Discover how mastering email communication can boost business efficiency, avoid common pitfalls, and ensure secure, respectful online interactions.
Turkey Revenge
The turkeys are pissed this Thanksgiving they are seeking revenge.
Germs Infest 60% of Americas Phones
60% of Americans sleep with their phones, harboring germs. Cleaning regularly with UV sanitizer or alcohol wipes can help keep your phone and bed germ-free.
Smartphone Sanitizing: A Practical Guide
Securely erase personal data from your old smartphone before recycling. Protect your identity from hackers—easy steps to follow.
Why Soft Skills Matter in Today’s Job Market
Boost your career with essential soft skills like communication, teamwork, and emotional intelligence. Learn why they’re crucial for workplace success.
The Age of AI: How to Future-Proof Your Career
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping IT careers. However, AI will create a demand for different IT staff staffers. Professor Roland Rust at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business predicts that future jobs will demand different skills. The professor and his team identified skills like “people management, working with others, emotional intelligence and negotiation skills” will be paramount in the age of AI. He points out, “Everybody will be – and already is – working with AI.”
In an article at InsiderPro the professor recommends working with AI, “The key is to recognize that collaborating with AI is essential … it’s best not to compete with it.” He suggests that human workers focus on differentiating themselves from AI. “… human workers should focus on what they are naturally good at, which is people skills.” Rust says that “… workers should develop the skills necessary to interface with AI, and willingly delegate those aspects of the job for which AI is better-suited.”
In the article, Megan Beck, practice manager at global management company Bain & Co., echoes Professor Rust. She predicts that tech professionals will see a shift in how they achieve success. She explained, “… AI is automating cognitive tasks such as data processing, which means that these cognitive tasks are becoming less valued and higher-level tasks, such as creativity and emotional understanding, are becoming more valued.”
What is the feeling economy?
According to Bing, we are in the Thinking Economy. The Feeling Economy is coming. It is being driven by the advancement of AI. While AI is rapidly assuming a larger share of thinking tasks, it is more difficult to automate emotional intelligence. This is where the human worker’s competitive advantage over machines currently lies, as AI is not expected to outperform human beings in subtle skills like empathy, emotion management, and inspiration for many years. The Feeling Economy is expected to flourish in the future.
AI and the rise of the feeling economy
As artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated, IT professionals need to hone their soft skills that give them an edge over computers. Professor Rust’s research describes the increasing needs for people skills as the “feeling economy.” Researchers analyzed Department of Labor data. They observed a rise in tasks involving emotional intelligence, as opposed to cognitive or physical tasks. They also found that a correlation existed between wage growth and tasks involving emotional intelligence compared to cognitive tasks. Professor Rust observer,
At first, the job skills that require common sense and intuition will be safe … Before too long, though, even those skills will be attained by AI, and at that point, only the emotional and empathetic parts of feeling skills will be the differentiator for people. In general, the more people the job touches, the safer the job is from AI. Management and interpersonal communications are the kinds of job characteristics to look for.
Consulting firm Gartner calls the data social-creative. Emily Rose McRae, director in the Gartner HR practice told InsiderPro, ” … jobs are shifting towards requiring more social-creative skills. This is a trend we expect to see continuing into the future, as AI learns to successfully perform more skills.”
How to future-proof your career
Ms. McRae suggested some introspection, to prepare for a future career that includes a heavy dose of AI:
Identify your tasks that are repetitive or rule-based.- If a machine were doing those tasks, what else could you be doing?
- Can you focus more on other, less predictable tasks in your role?
- Would you spend more time working with the output of that machine, finishing the process?
- Would you spend more time in strategy meetings, or collaborating with your team?
She also recommended actively practicing creativity in your job, studies or even a hobby. “Studies show that the biggest factor in being creative is not innate ability, but needing to be creative on a regular basis.”
AI can learn emotional intelligence.
AI will eventually target sophisticated emotional intelligence as well. Mark Beccue, principal analyst at Tractica told InsiderPro, “AI, particularly deep learning, can tap digitally captured data to learn empathy.” He warns, “Emotional intelligence can be developed from previous experiences.”
In terms of existing work, Beccue sees little opportunity in jobs that focus on collecting and processing data. He suggests, “If your job is about the routine processing of information, look for another job …”
Additionally, he say focus on sharpening your nonlinear thinking skills and abstract thinking. Focus on the ability to make connections among unrelated concepts or ideas. Mr. Beccue told InsiderPRO, those naturally drawn to linear thinking are at greater risk.
Recommendations
Bain & Co.’s Beck also recommends that IT pros focus on skills like creativity, persuasion, and leadership: “Workers who want to future-proof their careers should invest in skills that are hard for AI to mimic.”
Gartner’s McRae recommends, “Focus on developing your ability to adapt to new technologies … technology changes and evolves at a very rapid pace, so being adept at learning new technology is incredibly important, and is a skill top employers are seeking.” Martin Fleming, a Fellow of the Productivity Institute sums it up, “Workers who are willing to redesign their jobs, learn new skills and find new ways of working will prosper.”
