Apple's Indoor Location Acquisition: It's About Apps, Not Maps [View article]
Three weeks after I wrote this article, at the Google I/O conference, the technical leads of the Google Location Team said that their target in improving Android's location services is not for apps with maps, but rather for what they call "contextual apps," which are apps that inherently need location in order to carry out their tasks to help users, unrelated to showing maps on the screen: http://bit.ly/10IoLlm This is the same point, said differently, that I wrote above, and if this is Google's focus, it is likely Apple's as well.
Many other articles have pointed out that Facebook is taking a very long-term view in its acquisitions, and I think that both Instagram and (potentially) Waze are perfect examples. They have around $10B to spend from their IPO, and instead of using it on short-term benefit, they're using it to put themselves in what will hopefully be a strong position for long-term growth. Investing extra in social location and in picture-sharing make sense for the long-term, even if there are no short-term payoffs.
This is a fascinating question. There are regulations in place in Europe and being considered in the States, but most of them are solved by opt-in. It appears to me that most people will trade their privacy for savings or other benefits, or for social reasons. Any opinions?
Apple's Indoor Location Acquisition: It's About Apps, Not Maps [View article]
You're certainly right that there are many trade-offs when comparing iOS and Android regarding apps. I meant to refer to iOS's earlier advantage in having more powerful or novel apps - iOS used to be the platform of choice for the "better" apps. Now, for the most part, most top apps appear in all platforms, and many innovative apps find it easier to deploy first in Android. I believe that Apple wants to correct that. Remember that Apple wants to use app differentiation to sell devices, so the differentiation matters even for free apps. But you're certainly right that app security is also a big issue, where iOS seems to win for now. Another big app issue is discoverability.
Apple's Indoor Location Acquisition: It's About Apps, Not Maps [View article]
To CHABIG and all those who replied to his comment, I didn't mean to make a personal judgement of Apple Maps. All that's relevent is that Apple Maps needs improvement, by Apple's own admission. http://bit.ly/Srlgav It's clear from this statement that Apple considers their Maps app to need more work, and is investing seriously in improving it. Many articles related to the WiFiSLAM acquisition in this context, and I'm responding to that assessment.
Understanding Apple Buying WiFiSLAM And What's Next [View article]
When I wrote "it's not just about maps, it's about apps, but that's the subject for another article" I really meant it - that other article is here: http://seekingalpha.co...
Understanding Apple Buying WiFiSLAM And What's Next [View article]
Yes, Nokia has a huge amount of research in the area, for many years. But their research group recently spun off to form a start-up company called Quuppa, bringing their high-accuracy indoor positioning technology to market.
Understanding Apple Buying WiFiSLAM And What's Next [View article]
Think about other mobile technologies, like (outdoor) GPS in smartphones. At the beginning it's never clear why they're going to be valuable. Will people really want GPS in their cellphones? Will people who didn't use GPS in their car want it if it's in their cellphones? Noone knows at the beginning.
But after it comes out, we see adoption of the technology for purposes and application that noone expected. GPS in cellphones, with Internet connectivity, enables Waze-like traffic analysis, drive-to-my-friend capabilities, and more. GPS in cameraphones enables geortagging of pictures, which in turn enables geotagging of picture sharing. And more.
What will come from indoor location? Who knows. Maybe reminders when you walk by a store where you need to buy something. Maybe alerts to friends near you in the mall. Maybe automatic FourSquare check-ins. Definitely promotions based on where you walk. Definitely geotagging pictures indoors as well as outdoors. Shopping lists that tell you how to optimally buy what you need to buy. E911 coverage indoors.
Whatever comes of indoor location, there's every reason to think it'll be as impactful as GPS was in smartphones.
Understanding Apple Buying WiFiSLAM And What's Next [View article]
PeanutGalleryGeek, I agree 100%. I didn't discuss Apple's intentions for indoor location, but I agree it's not just about maps, it's about apps. But that's the subject for another article.....
Geofencing Applications: Which Mobile Phone System Will Get There First? [View article]
Obviously no single person can say what "users" want. But it's always seemed to me that what users want depends on what they can get in return. EZPass makes drivers trackable, but most drivers find the convenience worthwhile. Same with credit card purchases in general. If I can promotions and other valuable services, I'd probably find it worth the (faint) risk of being tracked, and based on the number of mobile users using Google Maps, Waze, et al, I'd guess that others will as well.
