19 Facts You May Not Have Known About Amazon.com

Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN), now a $331 billion online powerhouse, is one of the most successful companies of the past several decades, and shares have multiplied an astounding 710 times since the company went public in 1997. Here are 19 other facts you may not have known about the e-commerce darling.

1. Amazon could very well be in the early innings of its growth potential. Consider: U.S. e-commerce sales now account for only 7.4% of total retail sales, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This percentage has steadily marched upward since 2006, when online sales accounted for 2.8% of total retail sales:

E-commerce sales as a percentage of total retail sales. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

2. One in every 10 Americans -- 10.7% of the population, to be exact -- has an Amazon Prime membership. What's more astounding is that Prime subscribers spend an average of $1,200 annually, compared with $700 for non-subscribers, according to GeekWire.

3. Prime Now, the company's on-call local delivery service, will probably push e-commerce sales further as the service expands. Keep in mind that Prime Now is available in only 20 metro areas right now -- but that's up from zero just over one year ago.

4. Former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson recently told us about the company's drone program, which aims to deliver items in 30 minutes.

5. Amazon's fastest order delivered to date was a four-pack of Starbucks vanilla Frappuccino to a customer in Miami. The delivery was made in under 10 minutes.

6. Amazon owns the patent on any one-click online checkout process. Other companies wanting to offer one-click checkout must license the patent from Amazon. (However, Amazon's patent on the technology will disappear in 2017.)

7. Amazon built a completely separate $6 billion-revenue business in under a decade. Amazon's cloud-division revenue is now bigger than that of its four nearest competitors combined. In fact, Amazon finally pulled back the curtain on Amazon Web Services, or AWS, revealing that it generated $1.57 billion in revenue in the most recent quarter. Some estimates have pegged AWS's value at up to $50 billion.

8. Alphabet's (NASDAQ: GOOG)(NASDAQ: GOOGL) Google went on record claiming that Amazon is its biggest competitor in search advertising. In fact, Amazon's secretive engineering lab in Palo Alto, Calif., called A9, was originally built to unseat Google in search advertising. Fast-forward to today, and the lab is still relatively secretive and has advanced Amazon's product search and advertising technology.

9. Amazon and Google have been engaged in an engineer talent war for years. The most publicized engineer to leave Amazon was Udi Manber, whom Google poached from A9 to lead its bread-and-butter search advertising business.

10. Jeff Bezos scored early investments in some of the biggest era-defining tech trends, including Twitter, AirBNB, and Uber. His net worth may also be a few billion dollars higher than what's been reported in the media. In 1998, Bezos cut Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin a $250,000 check to fund their start-up. It's estimated his cost basis in Google stock is anywhere from $0.04 to $0.06 per share. Unfortunately for curious outsiders, Bezos hasn't commented on whether he still owns shares.

11. Before founding Amazon, Bezos was a computer scientist at hedge-fund titan D.E. Shaw, which has amassed $30 billion in assets under management.

12. Amazon-owned shoe retailer Zappos is a pioneer in corporate culture. The company recently underwent a massive shift by implementing what it calls "holocracy" -- an on-the-fringes culture and organizational structure in which hierarchy is nonexistent. Zappos offered employees a three-month severance if they didn't believe in the approach and desired to leave, and 14% of the workforce did just that.

13. Speaking of Zappos, Amazon strong-armed it into being bought out. Zappos rebuffed Amazon's first acquisition offer, but Bezos didn't relent. He next built a website called Endless.com that specialized in selling shoes while undercutting Zappos on price. While Zappos' sales continued to skyrocket, the company hit a rough patch in 2008 after overextending itself with inventory purchases. That was the point at which conversations between the two companies changed, and Zappos soon agreed to be bought out for $850 million.

14. Amazon is so reliant on robots for order fulfillment that it purchased robotics and automation provider Kiva Systems for $775 million in 2012. As of early 2015, Amazon employed a fleet of 15,000 robots.

