Google+ famous among marketers

By Statesman Sentinel,

It is for sure that Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) is the largest social networking site across the globe, however a study has revealed that Google+ is famous among people who use it for search engine marketing and search engine optimization.

Earlier this month Google+ announced that over 400 million people are using the service out of which 100 million are active users which use their account at least once a month. According to a research, about 54.9 percent of online marketers named Google+ as one of the top five social networking sites used for the purpose of marketing.

Facebook is leading with 87.7 percent and Twitter with 82.7 percent. However, if we compare the percentage of respondents that have a Google+ business profile and of those having a Facebook business page, the results are not so different. Google+ has 63.8% respondents just behind Facebook’s 75.8%.

Yahoo CEO, Mayer gave birth to a healthy baby

confirmed the birth, telling MarketWatch that “both Marissa and baby are healthy and the family is very excited.”

Mayer will be “working remotely and is planning to return to the office as soon as possible, likely in one to two weeks,” according to Yahoo.

Mayer took over as the Web portal’s chief executive in July from rival Google Inc. (US:GOOG), where she oversaw such products as Google Maps and Google Earth. Yahoo has seen a few difficult years recently with major management and board changes, highlighted by the firing of former chief Carol Bartz and the sudden departure of ex-CEO Scott Thompson.

In August, the company’s stock took a hit after Yahoo disclosed that Mayer was reviewing the company’s strategy, including a plan to distribute proceeds from the sale of the company’s stake in Alibaba Group.

Google revamping Adsense & Free storage

Google Inc. has been going through its version of “spring cleaning” season over the last couple of years, with the goal of streamlining its company to provide better service for customers and users – as the company puts it, to improve its “more wood behind fewer arrows” policy and business model, so that Google Inc. (GOOG) is maximizing impact of the services it offers rather than trying to do too much.

Certainly the concept of being more focused and efficient can be music to the ears of investors in Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) stock, including billionaire fund manager Julian Robertson of Tiger Management.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) claimed in a blog post recently that is has made 60 cuts within in company over the last 12 months, but two of the most recent are in the spotlight in a recent article – due to the possible impact to the bottom line not only for Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), but also for users of certain Google products.

AdSense for Feeds, which had allowed web publishers to post advertisements on their RSS feeds, will be terminated immediately and will be completely shut down by December 3. While the Feedburner URLs won’t be affected, it is reported, the ability for Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) to make revenue will be impacted. On another front, users will be impacted when they use both Google Drive and Picasa.

Part of the “spring cleaning” by Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) involves consolidating Drive and Picasa, but that also reduces users’ free storage. Users of both services had 5GB of free storage on each program, but now the consolidation limits users to just 5GB of total free storage and will have to pay for additional storage. Not only that, but once a user pays for the extra storage, the free storage counts toward the total storage paid for. In other words, if a user pays for 20GB of storage, instead of getting 20GB on top of the 5GB of free storage, a paying user gets only the 20GB of storage on Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) servers.

Apple's 4th quarter earning conference on 25th october

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is scheduled to report its financial performance during the fourth quarter of the fiscal 2012 on October 25. Apple would provide comprehensive details of the company’s financial statement at the earnings conference call with shareholders from 2:00 PM t0 5:00 PM ET.

The earnings conference call would be streamed live on Apple’s investor relations page. The company said, streaming audio needs iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch powered by iOS 4.2 or above, any Mac that powered by OS X 10.5 or above, or any PC running QuickTime 7 or later.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook and CFO Oppenheimer are expected to discuss the sales, revenues and expectations of the company. Some technology analysts speculated that the shortage of in-cell touch panel display negatively affected Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s sales of iPhone 5 during the 4th quarter.

On the other hand, Analysts from Barclays PLC (LON:BARC) (NYSE:BCS) told investors on September 19, in case Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) faced stock out their estimate is for the company to sell approximately 23.43 million iPhone 5 units during the September quarter.

Last week, analysts from JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) projected that the Cupertino-based tech giant would be able to sell 50 million iPhone 5 units during the fourth quarter of 2012. The analysts noted the strong demand for the device, and China will drive the sales of the 6th generation iPhone.

Google overtake Microsoft & Follows Apple As No.2 Most Valuable Company

By DebbieBaratz

On Monday, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) jumped over Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and become the world’s second-largest technology company.

Its ascension comes as Internet computing has cut the demand for software installed on desktop computers.

