ImaginativePRO Blog

MICROSOFT WIN10 PRODUCT UNIFICATION: 110 MIL WIN10 USERS, NEW SURFACE BOOK, SURFACE PRO 4, LUMIA PHONES, HOLOLENS AND XBOX ONE

Satya Nadella CEO Microsoft gives keynote at Microsoft Windows 10 Device Event today in New York City (Click Image To Enlarge)

We’ve been talking about Windows 10 for over a year now and today we started our next chapter, with new devices designed for Windows 10.

Today I stood on stage in NYC along with members of my team and had the honor of unveiling a new era of Windows 10 devices from Microsoft. We introduced new Surface, Lumia, and Band devices and shared the latest from HoloLens, and Xbox. I’ve been using these devices for months and couldn’t wait to share them with you today.

 

Windows 10: Off to the Hottest Start in History

In just a few short months, it’s been incredible to see more than 110 million devices already running Windows 10. I’m personally humbled and excited to see people around the world loving Windows 10. Thank you for your feedback – the team and I love reading it and using it to help us shape the future of Windows.

We’re seeing a great response from IT professionals, with over 8 million business PCs already running Windows 10.

I’ve also been thrilled to see the response from developers and people enjoying everything our new Windows Store has to offer. With over 1.25 billion visits, developers are seeing the benefits – with developer revenue per download increasing four times since Windows 10 launched. This early activity is attracting new universal Windows apps to Windows 10. Today, we announced Facebook will be building universal Windows apps for Facebook, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger. And, we’re excited to welcome new universal Windows apps for Box, Candy Crush Soda Saga, Flipagram, NASCAR, Uber and many, many more.

New Windows 10 Devices from Microsoft

Our approach to hardware is to create and reinvent categories – like we did with Xbox and Xbox Live, with Surface being the tablet that can replace your laptop, with Lumia and Continuum, with Surface Hub, and of course with HoloLens being the only platform enabling you to mix holograms into your world.

Today, we unveiled a range of new devices, all built to make the most of Windows 10:

Surface Book – the new, ultimate laptop from Microsoft brings together best in class performance with the versatility of pen and touch.

 

The Surface Book includes a 13.5-inch display with a pixel density of 267PPI. That display is optically bonded to the glass, which means it should look good. Microsoft says the Surface Book is housed in a machined magnesium body — basically, it's a silver metal laptop, but it manages to look far different than a MacBook, despite its similarities in name. Perhaps the standout design element here is the Surface Book's hinge. Microsoft calls it a "dynamic fulcrum." From the side, it appears to almost flex as it bends. It leaves a slightly awkward gap when the Surface Book is fully closed, but it also elevates the display at an angle when the screen is flipped around for use as a tablet. A button on the side releases the display, which detaches from the top of the hinge.

Microsoft says the Surface Book is for someone who wants a bigger screen and "the perfect typing experience" of a laptop. For one, that includes a backlit keyboard. There's also deeper keys, with 1.6mm of travel. Microsoft is kind of freaking out about this keyboard. It's calling it "perfect" and saying it'll type almost silently. Beneath all that, the Surface Book includes a glass trackpad with five points of touch sensitivity.

The Surface Book will work with Microsoft's Surface Pen stylus as well. As for why you'd want to use this device as a tablet, Microsoft is talking about it as a "digital clipboard." That's not the most compelling phrase, but it's really everything that the Surface line has always been: a very powerful tablet that runs desktop Windows. This one just happens to do a much better job of transforming into the laptop that it really wants to be.

On the inside, the Surface Book has the latest Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, from the Skylake family. There's also an Nvidia GeForce GPU with GDDR5 memory, however that's located in the base, so you'll need to keep the display docked to tap into its power. The dock also includes two USB 3.0 ports and an SD card slot.

All together, the machine is supposed to keep running for 12 hours on a single charge. Microsoft claims.  

"Ounce-for-ounce, pound-for-pound, this is the fastest 13-inch laptop ever made anywhere on any planet."

Microsoft says it'll actually be twice as fast as the MacBook Pro.

Checkout the Surface Book's technical specs compared with the Surface Pro 4 and Apple Macbook Pro below:

Click Image To Enlarge

The Surface Book will go on sale October 26th with prices beginning at $1,499. Preorders will begin October 7th.

Surface Pro 4 – the tablet that can replace your laptop just got thinner, lighter and faster.

 

The Surface Pro 4 is now official, and it's thinner, lighter, and more powerful, while also having a larger display than its predecessor. Intel's Skylake processors and Microsoft's own Windows 10 are at the heart of the Surface Pro 4.

Panos Panay introduced the Surface Pro 4 by reminding us how transformative this line of devices has already been:

"This challenge of the tablet and the laptop... which do you buy? Remember that problem? It's gone."

There's a fingerprint sensor on the keyboard and Cortana integration inside the new tablet, which fits a 12.3-inch display in the same physical footprint as the older 12-inch device. The Surface Pro 4 is therefore compatible with existing keyboard accessories, though Microsoft has done a ton to upgrade its keyboard covers this year. And yes, there's an all-new Surface Pen as well, which also has an eraser on the end of it. The new pen has 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity and attaches magnetically to the side of the Surface Pro 4 when not in use. It comes in a variety of colors and even has Cortana integration: you can activate Microsoft's voice assistant by holding the button on the stylus.

Microsoft says this is the "thinnest, most powerful" Intel Core PC ever shipped and it's "not even close." To make that possible, the company has tweaked and optimized multiple aspects of the design that are invisible to the user, such as the 0.4mm-thick Gorilla Glass 4 covering the front. Microsoft has even developed a special G5 chipset to run the optical stack. The promise is that this is the best, most natural touchscreen out there. Notably, though, Microsoft isn't comparing the Surface Pro 4 against other tablets, with Panay saying that they're just not in the same class. Compared against Apple's MacBook Air, however, the Surface Pro 4 is claimed to be 50 percent faster, while it also has high-end specs that wouldn't be out of place on an ultrabook laptop. Storage goes all the way up to 1TB and you can get 16GB of memory to go with that Intel 6th-gen processor.

See the Surface Book (above) for technical specifications for the Surface Pro 4.  

The Surface Pro 4 is available to preorder now, starting at $899. It will be available on October 26th.

New Lumia Phones – the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL combine Windows 10 innovation with our most powerful hardware and top-of-the-line imaging to help you be more productive. And the Lumia 550, our most affordable 4G LTE smartphone running Windows 10.

Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL both run Windows 10 and combines powerful hardware and top-of-the-line imaging (Click Image To Enlarge)

Lumia 550 runs Windows 10 and is Microsoft's most affordable 4G LTE smartphone (Click Image To Enlarge)

 
Microsoft VP for Surface Computing Panos Panay unveils the new Lumia 950 and 950 XL smartphones during today's live demonstration in New York, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015 (Click Image To Enlarge)

Panos Panay, Microsoft V.P., formerly in charge of the Surface product line, and now the head of engineering for all premium Microsoft hardware, said on stage. 

“We want to put Windows in your pocket.  If you haven’t thought about these phones, wake up!”

The Lumia 950 comes with octacore and hexacore processors and liquid cooling technology. The smaller version has a 5.2-inch display, while the bigger cousin features a 5.7-inch display. These are OLED displays with a pixel density of 564 ppi and 518 ppi respectively.