15. Pause for one second. Amazon just shipped 35 items in that time frame.

Amazon fulfillment center. Image source: Álvaro Ibáñez. Re-published under CC BY 2.0.

16. The company's fulfillment process has become so efficient that company executives believe it can ship up to 1.5 million items per day from just one fulfillment center .

17. Amazon isn't shy about its desire to squeeze out its shipping partners. Negotiations between its delivery and distribution partners have been fierce at times, and Amazon is slowly moving to take over shipping operations where possible. The company just purchased a fleet of trailers to move freight between fulfillment centers and is even in negotiations with Boeing to lease up to 20 767s.

18. Amazon is relentless in everything it does. Whether it's efficiency, undercutting competitors on price, or its frenetic work environment that has taken some knocks in the media, the company always has the pedal pushed to the floor. Actually, type www.relentless.com into your Web browser and see the result.

19. Amazon is well known for its low margins and meager cash flow. You might be surprised to hear that the company's actual cash flow is much lower than reported in financial statements. Chalk it up to (legal) accounting chicanery that determines when cash flows are recognized. For those wanting an accounting lesson on how this is possible, read this article from fellow Fool Timothy Green.

Google Is Afraid of Facebook's Search Ambitions

CIVIL WAR BETWEEN GOOGLE AND FACEBOOK

Image source: Robert Scoble.

The mobile Internet experience is vastly different from accessing the web on a desktop computer. People use apps instead of a browser, and that means the companies that own the most popular apps are at a significant advantage. According to Nielsen, Facebook(NASDAQ: FB) and Google own all eight of the most popular apps in the United States. But Facebook likely dominates total engagement compared to the Alphabet(NASDAQ: GOOG)(NASDAQ: GOOGL) company. Facebook management says its apps account for 20% of time spent on mobile.

Now, Facebook is encroaching on Google's territory, offering improved search functionality in its flagship app, and experimenting with search in Messenger, which has 700 million global users. Google is reportedly responding to Facebook's efforts with a messaging app of its own featuring a chat-powered search engine.

Can Google stop Facebook?

Google's planned mobile messaging app sounds like a direct response to Facebook's M. M is an AI-powered virtual assistant that can do anything from answer simple search queries to book travel accommodations. It's still limited to select users in the Bay area, but it represents yet another example of using Messenger as a platform.

As M rolls out to more users, Google could find itself losing out on search queries. The planned messaging app is aimed to prevent such an occurrence. But Google is missing out on the step that enabled Facebook to threaten Google's cash cow in the first place.

Google needs to build a network. People use a messaging app because all of their friends already use it. The network effect is quite apparent in the regional dominance of chat apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, WeChat, Line, and KakaoTalk.

Building a messaging service around several AI-powered chatbots is unlikely to draw the critical mass necessary to make a messaging app succeed. Google has failed to properly grow social networks in the past (see Google+), and its existing messaging apps, Hangouts and Messenger, have failed to attract a significant audience. Adding chatbots that answer simple searches won't change that.

 What Google could do instead

Google is certainly capable of rivaling Facebook when it comes to artificial intelligence. Last year, Google hired Geoffrey Hinton, one of the world's foremost researchers of deep learning neural networks, to help it design new AI algorithms. The move came just after Facebook hired NYU professor Yann LeCun to head up its AI research lab.

But, as mentioned, Google is missing the network. So, why not launch a chatbot on Facebook's platform? Facebook opened Messenger to third-party developers in March, enabling users to insert pictures, videos, and other media from other apps. Google could develop its AI-powered chatbot for Messenger.

Google has had no qualms developing software for platforms owned by competitors. It has dozens of apps for iOS, for example. But developing for Facebook's platform might not be in Google's best interest, as it cedes control and provides data to a company that uses the same monetization model as itself. Thus, Google is left to its own devices to create an app that people will use -- and use to search.

