Déjà Vu (All Over Again?)

Posted on June 24, 2011 by John

Cynics would concur that Redmond has simply got to be loving the fact that the FTC is reportedly going to issue subpoenas to Google regarding anti-competitive behavior.

Does this sound familiar? Recall Microsoft’s seemingly never-ending legal battle / woes / millions spent in legal fees and fines. etc. with the DOJ (in America) and the European equivalent (in the EU) of nearly a decade whereas many argued that it essentially amounted to the firm paying for the ‘cost of doing business’ as they wiped out Netscape and a number of other former high-flyer’s in technology (during this time frame).

Only time will tell if this is a repeat of history whereas a (US) tech giant is put through the legal paces via various federal / governmental authorities…

From the Sydney Morning Herald: http://goo.gl/f9wd6

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Flank This!

Posted on June 23, 2011 by John

As the enclosed article reports; it appears that Apple’s partnership with Verizon not only dinged AT&T but apparently it also stunted the rapid growth of their main rival (Google).

Should this really come as any surprise? Towards that end; you’ve got the two largest carriers (in America) with on-going complaints about one (AT&T) whereas the other is hammering away with advertising on how their network is vastly superior (Verizon)… which meant that a large percentage of would-be iPhone buyers either a) bought an alternative smart phone from another carrier (which was a major contributing factor to Android’s appeal / rapid growth); b) bought an Android-powered device because the were not interested in owning / burnt-out on all the hype, etc. regarding iPhone; c) waited to buy a Verizon iPhone in the hopes that they’d get a better end-user experience via their ‘vastly superior network’ (which turned out to be otherwise) and/or d) they held-off on buying an Android smart phone due to Apple’s usual release-cycle (which meant that it’d be available this summer versus this fall as is now the case).

Finally; this article is obviously just focused on America (which is fine) however, with the demand in the grey-market for Apple devices (prior to the official release in Vietnam the phone was selling for $1000.00, etc.) and the simple reality that outside of the OECD a large percentage of consumers use prepaid plans (whereas they’re not contractually obligated to a specific carrier via a 2-year contract)… among other contributing factors… this is really not that hard to grasp. In other words: Apple got out of the gates first (building a huge lead via redefining this entire segment). Others jumped in and put forth a massive ‘me-too’ push in order to make up for lost ground… an alternative option was availed (open as opposed to closed akin to the old Mac / PC debate) newer and more powerful handsets have been released from the likes of HTC and/or Samsung (to name but a few) with more power; features; functionality, etc.

Alas, Apple is under siege (perhaps a bit too strong of a term) and they respond by a classic, defensive flank (leveraging one party against another in order to ‘divide and conquer’). Coming full-circle to America, if it is indeed the case, this obviously was a tactical / strategic decision that played out well for the firm. And, should this also really come as any surprise: Apple is a consumer device company and they’re going to do everything within their power to protect and further their dominance (as would Microsoft or any other industry leader within their respective market space).

From the Washington Post: http://goo.gl/52CLO

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Take That!

Posted on June 22, 2011 by John

If Wednesday’s announcement is followed through by / with a (viable) real-world, commercial application (complete with Economies of Scale) a once-in-a-century breakthrough in the field of photography might just be in our midst.

No pressure though… oh, and there’s also the reality that stand-alone cameras (save perhaps the high-end SLR’s that are an exception) are largely becoming a thing of the past (as more and more smart phones are equipped with better lenses; higher resolution and the ability to shoot full high-definition footage, etc.)

Nevertheless; that’s what made / makes Silicon Valley so distinct / unique: we’re-going-to-change-the-world (for the better plus make a boatload of money while we’re at it) orientation.

From the Wall Street Journal: http://goo.gl/rF5TD

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Let’s Review…

Posted on June 21, 2011 by John

Yawn… perhaps not the most gripping way to begin today’s post; nevertheless, it is befitting… here’s why… In a word: Nokia. And, the simple fact that the market passing them by was ‘perhaps the beginning of their ending’ (to paraphrase Winston Churchill).

