Skip Montreux – Down to Business English

Episode: The Roundup Edition (October 8, 2011)

Theme:
A lively review and update ("roundup") of several major business stories previously covered on the podcast, combined with a practical discussion of related business English vocabulary for learners.

Episode Overview

In this special "Roundup Edition," hosts Skip Montreux (Tokyo) and Des Morgan (Abu Dhabi) revisit and update three key tech and business stories from past episodes: the evolving competition between Amazon's Kindle and Apple's iPad, the ongoing troubles of BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion (RIM), and recent turbulence in the gold and silver markets. Interwoven throughout is a context-rich vocabulary section aimed at helping listeners improve their business English.

Key Discussion Points & Updates

1. The Evolving Tablet Market: Kindle Fire vs. iPad

[01:20–03:26]

• Background:
  Des recaps their earlier conclusion (Episode 32, May 29th, 2011) that the iPad and Kindle could coexist, since they target different markets and use cases.
• Major Development:
  • Amazon's launch of the touchscreen, color Kindle Fire, with "free cloud storage, over 10,000 movies and TV shows…along with all the usual email and E-reader software" (Des, [02:05]).
  • The price point is remarkable: "the Fire is only available in the US at the moment, but the price there is just $199, which compares very favorably with the cheapest iPad at 499." (Des, [02:26])
  • New Kindle Touch also released.
• Market Implications:
  The low price and enhanced features signal a potential shake-up for Apple and other competitors.
  Memorable moment: "If it works as well as Amazon claims, then you could well be right. For the price of an iPad, I could get a Fire, the latest Kindle ebook reader, which also has a touchscreen and still have change in my pocket." (Des, [02:42])

2. Research in Motion’s Ongoing Struggles

[03:07–04:58]

• Background:
  Skip references his report (Episode 14, September 2010) on RIM, the maker of BlackBerry.
• Recent Troubles:
  • Rumors that RIM had to withdraw its Playbook tablets due to software issues.
    • "There's a rumor floating around that RIM had to withdraw some of their flagship tablets from the shelves due to issues with the installed software." (Skip, [03:37])
  • Stock price "has dropped like a stone" ([03:52]), attracting activist investor Carl Icahn.
    • "Their stock price has dropped like a stone to the point where Carl Icahn ... has been buying enough shares to try to get himself a seat on the board." (Skip, [03:52])
    • Reference to Icahn's past takeover of Motorola, which led to the company being split and sold ("one of which, Motorola Mobile, was bought by ... Google." [04:10])
• Forecast:
  If Icahn joins the board, expect significant management changes and possible sell-off of patents.
  • "If Carl Icahn does get a seat on the board, he will probably push RIM to make some pretty big management changes and sell off some of its patents to release shareholder value." (Skip, [04:24])
  • Des notes criticism that Icahn is "more interested in the short term." ([04:44])
• Industry Context:
  RIM is rapidly losing market share to Apple and Google's Android OS.

3. Gold and Silver: From All-Time Highs to Sharp Corrections

[04:58–06:46]

• Background:
  Gold hit record highs in 2010 (episode 13).
• Recent Events:
  • Gold tumbled from "a high of over $1900 an ounce to about 1650 today ... Silver fared even worse, down from above $40 to just below $30 today." (Des, [05:34])
  • Des, himself a gold investor, jokes, "I have the scars to prove it." ([05:28])
• Market Analysis/Outlook:
  Despite the sharp correction, Des argues this is "just the precious metals taking a breather before continuing upwards." ([05:58])

  • He cites: monetary policy (money printing), financial uncertainty (Eurozone), and inflation as continued reasons for gold's appeal.

    "All of the reasons that people initially bought gold still hold true today. A lot of countries are creating new money to bail out their economies with, which makes the value of those paper currencies go down." (Des, [06:09])

  • Skip teases Des about trying to convince himself.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Kindle Fire's Pricing:
  "For the price of an iPad, I could get a Fire, the latest Kindle ebook reader, which also has a touchscreen and still have change in my pocket." (Des, [02:42])

• On RIM's Troubles:
  "Their stock price has dropped like a stone to the point where Carl Icahn ... has been buying enough shares to try to get himself a seat on the board." (Skip, [03:52])

• On Gold's Drop:
  "You can say that again. It came crashing down from a high of over $1900 an ounce to about 1650 today. And gold's little sister Silver fared even worse, down from above $40 to just below $30 today." (Des, [05:34])

Vocabulary Spotlight

[07:52–15:24]
Throughout the latter part of the episode, Skip and Des break down business English vocabulary highlighted in their news roundup.

• To second (something):

  • Formal meeting language meaning "to agree or support a motion." ([07:52])

• Hectic:

  • Very busy and often confusing. ([08:43])

• Roundup:

  • Noun: An update or summary.
  • Verb: To quickly finish something. ([09:29])

• Copyright:

  • Legal right to control use/publication of original creative work.
  • Contrast with patent, which applies to inventions/technology. ([10:01–11:16])

• Drop like a stone:

  • To fall rapidly (often in value). ([12:09])

• Entity:

  • A business term for a corporate body/company, often for legal distinction purposes. ([13:10])

• Take a breather:

  • To take a short rest or pause. ([14:04])

  "Recently I have started running again...I used to be able to get a good 5km in before taking a break, but now I can only run a couple of clicks before I have to take a breather." (Skip, [14:29])

Pronunciation Note:

• "Patent" is pronounced differently in American (pæ-tent) vs. British (pay-tent) English. ([11:56])

Recommendations & Resources

[06:54, 15:24–16:08]

• All past episodes and study materials (PDFs) are available at downtobusinessenglish.com.
• Shout-out to the podcast "My American Friend" for learners of general English (available on iTunes).

Episode Flow & Tone

The conversation is friendly, lightly humorous, and gently teasing. Both hosts use current events as springboards for real-world English learning, modeling practical usage and inviting further learning.

Useful Timestamps

• [01:20] — Kindle/iPad/Digital Media Update
• [03:07] — RIM/BlackBerry Playbook and Carl Icahn Discussion
• [04:58] — Gold & Silver Market Update
• [07:52] — Vocabulary Section Begins
• [12:09] — "Drop like a stone" idiom explained
• [13:10] — "Entity" explained
• [14:04] — "Take a breather" explained
• [15:24] — End of vocabulary; resources and sign-off

For new listeners, this "Roundup Edition" is an excellent example of Down to Business English's informative yet approachable style—blending timely business news with accessible language learning.