…ting ting ting and my Nokia battery dried up!

…ting ting ting and my Nokia battery dried up. I forgot to charge my cellphone the other day and did not carry charger with me.

The moment I heard the dying sound of my cell, I knew I was in trouble. I was hesitant to ask for a charger since I already knew the responses I would get. If you don’t have an iPhone or a Samsung high-end phone, you are considered as outdated. Reluctantly, I did ask office colleagues only to confirm that my thoughts were correct.

“Buddy we belong to Apple family now!” with some chuckle came most of the replies.

That took me back to those days, not too long ago, may be a 4 years back when you never had to worry about carrying a charger if you had Nokia phones. It was a universal handset for communicating with people around the world. The acceptance and usage was so much so that you would find a Nokia charger hanging perpetually in every room of a house belonging to each member of that house. Even while traveling on train, only first person had to put a charger in plug and then only the handsets use to get changed turn by turn.

Nokia truly connected people. Especially in India, it has taught people how to communicate on mobile phones. It came with a standard Menu Options and varieties of phones at different price points. It was a common saying that if you bought a Nokia phone, you never had to buy another one. Throw it from table, give it to kids to play, nothing would happen. That was the kind of sturdy display and durable handset Nokia use to offer. It worked in its favor and people opted for Nokia for its simple to use and longitivity it offered. Back then mobile phone was primarily used for talking, sending sms messages, listening Radio and finding Cricket scores from the service providers. Few high ends had radio, 2-3 Megapixel camera and limited music space.

Samsung was one of the key competitors in Indian markets but was always second to Nokia in all respect. It came with a black coloured rectangular box kind of bulky handset. LG, Sony Ericson and other did exist but were not among the preferred ones. Apple iPhone was perceived as a ‘very costly’ phone and meant only for the so called rich class.

In 2007, Steve Jobs showed the world what a cell phone could do beyond talking. And the world never remained the same.  Samsung was quick enough to realize the market trend and re-aligned its portfolio. Samsung created handsets with iPhone-like features and flooded market with variety of them at every price point. Google introduced Android, sophisticated, Open source mobile operating system. USP for mobile phones was shifting from hardware to software. It mattered more as to what the phone was carrying inside the small rectangular box.

Social behavior was responsive creating a new trend. The world no longer looked for longitivity or durability in a handset. Consumers wanted to swipe on the screen with their fingers and unlock phones instead of pressing ‘Unlock + *’. ‘Touch screen’, ‘High resolution camera’, sharing and connecting with ‘Facebook’, easy access to Twitter, GPS became new minimal to-have features for a phone. ‘App’ (Applications) became new buzz word. It simplified life of people drastically. From being a personal device, mobile phones became a medium for social connect.

The world of technology changes so rapidly that between the time I thought writing this post to the time actually putting it on paper, Nokia as a handset company seizes to exist. It will henceforth be recognized as Microsoft Mobiles.

Companies need to be more innovative and cannot depend on its existing products forever. Innovation is at the heart of technology, rewriting the history each day.  If companies cannot innovate from scratch, it should at least try for what we call in marketing parlance – ‘a second movers advantage’.

Blame Steve Jobs for changing the rules of the game or Nokia’s inability to embrace the new trend of App world, the company which dominated the handset market with a very high brand recall, no longer exist and all this in a matter of 4-5 years.

The once abundantly found Nokia chargers no more hang in drawing rooms of house. I must admit that I take out my handset from pocket only when it rings, when in public. 9.5 people out of 10 are found with an Apple or a Samsung product including school going kids. Despite this fact, I am happy with my phone because I don’t spend much time using it, only as required. It offers camera, wassup, sms and I can make and receive calls. O yes, it is a touch screen phone with a QWERTY keypad. This helps me spending more time with my kid and family rather than hooked to phone with virtual people.

fOoD fOr ThOuGhT: Use product and love people and not vice-versa. I know few of my colleagues who don’t use mobile phones at all, I would say that is the best way to live!

