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Bose Corp. founder dies at 83
BOSTON (AP) — Amar Bose, founder and chairman of the audio technology company Bose Corp., has died. He was 83.
His death was announced Friday by the company’s president, Bob Maresca, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where Bose began his acoustics research and was on the faculty for more than 40 years.
Maresca said Bose ‘‘was an incredible mentor and inspiration to Bose employees around the world.’’
Bose founded the company, based in the Boston suburb of Framingham, in 1964. It is known for making radios and noise-canceling headphones. Maresca said the company will remain privately held.
In 2011, Bose gave MIT the majority of Bose Corp. stock in the form of non-voting shares whose dividends are used to support education and research. MIT does not participate in management or governance of Bose Corp.
© Copyright 2013 Globe Newspaper Company.
BOSTON (AP) — Amar Bose, founder and chairman of the audio technology company Bose Corp., has died. He was 83.
His death was announced Friday by the company’s president, Bob Maresca, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where Bose began his acoustics research and was on the faculty for more than 40 years.
Maresca said Bose ‘‘was an incredible mentor and inspiration to Bose employees around the world.’’
Bose founded the company, based in the Boston suburb of Framingham, in 1964. It is known for making radios and noise-canceling headphones. Maresca said the company will remain privately held.
In 2011, Bose gave MIT the majority of Bose Corp. stock in the form of non-voting shares whose dividends are used to support education and research. MIT does not participate in management or governance of Bose Corp.
© Copyright 2013 Globe Newspaper Company.
Remember.bose.com
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What is UPP? Why are Sony, Samsung, Sharp and LG forcing me to pay UPP pricing?
You may be seeing the term UPP pricing used in TV advertisings. UPP stands for Uniiform Price Protection. The value of UPP is in its protection of dealers, so dealers stay in business to serve customers. Ten years of free falling TV margins has resulted in fewer purchase venues for consumers not more choices. This debate of Uniform Pricing Protection was engaged years ago when Bose Corp began enforcing "Unilateral" (UPP) pricing. The Bose policy has persisted for decades. The result is repeat customers and loyal dealers. Customers keep calling the same Bose dealer phone number and receive what they expect. Not everyone chooses Bose, but is an exercise of a free market. Is this a reasonable lesson of the UPP concept? In my opinion, it is way past time for Tier1 supplier UPP.
But not everyone agrees with my perspective. This reply by Jon // Mar 1, 2013 at 12:06 am says,
http://hdguru.com/whats-upp-more-hdtv-makers-join-a-one-price-program/10045/#comment-96591
"I continually see TV retailers complaining on this site about theirlack of profit.
I once bought a tv, paying a significantly higher price from a brick and mortar store under the premise of better customer service. A few months later when the tv needed to be repaired, this superior customer service seemed to have disappeared. Personally I simply don’t value the service that brick and mortar stores provide in this regard. I quite frankly do not feel that the salesmen are knowledgeable enough to help me, and I rarely find myself trusting them, or the store they are in to stand behind any promises made. I would rather save the money by buying online, and have the same crappy level of support as a brick and mortar store. As more and more people seem to be buying online, I would consider this to be a relatively common sentiment. For those retailers complaining about their profit margin, perhaps if you offered some value to compensate for the higher price people might be willing to pay for it."
Yes, retailers complain about low profit because there truly is not margin in TVs. Consumers who do not support a UPP policy will soon find the bad customer service problem eliminated, because there will not be a choice (or a chance) for brick & mortar customer service. How good is your online retailers on-site support? Can we the consumer learn from our recent economic history? 10 years ago, as margins shrank and Circuit City tried to please stock holders, they ditched the really good sales persons because of the cost. TV buyers recognized the difference, as mentioned in these posts. But Circuit City pacified the stockholder on the bottom line. Who won? Do we choose differently as consumers (& stock holders) today…. tomorrow?
What (& how) you purchase today is a vote for the kind of world you want to live in tomorrow. UPP gives consumers a chance at better choice. If USA consumers reject UPP pricing, then retailers will always find something else sell or another way to sell it. Sadly, we consumers will lose a facet of the USA we used to know.
