Consumer Passion

Pizza Hut launches Total Mobile Access

Pizza Hut is trying to one-up the competition in the race to offer consumers a variety of ordering options.   The Hut's new Total Mobile Access lets consumers order their favorite pizza pie from cell phones via text messaging or mobile Web, and it is promoting the fact it's the only restaurant chain to offer both ordering options on a nationwide basis.   

“Text messaging and mobile Web are an integral part of millions of Americans’ lives, and we’re excited that these fast and flexible ordering options can now be used to order Pizza Hut pizza,” said Brian Niccol, Pizza Hut CMO. “Online ordering has become one of the fastest growing segments of our business in recent years, so adding Total Mobile Access is the latest way we can make the process of ordering America’s Favorite Pizza more convenient for our customers.”

Pizza Hut offers this comparison chart, to pit its consumer ordering options against its two biggest competitors:

		Pizza Hut		Papa John’s		Dominos
Total Mobile Access		Yes		Not offered		Not offered
National Text Ordering		Yes		Yes		Not offered
National Online Ordering		Yes		Yes		Yes
National Mobile Ordering		Yes		Not offered		Yes
Carryout		Yes		Yes		Yes
Delivery		Yes		Yes		Yes
Dine-in Restaurants		Yes		Not offered		Not offered

Papa John's has been the digital leader of the pizza pack, having offered online ordering first back in 2001, and text message ordering first in November 2007.  The mobile Web option Pizza Hut is touting in it's press release means when you go to Pizzahut.com on a web-enabled phone, the site will  automatically be modified to fit to the phone’s screen, and Pizza Hut's mobile website has a simplified menu featuring popular orders and a store locator.  I'd be surprised if Papa John's doesn't come out with this very soon, and I'd be more surprised if Dominos doesn't get on board the text messaging bandwagon, as that seems to be the quickest and friendliest mobile ordering option. 

Pizza Hut's text messaging system works in similar fashion to Papa John's.  First, you log in at  PizzaHut.com to create your “Pizza Playlist,” of up to four favorite orders.  Then, using any cell phone, you send a text order to “749488” (749HUT), which is followed by a confirmation text from Pizza Hut.  I wrote an earlier post about Papa John's online and text message ordering system, which allows you to place an order up to three weeks in advance ... say you want to get in front of the line for the mad rush during the Super Bowl.  Any way you look at it, for pizza lovers and carryout fans in general, it's nice to see businesses taking their tech up a notch to meet consumers where they are, and in ways they prefer.

Macbook Air ... Hubba Hubba

So this is the big news to come out of Macworld.  Must say I'm disappointed that something iPhone-tastic wasn't trumpeted ... but this will have to do.  It's what "There's Something in the Air" was pointing to: the new ultra thin, ultra zazzy cool Macbook Air laptop.  And it really is one handsome piece of gotta-have-it.

Steve Jobs slipped it out of a manilla envelope during the keynote.  Nice.  It really is that thin, I guess as close to paper thin as a laptop can get at this point.  I'm not sure you'd want one any thinner, or it might feel too dainty.  But this bad boy would be a sheer delight to carry around, encased in special aluminum and weighing in at a scant 3 pounds.  At it's thickets point (it's teardrop shaped) it's .76 inches.  And it's thinnest, .16 inches.   

The glossy 13.3-inch, widescreen LED backlit display is the same viewable size as the screen on the regular MacBook.  It has a full size keyboard with backlit key illumination, making it easy to work in low-light settings.  A built-in ambient light sensor automatically adjusts keyboard and display brightness for optimal visibility.  Other specs:  2GB RAM, 80 GB hard drive, and a special Intel Core Duo processor that was custom built for the Mac Air, either 1.6 or 1.8 GHz.  Battery life gives you five hours without recharging.  Price starts at $1799.  Me want one!!  Apparently others agree.  Gizmodo's post, Macbook Air Looks Absolutely Amazing, has a Gimmie!! inserted next to the picture. Engadget is sizing the Macbook Air up against the competition, including a Dell, Sony, and its own Macbook relative.  Lots of discussion about this release today.  See it all at Techmeme. 

