Going Direct!

Part of the power of the internet is that we can go direct to consumers without having to go through third parties, like retailers, brokers or dealers.  But, not all industries are allowed to do so. The most glaring is the car industry where a manufacturer can't sell directly to consumers but must have a car dealer in the middle to make the sale.  I don't know where this practice came from, why or who it protects but it is causing problems for Tesla as they try and expand across the U.S. with their electric cars.  We might take for granted how great it can be to build a direct relationship with our customer and consumer, but we shouldn't.  If we were the music, book or movie industry we would try anything to establish and keep that relationship. 

Who really knows our customers/consumers?  It's Amazon. It's Apple.  It's Best Buy, Target, etc.  Where we can, go direct and go with all humility as this is the best relationship to have.

The iCar

I see that Apple is working hard to secure all of the streaming music rights so that they can launch iRadio.  While I applaud them for moving into streaming, they are late to the game (Pandora, Spotify, Rdio, Rhapsody, imeem, and the list goes on and on). I also find it curious as this is not a business with a ton of upside, so let's hope they have something else up their sleeve that we don't know about.

That said, iRadio would be a lot cooler if it had an iCar to go with it!

Why is Apple not buying Tesla?  Some will immediately answer, why would Apple want to be in the car business? I respond with, "The last time I looked a Tesla was a battery operated consumer product."  Tesla is the new Apple.  Look at the product design.  Marvel at the innovation. Wonder at what Elon Musk has on his mind next.  Apple buys Tesla, gets Elon Musk to join the team (maybe leads Apple in the future), licenses the autonomous car technology from Google and moves into a future that few can imagine.


Apple has the cash.  They need innovation. They need to make a Steve Jobs bold move. 

The iCar is waiting!