Next stop Ubuntu

Ubuntu today unveiled its take on the tablet, the 4th screen in their 4 screen strategy. The tablet UI borrows from that of mobile version, smooth transitions and elegant UI elements. The notion that innovation is dead has be shattered by Ubuntu's efforts on the UI front. It's unlike anything currently on the market and that in itself is cause for an applause. Desktop, TV, phone and tablets now have their own distinct sprinkle of Ubuntu but my thought process lends me to believe in this "post PC era", making the phone and tablet the most vital of the 4 screens.

Microsoft, lets talk....

A Consumer's Prospective: 

Bane - Do you feel in charge?

Microsoft - I have over 90% of the PC market!
Bane- And this gives you power over me?

I glanced at an article recently outlining Microsoft's new approach to Office and my initial reaction was; I think everyone at Microsoft needs to meet Bane. The product now comes with two choices of ownership; $100 per year for Office 365 Home Premium and $150 per year for Office 365 Small Business Premium. Outside the subscription model Office Home & Student cost $140 , Office Home & Business ($220) and Office Professional ($400).


Now why would I make such a statement? Meet Bane? One would argue that the Office suite is a well respected and is an unmatched set of productivity tools. I would not argue against this assertion but my problem doesn't stem from the quality of the product but the presentation and pricing. Allow me to explain.

Problem #1

'Could the sales of tablets surpass desktop PCs by the end of 2013? That's the prediction from Antoine Leblond, the head of Windows Web Services at Microsoft'- Source: Neowin. When I read this piece of the article I was baffled that there is someone at Microsoft who realizes tablets are on the rise. What I'm trying to figure out however is, does Microsoft realize it has practically no foothold on that market?

Problem #2

Windows 8, beautiful and innovative in my humble opinion. Microsoft found a way to bring the PC market kicking and screaming into the era of touch. Now someone from the Windows team needs to go over to the Office team and whisper "we are doing touch now so please lets be on the same page". How can a company urge developers to make their applications more touch friendly while releasing in 2013 a 'core' product that's clearly not built with touch in focus. This puzzles me.

Problem #3: The Google Problem

In an interview with AllThingsD, Amit Singh, a Google VP and head of its Enterprise unit, said “Our goal is to get to the 90 percent of users who don’t need to have the most advanced features of Office” - Source: Forbes. Now Google clearly understanding the importance of a solid Eco-system has declared war on Microsoft Office. Office is not just productivity tools but it is an essential part of the Windows Eco-system and Microsoft needs to understand that.

Bringing it together.

Microsoft is missing the ball, they understand where the world is going but the company seems divided. The Windows team has one direction and the Office team has another. Office being so important and Microsoft's position being so weak, the price of this software should be much lower. It is in fact a step in the wrong direction, Microsoft should be so embarrassed that it offers it for a deeply discounted price. Now lets step over to the competition, the Google threat is real, I'm sure that Google will be making a huge step to gain that 90%, Google's current productivity services leaves much to be desired but 2013 may mark the year it changes all of that.

Microsoft do you still feel in charge?

Blackberry 10 Launch and the Brand Loyalty Bug

Image Source: Blackberry10News

The biggest snag in Blackberry 10 launch is the brand loyalty bug. 

In my conversations with my colleagues and practically everyone I meet, the general consensus is that the Blackberry 10 Devices launching at 10am EST, are definitely not better than the current pieces of glass they clutch. What is also common? They know nothing about the specs of the proposed Blackberry 10 nor how it compares to their current device. This is the brand loyalty bug. This is what keeps big producers like Apple, Samsung, Google ahead of the game. Creating a sense of entitlement in consumers to the brand they happened to chose in the beginning. 

State of Mobile Part II: Windows Phone

To analyze Windows phone, we must first evaluate Microsoft’s position in the PC space to understand and fully grasp the importance of the success of their Windows phone platform. My first blanket statement will be, “the PC as we know it, is dying, slowly but surely!” Some might categorize this death as a mere transition point where the market self adjusts to the trend towards mobile, but we can not ignore the bleeding experienced by PC companies today.

Research done by IDE on the market during the 4^th quarter of 2012 shows the performance of top five PC manufactures. Those within the top five are: HP, Lenovo, Dell, Acer and Asus. Looking at the numbers, Acer and Dell experienced more than 20% decline in sales while HP experience less than 1% decline. Thou Lenovo and Asus experience growth, the entire PC market contracted 6.4%. This is shocking due to two main factors, the 4^th quarter is home to the Christmas shopping season and Microsoft just released a brand new, bold,  ‘innovative’ OS, Windows 8!

What is driving the sales of the PC market into the ground? Mobile! Phones and tablets are now replacing desktops and laptops under Christmas trees across the global and this reality must scare the folks at Microsoft because their share of the mobile pie is of date insignificant.

The companies that helped Microsoft rule over the PC are now failures in the mobile space. HP, Dell, Lenovo, Acer and Asus have tried making phones and tablets but they have all failed to gain the kind of recognition they command in the PC world. This puts Microsoft in a very bad state; Android’s success now brings questions to OEM’s minds when considering investing capital in developing a new mobile product. At this war Microsoft is currently loosing.

Now lets look at Window’s mobile offering! Windows has successfully rebranded and reinvented the horrible, sad and disgraceful mobile OS system once called Windows Mobile. They have created something that is truly beautiful and innovative (Windows phone). The fruits of Microsoft’s procrastination are bitter; thou they have built a compelling product the bad reputation resulting from years of lacking in innovation is currently stifling the newly reformed platform.

