The Death of 'Open' Isn't Just Amazon's Problem

The ongoing land-grab by Apple, Google and Microsoft doesn't just impact Amazon, as I explained in my post, The Death of 'Open.' It threatens the livelihood of anyone who wants to court customers on the internet. 

A collection of retailers, including big-box brands like Wal-Mart and Target aren't willing to cede control of mobile payments to Google Wallet. So they've joined forces to establish their own mobile payments alternative, as reported in today's Wall Street Journal. The effort is called the Merchant Customer Exchange, or MCX. 

This is just the start. Watch for more initiatives like this from companies who don't want to be an after-thought when we're shopping from our smartphones and media tablets. 

Update on Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at 10:17AM by Mike Feibus

... and speaking of the internet land grab, the New York Times reports that Google is buying Brommer's. Will Apple and Microsoft respond by purchasing their own travel guide brands? Lonely Planet? Fodor's?

The impact? Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt would be wise to take a cue from Wal-Mart and Target and find a way around the big three ...

Does Intel Have an Inside Track at Amazon?

If Amazon isn't working on a proprietary operating system for tablets and smartphones, then it risks losing its dominance in retail sales to Apple, Google and Microsoft. I explain why in "The Death of Open" (which was picked up this week by InformationWeek, by the way). 

Intel could have a leg up on its competitors by pairing its mobile silicon with MeeGo, the company's nine-lives OS designed for tablets and smartphones. As it happens, no one's making much use of MeeGo. Not long ago, that worked against Intel. But now that the platform vendors all appear poised to go it alone, a spare OS lying around could be just the thing Intel needs to win Amazon's business.  

Speculative? You bet. But think about it: who else could offer Amazon a turnkey proprietary platform today?

The Death of 'Open'

Apple controls everything from your hands to your head. Google and Microsoft are moving in that direction too. Here’s what the end of tech populism means for the mobile ecosystem.

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2Q12 PC Shipments Tell Us Nothing

There's a lot riding on Intel's UltraBook initiative. The iPad juggernaut has been convincing consumers to buy tablets instead of laptops, and the computer industry is betting on UltraBooks to reverse the trend.

And now we hear from the computer counters that PC shipments dipped in the second quarter. If the blogosphere is to be believed, the data tells us that the UltraBook push is failing.

The second-quarter reports don't bring happy news, to be sure. But there's not one shred of insight to be had here as to success or failure of the UltraBook.  It's flat out too early to tell.

Consumers are waiting for the new generation of UltraBooks, many of which were unveiled last month and are slated to be available between now and October. Consumers are also waiting until Windows 8 is released, so they can buy the latest hardware with the latest OS.

If we're still seeing lackluster sales data out of Gartner and IDC in two quarters, then the PC industry will have some serious trouble on its hands. Because it will have put its best foot forward. And it will have been skunked.

But a lackluster performance report for the second quarter? It doesn't tell us a damn thing.

The Battle for Everything

Updated on Friday, July 6, 2012 at 3:23PM by Mike Feibus

Technology titans want to control everything you do, and they're each doing their best to choose them over he others. It's a scary prospect, so tread carefully friends.

In the meantime, each of the camps are turning out some impressive stuff. Which means we'll have an unprecedented set of options to choose from this holiday season.

No one's going to win this winner-take-all battle this year. So rest easy for the time being. Save up and get your credit card ready for what may be the coolest shopping spree we've ever been on!

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