When I bought my first iPhone…

 

Phone is single biggest medium to get connected and communicate with anyone across the world. Mobile has made life even simpler with calling/ receiving message on the go. Motorola was the first company to demonstrate handheld device called mobile phone. The device evolved over a period of time and newer and fascinating features got added. Yet, primarily mobile phones remained dorky and were used strictly for communication – voice or text.

In 2007, history-defining event happened and the industry never remained the same. Steve Jobs introduced the first ever iPhone to the world. Having played the launch video over and over again on YouTube, I can tell you the crowd and the world were amazed to see what Steve was presenting on large screen. The immediate question that most of them had, “is that for real? Is this a concept or a reality!” The reasons were obvious because nobody ever thought what a multi touch screen phone without a keypad would look like. No company ever before gave so much importance to the design and customer experience. The streets were cautious over the success and competitors had written off the device at the launch itself.

When Steve Ballmer then CEO of Microsoft, considered as biggest competitor, was asked to give his first reaction on the iPhone after its launch he said:

 "Five hundred dollars fully subsidized with a plan! I said that is the most expensive phone in the world and it doesn't appeal to business customers because it doesn't have a keyboard, which makes it not a very good email machine…”

Clearly companies were not looking at innovation. Most of the companies were in disbelief of the features that iPhone was to offer. They thought it would be very high on battery and may not last long in market.

Over the years, the device has become a style statement. It is a lifestyle product now with owners oozing an edge over others when in public. It has redefined the way people use phones. Be it Apps or messaging, communication has taken a giant leap forward.

Today, at every launch, millions of people wait outside Apple Stores to grab the latest offerings. The device comes for a price (read heavy price) but then you cant put a price on the experience you derive from such high end products.

Even I waited for six years to buy first ever iPhone. The feeling was euphoric. I was on cloud nine and I praised Steve Jobs for conceiving such a brilliant idea. Even he would have become happy up there, looking at me since his long term admirer was finally buying his product, two, and not just one. The company stock prices closed up 3% that day on the NASDAQ.

 

I carefully opened the box as if I was handling a newborn baby. Delicate and beautiful with ‘Designed in California’ all over it. I saw it over and over again. I started remembering notes from Steve Jobs’ Biography, book I read in its first week of launch. How much effort and deliberations were done to bring this masterpiece out to the World. Every body part is skillfully crafted giving highest pleasure to the user.

For iPhone and for the innovation, take a bow, Sir, Steve Jobs.

PS: I bought two iPhones for my relatives as I was visiting my native place on vacation. The wait to own one still continues with my wife promising to gift it on my next Birthday!

Windows 8 - Will this leap of faith really work?

I am really not a tech geek, reviewing the latest gadgets. I try to keep them in minimum number. For me it is clearly a means for comfort in life and not life itself. More than the technology I appreciate the minds behind them.

The very first book that I read distantly connected with technology business was by the name Odyssey: Pepsi to Apple, an autobiography by John Sculley, former Apple CEO. I found the book fascinating and Steve Jobs got introduced to me. I googled more on Jobs and then the Stanford Commencement Speech that he delivered in 2005 became my favorite. I played the video in loops and almost learned the speech by-heart. I had enough material and information about Steve Jobs to show off while I conversed with my friends. By this time my answer to the question, "Who is your role model?" became 'Steve Jobs'. The answer looked correct and choice - intelligent.

I watched movie 'Pirates of Silicon Valley'. The more I came to know about Steve Jobs, the less I thought I knew about him. The first Apple product that I possessed was a smart, sexy and beautiful iPod. It was gifted by my foreign return sister. I was in awe of this genius! Today when I am online, among the favorite pass times is to watch his product launch and interview videos on youtube. Fascinating is the word I would want to use for him. The simplicity and thoughtfulness behind his design is worth getting inspired for. He always knew what people wanted but were not aware of. From his Stanford speech,

"... And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary..."

are the words, that keep ringing in my head. His demise was sad and an era ended with that event. I grabbed Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson book in the first week of its launch and I was done with it pretty soon. His personality comes out very well in that book. By this time I started working on MacBook on a daily basis and the pleasure that comes out right from looking at the artistic logo on the lid, opening it and then the start up chime is tremendous.

