ACCESS WOBI À LA CARTE

Just three days after the ruling in Apple’s favor in Federal District Court in San Jose, California in a copyright infringement hearing versus Samsung, and every major news outlet is ringing with their analysis of the situation and the implications for Samsung, Apple, and the entire smartphone/tablet industry. As the Wall Street Journal reports, the jury found that Samsung infringed on all but one of the seven patent issues, protecting the rectangular, rounded corner shape and pinch-to-zoom function.

The exact cost? $1 billion in damages. The cost when considering future implications of smartphone design? Incalculable at the moment. Will the ruling spur innovation of new products for users? Or does it give an unfair monopoly advantage to Apple?

In the following we capture all the controversial viewpoints and ask…whose side are you on?

I used to think about the future as science fiction - flying cars, intelligent robots, and suborbital space hotels. Then I realised that the most valuable perspective on the future was not the far horizon, but the near future of real technologies and consumer behaviours that have the potential to change business and society today.  The near future is happening right now - but to understand you need to understand young people, emerging markets and the cutting edge of new science.

When I try to predict who the winners and losers are going to be in industry, or which technological platforms are going to succeed, it always comes down to human behaviour and often the cultural dynamics of individual countries or populations, and how they see reality. This is often the best indicator of both trends and whether ‘things’ are going to work or not. Look at Intel. They have about 100 anthropologists on staff. It is surprising in a way because they do not have a direct retail business, they are manufacturers. But they are plagued by this question of what is the future of technology. If they can’t understand that, they don’t know what kind of devices they are going to need to be making processors for.

“You copied my shoes!” “Well, you copied my backpack! And mine is better!” We’ve all heard this skirmish between elementary school children. But, can you imagine it happening between two of the world’s most influential technology giants? No need to imagine, it is happening before our very eyes. Apple and Samsung are head-to-head in various legal battles being fought all over the world on claims of copying and libel over designs and technology of their mobile devices. Read on for the latest marketing-related court rulings in the U.K., and what’s to come.

Already eight months have gone by since the passing of Steve Jobs; however his leadership style continues to teach those who form part of the world of business. Whether you work day-to-day within the area of design and technology or form part of an executive committee, the admiration and lessons taken from Steve Jobs remain intact in time.

So much so, that this past 29-31^st of May The Wall Street Journal organized a conference called “D: All things Digital” that focused on Jobs’ legacy. Renowned executives in the technology industry gathered to give their testimonies and share experiences of the former CEO of Apple. Read on to hear quotes from the President of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios Ed Catmull, CEO of Oracle Larry Ellison and current CEO of Apple Tim Cook. Plus, in our video of the day hear from former CEO of General Electric Jack Welch as he talks about Steve Jobs from the World Business Forum New York 2011 stage.

We all recognize it when we feel it. Some call it “enchantment”, others affinity, some even compare it to the same power we feel for a religious belief. The over-night waits outside of Apple stores every time a new product launches, Google’s ability to create entirely new lexicons and vocabulary that spans multiple generations, and Nike’s foundation of the skinny, long-distance running clubs that inhabit just about every city: the companies that have achieved a cult-like following are clearly doing something different, but what?

Jonas Ridderstråle, international bestselling author and innovative management thinker, says it doesn’t have to do with strategy or a 5-year plan; it is about creating something people believe in that has at its very core a dream.

Watch Ridderstråle in our video of the day and discover more!

Just from hearing the word Apple we automatically associate it with innovative design, being a global business sensation, and an object of desire of millions all over the world. This is precisely where we want to focus: the attraction and enchantment that Apple generates from evangelical fans all over the world.

Loyalty towards the Apple brand is admirable, and teher's a reason for it. In a recent post on Guy Kawasaki’s blog, How to Change the World, he cites the author of The Apple Experience Carmine Gallo, discussing the incomparable Apple Store experience. Here we share 10 tips that companies can apply to their own businesses, in order to make the customer in-store experience truly exceptional.

1. Stop selling stuff. When Steve Jobs first started the Apple Store he asked, “How do we enrich people’s lives?” Think about your vision. A vision based on selling stuff isn’t very inspiring and leads to a very different experience than the Apple Retail Store created.     
2. Enrich lives. The vision behind the Apple Store is “enrich lives,” the first two words on a wallet-sized credo card employees are encouraged to carry. For example, enriching lives convinced Apple to have a non-commissioned sales floor where employees feel comfortable spending as much time with a customer as the customer desires.

Video of the day

How much do designers affect the end profit of a company? In many businesses today, the design team is undervalued as simply carrying out the commands of the product creation or marketing teams rather than playing an integral role in creating the product. However, this is a direct reflection of a misunderstanding of the true meaning of design.