Management

Considering Bringing Remote Workers Back to the Office? Consider This First…

October 8, 2020 by Ted Leave a Comment

Upset person needing help with mental wellbeing issues

Mental Wellbeing Issues Emerge as a Major Side-Effect of COVID-19

One of the questions I’m frequently asked is, “When will the economy bounce back to pre-COVID levels so we can all get back to normal?” The answer: We won’t “bounce back” to a pre-pandemic economy, and “normal” won’t be the same. The details on this answer is a topic for another post, but suffice it to say that one of the reasons is due to emerging, unforeseen variables, such as deteriorating employee mental wellbeing issues.

And THAT IS the topic of this post. Two new surveys provide troubling but important data that will impact how – or if – you re-centralize your team…if that’s your plan.

See new data on your team’s mental wellness…

[Read more…]

Sonos Stock Slammed on News Apple Stores Drop the Line

October 7, 2020 by Ted 2 Comments

Lost 7% of Value in After-Hours Trading

Bloomberg News reported late on Monday that Apple is dropping Sonos [NASDAQ: SONO] and other non-Apple branded products from their stores. The news of Sonos losing such a major customer caused their stock to derail in after hours trading, down almost 7% in value at one point. On Tuesday, Sonos stock price closed down 3.2% as Wall Street digested the news.

See why Apple stores are dropping Sonos…

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Emerald Expo Says CEDIA Expo Virtual Registers 7,600; Claims Virtual Success

October 1, 2020 by Ted Leave a Comment

Emerald Expositions announced today that CEDIA Expo Virtual drew 7,600 trade professional registrations for their three day run from September 15-17, 2020. Although this figure is less than half the attendance at the live, in-person version, Emerald considers it a great success as an all-virtual event.

See more on the results for CEDIA Expo Virtual

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VOXX Int’l Reveals It’s Been Hit By a Ransomware Attack

September 30, 2020 by Ted Leave a Comment

Warns that Sensitive Employee & Contractor Info Compromised

VOXX International Corporation (NASDAQ:VOXX) revealed this week that they were the victim of a ransomware attack in July and that an assessment of the hack completed early this month shows that sensitive and confidential employee and contractor information has been compromised. The company has issued a warning to all employees and contractors who have worked for the company over the last 20-years.

See more on this surprising VOXX ransomware attack…

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At Crestron NEXT, the Company Reveals Trends Driving the Future

September 29, 2020 by Ted 1 Comment

Photo of Ranjan Singh of Crestron at Crestron NEXT

As previously reported by Strata-gee, the Crestron NEXT event of two weeks ago was a remarkable accomplishment for one company to pull off. With a full two-day agenda – Crestron NEXT offered lots of great content, such as its perspective on the tech business today, seminars on their key current tech products, and more importantly, advice on where things are going tomorrow.

Probably one of my favorite presentations was actually the closing presentation – where Ranjan Singh, Crestron’s Executive VP of Product and Technology summed up the key points of the last two days…and more importantly…offered some details on trends to watch today that will drive the future in a presentation titled “Future Innovations, Next & Beyond.” This is the kind of smart insight that most integrators never get to hear.

See Crestron’s trends driving the future…

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Next Big Virtual Event to Watch For: Snap Pro Live from SnapAV

September 23, 2020 by Ted Leave a Comment

Event season is upon us, as evidenced by the two major events that took place last week – CEDIA Expo Virtual 2020 and Crestron NEXT. This year, thanks to COVID-19, these normally in-person events took place in the digital domain as virtual events. And the next big show that integrators are going to want to watch for – which will also be a virtual event – is the upcoming Snap Pro Live being produced by industry powerhouse SnapAV.

See more on Snap Pro Live from SnapAV…

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Long the Star of the Company, Sony Elects to Shift to a Supporting Role

September 9, 2020 by Ted 2 Comments

According to a new report out of Japan last week, analysts say that Sony’s business is shifting towards more services and events – and away from the electronics business, the division that built the company. For decades, the brand Sony was practically synonymous with electronics…but that identity may be shifting as growth in other company divisions surpass electronics.

See more on Sony’s shifting categories…

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Audio Research: Alone Again (Naturally)

September 3, 2020 by Ted 5 Comments

A Guest Post on the Saga of an American Brand

Of all the success stories of the ‘70s high end audio boom, none was more unlikely than that of Audio Research Corporation (ARC). Based in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, historically a fly-over region for hi-fi, led by a balding, bearlike founder, and offering electronics based around vacuum tubes – considered obsolete for a decade – ARC somehow survived and thrived.

Learn more on the saga of Audio Research…

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B&W Shows Signs of Its Resurgence as an Innovative Audio Leader

September 2, 2020 by Ted 2 Comments

New 600 Series Anniversary Edition from B&W — *New B&W 600 Series Anniversary Edition*

In probably one of the most meaningful media presentations I’ve attended, executives at B&W presented the industry media with their forward-looking product roadmap for the remainder of 2020 – most of it under embargo. So while I can’t tell you much about the products they revealed, what I can say is that they made a strong case for the resurgence of B&W as a leading audio power.

Learn more about my thoughts on the B&W presentation…

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Sonos Adds Top Microsoft Executive to Its Board of Directors

August 20, 2020 by Ted Leave a Comment

Sonos, Inc. (NASDAQ: SONO) announced this week that they are adding a new member to their Board of Directors. In fact, they even increased the size of the Board to make room for this new addition. The news surprised – and impressed – many market observers, as the person they are adding is Panos Panay, a top Microsoft Corp. executive. You see, if you are not familiar with Panay, there is something special about his background that makes him an intriguing addition to the Sonos Board.

Learn more about this Sonos recruitment…

[Read more…]

Management

Considering Bringing Remote Workers Back to the Office? Consider This First…

Mental Wellbeing Issues Emerge as a Major Side-Effect of COVID-19

See new data on your team’s mental wellness…