My CEO Life

Ok – how many of you out there have an ipod and use iTunes?  If you are like me, you would be a heavy user of both, especially for podcasts, and you would be absolutely pissed at this point in time.  Why?  For the simple reason that Apple got it wrong and released a new version of iTunes (version 7) and it didn’t work.  In fact, it wouldn’t even open on my machine and it got to the point where i had to delete it, re-install version 6, install version 7 and it didn’t work again and so on …

Eventually they got it right with release 7.0.1 but by then alot of brand damage had been done.  More to the point, they are shooting them selves in the foot especially when Microsoft is launching the Zune and you can pre-order it today.  Perhaps i will give it a try.

But the above rant is not my real point.  The real point is that when you create a walled garden, the expectations for customer service go through the roof.

So what is a walled garden.  Well, quite simply, it is a proprietary system or process that means you are reliant on one provider (or a small group of providers).  AOL is the classic example of a walled garden as is Apple.

Therefore, if i am to sign up with you for a proprietary system, you have to get it right and you have to make sure that the customer service is second to none.  The reason is simple, i just cant plug and play third party software or hardware to get around the problem. I am reliant on one provider.  For iTunes, the problem gets harder as they have their own DRM system (DRM = Digital Rights Management) and therefore i cant even transfer my songs to another player.

All in all this is what they call a great suff up … if only they had taken the time to test is properly.

Now … how much is the new Microsoft Zune again?

I received a great email today with some more tips for the tech charged Chief Executive Officer. Here are the reader’s suggestions … A good pair of headphones for flying. It’ll reduce fatigue as you can turn off the music and it’ll still attenuate the noise. With the music on, since the engine noise is softer you’ll turn the volume up less and protect your hearing. I like the Shure E2C’s but there’s a bunch of them out there.

A travel router so when you work you don’t have to sit at the desk but can work from anywhere in your hotel room. I like the Linksys WTR54GS.

A pair of powered speakers so that when you do conference call in your hotel room you can use it like a speakerphone and still use a pair of headphones plugged into the mike port of your PC (for Skype) as the mike (don’t forget to talk into the LEFT headset). I carry the Think Outside Boomtube but that may be heavy for you.

If you’re into international business like I am, I’d like to suggest a new magazine: www.worldbusinesslive.com which is an HBR for the international set (published by INSEAD).