Monthly Archives: June 2012

Microsoft: Time to Surface?

Posted on June 19, 2012 by davetuchler

Mac Classic

First of all, I must note that I am a long-time Apple user – – starting in the 1980s with the Mac Classic, in the 1990s with a Quadra, and continuing with roughly a $3000 purchase every 3 years when something died. I figure that our family has bought close to 20 Apple products over the years, not including iPods – – but importantly, including a one-year old iPad. The appeal of Apple was no secret: intuitive, sleek, inter-device compatibility, and increasingly, no worries about viruses, hackers, blue screen of death, etc. The limitations of Apple were less compatibility with MS Windows software, which made it less popular with the typical office IT folks.

Mac Quadra

Now it seems Microsoft is (again) going all Apple on us, by announcing the introduction of their SURFACE product, sort of a combination of a pad and a notebook. Following its history of not being a leader in the hardware arena, and specifically being an unsuccessful follower of Apple (Zune, anyone?) I must admit that the Surface has the possibility to break through.

New Microsoft SURFACE

Why? Like Apple has done many times before, Microsoft has taken an existing innovation (there were lots of MP3 players before the iPod) and made it more usable. The Surface tablet addresses probably the key downside of the iPad by simply adding a keyboard (on the reverse side of the now-ubiquitous cover panel). In addition, the Surface products (there are 2 versions) will operate more like notebooks, with relatively full-function Windows desktops available. Lack of a keyboard on my iPad, and inability to manipulate files have driven me to my (Apple) laptop more than I would like; these could be improvements that sort out the optimal capabilities array for this type of product and finally help Microsoft get its footing in the hardware arena.

Unless (until?), of course, Apple responds. Will be interesting to see if Apple announces something before fall, when the Surface is scheduled to debut. That could send MS back under water…

Mondelēz logo – Yes — purple is still available

Posted on June 14, 2012 by davetuchler

First of all – this would be post #2 in one day, which if you’ve been following, is about 30x my typical rate. Hello Red Bull.

But just noticed that my favorite new name, Mondelēz (the global snack business part of the Kraft spin-off) is now accompanied by an official logo. I must say that I was doubtful, but this is a bit unexpected: they seem to have done a nice job. Granted, the stakes are not that high – – this is a corporate logo and will essentially grace things like the front gate, letterhead and website but that consumers will largely not notice on packaging. Which is how it should be. Overall impressions: it’s mostly un-corporate – no razor-sharp edges or geometric symmetry or overwrought stylized renditions of familiar images (see Kraft logo below). Rounded, a little bulbous actually, with purple and red theme, all of which makes it very approachable and friendly looking – – not a bad thing for a food company. The long-e symbol aids in pronunciation and, as a sort of faux accent, serves the additional function of internationalizing the look of the logo. May be a little confusing to some but not a deal-breaker. (Strange, but in a way it reminds me of the Twinkies logo…)Certainly an improvement over the most recent Kraft logo, which itself was certainly an improvement (from a non-processed, contemporary standpoint) over the traditional Kraft hexagon, BUT that most recent Kraft logo had a collage of unidentifiable shapes sprouting out of one side in bright colors – hard to tell what it was supposed to convey and definitely not simple or iconic.

And in the simple/iconic department, it was hard to beat the original Kraft hexagon — which of course is the spiritual icon of Velveeta, Cheez Whiz, and Mac & Cheese – – and always will be.

Bloomberg’s Soft Drink Edict: New York State of Mind

Posted on June 14, 2012 by davetuchler

I’m not in favor of Orwellian control of things like drink sizes.

HOWEVER, what seems to have been lost in the recent NYC brouhaha is that there is something huge in the idea of managing down drink sizes (and food portions overall):

1) we all know that humans have essentially zero self-control, and like puppies, will continue to consume whatever is put in front of them until it is gone – – so somehow influencing options makes sense from a behavioral perspective
2) a recent study put Americans’ caloric intake from beverages at around 24% of total caloric intake, yet people to a great extent don’t think about drinks when counting calories – – it’s thought of as sort of a free play.
3) there are roughly 350 calories and about 88 grams of sugar in a single 32 oz cola drink — which chips away quite a bit toward daily recommended intake of 2000-2500 calories and exceeds the recommended daily intake of around 50g sugar (depending on where you source your info).
4) When you consider that a lot of these drinks will be consumed with food, and that restaurant food portions are very often too big and unhealthy, it starts to get scary.

No less an authority than British boy band One Direction (please don’t ask), when asked about the biggest difference between the States and the UK, their immediate response was not the weather, not the girls, not the cars, not the great dental environment – – it was FOOD PORTIONS. (see 16:47 to about 17:15)

So, I understand Mayor Bloomberg’s objectives, but government mandate can’t be the answer (impractical, unfair; people can apparently easily work around gun laws, so gaming the soda restrictions might just be doable).

If there could be some market-driven way for consumers to somehow be trained to be satisfied with non-excessive portion sizes (food and drink), there could be forward progress. I wish I had an answer. But as we’re so trained to equate ‘good value’ with ‘big meal’, getting our arms around this problem will be a tall order (puns intended).

The Armchair MBA

Monthly Archives: June 2012

Microsoft: Time to Surface?

Mondelēz logo – Yes — purple is still available

Bloomberg’s Soft Drink Edict: New York State of Mind

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