Monday, February 21, 2011

On Steve Jobs, iOS, Nokia+MS, and Jasimine Revolution

I’ve just been too busy to blog lately. Today, I happen to be able to squeeze few minutes on blogging, so I just wanna comment on few topics all at once.

Nokia’s adoption of Window phone 7
It is a bad marriage. They found each other because they are the leftovers in the mobile marketplace. If I’m a stockholder of Nokia, I will sell it. Nokia should hop into Android’s camp and try to become the best Android phone maker. I don’t see helping MS to beat Apple and Google is any easier than beating HTC, Motorola and Samsung. Anyway, with their latest announcement of releasing the phone in coming October, I don’t care how good that phone will be, the timing is just off! By then, there will be advanced iPhone and Android 3.0+ phones swarm the market, which will just right about capitalized on the trend of smartphone adoption. October release of new Nokia Window Mobile phone is simply too late. I understand that it takes time, but timing is the most important factor in the smartphone market now. I predict that the Nokia-MS effort of making phone will go the way of MS’s own Zume. i.e. good product but bad timing. Coz, the ship has sailed.

Steve Job’s health
I can’t believe so many mainstream newspapers would even quote an article from ‘National Enquirer’ about Steve Job’s health, which said that he will have only 6 weeks to live. On the other hand, he has just gone dinner with Obama and other chief tech heads. 6 weeks? Let’s count from Feb 18 on. We will see just how low the standard of newspapers is running these days. BS belongs in forum or chat room, not A1 of newspapers.

Jasmine Revolutions in the Middle East
These are definitely historical events that will be covered in books in few years. The power of internet/social networking has been shown in the events. I don’t live and have never been in Tunisia, Egypt, and those countries. I would say that those people do what they believe are right for them out of years of frustration and desperation. I’m not sure if that’s the best way to get change. Coz, it is too early to tell. I think these kind of revolution will only succeed if the citizens are educated and there is well-established opposition party that can take charge shortly. Otherwise, besides chaos and destruction, replacement of old bad oranges with new bad oranges is highly probable. So, don’t get too excited too early. Just stay tune.

iPad2 and iPhone5 rumors
As an avid reader of rumor mill of iOS products, the rumors about iPad2 and iPhone5 are getting mess lately. Screen resolution and size are the main area of contradictions. I’m sure Apple has done prototypes of all sort and leaks are probably coming from there, at least partially. I would be quite disappointed if iPad2 has no retina display, but I would still get that once it is out. I read an article from CNET which analyzed what set Apple apart from its competitors. It is the iOS ecosystem. I largely agree with what it said for being a living organism of that ecosystem. Tech products’ battlefield this day is neither the software nor the hardware alone. It is BOTH which create a comprehensive user experience. If the critical mass of consumers are at least satisfying with their lives in that ecosystem. Though it is not irreplaceable, most of them would find it tedious or simply to lazy to switch. The challenge to Google, MS, and the rest is to create an ecosystem that have to be at least as good as iOS if not better, and to create an easier way for the iOS users to switch to if they are successfully allured away. This is just a monumental task to do that. Coz, most of Apple’s competitors just don’t own ALL the pieces of the ecosystem. Cooperation is a must, though there could be synergy, problems do exist when there are indeed selfish interest among companies respectively. So, I don’t care if HTC, Google, or whoever is gonna make better products (at least spec wise) than iPad2 or iPhone5. I think majority of iOS users, including me, will stick with Apple for at least next 1 or 2 generation of iOS products.