Investors puzzled over its hybrid consumer-and-enterprise business model, which depends on attracting consumers but selling services mainly to businesses, and its focus on the less-flashy world of professional connections.

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But many consumers are discovering that if they abandon the traditional phone model and pick up a mouse, they'll find a variety of options that are cheaper, with quality just as high.

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In its model, consumers (or fleet owners) buy EVs, but lease the battery and get electricity through service contracts with Better Place.

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U.S. consumers have yet to swarm to single-cup brewing but European households embrace the model, Schultz stated in the Starbucks memo.

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It has a large enough screen where consumers will expect far more than a smartphone experience, but also has a usage model that demands all-day battery life.

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But when the young consumers decide to indulge, they are running out to get the latest model of the iPod or a new cellphone instead of a gym-class wardrobe.

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Unlike the original e-commerce model, new e-commerce startups are personalized and use new social tools to connect with consumers, but still have strong brands, she says.

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