The Apple Tablet will be unveiled at the end of this month after many months of rumours and speculation. Pinpointed as an “iPod on steroids” with web browsing capabilities, enhanced video, gaming, music and e-book applications this integrated media experience further builds on Apple’s reputation as an innovator in portable computing devices.

So where is the market for this new device? Apple says it is a family device to be shared and they want every household to have one. They are estimating 3 billion in sales a year and they may be lucky with the market timing of this product.

Consumers have become increasingly drawn to smart phones. 41 million were sold in the US last year, representing 30% of mobile phone users. According to Forrester Research iPhone users represent a large portion and these consumers are well educated, have higher than average incomes, and are more engaged online. Over 78% in the research study indicated they surf the net from their device.

Apart from providing an integrated media device Apple is also after the lucrative 55 million education market which would position them up against Amazon. To combat this Amazon has opened up the Kindle to developers looking to spur innovation in the education application development market.

The hype surrounding Apple’s latest and greatest has generated so much buzz that it’s almost immaculate in its pre-existent state. But where does that leave us with our very real and tangible businesses? I’ll tell you: it leaves us not only looking forward, but looking for the opportunity; the integrated marketing opportunity to be precise. And we just have to look back at very recent history to learn that there will be lots of integrated marketing opportunities to take advantage of on this new device.

Pepsi ran a very powerful branded experience on the iPhone and iPod touch with its “Drink Up, Rock Out” promotion. They took something that was already there (the market) and combined it with a marketing medium that was practically begging for the attention, added a little dash of creativity, and ta-dum –a powerful branded experience.

The success (and ingenuity) of this campaign can be explained by Cindy Spodek Dickey, vice president of marketing at Zumobi, “IPhone and iPod Touch users represent the most engaged users of mobile browsing and mobile applications.”

So ..looking for a new way to maximize your business presence in our mobile world? Stay tuned!

Real business is driven by real people. And, with eMarketer projecting that Twitter will see over 18 million registered users this year that is a confirmation of lots of real people ready to do lots of real business.

“Conversationalists”, are consumers who update their Facebook status or Tweets at least once a week. Conversationalists represent one third of all U.S. Internet users. According to Forresters’ Online Report, more than half of all conversationalists are women who have household incomes that are “slightly above average“. These social conversationalists have disposable incomes and for marketers this translates into real sales opportunities.

Companies like Starbucks, H & R Block, Best Buy and even Ford have discovered the value of real-time Twittering. They know that Twitter isn’t some me-generation-listen-to-what-I-have-to-say application, but rather an opportunity for big brands to “listen”. Listening to what consumers are saying about them, about their competition, and about everything that matters to them is important not only in building new customer relationships but in strengthening existing ones. People who Twitter are real individuals whose opinion is important.

Many companies and big brands are putting the faces of their employees behind their Twitter accounts. Real people talking in real-time not only is empowering but brings tangible business results. When you think about it who doesn’t prefer Tweeting with a face rather than a company logo?

Dell Computers is doing a great job at driving sales through Twitter. They have various Twitter accounts such as @Direct2Dell for breaking news on products and @DellTechCenter for 24/7 updates on technology. Their @DellOutlet for Twitter-specific promotions is currently listed as having a whopping 1,578,918 followers! These are people who have chosen to receive all of Dell’s Tweets.

Another good indication of the power behind real-time information is Google’s decision to incorporate Twitter feeds into their natural search results. This provides searchers with freshness and relevant material that is happening ‘right now’.

Is the 140-character limit a hindrance for businesses wanting to share and connect with potential consumers? Hardly. According to PEW Internet and American Life Project, Twitter users are more likely to consume news and information on their mobile phones than anywhere else. With that said, Tweets fit in perfectly with the fast pace that mobile-users appreciate.  Tweeters want the news, they want the updates, they want to keep in touch and they want to do it with the same rapid-fire speed as their on-the-go mobile lifestyles.

Living in the moment has never been so prevalent as it is right. Social Conversational Marketing provides a  real-time opportunity to build business on-the-go.

I have a dream for the Web in which computers become capable of analyzing all the data on the Web – the content, links, and transactions between people and computers. A ‘Semantic Web’, which should make this possible, has yet to emerge, but when it does, the day-to-day mechanisms of trade, bureaucracy and our daily lives will be handled by machines talking to machines. The ‘ intelligence agents’ have touted for ages will finally materialize – Tim Beners-Lee, 1999