Filed under: Good news, Rumors, Products and services, Apple Inc (AAPL)

In the wake of Led Zeppelin’s reunion concert at London’s O2 Arena on Monday, NME reported Wednesday that the band’s album sales have increased 500% in the United Kingdom. Additionally, music retailer HMV told NME that the recent compilation album by the group, Mothership, had risen by 50% in the first night after the concert and was the “biggest selling album in HMV stores” on Tuesday. NME also notes that the increase in sales of Led Zeppelin products is not limited to music. An HMV spokesman told the magazine “this demonstrates the enduring appeal of Led Zeppelin as the definitive rock band. Their music is now connecting with a whole new generation of fans, who are discovering its brilliance for the first time.”

In addition to the new compilation Mothership, Led Zeppelin’s catalog also received a boost after the reissue of the 1976 concert soundtrack The Song Remains the Same and a new version of the accompanying film. The band also joined fellow classic acts by joining the digital market, with a “Complete Led Zeppelin” becoming available in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL)’s iTunes Store the same day the new compilation was released in stores.

Following the success the band has enjoyed with the reunion concert and the sales increases, rumors are now circulating that the band will embark on a full scale worldwide reunion tour, and enter the studio to prepare new material for the first time in almost thirty years. These rumors aside, the success the band is experiencing is certainly a welcome site for the band and the music industry. There’s no doubt that a full scale world tour and/or new material would only continue this success, but until the rumors are confirmed fans can enjoy the images of the band performing on Monday, as well as the solid catalog that’s now available in both physical and digital mediums.

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Filed under: Good news, Rumors, Products and services, Apple Inc (AAPL)

In the wake of Led Zeppelin’s reunion concert at London’s O2 Arena on Monday, NME reported Wednesday that the band’s album sales have increased 500% in the United Kingdom. Additionally, music retailer HMV told NME that the current compilation album by the group, Mothership, had risen by 50% in the first night after the concert and was the “biggest selling album in HMV stores” on Tuesday. NME also notes that the increase in sales of Led Zeppelin products isn’t limited to music. An HMV spokesman told the magazine “this demonstrates the enduring appeal of Led Zeppelin as the definitive rock band. Their music is now connecting with a whole new generation of fans, who are discovering its brilliance for the first time.”

In addition to the new compilation Mothership, Led Zeppelin’s catalog also received a boost after the reissue of the 1976 concert soundtrack The Song Remains the Same and a new version of the accompanying film. The band also joined fellow classic acts by joining the digital market, with a “Complete Led Zeppelin” becoming available in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL)’s iTunes Store the same day the new compilation was released in stores.

Following the success the band has enjoyed with the reunion concert and the sales increases, rumors are now circulating that the band will embark on a full scale worldwide reunion tour, and enter the studio to prepare new material for the first time in nearly thirty years. These rumors aside, the success the band is experiencing is certainly a welcome site for the band and the music industry. There is no doubt that a full scale world tour and/or new material would only continue this success, but until the rumors are confirmed fans can enjoy the images of the band performing on Monday, as well as the solid catalog that is now available in both physical and digital mediums.

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Filed under: Good news, Products and services, Microsoft (MSFT), Apple Inc (AAPL), Dell (DELL), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), International Business Machines (IBM), Technology

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has had tremendous success in the digital music player and now cellphone markets. Starting with the iPod and (not) ending with the iPhone, the company has been a force — if not the force — in consumer electronics this year. But, was it all to get more customers buying Apple’s personal products? That argument — known as a the halo effect — has been drawn up in countless articles and blog posts. Surprise, surprise — it is most likely working.

The market share Apple’s Macintosh personal products have been seeing has taken the Cupertino, Calif., company from a single-digit slice of the PC market to a force to be reckoned with in 2007. In a November report from research firm ChangeWave Research, the data indicates that more potential buyers than ever plan to purchase a Mac in the near future. Is Steve Jobs dancing in his office? Probably not — this has been part of his plan for more than just a few years. After all, capture them with marketing and surround them with your other products behind the competitor’s back, huh Steve?

