Nike shoes can be laced by Siri
Nike’s Adapt Huaraches, to be released in September, are expected to sell for over $350. The smart shoes include motors controlled by Siri to loosen or tighten laces upon commands via an iPhone or Apple Watch. CNBC
dis-rup-shun: A smart running shoe is a precursor to a connected running shoe. While the convenience of adjustment by voice may be cool, the value (to Nike) is the data collected by your shoe. Nike, Apple and their partners know exactly where you are, what direction you are going, how fast, what your footfall and walking patterns are and can use this data to sell products, segment your lifestyle and buying habits, provide you with directions, and tell you when your shoes will wear out.
Disney’s Netflix killer appears to exceed expectations
According to the UBS Evidence Lab, 43% of respondents expect to subscribe to the Disney+ streaming service after its November debut. Importantly, 57% of these respondents expect to cancel one other service to accommodate Disney+ in their budget. Disney’s content library will include Star Wars, Marvel, The Simpsons and the traditional Disney fare. ComicBook Movies
dis-rup-shun: Disney will fight and likely win the streaming wars on two fronts: deeper content and lower price. It’s rivals, Netflix, Hulu, AT&T’s (with Warner) TV Now, do not have the depth of content that Disney has amassed, and will bleed cash in a race to develop unique content. Despite Netflix’s large numbers of subscribers, profitability is years away.
Mass iPhone hacking discovered after two years
In a chilling discovery, researchers at Google discovered a host of websites that, when visited by iPhone users, load malware into phones. This malware is capable of taking passwords, contacts, and tracking locations, and has infected thousands of users per week without their knowledge. Careful examination of the code indicates that an unsophisticated team purchased much of the code from experienced hackers, suggesting it is a state sponsored project. Apple claims to have patched the vulnerabilities last February, closing the doors used by hackers. Wired
dis-rup-shun: The notion that most of our online activities are safe are daily being dispelled. Whether through use of Alexa, Siri, Google, online banking, credit cards, or even our smart phones, our personal data is being compromised. Unplugging is not a viable option at this point in our society, so how do we prepare? Data insurance, reimbursing us from cyber theft, will become a standard product offering. Applications designed to maintain our anonymity as we use mapping tools and shop online will become popular offerings.
Mobile payments slow to be adopted in U.S.
In China, 80% of consumers used mobile payments last year. In the U.S., less than 10%. Despite offerings from Samsung and Apple, Americans are slow to embrace mobile payments. Reasons include the widespread use of loyalty-based credit cards, which haven’t been prevalent in many countries. Also, the large number of payment methods in the U.S. require merchants to manage multiple accounts and expensive POS hardware.
dis-rup-shun: New payment methods such as Apple and Goldman Sachs’ new credit card is a physical card tied to the iPhone app. This hybrid approach is an evolutionary move that offers the convenience of mobile payments but within a context that consumers are accustomed. Expect to see more alliances between large loyalty card providers and Google and Samsung, as a host of competitors seek to emulate Apple’s hybrid model.