A-ssays: Thoughts on Tech

The most important announcement today is not the new tech, but the $699 iPhone. While not an Apple fan, I follow the company as a tech enthusiast. The new tech, though incremental, is still no slouch. But, in a more shocking move, Apple seems to be positioning themselves in the mid-range market, aside from the usual premium flagship space. Even the iPad is competitively priced at $349. I see this a a mad dash for a wider customer base. How is that so? Apple seems to be moving away from just being a tech company into a wider lifestyle brand that encompasses more of your life. Evidence to this is the announcement of Apple TV - a Netflix and Amazon Prime competitor. Amazon is doing pretty well as a brand with its hands in many spaces. And Apple wants a piece of that action. More iPads and iPhones means more eyeballs on Apple Original shows. I'm positive that in no time, they'll be creeping into other spaces further capturing more value from their hardware user base. But

What made Facebook stick Today, we shall take a look into Facebook – one of the world’s tech giants and most popular websites. Facebook started off as a literal “face book” – a school directory – but online. Word spread fast at Harvard and then onto other colleges in the area. From there, the founders added onto the platform until it was no longer just a “face book” for college students, but a social networking site for all. The core to Facebook’s success as a product is its social element. People are social beings. However, one may wonder why Facebook succeeded whereas others – even earlier entrants – did not. This, according to Forbes, was a matter of timing. [1] Facebook rose to popularity on the heels of growing dislike for competitors Friendster and MySpace – whether it be for clutter of content or of the technology itself. How, then, did Facebook sustain its leadership once the competition fell? This could be attributed to its approach to software development, de

I have a problem with the "self-made" moniker. There's a certain pride I take in not having been raised in an uppercrust family but now being able to enjoy the niceties of middle-class life: travel, a car, a home we can call our own, etc. I thought to myself, quietly, "Hey, I'm a self-made 'success.'" But looking back over the past weekend, celebrating my birthday, I stopped to think about how lucky I am with my friends, family, and colleagues. I thought maybe I'm not as "self-made" as the name suggests. My life today is but a sum of all the lessons and opportunities the people in my life afforded me. And while I wasn't born to a life of financial privilege, I still had a leg up compared to my cohort. I had parents who had the means, will, and grit to see to it that I had the right life lessons and education. That in itself is privilege. Even those who are "self-made" successes despite not having the support of fam

Technology and innovation are inextricably bound together. While most people conflate the two, they are most certainly distinct. In this essay, we shall explore Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash Technology and innovation are related, but distinct The committee report on Innovation Measurement comprehensively defines innovation as "The design, invention, development and/or implementation of new or altered products, services, processes, systems, organizational structures, or business models for the purpose of creating new value for customers and financial returns for the firm." Meanwhile, Afuah defines innovation as "the use of new knowledge to offer a new product or service that consumers want." It is interesting to note the absence of "technology" in these definitions. Technology, therefore, is not essential, much less central, to innovation. As Shaindlin puts it,"Technology is one outcome of innovation, not a necessary ingredient."