Posts Tagged ‘computers’

Cool Electronics Move Ahead Of Clothes And Appliances

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

Second-quarter reports indicate that Americans have changed their spending priorities from appliances to new and improved electronics.

  • Rather than purchasing appliances and clothing, Americans now tend to put their money toward new electronics and in their savings.
  • Electronics are constantly evolving to become newer, cooler and better–causing an incentive to buy the latest items.
  • Some clothing retailers, such as American Eagle Outfitters and Macy’s, are giving consumers electronic incentives to buy apparel (like giving away smartphones).

Facts & Figures

  • Sales of televisions, computers, video and telephone equipment grew 1.8% in the first six months of 2010.
  • Spending on appliances decreased 3.6% and spending on furniture decreased 11%.
  • The U.S. savings rate increased to 6.4% from May to June.
  • In the first 6 months of 2010, Americans spent $534 billion on durable goods, up 5.9% from last year.

Best Quote

“But who needs to buy more ties? I mean, come on, I have a great computer.” -Spence Witten, 27-year-old consumer

Computers Are Too Complex, Make Them More Like iPhones!

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Sometimes it seems as though computers are more trouble than they’re worth, but they may become much simpler in the not-too-distant future.

  • Although personal computers have become easier to use since their inception way back when, most people still encounter problems while using their computers and their current operating systems (like Snow Leopard for Mac or Windows Vista).
  • iPhones are the picture of simplicity, and could serve as a model for how computer companies construct operating systems in the future.
  • While it may seem a simple solution to the complexity problem, integrating an operating system similar to the iPhone’s would be difficult for a multitude of reasons, and especially troublesome for the implementation of the multitouch interface (that thing that allows you to move stuff on your iPhone with your finger).

Facts & Figures

  • Back in the day, if you wanted to open up a Microsoft Word document, you would’ve had to type in a cryptic command, like this:

DIR*.EXE
MSWORD.EXE A:\REPORT.DOC

  • Microsoft tries to make all their new versions of their primary operating system (Windows) familiar to customers of earlier versions, which accounts for the continuing complexity of the system.
  • Apple uses the iPhone’s operating system in its new iPad computer.
  • It would be easier for Apple to design a completely new operating system instead of implementing the multitouch interface onto a desktop computer.

Best Quote

“With the iPad and the horde of tablets that will follow it, we can expect computing to become much easier than what we’re accustomed to today.” – Brian Chen, Wired magazine

What Do You Do When Your Computer Starts To Die?

Monday, May 4th, 2009

How spending habits and the way we view appliances are affected by the changing economy…

  • Many people are trying to save money and are getting appliances repaired instead of automatically purchasing a replacement.
  • Both car and computer repair shops have seen a huge spike in demand for their services.
  • Consumers are taking better care of their cars and other household items in order to save money.

Facts & Figures

  • Computer repair business’ revenue is 30% higher than a year ago.
  • Consumers are extending the lives of their vehicles to nearly 10 years on average, from eight just two years ago.

Best Quote

“I had a lot of customers who had an imaginary threshold. They’d say, ‘I won’t fix it, I’ll unload it.’ Those customers are rethinking that threshold and saying, ‘Maybe I’d better take better care of my car.’” – John McWilliams, Service Manager at Autobahn Motor Works of Bethesda, MD

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