Official Apple iPad

Apple CEO Steve Jobs on Wednesday unveiled the iPad, the widely and wildly anticipated tablet-style computer that he called "a truly magical and revolutionary product." "What this device does is extraordinary," Jobs said. "It is the best browsing experience you've ever had. ... It's unbelievably great ... way better than a laptop. Way better than a smartphone." The computer will act as a sort of missing link between the two. The model Jobs demonstrated at an invitation-only event in San Francisco operated without a hardware keyboard, with Jobs typing on what he described as a nearly full-size touchscreen keyboard. "It's a dream to type on," he said.

It has a nearly 10-inch screen, runs existing apps from the Apple apps store and is available in 16-gigabyte, 32-gigabyte and 64-gigabyte versions, according to Jobs. It will be about a half-inch thick and weigh about 1½ pounds. Jobs said the iPad will be lightning fast: "It screams," he told a crowd that included former Vice President Al Gore. The device will have a 1 GHz processor, an announcement that coaxed "oohs" and "ahs" from the audience.
Pricing will start at $499 for the 16-gigabyte version, $599 for the 32-gig version and $699 for the 64, Jobs said. Having 3G mobile access will cost an extra $130 on each, he said. Two mobile plans will be available through AT&T, and there will be no contracts, allowing customers to opt out at any time, according to Jobs. They are scheduled to begin shipping in 60 days.
Even though the Apple iPad won’t be available for another 60 or 90 days (depending on the model), Apple already has its official iPad website up and running.


In addition to showing off some of the applications, features and design and technical specifications, the website also features an eight-minute video with Apple’s design and development team discussing the device and showing it off. If you love Johnny Ive and well-produced promo videos, you’ll want to check it out!

83% Of Brands Clueless About Mobile Campaign Performance, 27% Don’t Use Analytics

Though a rush is on for brands to engage with mobile campaigns these days, it’s becoming clear that many are neglecting to acknowledge some of the most important aspects of running successful campaigns- namely campaign analytics and overall campaign performance monitoring.

Bango today published a new report in which it reveals that 83% of brands don’t use mobile specific analytical tools, leading to inaccurate data on campaign performance.  Of the few that said they do implement some form of campaign analytics, only 17% said they’d sourced a specialised mobile solution designed to measure mobile user behaviour accurately and consistently, while a surprising 27% admit to not implementing any analytics in their mobile campaigns whatsoever.

Any true marketer, whether engaged in mobile or not, should understand the vital role analytics play in overall campaign performance.  Bringing users into your campaign is only the first part, knowing what those users do after they click is the only way to better understand your audience and to gain valuable insight to better your overall campaign.

“The positive from this data is that mobile marketing is in growth mode, at a time when other forms of advertising are being squeezed hard,” said Ray Anderson, CEO of Bango.  “Yet 8 out of 10 of those surveyed do not take the essential step of implementing mobile analytics to capture accurate user data.  Accurate and comprehensive reporting is what will drive brands to focus more on their mobile marketing campaigns.”

Bango surveyed over 100 participants in a webinar run in late 2009, including brands, agencies and specialist mobile providers to better understand their use of analytical tools in mobile campaigns.  While over 90% of these brands said they will increase their mobile advertising investment in 2010, it’s clear they need to take a closer look at their mobile strategy to make sure all basis are covered, especially in terms of analytics.

Development And Overall Use Of Mobile Apps To Skyrocket In 2010

Mobile apps are big business these days.  Even though 2009 ushered in a wave of excitement and a rush of development for mobile applications, 2010 is set to be a breakout year in terms of marketers realizing the potential and overall usage by consumers.

A new report from DM2PRO and Quattro Wireless indicate mobile app investment should grow significantly this year, while spending on social apps, however, will grow stagnate even though more marketers have already developed the applications.

The study indicated that many marketers took a “wait and see” approach in 2009 in terms of a mobile app strategy, stating fewer than one-half of marketers created either a mobile or social app in 2009.  Most of those surveyed plan to invest in a mobile app this year, however, with the iPhone being the platform of choice, followed by Android.

In terms of social compared to mobile in regards to a favorable platform for branded apps, Facebook took a demanding lead — with 79.8% of respondents utilizing the platform over others — with the iPhone a close second at 62.1%.  Surprisingly, Android and Palm tied with 9.5% of respondents favoring the new OSs.

End-user engagement was the dominating cause for a brand’s interest in using social or mobile platforms for its apps, but social sites were perceived as better for many top goals- including engagement, audience targeting, branding potential and overall reach.  Mobile scored higher on both creative control and persistence however.

Niké True City

One thing that I am starting to realize, when looking at appvertising, is that its not only about creating a cool mobile app, you need to consider marketing that app as well to achieve the appropriate download rates. With this in mind we are starting to see cool app trailers pop up on You Tube and other video sites to boost app downloads.

Here is a great example were AKQA has gone the extra mile to create a cool video boosting their new Niké iPhone app. This is a user generated city guide with integrated QR codes. You can download the Niké True City from for iTunes and I have not been able to find it for Android yet. Any tips are appreciated. Integrating a friends functionality gives a great user experience and a personal touch to the application. What I like about this application, in particular, is that this is not just an app you play around with and then forget. This is a great usefull app that consumers will keep. Good job by AKQA.