The Lumia 950 and the XL versions run 20-megapixel cameras with a natural flash. Like on the iPhone 6s, both can shoot 4K video and include fifth-generation optical image stabilization technology and a dedicated camera button.

They come with 32GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot and a new USB Type-C connector. Finally, you can charge them up to 50 percent in just 30 minutes.

The two devices will ship in November exclusively through A&T in the U.S. for $549 and $649, with the XL version costing $100 more. 

Panay finally hinted at the power of this device. Why would you need liquid cooling for just a phone? Because it’s more than a phone. You can actually plug your Lumia 950 to a dock and use it with your display, mouse and keyboard. It runs a nearly full version of Windows 10.

Called Continuum, the dock has an HDMI, DisplayPort and three USB ports. It looks like a good old USB hub, it’s very tiny and easy to put in your bag. The tile interface in the Start menu copies your phone’s start menu so that you get the exact same apps on your computer and on your phone. Universal apps, such as Mail and Word are scaled up version of the mobile apps.

Microsoft Band 2 – the new Band can help you live healthier and achieve more with a new curved screen, a barometer, and apps for email, text, running, biking, the gym, and golf.

 

Microsoft HoloLens Development Edition – designed to help Windows developers mix holograms into their world.

Windows 10 is the first platform to support holographic computing with API's that enable gaze, gesture, voice, and environmental understanding on an untethered device.

Microsoft HoloLens is the first fully untethered, holographic computer, enabling high-definition holograms to integrate with your world. Unlock all-new ways to connect, create, collaborate, and explore.

Microsoft Hololens holographic headset (Click Image To Enlarge)

This Microsoft Hololens Project X-Ray demonstration at today's NYC event, dramatically illustrates how Hololens can bring the world of holographic games into your living room. 

 

Xbox One – At the Microsoft event this morning, the company’s No. 2, Terry Myerson, announced that the company will be upgrading all of its Xbox One systems to Windows 10.  That means the company’s fans will be able to play Xbox 360 games on the Xbox One.  

The company is also introducing limited-edition consoles inspired by games. The Halo5 console, Myerson’s favorite, comes with 1 terabyte of storage and will retail for $499. Rumors have been that this will be dropping in November, but Myerson did not give a specific release date.

With the announcement, Microsoft comes one step closer to completing its promise to bring Windows10 to all hardware classes.

Myerson told the breathless (if somewhat groggy) crowd.

“Xbox One is going to bring some serious fun this holiday.” 

Microsoft Xbox One Elite Bundle includes the Console with 1TB hard drive and Controller, but does not come bundled with any game software (Click Image To Enlarge)

Microsoft Xbox One comes bundled with a variety of different games at different price points to appeal to both novice gamers on a limited budget and and more advanced players who want more variety and are willing to pay for the privelege.

• Xbox One Ultimate Edition (bundled with Gears of War game, the console and controller come in black with a 500GB HD) - $349 (Microsoft Store and Amazon)
• Xbox One Ultimate Edition (bundled with Gears of War game, the console and controller come in white with a 500GB HD) - $349 (Walmart)
• Xbox One Electronic Arts Sports Bundle (bundled with EA Madden NFL 16 football game and one year free EA Access to play older EA games, the console and controller come in black with a 1TB HD) - $399 (Microsoft Store and Amazon)
• Xbox One Electronic Arts Sports Bundle (bundled with EA FIFA 16 soccer game and one year free EA Access to play older EA games, the console and controller come in black with a 1TB HD) - $399 (Microsoft Store and Amazon)
• Xbox One Forza Motorsport 6 Bundle (bundled with Forza Motorsport 6 racing game and a promo code for a free Ten Year Anniversary Car Pack, the console and controller come in blue with a 1TB HD) - $399 (Microsoft Store and Amazon)
• Xbox One Halo 5 Bundle (bundled with Halo 5 shooter game, the console and controller come in two-tone silver and black with a 1TB HD) - $499 (Microsoft Store and Amazon)
• Xbox One Rise of the Tomb Raider Bundle (bundled with Rise of the Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition games, along with a Tactical Survival Kit Content Pack for the new game, the console and controller come in black with 1TB HD) - $499 (Microsoft Store and Best Buy)
• Xbox One Lego Movie Bundle (bundled with the Lego Movie Videogame, the console and controller come in black with 500T HD) - $349 (Microsoft Store and Amazon)
• Xbox One Fallout 4 Bundle (bundled with Bethesda Softworks Fallout 4 post-apocalypse game, the console and controller come in black with a 1TB HD) - $399 (Microsoft Store and Amazon)
• Xbox One Holiday Bundle (bundled with three free games: Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, Rara Replay (with 30 older games from Rare made to work on the Xbox One) and Ori and the Blind Forest, the console and controller come in black with 1TB HD) - $399 (Microsoft Store and Amazon)
• Xbox One Kinect Bundle (bundled with three free games (Dance Central Spotlight, Kinect Sports Rivals, and Zoo Tycoon) with its latest Kinect bundle, the console and controller come in black with 500GB HD) - $499 (Microsoft Store and Amazon)
• Xbox One Elite Bundle - Sold without a free game. The Xbox One Elite Bundle comes with a 1TB hybrid hard drive and controller both in black with a solid state componant that will reportedly load games up to 20% faster. - $499 (Microsoft Store and Amazon)

COMMENTARY:  I am very impressed with Microsoft's Windows 10 product unification strategy and new lineup of products running Windows 10.  Microsoft gambled that by offering computer users a free upgrade from Windows 7 and 8 to Windows 10, that they could create a huge base of Windows 10 users has proven to be an overwhelming success. 110 million Windows 10 is some kind of a record for a new Windows operating system, and will only rise as diehard Windows 7 and 8 years will eventually upgrade their computer devices to newer devices pre-loaded with Windows 10. 

Microsoft's strategy has always been a Windows-based product unification strategy similar to what Apple has done with iOS and OSX and what Google has done with Android.  The ability for desktop and mobile devices to be able to "talk" with each other in a seamless fashion is a huge advantage because the interface works similarly on all devices, and makes it easier for Microsoft to sell its customers more goodies loaded with Windows 10.  It also keeps customers grounded and loyal to the Microsoft brand and makes it harder for them to switch to Apple or Android.

For Microsoft's Windows-based product unfication strategy to work, you must have great products and ancillary products to support each product line.  This time around, Microsoft has an outstanding group of new Windows 10 products.  They are incredibly well designed and are truly head and shoulders above those of other competitors, including in my opinion even those of Apple. The Microsoft Surface Book notebook/tablet combination and Surface Pro 4 and Pen will give the Apple Air, Apple Macbook Pro and iPad Pro a run for their money from a design, features, price and performance standpoint.

Microsoft's Windows-based product unification strategy also works well with large enterprise users who depend on the compatability of Microsoft's Office Suite and other productivity software across both desktop and mobile devices. This new product unification strategy makes it least likely that enteprise users will switch to Apple, who has been eyeing enterprise users for some time now.  It may even make a few Androids mobile phone users switch to the Lumia line of smartphones, but we shall see.   

I recently purchased a new Asus touchscreen notebook, and like it very much, but if I had my druthers, I would've purchased the new Microsoft Surface Book.  It is not an Apple-killer, but comes as close as it gets.  

