Paula L Kozak

I think this is a very interesting topic, especially because it is so relevant to all of us. I have personally become one of those millennials that has given up the cable ecosystem to use products like Xfinity, Netflix, and Hulu. As is true with any disruption, I feel like this is too hard to predict because it is very dependent upon the individual. I personally believe I will return to the cable ecosystem as an adult because that is what I’m used to. I think the opposite of Moffett and believe that having children will cause me to return back to the cable ecosystem, because I had cable as a child. However, this is only my opinion. Everyone is different and I am sure that not everyone will feel the need to return to the cable ecosystem. In order to stay competitive I believe that cable companies need to offer things that streaming services cannot, especially for families that have different needs then the individual. More options is one thing, but presenting more options in real time seems important. From my experiences sometimes I just can’t stand waiting the next few days for a certain show to stream. It is hard to say what will happen to the cable ecosystem in the future. While I do prefer streaming, I would like to hope that cable will still be an option.

I agree with Craig Moffett that many millennials will not come back to the cable ecosystem because now that they know and use services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and other streaming services, their perceived value of cable has diminish to a point where it is no longer worth it regardless of how much money they make. According to the consumerist, customers only regularly watch 18 channels out of the 180 that they pay for, paying for a service that you are only use 10% of is not a good investment. In order to get the millennials to come back, the cable companies should use a “a la carte” model where customer only pay for channels they want, this would lower the price and make it more appealing to customers.

I also agree with Craig Moffett that Millenials will stick to over the top services as sources for television. This year I started using Google Chromecast to access services such as Netflix and stream other services such as HBO GO, Starz, Showtime, etc. I don’t see any drawbacks and find it beneficial since I do not have to pay for channels that I do not watch. In fact, for many shows it is significantly easier to watch through these services since the viewer does not have to deal with commercials. The only instance in which I can see millennials going back to subscription is because of kids. Toddlers will most likely not know what they specifically want to watch and the parents may not be sure either. In this instance, this subscription cable holds an advantage. Otherwise, I don’t think many millennials will re-enter subscription tv.

Steph, this is a very interesting article. I love the question you asked where you wonder if Facebook is still at the forefront of innovation or have they peaked. As I was reading this, I thought it was interesting that Facebook, a social media company, would have an interest in the Internet of Things. Sometimes it’s difficult to say why one company might have an interest in an area totally unrelated to what they do. I thought this move looked desperate on their part and might be a sign that the “writing is on the wall” for Facebook. I then thought that perhaps Facebook is trying to continue doing what it sort-of already does-be everywhere. Perhaps Facebook is trying to expand on what we think social media is and is going after this social media “on steroids” approach where Facebook not only lets us comment on the things we use but control them too.

I definitely think that Facebook has the resources both financially and technologically to compete with the big tech companies ( Google, Amazon, Samsung, Apple) in the IoT market. Facebook makes its living on collecting and know its user’s information, and by entering the IoT market, they will be able to gather even more information from its users. Information such as daily habits (wake up, sleep, leave work, etc..) , eating habits, and schedule, Facebook would be able to use this information to market products or services for users. I do think that Facebook has peak as a social media network but has a company whose product is basically information, they are just getting started, with apps aim at businesses, drones and VR to come.

Uber has revolutionized the world with its ability to identify a problem, and coming up with a technological solution just like the most recent of transportation industry. But the article targets Uber’s future plans of replacing the current cars with the driver less cars. The article sees this as an opportunity for Uber to replace all the taxicabs in the New York City. Even though credible sources such PWC predicts that autonomous could lead a reduction of cars up to 99%, but I personally think it is too early to make such claims. I wouldn’t want to travel in a driver-less car. I agree that disruptive innovation’s aim is to provide service that would minimize human effort, but having a driver less is too much to ask. But maybe with the time this might change, but at the moment I don’t see myself buying an autonomous car.

When it comes to the disruptive innovations we covered in class I believe that autonomous cars might have the possibility of becoming the most disruptive if they are successfully constructed. However, you make an interesting point about road regulations and this is also why I think autonomous cars might fail in taking over the car industry as a whole. As of now and probably within the next 10-15 years I don’t think it is even slightly feasible for these little Uber cars to take over the city. I don’t even think autonomous cars can become a real disruption until they are completely flawless in architecture, can better drive a car than a human, and are allowed on the road. I would like to think that I will never buy an autonomous vehicle, but as with any disruptive innovation it might become more practical to buy one in the next few decades. As we mentioned in class autonomous vehicles could definitely have some benefits. They could reduce accidents, drunk driving, traffic, and just make the road a safer place in general. Overall, I would agree with your opinion that we should take this with a grain a salt, despite the strong statistics. The effects of the autonomous vehicle really could be staggering, but before that is even a possibility these cars need to be flawless and affordable of course!

I don’t think Apple would be able to compete with the likes of Spotify or Pandora mainly because Apple’s service would be limited to its ecosystem only. With Spotify or Pandora, it is available on almost all platform which allows it to reach more people.

I believe many companies are trying to make everything skinner and faster. Speed and mobility is key for companies and users. Phones are now introduced with Finger Print scanners which is safer and faster for users. Many companies are competing in the tablet industy because this is a key market. Still, the markey potencial is high and I believe making laptop thinner they can capture a good portion of the tablet market. Now many laptops are touch screen and can fold to become a tablet. And the new MacBook Air is 24 percent thinner and its only 2 pounds. With the smaller logic board which helped Macbook make it smaller. I feel like this is going to happen every industry. If you remember the cell phone industry, phones used to so big and fat and then the industry has progessed to become thinner and thinner. I still remember when the Motorola razer came and how crazy people went and now we have iPhone 6 and its still getting slimmer

I agree with you that this unveil of Windows 10 will be welcomed with open arms across industries. It is becoming ever important to have a multiple desktop feature to help business men and women who travel frequently. This functionality will improve the way employees share data and will make aligning business objectives much easier. It is also a huge plus that the software will run the same on a tablet that it will on a desktop. This will make business decision making easier when “on the go”.

I am very happy to see someone post articles about Windows 10.
This brings me back in memories of when I adapted Windows 7 and 8. The upgrade of Windows is huge impacts on society such as businesses and schools. Especially, the ‘Snap Assist’ will allows us to share programs and be able to set-up all platforms into one product. This idea is sensational for all other technologies and I strong believe that people will easily adapt this feature. I want to see how Windows will launching this new features into new technologies.

I’m not really sure what to think of Windows 10. I have yet to switch to 8 myself because I’ve used it enough to know that it’s not useful for my purposes, so I hope that 10 reverts back to the classic Windows interface. If Microsoft can pull that off and implement some new non-intrusive features then I think a lot of people will be inclined to make the switch, and will do so with little difficulty. If done correctly, I think Snap Assist will be a great feature, one that will attract consumers. However, Microsoft has had difficulty with synchronization among several platforms. They have tried to do something like this with previous iterations of Windows and have tried cross-system interaction with the PC and Xbox systems, but largely these connections were unstable and weren’t used. It sounds like Snap Assist offers more useful synchronization than previously though, so it it might work out. I’m anxious to see how Windows 10 turns out and as of right now I’d say I’m likely to purchase it.