June 15, 2009
The Channel Partner Recruitment Dilemma
The VAR Guy
Heather K. Margolis offers some advice for businesses who are in the early stages of developing a channel partner program.
“Analyze the overall partner fit. A partner application should include a question around their annual revenue. If a partner did $250K last year and your product costs $250K, chances are they are not tapped into the right customers to sell your product or they may not have the resources to provide the support your joint customers may require.”
MacBook Price Cuts Highlight Tough Choices for Apple as Growth Slows
Wired
Brian X. Chen writes about the reasoning behind Apple’s recently announced MacBook price cuts.
“Apple’s computers have historically been priced well above the average PC. However, Apple’s first quarter of 2009 market-share numbers suggest the company is struggling to compete as a premium brand name in the face of the economic recession. By cutting its prices somewhat, Apple may also be seizing the opportunity to strike a blow against the netbook market.”
Windows 7 to push up netbook prices
Register Hardware
Tony Smith writes that due to the increased cost of Windows 7, netbook prices will also go up.
“Anyone putting off purchasing a netbook until the next-generation Atom processor, the N450, arrives in October, should expect to pay a premium thanks to the extra cost of Windows 7. Netbook makers are currently lobbying Microsoft to reduce the price of its upcoming operating system revision, which, DigiTimes reports, is currently priced at $45-55 a pop, depending on the vendor’s negotiating skills and the size of its order.”