I was particularly blown away by the demonstration of Microsoft's Hololens and X-Ray Project hologram games.  Google and Apple just filed holographic patents and appear to be moving in the same direction.  Facebook's acquisition of Oculus and recent partnership with Samsung to market the Gear VR headset (see my previous blog post) hopes to make virtual reality games affordable and mainstream.  With Hololens and X-Ray Project, Microsoft has suddently become a major player in VR.      

In conclusion, this is as good as it gets for Microsoft, so I hope that there are no hardware or Windows 10 glitches to screw things up.   Kudos for Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella who engineered this Windows 10 product unification strategy.  We could be seeing Microsoft's transition from a strictly software-driven company to a hardware and software powerhouse like Apple did under Steve Jobs.  Is Satya the next Steve Jobs?  He just might be.     

Courtesy of an article dated October 6, 2015 appearing in Microsoft Windows, an article dated October 6, 2015 appearing in TechCrunch, an article dated October 5, 2015 appearing in Windows Central, an article dated October 6, 2015 appearing in Xbox.com, an article dated October 6, 2015 appearing in Microsoft Hololens site, an article dated October 6, 2015 appearing in TechCrunch, an article dated October 6, 2015 appearing in The Verge, an article dated October 6, 2015 appearing in The Verge, and an article dated October 6, 2015 appearing in Business Insider

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ITS A MISTAKE FOR BRANDS TO TREAT GEN Z LIKE MILLENNIALS, GIVE THEM CONTENT THAT IS WEIRD, OFFBEAT, QUIRKY AND RAW

Marketers need to look closer at the differences between this generation and millennials to find insights with significant meaning.

As the millennial marketing craze reaches saturation, a new obsession is making the rounds among brand marketers: Gen Z. Roughly defined as anyone currently 12 to 20 years old, this group is now falling victim to many of the same vague platitudes and insights that characterized "Who Are Millennials?" articles for years.

The same conclusions about Gen Z are drawn again and again. They’re digitally savvy, because they were raised with technology. They’re either entrepreneurial souls looking to redefine the workplace or old-souled pragmatists resigned to climbing the corporate ladder. They inspire words like collaborative, optimistic, and transparent.

But most of these observations are not just banal—they’re also completely wrong. That’s because much of the generational data we see suffers from either poor survey design or misleading conclusions. Whenever we talk with teens face-to-face, it’s telling that many of the "truisms" that surveys conclude don’t hold water. And the insights that are true ("Gen Z loves tech") are too broad to construe any significant meaning.

What really separates Gen Z isn’t that they use technology, or what their values and dreams are—it’s how they choose to live their lives in digital. And after studying this group in closer detail, we’ve identified a few key ways they stand out from millennials.

To gain a perspective of the differences between Gen Z and Millennials in the workplace, this infographic based on a survey conducted by Adecco provides some very interesting insights.

Click Image To Enlarge

WE'VE GONE FROM CLEVER TO OFFBEAT

All generational differences are driven by environment. So when we talk about environmental changes for Gen Z, the first and most obvious shift is the native nature of technology in their lives. Yes, they do have more screen-time than any other demographic, but it isn’t their frequency of tech usage that’s interesting. Rather, it’s how that usage changes what resonates with them.

On the whole, millennials are attracted to the clever and witty: the sharp, biting commentary of Jon Stewart and Seth MacFarlane, content from Someecards and The Oatmeal, ads like the Old Spice guy, Messin With Sasquatch and Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man in the World.

 

All generational differences are driven by environment. So when we talk about environmental changes for Gen Z, the first and most obvious shift is the native nature of technology in their lives. Yes, they do have more screen-time than any other demographic, but it isn’t their frequency of tech usage that’s interesting. Rather, it’s how that usage changes what resonates with them.

On the whole, millennials are attracted to the clever and witty: the sharp, biting commentary of Jon Stewart and Seth MacFarlane, content from Someecards and The Oatmeal, ads like the Old Spice guy and Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man in the World.

But Gen Z connects to something completely different: the offbeat and raw. When we talk to teens today, a lot of what they love has a weird, unhinged sensibility to it. The media figures they look up to—people like Pewdiepie and Jerome Jarre—are embraced more for their absurdist humor than for clever witticisms. The content they share tends to mirror this as well: self-deprecating Snapchats and memes, or Vines centered around making people think you’re offbeat or quirky. This is not millennial behavior; it’s rare for a 20-something to post anything on social that makes them look strange. But for a generation that’s spent their entire lives online—mostly in the unfiltered lens of Skype, webcams, live streams and vlogs—an intimate exhibitionism has emerged in a way that older generations simply don’t have.

 

THERE ARE NO MORE SUBCULTURES, EVERYTHING IS A SUBCULTURE

When we speak to clients about their consumers, it’s generally positioned through layers. Depending on the industry, at the core are hardcore or niche users; above that, casual dabblers; and outside of that, the disinterested mainstream. But increasingly, when we talk about younger audiences, that last mainstream layer is going away.

This is another outcome of being connected to the Internet throughout one’s entire childhood. For Gen Z, niche communities and interests were facilitated at a much younger age than they were for older generations. Twenty years ago,kids were absorbed into specific subcultures over time—jocks, theater nerds, band geeks,or prepsters, to name a few. These groups were defined by shared tastes, in clothes, music, slang, and other patterns that could be easily sorted into a singular group. But for today’s teens, there’s no uniformity among hobbies, and because of that, group distinctions are falling away.

For example, we recently talked to a group of gamers who told us they don’t like being called gamers, despite the fact that it’s their favorite hobby. Privately, some of them said that even though they love gaming, they’re involved in so many other communities—rap message boards, sneaker blogs, and skating—that the label ‘gamer’ feels limiting. We don’t see this as much with millennials, who tend to use their passions and identity interchangeably.

ONLINE "LEISURE" ISN'T JUST FUN, ITS CRUCIAL TO A HEALTHY AND HAPPY LIFE

One of the biggest assumptions about the increase in time spent on digital is that it’s merely entertainment and largely a waste of time. But for teens, that entertainment is proving to be a vital component in the creation and maintenance of friendships.

A Pew study last month found that,

"More than half of teens have made new friends online, and a third of them (36%) say they met their new friend or friends while playing video games…Playing games can [also] have the effect of reinforcing a sense of friendship and connectedness."

Other types of online communities have also gone from hobbyist chats to real outlets for connection and support. Nearly a fifth of all teens go on message boards regularly, as problems that were once isolating or suppressed now have a connected community behind them. It’s important to note that without the inherent vulnerability we talked about earlier, we wouldn’t see stats like this. But because of Gen Z’s willingness to open up online, the Internet has a much greater impact on their lives.

Generation Z have been dubbed "digital natives" because of their love for sharing their activities with their friends online (Click Image To Enlarge)

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MARKETERS?

Ultimately, vague platitudes and clichés serve no one. It's important to understand the digital culture that Gen Z lives in today if we wish to connect with them beyond a surface level. With that in mind, here are three points to think about when targeting them.

First, give them the tools to mess with anything you make, because they’ll do it anyway. Tightly controlled messages aren’t possible anymore. Gen Z is going to draw stuff on your creative, tweak it, and do whatever else they want, regardless of your intentions. Don’t fight it.

Second, build stuff for the communities they’re a part of instead of injecting messages into them. For specific product launches messages can still work fine, but when it comes to general brand building, it’s much better to think about the communities your target lives in and build things that make that community more fun or easier to navigate.