In the research, 29% of survey respondents who planned on buying a computer in the next three months indicated that they would buy a Mac laptop, with an additional 29% saying that a Mac desktop system was in their future. For laptop numbers, Macs were ahead of Dell (NASDAQ: DELL)’s 28% and Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ)’s 21%. In the desktop side, Mac systems were right below Dell’s 31% at 29%, with HP coming in at 24%. Wow. Is Apple’s halo starting to grow more massive and bigger? Sure, under the carefully planned guise of iThis and iThat.

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Filed under: Good news, Products and services, Microsoft (MSFT), Apple Inc (AAPL), Dell (DELL), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), International Business Machines (IBM), Technology

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has had tremendous success in the digital music player and now cellphone markets. Starting with the iPod and (not) ending with the iPhone, the company has been a force — if not the force — in consumer electronics this year. But, was it all to get more customers buying Apple’s personal products? That argument — known as a the halo effect — has been drawn up in countless articles and blog posts. Surprise, surprise — it is most likely working.

The market share Apple’s Macintosh computer products have been seeing has taken the Cupertino, Calif., company from a single-digit slice of the Personal computer market to a force to be reckoned with in 2007. In a November report from research firm ChangeWave Research, the data indicates that more potential buyers than ever plan to buy a Mac in the near future. Is Steve Jobs dancing in his office? Probably not — this has been part of his plan for more than just a few years. After all, capture them with marketing and surround them with your other products behind the competitor’s back, huh Steve?

In the research, 29% of survey respondents who planned on buying a computer in the next three months indicated that they would buy a Mac laptop, with an additional 29% saying that a Mac desktop system was in their future. For laptop numbers, Macs were ahead of Dell (NASDAQ: DELL)’s 28% and Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ)’s 21%. In the desktop side, Mac systems were right below Dell’s 31% at 29%, with HP coming in at 24%. Wow. Is Apple’s halo starting to grow bigger and bigger? Sure, under the carefully planned guise of iThis and iThat.

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Filed under: Products and services, Management, Competitive strategy, Home Depot (HD), Lowe’s Cos (LOW), Bargain stocks

Dateline, January 3, 2007: Bob Nardelli steps down as CEO at Home Depot (NYSE: HD). In leaving, Nardelli, who had been at the head of Home Depot for six years, scooped up a severance package valued at about $210 million, kindly tipped his hat, and slid his resume across the desks of Chrysler. Does this make the man an opportunistic corporate blood sucker, an overcompensated leadership figurehead, or just plain shrewd? My answer to that question would be, none of the above.

When trying to judge the departure of Robert Nardelli relative to his compensation and performance, two things need to be considered right on the front end. First, our jealousy factor must be removed from the equation. Second, we need to remember that compensation packages at this level are negotiated on the front end. Bob Nardelli didn’t “get away” with anything. He executed the terms of an employment contract, plain and simple. How many of the ambitious persons reading this blog wouldn’t have done exactly the same when given the same circumstances?

Most of the negative sentiment surrounding Nardelli’s well-heeled departure emanated from shareholders who were injured by a slow yet significant decline in HD’s share value. But the fact is that within the past four years of Nardelli’s tenure, HD’s shares provided more consistent performance than the four years prior. Granted, investor’s haven’t seen Home Depot shares approach the past high of almost $70, but in light of today’s economy they probably won’t see anything like that in the near future, and that’s certainly not Nardelli’s fault.

Some analysts express the need to benchmark Home Depot performance against that of Lowes (NYSE: LOW). It would seem to me that in this scenario, its only analyst spin that puts Home Depot in a bad light. Although they’re in the same field, they are significantly different operations and only worthy of comparison as retail competitors. Once again, I say that’s certainly not Nardelli’s fault.

As money winners go, Bob Nardelli certainly was one for 2007. His departure from Home Depot raised many eyebrows, and also raised some important questions in regard to executive compensation. Through the year, top executive pay came under serious scrutiny, and it shall remain a matter of hot debate and adjustment for years to come due in part to the Nardelli effect. Perhaps we all won just a little bit when you consider all the noise about executive pay packages that Nardelli’s Home Depot departure raised. Now we shall simply have to wait to see what the man does with Chrysler.

Be sure to check out more Money Winners of 2007.

