(This column originally appeared in Forbes)
Here are five things in tech that happened this week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
1 — Apple’s 2021 iPad drops to an all-time low of $250
With a price you’d only see on Black Friday, the 2021 iPad is available for just $250, a pretty good deal considering Apple’s sought-after inventory. This 10.2-inch iPad is loaded with the standard software and app availability. Equipped with ample storage to perform most tasks — the 2021 version doesn’t come with certain features such as the Magic Keyboard — but is worth the trade-off. (Source: Engadget)
Why this is important for your business:
Seems like a good time to pick up an iPad, even if it’s two years old.
2 — Thryv enhances small business platform with Tap-to-Pay, TeamChat, eSignatures and other new features
Small business platform Thryv has announced an extensive upgrade giving their 40,000-plus users ultra-sufficient ways to keep business organized. (Source: Businesswire)
Why this is important for your business:
According to the company, business owners can perform mobile payments through the ThryvPay’s Mobile Pay Card Reader which supports both Apple iOS and Google Android and has low processing fees. There’s also a chat feature which enables interactive communications between individuals or groups and where team members can alert and locate other members with advanced messaging and tagging functions. “Our new products, geared toward payments, communication, and collaboration, ensure that small business owners continue to meet their customers where they are,” Ryan Cantor, the company’s Chief Product Officer, said in a statement.
3 — Google launches two new asset creation and customer acquisition tools
Google has raised the level of marketing and customer engagement with the recent announcement of “automatically created assets” — a feature that will create new elements within a specific ad based on the advertiser’s existing assets. (Source: Search Engine Land)
Why this is important for your business:
Writer Nicole Farley says that “this helps companies with ad refining, using the most effective components to engage their target audience.” Customer acquisition — the second tool Google is promoting — employs campaign optimization to give companies an opportunity to find new customers through “smart bidding” and “first-party data.” Using target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) they have the capability of targeting “high value” customers.
4 — Microsoft admits it marked ineligible PCs for Windows 11 upgrades
Windows users who purchased laptops in the past few years may have found themselves at a loss for a system upgrade. (Source: PCWorld)
Why this is important for your business:
Tom Cider listed Windows 10 22H2, 21H2 and 20H2 as the versions being affected — also detailed by Tom’s Hardware. The company offered guidance for users in their Microsoft’s known issues notification. This isn’t the only system snafu Microsoft has been experiencing of late. It was reported that watermarks were showing up on hardware unable to support the upgrade. The takeaway: do your upgrades carefully and work with a Microsoft Partner or buy Microsoft support if you’re planning on an upgrade project.
5 — Lenovo’s ThinkPad and IdeaPad laptops get a welcome facelift
Lenovo customers will experience a boost in performance with a 14-inch display, PC World’s Ashley Biancuzzo reported. ThinkPad E14 now has a faster processor and up to 40GB of DDR4 RAM as well as a significant increase in storage capacity (2TB). First generation ThinkPad E16 is about the same as the E14 performance-wise except for its maximum brightness setting. Both will be launched this May. Also coming in May is Levono’s newest Chromebook — IdeaPad Slim 3. Ashley noted its impressive sound system, battery life and display quality. (Source: PCWorld)
Why this is important for your business:
I’m writing this piece on a Lenovo laptop right now, which I’ve used daily for about five years and it’s been reliable. However, I’m due for an upgrade so maybe I’m doing that come May.
