Your Old Apple Devices May Qualify For Repair...And Other Small Business Tech News This Week

Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg

Here are five things in technology that happened this past week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?

1 — Find out if your old Apple devices qualify for repair.

Apple has announced it will soon launch a Repair Vintage Apple Products Pilot program that could extend a product’s eligibility for repairs from five years to seven years (see the current vintage and obsolete products page on its website). Included now are the iPhone 5 and mid-2012 MacBook Air models, and additional models such as the iPhone 4S and MacBook Pro will be added to the eligible vintage repair list on November 30, followed by MacBook Pro models from 2012 and 2013 on December 30. (Source: CNET)

Why this is important for your business:

If I hear any complaint about Apple products it’s almost always about cost. Yes they’re great. But they’re expensive. That’s why this program seems like an excellent idea, particularly for small businesses on a budget. Squeezing a few more years of life out of a Macbook or iPhone may be way more cost effective than replacing them.

2 — Intuit announces winner of the 2018 $100,000 Small Business App Showdown.

At QuickBooks Connect 2018, Intuit announced G1VE as the winner of this year’s $100,000 Small Business App Showdown—the contest honoring the best new apps published on the QuickBooks App Store over the last year. G1VE enables QuickBooks businesses to allocate a percentage of their monthly revenue—usually 1%--to their favorite nonprofits by integrating with QuickBooks Online to calculate each business’s donation amount based on its revenue. (Source: Market Watch)

Why this is important for your business:

I admit I didn’t even know this program from Intuit existed. But it’s a great idea, not only because it showcases great apps that increase with its popular small business products but also gives big money to start-ups or tech firms that develop innovative ways to use QuickBooks better. If you’re a QuickBooks user then check out some of the other finalists…or maybe develop something next year?

3 — 8 noteworthy new features coming to Chromebooks this month.

Google is currently rolling out its Chrome OS 70, which drastically changes the look and feel of the operating system and makes it more touch-friendly than ever. Chrome OS 70 features interface enhancements such as a revamped appearance of the shelf, with the dock of icons at the bottom of the screen; a newly combined and Android-Pie-design-injected Quick Settings and notification panel; and a streamlined tablet home screen to give users a permanent on-screen grid of icons—in effect, an always-open version of the traditional Chrome OS launcher. (Source: Computer World)

Why this is important for your business:

I think this may be the year I try a Chromebook. My phone is a Samsung and my company is a user of Google apps. Sure, I travel and may need offline access to data that a Chromebook may not provide – but maybe it does. But given the cost and the amount of time I’m around high speed connections, it seems like a more cost effective device for a small business and its employees. Do you agree?

4 — Amazon drops minimum purchase requirement for free holiday shipping.

In response to Target’s offer of 2-day free shipping for the holidays, this week Amazon started telling its non-Prime members it will remove the $25 minimum purchase requirement for orders qualifying for free standard shipping. The retailer says this is a limited-time offer for the holiday season. Competitor Walmart offers free 2-day shipping on purchases of $35 or more. (Source: The Verge)

Why this is important for your business:

If you’re in the ecommerce business – and particularly if you’re a small business - then this isn’t good news. If Amazon is offering to eat the costs of shipping on more items then ultimately you will need to too. The only good news is that you know this now, so you’ve got a little time to prepare. Maybe you can increase your selling prices a few bucks to make up for the difference? Or just bite the bullet and become an Amazon merchant?

5 — Small businesses reap the benefits of hiring a fractional CIO.  

Small businesses may want to consider hiring a fractional CIO—an outsourced person to fill the role of chief information officer, working part time or on an as-needed basis. That’s because such an individual can be beneficial when a small business faces a deadline to meet specific IT goals, especially regulatory or other compliance requirements—such as earlier this year when General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance was needed. (Source: Columbus Business First)

Why this is important for your business:

I include this story because it’s important for small business owners to know that in 2018 it’s not about just having an “IT person” who fixes printers and resolves networking issues. Yes, that role is important too. But given all the changes in technology and the need to make strategic investments for the future it’s a good idea to embrace this trend and consider using a higher-level, CIO-type consultant to help you make the right technology choices.

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