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Filed under: Products and services, Management, Competitive strategy, Home Depot (HD), Lowe’s Cos (LOW), Bargain stocks

Dateline, January 3, 2007: Bob Nardelli steps down as CEO at Home Depot (NYSE: HD). In leaving, Nardelli, who had been at the head of Home Depot for six years, scooped up a severance package valued at about $210 million, kindly tipped his hat, and slid his resume across the desks of Chrysler. Does this make the man an opportunistic corporate blood sucker, an overcompensated leadership figurehead, or just plain shrewd? My answer to that question would be, none of the above.

When trying to judge the departure of Robert Nardelli relative to his compensation and performance, two things need to be considered right on the front end. First, our jealousy factor must be removed from the equation. Second, we need to remember that compensation packages at this level are negotiated on the front end. Bob Nardelli didn’t “get away” with anything. He executed the terms of an employment contract, plain and simple. How many of the ambitious persons reading this blog wouldn’t have done exactly the same when given the same circumstances?

Most of the negative sentiment surrounding Nardelli’s well-heeled departure emanated from shareholders who were hurt by a slow yet significant decline in HD’s share value. But the fact is that within the past four years of Nardelli’s tenure, HD’s shares provided more consistent performance than the four years prior. Granted, investor’s haven’t seen Home Depot shares approach the past high of almost $70, but in light of today’s economy they probably won’t see anything like that in the near future, and that’s certainly not Nardelli’s fault.

Some analysts express the need to benchmark Home Depot performance against that of Lowes (NYSE: LOW). It would seem to me that in this scenario, its only analyst spin that puts Home Depot in a bad light. Even though they’re in the same field, they are significantly different operations and only worthy of comparison as retail competitors. Once again, I state that’s certainly not Nardelli’s fault.

As money winners go, Bob Nardelli certainly was one for 2007. His departure from Home Depot raised many eyebrows, and also raised some important questions in regard to executive compensation. Through the year, top executive pay came under serious scrutiny, and it shall remain a matter of hot debate and adjustment for years to come due in part to the Nardelli effect. Perhaps we all won just a tiny bit when you take into account all the noise about executive pay packages that Nardelli’s Home Depot departure raised. Now we shall simply have to wait to see what the man does with Chrysler.

Be sure to check out more Money Winners of 2007.

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Filed under: Products and services, Google (GOOG), Research in Motion (RIMM), Technology

In the latest stab into the belly of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) has stated that its Google Calendar product can now synchronize with Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM)’s BlackBerry products. With the BlackBerry being the portable email device of choice for millions in the U.S., the capability to bypass Microsoft’s over-the-air calendar syncing (available on newer Windows Mobile competitive devices) is yet another way Google is teaming with partners to make the software giant less relevant in an on-demand and internet-connected customer world.

Although this technically is not a revolutionary accomplishment, the ability of Google Calendar to sync with such a ubiquitous device should cause Ol’ Softie concern. The days of needing an Exchange server and Outlook syncing are ending for business users who demand anytime, anywhere, any-device access to their email and calendars. With Google Gmail and Calendar, many business users can now get that fix and not be tied to one platform or a handful of devices. This latest development is significant, since BlackBerry users can now view their Google Calendar information even while in poor wireless service areas, since the syncing retrieves Google Calendar data and downloads it onto the BlackBerry itself instead of sending users off to a website that might not work on that subway or airplane.

Will this feature alone really compete that well with Microsoft’s “push” feature and RIM’s own “BlackBerry Enterprise Server” offerings? Possibly, but only to those who prefer Google Calendar as their main calendar tool instead of Microsoft’s Outlook product sitting on a corporate server somewhere. But, more and more business customers want an experience that works instead of a platform that works — and Google Calendar easily fits that description.

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Filed under: Products and services, Google (GOOG), Research in Motion (RIMM), Technology

In the latest stab into the belly of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) has stated that its Google Calendar product can now synchronize with Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM)’s BlackBerry products. With the BlackBerry being the portable email device of choice for millions in the U.S., the capability to bypass Microsoft’s over-the-air calendar syncing (available on newer Windows Mobile competitive devices) is yet another way Google is teaming with partners to make the software giant less relevant in an on-demand and internet-connected customer world.

