Why HBO Go Can't Become A Standalone Streaming Service

You may love watching Game of Throne or Girls or any number of movies and specials on HBO.  But unless you buy the premium channel from a cable subscriber you can't get access to its streaming sidekick, HBO Go.  True, "People are sick of paying for cable they never use and want to stream everything on their smartphone and laptop instead."  But at the end of the day, it would not be likely to offer the service without the risk of losing cable fees.  Sure HBO shares its license fees with cable operators.  Once HBO offered a streaming service without a TV subscription, cable operators would seek to drop the channel ASAP.

Take it a step further, HBO is owned by Time Warner which also offers basic cable nets like TBS, TNT, and Tru.  Cable operators might take a vindictive approach, like Dish is now doing to AMC Networks, and move them to a hard to find position, or worse, drop these channels as well from the line-up.  For HBO and their parent company Time Warner, there is far more risk in upsetting the current apple cart for an unproven revenue stream. So wish all you might for HBO Go as a standalone offer, the risk of cord cutting is too great for Time Warner to make a move at this time.

Carriers Dealing With Less Calling, More Mobile Usage

It seems that the rise of smartphones have led to less talking on the phone.  These devices have not become less useful; rather, they provide richer alternatives than actually making a call.  We are texting more, watching more, searching more, and interacting more with our devices, but all at he cost of actually speaking less to others through the mobile device.  "In a sea change for consumer behavior, the amount of time spent making old-fashioned voice calls has fallen every year since Apple Inc. introduced the iPhone in 2007. The rub for carriers is that voice billings still account for about two-thirds of what they charge cellphone customers every month."  So now the talk is on how to continue to mine revenue from these devices.

If calling time is down, the carriers  are seeking unlimited calling as a means to charge high knowing that the average cost per call will grow as usage declines.  In addition, we are faced with data usage charges for are 3G and 4G usage.  If we can't find a WIFI hotspot to communicate through, we will soon end up racking more charges for our data plan.

But why are carriers so concerned about this possible loss of call revenue due to downsizing of call plans, it seems that the majority of revenue still comes from voice.  "The moves have helped data revenue increase quickly, but it still is dwarfed by voice charges. Data accounted for 37% of carriers' $169.8 billion in wireless revenue last year, compared with 12% in 2006."  I guess the expectation is that the rise in data revenue won't offset voice declines.  Still, carriers should be focusing on other revenue opportunities beyond voice and data. From ad revenue to e-commerce, carriers are the conduit to the consumer and as a result have a unique opportunity to communicate and promote new ideas.  It may be a cliche, but as one door is closing, it is important for carriers to focus on the new doors that are opening up in front of them in the mobile space.

Apple vs. Google, like Ali vs. Frazier

Don't we love to watch when two big businesses go face to face.  In the early days their was IBM vs DEC, Verizon Wireless vs AT&T, and now we have Apple vs Google.  Where once these two companies worked along side each other, each operating in its distinct world, today they are in full on assault mode.  "The rise of the iPhone and other smartphones changed all that. Mr. Jobs felt blindsided by Google's push into mobile devices with its own Android operating system."  Now they compete with hardware, apps, cloud computing, and everything in between.

And so to keep striking while they can, Apple is set to displace Google Maps with its own map app.  "In the short term, Google will lose some ad revenue and miss out on data about what local businesses people are searching for—which it uses to pitch retailers on buying certain ads. Longer term, it is likely to hurt Google's ability to generate map-related revenue".  Hitting at the pocketbook is clearly what Apple has in mind.  Once Google entered the mobile space, Steve Jobs was adamant that he would do anything it took to beat them.  Well even beyond the grave, the Apple organization is doing just that.

Once they update the operating software and consumers download the update, Google Maps should be replaced with Apple's own version.  Of course any war is made up of multiple battles.  With maps being the first line in the sand, the question is when will the next battle take place.  Could it be in search, against YouTube, or somewhere else.  The war is on, the first battle is set to begin.

For Fun, Let's Sue TiVo

Has TiVo become the Rodney Dangerfield of the electronic industry; no respect.  It seems that everyone loves to sue TiVo.  Although TiVo likes to sue others, too.  "Cisco Systems this week filed a federal lawsuit against TiVo, seeking to void four of the DVR maker's patents -- including the infamous "Time Warp" patent that Dish Network was found to have infringed -- opening a new front in the litigation battle over cable set-tops."  Is there a real case here or is it an attempt to continue to delay until frankly the technology becomes outdated itself.  If anything all these lawsuits will certainly keep the lawyers busy and happy.

Have We Finally Seen The End Of The Yellow Pages On Our Doorstep

They still get delivered to our door but for how much longer.  The last time they have been opened or even touched is when I recycle the older one and replace it with the recent arrival.  Today, any searches for information is online and the  yellow pages directory has become a distant memory.  "But now Yell wants to go one step further. Like so many other fundamentally challenged businesses, it wants to break with the past and move on, by rebranding the company 'Hibu'."

