So the question is simply this: can the cool factor kill the convenience factor?
Regaining the cool factor will help reduce the negativity that is surrounding Apple.
That cool factor propelled consumers to spend hundreds more for the Apple brand than they would for anything Dell or HP could manufacture.
The rollout of Apple 's iPhone makes clear how reluctant the carriers are to cede control to a partner, even one with significant cool factor.
The problem -- but also part of the cool factor, don't get us wrong -- is that the Jambox's audio is a very localized, directional phenomenon.
Part of this, of course, is simply Unthink tapping into the very same energy that made Facebook what it is in the first place: the cool factor.
"They see these South Asians around them who have lots of money to spend, but there's no vehicle to target them properly and retain the artists' cool factor, " says Sandhu.
The question: Do smartphone devices really work well enough for the average patient and primary care doctor to dive in, or are early adopters just going for the cool factor?
For the most part, however, the Replicator is really about novelty and the mere cool factor of having a product that can print out just about anything you can imagine.
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Not only is it dense with witty banter between Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen, it establishes Samsung and its Galaxy brand as the smartphone with the undeniable cool factor.
FORBES: With Hilarious 2-Minute Super Bowl Ad, Samsung Steals Cool Factor From Apple
Now Apple is this unfamiliar territory: Successful on paper, products seen everywhere, Macbooks and iPhone placed in seemingly every TV show and movie and yet ... the cool factor is cooling off.
Cook was also questioned about whether Apple is losing its "cool factor, " with competitors such as Samsung and HTC getting good reviews for their new phones armed with cutting edge features and larger screens.
The rollout of Apple 's (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ) iPhone makes clear how reluctant the carriers are to cede control to a partner, even one with significant cool factor.
After several years of lagging hopelessly behind in the cool factor, Microsoft has a chance to score with enterprise IT groups without permanently alienating employees who love iPads and iPhones, or Samsung phones and tablets running Android.
FORBES: Microsoft Windows 8 Faces Slow Adoption In The Enterprise
Second, Apple focused on cool form factor, favored by consumers, with the incorporation of full functionality.
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We trust Apple to deliver products with a cool design factor.
Of course while some parents and step-parents came to Google to learn more about the products and services their children develop, still more came for the cool-factor.
FORBES: Drinking The KoolAid At Google's 'Take Your Parents To Work Day'
That's when the world's second-largest personal computer manufacturer, Dell, out to challenge Apple's "cool" factor, announced it was dropping its 800 ad agencies for one contract with WPP.
That's when the world's second-largest personal computer manufacturer, Dell, out to challenge Apple (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people )'s "cool" factor, announced it was dropping its 800 ad agencies for one contract with WPP.
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