Archive for January, 2013
Watch As China Has Grown To Become Apple’s Second-Biggest Market
Jan. 31, ‘13: Apple has been sharing some details of its success in China for a while. But last week, Apple formally created a Greater China segment in its quarterly earnings materials — it previously reported only a broader Asia Pacific segment — and released … Continue reading →
Peak Mac?
Jan. 29, ‘13: Was 2012 a one-off year of treading water for Apple’s Mac business? Or has the Mac peaked for good? After years of impressive growth, Mac shipments declined in 2012. During the December quarter, Mac shipments dropped a conspicuous 22% from … Continue reading →
Apple’s Semi-Soft Quarter In Charts
Jan. 23, ‘13: Apple reported December quarter results this afternoon. In general, Apple is still performing well, but growth continues to decelerate, and some numbers were short of expectations. In particular, iPhone shipments — Apple’s most important product — didn’t beat Wall Street’s … Continue reading →
Etsy buys Mixel
Jan. 22, ‘13: Smart deal; will bring Mixel’s talented team — including former NYTimes.com design director Khoi Vinh — over to Etsy. Mixel, if you recall, was a very cool collage app that never got enough traction to justify its existence as a … Continue reading →
Book Report: Lufthansa + Graphic Design
Jan. 21, ‘13: American Airlines unveiled a new look last week, throwing out its decades-old, iconic branding for a modern feel. So it was timely and interesting to read this week about Germany’s Lufthansa, which also adopted a minimalist, Helvetica-based look in the … Continue reading →
Surprise! American Airlines’ old-logo designer hates the new one
Jan. 19, ‘13: Massimo Vignelli, who created American Airlines’ iconic branding in the 1960s, talks to Businessweek: This is the typical mistake that company presidents make: “I’ll change the logo, and the company will look new.” What you have to have is a … Continue reading →
Select Consulting Availability This Winter And Spring
Jan. 17, ‘13: While I’m working on getting City Notes off the ground, I have some time over the next few months for very select consulting projects. (Who am I? A quick reminder: A day-one employee of Business Insider, where I played an integral … Continue reading →
Thinking Positive About American Airlines’ New Look
Jan. 17, ‘13: Part of me just died. I flew about 75,000 miles on American Airlines planes last year, my first flight ever was aboard an American DC-10, and I’ll always love the old Helvetica logo and minimalist livery. (Second only to the … Continue reading →
Brace Yourselves For American Airlines’ Imminent Rebranding
Jan. 16, ‘13: In a recent New York Magazine, Paul Ford writes about “crowdsmashing” — the newish phenomenon in which people revolt online when companies crap up their branding. His examples include the “Gap Logo Debacle of 2010” and the University of California’s recent logo … Continue reading →
5 Questions About Facebook’s New ‘Graph Search’
Jan. 15, ‘13: What happens to Bing? Facebook and Microsoft are supposed to be partners, and Facebook will continue to display some Bing results. But will Bing integrate the new Graph Search on its own site? Or is this the beginning of Facebook taking … Continue reading →