Knowledge@Wharton -- Managing Technology

Adobe Acrobat at 20: Successes, Second Guesses and a Few Miscues

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:57:58 EST

This month, Adobe Acrobat turns 20. Adobe Systems co-founder and co-chairman John Warnock and SVP of technology Bob Wulff spoke with Knowledge@Wharton about the product's origins, early struggles and eventual success -- in addition to expounding on what's wrong with the worldwide web and why the world needs to defeat the App Store.

Mobile Devices and Cybercrime: Is Your Phone the Weakest Link?

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:57:58 EST

As wireless devices become increasingly ingrained into our daily lives both at work and at home, they open the door to heightened security risks. Not only do such devices become points of access for cybercriminals, but they also may be more easily breached than personal computers since many consumers do not secure their smartphones or tablets with antivirus software or take simple precautions, such as enabling password protection. The implications are dire for consumers and businesses alike, but the solutions aren't clear cut, Wharton experts say.

TechStars' Brad Feld: A Startup Community Needs a 20-year Time Horizon

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:20:37 EST

Brad Feld sold his Boston startup and moved to Boulder, Colo., in 1995. The city already had a bustling entrepreneurial community, and Feld was soon in the thick of things. He co-founded Mobius Venture Capital and, earlier, Intensity Ventures, a company that helped launch software companies. More recently, he co-founded two early-stage venture capital firms -- the Foundry Group and TechStars -- which provide seed funding and angel investors. A startup community has to tap its "natural resources," he says in this Knowledge@Wharton interview. Feld is also the author of several books, including Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City. (Podcast with transcript)

Google Glass: Can 'Tech Cool' Become 'Market Cool'?

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:21:54 EST

With the introduction of Google Glass, an effort to create and market computerized eyewear, Google has captured the imagination of technologists, consumers and even sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live," while also raising a number of social and privacy issues. Experts at Wharton say that the Google Glass experiment will be important to watch from a business, marketing and cultural perspective, and they add that no one -- including Google -- has any clue how the search giant's efforts will play out.

Adobe's Shift to the Cloud: Is This the Start of a Trend?

Wed, 08 May 2013 15:54:10 EST

Adobe, the leading software company targeting creative professionals, is exiting the shrink-wrap software business in favor of subscription-based software and online "cloud" services. While perhaps painful at first, the business model change will be ultimately beneficial for consumers and Adobe alike, and other software companies are likely to follow, say experts at Wharton.

Is Facebook Home a Game Changer?

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:21:13 EST

Facebook's launch of Facebook Home, a user interface that can replace the existing home screen on select smartphones with features related to the social network, may give the company a solid mobile strategy while potentially causing a headache for rival Google, Wharton experts say. It may also usher in a wave of new, innovative user interfaces for mobile devices.

Samsung: A Hardware Manufacturer Seeking Its Software Side

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:31:41 EST

Samsung's splashy Radio City Music Hall debut of its Galaxy S4 smartphone marked a coming out party not only for the company's latest flagship device, but also for its ambitions to be an innovative leader in software and an integrator of multiple devices in consumers' lives. Samsung is aiming to become more like Apple, Wharton experts say. The question is, does the Korean electronics giant have the software prowess to accomplish that goal?

What Defines Success in the Mobile Race?

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:55:45 EST

Facebook, Zynga and Google are high-profile examples of companies that are aggressively pursuing mobile strategies. But according to Wharton experts, all consumer-facing firms will have to consider the smaller screens on smartphones and tablets as a primary way to reach customers in the future. The key question, they say, is not necessarily whether companies will adapt, but rather how they will define success on mobile platforms.

Farewell to Fido: A Lesson in Digital Customer Relationship Management

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:51:29 EST

When Zynga announced recently that it was shutting down an underperforming online game called Petville, many players were devastated over the loss of their virtual pets, and angry with the company for pulling the plug so suddenly. Outcry aside, how much responsibility did the firm have to ease the transition for its customers, particularly since the game was not a significant moneymaker? Wharton experts have differing opinions, but they note that Zynga's experience is an important lesson for any firm in how to approach digital customer relationship management.

Up in the Cloud: Hype and High Expectations for Cloud Computing

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 15:25:48 EST

Cloud computing is creating waves in different industries across the developed world, helping both entrepreneurs and large conglomerates quickly respond to opportunities and manage their business processes more effectively. A recent survey by Knowledge@Wharton and enterprise software firm SAP reveals that people have very high expectations for the future of cloud computing; at the same time, they admit that they don't fully understand the technology. Knowledge@Wharton spoke with David Spencer, vice president at SAP, and Don Huesman, managing director at the Wharton Innovation Group, to clarify questions surrounding the future of cloud computing. (Podcast with transcript)

Apple's Foray into China -- and the Mind of the New Chinese Consumer

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 12:40:28 EST

Apple has been a success story in China to date, demonstrating in some ways the perfect combination of product and market fit. Indeed, the company's meteoric rise suggests that Chinese consumers are slowly evolving from merely making buying decisions based on status toward demanding products that also offer superior design and functionality.