Notable:  today's Macworld keynote (Stevenote) really put a whipping on the internet.  Twitter went down in flames, as the micro blogosphere Twitted it to death (see MathewIngringram.com/work for his "Hey Steve, You Broke the Internet" perspective).  I agree with his assessment that MacRumorsLive was the best blog experience during the keynote.  Ajax apparently to thank for the smooth ride on that site.  A big black eye on Twitter, and I must say it was like slogging through syrup trying to load the live blog page at Techcrunch, and its sister site CrunchGear as well.  It's amazing to me that the big boys are ill prepared for events that they surely know might cause a traffic jam.

Macworld Keynote in Progress ...

No need for me to give minute by minute updates on Steve Jobs' keynote at Macworld in San Fransisco today.  Good onsite live blogging of the event at:

MacRumorslive.com  (this one seems best so far, quick loading, sucinct updates)

Techcrunch  (Crunchgear so far is a letdown)

Engadget

I'm not hearing much to confirm any earlier iPhone predictions, like a 3G, 16GB phone.  I wanted video streaming capabilities before I jump in and make a purchase.  Guess I'll have to wait.  Maybe pick up a Nokia phone soon just so I can stream video live at Qik.com.  Cheers!

MacGuessing: What's in the Air at Macworld?

The speculation is really starting to ramp up.  With MacWorld 2008 just days away (Jan. 14-18 at the Moscone Center in San Fransisco), ArsTechnica lit the fuse today with it's picture of a banner hanging at the Moscone Center, reading "2008 There's Something in the Air".

Everyone's taking a stab at what Apple will announce next week.  I confess I am not yet a user of Apple products.  But I sense I will soon make the transition, first with an iPhone.  My wife wants one, and already has a Macbook with her wherever she goes.  I think it stays under her pillow at night.  I'm certainly a fan, though I type this post from my smallish HP Pavilion laptop, which does the job for now.  But the iPhone ... how can you not be moved by something like that?  To say there are plenty of passionate iPhone consumers is to say there's a tendancy toward Catholicism in Rome.    

Last year of course was the iPhone launch.   Hard to top that.  So some are saying Jobs has to announce a completely new product this year, or else the hype balloon will go pzzzz and lose its air.  I disagree.  I think the big announcement will be the next phase of the iPhone evolution, because I believe 2008 will be a pivotal year in the mobile revolution.

Look for a 16GB, 3G iPhone, with the ability to stream and record video (compare to Nokia's N95), and download movies wirelessly from Apple TV.  And ... something about the Apple/Starbucks alliance, with ordering/payment ability.  And I think this will go much further ... I think Apple's ultimate goal is to make the iPhone your wallet, for just about anything.  It goes beyond skipping lines at Starbucks.  It's about the convenience of purchasing things with your portable device, and Apple knows it's not only convenient, it means additional sales, as people tend to spend more when they use credit cards, or the equivalent of credit.  When you hit a button, like swipping plastic, it doesn't feel like you just took money out of your wallet. 

The video thing would be huge.  Imagine if Apple provided a platform like Qik.com, where you could send live streaming video from your iPhone to a hosted channel on dot Mac.  These are the things I'm thinking.  What are you thinking? 

MacWorld: iPhone Starbucks Menu Ordering Thingy On Its Way???

Very intriguing post on Gizmodo called iPhone Starbucks Ordering Screens Look Like The Real Thing, Precede Patent.  It spotlights some top notch work by designer Phil Lu, a series of iPhone screen designs called 'QuickOrder' that show what a Starbucks/iPhone ordering touchscreen would look like. Remember all the ballyhoo about Apple filing for a patent that would enable consumers to skip to their loo, and skip the line, by pre-ordering their favorite drink at the nearest Starbucks on their iPhones (my posts on it are here and here).  The article points out that Lu's designs were made before the patent became public knowledge.  Hmmmm.  Makes me wonder if Jobs will interrupt himself in the middle of a keynote next week, pull out his iPhone, and place an order.  Then a spotlight shines on a portable Starbucks barista station over to the side, and presto zingo.  His favorite coffee drink is on its way.

In the spirit of hip, cool design, I'd like to suggest Mr. Lu, if he is in fact being tapped by Apple to design the ordering pages on iPhones ... that he include the ability for consumers to add their own customized 'visual instructions', to help baristas in the making of various drinks.  One of my special hand drawn designs is pictured here.  See the complete image gallery of Lu's work (and how it compares to mine) at the Gizmodo link, or via the QuickOrder page on Genoco.com. 

