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February 07, 2006

Apple Gets it Right , Part II

Here's a story of an awesome retail experience, and a great use of technology.

Went to the Apple store in Corte Madera today looking to buy some docks for my new Video iPod.

Talked to a really helpful salesman. Turns out he's also a graphic designer who uses his iPod as a media player and a file transfer device. (Why he's working at a retail store is beyond me, but he did know the products.)

Got the right docks and had my questions answered.

Now the really cool part...

He said "I can check you out right here." We were standing in the middle of the store with no cash register anywhere nearby. Warily, I said "OK". He pulls out a handheld PC (a Symbol box running Win CE), swipes my credit card, enters some information, and rings up the sale. The receipt is emailed to me. I'm out the door with no waiting.

How cool is that???

Posted by Bill Dettering at 02:09 AM | Permalink | Technorati Tags: apple ipod store retail | Comments (1)

February 03, 2006

Howard Stern and Sirius need a clue

It seems people are bypassing Sirius and getting the Howard Stern show every day from file sharing services, according to the L.A. Times.

How long until Sirius makes the Stern show available over the Web? I have a Sirius subscription, and I can't listen unless I have my Sirius receiver handy, with a clear view of the eastern skies. Stern's show isn't available online. What if I want to listen in the office? Or in my basement? How dumb is Sirius management?

Anyone who knows anything about the history of Web media will see it's in Sirius's best interest to make Stern available over the Web. Look at how (the original) Napster forced the Music Companies to make songs available for download. And now witness how BitTorrent is forcing TV shows to be able to be purchased via Google, iTunes, and many more upcoming services. And these services are SUCCESSFUL!

Yeah - I know $500M is a lot of money, and you want every Stern fan to become a Sirius subscriber to recoup that investment. (Not to mention the cost of launching that satellite.) But if you can't deliver the show to your listeners in places that don't have a view of the eastern sky, then people are going to find ways to get it for free. Or just move on to Podcasts and other media. The number of fans Stern is losing every day must be enormous. They've gotta be concerned.

XM lets you subscribe for online listening only - why not Sirius? For customers, these services are all about the content, and not the delivery mechanism.

I predict Stern will be available for paid online listening within 6 months. And although it should be done ASAP, it probably won't be. C'mon Sirius - prove me wrong!

Posted by Bill Dettering at 02:10 AM | Permalink | Technorati Tags: howard stern sirius file sharing | Comments (1) | TrackBack