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It’s all part of a gradual shift from the ‘Thinking Economy,'” which for decades has rewarded cognitive skills, to the “Feeling Economy.” According to the experts, AI is not expected to surpass human capabilities like empathy, emotion management, and inspiration for many years.
We all need to hope that artificial intelligence does develop empathy for humans. Because the current batch mega-tech overlords don’t seem up to protecting society from AI.
Category: Uncategorized |
Tags: 2024, Artificial intelligence, Bain, Career, Feeling economy, Gartner, IT Pro, Layoffs, Roland Rust, Security
The Rising Value of IPv4 Addresses
According to an article at CircleID, the value of IPv4 addresses is set to increase. IPv4 is the traditional way to address devices that attach to the Internet. The world has been running out of these addresses, leading to the development of its successor, IPv6, Despite being available on the public internet since 2011, the new protocol has not been widely implemented. Only about a third of the top 1000 websites globally support it. Meanwhile, existing IPv4 networks have become more efficient in their use of IPv4, reducing the drive to implement IPv6.
Impact of COVID-19 on the IPv4 Market
The COVID-19 pandemic brought significant changes to the IPv4 market. Many firms sold off their IPv4 addresses to raise capital. The article says the IPv4 prices have risen over the past three years. Another factor driving up the price of IPv4 networks is the cloud computing giant, Amazon.
Pricing Changes by Cloud Providers
AWS has announced that starting February 1, 2024, they will begin charging at least $40 per IPv4 address per year. It is anticipated that other cloud giants such as Alibaba, Cloudflare, Google, Microsoft, and Oracle will follow AWS with similar pricing structures. Notably, AWS’s new cost per address is 300% higher than what Microsoft paid for Nortel’s IPv4 address range in 2011.
IPv4 Arbitrage Opportunities
Given AWS’s price exceeding $40 per address per year, the author expects businesses to purchase addresses on the open market at less than AWS’s $40 and migrate them to the cloud. This will save them some of the AWS costs. This strategy is likely to increase demand for IPv4, further contributing to their value increase.
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Organizations holding even a small pool of IPv4 addresses could monetize this asset. By implementing Network Address Translation (NAT) or transitioning to IPV6 on their internal networks, they can free up IPv4 addresses. These addresses can then be sold to networks grappling with the cost increases imposed by the cloud providers.
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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.
What a Glorious Day
Today is a glorious day.
It is National Pizza day !
And
63 degrees in February in Michigan !!!
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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.
HP Greedflation
G
reedflation prevails more among companies with near-monopolies. In such instances, customers have little choice but to pay the listed price for the good or service due to limited alternatives. Greedflation price hikes are not tied to a legitimate need for a rise in the cost of a good or service.
HP drives greedflation. HP drive greedflation by continuously releasing software updates for its Dynamic Security system. This system bricks HP printers when they’re used with third-party ink cartridges. Resulting in several lawsuits.
HP greedflation
HP CEO Enrique Lores told CNBC, why the company pushes the maligned software. Ars Technica says that the reason for persistently pushing the hated software, is HP’s aim to transform printing into a subscription-based service. Lores said, “Our long-term objective is to make printing a subscription … This is really what we have been driving.”
Lores states that HP locks users out of using HP printers when loaded with a non-HP ink cartridge to protect customers against potential viruses. Lores claims, “We have seen that you can embed viruses in the cartridges … Through the cartridge, [the virus can] go to the printer, [and then] from the printer, go to the network.”
Fake claims
Security experts call BS on Lores. The plausibility of a virus in an ink cartridge being used to perpetrate an attack is low. even calling it “wildly implausible even in a lab setting, let alone in the wild.” Ars points out that HP released HP released Dynamic Security released back in 2016. However, the “research” justifying the cartridge threat didn’t come out till 2022. Additionally, HP established a bug bounty program in 2020. The bounty has largely been aimed at identifying third-party cartridges according to Digital Trends. HP claims third-party cartridges violate its intellectual property (IP) and is another argument for bricking consumers’ printers.
Greedflation – the real reason
The security claim is weak at best. Their decision is to lock their customers HP’s ecosystem to boost profits. Lores told Ars “… this customer doesn’t print enough or doesn’t use our supplies, it’s a bad investment.”
HP’s Instant Ink plan is an example of a subscription service. The Instant Ink plan charges $1.49 per month to print 10 pages, in addition to the cost of buying your printer. Additional pages are available in sets of 10-15 pages, for $1.00 more per set. The cost to the user rises to $27.99 per month on top of the $549.00 base price for a low-volume printer like the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283fdw, plus shipping.
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So, after 3 years of service, you end up paying HP $1,367 for the purchase price for the rights to use your $549 printer. That is 2.5 times the cost subscription over the purchase price.
I know what this customer thinks of this HP greedflation.
Related article
Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.