Enter Nokia! This company is known for the being the best in class in hardware. We have all seen the memes! Nokia phones are long lasting devices; this reputation has brought some fortune to Microsoft and its fight to gain some footing in the mobile space. A partnership with Nokia that’s costing Microsoft more than it gains in licensing Windows phone has brought some life back to the dying platform.

Reformed hope! Microsoft agreements with Android manufactures will ensure new products are pushed out the door and consumers get to experience a more diverse collection of Windows phone devices, helping them to realize it’s a well made OS deserving of a seat at the table comprising of the giants of mobile. For now however Microsoft will have to bear with the their self created “kiddies table”.

I have faith in Microsoft. I think that this year we will see great products emerging from the recesses of Redmond. I hold the view that the new “Xbox 720” (as its being referred to) will be tightly integrated in the mobile strategy going forward. This will help to further convince consumers that Microsoft is ready to be innovative again. Another dimension that will spark growth will be the warming of consumers to Windows 8; the advantage of having the same user interface will make the transition into Windows phone much smoother! There is indeed hope. I don’t expect Windows to take the market by 2013 but by 2015 I expect a strong showing from Microsoft! 

Part III I will explore the world of Apple!

State of Mobile Part I: Android

Examining the surface of the mobile space, the untrained eye will declare Android's platform the clear winner that is poised to take over the entire market. In this post, I will seek to open your eyes to some of the realities that might question the huge monster that is Android's dominance on the mobile space.

First important point to note! No one but Samsung, has being doing exceptionally well at running Android. Samsung’s current Android market share now stands at 46% (and growing). That's almost half of every Android device sold. Samsung’s closest competitor- HTC has been experiencing a downward spiral spanning into months. 

Source:BGR

They are hoping that a strong lineup in 2013 will bring them back from dismal numbers quarter after quarter. We have to face the fact also that Samsung is currently spending more money on marketing than anyone in today's market. Nobody within the Android’s Eco-system can match Samsung's dollar at the present moment. All signs point to Samsung’s market upward growth. Why is this important? Read on.

Source: Imore

Second point of interest: Amazon. Amazon has shown the world how to beat Google at its own game with their broad Eco system being used as a leveraging tool. Amazon has found success by taking Android (a free OS) stripping it of all things Google and replacing them with Amazon services. "Billy Button works for nothing?"

Third point of interest: Tizen. What is Tizen you may ask, well it’s the product of a partnership between Samsung and Intel to bring a new OS which offers the same, open source standards, flexibility and power as Android.  Tizen has built in an Application Compatibility layer which makes Android app portability easy! A dangerous reality since Samsung  has announced they will be releasing Tizen powered phones in 2013!

Let’s bring it together! Samsung has been spending a crazy amount of money to create what Apple has been enjoying for years, Brand loyalty! (Very Important!) To check if it’s working, think about this for a second, how many of you reading this post can't wait to see what Samsung brings to the table with the Galaxy S4; I'm guessing a lot of us! An even further test will be how many of us actually own or would like to own a “Galaxy S3” or Note II? Adding more to the puzzle, Amazon is enjoying success stealing Google's hard labor, why shouldn't Samsung follow suit by stealing App developers for their own OS Tizen? They have the leverage of loyal followers which can be very enticing to developers! I'm sure the folks at Samsung will love to have complete control over Hardware and Software!

Is Android still that unbeatable beast in your mind or are there now cracks in your reality?

Look out for Part 2 where I take on Windows Phone!

-Maurice John

The Rise or Fall of RIM

Only 12 days are left until RIM (Research in Motion) reveals a long over due overhaul in their line of smartphones, Blackberry 10. And I mean LONG overdue. This pending announcement is being met by a general air of nonchalance from the press, media and by extension the public. Everyone seems to be of the opinion that Blackberry is dead. I won't be surprised if this post is met with comments like 'Isn't it obvious??'. But it is simply NOT TRUE. Yes I said it.

Now I am not a blackberry enthusiast, nor am I being paid by RIM. I simply stepped back one day and looked at the reality of what is around me, and spit back up the anti-rim oatmeal that the media is feeding everyone. For the apocalyptic reports coming from the media for over two years, claiming nothing short of a disastrous collapse and blowing up a much needed reshuffle of RIM's cabinet, by now surely Blackberry's should be obsolete devices and RIM should be filing for bankruptcy! 

It is my firm believe that things with RIM aren't as bad as the media makes it out to be. I am certainly not denying the obvious shortcomings of the current slate of Blackberry devices, but how does that lead me to conclude that RIM cannot do better? 

As I close this highly opinionated piece I just want to reiterate that I am not a Blackberry die hard. In fact, I own and love an iOS device. It is a trick of these companie to create a sense of loyalty to their devices, and a feeling of betrayal if we recognize anything but shortcomings in the competing devices. We as consumers need to snap out of this trance.  Competition (or attempts at) is good.  More companies trying to bring more to the table can only mean good for us as consumers, even the die hard apple users. I welcome Blackberry 10 with open arms.

CLASH OF THE BANTAMS: THE BLOODY SMARTPHONE BATTLE THAT WILL TAKE SHAPE IN 2013

Source  BGR : 

"As titans Apple (AAPL) and Samsung (005930) continue to stomp across the smartphone landscape, a new battle is emerging between two scrappers in 2013. In one corner sits Microsoft (MSFT), the world’s largest software company that still can’t seem to find its footing withWindows Phone. In the other corner, Research In Motion (RIMM), a toppled giant steadying itself as it prepares for the fight of its life. Two enter the ring, but only one may emerge as the smartphone war heats up in 2013."

CONTINUE HERE