And third, take out a position that not everyone agrees with.This one is somewhat counterintuitive, as the logical thing to do would be appealing to as many people as possible. But for Gen Z, the honesty and exposure that a brand takes when doing something potentially polarizing often strengthens the connection they have with that brand.

Click Image To Enlarge

COMMENTARY:  They want to drive to their jobs, head into their private offices and meet face-to-face with colleagues before calling it a day – hopefully, not too late, since work-life balance is their primary career concern. Sound like a baby boomer, or even Gen X? On the contrary, these are the work preferences expressed by more than 770 members of Generation Z (those born between 1990 and 1999) surveyed recently by Robert Half and Enactus. 

Paul McDonald, senior executive director of Robert Half said. 

"Gen Z employees bring unique values, expectations and perspectives to their jobs.  They've grown up in economically turbulent times, and many of their characteristics and motivations reflect that."

Following are five surprising insights based on the research:

1. Open floor plans? Hot start-ups? Nah, this group's tastes skew more Mad Men than Silicon Valley.

• Forty-one percent described midsize organizations as the ideal work environment, followed by large organizations (38 percent). Only 14 percent cited start-ups.
• Forty-five percent of respondents prefer to work in a private office, and face-to-face communication is the method of choice for 74 percent.

2. They're not exactly bubbling over with youthful optimism. Meet the 'reality-check' generation.

• Seventy-seven percent believe they will need to work harder compared to those in past generations to have a satisfying and fulfilling professional life.
• Balancing work and personal obligations was the top future career concern for 28 percent of respondents, followed by making enough money (26 percent) and finding a stable job (23 percent).

3. A gold watch marking decades of service may not be in the cards, but they do plan to stay a while at their jobs -- and move quickly up the ladder.

• Gen Zers expect to work for an average of four companies throughout their lifetimes.
• Thirty-two percent believe they will be managing employees in a corporate environment within the next five years.
• One in three would like to retire by the age of 60, but only 17 percent think it will be possible.

4. Forget fancy job titles -- they mainly want more responsibIlity and an honest boss.

• Opportunity for career growth was the most commonly cited career priority, with 64 percent of respondents ranking it among their top three. An impressive job title was only cited as a priority by three percent.
• Honesty/integrity was the top quality sought in a boss, cited by 38 percent of respondents; this was followed by mentoring ability (21 percent).

5. Collaboration shouldn't be a problem, say Gen Zers, except with those baby boomers.

• Forty-five percent cited potential challenges working with baby boomers, compared to 17 percent who anticipate difficulties with Gen X and five percent with Gen Yers.

Bev Graham, Ph.D., vice president of Enactus USA programs, said, "Gen Z professionals are full of potential, but these young adults will need support in honing their skills and harnessing their enthusiasm to address real-world employment situations, such as the need to communicate more formally in certain situations."

Added McDonald, "This group of professionals has grown up with technology available to them around the clock and is accustomed to constant learning. Companies with a solid understanding of this generation's values and preferences will be well prepared to create work environments that attract a new generation of employees and maximize their potential." 

Visit roberthalf.com/generation-z to view infographics, learn more about the research and download the white paper.

Courtesy of an article dated October 1, 2015 appearing in Fast Company Create and an article dated July 15, 2015 appearing in Robert Half, and an analysis of a survey about the differences between Gen Z and Millennials conducted by employment staffing firm Adecco 

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TWITTER ANNOUNCES THAT JACK DORSEY IS NOW THE FULL-TIME CEO OF TWITTER, ADAM BAIN BECOMES COO

After much speculation, Twitter officially announced today that interim CEO Jack Dorsey, who cofounded Twitter and served as CEO from 2007 to 2008, has dropped the “interim” and assumed the role of CEO.

Adam Bain, who was Twitter’s president of global revenue and partnerships at Twitter, will become the COO. Bain was another candidate for the role of CEO.

Adam Bain is now Twitter's Chief Operating Officer (Click Image To Enlarge)

Dick Costolo, former CEO and board member, has also stepped down from the board. Dorsey will still serve as a member of the board, but is no longer Chairman. In a Tweet, Dorsey said they were “working to change the composition of the board.”

According to the SEC document detailing the changes,

“Mr. Dorsey was selected to serve on the Board because of the perspective and experience he brings as one of Twitter’s founders and as one of Twitter’s largest stockholders, as well as his extensive experience with technology companies.”

Dorsey will not be receiving any direct compensation for his role as CEO, per the SEC document.

Nate Elliott, vice president and principal analyst for Forrester Research, in response to this morning's news, says.  

"Now that Twitter's CEO drama is out of the way, the company can get back to doing its job: Building products people want to use.  The key phrase there is 'building products' - something Twitter hasn't done nearly enough of."

Elliott compares Twitter to Facebook, noting that the reason the latter continues to grow is partly due to the new features and experiences it continues to offer, attracting an ever-larger audience. He says.  

"Twitter is stagnating because its product looks almost exactly like it did when it launched ten years ago."

Forrester Research analyst Erna Alfred Liousas adds. 

"It's time for Twitter to build and innovate.  Not every new idea launched will succeed - but if it launches enough new features, some will surely find a wider audience. And a wider audience is exactly what Twitter needs."

Dorsey said in an investor call this morning.

“It’s our goal to exceed the expectations the world has for us.  I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Referring to a product road map for 2016 in the call, Dorsey referred to Project Lightning, which will provide users with curated content centered around specific events, embedded across the Web and within other apps.

Dorsey is also the CEO of Square, a mobile payment-processing company; he has no plans to step down from that role. Square is reportedly gearing up for an IPO this year.

Some think that Dorsey splitting his time between the roles may lead to ineffective leadership for both companies. Others have compared the move to Steve Jobs, who ran Apple and Pixar at the same time.

Dorsey announced he was taking the helm as full-time CEO of Twitter in a series of tweets:

Click Image To Visit Jack's Twitter page

COMMENTARY:   Twitter’s search committee originally said it would consider only candidates who could make a “full-time commitment” to the company. As CEO of Square, Dorsey seemed to be disqualified, assuming he also remained head of the mobile payments upstart. And yet some investors, like Chris Sacca and Keith Rabois, have since said publicly that they believe Dorsey has—and can—run both Square and Twitter effectively at the same time.  sey, previously fired from Twitter, as the full-time CEO at Twitter.  

RE/CODE reported correctly on Wednesday, September 30 that Jack Dorsey would become Twitter's permanent CEO and still run Square through its IPO:

"Jack is apparently back — for good this time.

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, who has been serving as interim CEO for the past three months, is expected to be named the company’s new permanent CEO as early as tomorrow, although that timeframe may change, according to sources. Dorsey will apparently continue to run Square, the payments company he founded where he’s also CEO."

Here's what Business Insider had to say about this decision.

"Square, which will go through a roadshow (for IPO), then hit the markets, also needs a full-time CEO to guide it through its initial stages as a public company. 

For this reason, the timing isn't great for Dorsey to be Twitter CEO right now. 

Despite this, Dorsey is the best, if not only, choice to lead Twitter.

Twitter needs a product-oriented CEO that has the moral authority to tweak the product to make it appeal to the billions of people that don't use Twitter. 

