So thought the New York Times until 2009 rolled around. Then, someone did some interesting math. According to the Silicon Valley Insider, the NY Times could buy EVERY ONE of their subscribers an Amazon Kindle for 1/2 the cost of publishing the traditional newspaper for 1 year.
And just think, once the Kindles are purchased, their purblishing costs go down by another 90% since they only have to buy Kindles for new subscribers. That’s an amazing change in a business paradigm. If it ever comes to fruition.
The Amazon Kindle is a very portable device that lets the user download books, magazines and newspapers onto basically an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper. Is everyone ever going to use an Amazon Kindle? Of course not. But they could and the NY Times could be sent into a tail spin (like it’s not in one already) if it doesn’t plan to make the transition from the way it does business now to new business platforms and paradigms.
Keep that in mind the next time you read about your competitor implementing a new ERP applicaiton or presenting a new way of interacting with customers to the market. Technology is a game changer. You’d better be ready for the changes and in some cases lead them or run the risk of winding up like the NY Times.