Mobile search growth

Earlier this year, Google announced it receives more searches on smartphones than it does on desktops. To be sure, the number of queries on mobile devices continues to rise, and those queries are largely Google's to lose. Facebook's M and its flagship app's search capabilities represent real threats, but development remains slow and limited. Google has time to figure out how to compete with Facebook to maintain its share of the mobile search market as it continues to grow.

The Best CEOs of 2015

Outstanding leadership is an often overlooked and undervalued driver of a business' competitive advantage. And with the pace of technological innovation accelerating, excellent leadership should only grow in importance in the years ahead. With that in mind, here are three CEOs who positioned their companies to win in 2015 -- and beyond.

Image source: Amazon.com.
1. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos has been the guiding force behind Amazon.com's (NASDAQ: AMZN) amazing ascent since he founded the company in 1994. After articulating his vision in his 1997 letter to Amazon shareholders, Bezos has remained steadfast in his long-term focus. Ever willing to sacrifice near-term profits to strengthen Amazon's competitive positioning, Bezos and his team have built a juggernaut that should continue to take share in the global retail arena for many years to come.

The e-commerce behemoth dominates online retail in the U.S and, increasingly, many other areas of the world. Its massive global distribution system, fast-growing Prime membership program, and army of third-party sellers combine to form a value proposition -- based on an unmatched selection of goods, low prices, and convenient shopping experience -- that rival retailers can't match.

Incredibly, Amazon's impressive retail operations may not be the most exciting part of its business. Amazon Web Services is quickly becoming the dominant force in cloud computing and a valuable driver of growth, with AWS revenue and operating income surging 78% and 431%, respectively, in the third quarter. Even better, Amazon executives believe that AWS can ultimately rival Amazon's retail business in size and scope.

While investors have come to respect Amazon's success, with the stock now trading near all-time highs after more than doubling in 2015, Amazon is yet to unveil its full earnings power as the company continues to invest heavily in its infrastructure and new business lines. That leaves plenty of long-term profits still to come for Amazon -- and its shareholders.

2. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg

Image source: Facebook.

Like Amazon in online retail, Facebook(NASDAQ: FB) has established itself as the dominant force in social media. With a platform that's used by more than a billion people on a daily basis, Facebook's reach is staggering.

The social-media giant is proving increasingly adept at monetizing its massive user base, with revenue rising 41% year over year to $4.5 billion in the third quarter. Impressively, Facebook's advertising revenue leapt 45% even as it reduced ad impressions by 10%, as Facebook enjoyed an increase of 61% in the average price of its ads. As Facebook works to improve its targeting capabilities to deliver more value to advertisers, it should continue to enjoy strong pricing power along with further gains in revenue and profits. Investors have begun to take notice, with shares soaring 35% so far in 2015.

Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook in 2004 and is responsible for setting the overall direction and product strategy for the company. He leads the design of Facebook's service and development of its core technology and infrastructure. He's also proven to be quite the visionary as a capital allocator, as demonstrated by his $1 billion acquisition of the fast-growing Instagram photo-sharing network in 2012, which analysts now value as high as $37 billion.

More recent investments such as Facebook's $19 billion purchase of messaging app WhatsApp and $2 billion purchase of virtual technology company Oculus have yet to pay such impressive dividends. But based on Zuckerberg's success with Instagram, investors may wish to remain patient as Facebook unveils its monetization plans for these fast-growing properties.

3. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings

Image source: Netflix.

While far smaller than Amazon and Facebook, Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) is quickly becoming a global media powerhouse, with the online streaming pioneer projecting that its distribution network will span nearly every country on earth by the end of 2016. 

The company that CEO Reed Hastings founded in 1997 as a DVD-rental-by-mail firm has grown into the leading Internet TV network. But in addition to being an aggregator and distributor of licensed content, Netflix has also become an award-winning creator of original content, garnering 34 Emmy nominations across 11 of its original programs and winning four in 2015. That strong performance combined with a renewed appreciation for Netflix's accelerated international expansion plans and forecast of "material global profits" profits beginning in 2017 has led Netflix's shares to more than double so far in 2015.