Google’s Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) stock increased 0.7 percent to $759.98 at 11:13 a.m. in New York and reached an approximately $249.2 billion market capitalization.  Meanwhile, Microsoft, the world’s largest software maker, saw its stock drop 0.3 percent to $29.67 with a $248.7 billion valuation.

Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) started as a search-engine, and now it is the world’s most widely-used mobile operating system and tool for seeking Web information. Its rise is also evidence of the Internet, which is utilized as a delivery channel for more software and computing tasks that had once been the domain of the Microsoft-lead PC industry.

Martin Pyykkonen, a Wedge Partners Corp analyst said via Bloomberg, “The PC hardware business is obviously struggling. The transition here is pretty straightforward in terms of where things have moved to, and certainly that’s cloud, that’s Web.”

So who’s Google’s competition? Yes, Apple  Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) sits as the world’s most valuable company, at $632.9 billion. As it once sat behind Microsoft, Apple passed the company in 2010, thanks to its increasing sales of iPhones and iPads.

Google as a Leader 

Today, Google has a 66 percent control of the U.S. search market, reported Bloomberg, with Microsoft coming in a far second place with 16 percent. Google is on pace to overtake Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) in the U.S. as the largest outlet for display advertising, including banner ads, said EMarketer Inc.; it will also stay at the top for mobile ads.

Other positives for Google include its Android software.

During the second quarter, it powered 64 percent of smartphones; this is up from last year’s 43 percent during the same time period, reported researcher, Gartner, Inc. (NYSE:IT)

Apple’s software came in at a second place, at 19 percent and Microsoft limped in at No. 3 with 2.7 percent.

As for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), it has an online business with the Bing search engine, but most of its revenue comes from Windows and Office software, that is primarily utilized on PCs.

But Windows sales have dropped, as consumers are using tablets, rather than laptops with Microsoft’s software. On Oct. 26, the next version of Windows will come out. It has a new design for the touch- screen technology found in tablets and it will also run handheld devices, such as Surface; this is Microsoft’s first entry into hardware, reported Bloomberg.

In July 2000, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) had a market capitalization of more than $430 billion, according to Bloomberg but by March 2009, it had dropped to about $135 billion.

Apple CEO told users to use Google Maps

By Cam Lawrence

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) issued an official apology for flaws in its Maps service and intends to retrofit after receiving numerous complaints from users. The Company’s CEO, Tim Cook, issued a letter to customers on its website stating the apology over the geographical errors and information gaps in its new Maps service. More shocking is that Cook directed users to Google’s Maps service.

The smartphone making company launched its new mapping service earlier this month, immediately following the sale of its iPhone 5 and debut of mobile software update to iOS 6.

The Company has pledged to improve the service. Meanwhile the CEO directed customers to download the rival mapping services from Apple’s App Store.

The new iPad Mini, the rumours continue

The debut of Apple Inc.(NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iPad Mini - a smaller, cheaper version of its tablet PC iPad - is imminent according to reports.

All eyes are trained on the Cupertino company and critics, analysts and tech enthusiasts are certain that the mini version of the iPad should be unveiled sometimes before the end of this year, though no one has a clue about the exact date.

Unlike the iPhone 5 there are very little details available about the iPad Mini. The only thing that everyone is agreed on is it will allow the company to compete with Amazon's Kindle Fire, Goggle's Nexus 7 and Barnes & Noble's Nook readers in terms of price and connectivity.

AllThingsD had stated last month that the Mini would debit sometime towards late October. By that time the initial euphoria over the iPhone 5 would have dissipated a little bit and customers would be looking around for the next new gadget to buy.

It will also be in time for the company to catch the holiday season buyers.

Now let's see what the buzz is about the new iPad. Some sites have been talking about a wider screen display. In fact this is one area where all reports seem to have some consensus - a larger screen of probably 7.85 inches. This will make it slightly larger than the 7 inch tablets of Amazon and Google.

Several sites such as China's Bolopad.com and GizChina.com (an auction site on the lines of eBay) have all been showing images of the proposed iPad Mini, but the veracity of these pictures has yet to be ascertained.

In fact, we do not even know how far ready Apple is to launch the new tablet PC and whether it would risk selling such a device that could cannibalise its own larger iPads.

There have been speculations that the iPad Mini may have a price tag of $249 to $300 for the lowest capacity 16GB version. But then again it’s still in the realms of rumours, because we yet have to see the specs of the new device - if it exists.

