Weekly Round-Up 10/25/10

Apple

Steve Jobs says 7” tablets are ‘dead on arrival.’ Agreed for iPad-like use of reading, entertainment, snacking content. Predict move to lighter >15” is next thing. However, lively debate on Facebook and in hallways about 7″ form factor being about Universal-Remote replacements, not iPad killers. As the Remote, they have the potential to displace 100s of millions of devices if price/OS can deliver.
iPhone helps Apple crush earning expectations; but iPad sales, margins, guidance weakish (btw, one company’s “weakish” is another company’s roaring success–ask an agency/professional services firm; we’ll take 30+% ebitda any day).
And as a result of those high earnings, Apple may take the top spot as largest US public company

Mobile

It’s not official yet, but may be a reality early next year – All you need to know about a (possible) Verizon iPhone
As we enter the holiday season, or season of giving, it’s encouraging to know that opportunities for acts of charity are at our fingertips – Social good is as easy as texting
Mobile Ad spending can top $1 billion in 2011 (report) http://on.mash.to/9unPSz

Social Media

We use several of these & you should too – Mashable’s list of 5 superior social media management tools
Scott Monty explains what drives Ford’s social-media strategy, Focus Rally: America

Other News

Fast Company – For millennials, brands may be as important as religion, ethnicity
The Starbucks Digital Network that Howard Schultz unveiled at the Wired Biz Conf earlier this year is now live, and brewing up curated web content–currently a “walled garden” approach

Alan Feldenkris, Managing Director, NY Real Branding

Pivot Conference

Last week Chris Shipley & team hosted Pivot Con, a great conference aimed at marketers trying to better understand and reach Millennials 18-34 years old
Real Branding’s Alan Feldenkris, Managing Director for New York, hosted a series of speakers addressing “The New Marketing Organization.” Alan kicked things off with a little about how we keep up with and approach technology, brands and new consumer realities. You can see his introductions, topic speakers and Q&A/Pannel here.
We tested a new tool, Curated.by, to save the best tweets from the conference. You can breeze through dozens of tweets culled from the various hashtags and related posters.

Humorous tweet of the week from Kevin Doohan: “Chile mine rescue play set ‘includes wives and mistresses’ http://gr8sh.it/cw9icg”