Although this technically isn’t a revolutionary accomplishment, the capability of Google Calendar to sync with such a ubiquitous device should cause Ol’ Softie concern. The days of needing an Exchange server and Outlook syncing are ending for business users who demand anytime, anywhere, any-device access to their email and calendars. With Google Gmail and Calendar, many business users can now get that fix and not be tied to one platform or a handful of devices. This latest development is significant, since BlackBerry users can now view their Google Calendar information even while in poor wireless service areas, since the syncing retrieves Google Calendar data and downloads it onto the BlackBerry itself instead of sending users off to a website that may not work on that subway or airplane.

Will this feature alone really compete that well with Microsoft’s “push” feature and RIM’s own “BlackBerry Enterprise Server” offerings? Possibly, but only to those who prefer Google Calendar as their main calendar tool instead of Microsoft’s Outlook product sitting on a corporate server somewhere. But, more and more business customers want an experience that works instead of a platform that works — and Google Calendar easily fits that description.

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Filed under: Products and services, Marketing and advertising, Target Corp. (TGT)

Target (NYSE: TGT) has a small thorn in its side due to a store brand it carries on its grocery shelves. Aurora Organic Dairy, which has been under fire this year for labeling milk products as “organic” when the cows providing that milk were treated in a commercial fashion. It supplies Target with its product under the ‘Archer Farms’ brand. Archer Farms, probably the most well-marketed store brand out of any major food retailer, is targeted to the upscale grocery shopper, which is smack dab in the middle of Target’s intended demographic.

The Archer Farms packages are well made, look great and generally offer more interesting options than most other store brands like Wal-Mart’s (NYSE: WMT) “Great Value” store brand. In this case, Target’s Archer Farms organic milk is under the microscope since Aurora Organic is the supplier of that product to Target. The USDA has even stated it will cancel the ‘organic’ status of Aurora unless the company stops representing non-organic product as organic — something it has apparently been doing since 2003. This, in turn, would cause the Archer Farms milk product to be affected.

But, Target isn’t sitting still — along with Aurora, the retailer is insisting that its Archer Farms organic milk is definitely organic, and that it should keep that certification. Aurora has already agreed to place its operations under ‘organic probation’ for one year among other changes.

Without giving any details, a spokeswoman from Target did state that Target “is confident that our Archer Farms Organic Milk is organic.”

Well, let’s see here: if Aurora agreed to changes in its operations without admitting guilt, just how should its milk be marketed? Which grocery companies does Aurora supply that could be mislabeling products? Target — your customers are generally well-informed. Don’t screw this one up.

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Filed under: Products and services, Marketing and advertising, Target Corp. (TGT)

Target (NYSE: TGT) has a small thorn in its side due to a store brand it carries on its grocery shelves. Aurora Organic Dairy, which has been under fire this year for labeling milk products as “organic” when the cows providing that milk were treated in a commercial fashion. It supplies Target with its product under the ‘Archer Farms’ brand. Archer Farms, probably the most well-marketed store brand out of any major food retailer, is targeted to the upscale grocery shopper, which is smack dab in the middle of Target’s intended demographic.

The Archer Farms packages are well made, look great and generally offer more interesting options than most other store brands like Wal-Mart’s (NYSE: WMT) “Great Value” store brand. In this case, Target’s Archer Farms organic milk is under the microscope since Aurora Organic is the supplier of that product to Target. The USDA has even said it will cancel the ‘organic’ status of Aurora unless the company stops representing non-organic product as organic — something it has apparently been doing since 2003. This, in turn, would cause the Archer Farms milk product to be affected.

But, Target is not sitting still — along with Aurora, the retailer is insisting that its Archer Farms organic milk is definitely organic, and that it should keep that certification. Aurora has already agreed to place its operations under ‘organic probation’ for one year among other changes.

Without giving any details, a spokeswoman from Target did say that Target “is confident that our Archer Farms Organic Milk is organic.”

Well, let’s see here: if Aurora agreed to changes in its operations without admitting guilt, just how should its milk be marketed? Which grocery companies does Aurora supply that could be mislabeling products? Target — your customers are generally well-informed. Don’t screw this one up.

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