4G and How the phrase is marketed

http://www.cio.com/article/633263/4G_Definition_Creates_Marketing_Free_for_All

T-mobile has recently come out with an ad campaign to diferentiate themselves from competitors by their "4G" speed of network.  The term 4G as denoted by the International Telecommunication Union(ITU) refers to a speed surpassing 100M bps.  This speed is vastly superior to the current technologies presented by the networks today.  For example, T-mobile currently is operating at a 5M bps to 12M bps.  This is comparably faster than Clearwire quotes of 3M bps to 6M bps, but still is no where near the defined 4G speed of 100M bps.  The entire point behind this article is saying that 4G is a term that leads consumers to believe the speed is faster than 3G.  There is nothing to stop AT&T from saying they have a 5G speed but the market's disbelief that such a speed is possible.  If AT&T decided to market their network as a 5G speed the consumer's might research and question their network in greater detail to find out what we are finding out abought T-Mobile right now.  That according to the ITU, their product is not even close to the definition of 4G.  What we saw from the previous trend of 3G, was that networks marketed their technology as 3G before it was actually 3G speed.  This caused the networks to later fall back and demote the outdated technology to 2.5G or 2.75G.  I just wish the networks would market their actual speeds instead of interpretable terms that inherently mean nothing.  This would allow consumers to make an educated decision on which service to purchase.

Thanks,
Bobby

Black Friday - Dead on Arrival

When I saw the title of this article, I became very interested and curious about the topic.  I have never been one to do much holiday shopping, especially not on "Black Friday", but I do have many family members and friends who take advantage of the bargains during this time.  Just from my observations and prior knowledge, I can honestly say there has been a dramatic decrease in sales over the past decade during the Black Friday shopping day.  Also, due to a crippling economy, retailers are more likely to drop prices to bargin levels at multiple times throughout the year, not just on Black Friday.  In my opinion, this has caused shoppers to not be as interested in the Black Friday deals because they can acquire the same bargain at different periods throughout the year.

In the article titled "Black Friday - Dead On Arrival", the very topic is discussed. Many retailers throughout the country are targeting customers early in the holiday season with their "Black Friday" deals.  Because of this, many shoppers will take advantage of the early sale prices and purchase products ahead of time.    Because many stores are listing the deals early, less customers will be present in the malls and shopping centers during Black Friday, causing sales to plummet on this day based on a dramatic decrease in shoppers.  Retailers listing their prices early are simply making Black Friday 'disappear' which will be detrimental to other retailers who do not choose to list their Black Friday deals all through November.  Their sales will essentially be dramatically lower based on the absence of many shoppers that have already purchased their holiday gifts before the "busiest shopping day of the year."

The article also states that online shopping has been the leading cause in the overall decrease in sales for many retailers over the past few years.  This online shopping phenomenon has caused retailers to be more adamant in their marketing for Black Friday deals and increase the span of the bargain prices.


http://www.cio.com/article/636070/Is_Black_Friday_Dead_on_Arrival_?source=rss_news