I had the honour of interviewing George Ross (right hand man to Donald Trump ) who is also know for his role in the television program The Apprentice

I had the honour of interviewing George Ross  (right hand man to Donald Trump  ) who is also know for his role in  the television program The Apprentice.

Discussing:
1. If you are not technically up to date; you are living in the middle ages.
2. The importance of face to face personal relationships.
3. 80/20 Principle.
4. How important it is to prioritize your emails and actions within your business and life.

Saying all that: It is still not easy, but at least we know what MUST be done!

For more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._Ross
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apprentice

Allow us (the notebook company) help you with getting your emails prioritized, your data safe, your computing hassle free, sharing of your data streamlined - We have the same problems and understand the problems associated.

The interview can bee see here:

BEAM ME UP SCOTTY

Picture courtesy of Google

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BEAM ME UP SCOTTY

PC companies like Dell  need to do some serious morphing and think of the PC as more of a hybrid, because the PC of 2030 –and beyond – will be a computer, a personal assistant, microphone, and  an ear piece, which will talk to a “virtual computer  in the cloud”.

This is according to Christopher Riley,CEO of The Notebook Company, the Pretoria-based notebook and accessories retailer. “Ultimately, “he said, “is that users will have access their own virtual PC in the cloud.”

He said the user would access, and store, everything in the cloud – including diary schedules. “Right now the PC already equates to a PC, a laptop and a smartphone. The blurring of the lines will get more and more blurred- and increasingly rapidly,” he said.

If a user wants to access his diary to check his meeting schedule for the day he will verbally engage with his “PC” and ask:”Susan, what is my diary schedule for the day?”. Then Susan, or Sue, or whatever the user wants to use as a nickname,  the virtual PC in the cloud will reply.

“Susan,  Sue, or Siri, will be like an artificial intelligent assistant (AIA)- and this is looking more and more like the future PC.  This scenario,”said Riley, “is also not that far off”.

“Maybe we should call our AIA Scotty, like Scotty from that iconic science fiction movie from the 1970s, STAR TREK? And say: ‘beam me up Scotty’ ’’Riley quipped.

Large increase in the prices of laptops and tablets threatening as Rand dives to its weakest level against the dollar in four years

The Rand is at its weakest level against the dollar in four years - and while this might be good news for South Africa’s export and manufacturing industries - this could well play havoc with prices in the computer industry, with at least one laptop retailer, The Notebook Company, saying that prices of laptops and tablets are likely to rise by 10%.

The Rand has pressed through the physiological R10 to the dollar exchange rate for the first time in four years, sparking fears that technology companies sourcing their products in dollars would have to institute increases.

“With the weakness of the Rand, we can no longer absorb our higher dollar-based costs. We will have to start increasing prices, immediately, and the price increases could be as much as 10%,” said Christopher Riley, CEO of  Pretoria-based laptop and accessories retailer, The Notebook Company.

“We have been trying to absorb the currency hits, but this is no longer possible,” he said.

He said Apple iPads account for a high percentage of sales at The Notebook Company, so the need to increase prices by as much as 10% was “not a decision taken lightly”.

It is expected that many technology companies – certainly those who deal  in dollars – are going to have to increase prices, across the board, said Riley.

“Few companies will be able to absorb the weakness of the Rand – and this, too, might not be an overnight thing.”

The Notebook Company puts its blood where its mouth is, and not its money

The Notebook Company, the Pretoria-based notebook and accessories retailer – which recently announced the opening of a consumables division -  has promised its clients the cheapest ink, toner and paper costs in the industry.

This was confirmed by Christopher Riley, CEO of The Notebook Company, who said: “People talk about putting your money where your mouth is, but what about putting blood where you mouth is?”

“The rationale behind this standpoint”, added Riley “is that if we don’t save our clients money then I will personally donate a unit of blood for every case brought to my attention”.

Riley said the cost of consumables has become “exorbitant”. “I believe we can save our clients thousands of Rands a year in the costs of ink, toner and paper.

“It’s crazy to acknowledge, but printer ink costs more than human blood.”

He said the investment in the new consumer division has not been significant as it will be piggy-backing off the company’s existing infrastructure.

