If iWoz the CEO...

So if the other Steve (Wozniak) of Apple were the CEO, he says he wouldn't have dropped the price or offered the store credit rebate on the iPhone. Of course, he bought twenty of them that he's eventually planning to give away.

Actually some people are now more upset with the recent change to their AT&T bills to "simplify" them by taking off call detail (at no extra charge)! "Press one to continue in English..."

I think the marketing team at Apple could have done better.

Pour another cup of coffee for the other impending rollout -- Halo 3 hits the shelves at midnight tonight in the US after three years since the last version. Microsoft is expecting a $150 million return on their $25-40 million investment within the first 24 hours. A million copies are pre-ordered at $60. For reference, the iPhone went to 1 million units in two months and nine days. Stay tuned...

Do Technology Jobs Require Creativity?

The shortage of talent in IT is an increasing problem, as interest in hard skills like math, science and technology courses has been waning recently. GenY'ers have a great opportunity to fill the gap and create an alternative to outsourcing our technology demand overseas.

Here's a video clip from a recent CIO conference I attended at the Chicago Cultural Center on the IT talent shortage. The brainstorming session was led by Michael Krauss of the Market Strategy Group at the i.c. stars annual "iOpener" event.

Some of the questions to the audience included the need for creativity in IT, and how technology jobs compare to a job in accounting (accounting is about what happened; IT is about what's going to happen).

Broad Shoulders and Clean Hands

Recruiters: Another reason to choose Chicago for your next job fair -- you're going to be shaking a lot of hands. On a good day you may shake hands with hundreds of people. Don't give it a second thought... as long as you're in the second city, which came in first in a new survey by Harris Interactive on personal hygiene, specifically hand-washing habits.

Timing is Everything

When it comes to marketing yourself, the timing element can't be overestimated. Getting in early and making a unique value proposition are keys to landing the interview. Guy Kawasaki has a great post on applying for a job online and how important it is to respond as quickly as possible. He's also got a new webex coming up next week in his "Art of..." series on The Art of Evangelism.

Help! My iPhone is Depreciating by the Minute

For all Steve Jobs genius in rolling out Apple's newest avatar, yesterday's discount announcement for the iPhone is his second misstep in as many months.

The first was lining the iPhone up with AT&T over Verizon and sparking a craze of hackers making headlines by "unlocking" it to work with other service providers.

Now for pricing strategy... Normally, a big price cut should put some wind in your sales as they begin to lag. But when you do it right on the heels of most of your most loyal customers jumping on your bandwagon, it could have the opposite effect. Dropping the iPhone's price by 30% yesterday looks strangely desperate. iPhoners are going to be dialing Apple off the hook with 30-day return questions.

Does Steve have an inside line on the rumors around the gPhone? If not, he's provoked enough suspicion in the minds of remaining prospective phone buyers around stability of the whole market to make them say, Whoa -- put on the brakes - I was hoping to get something for $600 that would be all-that for years, not weeks!

The Luddites are in high spirits today.

UPDATE: Steve Jobs issues an open letter and $100 credit (on another purchase) to iPhone owners today.

All In A Day's Work

If you marry the one you love, you'll never be tempted.

If you put your trust in God, you'll never doubt your faith.

If you love your job, you'll never work a day in your life.

Well, for some people maybe. For the rest of us there's this matter of discipline. Of doing things and doing them well even when we don't feel like it. Of knowing what's required in our work and then going well beyond it, consistently. And sometimes the discipline not to work.

I didn't work on Labor Day. I was unplugged out in the middle of nowhere. I hope you didn't either. Not because you don't love your job, but because you do. It's not much of a holiday if you do the same kinds of things anyway now is it?

Some people take special satisfaction in getting in an "extra" day, or hour, or e-mail. They get so accustomed to making sacrifices and even compromises, especially about work, that they don't even realize they are. They tell themselves, "I'm not really working..." Particularly when you really do enjoy your work, and you can take it all the way to the bank, it's an easy trap to fall into.

But you know when you have a baseball in one hand and a cell phone in the other. You'll love your job even more if you don't refuse to unplug from time to time, especially on Labor Day. And btw, the one you're throwing the ball with will appreciate it too.