An interesting WSJ article on retail in India:
Mr. Biyani doesn’t allow haggling, but having damaged as well as good quality produce in the same box gives customers a chance to choose and think they are getting a better deal.
Here’s a bold move from Kodak: they’re launching a printer with cheap ink cartridges. Just like the razor industry, the printer industry is based on the lucrative scheme of selling cheap machines at a loss and recouping the cost on outrageously expensive supplies. This has obviously been a pain point for consumers, but no one has had the incentive to change this model. Kodak needs to do something disruptive to gain share in a crowded market — sometimes all it takes is one dissident to bring down the system.
UPS is leveraging some clever technology to shave seconds from each delivery, and saving hundreds of millions of dollars in the process. I love the fact that they consciously avoid left-hand turns:
Not only does Alles’ handheld computer contain his route sequence - with as few time- and fuel-wasting left-hand turns as possible - …
Penguin is publishing My Penguin, a collection of books with blank covers to be decorated by the reader. Readers can submit their artwork to the online gallery. I love it.
Terrapass thinks Starbucks should shift to ceramic mugs. While I think the brand argument is a good one, the table-turnover point blatantly ignores the customer’s needs. Of course, ultimately it probably comes down to the cost calculation. In other news, Starbucks has put a substantial amount of effort in designing a cup with recycled materials.
James Surowiecki from The New Yorker comments on how Nintendo may be winning the console wars by taking third place. Also of interest, an article about the design of the Wii and an interview with the designers. I never, ever, play video games… and yet I have a strange urge to buy one of these.
A friend of mine is proposing cellphone vending machines. Of course, someone’s already doing it. It’s a brilliant idea nonetheless.
The authors of Freakonomics tell us about market segmentation by first name. To explore trends in names through the years, check out the Baby Name Voyager.
Are software patents evil? Paul Graham thinks the question is irrelevant.
