Blogs
Is ‘Showrooming’ A Salvation For Big-Box Stores?
Critics are writing off Best Buy in particular and big-box specialty retail in general as showrooms for Amazon and other online-only retailers. But two...
Post Type blog
Blogs
Walmart Plays Games “The Avengers”
Discount store behemoth Walmart is really stretching its high-tech legs this month. First, it added Sharp’s 60-, 70- and (in some stores) 80-inch mega-sized...
Blogs
Walmart Plays Games With ‘The Avengers’
Discount store behemoth Walmart is really stretching its high-tech legs this month. First, it added Sharp’s 60-, 70- and (in some stores) 80-inch mega-sized...
Blogs
Architect Of Change
Looking back, it was somewhat ironic that I found out about the resignation of Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn two weeks ago while on...
Blogs
Best Buy Reconstructed
For Best Buy, and big box retail in general, the past few weeks have been filled with “doom and gloom” comments circulating throughout the...
Blogs
Facebook: 900 Million Followers And Growing
Facebook has 900 million followers. That is a ridiculous figure. My first thought upon reading that factoid was that outside of organized religion, I...
Blogs
Best Buy’s Challenges Echo Those Of Specialists
It is fascinating that specialty stores were a leading indicator for what is now happening to Best Buy. The real issue we had was...
Blogs
Long Live Best Buy
There has been considerable banter about the imminent demise of Best Buy. Custom retailers and integrators should rue the day that this would happen....
Blogs
The Bawl Of The Smartass TV
A customer walks into a showroom and the TV says, “Hey, big spender. Come spend a little time with me.” The customer replies, “Of...
Blogs
Walmart Helps Customer Take Disc-To-Digital Plunge
On April 16 Walmart begins its new disc-to-digital program that will offer customers at more than 3,500 stores across the country the chance to...
Blogs
End Of The Big Box?
Bloomberg.com recently weighed in on CE retail with an article whose title summarizes the reporter’s contentions regarding the future of Best Buy, Walmart and...
Blogs
Dunn’s Departure & Best Buy’s Future
News of the end of the Brian Dunn era at Best Buy broke today while I was flying from New York to attend the...
Blogs
Going Social: Enabling a Collaborative Workforce
Competition in the consumer products and appliances industries is causing all of us to rethink how we do business and ways we can work...
Blogs
The Impact Of ‘Showrooming’ In Retail
There is a new word floating around in the wonderful world of retail and that is “showrooming.” In case you have not heard about...
Blogs
April Fools Fun
Even though April 1 fell on a Sunday this year, that didn’t stop the CE industry from having some April Fools fun. Of course,...
Blogs
Best Buy’s Road Ahead
In the past 24 hours or so since Best Buy’s financial was released, the current condition and eventual fate of the No. 1 retailer...
Blogs
The Impact of the Splintered Consumer on Evolving Marketing Trends
Since the 1980’s, the consumption of mass media in the typical American home has splintered from three broadcast networks into thousands of entertainment and...
Blogs
“Spring Black Friday”
It’s none of my business, since it doesn’t involve the CE or major appliances (thank God), but I just saw this headline: ‘Spring Black...
Blogs
Technics Revival
During Panasonic’s formal unveiling of its 2012 audio and video lines here in New York Tuesday and Wednesday, which included more pricing info on...
Blogs
Change Is Never Easy
Changing business strategies is never easy. It can cause friction and generate mixed feelings. Just ask brick-and-mortar retailers who lauded recent manufacturer plans to...
Blogs
The (Really) Long-Term View
The March 3 edition of The Economist included an article describing some of the management philosophy of Amazon’s founder/CEO Jeff Bezos (“Taking the Long...
Blogs
Reflections On Buying Group Meetings
After a hectic two weeks I haven’t had a real chance to reflect upon something that has never occurred in my years covering the...
Blogs
Clarifying Display Issues On The New iPad
Apple announced on Wednesday the next generation of its iPad tablet. The new iPad will start at $499 for the 16GB version and $629 with...
Blogs
To Lock Or Not To Lock
Consumers have grown used to carrier-subsidized cellphones, and they understand the deal. In return for a deeply discounted device, you commit to a two-year...
Blogs
iPad Announcement Coming March 7?
Cupertino, Calif. – Apple sent out invitations to the press for a March 7 event in San Francisco, and although the secretive company didn’t...
Blogs
Unilateral Pricing A Good First Step
While I mentioned that changes in CE business model were overdue, I didn’t think the changes would be announced so rapidly. I guess that’s...
Blogs
What’s The Frequency, Heinrich?
Google is commemorating the 155th birthday of German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz today with an animated search-page “doodle” of a sine wave. As students...
Blogs
Apple Seeks ‘Middle Way’ For Foreign Factory Workers
One Saturday morning when I was 14, I took a temporary job in a lamp factory. I strung electric cords through metal parts. Over...
Blogs
Fasten Your Seatbelts. It’s Gonna Be A Bumpy Ride
(Dateline – Retail Doldrums) Once there was a time when we could blame slow winter sales on the weather. Or the disappointment of our...
Blogs
2012 Predictions for Mobile & Wireless
Last year wasn’t a very good year on the global economic front. However, the tech world seemed to weather the world’s economic uncertainty better...
Blogs
TelyHD Brings Skype Video Calling To The Big Screen
Those who may have been intrigued by news of Skype video calling features being added to some of the latest advanced HDTVs can relax...
Blogs
CE Business Model Changes Are Overdue
Every year the industry gets a shot of energy from International CES in January, right after the holiday sales season, as it did this...
Blogs
Early Detection Is Vital
(Editor’s Note: Bill Matthies has been a TWICE blogger and contributor for more than two decades. In this blog Bill departs from our usual...
Blogs
What Will Google Bring To Wireless Multiroom Audio?
Google reportedly wants to offer a wireless multiroom-audio system under its own brand. From the looks of things, Google won’t be offering anything new....
Blogs
Apple iTV Musings Worth Mentioning
Two items about the much-awaited-but-never-seen Apple iTV appeared this week. And while I am usually loathe to pass along another’s reporting, they do at...
Blogs
When Phones Crossover To Cameras
So when is a phone a camera and a camera a phone? The lines of distinction are becoming harder and harder to discern, and...
Blogs
Allure Of CE Helps CES Set Records
A few years ago, as this industry and its main event, International CES, were both changing, I suggested in a column that producer/owner the...
Blogs
Can VIZIO Cross Over from TVs to PCs?
News that VIZIO plans to enter the PC market caught quite a few CES attendees off-guard, and it was a common topic of conversation...
Blogs
Time for the New Action CE Industry!
In 1967 I joined the “New Action Army”, not to be confused with the “I Want You!” Army of my predecessors, or the “Today’s...
Blogs
“Nobody Comes Here Anymore. It’s Too Crowded” – Part 2
As you may have read, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), owner and producer of International CES reports that the 2012 edition, held last week...
Blogs
Aftermarket Autosound As Smartphone Platform
Aftermarket car audio and car-A/V systems have turned into platforms that bring smartphone functionality to the dash, but not just for streaming music from...