All Work

Douglas A. McIntyre

Microsoft Drops Price of Office 365 as Low as $6.99 a Month

Microsoft has offered a large tier of pricing in the hopes of driving adoption of its Windows Office 365 software. The latest is the most radical departure from old prices. But the profit margins…

Douglas A. McIntyre · 13 years ago

Google Drive Drops Prices to $9.99 a Month

Google Drive has been considered overpriced, and thus not competitive, or at least not competitive on that single basis. So, Google has dropped the prices drastically. But has the decision has come too late?

Douglas A. McIntyre · 13 years ago

Ten Cars People Won’t Buy

Ferrari SpAAuto dealer inventories are at five-year highs. The most important effect of this for consumers is that dealers and car companies will soon open up another aggressive round of discounts and attractive financing to…

Douglas A. McIntyre · 13 years ago

Smoking Rate Highest in Kentucky, Lowest in Utah

courtesy of NBN at German WikipediaMore than 30.2% of people in Kentucky were smokers in 2013. Barely behind at 29.9% were the residents of adjacent West Virginia. At the other end of the spectrum,…

Douglas A. McIntyre · 13 years ago

Number of U.S. Millionaires Reaches 9.6 Million

ThinkstockWhile lots of polls show that many middle-class and lower-class Americans believe the recession has not ended financially, the number of millionaires in the U.S. climbed close to record levels in 2013, reaching a…

Douglas A. McIntyre · 13 years ago

Six-Year Car Loan Becomes Standard

ThinkstockOne of the contributors to the rise in sales of cars and light trucks in the United States has to be the extremely attractive financial packages that automakers offer. Among these is the ability…

Douglas A. McIntyre · 13 years ago

Premium Gas Prices Above $4 in Parts of U.S.

ThinkstockPremium gasoline prices have risen above $4 in eight states, raising the concern that consumer spending could be damaged by the trend. At the same time, the price of regular has also soared, and…

Douglas A. McIntyre · 13 years ago

Detroit Could Lose Another 100,000 People

ThinkstockThe population drain in Detroit likely has not reached a bottom. The Census put the figure at just above 701,000 in 2012 (USA Today put the number lower at 684,799). That is down from…

Douglas A. McIntyre · 13 years ago

Nine Retailers Closing the Most Stores

ThinkstockBrick-and-mortar retailers have been suffering from slow economic activity for years, as well as from increased competition from online retailers. The rise in store closings is a prominent sign of their struggles. Weakened companies…

Douglas A. McIntyre · 13 years ago

FAA Warned About 777 Body Crack Problems

The Boeing Co.The FAA sent out an “airworthiness directive” about the Boeing 777 days before Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went missing. The missing plane is a 777. This may further speculation that a mechanical…

Douglas A. McIntyre · 13 years ago

New Starbucks App Allows Digital Tipping

Employees at Starbucks stores just got good news. The company's Apple App used to buy Starbucks products can now be used for tipping. Cash tips have been put into jars at the checkout until…

Douglas A. McIntyre · 13 years ago

Toyota Named Most Valuable Car Brand

Toyota has been named the world's most valuable car brand, according to a new study by Brand Finance. Immediately behind it are three German brands: BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz. No American brand made it…

Douglas A. McIntyre · 13 years ago

Volvo’s Self-Driving Car Runs on Magnets

VIA Motors Inc.Volvo may be one of the world’s smallest car companies, but it has created a big footprint in the self-driving vehicle business, led by cars that park themselves. Its latest venture is…

Douglas A. McIntyre · 13 years ago

Nissan Targets 2020 for Self-Driving Car

courtesy Ford Motor Co.Add Nissan, the third largest car manufacturer in Japan, to the list of companies that believes it can have a self-driving vehicle in the market in the next few years. Its…

Douglas A. McIntyre · 13 years ago

Google Offers $15 for App Referral Sign Ups

Google is desperate to get businesses to use its apps. It has gone to a great length to add customers. Under a new plan, it will pay $15 to people who refer others to…

Douglas A. McIntyre · 13 years ago

Sprint Merger With T-Mobile No Match AT&T and Verizon

Even on the long chance that regulators would approve a merger of Sprint and T-Mobil, it is hard to see why the merger would be good for shareholders or customers. Putting together the two…

Douglas A. McIntyre · 13 years ago

Recall Could Cost GM Billions and Its Reputation

GM's recall of 1.6 million vehicles could prove to be one of the most costly in automotive history. The legal liability triggered by perhaps thousands of personal injury lawsuits also may damage the reputation…

Douglas A. McIntyre · 13 years ago

China Stocks Sharply Underperform U.S. Markets

ThinkstockChina remains the world’s fastest growing large economy. Even if its GDP improvement has slowed, the leadership of the People’s Republic still expects gross domestic product to rise 7.5% this year. With that improvement…

Douglas A. McIntyre · 13 years ago