FEATURE OF THE WEEK | 12/19/2008 – 12/26/08

_Dear Friends,_

Every year at this time we push our systems and our team to the limits to make sure that we get all of the orders out promptly and maintain our standards for customer satisfaction. This year is no exception, and the great deal on the MacBooks, Chill Pills and iPods combined with our first-ever free shipping promotion has given new meaning to “all hands on deck.” I am pleased to report that despite some absences due to flu and cold, the Small Dog team has really risen to the occasion. It is the team effort that gets the job done and I could not be prouder of our team.

The big news this week is that Apple has announced that this year’s San Francisco Macworld will be their last. They also announced that Phil Schiller will be giving the keynote address at the beginning of the Macworld Expo. This has created a furor of rumors and speculation. I fully understand Apple’s decision to cut back on participation in trade shows, especially this annual gathering. Trade shows are “old” business and enormously expensive for the huge presence Apple has each year at the show. Perhaps more importantly, the timing of the show immediately following the most intense sales period for Apple is not particularly ideal. Their stock tanks if they do not meet or exceed everyone’s expectations for new and innovative products, which sometimes results in premature product announcements (in which they don’t ship immediately), product spec changes (by the time they do ship) and an artificial deadline for product development. When Apple sold most of its product through their resale channel, perhaps a trade show made sense; however, with Apple’s retail presence and web presence, a trade show is no longer necessary to get the word out. It is also clear that Apple can create–almost at will–a media event to announce a new product and get as much (or more) buzz on their own schedule.

It will be disappointing not to have Steve Jobs address the crowd at Macworld. I am sure glad that I didn’t pay the $2000 for a guaranteed seat at the keynote! Naturally, the speculation is that the reason for Steve’s absence is his health but I doubt that is the issue; he is clearly in charge and doing well at Apple. There has been pressure for Apple to address succession plans, and I think that is exactly what Apple is doing by giving some of the other outstanding members of their executive team some high-profile opportunities. Phil Schiller, Tim Cook, Jonathan Ives and others are superstars in their own right and I think it is a smart plan to move Apple from being the “cult of Steve” to the “cult of Apple.” I do not think that the change in keynote presenter necessarily means that there will be fewer or different products introduced. I just think that Apple is working on their schedule and has learned from past mistakes regarding premature product releases.

I don’t know what I will do with my first week of January after next year, and I’ll certainly miss the opportunity to hob-knob with vendors and Apple folks at meetings and parties. The social nature of Macworld will be missed; however, at least for Apple, the huge expense in materials and personnel will not be. I’ve been to just about every Macworld and have great memories stretching back over 20 years, so it will be sad to see it go, but change is good and we will find new ways and venues with which to network.

I’m sure you’ve seen “PRODUCT RED”:http://www.joinred.com/Home.aspx special edition products that, when bought, the manufacturers donate a percentage of the profits to the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. (Apple’s red iPod nano and shuffle are good examples–if they would let us carry them, we would!)

*GREAT MUSIC, DELIVERED WEEKLY, SAVES LIVES*

Now, there’s more to (RED), and more ways to help! Their new weekly digital music magazine, (RED)WIRE, launches today. With each issue, you’ll receive exclusive music from artists around the world, and people living with HIV in Africa will receive the medicine they need.

“Sign up now and get two free issues.”:http://www.joinredwire.com/givegettry.html

How it works:
Every Wednesday, you’ll receive your new music via the (RED)WIRE player – which also places each song automatically in your iTunes. All music is yours forever, since they are unprotected digital files. You’ll be able to play them on your computer, iPod as well as burn them to CD or DVD.

It’s all only $5 per month (that’s about what you’d pay for iTunes music anyway in a month!) and half your membership fee goes to buy medicine to keep people living with HIV in Africa alive.

What you’ll receive:
* You get an exclusive song from a major artist.
* A song by a showcased artist.
* A fun or inspiring piece that’s not music–a short video of someone telling a story, a slideshow of great photography, someone reading something they love.
* And frequent updates from Africa–a window into the culture of the people getting the medicine.

“Check out (RED)WIRE here!”:http://www.joinredwire.com/
“Shop (PRODUCT) RED.”:http://www.joinred.com/Shop.aspx/

There’s no time like the present to give the gift of a charitable donation to reach those in need. Small Dog Electronics believes that giving back to the community (both local and global) is an integral part of our business, and we will match your donation dollar-for-dollar up to $200.

Be inspired! Give to others less fortunate–you’ll be glad you did. ‘Tis the season, after all!

Some of our featured charities:

* Amnesty International
* Doctors Without Borders
* EarthTrust
* Planned Parenthood
* Vermont Foodbank
* VPIRG

Read more about Small Dog’s Charitable Giving Program:
“Smalldog.com/charity”:http://www.smalldog.com/charity

Make a donation:
“Charitable Giving Program Donation Page”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/Gifts_and_Swag|Charitable_Donations

In a few days, many thousands of people will unwrap shiny new iPods. iTunes and the iPod are fairly easy to use, with fairly intuitive interfaces, but first-time iPod owners may still be confused about how to use them. This is espeacully true for people who rarely use a computer.

Also, even long-time iTunes/iPod owners might not be getting the most out their iPods. For example, many iTunes users don’t know they can manually manage songs and playlists on their iPods, rather than having iTunes automatically sync media (which sometimes results in media being improperly removed from the iPod). Following are a few links from Apple.com that will help new and experienced iPod owners to get the most out of their iPods.

* “New User’s Guide For iPod”:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1345
* “iPod tutorials from Apple.”:http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/tutorials/
* “Apple’s iPod Support Page”:http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/
* “Syncing Content to iPod”:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2209
* “Using iPod with multiple computers”:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1202
* “Safely disconnect iPod”:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1853
* “Adding and Deleting Songs and playlists from your iPod”:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1855
* “How to use your iPod to move your music to a new computer”:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1329

I’m heading up to my mom’s place on Sunday to celebrate the start of Chanukah and will be playing Santa for my grandkids on Christmas. One of the presents I got them was a basketball hoop. Autumn was a star b’ball player in high school and I went to every one of her games. She was the starting center and her point guard, Kim Blodgett, was living with us at the time so we spent a lot of time on basketball.
Khadija took me aside the other day and told me she was going to play basketball once she got to middle school, so I guess it’s time for a hoop! As soon as the snow melts a bit, I’ll go up and install it on their garage. Autumn and I have plans to paint a key and three-point line, too.

All of us at Small Dog Electronics send the very best wishes for the holidays from our family to yours. We know that it is you who pays our wages and we appreciate the loyalty and support that we have been fortunate to enjoy.

Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

Your Kibbles & Bytes team,
_Don, Kali & Ed_