Now, the origin of my thoughts was actually a new machine which came loaded with Windows 8 Operating system that was recently bought for my parents. First time I booted and it looked jazzy with new User interface. I thought of spending time with new machine since my parents would be using it and I end up explaining the navigation and buttons from a long distance over phone, imagining the screens. I have spent some 10+ years using a windows machine and I was sure it would all be same with some more features added.

The so much reliable 'Start' button and menu was disappearing. I thought it might have been moved to some other place in some other look-and-feel. I found myself googling and my reaction was, what the heck! There was no way that I could explain navigations and actions to my dad if I was not infront of Windows 8 OS. The last time I was pissed off with a Microsoft product was when they did not have MSOffice 2003 and 2007 integration. There was no way you could open a MSOffice 2007 file in a system with 2003 version.

For creating a 'User' for access, so much of information is required! An email account is must and most of the things point towards Microsoft Outlook and related products. I am sure Microsoft has taken a lesson or two from Apple for Software integration but without keeping usability in mind.

After spending more than 40 mins, I was convinced that it was a better idea to uninstall Windows 8 and replace it with Windows 7 or XP which is still my favorite out of all MS OS. StartIsBack came to my rescue and I was relieved that there was still a way out. I have now configured the system which looks more or less like Windows 7 from UI point of view.

Feature wise I think the product is incomplete and launched in haste. Something like, 'lets go to the market and feedbacks will tell what to do next!' Windows is a mass product and such a drastic change in Interface can backfire the sales, or has it already!

fOoD fOr thOuGhT: Beauty in a product lies in its usability and comfort. There is a place for everyone and everything. If you try to emulate somebody else, you would loose your own ground and capturing competitor's may not necessarily result in net gains!

You will google, the way you never thought…

Be it meaning, information, places, maps, etc, we google it. “Google” has become synonymous with “search” on the internet. A fantastic company founded by Sergey M. Brin and Lawrence E. Page. It is now hard to imagine world without google. Gone are the days when I use to issue 10s of books from library, photo coping few of them and taking long notes, to complete school assignments. Today, we google it! But things doesnt look encouraging for google, going forward.

It all started in 1980s. Apple computers introduced Macintosh, the first commercially successful small computer with a graphical user interface. He naively discussed the operating system with Bill Gates. And as matter of fact and in the words of Steve Jobs, “…And since Windows just copied the Mac…” It was the brain child of Jobs but Bill Gates successfully copied and marketed it with Microsoft label, making huge fortune. But still Apple is far more superior when it comes to performance, processing, experience. From Hollywood to Bollywood, film making, processing, high digital stuff, etc would not have been possible, had it not been Apple. It is the “Rolls Royce” of IT industry. Steve Jobs made a mistake of sharing knowledge. He was betrayed and Microsoft became far bigger company than Apple.

History repeats itself. Steve Jobs is betrayed again.

Apple and Google are pioneers in their ambit of offerings. One has proved marvels in computer, operating system, music and phone industry while other is leader in search engine. Their path never crossed. Their mission was to limit Bill Gates and Microsoft till PC and do not dominate the online and phone business. Steve Jobs committed same mistake again. He invited Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google, to join Apples Inc’s board. They worked together to ensure that iPhone has Google as default search engine. Google quietly built Andriod, an operating system for smart phones. Launched it on phones with HTC and Motorola, directly competing with Mac OS. Then it introduced the Nexus One, its flagship phone designed in close collaboration with HTC, which carried some of the designs and features like the patented multi-touch feature of iPhone. Google has challenged Apple Inc, by copying the very own features of iPhone. Schmidt did what Bill Gates did, two decades ago.

fOoD fOr ThOuGhT: I trust Steve Jobs, you will google, the way you never thought. Whenever this man has been challenged, the world has been blessed with out of box, state of the art, industry changer product. Be it ipod, iphone, itunes, ipad or the App music store. This guy will introduce an application, I am not limiting the scope by saying a search engine, an application that will change the way we search. I cannot think what it will be like but it will surely see Google scratching its head.