Why NYC Beats Silicon Valley for Mobile
I’ve been meaning to post a link to this article and comment on it since last week. As a life-long New Yorker with a business based in NYC, I made the decision to be here long ago. That said, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be (ok, week-long vacation in Jamaica next week looks compelling).
This article makes some good points about the advantages of operating in NYC. Access to the media industry (agencies and content owners) is an unmistakable advantage when trying to bring new media products and services to market. For many start ups and early stage companies, access to these companies and their decision makers is critical to getting traction. All true and certainly valuable, but also fairly obvious.
It’s a great time to be doing business in NYC.
What really makes NYC special is its people and proximity. Innovation springs from ideas. Ideas travel faster in densely populated areas, often gathering steam and refinements along the way. It’s our people, their ideas, their proximity to each other and their proximity to customers that leads to rapid innovation.
I agree that NYC beats Silicon Valley for mobile, but I’m not sure mobile is where it ends. We see young companies thriving in this environment. They feed off the ever-cycling energy of their colleagues, competitors and customers. The incubators, co-working spaces, hotel lobbies and cafes are buzzing with entrepreneurial spirit and activity. If you’re not here then, well, you’re not here. Let us know if we can help.
NY Times: “We’re betting on HTML 5”
Nothing new here, but a NYTimes product person offered that quote in the context of dealing with fragmentation on mobile and tablets. Have you tried the NYTimes Chrome “app” (really a web markup)? It looks great in Chrome, Firefox and Safari. On an ipad, it’s an even better experience. Who needs an app? Try it at: http://www.nytimes.com/chrome
Cool Chart Compares Costs of Digital Subscriptions
Thought this was worth sharing from Business Insider. An interesting comparison that looks at news content such as NYTimes, WSJ, The Economist as well as music and video services. Is the NYTimes pricing themselves out?
It’s a Gate, not a Paywall: NYTimes CEO on new policies
Some insights into the thinking at the NYT. I think the offer is a bit confusing, but I understand why they are moving in this direction.
Here also are some good thoughts from our pal, Jack Isquith, over at Digital Music Insider.