Adventures in web globalization, since 2002
I’m optimistic about the year ahead. I base this optimism in part on discussions I’ve had this year with dozens of marketing and web teams across about ten countries. While every company has its own unique worldview and challenges, a …
Not exactly breaking news, but Apple Store is now live in Russia. I love the art they used for the launch: The global gateway that Apple uses for its online stores is a subset of the gateway it uses for …
I’ve written an article for client Pitney Bowes on pricing strategies in Asia. Here, for example, is how the iPad mini is priced in China: All those 8s are no coincidence. Find out why here.
I love these new Apple advertisements: And… But one thing I couldn’t help but wonder while watching them: Where are the older folks? That is, where are the people of my demographic? Or my parents? If you look closely you’ll …
We studied 18 consumer technology websites for the 2013 Web Globalization Report Card. The Web Globalization Report Card is an annual benchmark of how effectively companies internationalize and localize their websites and applications for the world. Out of those 18 …
Here is the image used on Apple’s China home page to announce Tim Cook’s apology letter regarding Apple repair and warranty “misunderstandings.” Here is The Wall Street Journal take on the matter. From a web globalization perspective, what interests me …
I hope you’ll join me on Wednesday for a free one-hour webinar (sponsored by Lionbridge). I will talk about my research on the retail industry, focusing on companies like Amazon, Apple, and Best Buy. You’ll get a better understanding of …
Apple provides a subtle, but global, welcome to new users of iOS 6. I just downloaded the OS today and captured a few screens to illustrate below: The only thing that changes is the language of the “slide to set …
Here’s a new article I’ve written for UX Magazine on the importance of aligning global and mobile strategies. Too often, companies develop mobile apps and mobile websites without considering localization requirements. Here are two previous articles I’ve written for UX Magazine: Select …
I was fresh out of college and living in Australia when I first experienced Boxing Day. I was clueless. I thought the Aussies were unusually eager fans of, well, boxing. If only I had Wikipedia back then. Now, Boxing Day …
Apple has been using flags as part of its global gateway for many years. In 2006, Apple’s global gateway was positioned in the footer and featured a different flag for each country web site: Today, Apple has done away with …
I recently got around to upgrading to Snow Leopard. Along the way, I discovered a rather interesting bug. It’s not a huge deal, but a bug nonetheless. And one likely to cause a fair amount of confusion. First of all, …
Curious to know how many big companies have embraced blogging? 81 of the Fortune 500 This is less than I would have guessed. As a comparison, roughly twice as many companies on the Inc. 500 list have blogs — and …
About six months ago, I began toying with the idea of biking to work. Driving from Seattle to Redmond is a minor nightmare because of traffic over the bridge. And I know there are people who bike all the time, …
I’m not very patient with games. Which is probably why I’m not very good. My brother has concocted a tile puzzle game for the iPhone, shown below, that I still haven’t figured out — even at the easiest setting. Maybe …