What in the world is WDC doing in the cell phone business?

[nish221]

Have you seen the TV ads for Disney *Mobile*?

Although I have to give them credit for creativity, selling a device
(and the service) is a l-o-n-g way from the entertainment business.

It actually has very nice set of features for parental control and contact, but
it's evolutionary.

I know that they're thinking that the cell phone is the future "TV" and a way
to connect with the teenager market, so I can understand having Disney
Mobile software, but not the whole device!

What do you think?

[cellarhound]

Re: What in the world is WDC doing in the cell phone business?

From another thread...

But.... I completely agree w/ Disney's move into digital content & distribution, but
NOT in the hardware business (which this is akin to). It's completely ok and smart
to be in the business of selling the service (distribution) and the software(content), but
it should not be in competition w/ the Cingular/AT&T/T-Mobiles of the world. What they should have done was to sign up all the major vendors for a Disney s/w & service instead of going at it alone with one vendor (Sprint?).... On the other hand I heard that they were reasonably successful with the ESPN phone so I guess this is the similar thing...

Someone really need to step up and differentiate between the cell phone software and hardware (like we do with the PC).

Disney is agressively selling content via other cell-phone vendors... The trouble is that their cellphone plans are not geared to be kid friendly...

In order for Disney to sell digital content - you need to get the device in the hands of kids.... Not just parents...

So Disney has a problem... It has the need to be agressive in the digital marketplace, and it needs to get that content to those who will use it...

Disney cann't afford to sit and wait, because if it does the technology will make it easier for it's content to be pirated... Sort of like what happened to the Music Industry and the MP3 format...

If they waited for cell phone companies to get there, it may be too late... That is why Disney Mobile... the cell phone industry needed a push...

Disney had missed digital opportunities before...

The Disney Dream Desktop - the Kid frendly PC - was Iger's baby, but perhaps too little too late...

Infoseek purchase was promising as a digital gateway for Disney to synergies digitial content - it failed because Eisner didn't know what to do with it after he purchased it...

Mix-Stix was going in the right direction had Iger not aquired Pixar and got Jobs on the board... I could see it developing... But I don't know, I think they won't do it... And let the product phase out eventually...

[Alan]

Re: What in the world is WDC doing in the cell phone business?

I think it is one of the smartest moves they made. The parents can have control over what the kids do and can even track them with GPS. The kids want a Cell Phone and this will give them the phone with the Disney name on it. But the best reason is the rate of return on the plans they have. Disney is in the money making mindset these days and this will generate revenue up the wazoo.

[cellarhound]

Re: What in the world is WDC doing in the cell phone business?

Disney is in the money making mindset these days and this will generate revenue up the wazoo.

I don't mind the "money making mindset" as long as you are smart about the products you are choosing to put on the market...

Disney Moble is actually a good and useful product... I know I blasted it, I will admit I was wrong... It does seem a bit awkward - a media company that sells cell phones? But from a strategic point of view, it makes sense... After all, Ipods are a simular strange bedfellow of a computer hardware company selling digital content...

[iMACgineer]

Re: What in the world is WDC doing in the cell phone business?

I just thought it was funny when I saw the commercial. I do see it as a good idea. Making money is what everybody is here to do.

[Cmash95]

Re: What in the world is WDC doing in the cell phone business?

if i had young kids i would love disney mobile. cell phones for kids that parents can have some control over. dole out minutes so they can't go over, block times so they aren't talking during dinner or during classtime, and keeping an eye on them at the same time. now adays 10 year olds have cell phones and are on the internet, this is just one more way parents can still have some control over their kids.

[mycroft16]

Re: What in the world is WDC doing in the cell phone business?

Young kids want cell phones. Parents want to be able to control what their kids have access to through the cell phone. Until Disney came along, that was simply not possible.

I'm not seeing any negatives here. This provides a technology that solves the problem and makes the kids and parents happy, and generates revenue for WDC. There are only winners here. Disney is simply filling a market void.

[figment1986]

Re: What in the world is WDC doing in the cell phone business?

what i find funny, the disney internet group is incharge of disney mobile.. lol

but hey, all parents would love this... and it may even jump start other things for competition to use it, then disney mobile folds back into sprint.. and everyone ahs something similar for the younger generation.
(like altel's 10 people calling plan, and t-mobiles 5 people calling plan)