Dating in a Digital World: Trends in 21st Century China

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 12:25:29 EST

According to traditional Chinese matchmaking culture, family elders drive the screening and selection of their children's future. But in the last decade, rapid urbanization, increasing gender imbalance and the coming of age of the One-child Policy generation has changed the way people find love in big cities. These factors have spurred the growth of online dating and match-making, a nascent industry in China that is expected to exceed two billion RMB (US$318 million) in annual revenue by 2014.

Windows 8: Will Microsoft's Latest Big Bet Pay Off?

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:23:46 EST

When Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer officially launched Windows 8 on October 25, he touted a "re-imagined Windows" with touch-screen capability, a new user interface and elimination of the traditional Start menu. However, declining PC sales worldwide and uncertainty surrounding Microsoft's ability to woo consumers to its new operating system -- which differs significantly from previous Windows versions -- have some experts wondering what will happen to Microsoft if Windows 8 doesn't take off.

'Makers': Chris Anderson on DIY Manufacturing

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 11:42:09 EST

Just as the Internet enabled anyone with a computer to become an entrepreneur, today's newest technologies have spawned a DIY (do it yourself) micro-manufacturing movement, so anyone can be both inventor and manufacturer. Wired editor Chris Anderson, author of the new book, Makers: The New Industrial Revolution, recently spoke with Knowledge@Wharton about how technology is changing the limits of what inventors can do, what the Maker Movement is, why he started DIY Drones and how the new technologies will drive the global economy. (Audio with transcript)

Disconnected? The Perils of Digital Interdependence

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:03:01 EST

The damage inflicted by Hurricane Sandy revealed the vulnerabilities of the nation's telecommunications networks. Services that used to operate as independent networks are now controlled by the same underlying infrastructure, making them more efficient and cheaper to manage -- but also more exposed to an attack or natural disaster. Sandy has prompted the federal government, telecom firms and the public to address this issue -- but there are no easy answers, experts say.

Six Strikes -- Who's Out? The Latest Plan to Curb Online Piracy

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:50:18 EST

Internet service providers and trade groups for movies and music are partnering in the latest effort to curb online copyright infringement. Under the "six strikes" plan, users who share copyrighted material online will face an escalating series of warnings that could eventually result in the slowing of their Internet speeds. Creators of the policy are hoping to succeed where attempts to punish online piracy through the courts and the federal government have failed, but the plan also raises a number of legal and logistical challenges, Wharton experts say.

As Companies Focus on Services, Will Hardware Become Irrelevant?

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 14:55:36 EST

Even as Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft and a number of other companies unveil their latest devices, the market is becoming less about the gadgets themselves, and more about how firms can make money off additional services and purchases. But such a strategy does not come with an assured payoff, Wharton experts say.

WSJ's Raju Narisetti: 'Journalism Has to Be Hand in Glove with Technology'

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 10:50:29 EST

After a six-year hiatus from The Wall Street Journal, Raju Narisetti returned to the paper earlier this year to head its online news efforts. Narisetti took on the new role after a stint as a managing editor at The Washington Post, developing the digital content strategy for the paper's website and overseeing its mobile and tablet initiatives. In this interview with Knowledge@Wharton, Narisetti discussed why the interplay of technology and content is becoming more critical than ever before.

Apple's Maps Fiasco and the Mobile Arms Race

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 15:12:34 EST

Apple's decision to replace Google Maps on its devices with a mapping program of its own has sparked widespread outcry -- much of it from users frustrated with the company's error-prone new service. But the move was about more than maps, Wharton experts say. Although the apps are often some of the most popular features on smartphones, Apple was just as interested in gaining increased control over its ecosystem.

Can Twitter Monetize the Cultural Zeitgeist?

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 14:34:05 EST

Since launching in 2006, Twitter's platform has tapped into the collective consciousness around events ranging from the Arab Spring to the Super Bowl -- 140 characters at a time. Recently, Twitter retooled the design of its profile pages and moved to take greater control of its developer ecosystem -- both signs that the company is trying to focus on a more sustainable business model than its current advertising-based approach, experts say. They note that Twitter has created a unique application, but needs to figure out exactly how to leverage it into a service that businesses and consumers would be willing to pay for.