Twitter moves point to a timely IPO

Computerworld - As rumors swirl that Twitter is gearing up for an initial public offering (IPO), industry analysts say the timing is right for such a move.

"This would be a good time for an IPO," said Patrick Moorhead, an analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy. "It's really time for Twitter to pay off their first investors, early employees, and gear up for acquisitions.

"Facebook defined what not to do in an IPO and we'll see if Twitter has learned from their mistakes," Moorhead said.

Twitter appears to be laying the groundwork for an IPO, most recently by moving executives around. Vijaya Gadde, who had managed Twitter's corporate affairs for the last two years, has replaced Alex Macgillivray as Twitter's chief lawyer, according to a report in The New York Times.

Moorhead added that if Twitter is looking ahead to an impending IPO, now is the time for the company to think about buying companies and technologies that enable it to better compete in local commerce.

Twitter may already be considering the same thing.

In June, Twitter bought Spindle, a mobile app focused on giving Facebook and Twitter users real-time, localized information about stores, restaurants, bars and entertainment venues. And last February, Twitter acquired Bluefin Labs, an advertising analytics company.

Both localization and advertising will be key ingredients to a successful IPO, said Dan Olds, an analyst with The Gabriel Consulting Group.

"If they start the process now, we'd probably see the IPO sometime in 1Q or Q2 2014," said Olds. "Barring any significant deterioration in the economy, the environment should be fine for a Twitter IPO. They real key, however, will be Twitter's fundamentals. How big is their revenue stream and how fast is it growing? What are their expenses? There are estimates out there, but an IPO filing will pull back the covers and reveal all the details."

He noted that after Facebook's lousy IPO, Twitter needs to have all of its financial and business ducks in a row.

"I think that Twitter should go public sooner rather than later," he said. "They have built up a very solid brand and became a household word. It's time to capitalize on that. They not only need to show solid financial performance and profitability today, but need to prove in investors' minds that Twitter is at the beginning of their fast growth phase, not near the end."

He added that an IPO is one of the most critical points in the life of a business. And Facebook's "IPO debacle" soured many potential investors to social networking companies .

That means Twitter will have to carefully navigate its own IPO, whenever it comes.

"A Twitter IPO is going to receive incredible scrutiny and will be constantly compared to Facebook's IPO," said Olds. "I'm sure that Twitter understands this and will make sure that they've covered all of the bases."

Twitter officials did not respond to repeated attempts for a comment about the prospect of an IPO.

Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on Twitter at  @sgaudin, on Google+ or subscribe to Sharon's RSS feed . Her email address is sgaudin@computerworld.com.

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New 3D printing DRM copies Netflix's moves to blockade physical pirates

Once 3D printing becomes mainstream, manufacturing companies fear that open season will basically be declared for piracy of physical goods -- just as digital downloads reshaped the music industry. Why purchase that fancy new iPhone case, after all, when you can just grab the digital CAD file for free from a website and print it at home for just the cost of some plastic filament?

California-based Authentise wants to allay those fears with a new service called SendShapes. The new service, launching in Alpha status in September, aims to accomplish for 3D printing what Netflix is doing for video streaming: Making it as easy and convenient as possible for users to purchase the right to print an official design for their favorite toy figurine, smartphone dock, or table saw guard.

[ Understand how to both manage and benefit from the consumerization of IT with InfoWorld's "Consumerization Digital Spotlight" PDF special report. | Subscribe to InfoWorld's Consumerization of IT newsletter today. ]

Under Authentise's scheme, the creator of a 3D design would upload their file to the company's servers, then the end user would stream the uploaded file in pieces as needed by the 3D printer. That streamed file's good for one-time use only: Once the object is printed, all traces of it disappear on your PC. The approach is similar to how Netflix sends video files to your computer, according to MIT Technology Review.

Authentise hopes its approach will allay piracy fears and unlock the coming universe of 3D printing to makers of popular goods.

The ability to print 3D objects may seem limited right now, but there's no telling what crafty 3D printing geeks will be able to craft in their parent's basement over the coming years. One Texas man has already figured out how to print a firearm, and a New Zealand man is printing a full-size plastic replica of a 1961 series II Aston Martin DB4.

Why pay for 3D designs?
Authentise's approach indeed holds appeal. If you needed to print out a new leg for an Ikea side table, it would be better to get the official 3D design rather than a random CAD drawing pulled off The Pirate Bay's Physibles section. Buying an official Elmo toy design for Christmas would also be easier than trying to create your own version.

But there's no getting around the fact that Authentise's approach is yet another form of digital rights management (DRM) that enforces restrictions on the user. If the model doesn't print out properly, for example, how easy is it to ask for a do over?

View the original article here

New 3D printing DRM copies Netflix's moves to blockade physical pirates

Once 3D printing becomes mainstream, manufacturing companies fear that open season will basically be declared for piracy of physical goods—just as digital downloads reshaped the music industry. Why purchase that fancy new iPhone case, after all, when you can just grab the digital CAD file for free from a website and print it at home for just the cost of some plastic filament?

California-based Authentise wants to allay those fears with a new service called SendShapes. The new service, launching in Alpha status in September, aims to accomplish for 3D printing what Netflix is doing for video streaming: Making it as easy and convenient as possible for users to purchase the right to print an official design for their favorite toy figurine, smartphone dock, or table saw guard.

Authentise(Click to enlarge.)

Under Authentise’s scheme, the creator of a 3D design would upload their file to the company’s servers, then the end user would stream the uploaded file in pieces as needed by the 3D printer. That streamed file's good for one-time use only: Once the object is printed, all traces of it disappear on your PC. The approach is similar to how Netflix sends video files to your computer, according to MIT Technology Review.

Authentise hopes its approach will allay piracy fears and unlock the coming universe of 3D printing to makers of popular goods.

The ability to print 3D objects may seem limited right now, but there’s no telling what crafty 3D printing geeks will be able to craft in their parent’s basement over the coming years. One Texas man has already figured out how to print a firearm, and a New Zealand man is printing a full-size plastic replica of a 1961 series II Aston Martin DB4.

Authentise’s approach indeed holds appeal. If you needed to print out a new leg for an Ikea side table, it would be better to get the official 3D design rather than a random CAD drawing pulled off The Pirate Bay’s Physibles section. Buying an official Elmo toy design for Christmas would also be easier than trying to create your own version.

But there’s no getting around the fact that Authentise’s approach is yet another form of digital rights management (DRM) that enforces restrictions on the user. If the model doesn’t print out properly, for example, how easy is it to ask for a do over?

Authentise’s approach is far more palatable than an idea cooked up by Nathan Myhrvold, a former Microsoft CTO and the co-founder of "patent troll firm" Intellectual Ventures. Myhrvold holds a patent for 3D printing DRM that would force you to get authorization from a remote server before being allowed to print off any item at home, according to ExtremeTech. It’s the typical “all users are potential pirates, so let’s treat them that way” approach seen in most use cases of DRM, but in 3D.

Microsoft

Authentise’s solution should be far more palatable than having a virtual 3D printing cop embedded in your PC, but as with most forms of DRM, SendShapes is also just begging to be cracked.

But even if SendShapes isn’t bullet proof, it doesn’t mean it won’t work overall. People have proven through the success of iTunes, Spotify, and Netflix that if a convenient commercial method is available for buying digital goods, it will beat piracy every time—assuming it charges a reasonable price for a quality product with few restrictions, that is.

[Via TorrentFreak]

Ian is an independent writer based in Tel Aviv, Israel. His current focus is on all things tech including mobile devices, desktop and laptop computers, software, social networks, Web apps, tech-related legislation and corporate tech news.
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