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An Apple by any other name
I am just a simple blogger. I don't have a PhD in anything (other than Awesomeness, but I got that online for 5 bucks) nor do I spend my days locked in an Ivory Tower pondering the socioeconomic implications of the Ruble. This is why when you went to get a broader prospective on what Apple's recent name change (from Apple Computer Inc. to Apple Inc.) means you turn to trained professionals. That's just what Knowledge@Wharton did for their piece examining what Apple's name change means for consumers, and to Apple as a company. Some think that it is a tacit declaration of surrender in the PC market ('We lost the PC war, so we might as well get rid of the computer from our name') while others think that the change was made to more accurately reflect Apple's diversifying interests. If you ask me, which you didn't, Apple is clearly devoted to computers in whatever form they may take. When you get right down to it the iPhone and the Apple TV are both just highly specialized Macs running variants of OS X. Are they computers? Are they consumer electronics? They're both, and that convergence is the market that Apple is trying to corner.
Nintendo's 8-bit power play a staple for MBA courses
Two of my MBA courses this semester include cases on Nintendo, the first of which centers on Nintendo's well-documented tendency to play hardball during the 8-bit era. As luck would have it, we'll be covering the case just before I head to Tokyo to cover TGS for Joystiq. If I'm not too slammed, I'll post a synopsis of the class discussion here. In the meantime, here's a summary of the case, to whet your appetites: "The home video-game industry began in 1972 with the founding of Atari. After riding a dramatic boom and bust in the early 1980s, most players left the business. Nintendo of Japan then rebuilt the industry--establishing a commanding worldwide position by the end of the decade. By 1990, Nintendo game systems could be found in one out of every three households--in both Japan and the United States. The company's stock market value exceeded that of Sony or Nissan. The case describes the steps Nintendo took to achieve this success. Also covers the U.S. antitrust investigation of Nintendo." Wharton bschool profs appear to be hip to happenings in the games industry. Last semester, I had a final exam question on the hot coffee scandal. In an operations management (OPIM) class, we discussed shortages around the launch of the PS2 and PSP. And even the Dean of the school has been touting the benefits of game-like simulations for learning.
Prof debunks MindArk hype; causes CEO tantrum
Not sure how we missed this bit of juicy drama, so forgive us for the weeks-old nature of this post in advance, please. A chronological format works best: MindArk creates major media buzz with its announcement that they would allow players to draw money out of their Project Entropia accounts with a new debit card. We admit, it sounded novel, so we published our own uncritical account of the news. Wharton Professor and Terra Nova blogger Dan Hunter took a step back to ask whether the big news was really as fantastic as MindArk made it out to be. He analysed the deal then concluded, "Hey, guess what? This new frontier in virtual currency is...wait for it...a co-branded debit card." He went on to state that previous MindArk press releases, upon further analysis, appear to be "nothing but bullshit." MindArk's CEO throws a fit, sending a nasty email to one of Hunter's bosses at Wharton, accusing Hunter of "spreading slander." Hunter blogs it. Awesome. As Terra Nova commenter Peter wrote, "Someone should have told [MindArk CEO] Welter his god-mode is limited to [Project Entropia] alone...." See also: Aleks Krotoski's take, Daniel Terdiman's summary.
