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Apple Bumps Coca Cola Out Of #One Spot In Interbrand's 14th Annual Best Global Brands Report - Google #2
How to Burn a CD or DVD From A Disk Image In OS X
NeoOffice 2013.1Available On The Mac App Store
Chronos Announces Business Card Shop 5 - Share Cards Via Social Networking & Email
Apple Bumps Coca Cola Out Of #One Spot In Interbrand's 14th Annual Best Global Brands Report - Google #2
For the first time in the history of Interbrand’s Best Global Brands report, there is a new #1 brand: Apple. Interbrand, a brand consultancy with global focus, publishes Best Global Brands on an annual basis, identifying and examining the top 100 most valuable global brands. With Apple claiming the top position this year, Google jumps to #2 and Coca-Cola, the brand that held the #1 position for 13 consecutive years, moves to #3. This year, the total value of all 100 Best Global Brands is USD $1.5 trillion -- an 8.4 percent record increase over the total value of the 100 Best Global Brands in 2012.
Despite having its reputation tarnished by patent spats with Samsung and the Foxconn labor conditions scandal, the Apple brand proved to be resilient and emerged as not only the leader in this year’s Interbrand Best Global Brands report, but also a top riser. In addition to being resilient, Interbrand notes, Apple is also prescient – continually anticipating what consumers will want next. However, they caution that in order to maintain its #1 position over the next year, Apple will have to slow rival Samsung’s momentum in the mobile market and never lose sight of what it does best: “Think different.”
Apple has appeared on Interbrand’s Best Global Brands ranking since 2000, when the ranking debuted. In 2000, Apple then ranked #36 and had a brand value of USD $6.6 billion. Today, Apple’s brand value is USD $98.3 billion – almost 15 times the amount of its brand value in 2000. Interbrabd says Apple’s meteoric rise in brand value can be attributed to the way it has created a seamless omnichannel experience for customers. By keeping consumers at the center of everything it does, Apple is able to anticipate what they want next and break new ground in terms of both design and performance. With 72 million Macs in use and record-breaking sales of both the iPhone and iPad, Apple has made history by unseating Coca-Cola and becoming Interbrand’s most valuable global brand of 2013.
“Every so often, a company changes our lives - not just with its products, but with its ethos. This is why, following Coca-Cola’s 13-year run at the top of Best Global Brands, Apple now ranks #1,” says Jez Frampton, Interbrand’s Global Chief Executive Officer. “Tim Cook has assembled a solid leadership team and has kept Steve Jobs’ vision intact – a vision that has allowed Apple to deliver on its promise of innovation time and time again.”
Interbrand’s Best Global Brands methodology was the first of its kind to become ISO certified. It analyzes the many ways a brand benefits an organization, from delivering on customer expectations to driving economic value.
When determining the top 100 most valuable global brands, Interbrand examines three key aspects that contribute to a brand’s value:
• The financial performance of the branded products or service
• The role the brand plays in influencing consumer choice
• The strength the brand has to command a premium price, or secure earnings for the company
2013 OVERVIEW: A New Era of Leadership
In addition to identifying the top 100 most valuable global brands, this year’s Best Global Brands report also examines the evolving role of leadership as it relates to brands. Interbrand contends that leadership must now be shared. CEOs, CMOs and consumers all have the power to drive the value of the brands they manage or admire.
“In today's global and social media-obsessed marketplace, brand leaders recognize the need to be highly collaborative,” notes Mr. Frampton. “The top 100 most valuable global brands are unlocking their value by participating, listening, learning, and sharing – and not just with leaders from within their organization, but with consumers too. Brands that learn to think differently about the role they play in consumers’ lives – and how to fulfill that role – have an opportunity to change the world in ways they never imagined.”
2013 NEW ENTRANTS: Discovery, Duracell, Chevrolet
Discovery (#70): The Discovery brand makes its debut on the Best Global Brands ranking after a record-breaking year. Discovery-branded channels are now available in 217 countries and territories and in 45 languages, reaching more than 1.3 billion subscribers outside the US. In the six years since David Zaslav took over as CEO, the company has grown from making an estimated USD $720 million in total profits to making USD $721 million from its international business alone. By developing programming like the Deadliest Catch series and its annual Shark Week, Discovery has managed to connect with viewers on a global scale. Such moves have positioned the brand as a leader in its sector and have earned it a firm position in Interbrand’s 2013 Best Global Brands report.
