decades as the next big thing, will finally take off in gaming or in retail. Reducing the discomfort that virtual reality can cause for some people, and downsizing the unwieldy headsets, are some remaining challenges.
Virtual reality advocates are quick to distance the technology from other fads that have since fizzled out.
Avinash Changa, WeMakeVR’s chief executive, said.
“Cinema in 3-D was a trick, a gimmick. But VR can be relevant. We’re applying the technology beyond the gimmick.”
COMMENTARY: The new Samsung GearVR headset technology launched on October 20, 2015 at the Tommy Hilfiger store on New York’s Fifth Avenue, followed by several addition locations including London, Paris, Milan, Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Florence, Zurich, and Moscow. Shoppers will receive an immersive encounter.
The idea is to create the impression that one is sitting in the front row of Manhattan’s Park Avenue Armory at show time on February 16, 2015, which is when the collection originally premiered. The experience will offer users an unhindered view of the runway and backstage—a section typically cordoned off from outsiders.
The installation lives in-store in a dedicated area that reflects the American football theme of the show alongside the Hilfiger Collection designs, which consumers can purchase immediately. The platform is also launching at wholesale with Selfridges, London’s iconic department store.
Daniel Grieder, CEO of Tommy Hilfiger. said.
“We are driven by a vision to exceed consumer expectations, inspire, and offer experiences they never thought possible. We’re using virtual reality to open the doors to a unique part of our world, directly connecting the consumers in our retail space with one of our largest brand events.”
The showcase will be available on London’s Brompton Road and Regent Street; at Amsterdam’s P.C. Hooftstraat; Dusseldorf’s Schadowstrasse; Milan’s Piazza Guglielmo Oberdan; Florence’s Piazza degli Antinori; Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse; Paris’s Boulevard des Capucines and Champs-Elysees; and Moscow’s Kuznetsky Most.
Courtesy of an article dated October 20, 2015 appearing in New York Times and an article dated October 20, 2015 appearing in World Branding Forum
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