New Migration Tool For iPhone Users: 'The Missing Sync' From Mark/Space

Mark/Space is announcing the immediate availability of The Missing Sync to help migrating smartphone users switch to the iPhone.  Mark/Space says it's product also enhances current iPhone users' synchronization features, allowing capture of useful data, like SMS messages, notes and call logs.  The Missing Sync supports migration from most smartphones using Palm OS, Windows Mobile or BlackBerry OS.  A Windows version is set for release in the coming months.

The Missing Sync for iPhone is $39.95 via electronic download from the Mark/Space Online Store.  Detailed product requirements are also found there.  A CD-ROM version is $49.95, but is not available yet.  Upgrades from qualifying Mark/Space products are $24.95. 

It's Official: Modbook (converted Apple Macbook) is Now Shipping

Axiotron put out a press release this afternoon, stating their much anticipated Modbook is "shipping to consumers today".  I just got off the phone with a PR rep who confirmed that today's announcement answers a nearly year long question about ship date, and anyone who's placed an order and has been wondering when it would officially 'ship', well, your ship has come in.  Exactly when it'll arrive, I can't say.  But for all those who have followed the products saga, it's official: the Modbook is shipping, so you can place orders now via the Axiotron website.

   

You'll end up at an authorized resller, Other World Computing, to actually order the Modbook, which is essentially an Apple  Macbook converted into a tablet PC.   The Modbook won Best of Show at the MacWorld Expo 2007, and was second only to the iPhone in terms of consumer interest.

***  From Andreas Haas, President of Axiotron. “The Modbook’s recent designation as an Apple-authorized product has allowed us to better meet the needs of our extremely patient customers and we are proud to be able to ship a product that resets the bar for Mac users everywhere.”

According to the press release:  Axiotron’s Modbook melds Apple MacBook’s speed, power, superior strength and elegance with Wacom’s leading digitizer technology to provide an unparalleled 512 levels of pressure sensitivity for a fast, accurate and intuitive user experience. Offering twice the pen sensitivity and control of any tablet PC on the market, the Modbook gives artists and design oriented professionals the increased freedom, flexibility and precision control to create and edit digital art using a variety of specially designed pen tips that are included with each Modbook.

A perfect blend of style and functionality, each Modbook comes pre-installed with Mac OS X Leopard™, the award winning OS X’s built-in Inkwell^® handwriting recognition, a 2.0 GHz or 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a built-in iSight^® camera and an integrated 24x DVD Combo drive or 8x DVD SuperDrive. Also, every Modbook features a built-in Global Positioning System (GPS).

Ars Technica, just days ago on December 27th, speculated on the ship date of the Modbook, and the possible launch of an official tablet PC from Mac next year. 

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**** January 2nd update:  Looks like everybody's back from holiday vacation.  The bigger sites have finally noted this story, like Macworld and Electronista.  Macworld takes the honors on Techmeme, the hot tech news aggregator, as the flagship for this story today.  Sigh.  Any breaks for the little guys who work on New Year's Eve to catch an under-the-radar story? Maybe next time. 

Comparison: New Apple Patent and Starbucks vs Digital Pizza Ordering Pioneer Papa John's

All the buzz about Apple's recent patent filing, where Steve Jobs and company are apparently cooking up a wireless ordering/line cutting system that'll launch with Starbucks ... got me thinking and snooping around for similar things.  I stumbled on the apparent digital dominance of Papa John's - at least dominance in the pizza industry - when skimming through a press release where Papa J talks up how it's preparing for an end of the year pizza rush.  The last round of regular season NFL games this weekend, leading into New Year's, apparently makes for a lot of dough tossing.

Papa John's is touting its advance online ordering capability, at PapaJohns.com, where you can place an order for pizza online - with specific pick-up or delivery windows - up to three weeks in advance.  And Papa John's claims it is the only national pizza chain to offer both online and text ordering at all of its U.S. locations. 

Papa John's has offered online ordering since 2001.  The text ordering system, available since November 15th of this year, is interesting as a comparison to what Apple and Starbucks are cooking up.  It's obviously not intended to solve long lines like the Apple/Starbucks deal is.  It's a nod to the fact that nearly 50 percent of mobile phone users use text messaging.  The four step process is as follows:   

1. Consumers first register at papajohns.com and save their favorite orders, delivery and payment preferences with the "Favorites Wizard." (you can store four favorite orders)
2. Once registered, consumers can simply text FAV1, FAV2, etc. to 4PAPA (47272).
3. Papa John's then sends a text message detailing the order and requesting confirmation.
4. Consumers press Y1 to confirm the order for FAV1 or N1 to change the order.  Once confirmed, the closest Papa John's restaurant processes the order.