Twitter needs an insider who already knows the company and won't need to waste a year, or more, figuring out who does what and who should be retained, or canned. 

Dorsey checks both of those boxes."

Brian Blau, an analyst who covers the major social media companies for Gartner, says.  

"Landing Jack Dorsey as the permanent CEO is the best choice the company can make right now. The company has been struggling and without a CEO in place... [it] would create even more disruption when Twitter needs the opposite and should be focusing on how they will transform the product and business."

Here's what Mashable had to say about Jack Dorsey's appointment as permanent CEO at Twitter:

"The appointment ends months of scrutiny and pressure from prominent investors and analysts for Twitter to move more swiftly in deciding on a chief executive who can provide stability and product leadership. Now he must accomplish what his predecessor Costolo could not: re-ignite Twitter's stalled user growth without alienating longtime users, or else convince Wall Street why Twitter warrants a $20 billion valuation if it can't hit the mainstream.

The stakes could not be higher for Twitter. Its stock has been stuck in the gutter for months, with rampant speculation that its best hope is to be acquired. Facebook is attacking Twitter's core on all sides with new features to track and broadcast news in real-time. And there is an army of unicorns (billion-dollar startups) ready and eager to snatch up talented but concerned Twitter employees."

New York Magazine had some interesting things to say about Jack Dorsey's ability to manage two companies simultaneously and the decision to take Square public:

"Dorsey has been aggressive —  but not necessarily successful —  in both roles. Square has rolled out some innovative features, but it’s a minnow in shark-infested waters, competing with Google Wallet and PayPal, which is now taking a bite out of Square’s mobile card reader market. Dorsey at the helm of both companies may hint at a future moments of symbiosis between the two. For instance, Twitter recently unveiled an option to donate directly to a political candidate on the platform, using Square to process the contributions.

Overall, both companies have suffered over the past year. Square has yet to find a profitable business model. And despite rumors that the company was attempting to sell itself off during this downturn, Dorsey recently filed documents for a public offering, a strategy that has drawn plenty of skepticism.

Twitter's stock has been steadily dropping, down a third this year and now standing below its IPO price. But Dorsey seems to see it as a buying opportunity: He recently purchased another $875,000-worth of Twitter stock. He made the move public in the most @Jack way possible, simply tweeting a link to the SEC purchasing document. One of Twitter's main goals is to get new users — many who are intimidated by the immensity of content produced on the website — to become devoted tweeters. It's something the company hasn't had too much luck with so far." 

As for myself, I remain somewhat ambivalent about the decision to hire Jack Dorsey as the permanent CEO at Twitter.  I agree with the comments made by New York Magazine.  Dorsey was fired before.  How much has Jack Dorsey changed since he was fired from Twitter?  Will anything really change?  Running two companies simutaneously would be an issue with me.  Steve Jobs did it, Jack Dorsey is no Steve Jobs.  Jobs completely re-invented Apple shortly after his return.  He even forged an alliance with Microsoft, his "Big Brother" nemesis, and allowed Microsoft to invest $100 million in Apple to keep them afloat.    

The move to appoint Adam Bain as Chief Operating Officer, is a good strategic move.  Jack will need an insider to manage Twitter's operations, allowing him the time to focus on making Twitter a better product for existing and new users.   

Jack Dorsey is obviously familiar with the situation at Twitter, but I wonder if he has the ability to move quickly and decisively to make the needed changes to the site that will make Twitter more appealing, interesting and engaging, and help keep users glued to the site, and attract new users as well.  

In response to the above criticism, Dorsey tweeted on Monday:

“My focus is to build teams that move fast, and learn faster.  We're working hard at Twitter to focus our roadmap on a few things we can make really great. Our work forward is to make Twitter easy to understand by anyone in the world, and give more utility to the people who love to use it daily!”

Dorsey, however, has yet to prove himself worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Jobs. Unlike Apple -- or Facebook under Mark Zuckerberg -- Twitter and Square, where he is also CEO, remain relatively niche services with highly uncertain futures. 

If I were Jack, I would be polling users for ideas and determining why the other 600 million registered users, who don't use it at all, don't like about Twitter.  I would be talking to some of the experts and thought leaders in the field of social media to get their opinions about Twitter.      

Courtesy of an article dated October 5, 2015 appearing in MediaPost Mobile Marketing Daily, an article dated October 5, 2015 appearing in Mashable, an article dated October 5, 2015 appearing in Business Insider, and courtesy of an article dated September 30, 2015 in RE/CODE, and courtesy of an article dated October 5, 2015 appearing in MediaPost Mobile Marketing Daily MoBlog, and an article dated September 30, 2015 appearing in New York Magazine

THE 49% ROI MISTAKE MARKETERS DON'T KNOW THEY'RE MAKING DUE TO THE MOBILE MARKETING BLIND SPOT

With growing consumer adoption of smartphones and increased usage of "click to call," consumers are creating a blind spot for marketers. The blind spot? Phone calls. DialogTech, formerly known as Ifbyphone, a call analytics and automation company, created the infographic below to help marketers navigate the rise of customer service phone calls, as well as offer tips to eliminate the blind spot in your mobile marketing attribution.

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COMMENTARY:  Breaking down which mobile channels generate the most phone calls, we found that search (51.9%) and landing pages (29.4%) are driving a combined 81% of calls for our customers. Compared to display (16.2%) and social advertising (2.5%), mobile searchers and visitors to mobile landing pages both have a higher level of intent to call a business.

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If a consumer searches on their phone for a local business, they can easily click a call extension to speak to the business right away from the search ad. Or if they are researching a business and reach a landing page, they can immediately talk to an agent instead of flling out the form and waiting to hear back. Callers from these channels know what they are looking for and are ready to talk.

The same cannot yet be said about calls from social media, but there is investment in its growth. Take Facebook and Twitter: both have recently introduced call buttons within their advertising. As people continue to adopt features like this, it’s helping power the 5X growth in calls from mobile social ads that BIA/Kelsey predicts will occur by 2019.

Opportunity #1:  Attribution  (You May Be Misattributing 49% of Your Conversions)

Accurately measuring mobile ROI is a challenge for many marketers – whether they know it or not. When marketers rely solely on measuring conversions from landing page web forms, they may be misattributing nearly half of their conversions. The missing piece of the attribution puzzle?  Phone calls.

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While conversion rates vary widely based on factors such as industry or product, DialogTech found the average web form conversion rate for landing pages to be 2.4%. DialogTech also found the average phone-through rate (PTR) to be 2.3%. Combining the two conversion paths, the result is an average total conversion rate of 4.7%. Without call attribution, 49% of conversions could be missed or misattributed to the wrong source.

Consider a search marketer with a monthly Google AdWords budget of $50,000. Assuming they generated 250 web leads in one month, the result is a cost per lead of $200. But that’s with no call attribution. With call attribution the search marketer discovers a 49% ROI mistake: in addition to 250 web leads, they are also receiving 245 phone leads each month. Now with 495 total monthly leads, the cost per lead decreases 49% to $101.

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Without call attribution data, the search marketer in this scenario has a 49% ROI blind spot that inhibits their ability to measure what’s really working and accurately bid on the right keywords driving both web and phone leads. The result: inaccurate ROI data with an infated cost per lead and potentially lost sales opportunities and revenue.