Category: Uncategorized |
Tags: 2024, Business, DRM, Enrique Lores, Greed, Greedflation, HP, Printer
PC Sales Post First Quarterly Gain In Two Years
PC sales increased for the first time in two years. Gartner is reporting that global PC shipments for the fourth quarter of 2023 totaled 63.3 million units in. This is a 0.3% increase from the fourth quarter of 2022. However, 2023 was the worst year in PC history. PC shipments declined 14.8% in 2023. Gartner notes this is the second year with a double-digit decline. Worldwide PC shipments totaled 241.8 million units in 2023, down from 284 million in 2022.
| Company | 2023 Shipments | 2023 Market Share (%) | 2022 Shipments | 2022 Market Share (%) | 2023-2022 Growth (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lenovo | 59,725.0 | 24.7% | 69,047.0 | 24.3% | -13.5% | ||
| HP Inc. | 52,896.0 | 21.9% | 55,366.0 | 19.5% | -4.5% | ||
| Dell | 40,238.0 | 16.6% | 50,008.0 | 17.6% | -19.5% | ||
| Apple | 21,877.0 | 9.0% | 26,825.0 | 9.4% | -18.4% | ||
| Asus | 17,061.0 | 7.1% | 20,651.0 | 7.3% | -17.4% | ||
| Acer | 15,887.0 | 6.6% | 18,708.0 | 6.6% | -15.1% | ||
| Others | 34,206.0 | 14.1% | 43,448.0 | 15.3% | -21.3% | ||
| Total | 241,891.0 | 0 | 284,052.0 | 0 | -14.8% | ||
| Source: Gartner (January 2024) | |||||||
Globally, PC shipments for all of 2023 totaled 241.8 million units, a 14.8% decrease from 2022. This marks the first time that shipment volume has dipped below 250 million since 2006, when 230 million units were shipped according to Gartner.
All the vendors shipped fewer units in 2023. According to the Gartner data date, Dell (DELL) (-19.5%) and Apple (AAPL) (-18.4%) saw the largest decreases. Mikako Kitagawa, Director Analyst at Gartner said, “… all top six vendors maintained their position without notable share gains or losses … Gartner projects that the PC market will return to annual growth in 2024.”
U.S. PC sales
The U.S. PC market recorded its first year-over-year growth since the second quarter of 2021. U.S. PC sales increased 1.8% in the fourth quarter of 2023. HP (HPQ) maintained the top spot in the U.S. PC market share of 27.7%. Dell came in second with 22.6% of U.S. PC market share, despite a 5% decrease for last year. ASUS (2357) lost a spectacular 23.2% of their U.S. Market Share in 23Q4. Kitagawa commented, “The solid U.S. economy helped small and midsize business spending as the segment grew steadily. Large companies were still cautious about spending, postponing PC refreshes to 2024.”
| U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 4Q23 (Thousands of Units) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Company | 4Q23 Shipments | 4Q23 Market Share (%) | 4Q23-4Q22 Growth (%) |
| HP Inc. | 4,665 | 27.70% | 1.80% |
| Dell | 3,805 | 22.60% | -5.0% |
| Apple | 2,716 | 16.10% | 14.50% |
| Lenovo | 2,650 | 15.70% | 10.60% |
| Acer | 826 | 4.90% | 13.20% |
| ASUS | 733 | 4.40% | -23.10% |
| Others | 1,435 | 8.50% | -12.00% |
| Total | 16,831 | 100 | 1.80% |
| Source: Gartner (January 2024) | |||
Global PC Sales
Globally, year-over-year PC shipments were mixed. The winner was Acer (TPE:2353) with an increase of 11.1% for the year. Apple, (7.2%) best, followed by HP (5.6%) and Lenovo (LNVGY) (3.2%) were the winners for 2023.
ASUS was the big loser in 2023, with a -9.4% decrease year-over-year in PC shipments. Dell dropped -8.3% over 2023.
| Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 4Q23 (Thousands of Units) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company | 4Q23 Shipments | 4Q23 Market Share (%) | 4Q23-4Q22 (%) Growth | |||||
| Lenovo | 16,213 | 25.60% | 3.2% | |||||
| HP Inc. | 13,954 | 22.00% | 5.6% | |||||
| Dell | 9,983 | 15.80% | -8.3% | |||||
| Apple | 6,349 | 10.00% | 7.2% | |||||
| ASUS | 4,405 | 7.00% | -9.4% | |||||
| Acer | 3,987 | 6.30% | 11.1% | |||||
| Others | 8,479 | 13.40% | 15.3% | |||||
| Total | 63,371 | |||||||
| Source: Gartner (January 2024) | ||||||||
Gartner notes that Lenovo marked its first year-over-year growth in worldwide PC shipments since the third quarter of 2021. HP Inc. had its second consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth and sequential growth in worldwide PC shipments. Meanwhile, Dell registered its seventh consecutive quarter of year-over-year shipment decline.
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PC sales should pick up as many firms upgrade to Windows 11 ahead of the looming Windows 10 EOL. The scheduled end of support date for Window 10 is October 2025
Related article
Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.