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?

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!

20 inch 4K resolution Tablet unveiled!

Image source : The Verge

While tablets are on everyone's minds these days, I don't think anyone expected what Panasonic brought to the table; A 20" Windows 8 tablet with a 4K resolution. 4K or Ultra HD , a relatively new term, refers to a resolution of either 3840 x 2160 pixels or 4096 x 2160 pixels. Panasonic revealed at their CES presentation that the tablet is aimed at photographers and architects. The super-sized tablet runs windows 8, which from the videos is clearly not properly optimized yet for the device and takes up a little under 50% of the screen when it comes to the active tiles. Many have doubts as to whether this device would last on the consumer market, if it ever makes there in the first place. While this is certainly not the most portable tablet out there, the screen real estate and quality far surpasses any tablet currently on the market and may be just what some consumers need. What do you think? Too much? Well needed?

Android's March to the bottom!

Acer announced the Iconia B1-A71. Specs includes 8GB internal storage, dual-core 1.2GHz MediaTek processor, 0.3 MP front facing camera and 512 MB RAM. 

Image source: Engadget

Thoughts: Competing with the iPad has been tough for OEMs, Amazon first successful attack on the giant came in the form of a ultra affordable tablet, the Kindle fire. Amazon can afford to sell these kindles at ridiculously low prices as a result of the leverage in the content package they possess (Books, Movies, Apps, Music, Tv shows etc). I fear however for other OEM like Acer who are now competing with both Apple, Google and Amazon. The $329-$500 price space will continue to be dominated by Apple and the $200-$250 space will be Google's Nexus devices and Amazon's offering. 

Can Acer and other OEMs find their way? Only time will tell.