Apple Inc. Cook Apology Note Applause by Investors

by Geoff Noir

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Chief Executive Tim Cook’s confession for faults in the firm’s mapping app encountered with upbeat evaluations from experts on Friday, but the firm’s stock still finished in the red.

Apple shares (AAPL) lowered 2% to end at $667.11, concluding the week with a decline of almost 5%. Apple did not have to say sorry, but we’re pleased they did, Topeka Capital expert Brian White stated in a report.

In an open memo to customers, Cook stated that the firm struggles to make world-class products that transport the best practice possible to our users.

Apple lost 30billion in market caps!!

The flaws with Apple Maps and previously with Apple’s voice recognition software, Siri, reveal some deep flaws with Tim Cook’s work as CEO. You might think that Tim Cook is doing a spectacular job. After all, since taking over as CEO on August 24, 2011, Apple stock has risen 74%, and its revenues and profits have soared 66% and 85% in the last year.

But since the Apple Maps fiasco, Apple has lost $30 billion in stock market value, reports The Guardian. At the core of this loss in value may well be the gap between the technical reality of a new product and the way that product is sold to the public. Plenty of technologies are imperfect when they are first sold to the public. It appears as though Apple Maps had so many flaws — I pointed out its six most epic fails – that Apple could be rotting from the stem down.
How so? Either Cook was not aware of the problems with Apple Maps — in which case he is showing that he does not care about the quality of the products that Apple makes. Or Cook knew about the flaws and decided to launch the iPhone 5 anyway. And if he did the latter, the messaging Cook used to describe the product set expectations that were far better than the reality. And one of the most basic principles of marketing anything is that it is far better to exceed diminished expectations than to fall short of exuberant ones.

A case in point is the way Apple’s web site described the product before the launch. As TheGuardian pointed out, the words were: “Designed by Apple from the ground up, maps gives you turn-by-turn spoken directions, interactive 3D views, and the stunning flyover feature. All of which may just make this app the most beautiful, powerful mapping service ever.” Those italics are mine — and they highlight just how oversold Apple Maps was.

The core of Apple’s problem may be an Apple executive by the name of Scott Forstall. As former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gasse pointed out, Forstall was behind the flawless Apple Maps demo and those flowery adjectives. And Forstall’s demo of the buggy Siri “seemed not only to understand every question he put to it, but to have a snappy answer. It has not worked so well in the wild, at least not for me,” according to Fortune’s Phillip Elmer-Dewitt.

Perhaps the long knives are out in the hallways of Apple. But an October 2011 BusinessWeek profile of Forstall paints him as a mercurial, polarizing figure who has all the traits of a successful corporate politician. That is he stabs his rivals in the back and does a wonderful job of making his bosses feel like he is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

To wit, the article points out that other executives will not attend Tim Cook-led meetings with Forstall and “Some former associates of Forstall, none of whom would comment on the record for fear of alienating Apple, say he routinely takes credit for collaborative successes [and] deflects blame for mistakes.”

Unfortunately, there is something deeply wrong if Cook cannot manage Apple well enough to keep such basic mistakes from happening. And this does not even include the terrible problems Apple’s supplier, FoxConn has been having — the 23 killed making your iWorld, the 32,000 students forced to build your iPhone 5 or face expulsion, or the 1,000 FoxConn workers rioting to protest bad working conditions — that do not seem to concern Apple investors or customers.

63.5 millions of Facebook users in China

Facebook Inc. (FB) and Twitter Inc. have millions of users in China in spite of bans on the social-networking services, Bloomberg News reported Friday.

Facebook grew to 63.5 million users in China in the second quarter, a survey shows. That is an increase from 7.9 million two years earlier, London-based researcher GlobalWebIndex said, according to the report.

Twitter users tripled to 35.5 million from 2009, the report said.

China users can access blocked sites using proxies that connect Internet surfers to overseas servers allowing them to visit the filtered pages, the report explained, quoting Tom Smith, founder of GlobalWebIndex. "The Great Firewall is actually much more porous than the Chinese government would like to admit," Mr. Smith said in a blog post.

The Bloomberg report said that in spite of their rapid growth, the two social networks are smaller than sites operated by Chinese companies Tencent Holdings Ltd. (0700.HK) and Sina Weibo.