Hastings and his team have built a formidable competitive moat around Netflix, with its global content distribution system, popular original programming, and valuable data-collection cycle that allows it to effectively invest in shows with a high likelihood of success among its customers. As such, I expect Netflix to remain the primary beneficiary of the cord-cutting phenomenon, with the company -- and its shareholders -- poised to profit handsomely from the growth of Internet TV in the years ahead.

After Months Of Neglect, Government To Build Memorial For Former President Kalam

Five months after the death of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, work on his memorial is about to begin at the Pei Karumbu burial ground near his hometown Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu.

This is after Mr Kalam's family raised concerns and pictures of dogs roaming the burial site flooded social media. The delay over beginning construction at the site, and the state and the Centre blaming each other for it only compounded the allegations of neglect. 

Sources told NDTV, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) - which Mr Kalam headed once - will pay for constructing the memorial. It has also sent a team of officials to the site. "We will, however, start constructing the boundary wall to maintain the sanctity of the spot, a senior DRDO official told NDTV and added that guards have already been posted.

While officials in Delhi said land hasn't yet been transferred, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha said her government had already "transferred the required land to the Central Government." The empowered committee headed by Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, set-up to decide on the memorial, has written to the state government asking for another two acres of land. The current site is 1.5 acres.  

Also, sources said that Centre has started looking out for an architect to design a memorial suitable for Mr Kalam's image of being people's president - an epithet he earned as president. Apart from the memorial in Rameshwaram, the Centre is also planning to build a memorial at the DRDO complex in New Delhi.

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Biography

Engineer, Scientist, President (non-U.S.) (1931–2015)

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is an Indian scientist and politician who served his country as president from 2002 to 2007.

Synopsis
Born in 1931 in Dhanushkodi, India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam joined India's defense department after graduating from the Madras Institute of Technology. He was a central figure in the development of the country's nuclear capabilities, and was hailed as a national hero after a series of successful tests in 1998. Kalam served as India's president for one term, and died of a heart attack on July 27, 2015.

Early Years

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was born into a Muslim family on October 15, 1931, on the island of Dhanushkodi off the southeastern coast of India. He developed an early fascination with flight by watching birds, which developed into an interest in aeronautics after he saw a newspaper article about a British fighter plane. 

Despite his modest beginnings – his dad built and rented boats – Kalam was a bright student who showed promise in science and mathematics. He attended St. Joseph's College, and went on to earn a degree in aeronautical engineering from the Madras Institute of Technology. 

Rise to the Presidency 

His hopes of becoming a fighter pilot was dashed when he narrowly missed out on a spot with the Indian Air Force. Kalam instead joined the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) as a senior scientific assistant in 1958. After moving to the newly formed Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in 1969, he was named project director of the SLV-III, the first satellite launch vehicle designed and produced on Indian soil.

Returning to the DRDO as director in 1982, Kalam implemented the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. He then became the senior scientific adviser to India's defense minister in 1992, a position he used to campaign for the development of nuclear tests. 

Kalam was a key figure in the May 1998 Pokhran-II tests, in which five nuclear devices were detonated in the Rajasthan Desert. Although the tests resulted in condemnation and economic sanctions from other world powers, Kalam was hailed as a national hero for his stanch defense of the country’s security. 

In 2002, India's ruling National Democratic Alliance helped Kalam win an election against Lakshmi Sahgal and become India's 11th president, a largely ceremonial post. Known as the People's President, Kalam set a goal of conducting 500,000 one-on-one meetings with young people over the course of his five-year term. His immense popularity led to him being nominated by MTV for a Youth Icon of the Year award in 2003 and 2006. 

After leaving office in 2007, Kalam became a visiting professor at several universities. He formed the "What Can I Give Movement" in 2011 with the goal of creating a compassionate society, and in 2012, his efforts to improve healthcare led to the release of a tablet for medical personnel to use in remote areas. 