Duracell (#85): Duracell, a Procter & Gamble-owned brand, makes a comeback this year after falling off the Best Global Brands ranking in 2010. Until 2010, Duracell had appeared on the ranking each year since 2000 and, in 2009, was #85 with a brand value of USD $3.563 billion. Today, Duracell holds 25 percent of the global battery market share and is regarded as one of P&G's leading brands. Trust in the brand remains high thanks to key marketing partnerships, including serving as the official battery of the American National Football League (NFL).
Chevrolet (#89): Accounting for roughly 50 percent of all vehicles GM sells globally, Chevrolet secures a firm position for the very first time on this year’s Best Global Brands ranking. Under the leadership of Global CMO Tim Mahoney and SVP/Global Head Alan Batey, Chevrolet has aligned its engineering, design, and retail operations behind a single vision and communications platform: “Find New Roads.” While the brand has gained momentum in the US market, Chevrolet is using this vision and communications platform to drive sales in markets such as China, India, and Thailand. If Chevrolet continues to successfully tailor its vehicles to meet local and global requirements, the brand will succeed in creating customers for life.
2013 TOP RISING BRANDS: Facebook, Google, Prada, Apple, Amazon
Facebook (#52, +43%): As the leading (and only) social media brand to claim a position on this year’s Best Global Brands ranking, Facebook has succeeded in boosting both revenue and earnings per share in the past year—and has surpassed Wall Street's expectations in the process. Facebook also increased its global user base by 26 percent since its IPO over a year ago. Around the world, the brand continues to see an increase in users, with the Asia-Pacific region experiencing the largest growth. Facebook’s mobile users also grew by 51 percent in the past year and mobile ads are poised to account for more than half of the social media giant's advertising dollars. With former Google executive Gary Briggs recently named the company's first CMO and by acquiring companies like Instagram, Facebook’s growth is likely to continue for years to come.
Google (#2, +34%): Due to evolutionary changes to its core offerings (Search, Android, and Gmail) and new innovations like Google Glass and its self-driving car, Google’s brand value increased by 34 percent – making it this year’s #2 brand and the second top rising brand after Facebook. By continuing to move beyond search and by placing big bets on innovation, Google will impact the way its consumers live and behave worldwide – and increase the value of its brand in the process.
Prada (#72, +30%): The iconic Italian luxury fashion brand emerged as Interbrand’s third top riser this year with a brand value increase of 30 percent—just behind top-rising technology brands Facebook and Google. Prada’s increase in brand value reflects the organization’s ability to strike a harmonious (and profitable) balance between honoring its Italian heritage and producing innovative and cutting-edge designs. By effectively intertwining its digital and physical touchpoints and with the Prada Foundation’s support of the art world, Prada has been able to engage with its customers in more meaningful ways – and expand its global footprint in the process.
Apple, was discussed above.
Amazon (#19, +27%): With a brand value increase of 27 percent, Amazon is a top riser in this year’s Best Global Brands report. The e-commerce innovator continues to differentiate itself from rivals by taking on initiatives such as Amazon Appstore, which provides a comprehensive mobile experience for Google Android devices. Amazon has also expanded into new businesses such as TV-set-top boxes, original programming, 3-D smartphones, the Kindle line of e-book readers, and same-day grocery delivery service. Such initiatives, if successful, could mean Amazon will play an even greater and more holistic role in its consumers’ future retail experiences.