Opportunity #2:  Personalization (Personalize the Call Experience to Close More Sales)

Callers are more likely to become customers: when they call they are ready to purchase. In fact, 62% of mobile searchers fnd it extremely/very important to be able to call a business during the purchase phase.

It’s no surprise then that 66% of sales managers rate phone leads as good or excellent, more than any other lead type. Not when call conversions become revenue 10x more frequently than web conversions.

Mobile marketing is all about personalized and relevant ads, content, and experiences. The same holds true for the call experience: offering consumers a personalized, one-to-one call experience can go a long way in helping businesses convert more callers to revenue.  There is signifcant metadata around each caller that marketers can use to create a more relevant call experience, including the marketing campaign and referrer information that drove the call, the search inquiry they used, the caller’s location, the webpages they viewed before calling, what device they are calling from, and more.

Opportunity #3:  Disposition (Understand Intent to Increase Customer Acquisition)

When digital marketing was focused exclusively on desktops, understanding a lead’s behavior and intent was simpler. Consumers often began and ended their journey on one device, with conversions occurring via a web form or online purchase. With everything confned to the desktop, tracking each consumer’s digital footprint -- where they came from, the webpages they viewed, if and how they converted -- was easier.

In a mobile-frst world, however, measuring the customer journey is more challenging. While some mobile purchases are simple (buying music, for example), many are more considered due to their complex, infrequent, or expensive nature. Buying life insurance, enterprise software or hardware, a new car, real estate, or senior care services are just a few of the many considered purchases for which buyers need more detailed information before making a decision. The customer journey for these goods and services often includes mobile, desktop, and offine touch points.

It was mentioned earlier the average phonethrough rate for DialogTech customers is 2.3%. In the chart below there are customers with a PTR over 10%, and others as high as 10X the average. Their common denominator? They are industries that are either considered purchases (e.g., insurance, consulting) or require conversation (e.g., listings, pest control, repair).

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When leads convert by calling, marketers need the same level of analysis to understand what happens as they do with desktop-exclusive purchases. What was their digital footprint? What web pages did they visit? What exactly happened on the call?

The chart below shows DialogTech data on the industries with the longest average call duration. Longer calls are often a strong indicator of quality sales leads. However, long calls aren’t a guarantee of a sale.

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Marketers need insight into what happens on calls from their marketing to truly measure call quality and ROI. Did a call result in a sale or an appointment? What was said that infuenced the caller to convert? Call recordings and transcriptions – and technology to scan conversations for specifc words and phrases spoken on the call – give marketers more insight to help them improve campaigns, optimize marketing messaging for the words callers actually use, or measure agent performance on the call.

Conclusion

The mobile opportunity is clear: call volumes are exploding and callers are ready to buy. Marketers are shifting their digital ad budgets accordingly, yet many are making a critical ROI mistake without even knowing it. By 2019, inbound calls from mobile advertising will increase 114% and marketers who fail to track these leads may be misattributing half of their conversions.

Call attribution and optimization is key to capitalizing on this opportunity. By correcting the 49% ROI mistake they are making without tracking calls marketers will have closed-loop attribution for every conversion, and be able to prove exactly how their mobile marketing is driving revenue. They can then optimize spend for what’s really working, increasing their impact on the business. And by controlling how each caller is routed and analyzing what happens on calls, marketers can help sales agents convert more callers to revenue faster.

Courtesy of an article dated October 2, 2015 appearing in eMarketing+Commerce and DialogTech's whitepaper "The 49% ROI Mistake Marketers Don’t Know They’re Making"

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GOOGLE'S NEW CHROMECAST IS THE ANTI-APPLE TV AND IS IS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING MUSIC THROUGH YOUR AUDIO SPEAKERS

CHROMECAST HAS BEEN REDESIGNED TO FIT YOUR TV, AND YOUR VIEWING HABITS, IN A WAY APPLE TV NEVER WILL.

Today, Google has revealed two new Chromecasts. One is for your TV. One is for your speakers. Both cost $35. And a new app can suck in all of your streaming subscriptions, search them, and get you watching them in seconds.

Google Chromecast for your television (Click Image To Enlarge)

Google Chromecast for your audio speakers (Click Image To Enlarge)

It’s the anti-Apple TV approach. Google’s hardware is cheap, and purposefully forgettable. But more importantly, it uses the apps that are already on your phone to juggle all of the things you want to watch.

New Apple TV and remote (Click Image To Enlarge)

This is Google's big play in TV. Rather than have you download more apps, deal with more logins, and wave a remote at the big screen, Google is countering Apple with what Google does best: connecting your world via invisible Google gunk, to make watching a smarter TV as mindless as ever.

Which approach will prove right?

SO FAR, APPLE'S BUT IT HAD A HUGE HEAD START

If there’s ever been a metric of Google’s sometimes quiet scale, it’s this: In two years, even though your mom has probably never heard of it, Google has sold 20 million of its original Chromecast—a tiny HDMI dongle that connects to your phone and slides into your TV, to stream movies and TV shows.

AppleTV, which launched way back in 2007 with the full Steve Jobs treatment, sold about half that many by 2013, though sales have accelerated as of late, pushing them to 25 million units sold in roughly eight years.

So Apple TV, once a flop of an experiment, is rapidly gaining momentum. But even though Google’s design traditionally hasn’t been placed on a pedestal alongside Apple’s, it can actually have as great of an impact on the market—and even signal winds of design change. Since launching the Chromecast stick, Amazon and Roku both launched similar minimal media devices. Living rooms, once dominated by set-top boxes, have seen an invasion from discreet, USB-style sticks powered by cellphone guts.

Google Chromecast for TV works with all your apps to you can view their content on your TV (Click Image To Enlarge)

JUGGLING YOUR CONTENT, FROM YOUR PHONE

Chromecast’s biggest update is really its app. Formerly just a portal for your Chromecast settings, it’s now a full-blown media hub on your Android or iOS device.

The app sets itself up by scanning your phone for other apps. If it detects that you have Netflix and HBO Go installed, then the content of those apps will simply be added to Chromecast. You’ll see a queue from each service with their own suggestions of what you should watch.

Most notably, you don’t need to log in to these apps again, nor do you need to tell your Chromecast, via your TV, to download them. Google is juggling the backend of all these services, using your phone as your digital thumbprint, to reduce user friction and keep the experience couch-friendly. So all you have to do is tap the thing you want to watch—and while technically your phone will deep link you over to the Netflix app to play the content, and technically the Chromecast itself is running its own version of the Netflix app that’s already buffered this content to make it play smoothly—to you, it just plays.

All of this seamlessness will be Google's sell for making the phone the hub of its TV experience. Meanwhile, Apple TV with apps will function more or less like another phone, with all-new, separate app downloads and logins. And while developers salivate over the idea of Apple TV showing a path to true interactive content, there's no reason Chromecast couldn't do the same through a phone.

Google product manager Micah Collins explains. 

"The real estate from this point forward is the Chromecast app in a device in your hand.  That’s the strategic opportunity that I think is giving us reason to go down this path."

Google Chromecast for TV is a wire not a dongle stick (Click Image To Enlarge)

A WIRE, NOT A DONGLE OR A TROPHY

In terms of its industrial design, the new Chromecast is, notably, no longer a stick. It’s a Beats headphone-like puck that hangs, like one long wire, off the back of your TV or near your speaker. Why a puck? Michael Sundermeyer, hardware design lead on the project, calls it "uniquely Google," a visual play off the Chrome logo that can be more of an icon than a glorified USB stick could have been.

