Apple Computer

Writen by Phil Morettini

Apple Computer–one of my favorite topics in Corporate & Marketing Strategy. This is a company that apparently is even more hardy than felines–they seem to have already used up more than 9 lives. Apple has so many boom-bust cycles, and has been given up for dead multiple times. Today they are again on top of the world. They have had many fits and starts on the strategy front, with many failures, managerial changes and restarts. But the most interesting part of the Apple story to me, is the influence of Steve Jobs.

He was there and drove the strategy leading to the initial boom of the Apple II and original Mac. Lauded as a marketing mastermind and entrepreneur deluxe. Then when the Microsoft/Intel duopoly overcame (and almost buried) Apple, he was discredited and widely scorned for “missing the window” by following a “closed” business strategy, with standardization and commodization of PC technology all the rage. Now he has ridden back on his horse as the saviour when Apple was yet again on it’s “relevancy” deathbed, and has succeeded in turning the company around, yet again. Truly an amazing feat. The most interesting part to me, is that at least on the surface, he is following exactly the SAME proprietary product strategy, and the same marketing and distribution strategy that appeared to fail in his previous regime. So what’s changed? Or has anything changed?

It is very possible that Jobs hasn’t learned the big lesson, and is simply following the front part of the technology adoption curve like he did early on with the Mac. He may “run out of steam” once again, as Apple tries to make the jump from the techies and early adopters of “cool” technology to mainstream buyers that require a completely different value proposition. Has the ipod “crossed over” in to the mainstream yet? Has Jobs wised up, and will he be able to pull off his proprietary approach this time by making a few adjustments to his marketing model?

It will be fascinating to watch. There are a few signs he has learned. Apple has recently come out with more aggressively priced products at the low end both on the Mac and ipod line, instead of just skimming profits at the top and leaving the low end exposed. And he has even been able to private label the ipod to HP (which is amazing), while retaining the service revenue streams in that deal. If he can keep pulling deals like that off, he may succeed this time. But his closed, proprietary approach tightly links the ipod/Mac/iTunes very closely Will he alienate mainstream buyers by shutting out these practical buyers desire for “choice”, leaving big holes in the market for competitors? We shall see. It is a great story and will be a telling marketing case study to watch play out. I’d love to hear what you think.

Phil Morettini is the Author and President of PJM Consulting (http://www.pjmconsult.com). PJM Consulting in a Management Consultancy to the Software and Technology Industries. The firm executes special strategic projects and provides interim senior management in General Management (CEO/COO/Division Manager), Product Marketing, M&A, Distribution Channels and Business Development. Please contact Phil at pm@pjmconsult.com.

Can I Use My Old Ink With My New Printer?

Writen by Barry Shultz

The quick answer is…yes and no.

Consider this. How many printer models do you think there are out there right now? 1000? 2000? Who knows. But one thing I do know is nobody is going to spend the time testing the wrong inks in the wrong cartridges all day long to see if it works.

All printer manufacturers do things a little different. Without getting technical, there are basically three different technologies for inkjet printers. Epson uses Piezoelectric, Canon uses Bubblejet and HP and Lexmark use thermal inkjet technology.

An ink designed for Canon, for instance, has a much lower convection rate than an ink made for HP or Lexmark. The reason is HP’s cartridge print heads fire at thousands of degrees. The ink must be made to withstand that kind of heat or your resulting output will be unpredictable.

Also there are basically two kinds of ink. Dye based and Pigmented. Pigmented ink particles are much larger than dye based particles so using a pigmented ink in a cartridge designed to use dye based ink will result in a clogged print head every time. Also, pigmented inks are waterfast on any surface. Notice I said waterfast and not waterproof. Pigmented inks can made waterproof if they are used with the proper media. The same goes with dye based inks.

Pay attention to this because it will apply to any ink on the market. Any dye based ink can be used in ANY inkjet printer. The color output may not be what you expected but it will work.

Not so with pigmented inks. Pigmented inks are used in most black inkjet cartridges today. Epson has a version of color pigmented inks they call DuraBrite inks. They are very expensive to make and there is quite a hefty premium on the bulk inks from any manufacturer that I have contacted.

DO NOT use pigmented inks in any cartridge that was designed to use dye based ink.

Generally speaking, HP and Lexmark inks are interchangeable because their process’ are similar. Watch for color variations though.

The newer Canon cartridges, BCI-3e and BCI-6 colors are so close that most people cannot tell them apart. Ironically the cartridges are physically identical except for the BCI-3e black which is slightly larger. The BCI-3e black takes pigmented ink while the BCI-6 takes dye based. Be careful here. Some of the new Canon printers take both BCI-3e and BCI-6 black cartridges.