Technology dominates as the most valuable sector overall, with a combined brand value USD $443.154 billion
Here are the top 50:
Out of this year’s top 10 brands, seven hail from the tech sector. Furthermore, four tech brands make up this year’s top five rising brands: Facebook (#52, +43%), Google (#2, +34%), Apple (#1, +28%), and Amazon, (#19, +27%). Tech brands continue to dominate Interbrand's Best Global Brands report – underscoring the fundamental and invaluable role they play in consumers' lives. Due to its commitment to product innovation and its massive marketing spend, Samsung (#8, +20%) has surpassed Apple in smartphone sales and appears to be leading the tech sector in terms of connectivity and home automation. Samsung, which had one of the strongest increases of absolute brand value this year, continually anticipates what consumers will desire next. Despite the strong performance of many brands in this sector, a number of tech and consumer electronic brands did not rise, or even earn a position, on this year’s ranking. Most notably, one-time category leaders, Yahoo! and Blackberry fell off this year's ranking entirely, while Nokia (#57, -65%) experienced the largest decline in brand value in the history of Best Global Brands. Nintendo (#67, -14%), and Dell (#61, -10%) also experienced a decline in brand value. In the fast-changing world of mobile, digital, and social media, these brands have struggled to articulate their respective attributes and deliver meaningful and seamless experiences across all platforms and touchpoints.
Luxury Brands Stay Strong
Despite the fact that China’s GDP growth has slowed, luxury brands performed solidly in this year’s Best Global Brands ranking. Seven of this year's 100 most valuable brands hail from the luxury sector, and each increased its brand value by five percent or more. The top luxury brands of 2013 include: Louis Vuitton (#17, +6%), Gucci (#38, +7%), Hermes (#54, +23%), Cartier (#60, +26%), Prada (#72, +30%), Tiffany & Co. (#75, +5%), and Burberry (#77, +20%). Key drivers of growth for the luxury sector are likely due to a renewed sense of consumer confidence, increased store openings –particularly in the US and China — as well as the brands’ strong focus on linking the brick-and-mortar and digital brand experiences each has to offer.
Financial Services: Is Consumer Confidence On The Rise?
Eight of the 11 financial services brands in this year’s Best Global Brands ranking experienced an uptick in brand value. American Express leads the category at #23 and increased its brand value by 12 percent. The other top risers in the financial services sector include HSBC (#32, +7%), Goldman Sachs (#44, +12%), Citi (#48, +5%), AXA (#59, +5%), Allianz (#63, +8%), Visa (#74, +11%) and MasterCard (#97, +8%). And while many brands' external messaging reflect a primary goal of "rebuilding trust,” studies confirm that the industry, as a whole, may already be well on its way. As of May 2013, the Chicago Booth/Kellogg School Financial Trust Index found Americans' trust in the financial services sector had risen 13 percent since 2012. Still, some financial services brands like Morgan Stanley (#71, -21%) continue to struggle. In order to continue strengthening relationships with key constituencies, leaders of financial services brands must focus on clearly identifying their competitive advantages while ensuring transparency and consistency in their operations and interactions with stakeholders.
Automotive: Nine Automotive Brands Experience Double-digit Growth
14 of the top 100 most valuable global brands hail from the automotive sector, including Toyota (#10, +17%), Mercedes-Benz (#11, +6%), BMW (#12, +10%), Honda (#20, +7%), Volkswagen (#34, +20%), Ford (#42, +15%), Hyundai (#43, +20%), Audi (#51, +8%), Porsche (#64, +26%), Nissan (#65, +25%), Kia (#83, +15%), Chevrolet (#89, NEW), Harley-Davidson (#96, +10%), and Ferrari (#98, +6%). Of these 14 automotive brands, nine experienced double-digit percentage increases in terms of brand value. The auto industry has been on a steady path to recovery after experiencing production setbacks due to two natural disasters, both of which led to severe shortages of vehicles and parts. Nonetheless, US car sales jumped by more than 13 percent in 2012, the fastest growth rate in more than two decades. For the second consecutive year, Toyota is the top ranking brand within the automotive sector. The Japanese automaker, a fuel economy leader, also topped Interbrand’s 2013 Best Global Green Brands ranking and continues to demonstrate strength in driving customers to dealerships. While Toyota suffered a number of setbacks this year (including a boycott in China and its largest single recall ever), it quickly recovered and went on to reclaim its global sales leadership position—a testament to the automaker’s resilience, leadership position, and enduring appeal. Other automotive brands that experienced strong growth in terms of brand value were Porsche and Nissan. Porsche increased its brand value by 26 percent and Nissan increased its brand value by 25 percent. As previously noted, US automaker, Chevrolet, earned a position on the Best Global Brands ranking for the first time.
