(This column originally appeared in Forbes)
Here are five things in technology that happened this past week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
1 — The iPhone 14 Pro set to have major upgrades in battery life.
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are set to hit the market September 16th and it is anticipated that the battery life will be greatly improved from the iPhone 13, likely due to the new 5G chip. The battery percentage icon is expected to make a comeback as well. Other than the battery life, some other new features are speculated to be a 48MP camera lens upgrade, satellite connectivity, and an ultra-wide camera option. (Source: Laptop Mag)
Why this is important for your business:
I can think of no better feature to add to a smartphone for business travelers like myself than extended battery life. Will we ever be able to travel for two or three days without charging? Let’s hope so someday.
2 — Instagram is planning to dial back on their shopping features.
Meta-owned social media company Instagram is set to pull back on shopping tabs in order to shift their focus on e-commerce companies that drive advertising. Instagram will first change users over to the platform’s “Tab Lite” page — which is less a personalized shopping page- with the goal to eventually replace the shopping tab altogether. (Source: Reuters)
Why this is important for your business:
Wasn’t it just a few months ago that I was telling people to check out Instagram in order to sell products and services? Oh well, scratch that. The platform still has its business purposes: you can build an audience, provide useful content, or advertise. But selling your products directly from Instagram seems less of an option going forward.
3 — Android 13 is launching a new feature that can help separate your work and leisure data on your phone.
Android 13 has a new redesigned feature under “work profiles” to keep consumers’ personal data separate from their work-related data. The update will feature two separate profiles and allow users to open an app and designate which profile they want it to be under. Apps that will adopt this feature include — but are not limited to — photo and email apps. Android will also add smart diction that can dictate work specific jargon and keep it separate from personal spaces. More features to this new update will be announced soon. (Source: The Verge)
Why this is important for your business:
This could be a useful thing for people that carry multiple smartphones for work and personal use. But will security be enhanced to the point where security managers at firms will bless its use? If we get to that point then there could be significant cost savings for companies that require multiple devices, let alone more productivity.
4- Microsoft is not allowing partners to pay with checks starting December 1st.
Microsoft has released a statement to North American partners that — as of December 1 st- they will not be able to pay with checks but — instead — be required to pay through wire transfers or a bank-to-bank money transfer such as ACH. There has been no official reasoning as to why Microsoft issued this change, although some are speculating that this is to help improve efficiency since checks take much longer to deposit. (Source: The Register)
Why this is important for your business:
The slow death of check-writing continues, although too slow for me. That’s because too many of my clients still pay their bills by checks. Converting to online banking and electronic payments takes effort and for many small firms it’s not worth it. Unless, of course, their largest partners/vendors/customers (i.e. Microsoft) starts requiring them to do so.
5 — Some restaurants are adopting a loyalty reward program that is in the hands of the customer in order to boost customer retention.
Rubio’s Restaurant — a fast-casual chain restaurant on the West Coast — has spearheaded a loyalty reward program in over 150 of their restaurants. The program allows customers to choose where their points go toward instead of a pre-fixed program. This is in part to combat the rising food and service prices. Some have suggested a subscription-based restaurant may be the best way to combat this problem even though it is a fairly new concept. (Source: PYMNTS)
Why this is important for your business:
If you’re running a retail shop or restaurant you must have a loyalty program. Simple as that. There are many great apps and online services that can easily — and affordably — provide this much needed way to keep your customers coming back.