Death and Legacy 

On July 27, 2015, Kalam suffered a massive heart attack while lecturing at the Indian Institute of Management and subsequently died at the age of 83. 

Kalam was laid to rest on July 30 with full state honors in his native Tamil Nadu. In honor of the scientist and former president, the southeast Indian state government of Tamil Nadu created a "Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award," which recognizes exceptional individuals who promote the sciences, students and humanities. The government has also established Kalam's birthday (October 15) as "Youth Renaissance Day." Discussion about building a large-scale memorial at his burial site is underway. 

Among his many accolades, including honorary doctorates from 40 universities, he was granted the Padma Bhushan (1981), the Padma Vibhushan (1990) and the Bharat Ratna (1997) — India's highest civilian awards — for his contributions in modernizing government defense technology. He also wrote several books, including the autobiography Wings of Fire in 1999.

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam QUOTATION 

iPad Pro review: Extraordinary gadget, but not a laptop killer yet

It’s quite impossible to have one device to rule them all, but I’d be happy if I could bring it down to two. The thought of not having to lug one and also one less device to charge is not a bad idea. A few years ago, inspired by a friend who’s a CIO of a large corporation and worked completely off his iPad, I went and got myself a good iPad keyboard. I was all set to enjoy a lighter backpack, face fewer charging problems, et al.

Talk about crashing down to earth. Typing on that smaller keyboard sucked and iOS back then was simply not ready for it. While we now have an iPad Air with a newer keyboard in the family, I’ve been scarred and avoid it like the plague. My relationship with tablets has evolved into one strictly about content consumption, with a rare email answered through on the on-screen keyboard and especially on the road in India, when the cellular network on my smartphone is on the blink, but the different one on my iPad has some life left in it. Besides that, my old 9.7-inch iPad has pretty much become my Kindle reader.

So, I started using the new, almost 13-inch iPad Pro with a mix of trepidation and excitement. I was excited about a tablet that had the hardware specs to make it a laptop replacement, but was also wondering if I’d be disappointed once again—the big, big promise of device consolidation, but failure to actually deliver in real day-to-day use.

The specs are great, no doubt about that

Naturally, the first thing that hits you when you see the iPad Pro is the size of the screen. The second is the surprisingly light weight for a tablet this size—just 723 grams at a mere 6.9 mm thickness, which in fact, is thinner than the iPhone 6s Plus. The reaction to the weight is always a “wow,” but not everyone will like the size bit. If your use of a tablet has come down to what I use my current iPad for, it’s way too big. But when you see it as a laptop replacement, it seems perfect, even if the 12.9-inch display is taller than the one on my 14-inch laptop because of its 4:3 aspect ratio.

The iPad Pro is powered by an A9X processor with 64-bit desktop class architecture, which is Apple’s most powerful processor yet. Does it mean the A9X is now at par or overtakes Intel’s high-end notebook processors? I’d take any such claim with a large pinch of salt, but that’s another story. Suffice it to say that for any iOS application (which are all wonderfully optimised for performance), from Office 365 apps to graphics intensive gaming to Autodesk’s AutoCad professional applications, the iPad Pro doesn’t bat an eyelid as it handles them all with tremendous ease.

Light and sound

The iPad Pro features the highest-resolution Retina display of any iOS device. There’s also some nifty work done to save battery life despite the big screen—the display figures if you are watching dynamic content like a video or a game, adjusts refresh rate accordingly, while bringing refresh rate down in case of static content. Content consumption was a joy—from movies on a screen that’s almost a television that even 2 people can watch together considering the large display, browsing and reading e-magazines.

But, while consuming content on it was a joy, I enjoyed it most when the iPad was on a flat surface. When held in my hand, the large size made it unwieldy and given that it is thin and slippery, I was always worried that I’d drop it and that thought would never leave the back of my mind. I would be wary of using an iPad Pro in economy class while flying too. One, it’s large and wouldn’t be very easy to use in a cramped seating environment and second, laptop displays can be adjusted as you swing it back and forth, and you just might be able to work in a cramped environment if you have to as I’ve discovered. Deadlines can be powerful motivators too, to be honest. But on the iPad Pro the Smart Keyboard doesn’t have adjustable angles. Bummer.

