Tag: small business for sale

The five best arguments that Apple’s App Store is a monopoly

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Apple and Google testified in front of the Senate Judiciary’s Antitrust Subcommittee Wednesday, and it’s fair to say the committee members came with their A game and that Apple walked away the biggest loser. At issue are the strict rules Apple imposes on app developers for the privilege of being listed in the App Store, which is virtually the only way developers can access the huge worldwide market of iPhone users. Google may be somewhat less in the antitrust crosshairs because it allows Android users to side-load apps from other marketplaces and websites. But both Apple and Google require many developers to use their respective marketplaces’ own proprietary payment systems to sell their apps, and they charge the developers up to 30% to do so. Both Democrats and Republicans in the hearing seemed surprised at that high toll and wondered out loud whether it would be so high if the two main app stores faced more competition. The subcommittee members had clearly coordinated their efforts before the hearing and presented Apple with a wide-ranging, and nonoverlapping, set of informed and relevant questions. However, the hearing was especially fiery because some big-name app developers who have a beef with the app stores—Spotify, Tile, and Tinder’s parent, Match Group—were sitting at the witness table too. Some of the best arguments against Apple’s App Store policies came from them. Spotify’s App Store blues Case in point: Spotify’s lawyer Horacio Gutierrez pointed out that not only is his company required to use Apple’s payment system (and pay the “Apple tax”), but the music app is also prohibited from directing users of its free iOS app to online promotions offering three months of Spotify Premium for 99¢. Gutierrez called this a “gag order.” Spotify had the sympathy of Democrat Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee, even before the hearing. “[Telling people] they can get a better deal [on an app] on a website, when the companies . . . on the app store are banned from doing that, that’s pretty outrageous,” Klobuchar told me on the phone Tuesday night. Spotify has a particularly interesting viewpoint because it competes directly with Apple’s own Music service, which naturally gets more visibility in the App Store. Klobuchar called this “self-preferencing.” Gutierrez said Apple had threatened retaliation against Spotify and in some cases carried it out. He claimed Apple told Spotify straight out that it would not promote the Spotify app and forced Spotify to wait for months for app-upgrade approvals. Read More …

Hey, Apple, just make a TV already

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As part of its big “Spring Loaded” press event on Tuesday, Apple announced that it will fix your TV’s picture settings in one of the most roundabout ways possible. Just buy yourself an Apple TV streaming box, plug it into your existing television, then hold your iPhone up to the screen. The Apple TV will then use the phone’s image sensors to calibrate its own color output according to what Apple says are cinematographer-approved specifications. Apple showcased the feature as part of its second-generation Apple TV 4K , which launches next month, though the calibration option will also arrive on existing Apple TV boxes next week. It’s a neat idea, but it also digs up a rather old question : Why doesn’t Apple just make a smart TV itself? Read More …

Apple finally announces its AirTags thing-finding device

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At its “Spring Loaded” event on Tuesday morning, Apple finally unveiled its AirTags gizmos for locating the stuff in your life that always gets lost. Things such as your keys or your suitcase. AirTags use Bluetooth Low Energy and Ultra Wideband technology to connect back to Apple’s Find My service. You can assign an AirTag to an item and give it a default name such as “Keys” or “Jacket” or make up your own name. Then you can use the Find My app to find that item—anything that you can attach the quarter-sized tag to. For an item that’s nearby, a feature called “Precision Finding” will tell you how far away it is, and in what direction Read More …

Your brain wants you to take breaks between meetings. Outlook aims to help

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Recently, Microsoft’s Human Factors Lab conducted an experiment. It involved 14 test subjects sitting through Microsoft Teams meetings concerning typical business tasks such as writing a marketing plan and planning office space. And the whole affair was intended to simulate real-world situations except for one thing: The attendees wore electroencephalogram (EEG) caps that allowed Microsoft to monitor electrical activity in their brains Read More …

7 soft skills recruiters value during uncertain hiring times

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The pandemic has created radical changes in the way we work. Hiring the right employees, who can not only survive but also thrive during these unprecedented times, has become even more critical. While technical and functional skills are still as important as ever, recruiters and hiring managers have also been seeking candidates who have specific transferable soft skills that are especially relevant during this time when the workplace as we know it has undergone such a radical transformation. Emotional Intelligence The ability to read situations and approach them with sensitivity is now absolutely critical, especially for team leaders, because “customers and colleagues are balancing so many competing demands in their personal and professional lives,” according to Amanda Georgoff, regional vice president of sales at SalesLoft. With face-to-face contact reduced, executives have to be able to pick up on the nuances of Zoom calls or Slack messages to ascertain employees’ struggles that affect productivity, according to Sean Walker, partner at the Bowdoin Group, an executive search firm. You can demonstrate emotional intelligence during your interviews by weaving in concrete, personal examples of how you changed your work approach with others based on what you ascertained was happening behind the scenes in their lives. Resilience Resilience is also critical to managing stressful situations. “We’re living in a world that can be disrupted at any moment, and those who demonstrate resilience will pull us forward faster,” says Robin Stenzel, chief solutions and talent officer at Outmatch, a talent decision platform. Therefore, hiring managers are now looking for candidates who have displayed optimism in the face of challenge, especially since the pandemic placed many people in front of many uncertain situations. The ability to adapt, learn, and work toward a successful transition has been a key factor in hiring, according to Sheila Ryan, chief people officer at Clear Capital, a financial technology and real estate valuation company. A way to demonstrate resilience to a hirer is to share specific examples in your cover letter or résumé of stressful situations you were in, the actions you took in response, and the ultimate result of those actions. Empathy While separating your work life from your personal life has always been tricky, the pandemic has made this separation nearly impossible. Whether caring for a loved one sick with COVID-19, working remotely while home-schooling, or dealing with the income loss from a partner’s unemployment, being sensitive to our colleagues’ challenges can make a huge difference to employee morale, retention, and productivity. Read More …