Talking Tech, Tuesday, July 3rd

0.27 – Just Mark and Kevin this week, Duncan is trapped in the BCE / Telus drama

0.59 – Mark starts off with news that Telus has pulled out of the BCE takeover process because they haven’t had enough time for due diligence.

1.17 - Darren Entwistle met with the newspapers last week suggesting a Bell / Telus merger was the best option for Canada.

1.33 - Kevin thinks Bell blew it.  He doesn’t understand why they wouldn’t extend the deadline.  He suggests it’s a matter of mistrust and a battle of egos.

 

2.08 - Mark suggests Michael Sabia of Bell would have known that Entwistle would be the topdog and he would be out of a job.

3.02 – Mark thinks the whole thing has been a public disaster.

3.12 - Kevin agrees calling it a “contrived BS process.� It brings more attention to Foreign Ownership restrictions. If they were lifted Canadians would get more for their money.

4.01 - Mark wonders if there are serious negotiating tactics in play. It might be a message to the Federal Government, Competition Bureau, the Board of Directors of Bell Canada. 

6.09 – Mark is excited for the official launch of the iPhone in the US he thinks it will be ‘God’s gift to smart phone’  despite the limitations which Matthew Ingram discussed in the Globe and Mail.

The question is why with all those limitations are people willing to spend the money on it?

6.58 - Kevin offers the simple answer because it’s cool! It’s a fashion accessory, not just a phone.

Kevin wonders how much more than 10 million will it sell, considering there are 35 million Mac users in the world.  It’s the new design benchmark.

8.10 - Mark reminds us of the blogosphere coverage when Blackberry Pearl came out and how the reviews at the time affected sales.  With the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal fawning over the iPhone, it counts for a lot considering it’s over a $2000 investment in “coolâ€? when you factor in fees over the course of a contract.

9.05 - Mark calls it ‘iLove’

9.19 - Kevin reminds us the first generation of a product is never the best.  And there is talk that the second generation is possibly coming out later this year.

10.05 - Mark asks why would you buy one now?  When the second generation will probably have so much more to offer?

10.33 - Kevin thinks there is no rational answer because it’s not a rational decision to line up 2 days ahead of time to get one. 

11.26 – Mark compares it to Cabbage Patch dolls, and the Wii, consumers love to be the first to have something.

11.40 – Mark talks about the future of online radio.  The copyright board in US is changing royalty regime which will triple the amount of money that online radio stations will have to pay to access music

12.19 – June 26 was the Day of Silence protest which was headed up by Pandora, and Yahoo LaunchCast to bring attention to the proposed changes.

12.35 - Mark thinks the Music Industry is cutting off its own nose despite its face because Internet radio is the ultimate discovery tool and consumers end up buying more and seeing more shows.

13.20 - Kevin finds it hard to understand as a fan, he feels that Internet radio shouod be a loss leader.  He suggests more subscription services.  The music industry needs to find a new business model.

14.20 - Mark talks about going to see  Manu Chao in Toronto last week, the show was sold out which suggests people will pay a premium to see a live performance, because it’s not a commodity.  It’s the foundation of the music industry. 

15.44 - Kevin agrees, the Industry needs to change their current way of thinking.

16.38 – The guys wish everyone a great Canada Day and a happy Independence Day.

Audio or text comments for Mark, Kevin and Duncan can be emailed to [e-mail].

Our announcer is the lovely Amber Mac and the music is No Mojo by Anthony Stauffer and Holy Smoke which is available on the pod safe music network.