It seems that the Yellow Pages, or the various names that it has been called, has been dead for quite a while.  Online websites have not only provided me with the names and numbers of businesses that I needed to call, some sites have also provided "local" recommendations based on user message boards and feedback.  Convenient and helpful.

While I have not been able to control the curbside delivery of the yellow pages, I have been able to feed it directly to my recycle bin.  For me, the yellow page transition has been too little, too late.  Can they start from scratch to recapture this lost marketplace; doubtful.

Facebook Wants To Build A Phone

Want more competition in the mobile space?  Consider this, Facebook wants to be more than a pretty face in the software space, they want to be in hardware too.  Following the  Google lead, Facebook seems to be gearing up to produce its own mobile phone.  While Google bough Motorola Mobility to make its own phone, Facebook "has hired more than a half dozen former Apple software and hardware engineers who were on the iPhone, and one who worked on the iPad, to build the Facebook Phone, The New York Times reports."  First a phone, then an app store.

Is there room for Facebook and can they bring something new to the table?  We love competition so any new entrant means more innovation and that keeps the industry fresh.  Whether they can succeed or not is another question.

My Home Could Use The iHub

We are an Apple household, with a desktop mac, laptop, iPad, iPods, and iPhones.  But as we use them, each product has become more a single user experience and it is hard to share notes, calendar items, specific photos, and other information easily within the family.  We are missing that hub; a device that incorporates the family information and manages it among our individual data.

Now according to Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey, such a product may be next to emerge from the Apple labs.  As " McQuivey wrote. 'Instead of selling a replacement for the TV you just bought, Apple should convince millions of Apple fans that they need a new screen in their lives. Call it the iHub, a 32-inch screen with touch, gesture, voice, and iPad control that can be hung on the wall wherever the family congregates for planning, talking, or eating.'”  I want one provided it can do the things I need to manage.

My ideal screen would be iPad like but easily hung on the wall.  A constant connection to a wall plug to assure it is always on.  It would replace our monthly calendar where we still hand write kids school activities, school lunches, little league games, and other obligations, like the dinner out, bbq with friends, street fairs and more.  How nice to write it once and share it among all the apple devices.  Integrated with the notes app, but separated for various ongoing lists like supermarket, Target, and Costco, a quick press of the button and we can tell Siri which list to add certain items.  Need to jot a note to the family that someone called or an immediate to do reminder, the screen could be turned into a wipe pad.  Easy to use, simply to work, and practical for the family in so many ways.And when not in use, a great screen to display photos of the family.  Sign me up; I already have a place in the kitchen to hang it up.

Who Wants To Own A Video Library?

At a Paid Content panel, the question was asked, "Is a vast video library worth the time and money?"  From the different panelists came different answers.  For some, the answer is no as a ton of video is old and dated, for others, the historical capture of clips offers a rare peak back in people's careers and growth.  And for others, the choice to even build and organize a digital video library of older content is too expensive and  brings little return. It seems one person's crap is another person's fortune.  Perhaps it all depends on how it can be merchandised and used.

And it seemed that discussion led to the rise of web based platforms verse older video platforms like cable.  “'To launch a cable channel, you need a satellite, a sales staff … you’re in the hole $50 million to $100 million before you even know you have an audience,'” he said Brian Bedol, CEO of Bedrocket Ventures). “'With YouTube, you can be distributed everywhere overnight, and you don’t need to make those binary decisions.'”  True, yet brings more pitfalls.  The lower the costs to enter the market, the easier it is to compete and the harder to break through the clutter.  And certainly the increase in video content across multiple platforms only makes it more difficult to be discovered and watched.

But back to the question of the video library.  For me, the value of a video library depends on its use.  For print publishers seeking to make an impact in the web and tablet space, video is needed to create greater interest in these brands as multimedia platforms.  Libraries of video content that relate to an article augments the value of the printed material and brings synergy between the print and digital platforms.  Video libraries of older content are also a great promotional tool, able to bring viewers up to date on older seasons of shows and move them to watch current episodes on other platforms.  Older videos bring context to newer ones.  And in some cases, older videos become treasure troves of insight as new appreciations emerge.  Of course there is time and money spent initially to categorize and organize the past; but once completed, they are then available and accessible to utilize as the timing, situation, or opportunity fits.

Apple May Be Stealing Ideas From Star Trek

Sometimes I wonder where Apple gets all its great ideas.  Perhaps all the tech geeks are using Star Trek as their inspiration to turn science fiction into science fact.  "There's a chance Apple's new version of Mac OS X, called Mountain Lion, will allow voice dictation from Siri, reports 9to5Mac."  And so the next iteration of the Mac will be able to type reports without a keyboard.  


It reminds me of a scene straight out of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, when Kirk and the gang are in present day San Francisco, finding a humpback whale to save the future earth.  In one scene, Scotty attempts to dictate to the computer by speaking into the mouse.  When nothing gets typed and he has to resort to the keyboard, he responds, "How quaint".  As Siri becomes more embedded in all our Apple products, we may find ourselves saying the exact same thing.  I mean, why type when we can speak exactly what we need.