To reiterate; there’s the simple fact that the market has largely passed them by (as consumers moved up the value-chain and embraced the standard set by Apple with Google’s Android coming out of nowhere within under 2 years). This in and of itself is / will / would, etc. be a Herculean task to successfully navigate a comeback in the midst of – if that were their only crisis to manage. However; as if that isn’t enough, Samsung is projected to pass them moving into second place (largely assisted by Google as Apple set a serious fire under their feet particularly in their home-market of S. Korea). But wait; there’s more as the emerging markets (which they thought they had sewn-up have now begun shunning the companies’ products too).

And, finally (well, not actually but for the sake of space) their first releases with Microsoft are not slated for at least a year out (even though the firm is stating that they’ll have a Windows-enabled release later this year; read: in all probability best case scenario)… all of which makes it no surprise that they are just getting hammered in the market. After all; they brought their current lot on themselves (which by extension is a large reason why they’ve pinned their future on Redmond as that too is anything but a safe-bet).

From FT: http://goo.gl/PZ65S

From the Register UK: http://goo.gl/v7RIy

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Up Next: A ‘Bigger’ (Green) Offering?

Posted on June 20, 2011 by John

Is it an ironic coincidence that Toyota unveiled a ‘bigger’ brother to their (run-away hit) Prius on Father’s Day weekend?

Whatever the case may be; the car is in the 3rd generation (since it’s initial release was panned mercilessly) and despite the fact that the technology is available (economies of scale are currently lacking) to exceed 50 mpg – that is still not a bad figure. Nor, for that matter, is that 97% of them are still on the road; 1 million (of 2) have been sold in America and the car’s batteries (among other parts) are completely recyclable.

Long story short; perhaps Dad’s and station wagons are somewhat synonymous (most likely in the States) but what matters most is that technology can work towards contributing to the betterment of the world (and, by extension, the environment) particularly; when consumers are obviously willing to purchase products that are (not just) ‘green’ in orientation (despite all of the naysayers that argue otherwise).

From the WSJ: http://goo.gl/NIdIU

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Worth Revisiting.

Posted on June 19, 2011 by John

IBM’s accomplishments during their century of existence ran the gamut from Apollo 13 to promoting workplace diversity to essentially everything in-between (including being successful in selling technology within two mediums that don’t get the attention that consumer electronics generate: a. corporations; and, b. governments).

From the NY Times: http://goo.gl/TNDyz

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A Hand Up.

Posted on June 18, 2011 by John

In the midst of so many dire conditions globally; IT is proving once-again to be a medium through which people’s lives are further interrelated and (potentially) changed for the better via a Silicon Valley Non-profit that is outsourcing work to some of the most-marginalized people in the world.

From the BBC: http://goo.gl/q1fpy

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A Magnificent Mess.

Posted on June 17, 2011 by John

The enclosed article highlights both the potential and perils of conducting business in India.

Six hundred million (yes, that’s right) active mobile subscribers is a staggering figure. Conversely, dealing with the seemingly happenstance manner in which the mobile spectrum was auctioned off (with the inherent / requisite corruption therein) is also hindering the market’s greater potential: economies of scale thereby driving down costs; and, in turn, creating profit (which is hard a bit hard to fathom is the exception currently versus the norm).

From the Economist: http://goo.gl/sDnJw

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Go (Big) Blue!

Posted on June 17, 2011 by John

Happy Birthday IBM! In sum; the list of contributions that this company has made to the ‘world of technology’ is indeed impressive (which is a serious understatement).

From CRN: http://goo.gl/CYC1J

IBM’s History: http://goo.gl/c7Q4Y

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Oracle Recall?

Posted on June 16, 2011 by John

Google’s latest announcement of their ‘it-can-do-everything’ computer in retrospect might actually be the manifestation of what Oracle envisioned with their Network Computer (remember that?)

Of course; the major differences are: 1) Oracle never did anything other than essentially market / tout it; 2) the cloud is a reality that is current – not expected / projected to become accessible (and/or potentially ubiquitous); finally, 3) Internet access and the race to the data-bottom (particularly outside of America) makes this device much more viable (today).

From the NY Times: http://nyti.ms/kTWijC

From Wikipedia: http://bit.ly/mPpWc

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