Strategy in TECH...
I continue to be intrigued by the growing influence of vinyl records, a once dominant media that by the early 2000s was thought to be dead. Now, however, after 17 back-to-back years of ever-increasing sales growth (according to RIAA data), it is back. A global phenomenon, this week the U.K. government announced it would now include vinyl records in its official basket of goods used to track inflation.
The Nikkei is reporting a robust revival in Japan of sales of prerecorded analog cassette tapes, a format once thought dead and gone. Now, the report says, the humble cassette tape “is experiencing a renaissance, charming a new generation of music enthusiasts with its nostalgic appearance and distinctly warm and rich sound.”
GE Appliances and Savant Systems announced today that they are partnering in the launching of an innovative new home energy solution they call the EcoBalance System. The goal of this system is to offer the residential market a “whole-home, connected solution” that delivers the ability for consumers to take full control of energy delivery and utilization in their homes for unparalleled energy efficiency and management.
Crestron Electronics, a leading industry supplier of smart home and next-gen workplace technology, announced today in Barcelona, Spain at the ISE 2024 show that its popular DM NVX AV-over-IP solution is approaching one million units installed – a major milestone achieved in just a few short years. The company salutes the integrators and their projects incorporating the technology for propelling widespread adoption of DM NVX around the country and the world.
It is January 18, 2024, just a little more than two weeks into the new year, and so far Tech businesses have laid off at least 7,785 employees at 58 companies, according to the tracking website Layoffs.fyi. While the number of layoffs per company appears to be moderating some as compared to last year’s crazy post-COVID downward adjustment frenzy, the stream of companies laying off staff appears unrelenting.
Snap One announced today the launch of three new services, part of a Software-as-a-Service subscription program that gets the manufacturer in direct communication with end users of every Control4-based system sold and provides new levels of customer support. The program is said to include a revenue share for its dealers. These programs are called Control4 Connect, Control4 Assist, and Control4 Assist Premium and allow for direct-to-consumer support by the company.
Launching today at CES 2024 is a new company of impressive pedigree that purports to offer Smart Home as a Service (SHaaS) through partnering with large national service providers -potentially scaling the category to a level not seen up to now. OliverIQ shared with members of the media their vision for an entirely new kind of multi-protocol, cloud-based, interoperability-enabling solution that just might change the face of the DIY Smart Home market.
Canada’s The Lenbrook Group announced today that it has spun off its digital media and content-related businesses as a separate unit, independent of its hardware brands. The new unit will be known as The Lenbrook Media Group and is to be headed by former MQA Ltd. CEO Mike Jbara.
Shelly Group AD (formerly Allterco Robotics), a maker of a range of task-specific IoT devices and smart building solutions under the Shelly brand, announced today that it is launching a new Gen3 series of devices at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show 2024. Shelly offers an innovative line of devices primarily targeted at the DIY hobbyist market, but devices that are increasingly being embraced by integrators as handy problem solvers in the field.
UPDATE: See the latest news that broke the day after this story was posted at the bottom of this story…
The Masimo vs. Apple saga continues as the ban on Apple Watch models that the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) declared infringed on multiple Masimo Corp. (NASDAQ: MASI) patent claims is now in full force as the Biden Administration declined to veto the USITC decision. Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) hopes for a presidential intervention countermanding the USITC ban from taking effect were dashed as the Presidential Review period expired at the end of Monday – yes, Christmas Day – with no action taken by the White House.
Speaking for the Biden Administration Tuesday morning, Katherine Tai, the U.S. Trade Representative said the government “decided not to reverse the ban following careful consultations.” With that, the Apple Watch ban took full effect.