Functionally, the round shape allows the Chromecast to fit several antennas with different orientations to capture floating radio waves with dependability. "Having multiple antennas with different orientations and purposes is a way you make Wi-Fi reception reliable," Sundermeyer explains. For the Chromecast Audio, the puck features a 3.5mm jack, RCA, and optical jack for plugging into any speaker you like to stream services like Spotify, Pandora, and Google Play Music.

For the video version of Chromecast, which streams HD (not 4K) content, Google designed what it believes is the thinnest magnetically shielded HDMI cable in the world to connect from the puck into the TV, even within the tiniest gaps of a wall-mounted set.

Sundermeyer explains. 

"It was a lot harder than any of us believed. HDMI cables tend to be really thick, rough things. They barely bend at all.  We wanted something that just the weight of the puck would make it drape a certain way . . . [and it] had to fit with the design, strong enough to withstand shoulders of twists and bends."

To get the mix of shielding and flexibility, Google enlisted its own mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, and designers, who spent months sandwiching materials like kevlar and molded plastics until they got the cord just right. And, if you really think about it, maybe it’s not so crazy that Google spent so much time on the wire. Because when you actually install the Chromecast, it dangles from the back of your TV, hidden in the shadows of wiring, rather than featured like a sleek trophy of capitalism on your media shelf.

The Chromecast is, in essence, a wire, a symbolic product that’s almost mocking Apple’s prominence on your shelf, while reinforcing the idea that Google’s value—and what really matters—is really the information piping through the line.

STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITY

When you consider that the Chromecast is really just your cellphone identity playing out on your television, it’s easy to see what Collins meant by the "strategic opportunity" at play: The cellphone could scale Chromecast to handle other services in your home. Apple TV isn’t just an entertainment device, after all. It’s Apple’s trojan horse for Homekit and the greater Internet of Things hub in your home. (Notably, Microsoft had the exact same play planned for your Xbox One, though it will probably never come to fruition at this point since the Xbox has been repositioned as a gaming machine to tackle the PS4.)

It seems that the Nest thermostat will be Google’s Internet of Things hub. But when you think about just how challenging it will be to control a whole home of lightbulbs with a remote aimed at a 50-inch screen, the solution seems simple: This would work so much better on a multitouch screen that’s always in your pocket, but could be easily extended to any shared screen in your home.

Of course, Apple won't go that route. It makes too much money off hard products to leverage the true power of its own preeminent smartphone—leaving Google just the "real estate" it needs to take over your TV, your home, and maybe even your future, starting at just $35.

COMMENTARY:   Engadget prepared the following comparison between the new Google Chromecast TV vs ROKU Streaming Stick vs Amazon Fire TV Stick:

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I use the original Chromecast for TV and just love it, but I use it mostly to watch YouTube videos. Love the fact that the new Chromecast for TV automatically recognizes any apps you may have installed on your mobile device (phone and tablets) and seamlessly allows you to interact with each app without having to "boot" them separately like you need to do the older Chromecast for TV.  This is a nice feature which Apple TV also incorporates, but Apple requires you to hook it up to your regular TV and use the remote control.  With Chromecast TV you are completely mobile and can take Chromecast TV on the road and hook it up to any TV that has an HDMI port. Your mobile device is your remote control. I have two HDMI ports on my Vizio, and my old Chromecast TV works great, albeit a bit slow at times. The newer Chromecast for TV's WIFI performance is supposed to be significantly better and faster, eliminating the latency caused by the buffering of the older version and the result is much better video and audio performance. Can hardly wait to upgrade, and at $35.00 it makes this so much easier.

Here's the video of Google's unveiling of the new Chromecast for TV on September 29.  

  

BREAKING:  AMAZON BANS SELLING CHROMECAST AND APPLE TV 

Effective September 30, 2015, Amazon announced that it will stop selling media-streaming devices from Google Inc. and Apple Inc. that aren’t easily compatible with its video service, the latest example of the company using its clout to promote products that fit with its own retailing strategy.

The Seattle-based Web retailer sent an e-mail to its marketplace sellers that it will stop selling the Apple TV and Google’s Chromecast since those devices don’t "interact well" with Prime Video. No new listings for the products will be allowed and posting of existing inventory will be removed Oct. 29, Amazon said. Prime Video doesn’t run easily on its rival’s hardware.

Roku Inc.’s set-top device, Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox and Sony Corp.’s PlayStation, which work with Amazon’s video service, aren’t affected, it said. Amazon’s Fire TV stick, which plugs into an HDMI port to connect televisions with streaming services such as Netflix and Prime Video, is the company’s best-selling electronic device.

  

Courtesy of an article dated September 29, 2015 appearing in Fast Company Design and an article dated September 29, 2015 appearing in Engadget and an article dated October 1, 2015 appearing in Bloomberg

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TESLA UNVEILS ITS MODEL X ELECTRIC SUV, IT'S AWESOME, FUTURISTIC, HAS FALCON WING DOORS AND BIOWEAPON DEFENSE MODE

THE WORLD’S FIRST luxury electric SUV is gorgeous. It’s futuristic. And once again, Tesla Motors is redefining the electric vehicle.

The Silicon Valley automaker has teased us for years with the Model X, and tonight it finally gave the world its first look at the production model, then handed six customers the keys.

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Those people now own a $130,000 electric vehicle that will go 250 miles on a charge, carry seven people and haul more stuff than anyone but a hoarder might want with him. And although the X shares much of its DNA with the impressive Model S P90D sedan, in many ways it eclipses that phenomenal car. It’s not just the design, which is futuristic without being weird. It’s not just the performance, which isholy shit fast. And it’s not even the dramatic “falcon” doors that lift like the wings of a bird.

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It’s how all of those features come together in a vehicle that somehow makes an SUV not just cool, but desirable.

But then, that’s what Tesla does.

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CEO Elon Musk said at the car’s reveal, held at the company’s factory in Fremont, California. 

“The mission of Tesla is to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport.  It’s important to know that any kind of car can go electric.”

Watch this on The Scene.

 

Complications

Reaching this point has been a longer journey than Elon Musk hoped. This is the car that’s supposed to prove his company is more than a one hit wonder, and an interlude before the long-awaited Model III brings a $35,000 EV to the masses in 2017.

 

Musk unveiled a prototype X in 2012, saying production would begin the following year. He later pushed that to 2014, which came and went with a promise that we’d see the X this year. But then that’s Musk—he often makes big promises with short timelines, which might explain why he told us tonight that if he had it to do over again, he’d have made the X less complicated and therefore easier to engineer and build.

Finally the car is here, and first impressions suggest it was worth the wait. If you order one today, though, you’ll have to wait a while longer: Tesla estimates it’ll take 8 to 12 months to deliver cars ordered now.

Complexities

The X is, in a word, stunning. Its most amazing features are its mind-bending acceleration, gorgeous design, and amazing rear passenger doors. Tesla calls them “falcon” doors, because they lift like the wings of a bird. And because it sounds cool.

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The big drawback of doors that open like wings—the Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS has them, as did the DeLorean—is they require a lot of room to open, so you’re always worried about hitting something. Tesla got around this by double-hinging the doors, and fitting each with an ultrasonic sensor and putting a third on the roof. They scan the area around the vehicle to determine how much space there is, then adjust the “span” and open accordingly.

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It sounds complicated as hell, and it is, but it works beautifully. Tesla engineers say the doors can open with as little as 12 inches on each side of the vehicle—then proved it by having us park between two cars. The mirrors on the X were mere inches from those of the car on either side, yet the doors opened flawlessly. Capacitive sensors in the edges of each door sense obstacles within 2 to 4 inches, so you don’t have to worry about a descending door whacking your head or crushing your fingers.

All of this may sound like a frivolous extravagance, and in some ways it is—and you know part of the reason Musk wanted these doors was to prove he could make them—but it’s remarkably clever, even practical.

Yes, practical. The doors make it easy to get in and out of the vehicle. No gymnastic contortions to get into the (standard) third row seating. No more cantilevering yourself to get your kids into their child seats. No more playing Tetris trying to get your stuff in. Just throw open those doors—actually, push a button and let the doors lift automatically, in 6 to 7 seconds—throw in your groceries and bags and whatnot, and climb in after it.

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Speaking of stuff, the X is cavernous. No one could tell us the internal volume—you’d think someone at Tesla would have had that figure—but one engineer said you could carry a sheet of plywood. Another said the X would easily swallow a surfboard. And yet another said you could carry a load of two-by-fours. Suffice it to say, this thing will swallow as much cargo as any normal person would carry. Tesla offers an accessory hitch that holds four bikes or six pairs of skis, and can be attached to the back of the car in just a few seconds.

Should you somehow manage to run out of room, the Model X has Class 3 towing capacity, which in lay terms means it’ll haul 5,000 pounds.

In other words, unless you regularly haul enough cattle to supply all the leather in this thing, space is not a problem.

Cavernous

Another clever trick is the “monopost” design of the second-row seats, which is fancy way of saying that each seat (two if you get the six-passenger model, three if you get the seven), sits on its own chrome-plated post. That makes each seat almost infinitely adjustable fore and aft and provides ample room for everyone’s feet. The designers drew inspiration from high-end office chairs and admit they were, like the doors, a bitch to engineer.

Along with the doors and the seats, Musk is especially proud of the “panoramic” windshield, which extends back over the front seat seats to provide an exceptional view. Tesla claims it is the largest windshield ever installed in a production vehicle—yet, oddly, no one had actually measured the damn thing and so couldn’t say exactly how big it is.

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Whatever the number, we can tell you that if you look at the X head-on, it appears to have a glass roof, and riding up front almost like being in a convertible.

Equally impressive is the sound system which is, in a word, glorious. But then, with 560 watts and 17 speakers, how could it not be? Tesla designed the system in-house specifically for the X because it wanted to ensure the system delivered the best sound with the smallest power requirements—essential in an electric vehicle. (General Motors took a similar tack with the Chevrolet Volt, tapping Bose to design a system specifically for the car.) The sound is crisp, clear, and loud—even when standing 15 feet away from the car.

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The styling is perhaps best described as a Model S on steroids. It’s a taller, obviously, and, at 5,441 pounds, about 740 pounds heavier than the S. That said, it also looks more than a little like the BMW X6 from the rear three-quarter view—but when it glides by you silently on the freeway, you’ll know it’s a Tesla.

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Inside, the X is futuristic without being funky, with acres of white leather, plenty of cubbies and cupholders, and that enormous 17-inch touchscreen in the middle of the dash.

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Competition

Although the X is the first electric luxury SUV, it won’t be alone for long. Bentley promises a plug-in hybrid version of its new, ultra-luxe Bentayga SUV in about a year. Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini have hinted at similar plans. Last month, Audi showed off an all-electric crossover concept that’s probably a preview of the 2019 Q6. Aston Martin wants to have one ready in two years.

No one at Tesla would say just what performance, handling, and comfort benchmarks they aimed at with the X, but they’re well aware of everyone’s plans and not terribly worried. And the fact they had a Porsche Cayenne and a BMW X5 in the parking lot for comparison suggests they’re quite confident of the Model X’s sporting capabilities.

They have every reason to be.

Let’s start with the acceleration. It’s crazy. Every Model X comes with a 90 kilowatt-hour battery and dual motors, a model known as 90D. Drop another 10 grand and you get the P90D, which is the performance model with its “ludicrous mode.” Yes, Tesla actually calls it that, and it’s fitting. If you decide to stomp on the accelerator, make damn sure you’ve got plenty of open road ahead of you, because things happenvery quickly. Sixty mph comes in 3.2 seconds, which is on par with the some of the best sports cars from anyone in Italy, Germany, or Britain. We tried it. That number’s legit.

We didn’t have the room to do a quarter-mile run, but Tesla says the Model X P90D will do it in 11.7 seconds. That put its alongside cars like the BMW M5, Corvette Z06, and Porsche Panamera Turbo. Top speed is limited to 155 mph.

If you find ludicrous mode just a bit too, well, ludicrous, or you don’t want to spend that extra dough, the base model adds about half a second to the acceleration and quarter-mile times. Which is to say, it’s still bloody fast. The Model X 90D starts for $132,000 and goes 257 miles on a charge, the more acceleration-friendly P90D will cost you $142,000 and cover 250 miles.

Under the skin, the Model X is identical to the Model S. Same 90 kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery. Same drive motors (259 horsepower at the front, 503 at the rear). Same software controlling it all. And the vehicles share the same (semi) autonomous capabilities.

The two vehicles both “quick charge” at one of Tesla’s stations in 30 minutes. They are designed to be updated in tandem, so any software updates or performance upgrades will apply to both the S and the X. And they will roll down the same assembly line at Tesla’s sprawling factory in Fremont. The company plans to ramp up production, immediately, but wouldn’t say how many might be built by the end of the year.

Of all the things that, at first glance, make the X so remarkable, the most impressive thing about it is the overall impression it imparts. It’s a practical car—Musk has five young children, and clearly considers the demands of hauling them all when designing vehicles—but it’s not a minivan or station wagon that embarrasses parents and kids alike.

Tesla has made the family car cool.

COMMENTARY:  

Technical Specifications

If you go to the Model X page on the Tesla website, you will find detailed technical specifications for the car.  Apparently a lot of the technology writers missed this, but I didn't.  Here are the technical specifications.

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Two Different Models

The Model X comes in two different models the faster, sportier all-wheel drive P90D which can burn rubber at 3.8 seconds in 0-60 and comes equipped with a 259 hp front motor and a 503 hp rear motor.   The 90D can do 4.8 seconds in 0-60 and comes equipped with a 259 hp front motor and a 259 hp real motor.  

Price

The Model X has a price tag as shocking (to your wallet) as those doors: The Signature Model X (probably the P90D model) that Elon Musk introduced, is loaded with extra features, required a $40,000 deposit and comes with a $132,000 price tag, plus delivery and other fees.  It is assumed that the 90D model will be priced slightly less.  Tesla has yet to announce what financing options will come along with its new ride.

That’s a lot of money—nearly twice the cost of the base Model S sedan—and considerably more expensive than the comparable-in-size Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid, which costs $77,200.

According to the Tesla website, you can reserve your own Model X for a $5,000 deposit.   

Courtesy of an article dated September 29, 2015 appearing in Wired 

 

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