To wrap it up I’ll say that you can use most inks in most printers with the exceptions that I already mentioned. Color variations, if they occur, might be compensated for in the printer driver settings. Be prepared to fiddle with it. Physical damage to the printer is unlikely in any case, unless the cartridge is leaking when you put it into your printer. But you wouldn’t do that. Would you?

Barry Shultz is the author of Atlascopy News, and President of Atlascopy, Inc. Atlascopy specializes in affordable alternatives to the high cost of printer supplies.

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How to Find the Best LCD Monitor for You

Writen by Michael Cottier

Liquid Crystal Display is what LCD stands for, and you thought crystals could only be a solid. Liquid crystals were actually first discovered in 1888 and took more then 100 years to progress into the LCD monitors that we see for computers, laptops, calculators and so one. So why the history lesson you ask, because most likely you are interested in getting an LCD monitor for your computer, but want to get the best deal and quality of monitor. So you need to know everything that you can about LCD’s, or you might purchase the wrong one for you.

The difference between a good old fashioned CRT monitor and an LCD is not just the size, far from it. LCD’s produce a clearer picture and use a digital connection between the computer and the monitor instead of an analog one like CRT monitors. As we all know, digital is much better then analog since there is less signal loss.

In addition to its picture quality as a main benefit, LCD monitors also consume less power, which actually saves you money on your electric bill. Sure it won’t be much, but after awhile the savings will add up and make up for the cost difference between a CRT and an LCD monitor. So in the end you paid just about the same amount for an LCD as you would have for a big old clunky CRT monitor.

Okay let’s say you want to buy an LCD monitor now, but you don’t know which one to get. Well let me first tell you that all LCD’s are not created equal and the quality really depends on the manufacturer and a few certain other aspects. There are so many LCD monitor manufacturers these days that deciding which one to buy simply by the company name is much too hard. What you should do to find the best LCD monitor amongst all those other pesky inferior ones, is to compare the contrast ratio. The screen with the highest contrast ratio will have better picture and color quality, which is the whole reason we use a monitor anyways, too look at it.

Another factor that determines the picture quality of your LCD monitor is the response time. This basically means how long it takes to transform the liquid crystal to the state that will display the correct color. The higher the response time, the more blurry the images will be, especially images moving on black backgrounds.

The connection between the LCD monitor and the computer also makes a major difference in picture quality. LCD monitors have an AGP port just like CRT’s do, but they also have another port called DVI, which instead of being analog it uses a digital signal. Digital connections have less picture and color loss than an analog one, but do require you to have a DVI port on your computer. If your computer doesn’t have one, then you have to buy a new video card that does and install it.

Now that you have the basic knowledge that you need to know when buying an LCD monitor, you are prepared to buy one at your local store or online. Before you go though, I just wanted to say that I have owned an LCD for the past 2 years and I could never go back to a CRT monitor, my eyes have been spoiled! The picture quality is just that good, plus not to mention how much more desk space I have and the fact that I am using less power feels good too. I guarantee that once you have an LCD monitor you won’t be able to go back to a CRT either.

Michael can help you find the best LCD monitor for you at the lowest price. Use his expertise and knowledge of this subject at: http://www.computer-customizing-guide.com/cheap-lcd-monitors.html If you want to do a complete upgrade of your computer, then he can help you at: http://www.computer-customizing-guide.com/

Computer Cables

Writen by Elizabeth Morgan

Computer cables can be data cables used to move data between various components such as keyboard, CPU, monitor, printer, scanner and other multimedia systems. These cables enable high-speed data transfers within the input and output components of the computer.

A computer uses different kinds of cable to operate. It needs an AC power cable, a high-speed serial bus connector, an USB cable, a digital video cable, and a modem connector cable. A new PC comes packed with all these cables. These cables are also sold as a single commodity and are readily available in the market.

All types of cables used in a computer have different purposes. The ac power cable is just an insulated conductor and gives power to the PC. The high-speed serial bus connector is a data cable used to transfer bits and bytes from the input devices to the output devices. USB cables are used to transfer data from other sources such as digital cameras, video recorders, mobile phones, mp3 devices etc. the digital video cable is used to transfer high resolution video contents from the computer to a TV. Modem connector cables are used to link the PC with Internet service providers for accessing the Web.

Earlier computer cables had far less speed and connectivity. With improvements in technology, the quality of cables has improved. Still all these cables occupy a lot of space and need to be replaced when needed. Accessories such as cables are expensive and should be maintained properly.

Computer cables are an important component of any desktop PC. The boom in Internet technology has increased the demand for PCs and in turn, the demand for cables. However, an increasing number of people today have started using laptops and mobile phones to access the Internet. These devices need fewer cables. The popularity of these devices is growing, as they are more handy and manageable.

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