Will IPhone Customers Switch Or Stay With AT&T

The buzz continues that Apple is getting inventory for the Verizon iPhone and an announcement could possibly be made at the 2011 Consumer Electronic Show. That Verizon will get an iPhone is the hope of many; but will current AT&T customers switch to a new carrier? According to Silicon Alley Insider, don't expect a massive uprising. "We just bought an iPhone 4 and reupped for a two year deal, so we're certainly not going anywhere. And we're not alone. Millions of other people are in our group as well. Sure, AT&T will see fewer new users joining just for the iPhone, but that's already happening thanks to Android." Contracts are meant to keep people in place. Most customers are set in their ways and will not switch.

But for those loyal Verizon customers, the iPhone will bring new dollars into the store as phones are bought and contracts are extended. The iPhone may be the hot ticket but it is not the only game in town. With new offerings from Blackberry and Android, there will be many phones to choose from.

Dish is Slinging to Apple iPad

Do you want to know what TV Everywhere means? I'll tell you first what it doesn't mean, a selection of on demand videos accessible on your laptop. It means the ability to watch all the same content you watch on your big TV set on other remote devices like tablets, laptops, and phones. Cable companies like dressing up a pig and calling it TV Everywhere, but for me, it is still a pig.

Dish is first out the gate with what will be truly TV Everywhere. "Dish Network is getting gadget-happy, with plans this fall to let subscribers with the new ViP 922 DVR or a SlingBox watch live TV and DVR recordings from iPads, iPhones, BlackBerrys and Android-based devices for no additional charge." Your local sports game on TV but you're out of town for a meeting; no problem, watch it on your iPad. Your kid playing Sunday afternoon soccer while the big football rivalry is on TV; no problem, watch it on your smartphone. Final results on American Idol, but you are still at the office; no problem. Combine Slingbox offering through Dish with all the other on demand shows already accessible on the web and your remote devices will be truly TV Everywhere.

Until cable really understands that consumers want to see their TV channels on remote devices, until they realize that consumers want better working DVRs (aka Tivo on RCN), until cable realizes that price matters (Netflix and Redbox lower prices), cable will lose its leadership position in the marketplace. They may currently have the market share, but it is being lost to the upstarts, the rivals, and others who have more innovative products. AOL and Blockbuster were once leader brands, too. But not anymore.

Should Apple Worry About a Mototola Tablet?

Apple's exclusive deal with AT&T has left Verizon open to find other hardware partners to support. In the world of tablets, the iPad remains at top, but the charge is coming. And with the backing of Verizon, Apple might be worried. "The device, which will have a 10-inch screen and operate on Google’s Android software, could launch as early as this autumn in the US." Can it match the style and ease of an Apple iPad?

And while it may not have Apple Apps, it may have something better. "The Motorola tablet’s integration with TV is a key competitive advantage against rival developers." Enabling remote access of TV channels on its Tablet would be impressive. But it may not be as easy as that, otherwise Apple would have already done it. Will the content providers, ABC, CBS, NBC, Scripps, Discovery, and others allow their signals to be transmitted outside the wired FIOS model. Yes Slingbox does it, but this may be more complicated. Or it may simply require the user to pay an extra fee for this feature. Will it be a game changer or will it push Apple to authorize Verizon sooner rather than later? Change is acoming.

Sirius Continues To Post Gains

Sirius had a banner third quarter with subscribers, revenues, and profit all showing gains. "The company said it added 583,000 subscribers in the quarter, allowing Sirius XM to raise its full-year revenue guidance up to $2.8 billion." The hope is that Howard Stern will renew his agreement as well and Sirius will have an impressive full year. Howard's news is not expected till this Fall although his contract expires at the end of the year. Certainly, Sirius can only hope that Howard decides sooner rather than later.

Tivo coming to RCN in all its Markets

Comcast has been testing Tivo boxes for years. RCN has announced it and is now rolling out Tivo boxes in its service area, complete with interactivity, DVR capability, and of course HD. I want one and wish my cable provider would offer me a Tivo box instead of the piece of junk DVR that is currently resident inside my cable box. "RCN now offers TiVo Premiere in all its markets. The operator debuted the DVR in Washington, D.C., in May followed by New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Lehigh Valley, Pa., and now Chicago. TiVo Premiere (code-named "Neutron") features an interface optimized for big-screen HDTVs and integrated search across linear, on-demand, recorded shows and broadband content." Can your current cable box do all that. Mine freezes. The search is rudimentary. The trick features like fast forward are limited. To me, Tivo remains the Bentley of DVR boxes. So easy to use, so easy to watch, so easy to enjoy.

