Manasseh Owusu

This is such a great application of blockchain technology! Often times this word is thrown around by people who don’t really understand what it means. I think this has caused people to think that you can use blockchain to do almost everything. While this of course isn’t the case, healthcare is a really great practical application. If any doctor would be able to access a patients records from their whole life, they would be able to offer more full and complete care.

One question I do have is in regards to privacy. With regulations such as HIPAA, I wonder if the public nature of a blockchain would become an issue. Since anyone can make changes or additions to the ledger, this could be raised as a concern.

Blockchain is revolutionizing the healthcare industry, especially in the pharmaceutical distribution industry. In my previous internship at AmerisourceBergen, I was tasked with researching how blockchain could benefit the company. I found out that it is a great source of tracking legal drugs and can effectively eliminate the black market for illegal drugs. Using blockchain technology, every single drug transported is accounted for and can not be tampered with, so it is an effective way to securely track drugs.

This is my first time hearing about Amazon Live and I found it interesting how Amazon continues to incorporate other companies’ successful strategies. Amazon live will give their customers more of an incentive to purchase off their website. I’m not sure about Amazon’s next target, but I really like how they’re using drones to deliver packages which is an innovative way to deliver. However, issues such as safety and drone regulations may arise and Amazon would need to find a way to work around those issues.

It is very interesting to see how Amazon continues to evolve itself over these last few years. I am wondering when the peak of Amazon will be, how far will they go? They are definitely not done. They continue to try out new strategies, such as the live streaming, and they continue to succeed. I can see Amazon getting involved in real estate. With such a strong online presence, it would be a great platform for house hunting. I could even see it linked with Amazon Live – instead of live streaming products such as kitchen appliances, it would live stream a whole house. Who really knows what Amazon is planning next, but I think Zillow may be the next company to fall victim to the Amazon sweep.

Great insight on the AirPods! I actually didn”t know where the memes originated, but now I do. I definitely see them being more prominent right now and that has helped boost sales. I remember hearing that some of their iPhones did not have the best sales so this is a great way for investors to see Apple can still produce great products, as you mentioned. It is interesting to see them potentially adopt Apple Watch features. Do you think that even though these are 2 different products, that the AirPods could cannibalize the sales of the AppleWatch if the AirPods get features from their watch? Also a concern would be the price point – I wonder for how long consumers will be ok with spending a premium on ear buds, when there are higher quality headphones for cheaper prices. What do you think?

I own wired earbuds, over the ear headphones, and “wireless” headphones. The Apple Airpods blow all of them out of the water. And it’s not just a “flex” piece. Functionality – they perform better than all of my other earphones/headphones. Do they provide me studio room music quality? No. But the things the AirPods do well are that: truely wireless, good battery life, portable, and a really good mic. I think Apple has done it again. They’ve created a new product that is made to last. It may have took a while for AirPods to take off, but they’ve definitely silenced the critics. From all the memes made to everyone writing off the Airpods – I honestly think that AirPods are really useful. I find myself using them everyday. I don’t see them as a fashion piece but I do like the way they look so they’re aesthetically pleasing. Cardiac rhythm is cool – but do I care about that in my headphones? I just rather my AirPods be able to control volume without me having to take out my phone. I would also like them to be noise canceling. It is definitely exciting to see the future of wearable technology!

Great title! It is no surprise that when social media meets a product, potential sales may multiple by two or three-fold. in addition, the memes gaining peak popularity during Christmas season was an added cherry to the company. I believe the Apple Airpods will be around for a long time. The price differentiation compared to other brands screams ‘luxury.’ My only worry for the product is hoping that each new generations of the Airpods will be more innovative compared to its predecessor. Personally, I was not impressed by the added features of the Airpods 2 and will not be upgrading this year.

Voice Technology has a vast amount of benefits, most of which you have listed. Something new that is coming to market, besides a voice activated GPS, is voice assistance in cars. Mercedes now has their own assistant named “Mercedes.” When driving, simply say, “Mercedes” and ask it any question or command just like you would with Siri for example. This feature has huge benefits when it comes to driver safety. The driver can say commands like turning the heat up or down, or even simply say, “Mercedes, I am a little too warm” and the car will slightly adjust the temperature and enable a cooled seat.