“Besides this expedient factor, because the new consumables business is not our core focus, it enables us to come into the market on a competitive footing – and offer our clients really pencil-sharpened prices. We don’t have to make big profits from this division. It is a value added offering – which, in itself – will bring its own business benefits. We are not hunting for market-winning margins,” he said. “But If I do not save my clients money – and there are complaints – I will stick to my promise of donating a unit of blood for each complaint.”

The Notebook Company opens new consumables division

see www.notebook.co.za/blood

The Notebook Company, the Pretoria-based notebook and accessories retailer – and one of the biggest sellers of Apple iPads in the country (which manages the online sites www.notebook.co.za and www.laptop.co.za) – has announced the opening of a consumables division.

Said Christopher Riley, CEO of The Notebook Company: “We are always looking at value added services to offer our clients and we believe this is a good move for us - by expanding into the cartridge and toner business.  There is a big demand from our client base for this service and we therefore  made a decision to diversify our market focus. The consumables divisions is already up and running,” said Riley.

Commenting further, Riley said that, besides “satisfying current clients”, the company hopes to attract new clients via its consumables division – and hopes that they will become “notebook and tablet buyers as well”.

“This will definitely generate a new revenue stream for us. The investment has not been huge as we already have the infrastructure in place. Besides this positive factor, because this is not our core focus, it enables us to come into the market on a competitive footing – and offer our clients really pencil-sharpened prices. We don’t have to make big profits from this division. It is a value added offering – which, in itself – will bring its own business benefits. We are not hunting for market-winning margins,” he said.

There might be an increase in laptop sales in Q2- The Notebook Company

The Notebook Company, one of South Africa’s leading retailers of notebooks and accessories, believes there might be an increase in the sale of laptops during the second quarter due to the fact that there will be a “full range of  laptops entering the market, running Windows 8 – which might just create a slight increase in sales”.

This is according to Christopher Riley, MD of The Notebook Company, who said his company is expecting a 20% increase in laptop sales during the second quarter.

“It’s very possible that people were holding back on purchases, not really knowing what to buy before Windows 8 had worked its way into the market – and shown what its performance rating is. Additionally, it is also branded laptop ranges that are entering the market, running Windows 8.  If people were holding onto their Windows 7 machines to see what the market was going to do– to see if Windows 8 got bad reviews or not – they might now be inclined to jump in and go for a new laptop with Windows 8 

“In Fact,” said Riley, “we were, until recently, advising clients to hold any purchases – and to stick to their Windows 7 platform – to see what would happen with Windows 8, so that they could make an informed decision.”

Google’s Android tablets set to overtake Apple iPad says The Notebook Company

The tablet market is arguably one of the most fiercely competitive marketplaces in the world, with a number of the world’s biggest companies fighting for market share. But, while Apple iPad has been the clear leader since the tablet market started in full force in 2010, its lead is about to be eclipsed by Google’s Android devices.

This is according to Christopher Riley, CEO of Pretoria-based notebook and accessories retailer, The Notebook Company – and one of South Africa’s leading sellers of Apple iPads.

“We are seeing some pretty distinct market shifts and Apple’s heydays as the hands-down leader in the tablet market seem numbered,” said Riley.

IDC has already reported that shipments of tablets running Google’s Android operating system will surpass Apple this year for the first time. “There are a growing variety of smaller and cheaper Android-driven tablets from Google to Amazon.com, which are really becoming increasingly popular with consumers.  It’s not just the tablet market where Apple seems to be losing traction,” said Riley.  “Samsung, arguably Apple’s biggest rival, is coming to market with a slew of tech-savvy and funky  tablet and iPhone solutions, which are starting to take a bite of Apple’s market.”
Samsung’s fourth generation of its flagship Galaxy is about to hit the market and it is this range of smartphones that knocked Apple off its pedestal as the world’s number one supplier for part of last year.
“There is a lot of market anticipation for the new Samsung Galaxy,” said Riley, “and we could very likely see more inroads this year.”

While Apple might be facing more competition, Riley said he still believes that iPad sales will be the main contributor to The Notebook Company’s total revenue for the year. “For the past two years Apple iPad sales have been our main sales line.

" This is changing and, therefore, we are also offering a wide range of Android devices. We are also suggesting big name brands  when clients are looking at Android devices. We have offered low-end no-name tablets before, but we always warn clients that it is a case of ‘you get what you pay for’” 

In the meanwhile, the shine seems to be coming off Apple, with its share price being the first to show this – losing more than one-third of its value since hitting a high last September.