Best Global Brands 2013 Website
Detailed brand profiles, thought leadership articles, interactive charts, and interviews with brand leaders from around the world are available at:
http://bestglobalbrands.com
How to Burn a CD or DVD From A Disk Image In OS X
mac.tutsplus.com's Dylan Herx notes that disk images, or DMG, are a great way to archive files, or move software from one computer to another, because they are digital clones of the physical media they represent. This means you can use a disk image like you would a flash drive or execute a CD without the disk itself.
In this tutorial, Herx shows you how to write the disk image to a CD or DVD, in order to run software at boot, or just for safekeeping data.
You can check it out at:
http://goo.gl/Rejyzk
NeoOffice 2013.1Available On The Mac App Store
NeoOffice 2013.1 is the version of NeoOffice in Apple's Mac App Store.
Except for the changes noted the section below, NeoOffice 2013.1 has the same features as NeoOffice 3.3 Patch 10. So if you have any problems, use the suggested steps for finding an answer for a problem on the NeoOffice Support page.
Base database users: if you use Base databases, the developers recommend that you use NeoOffice 3.3. Base database features in NeoOffice 2013.1 are much more limited than in NeoOffice 3.3.
NeoOffice is a complete set of office applications. With NeoOffice, users can create and edit spreadsheets, text documents, and presentations.
NeoOffice is based on the OpenOffice office productivity software. Since 2003, the NeoOffice engineers have been continually adding improvements to NeoOffice that Mac users will not find in OpenOffice or LibreOffice such as:
- OS X Versions
- OS X Full-Screen mode
- Significant speed improvements to the OpenOffice and LibreOffice text layout, rendering, and printing code
- Native OS X text highlighting
- Native file locking support for local and networked volumes
- OS X Services support
- Native floating tool windows
...More
NeoOffice Support
New in Version 2013.1:
This version of NeoOffice includes fixes for the following bugs:
- When opening a new document or displaying a dialog, NeoOffice would allocate but never release some memory which would eventually cause excessive memory usage
- NeoOffice would sometimes crash when rapidly closing several documents via pressing the window titlebar's red "close window" button
-Sometimes when dragging text or images within a NeoOffice document, the mouse had to be clicked a second time to end dragging and insert the dragged content
-NeoOffice would crash when importing certain PDF files into a Draw document
Differences NeoOffice users will notice in NeoOffice 2013.1
Since Apple requires applications to implement several security requirements before they are allowed to be listed in the Mac App Store, NeoOffice users will see the following differences in NeoOffice 2013.1:
Features that require Java or Python removed
Apple requires that applications in the Mac App Store not use Java. Also, neither Java nor Python support the folder and file security restrictions that Apple's App Sandbox imposes. Because of these Apple security restrictions, NeoOffice users will notice the following changes in NeoOffice 2013.1:
• Tables in existing Base databases that use the HSQLDB format cannot be opened.
• Reports in all existing Base databases cannot be opened.
• Third party extensions that use Java or Python cannot be installed. Extensions that use OpenOffice Basic or native compiled code will continue to work.
• Several menu items in NeoOffice's File :: Wizards menu have been removed.
Uses Apple's App Sandbox
Applications that use Apple's App Sandbox are not allowed to open any of the user's folders or files without explicit permission from the user. So, when NeoOffice 2013.1 tries to open one of the user's files, NeoOffice 2013.1 will display a native open dialog set to the file's folder. NeoOffice 2013.1 will only be able to open the file if the user presses the dialog's OK button.
Update check feature removed
Apple's Mac App Store has its own update check so NeoOffice's internal update check has been removed from NeoOffice 2013.1.
Media Browser removed
Applications that use Apple's App Sandbox are not allowed to access other applications' user preference files. This restriction prevents the Media Browser code from accessing the iTunes and other applications' user preferences. Without such access, most audio and picture files are no longer accessible so the Media Browser has been removed from NeoOffice 2013.1.