Here's an animated video demo of the text message ordering process.  So with this system, Papa John's can take a text message order ... from any phone that has texting capability.  I'm wondering why Starbucks would not choose to implement their own system, like Papa John's has, that can accept wireless orders from anybody, and not just iPhone users.  So this is my question:  what is the special sauce that Apple is cooking up that might make Starbucks choose it over a more open plan that could potentially serve any consumer with wireless texting capability?

New Apple Patent: Enabling iPhone Users to Cut in Line

A Forbes.com article, Apple's Piping Hot Innovation, describes a process that Apple is attempting to  patent that would enable an iPhone user, for example, to order an espresso drink at Starbucks without  standing in line.  The same line cutting could theoretically occur at just about any establishment Apple partners with.  Starbucks is a natural starting point for this new plan, since the two companies already have a program in place that allows you to simply touch a button on your iPhone to wirelessly download a song that you like that's playing in the background of a Starbucks you're visiting.

From the article:  Apple's application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office describes a process for placing an order and then notifying customers when an order is ready to grab at a pick-up station. One goal, the patent application notes, is to avoid an "annoying wait in a long queue if the purchaser arrives before completion of the order.

Sounds good on the surface.  Who likes to queue up when the line is long and the urge to suck down lucious liquid stimulant is in full gotta-have-it mode?  But for the reason that just because it's a new gadgety cool sounding Apple thingy, it doesn't necessarily mean it's a great advance for consumers ... let's review.   

I remember when the Speedpass came out (introduced by Mobile in 1997), that little keychain device  that when swiped across an area on a gas pump, replaces the massively time consuming process of swiping your credit/debit card.  I figured it would save me maybe five seconds per pump, so I took a pass.  Mobile (now Exxon Mobile) made it sound like a life changing device.  Woo hoo.  Five seconds of my life back each week.   Pardon me if I'm a tad skeptical when new devices and services are introduced that promise to save us time and aggrevation.

The iPhone ordering capability is obviously a step above the Speedpass.  I can imagine arriving at a Starbucks, spotting a line twelve deep at the ordering counter, and punching in a pre-saved drink order on an iPhone if I ownded one (grande Americano, four shots, plenty of room).  I'd be able to head for an open table by the window, instead of playing caboose to a long train at the cashier.  So that's the big advantage I see.  But I also see the following possibilities:

1. Queue anger:  the iPhone-less line people getting a bit snarly when they see all the Apple folks getting special treatment
2. Order is wrong:  your phone buzzes (order ready), and you go up to the barista station, only to find the drink has been made incorrectly. Or the software malfunctioned, and the barista made the drink he/she was told to make by the software, but it's wrong.  Or you forgot to update the drink order you have saved in your phone, and you tell the barista you wanted skim, no foam, blah blah instead of whatever you used to order.  Will the barista station be backed up with people waving iPhones who never were in line in the first place???
3. The wait will get longer for everyone else:  when you send in your iPhone order, does the barista drop everything and start making your horribly complicated fru fru drink?  When does your phone order 'cut in'?  And what if some office 'designated coffee boy' strolls up and orders twenty six drinks - all different - with his fancy dancy new iPhone?  The two people who were in line are left to wonder why they've been waiting sixteen minutes at the pickup counter, when they're the only ones there. 

Personally, I think the 'time is the most important thing' attitude is the wrong attitude to have, or to focus on if you're a business.  I was at my local Starbucks the other day, ordering a simple cup of their holiday Christmas Blend drip coffee, and the cashier was about to blow a gasket trying to get everyone through the line at warp speed.  When I placed my order, she apologized profusely for the wait, and I answered that waiting two minutes was really not a big deal.  Getting a great cup of coffee, and having an end to end great consumer experience is.  And everything was just fine, thank you.  Saving a minute of my time means nothing if you screw everything else up.  Now, I'm off to price those iPhones so I can make sure I get that seat by the window ...

UPDATE: New post expanding on this topic:  Comparison:  Apple Patent & Starbucks vs Digital Pizza Ordering Pioneer Papa John's: