Monthly Archives: September 2014

The Apple iPhone is not what it used to be.  When Apple debuts a new product, I expect to be amazed by new innovations and creative features to be incorporated into their products like with the first iPhone which pioneered the touch screen.  However, when Apple showed off the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus last week, I was very disappointed.  The two new products have nothing revolutionary about them.  A larger screen is not something the world has never seen before.  I would argue that Apple is currently a follower to companies like Samsung who have been producing phones with screens of approximately five inches for many years.

What amazes me the most is how Apple fanatics flock to new devices with a blind eye.  Apple had an outstanding first weekend of sales, selling over ten million of the new phones, which I will admit is an amazing feat.  They do a very good job of making devices that are visually appealing, but I don’t understand why people keep spending hundreds of dollars on new Apple products that are lacking in many areas.  The new operating system, called iOS 8, has had many problems which include applications crashing and issues with the Touch ID feature, which allows users to unlock their phone using their fingerprint.  A more serious problem that I think Apple should be worried about is the strength and durability of the iPhone 6 Plus.  It has had reports of bending under moderate pressure, which should be worrisome for potential buyers.  For more information, follow this link.

Apple continues to be a large player in the smart phone realm, but the new iPhone’s don’t excite me as much as the keen Apple followers.  I hope their next products incorporate new technology that hasn’t been seen before because I am not convinced that Apple is as strong as they appear.

The high-end super car manufacturer, Ferrari, is preparing to raise the production of their vehicles.  According to this article, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, Ferrari’s chairman of 23 years, resigned due to a disagreement with Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of Ferrari’s parent company Fiat SpA.  The disagreement of these two executives was because Montezemolo wanted to limit the Ferrari’s production numbers to only 7000 units per year.  He thought this would protect the exclusivity of Ferrari’s cars, but Marchionne overruled and will raise production to 10,000 units per year when he takes over as chairman of Ferrari in October.  Increasing production by almost fifty percent will be a major move by the famous Italian brand that will allow the wait list for the cars to be reduced significantly.  Hopefully this will keep their customers happy.  Even though a nearly fifty percent increase is monstrous, the rarity and exclusivity that Montezemolo cherished won’t be altered drastically.  I think that the popularity of Ferrari among the wealthy is so strong that a bump in production will be necessary to keep potential buyers interested.  If they were to keep output numbers low, what would keep people from switching to a competitor like Lamborghini or McLaren? Although the market for super sports cars is relatively small compared to and limited to the ultra-wealthy, there is enough demand for the waiting list to grow to unbelievable lengths.  This article from Automobile Magazine, interviewed Ferrari customers and they mentioned being on the wait list for as much as two years!  If I was buying a new car I would not be impressed if I had to wait up to two years for it.  The increase in production will hopefully open new doors for Ferrari and extend their rich history into the future.

One of my biggest passions is the car industry.  I love to follow whats happening around the car world, such as new innovations, technological advancements, and of course product releases.  A major car company that I like to follow is Tesla Motors because of the major step they have taken, and continue to take, towards making the world a better place.  Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO and Co-Founder, has been trying to convert the world into a more “sustainable” place through designing electric vehicles.  BNN reported on June 12, 2014, that Musk had announced Tesla was becoming “open-sourced”.  What this means is that they will allow other companies to infringe upon all of their patents.  This ethical approach is good for the world community because Tesla is trying to move the car industry forward by sharing their technology.  The company believes that being “open-sourced” will allow new advancements of the electric vehicle to occur faster than if Tesla was to monopolize its patents.  Running any type of business is ultimately about making profits, but even in the extremely competitive car business there are people like Elon Musk at Tesla who think about the greater good for humanity.