Monthly Archives: November 2013

At the beginning of the year, Microsoft launched their new lineup of laptop computers called the Surface . What special about the Surface was that it can also be a tablet when detached from the keyboard. It may sound like a wonderful idea. A laptop that can be broken into a tablet and the keyboard. The problem with the Microsoft Surface was that the Apple iPad has the same feature and iPad was introduced years ago. With additional purchase of a keyboard, not only is the iPad thinner and lighter, it can also be cheaper depending on the configuration.

Why would anyone want the Microsoft Surface then?

In fact, no one did. Microsoft had to slash the price of the tablet in order to get rid of the inventory. At the end, Microsoft wrote off about $900 million on the Surface RT, the more affordable model, alone. What Microsoft failed to do was to identify its strong competitor, the iPad. The Apple tablet is more developed and well established, there was no way that the Surface is able to take a bite of Apple iPad’s market share.

“Microsoft: That $900m Surface write-down is smarting • The Register.” Microsoft: That $900m Surface write-down is smarting • The Register. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/15/microsoft_surface_channel/>.

“The Wall Street Journal.” Digits RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/07/18/microsoft-takes-900-million-writeoff-on-struggling-surface-tablet/>.

Early this month, Toyota recalled 885,000 cars in the U.S as a result of a design flaw that allow spider webs to trigger the airbags’ inflation.

One of the world’s biggest auto manufacturers recalled almost a million cars because of some spider webs?!? Ironically, Toyota is known as the company that makes the most reliable cars.

It is not the first time Toyota needs to mass recall its products.  There were many incidents that forced this Japanese car maker to call back its vehicles. Some were due to its malfunctioning airbags, while some were because of mechanical sticking of the accelerator pedal causing unintended acceleration.

How does Toyota’s little brother, Lexus, remains trouble free throughout the years?

Toyota is ranked third in global automating with around 7.9 million vehicles in 2012. In order to produce almost 8 million cars a year, the auto manufacturer established factories in U.S to better accommodate its needs. All those problems are the result of mass production and poor long distance management. On the other hand, all Lexus models are imported from Japan, and are build with extreme care and precision. With slower production rate, workers are able to pay closer attention to the the product and spot any faults before the vehicle leaves the factory.

“Toyota recalls almost a million cars because SPIDER WEBS could trigger air bags to inflate and cause drivers to lose control.” Mail Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2473113/Toyota-recalls-million-cars-SPIDER-WEBS-trigger-air-bags-inflate-cause-drivers-lose-control.html>.

“G.M. Regains the Top Spot in Global Automaking.” The New York Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/business/gm-back-on-top-in-world-automaking.html?_r=2&hp&>.

Review

Is it still considered “egg”?

Hampton Creek, the company that just announced its latest creation, artificial eggs which are made of plants. On the Hampton Creek website, there are lists of factors which show that the artificial eggs, also known as Beyond Eggs, are far more superior than regular eggs. Hampton Creek claims that Beyond Eggs will tastes better than normal eggs, have no cholesterol, and even cheaper.

I believe it is a great product. Since the eggs are made of plants, there are almost no factor  restricting how much the company can produce beside the growing of the plants itself, and consumers would not have to worry about any animal related diseases. Due to its cheaper price, many people would switch to this as an alternative for eggs.  However, just like what Zheran said, they will be people who are doubtful of this new product,and some might even fear this product. I believe people will slowly accept Beyond Eggs as an alternative, people are just unfamiliar with the whole idea of artificial food.

Moreover, we are already surround by artificial ingredients in our food system. There are more then 20 different types of chemicals in our fruit beverages and chicken nuggets that are not 100% chicken.

“‘Artificial egg’ made from PLANTS backed by Bill Gates set to revolutionize cooking goes on sale at Whole Foods.” Mail Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2416808/Artificial-egg-PLANTS-backed-Bill-Gates-set-revolutionize-cooking-goes-sale-Whole-Foods.html>.

Review 

I totally agree with Chit Leung Leung. I would not turn down such a great offer from the leader in the social media world. I believe Snapchat simply do not have a business model as far. The company should still be focusing on building its audience base, and it should take revenue into consideration in the future as the company expands larger. The only way for this application to generate revenues is through advertisement. However, it is still too early for Snapchat to even start integrating advertisement into the app, and by do so may even result in losing current or new users.

That means Snapchat is not able to make profit anytime soon.

Yet, Facebook still offered to acquire this company with 3 billion dollars. If I were Evan Spiegel, the founder of Snapchat, I would have accepted Facebook’s offer and used that capital to start on another project. Or, if possible, try to turn the acquisition offer into a partnership. By doing this, I am able to keep at least half of the company, and can further develop and improve the application. Most importantly, I would not miss out if Facebook Inc. really turned Snapchat into a profit maker.

Frier, Sarah. “Facebook Said to Offer $3B for Snapchat to Attract Teens.” Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 14 Nov. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-14/facebook-said-to-offer-3b-for-snapchat-to-attract-teens.html>.

Google has recently launched it new flagship smartphone, the Nexus 5. The phone is introduced with the latest version of Android, Google’s own mobile operating system. It is equipped with the latest hardware and software, and it only carries a $350 price tag. The Apple iPhone’s price sounds outrageous, which starts at $720 for the latest model, compared to the Nexus 5’s, with similar hardware specifications if not better. In fact, the Nexus 5 is so good that it was sold out after only 26 minutes since it was launched on the Google Play Store. There is a reason behind why Google is selling its flagship device at such a low price, and it is to draw people’s attention to its unique mobile system. Not only would it help raise brand awareness, some people might even switch from other mobile platform such as iOS and Windows. In this case, Google’s main focus is not the profit margin of its flagship smartphone, but to increase the population of Android users. Therefore, it is able to make a profit from its services and selling its content, such as apps, music, films and books, from the Google Play Store.

“Google Nexus 5 phone review: Big features, small price tag – Technology & Science – CBC News.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/google-nexus-5-phone-review-big-features-small-price-tag-1.2426454>.