Another negative about the display was the wide open spaces between apps. I hate scrolling through multiple screens to get to an app (folders too need one more click), and if Apple gave me a choice I’d fit double the number of app icons into that screen. No Indian real estate developer will buy an iPad Pro and not cry over the open spaces left unused. The pinned apps on the bottom dock can only accommodate six icons. Sigh.

If you watch a movie, sound is just as important. I like to listen to music as I work. One of the best things going for the iPad Pro are its speakers and the sound output it throws out—in terms of sheer power for a gadget as thin and light as it is, as well as innovative software that ensures that the four speakers placed in four corners dynamically change reproduction from bass notes to higher frequencies depending on how you hold the iPad Pro.

Software & Apps

iOS 9 brought in split screens (officially called Split View) for multitasking and it really makes sense on the iPad Pro. When you swipe inwards from the right bezel you get a menu that displays apps capable of using Split View. The default open size is a quarter of your display—I found it great for Twitter and Apple News. When I wanted a larger split screen you merely have to drag the split screen border further to the left and your screen is equally divided between two apps.

The display certainly could accommodate three or four apps and hardware specs would also handle it with ease, but Apple only allows two. Would have been so much interesting if there was more choice given to the user. There’s a picture-in-picture mode available for videos and FaceTime, but I personally find these very annoying, though some may appreciate the feature.

iOS apps are superbly optimised for performance and there is no dearth of tablet applications. But on the iPad Pro, I found that many applications just weren’t optimised for the large display. Take Facebook for instance, where the user experience was better on Safari, thanks to optimal use of the large screen rather than the Facebook app. Office 365, another set of apps I used a lot, was optimised though. The point though is that it will take some time before all of the many, many iOS tablet apps are able to make the most of the large screen, the internal hardware as well as the accessories.

Smart Keyboard

With every other iPad from the past, accessories being optional was true in every sense of the word. The only accessory I’ve seen most iPad users get is a case. And some get a keyboard. But with the iPad Pro, using it without the Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil is a terrible idea. There is truly so much more you could do with both.

I’m delighted to report that the 5-row Smart Keyboard on the iPad Pro was the very opposite of my earlier experience with a keyboard on an iPad. I got used to it very quickly and typing on it was a good experience. It also feels good to the touch thanks to a woven fabric coating on top. There are no mechanical parts and no physical gaps. It latches on like a leech to the iPad Pro for power and data connectivity using the Smart Connector on the left spine of upright iPad Pro. It’s nice to have a keyboard that doesn’t need charging separately.

While the typing experience was a great one, I do have some doubts about the durability of the keyboard, especially in Indian conditions and if you use this gadget outdoors. What I missed most though was a tracking device. There are so many apps where I’d prefer a tracking device and there’s also muscle memory, which takes a long, long time to undo. You might think it’s simpler to just click on a Microsoft Excel cell but for me it’s a frustrating exercise without a trackpad or device.

Apple Pencil

Which brings us to the Apple Pencil, a gadget that got Apple a lot of flak from wags on social media when it was has announced. Apple has also bristled about comparisons to a normal stylus as we know it. The Pencil connects to the iPad Pro via and charging is though the Lighting plug. It’s fully charged in around 45 minutes, and even a 30 second charge would give you around 30 minutes of use. But frankly, it looks weird to have the Apple Pencil jutting out of the iPad Pro when it’s charging.

Initially, you might even wonder if you need this accessory. Not all of us have an artistic bent of mind.  If you love art though, you have to get the Apple Pencil. Also, if you let your kids use your iPad. But, as I discovered, I ended up doing a lot more with it than poor doodles. From sketching a wireframe to actual writing—there is absolutely no lag and it’s sheer fun as you discover what different amounts of pressure can do. Tilt the Apple Pencil and you can shade, as with a real wood and lead pencil. It all depends on what an app is capable off and I’m looking forward to more apps that will make full use of what the Apple Pencil can do.