For RCN, Tivo is a game changer device. I'm excited to see if its introduction does indeed help them gain more subscribers and grow their VOD service.

Plastic Out, Smartphones in

Who needs a wallet? Certainly not to carry business cards, pictures, or even credit cards. The smartphone can do it all. Exchange business card information, hold airline boarding info, and now to purchase goods and services. "AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless, the biggest U.S. mobile carriers, are planning a venture to displace credit and debit cards with smartphones, posing a new threat to Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc., three people with direct knowledge of the plan said." How easy is that.

So my biggest question is what to do when the battery runs dry. I heard recently that airline counters keep universal cords for smartphones if the need arises for extra power to get the boarding info of the phone. What happens when there is no power? I love that the smartphone is gaining even more usage making it an even more invaluable device to have. So now more work is needed to make the battery life last even longer. When your phone needs to be recharged nearly every night, it makes the need for alternatives a necessity. A piece of hard plastic may run out of money, but not out of power.

Comcast In A Dealing Mood

Timing is everything. When to ask for the raise, when to bargain with the car dealer, when your cable distributor is in the middle of merger discussions with a content distributor and the FCC. And so now was the time for CBS to negotiate their content renewal deal with Comcast. "The agreement -- which covers the flagship network, CBS's Showtime, the launch of the Smithsonian Channel and expanded distribution for CBS College Sports -- is a coup for CBS CEO Les Moonves, who has been pushing to collect so-called "retransmission fees" from cable companies." So networks looking to launch or renew, get in line, and start now.

Of course, you will have to stand behind Dish and Direct TV for carriage of Comcast's Sportsnet on their platforms. What, withhold content while you are negotiating to own a broadcast channel. Absolutely not. This deal will get done because Comcast wants to show the FCC that they will act fairly. Nothing anticompetitive to be concerned with here. Content everywhere is the mantra. Let's hope that same attitude exists AFTER the merger is complete.

So who will stand up and get in line to negotiate next with Comcast. There must be more deals that need to get completed. Of course for ABC and Time Warner, who's agreement expires next month, negotiations may not be so friendly. And ultimately the consumer will face higher prices no matter the outcome.

Wireless Everywhere

I have been wondering lately, what will it take to have WIFI everywhere. No, I don't mean at my Starbucks or in the Library, I mean everywhere. At the supermarket or on the beach, at the mall or at the ballpark, in the car or bus or train. I mean everywhere. And while I doubt that accessibility would be free, I would see its added value, especially if my cable provider offered WIFI everywhere as an added service. Then I could Skype, watch videos, get stock quotes, read blogs and news articles, download a book. Heck, maybe the cable operator will enable me to access my local TV channels LIVE.

But with all this openness, I wonder how safe my data is. Should I only surf unimportant sites, saving my need to get into my bank website only when I am wired? Certainly, the average consumer needs to be marketed on all the benefits a fully WIFI world can offer and ease the concern on the possible risks. At the end of the day, wouldn't full accessibility be wonderful. Would I really need 3G or 4G cellular if I could use a WIFI connection to talk and interact with anyone, any site, anywhere, anytime, any device. And could I have it any time soon.

Microsoft Playing Catch Up

Microsoft has legacy to thank for its prosperity. The PC operating system, its Office suite of services, keep getting updated to attract more money. And with every PC sale, Microsoft revenues grow. But when it comes to new devices, Microsoft is a step behind. The iPod, the iPhone, and now the iPad all show Apple's ingenuity and understanding of the consumer's need. Compare that to the Zune.

"Bringing Windows-based slates to market 'is job one urgency around here,' said CEO Steve Ballmer at the company’s Financial Analyst Meeting Thursday. 'No one is asleep at the switch….We have got to make things happen. Just like we had to make things happen on netbooks, we have to make things happen on Windows 7 and slates.'” Unfortunately, looking at Microsoft history means seeing that they have never been able to catch up. In fact, their strategy is not to bring product and software first to the market; rather, there strategy has been to bring it to market cheaper and stronger than the other guy. It just doesn't seem that ideas originate at Microsoft, they are copied.

That is not to say that Microsoft is not successful. Their approach has been and will likely continue to be a very profitable one. But nothing lasts forever, and with Apple and Google and others eating at the fringes of Microsoft's world, the day will come when they are not as relevant. It seems a new sense of entrepreneurism and innovation is needed from Microsoft. Otherwise, we won't be needing their OS, Office suite or other products.