No language pack installers
NeoOffice's language pack installers are incompatible with Apple's Mac App Store so NeoOffice 2013.1 includes the 19 most downloaded NeoOffice language pack languages:
French
German
Italian
United States English
Arabic
Brazilian Portuguese
British English
Chinese (Traditional)
Czech
Danish
Dutch
Finnish
Hebrew
Japanese
Norwegian
Polish
Russian
Spanish
Swedish
NeoOffice 2013.1 can be installed on the same machine and will not interfere with other versions of NeoOffice already installed on your machine. If you already have another version of NeoOffice installed in the Applications folder, your existing installation will not be overwritten. Instead, the installer will install NeoOffice 2013.1 in a new NeoOffice folder in the Applications folder.
Also, NeoOffice 2013.1 uses the following user preference files and folders to keep NeoOffice 2013.1 preferences separate from preferences for other versions of NeoOffice:
User preferences folder (replace "~" with your Home folder):
~/Library/Containers/org.neooffice.NeoOfficeSecureEdition/Data/Library/Preferences/NeoOfficeSecureEdition
Native preferences domain name: org.neooffice.NeoOfficeSecureEdition
System requirements:
• OS X 10.8.0 or later
$9.99
For more information, visit:
http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/macappstore.php
App Store:
http://goo.gl/cjlpwG
Chronos Announces Business Card Shop 5 - Share Cards Via Social Networking & Email
Utah based Chronos Inc. has announced Business Card Shop 5, a major upgrade to its #1 best-selling business card software for OS X. The new version makes it easier to share cards, edit individual faces of double-sided and folding cards, and browse templates. In all, over 12 new features have been added to make Business Card Shop faster and easier to use.
New Features:
New: Share a business card via Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, email, messaging, or AirDrop
New: Use a business card as an email signature (supports Apple's Mail app)
New: Added 10 signature card templates
New: Added Template Chooser for previewing templates or creating a blank card
New: The Template Chooser shows the back side of double-sided cards
New: Added ability to save a document as a template so it shows up in the Template Chooser
New: Added ability to edit individual faces/sides of double-sided, folding, and tent cards
New: Added 36 double-sided templates (22 horizontal and 14 vertical)
New: Fold lines are now displayed on folding & tent cards when editing
New: Added 2 folding card templates
New: Added 2 tent card templates
New: Added support for new Avery 75361 self-laminating cards (great for loyalty cards, gym memberships, luggage tags, ID cards and more)
New: Added support for new Avery 88220 & 88221 double-sided cards with rounded corners
New: Added support for a lot of other Avery and generic card formats in U.S. and metric sizes
New: Added ability to convert text to outlines so the text is treated like any other shape
New: Grid settings can now be saved on a document-by-document basis and the grid can optionally be printed
Business Card Shop is a complete business card kit and includes everything the user needs to design and print impressive business cards. It supports 700+ card stocks including those from Avery, PaperDirect, NEATO, and more. It comes with over 175 pre-designed templates for over 175 different professions. It also comes with a massive collection of artwork (over 1.4 GB in size) from artists all over the world.
Chronos' Business Card Shop 5.0 iincludes ready-made designs, photos and EPS vector art, support for card stocks from Avery and others, drawing and layout tools, special effects, smart fields, smart templates, layers, integration with iPhoto, and other features. This release brings business card sharing, support for business cards as signatures in Apple Mail, a Template Chooser, an option to save a document as a template, editing of individual faces/sides of double-sided, folding, and tent cards, more templates, support for Avery 75361 self-laminating cards, conversion of text to outlines, and more.
Chronos believes users should have the opportunity to try the software for free before they purchase, so a fully functional 30 day trial version can be downloaded from Chronos' web site at:
Business Card Shop sells for $39.99 and is available directly from Chronos. A family pack is also available for $69.99.
Registered customers of SOHO Business Cards 1.x to 3.x or Business Card Shop 4.x can upgrade to version 5 for $25. See the website for family pack upgrade pricing. Customers who purchased Business Card Shop 4.x after July 15, 2013, can upgrade to Business Card Shop 5 for free.
Business Card Shop requires Mac OS X v10.8.4 or later; and 400 MB of available disk space (1.9GB for entire included artwork collection); inkjet or laser printer optional (great results from popular inkjet, laser, color laser printers including DYMO, Seiko, Brother, HP, Epson, Canon, Lexmark, et cetera).
For more information, visit:
http://www.chronosnet.com
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