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from INNOVATION
From: David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>
Date: Tue, 27 Dec 1994 16:59:38 -0500
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Because time and information are your most valuable assets, INNOVATION offers a weekly summary of trends, strategies and innovations in business and technology, giving you an executive briefing on the future. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE PENTIUM MESS After watching the PR nightmare endured by Intel the past few weeks, many high-tech corporations will be double-checking their products in the future before bringing them to market. Some companies are even thinking about raising prices to compensate for the potential cost of replacing defective products. Although fixing a problem can be particularly burdensome for hardware firms, which must shell out big bucks to replace a defective component, the Pentium lesson is not lost on software makers. Microsoft, for example, is delaying its Windows 95 rollout until August just to make sure it's got a fool-proof (and critic-proof) product. (Investor's Business Daily 12/22/94 A3) SOCIAL FRAGMENTATION OR MARKET SEGMENTATION? Noting that information technology supports decentralization, autonomy, individualism and fragmentation, marketing expert Regis McKenna says that social fragmentation and market segmentation are two sides of the same coin. McKenna quotes a David Rieff article in Harper's (August 1993) claiming that "the multiculturalist mode is what any smart businessman would prefer... Capital is not only increasingly willing, but increasingly eager to let in blacks, gays and any other marginalized group. Eureka, more customers!" (Upside, Jan.'95, p.37) PASSING NOTES THE 90s WAY The latest fad in girls' communications is a simplified electronic organizer that sells for between $30 and $80 in toy stores. The pink and purple devices enable messages to be sent between two compatible machines via an infrared beam (like the one in remote control devices), which could put a whole new spin on note-passing in class. With beepers already banned in some schools, the organizers present teachers with a new challenge in maintaining classroom control. "I would have to weigh the benefits in terms of children becoming literate with 21st century technology versus the potential for disruption," says one cautious principal. (Wall Street Journal 12/21/94 B1) For trial copies of Innovation: Send the word "subscribe" in the body (not subject!) of a mail message to: innovation-request () NewsScan com
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- from INNOVATION David Farber (Dec 27)