Summary: This week on The Waves of Tech 226 and after a two week break, we are here to talk tech! On the show we dive into Halt & Catch Fire, the latest show from AMC. Google provides a new view of World Cup venues and GoDaddy files a $100M IPO. Also, Apple is showing signs of new ideas and people have an online shopping abandonment issue. All this in a quick 40 minutes this week. Enjoy the show and continue to ride…the waves of tech. AMC’s newest fictional drama, Halt and Catch Fire, is a great show. Set in the early 1980s, just one year after IBM released the IBM PC, an unlikely group of three set out to reverse engineer the PC with hopes of gaining traction in the personal computing world. Fans of tech/computer history, you’ll love this show. If you’re looking for a great fictional drama, you’ll love the show. Google Street View – World Cup Venues The biggest international event is set to kick off in a few days – The World Cup. You now have the chance to experience the ins-and-outs of all 12 soccer venues. Google has provided Street View of the World Cup stadiums, include visuals in and around the streets of each stadium. This provides us all a chance to experience to magnitude of the host country, Brazil, and take a trip from the comfort of our own homes. The Abandoned E-Shopping Cart Did you know that nearly $4 trillion of merchandise and goods are left in online shopping carts? Retailers and e-commerce firms are trying to find ways of capturing some of those “lost sales” by employing a variety of strategies. Some firms are sending reminder emails within a three hour window, as that strategy results in nearly a 40% click-back rate. The relationship between the buyer and the product is complex. Perhaps a change to the checkout process, a smoother and streamlined process would help these e-commerce businesses. GoDaddy files for IPO Many of us were surprised when GoDaddy announced the web hosting firm would be filing an Initial Public Offering started at $100M. The firm has showed a history of revenue but continues to show lackluster signs in terms of profitability. This year, 2014, is showing promise as revenues are increasing and profits are being realized. GoDaddy has a very strong brand and image but that will not please all the investors…it’s about dollars and cents now. Apple In recent news, Apple shows some promise in the business and personal travel industry. WiFi in hotels is pretty scarce today, despite advancements in broadband and connectivity. Apple is slated to provide that service directly from Apple devices. Steve provides some details and outlines the course of action.
