Building a Brand with Google, Apple, and Fakes in China

Hey Blog,

It's been a while since I've stopped by. I've just been busy finding a new place to live and caught a real nasty bug. Anyways, lets jump right in.


Cosmic Panda Pander

Youtube has put out it's new Beta platform called Cosmic Panda (www.Youtube.com/CosmicPanda) and I have to say, I like it! Not every Beta is a hit but this seems to really be an improvement from the platform we are used to. You can definitely tell it has been "Googleized" and I say this in the best way possible. Panda seems to be heavily focused on playlists. So, when you are watching your favorite "Youtuber" (My two faves have to be KassemG, or FreddieW) it will automatically play their videos in reverse chronological order, thus making it easier for you to find your favorite videos. Also, when you click on a profile the first thing you will see is a bigger "in-your-face" video ready to play with the click of your mouse.

I am absolutely thrilled about what Google is doing both with Youtube and with Google+. They are really making it easier for the average Joe (or Josephina) to build his/her own "Brand." From Google+ to Youtube to Blogging, Google has found a way to connect all of your information so that your information and your input can be available to that much more people. Users can visit your G+ page and immediately be connected to your Youtube page, blog, posts, News, etc, etc. Google is trying to take over the world apparently (lol).

Apple's Incredible Growth

Speaking of taking over the world, Apple has posted incredible numbers over the last year:

Apple posted an 80% growth rate over the last quarter. THAT IS SIMPLY AMAZING! More power to them. I, however, see their revenue peaking for a little longer before it drops dramatically. Why you ask? Macs, iPods, iPhones, iPads - The Apple community has grown exponentially in the last few years. Apple, however, continues to come out with new updates to their products (it seems) every year. Sooner or later, consumers are going to wise up and realize that they are buying new products that are set to be outdated by years end. For instance, Apple is coming out with the new iPhone 5 this year but rumor has it that they company already has a completely revamped and NEW iPhone 6 set to come out in 2012. Not to mention that the technology that we see as "new" in the iPhones are not necessarily new in the phone market. In fact, most android phones already have the features that iPhones are introducing. I predict Apple's bubble to burst within the next few years.

FakePad and FakeStore

A Chinese man has apparently pieced together this fake iPad from scratch. He used a touchscreen, case, and similar parts to make a thicker than normal FakePad (as I like to call it). Instead of running on an Apple OS, he installed a Windows 7 OS to give it a different feel. This guy is amazing and won't agree to make anymore claiming that he did it "just for fun." It cost him about $300 to make. I really want one.

This is the picture of the inside of a fake Apple store in China. Yes they copy Apple stores right down to the blue shirts and Genius bar. Sources say that the employees actually believe they work for Apple and the owners of these stores won't allow pictures to be taken (Think they're hiding anything?). From what I hear these are just resale stores that try to ride the coat tails of the extremely-popular-in-China Apple. For more pictures (and you're going to want to see these) click HERE.

Thar be some posers in China.