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Top 10 Home Theater Mistakes
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The Charles Hotel Uses Bose
An independent luxury hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Charles Hotel competes with the large chains by doing “the small things a little better.” Here, splendid accommodations and attentive service are offered with creativity and flair. The hotel is a leader in the use of sound to create a distinctive atmosphere of luxury, style and comfort.
The Charles uses Bose® equipment throughout the hotel’s facilities, from the Regattabar—voted the best jazz club in Boston—to its main restaurant, banquet rooms, casual dining rooms, pubs and common areas. The Charles was also the first hotel to equip all of its guest rooms with the Bose Professional Wave® radio.
Has it paid off? Absolutely, according to Brian Fitzgerald, general manager. “For example, there was a well-known international organization considering booking our venues for parties and other functions, but initially they weren’t interested in having their members stay at the hotel. I asked the vice president to at least take a look at what we had to offer.
notice Bose radio on night stand
The moment he walked into the suite, he looked at me and asked, ‘You have Bose Wave® radios in all your rooms?’ I said yes, and they booked the rooms that afternoon.
“In all of our restaurants and facilities, it has to be Bose. Our customers expect the best from us,” concluded Fitzgerald.
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Bose Professional Systems Division won a WFX 2012 New Product Technology Award for the Bose® PowerMatch™ PM8500/8500N amplifier!
Everywhere Speaker Performance,
Sheldon will always have the sweet spot...
Everywhere® speaker performance.
Because many conventional speakers radiate sound into the listening area in a single direction, you hear balanced stereo sound only in one small "sweet spot." Many Bose® speakers use either proprietary Direct/Reflecting® speaker technology or an Articulated Array® speaker design to deliver balanced stereo sound almost anywhere in the listening area, an experience we call Stereo Everywhere® speaker performance.
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I Love My Bose!
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The CE Hardware/Technology Fallacy
The fallacy - A home system with the “best” hardware/technology will satisfy all homeowners. The statement holds true till the next “best” is released in 6 months and a cycle of upgrading begins. Upgrades offer new bells & whistles, but complicate the user experience because design is often neglected to cut cost or to rush a release. No fix will be available since the supplier is convinced the “better” hardware excuses poor design. But, poor design leads to inconvenient access to features (so you avoid those features), bad user experiences (now your spouse won’t use it) and finally, low benefit from the investment (why pay to upgrade?). Yes, the “best” hardware/technology feels good in the short term, but poor design robs users of the short and long term benefits.
I. House System ...
House systems purpose, selection process, purchase process and mind set differs from consumer electronics.
A. Purpose.
The purpose of a house system differs dramatically from consumer electronics. The purpose of a house system is to perform mundane, routine house functions requiring minimal user interaction with these functions. A house systems should be simple for any user - nothing fancy, nothing to figure out. Its purpose demands high reliability. Conversely, consumer electronics are purposed for occasional use, deliver immediate user experiences and dependent on user control. Users expect low reliability in consumer electronics requiring frequently reset by turning of and back on. A house system purpose differs dramatically from consumer electronics.
B. Selection Process
The selection process of a home system differs greatly from that of consumer electronics. For example, a desirable house system is invisible, untouched, silent and all but forgotten, yet it must reliably perform thousands of functions each day automatically. The exact opposite must be the case in a consumer electronic system. Consumer electronics are highly visible and user dependent for operation. Consumer electronics are notorious poor operation design as evidenced by multiple remote controls, innumerable buttons, system lock-ups and planned obsolescence. A house system selection process differs from consumer electronics. Avoid the consumer electronics mind set when selecting a home system. So, based on purpose and selection process, you can easily understand a home system selection and purchase is unique. Consumer electronics are selected on user dependent features. House systems are selected for user independence.
C. Purchase Process.
If you are new to house systems, you will be tempted to draw upon your experience in purchasing home technology. Such experience may have been at Best Buy or a search on the internet for an online purchase through Amazon. Neither experience will have relevance to your home system purchase process. House systems interact in your life in a totally different manner. While consumer electronic purchases are based on look, feel, high tech features and visual/audible experience, the exact opposite of those criteria are the basis for a house system purchase. Also, retail and on-line purchases omit design, which is the most important element for daily and long term satisfaction. A house system purchase process differs from consumer electronic purchases.
