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?

Confession of a "secret" BB lover

I'm a technology junkie, that is a well known fact but the misconception added to my love of technology is the thought that I'm an Apple fanatic. Let me clear this up somewhat, I'm only part Apple fanatic, I would be lying if I said I wasn't that much. Let me explain, I love what Apple is doing on the PC side of the world, nothing can get me to switch back to a Windows machine. The union between a Macbook and OSX is so beautiful, the hardware in every sense complements the software and vice versa. That's how it should be! Moving over to the mobile side I have fallen out of love with Apple, the iPhones are great but the software leaves room for improvement. 

I pride myself as someone who tries to ensure that I speak from an informed stand point and not as someone standing on a matches box speaking from no real prospective. That in mind, my first smartphone was a blackberry (Bold 9000) then I moved to an Android device (HTC Nexus One), migrated to an iPhone (iPhone 4) then back to a Blackberry (bold 9900) and now I'm back to having an iPhone (iPhone 4s). When I speak about a product it's not because I have seen videos or watched people use them but I speak from the prospective of someone who has lived with a device. 

Why I love the Blackberry? 

I have always been a strong critic and lover of the Blackberry. My friends will tell you that I will always advise them to upgrade to a real device because using all the different platforms at the time, the Blackberry felt caged. The only bright spot of the Blackberry is BBM. Now that might seem limited but it's far from reality. BBM feels like a family, a family you can't help but love. You might say there is Whatsapp but Whatsapp in my opinion feels like a stop gap to what you really want. It's a cheap knock off of the real drug, BBM. 

Why I'm going back to the Blackberry!

BB10 has addressed my main concern with the Blackberry, it nows brings the OS into the 21st century. BB10 in my estimation is not better than Android or iOS or Windows phone but it can hold its own and that for me is all I need. A phone is suppose to be a device to connect you with people, those friends and family members and no one beats the Blackberry when it comes to connecting people. 

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 III: Apple

Apple of past.

 To understand Apple's current position in the market we must first take a trip into the past. Join me as we turn the clock back to 1996. We will begin our trip at the point in history when Steve Jobs returned to Apple. Steve returned through the purchase of NeXT a company he start after being fired from Apple and it was clear Apple was failing and in need of direction. Steve provided that vision, also hiring key personnel to realize his vision for the company. He believed in having razor focus on a small number of great products. As a result of this idea Apple grew back to profitability and the hits kept coming. The rest is history, Apple now stands as one of the largest pillars of modern technology. 

 Apple of structure.

 Something went wrong along the way, it was not immediate but it was a gradual build up of what is now a huge hurdle Apple must cross to succeed. Steve in all his insecurities made the company more about himself than about the company itself. This in my opinion was to guard his position at the head. Mr. Jobs once said in an address; 

"Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new." 

Well Steve Jobs died and he has left his company with a void he himself created. People are now questioning and doubting every move, there is a sense of uncertainty surrounding a company known for innovation. A CEO who excels more in the number crunching is now in-charge and its no secret he lacks the vision Steve possessed. The structure problem also continues; Apple is company top heavy by design with secrets weaved in the very fabric of the campus walls at infinite loop. Unlike Google who's approach is an open approach to creativity where pockets of people are allowed to be creative while Apple seems to be the opposite. Few elite brilliant men hand picked by Jobs himself run Apple. 

 Apple's current product position. 

 If you take a look at Apple's product portfolio you will see innovation but that innovation seems to be only manifested in the hardware side of their products. The iPhone 5, a physical triumph, the iPad mini's a beauty to behold, the retina display of the iPad 3 & 4, magnificent, the new iMac's slim and 'sexy' frame and then there is the new macbook retina display that screams magic. Then we take a step over to the software side and everything goes downhill. Maps, limited iCloud, limited and gimmicky Siri, stale iOS, its clear Apple has a software problem.

 Why iOS sucks.

 Lets take a moment to describe today's generation through my eyes. Today we have young people who's emotions control them instead of the opposite direction. We have youths who switch personalities every two days based on how high the sun is in the sky, that is todays generation where every waking feeling, moment and thought is either twitted or Facebooked. The young generation seeks to impose what ever they are feeling on everything that is around them. The smartphone included. When I listen to why people like Android I can see why iOS sucks but iOS at its core mirrors a desktop OS where you pick it up to do work and not the distractions that seem so important to today's youth. 

 "For the techies however the story differs but we are only but a small fraction of the market." 

 iOS lacks the "pretty" of android but at its core its just as powerful since its basically a scaled down version of OSX. iOS however has some clear omissions (major one: updates at a glance) for a OS thats suppose to replace the traditional PC. Apple needs to close the gap between what someone can do on a laptop and on a phone or tablet before it can continue harping on the post PC mantra. Plus lets face it iOS needs a face lift! 

 Hope of Apple.

 Firstly Apple needs to show the world that they can survive even thou Steve Jobs has passed on. It must have a strong hand in the face of adversity. Secondly the company needs to ensure ideas are not only just trickled down from on high by those few great men but come from all angles of the company! Thirdly Apple needs to figure out how to do great, fresh, 'working' software again! Based on Apple's update cycle its huge update on the hardware side then the next year is a focus on the software. Iphone 3GS to iphone 4 was hardware focused. Iphone 4 to 4S was software focus which points to this year being the year Apple tries to "wow" us on the software front, iphone 5 to 5S. Having seen Apple stumble software wise I'm uncertain Apple can deliver but I will hold judgement until the late June/July. 2013 is the year Apple must step up and show the world that it has what it takes to deliver a strong software product but if they pass on this chance this year I'm afraid it will be to late for Apple to regain its innovator crown.

Live. Take Risks. Succeed

Interesting video! 

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