Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am a guest contributor on CHOM 97.7 FM radio out of Montreal (home base). It’s not a long segment – about 10 minutes every week – about everything that is happening in the world of technology and digital media. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly on i Heart Radio, if you’re interested in hearing more of me blathering away about what’s going on in the digital world. I’m really excited about this opportunity, because this is the radio station that I grew up listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry DiMonte morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.

This week we discussed: 

• Apple did it. The first publicly listed U.S. company to hit a trillion dollar market valuation. That number is bananas. The iPhone was one of the main reasons they crossed this financial threshold. While the media and pundits focus on what this number means, let’s focus on the power of great design, the evolution of technology, and how much we all pay for it. Owning an iPhone is an actual indicator of wealth. All of this in a post-Steve Jobs world. It looks like Tim Cook continues to do a great job of steering the Apple ship. What about what’s next for innovation?
• Being an Instagram influencer is no easy feat. Even if you’re not an influencer, we all use social media to show the world a side of us that we want the world to see (not, necessarily, the “real” us). It turns out that some companies are leveraging a young person’s desire to look awesome in beautiful locations around the world to make others jealous into a business. Krome Photos is a photo editing business that uses artificial intelligence to match people with professional photo editors who can take any image and transform it to look like someone is actually in some exotic location. For $3 – $12 dollars a photo, you can make it look like you’re living large as an influencer all over the world. Uch. 
• France made a bold move last week. French kids now have to leave their smartphones and tablets at home. As of September, it will be against the law for children between 3 and 15 years of age to bring any device to school with them. This is similar to the popular “Wait Until Eight” (Grade 8) movement that is taking shape in the US, but in France… it’s now the law. 
• App of the Week: ca-mera.