D. House System Mind Set.
Okay. Lets down shift. Think of your alarm clock and its power plug. Think of your kitchen sink and the hot water heater. Think of the thermostat and the flowing air vent. Again, not very techy, but vital elements in your home. Okay, lets down shift one more gear. Think of your light switch at your entry door. Think of the light fixture it turns on. Think of the alarm keypad as you enter. Think of the phone on the table. Think of the garage door opener. Think of your lawn sprinkler timer box. Think of your pool pump. Think of your spa heater dial. Think of the night light in your child’s room. Think of the smoke detector in your bedroom hall.
Now, with these last images in mind, what is your level of excitement and enthusiasm. Its different from earlier mindset. But, this is the real, very real and consequential, operation of your daily life.
This is where house systems exist. Its about real stuff, its not about
fashion. A house system is the convenience of light, the safety of smoke detectors, the security of a burglar alarm, the necessity of hot water, the pleasure of a pool, the relaxation of a spa, the routine of an alarm clock, the care of a night light, the beauty of lawn and flowers, the comfort of central heating and cooling, the watchful guardian of the CO2 detector, the accommodation of the electric gate and garage door opener. This is the realm of the electronic house system. These individual elements are not too sexy, not too fancy and not too techy. However, the purpose of an electronic house systems is to reliably and conveniently manage these individual elements within your home for measurable daily benefits of energy efficiency, safety, comfort, convenience and awareness.
II. Design Process
Now that we are in this mind set, lets talk about your home life. Lets talk about safety. Lets talk about security. Lets talk about convenience. Lets talk about comfort. Lets talk about energy conservation. Lets talk about water conservation. Lets talk about vacations. Lets talk about daily work. Lets talk about weekend life. Lets talk about entertaining. Lets talk about travel. Lets talk about kids. Lets talk about guests. Lets talk about house help. Lets talk about grandparents. Lets talk about grand kids. Lets talk about gardeners. Lets talk about pool maintenance. Lets talk about remodel plans. Lets talk about room comfort. Lets talk about unwanted sound. Lets talk about hot spots and cold spots. Lets talk about pets. Lets talk about the neighborhood. Good house system design is rooted in client lifestyle. Lets talk about global warming. Lets talk about energy imports. These lifestyle elements are the foundation of the design process.
A. The Solution
As revealed above, a house system differs from other consumer electronics. The purpose of a house system is to routinely perform mundane house functions while minimizing user interaction with these functions. A house system is simple for the user, nothing fancy, nothing to figure out.
A house system is reliable 24/7, year in, year out. A house system assists homeowners with energy efficiency, comfort, security, convenience and awareness. In the preceding discussions, how many times were computer processor speed, operating system version, color graphics themes or data network speed mentioned. None, because a good house system design makes the hardware and technology inconsequential to the user. Isn’t that the way you want it to be? Design, not technology, is the solution for daily and long term satisfaction.
B. Lifestyle or Tech-style
Home technology is so pervasive today. Even the home entertainment system has become a home technology system. Home “tech-style” consists of home theater, whole house music, home networks and phone/intercoms. However, it is the client lifestyle, not tech-style, that forms the foundation of a HouseWide house system design. An investment in today’s best house systems technology (tech-style) will be obsolete in 6 to 24 months. However, an investment in good house systems design based on lifestyle, will be relevant for 5-20 years. We have found a good design solution leads to the best technology for that solution. And good design will accommodate change, benefiting your lifestyle daily and long term. Once completed, a good house system design integrates into a welcoming home tech-style.
Conclusion
As you begin your house system search, first develop a good design solution. It will lead you to the best hardware for that solution. An emphasis on “better design” benefits any hardware, while an emphasis on “better technology” excuses poor design. Good design is the better investment because it will accommodate technology cycles of change.
HouseWide understands design & service is the foundation for daily and long term client satisfaction. Our 20 year service record attests to our interest in building long term residential relationships, not just a quick sell. HouseWide Systems looks forward to assisting you with energy efficiency, comfort, security and convenience to assure you and yours consistently experience measurable daily and long term benefits.
Would your home life be easier with a HouseWide system design?