Since I’m not much of an artist I asked some friends and colleagues with an artistic bent of mind to try the Apple Pencil on the iPad Pro and all of them went “wow.” Apple devices and technology are notoriously easy to use and they took to the Apple Pencil like a fish to water. In a few minutes they figured out what different angles of use would do and it was just like using a real pencil or a brush on paper or canvas. They loved the responsiveness of the Apple Pencil and instantaneous reproduction. Leave alone good artists—my 6 year old son took five minutes to get used to it and draw what I thought was one of the best things he has ever drawn in another ten.

The big negative with the Apple Pencil is that it cannot be clipped or magnetically attached to either the iPad Pro or the Smart Keyboard. Being smooth and round, it rolls off easily. The rear cap has to be removed while charging and it’s small and hence could be quite easily misplaced. The cap doesn’t fit on the tip either. So, while you should get an Apple Pencil if you decide to get an iPad Pro, you have to take very good care of it.

Battery Life

I got almost 8-10 hours of daily use for a typical workday scenario, including lots of email and browsing, use of Office apps, music in the background and some videos. I guess for the average person, this should cover a typical work day. Which is far more than what you will get on many laptops. Apple has done well on this aspect, which is key for productivity on the road. And the fact that the iPad Pro is still incredibly thin and quite light just adds to its appeal.

Camera

Very few would use an iPad for taking pictures and fewer still will use the big iPad Pro. It’s just too unwieldy for the purpose. There’s an 8 MP camera with 1080p video recording capability on the back if you want to swim against the tide though. The front 1.2 MP camera for FaceTime may be put to more use in real life though—professional video conferences isn’t a far out thought for a professional tablet, and it’s quite inexplicable why Apple only offers 720p video recording on this one.

Lack of 3D Touch

3D Touch is the biggest innovation from Apple in recent times and given that the iPad Pro doesn’t allow for a tracking device, 3D Touch might have brought in another layer of usability. I would bet a large amount that the next iteration of the iPad Pro will come with 3D Touch. One just wishes that Apple had offered 3D Touch on the iPad Pro today.

Laptop replacement? Should you buy it?

For me, on many aspects, the iPad Pro was a laptop replacement. For most of my regular job, I could do it easily on the iPad Pro powered by iOS 9. But work isn’t just about the regular. There are many applications that won’t be available on iOS 9, especially in corporate environments. In such cases, you’re stuck. Besides, as said before, the lack of a trackpad or tracking device is something very tough to let go of. Personally, the iPad Pro has taken me a long way on the road to lose my laptop, but the destination is still some time away and this iteration of the iPad Pro may not get me there yet. Perhaps the next one—it’s clear though where this trend is headed.

Some designers and professionals like architects might love the capabilities of the iPad Pro, especially with the Apple Pencil. To put it simply, the iPad Pro is a bold reinvention of the iPad as we knew it and the hardware specs and the display couldn’t be better. Apps have some way to go, but that will also happen—and you know which corporate apps you can’t avoid, which you should help you decide on chucking away your laptop for the iPad Pro or looking forward to the future.

But the price tag hovers over all of this. As with all new Apple products, the iPad Pro slots itself in the highest end of the category when it comes to price, retailing in India for Rs 67,900 (32 GB, Wi-Fi); Rs 79,900 (128 GB, Wi-Fi) and Rs 91,900 (128 GB, Wi-Fi+4G Cellular). The smart keyboard retails for Rs 14,900 and the Apple Pencil for Rs 8600. Forget about the 32 GB version if you are really looking to replace your laptop. Which means that if you buy the Smart Keyboard and the Apple Pencil—in my opinion, there’s not much point to buying the iPad Pro without both—then you are looking at a pricey Rs 1,03,400 for the 128 GB Wi-Fi version and a jaw dropping Rs 1,15,400 for the best one.