Nokia Patent Portfolio An Untapped Goldmine [View article]
It's important to remember that Microsoft has considerable history and patents in indoor location, including early work on positioning by Wi-Fi signals. Also interesting is that Motorola (acquired by Google) also has huge patent holdings in the area. This is all detailed in the updated version of the report you quoted above: http://bit.ly/U7joHy
Nokia Patent Portfolio An Untapped Goldmine [View article]
Nokia's problem is not innovating, it's commercializing. And the patent process is created to protect innovators, not commercializers (for better or worse). Their innovation is both documented and demonstrated.
An updated version of the indoor location research report mentioned above, covering research by all the major mobile companies and also start-ups, is available here: http://bit.ly/U7joHy
And a video showing Nokia's latest indoor location technology, in research form, is here:http://bit.ly/U7joHB
Facebook: Wait Until The Monetization Plan Is Clear [View article]
There are a number of new initiatives underway to monetize mobile in all new ways http://goo.gl/RdntZ including selling music and movies when people read friends comments on them http://seekingalpha.co...
People used to be worried about Google for many of the same reasons.....
Facebook Investors: Stop Whining And Be Patient For Profit [View article]
The founders and earlier (pre-IPO) investors gambled early in the company, and the IPO was part of the pay-off for that gamble. In my opinion that's earned profit, either from their work (founders and employees) or their gamble (early investors).
The IPO-day investors who stick with the stock may profit then. In that case they'll have profited not from pre-IPO success (which they weren't part of) but from post-IPO investing and sticking with it. At that time it wil be profit that they'll deserve, as pay-off for their investment starting IPO-day.
Facebook Investors: Stop Whining And Be Patient For Profit [View article]
ManoLive and others - I'm actually not against investing in Facebook. The second half of my article was an outline of what I think are their competitive advantages over others in the on-line arena. I just think it'll take longer than a day to profit from the investment.
How many readers have sold Apple stock because of an expected short-term down-tick, only to find themselves 2 months later wishing they'd held on? Even when down-ticks happen, solid stocks come back. Will Facebook be one of these? We'll need to wait and see. But a week or two's activity isn't enough to say.
Apple's Indoor Location Acquisition: It's About Apps, Not Maps [View article]
http://bit.ly/10IoLlm
This is the same point, said differently, that I wrote above, and if this is Google's focus, it is likely Apple's as well.
Understanding Facebook's Waze [View article]
Understanding Facebook's Waze [View article]
Apple's Indoor Location Acquisition: It's About Apps, Not Maps [View article]
Apple's Indoor Location Acquisition: It's About Apps, Not Maps [View article]
Understanding Apple Buying WiFiSLAM And What's Next [View article]
Understanding Apple Buying WiFiSLAM And What's Next [View article]
Understanding Apple Buying WiFiSLAM And What's Next [View article]
But after it comes out, we see adoption of the technology for purposes and application that noone expected. GPS in cellphones, with Internet connectivity, enables Waze-like traffic analysis, drive-to-my-friend capabilities, and more. GPS in cameraphones enables geortagging of pictures, which in turn enables geotagging of picture sharing. And more.
What will come from indoor location? Who knows. Maybe reminders when you walk by a store where you need to buy something. Maybe alerts to friends near you in the mall. Maybe automatic FourSquare check-ins. Definitely promotions based on where you walk. Definitely geotagging pictures indoors as well as outdoors. Shopping lists that tell you how to optimally buy what you need to buy. E911 coverage indoors.
Whatever comes of indoor location, there's every reason to think it'll be as impactful as GPS was in smartphones.
Understanding Apple Buying WiFiSLAM And What's Next [View article]
Geofencing Applications: Which Mobile Phone System Will Get There First? [View article]
Nokia Patent Portfolio An Untapped Goldmine [View article]
http://bit.ly/U7joHy
Nokia Patent Portfolio An Untapped Goldmine [View article]
An updated version of the indoor location research report mentioned above, covering research by all the major mobile companies and also start-ups, is available here: http://bit.ly/U7joHy
And a video showing Nokia's latest indoor location technology, in research form, is here:http://bit.ly/U7joHB
Facebook: Wait Until The Monetization Plan Is Clear [View article]
People used to be worried about Google for many of the same reasons.....
Facebook Investors: Stop Whining And Be Patient For Profit [View article]
The IPO-day investors who stick with the stock may profit then. In that case they'll have profited not from pre-IPO success (which they weren't part of) but from post-IPO investing and sticking with it. At that time it wil be profit that they'll deserve, as pay-off for their investment starting IPO-day.
Facebook Investors: Stop Whining And Be Patient For Profit [View article]
How many readers have sold Apple stock because of an expected short-term down-tick, only to find themselves 2 months later wishing they'd held on? Even when down-ticks happen, solid stocks come back. Will Facebook be one of these? We'll need to wait and see. But a week or two's activity isn't enough to say.