An interesting article on the battle being fought by Apple and Google, arguably the companies that are more likely (maybe with Facebook) to shape the future of IT and media. The article shows the two competing visions and philosophies, with Google focused on information management and Apple on user experience. Not by chance, the once dominant Microsoft is not even taking part in this game.

Attention on e-books is growing. However, there still are uncertainties on the future business model for publishers, and on the way they will be forced to shed part of their assets. Another doubt is related to the "dominant design" of the reader (specialized e-book reader or general-purpose tablet?).

An interesting comment on the way with which technology is likely to shape the concept of home entertainment in the near future. As it appears, it will be based on bringing "intelligence" on board devices rather than adopting a single do-it-all server. Implications on competitive advantage for the many potential competitors are pretty obvious

Is private ownership of cars going to decline, in favor of pay-as-you drive car sharing schemes? The shfit from products to services seems to be making the first inroads - at least for younger generations - in what usually was considered a key status symbol and must-have object. Such a shift would of course require a completely different approach by carmakers. Moreover, it is likely to become a powerful force driving the change from traditional to electric cars. 

A strange battle is coming up. Apple's portable devices cannot access Flash content on websites. The declared reason is that Apple thinks HTML5 content would work better on mobile devices and wants to force website developers to adopt this standard instead of Flash. This looks like a dangerous position: why should a company engaged in a standards batlle look for the "technically best" solution and forego the advantage of compatibility with the main complementary asset (the Internet)? Apple made a big mistake a few decades ago with a similar stance. Or, could it be that Apple thinks that the diffusion of the Flash proprietary standard is a threat?

Innovation leads to imitation. This is especially true for inventions that are somewhat easy to copy, like Nestlé's Nespresso capsules. It is interesting that, to ward off price-based competition, Nestlé has chosen to keep firm in its positioning of Nespresso as a high-end and "affordable luxury" offering. This requires accurate branding, advertising, complementary services, and so on. Of course, some enforcement of its  1700 patents might also come in handy

Can "Universal Expositions", or EXPOs as they are now known stimulate innovation? This was the case 100 years ago, and it might happen now too, if one looks at the concepts for "future cities" being showcased in Shanghai. However, it is also true that the lead time from showing an invention at such events to actual diffusion is often very long.

The smartphone arena is getting hot, and competition is being fought not only in the market but also in courtrooms, over IPR. It is interesting that Microsoft has decided to challenge Google's Android OS indirectly, through the device-maker (and Microsoft partner) HTC, probably a weaker party than Google itself

Can David beat Goliath? Or, can Spotify successfully challenge Apple's iTunes? Yet another challenge coming from services built around the cloud computing paradigm against traditional client-server alternatives. 

An interesting article on the social impact of technology diffusion. In this case it is the way with which (mostly young) Chinese are behaving when they become adopters of motor cars and enjoy the freedom of individual mobility. The business implication is that the way with which a product is used creates demand for complementary goods that are specific to the same behavior. So, understanding such behavior can provide interesting guidance for new products and services

3d television is emerging as a radical and potentially disruptive innovation. As usual, availability of complementary goods (content) is a key element in stimulating diffusion, but this time Panasonic is taking an interesting twist to this story. Instead of relying on partnerships with traditional creators and distributors of content (movie producers and broadcasting operators), it is wondering whether a 3d YouTube coiuld be the real solution. Of course, this could lead to completely different business models.

An interesting perspective on the long-term impact of "apps". From the demand side, they represent a completely new paradigm for interacting with technology. From the supply side, they lead to a deep reconfiguration of the computing industry and of its business models.

Twitter is trying to become a real company, based not only on an impressive user base but with a real business model. The idea is to operate on advertising and value-added services created by communities of developers. Not an easy feat, given that users might not appreciate it, and that players like Google and Facebook are not going to sit on their hands in the meanwhile. 

Radical innovation happens in services too. Companies like Mastercard and Visa are now facing strong competition from Internet-based players like PayPal and have to start developing new products. It is interesting that MasterCard has gone beyond the usual approach of acquiring smaller firms and has set up an R&D unit. This may help develop absorbtive capacity and avoid running into integration problems.

Yet another acquisition by Google. The company, also thanks to its impressive position in cash, has a long-term strategy of using acquisitions in order to grow its base of technology assets and competencies.

Another comment on the HP/Palm acquisition. 

That Palm couldn't make it alone was quite clear. However, its competence and assets (the WebOS operating system) are pretty valuable, especially in the hands of the world's largest PC maker now trying to figure out what happens beyond the era of the PC.

Inventions sometimes remain dormant for decades. This is the case for Stirling engines, once considered a funny desktop gadget and now making a comeback because its peculiar features fit into an emerging market need.

An interesting summary of a new book on radical innovation in the field of transportation. One interesting feature is the view that change will occur not only in powertrains, but also in the connectivity that will link cars together.

The increase of data traffic due to audiovisual content is straining Internet networks, highlighting another strong complementarity between infrastructure and content. The problem is, that most of this content is associated to a few companies (such as Google), who bear the (advertising) fruits of this growth and does not share enough of its costs. What kind of arrangements between players in the value network will create a sustainable model?