But then, is there anyone who doesn’t complain about Apple’s prices on new products? But many still buy them anyway for the ‘incredible’ Apple experience, as they call it. I find it difficult to recommend the iPad Pro at this price, but if you have got the money and want to experience the bold new reinvention of the iPad with a superb display, great hardware and some compelling accessories, go ahead and splurge.

2016-New Year’s Resolution Success

                       On January 1st of each year, people everywhere make resolutions to better themselves and the world around them.

However, it can be difficult to hold to these resolutions as life gets busier throughout the year. Life has a way of distracting people from what they set out to do the next year.

There are ways to make sure these resolutions are kept and that the year is successful.

1. Make your resolutions quantitative.

Having vague goals such as “I will save money” or “I will lose weight” are rarely, if ever, successful. Instead of setting these kinds of goals, add a number to your goals.

For example, instead of setting a goal of losing weight, make a goal of losing 10 pounds.

Adding a quantity to your goals will allow you to track them easier and allow you to set up a more straightforward plan to ensure success.

2. Set smaller goals to work towards your resolution.

It is good to have big dreams and big plans for the year ahead. These big goals can seem overwhelming when life gets difficult and busy. Setting smaller goals can alleviate the stress of the bigger goals.

For example, if you set a goal of saving $1,200 this year, make a point to put $100 a month or $25 a week into a separate bank account to save for a later date.

Setting smaller goals based on a weekly or monthly goal can make the resolution easier to achieve and allows you to make a plan for accomplishing what you want.

3. Make fewer resolutions/goals.

Having a list of 20 things you want to accomplish may seem great on the first day of the year, but this will eventually become overwhelming when life starts to get in the way. Things will come up that will deter your goals and make it difficult to accomplish the vast amount of goals you set.

Having a list of five to ten goals is ideal. There are enough goals to make an impact in your life, but not so many that you are overwhelmed and distracted from accomplishing your resolutions.

Also, condense your goals. If you want to raise your GPA and be inducted into your school’s honor society, make your resolution to get into the honor society, and make raising your GPA a step to achieve this resolution.

4. Have someone hold you accountable.

Telling someone about the goals you want to accomplish will inspire you to keep your word. The person can check in on you every few weeks to see how you are progressing. The person may be able to help you and encourage you when things get tough. Also, the person may know someone who may be able to give you guidance when you do not know how to achieve your goals.

It may also be beneficial to find someone who has a similar goal and work towards it together. For example, many people who are trying to lose weight , find someone to work out with or have dinner with so that you can hold each other accountable.

Having someone who wants to achieve the same goals as you will encourage you to work hard. Have a competition to see who can accomplish the goal first!

5. Set time aside each week to evaluate your progress.

Many people lose focus of their resolution come February. They become discouraged that their goals are not just magically happening and they cannot see their progress clearly. It is important to set time aside to evaluate where you are in terms of accomplishing your goals. Seeing how you have made progress will encourage you to keep going!
For example, if your goal is to lose 25 pounds, weigh yourself each week. If you are not seeing a decrease in weight, make changes to your lifestyle to make progress, such as eating healthier and exercising more.

6. Only set goals that are meaningful to you and that you are willing to work towards.

It is important that you actually care about the resolutions you make. Doing so will ensure that you will make an effort to achieve your goals. It will also give you motivation to work at them and seek to accomplish them.

For example, setting a goal of raising a certain amount of money for a cancer foundation when your passion lies in the environment simply doesn’t make sense. Do not resolve to get a job at a doctor’s office if being a teacher is more meaningful to you. Tailor your goals to your passions and you will likely achieve them more easily.

7. Work towards achieving your goals every day.

Taking steps every day will help you achieve your goals. Doing a little bit each day and accomplishing your goals is better than waiting until December and cramming to get your resolutions done. This will help you avoid burnout later in the year.

Working towards your goals each day also allows you to feel a sense of accomplishment on a daily basis. This will help you be motivated to keep working at your goals.